The founder of Shaw Film is one of the people I admire most

First of all, Shaw Film Company is a big film company that has been established for decades. Decades = there will be many problems left over from history, and if they are not handled well, they may be hard to return; It is difficult to take into account many details without care, and details often determine success or failure. At the beginning of 1981s, the top management of Shaw films turned their attention from movies to TV series. Because at that time, the financial report of Shaw films was getting worse year by year, and it happened that the company also made great profits when operating TVB, so it gradually reduced its investment in movies.

Secondly, Shaw's production system, which has remained unchanged for decades, has long been difficult to keep up with the times. This makes it difficult for Shaw to make movies as popular as before. Coupled with unreasonable actor selection, many excellent actors left Shaw and set up another portal. And many of these actors later became strong opponents of Shaw. Such as Zou Wenhuai, Bruce Lee and Xu Guanwen. These are all actors and directors who have great influence in the Hong Kong film industry, but they have all been rejected by Shaw. However, if they were really accepted by Shaw at the beginning, under Shaw's rigid system, it might be difficult for them to achieve their later achievements.

With the rise of Tsui Hark, Huang Baiming, Mai Jia and others, the Hong Kong film industry has formed a tripartite confrontation between Shaw, Jiahe and New Art City.

The most fatal thing is that, because the local box office in Hong Kong has collapsed, Shaw executives have turned their attention to the international market. Shaw Film Company began to enter Hollywood in the 1981s. The company invested in Hollywood blockbusters such as "The Cataclysm of the Earth" and "blade runner", but the box office was not satisfactory, and it was basically a loss-making situation. This has become the last straw to overwhelm the camel.

If the decision is correct, Shaw Film Company may become a century-old film company like Warner Bros.. Unfortunately, there are no more ifs. Shaw's film industry, which missed the opportunity of the times, can only be gradually buried by the dust of history.

Shaw's films used to be a label of China films in the 1961s and 1971s, and even left an indelible mark on the world film history. Thirteen Pacific Insurance, Master Hong Quan, Fang Shiyu and Hong Xiguan, etc. are all the classics of Shaw movies.

In the late 1971s, Shaw began to decline. I think there are three points:

First, the development trend of film and television in Hong Kong. From 1951s to 1971s, films were brilliant. Many excellent films from mainland China and Asia were imported from Hong Kong, and Shaw also pushed Shaw's films to a climax under the leadership of Shaw. It was the rapid development of Hong Kong's economy that promoted the rapid development of the film industry. However, after the 1981s, with the slow development of Hong Kong's economy and the emergence of excellent films in neighboring countries, Hong Kong films strolled forward.

Second, the internal reasons of Shaw Group, the external development is rapid, while Shaw's internal production system is stuck in the past and has not kept pace with the times. In addition, some excellent directors and actors have set up their own homes, and Shaw's spiritual leaders are getting old, especially after the 1981s, Shaw turned his attention to the field of television, but television failed to bring glory to Shaw, so Shaw followed the decline of Shaw's films and gradually declined.

Third, when Shaw was in decline, the wrong overseas investment made Shaw, which was already in a spent force, worse, played a role in destroying the ancient times and accelerated the decline of Shaw.

Shaw Film Company, known as "Oriental Hollywood", has experienced nearly 31 years from its establishment in 1958 to its peak in the 1961s and 1971s, and then to its decline in the 1981s. This film and television empire is the highest in China's film history and the pride of Chinese films. Due to the rise of major film companies in the 1981s, such as Golden Harvest, and the progress of the times, Shaw's film style can no longer meet the needs of the audience. Shaw has a unique vision and quickly shifted his focus to television, which is now TVB (wireless TV). After the transfer, it has great influence and received great benefits, and classic dramas have been born one after another, such as The Legend of the Condor Heroes. This is the result of Shao Yifu's foresight, because any industry has its ups and downs. It is also a miracle that Shaw's films have been monopolized for more than 21 years, and it can't last forever. Although it stopped production in the 1981s, it can't be concluded as decline, but it is just a transformation, which is the need of the development of the times, indicating that Shao Yifu's approach is the right choice.

In p>1957, 51-year-old Run Run Shaw went north to Hong Kong from Nanyang.

At that time, the Shaw brothers were already well-known in the film and television circle. As early as 1925, the four brothers established the "Tianyi" film company in Shanghai by virtue of their strong property. The eldest Shao Zuiweng was appointed as the general manager and director, the second Shao Yi was appointed as the accountant and screenwriter, the third Runme Shaw was responsible for distribution, and the sixth Shao Yifu helped his brothers while studying.

With the joint efforts of brothers, "Tianyi" once became one of the three major film companies in old Shanghai, and expanded its business to Hong Kong, Guangzhou and even Southeast Asia, becoming a multinational company famous overseas.

In the 1951s, the Shaw brothers who went south coincided with a once-in-a-century development opportunity in Hong Kong, where elites from all corners of the country gathered.

However, Shao Cunren, the second brother in charge of Hong Kong business, did not focus on production, but focused on building theaters, which was quickly suppressed by his competitor "Cathay Pacific".

In the second year of his arrival in Hong Kong, the highly effective Shaw Brothers Film Company was established. Later, he made great progress and spent a lot of money to show his extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit.

He invested heavily in buying a piece of land of more than 61,111 square meters in Clear Water Bay, and built a movie theater by reclaiming mountains from the sea, and bought equipment from the United States. Shaw Studios, built by him, had more than 1,311 employees in its heyday and was praised as "Oriental Hollywood" by foreign media.

▲ Shaw's classic title.

Shao Yi's conservatism was soon abandoned by Shao Yifu and his third brother Runme Shaw.

In order to completely seize the production right of the second child, Runme Shaw and Run Run Run Run came up with a trick, which is "relieving the soldiers with a glass of wine". On Shao Yi's 61th birthday, they announced in public: "Second brother has worked hard, and now that he is old, it is better to retire and enjoy happiness."

Shao Yi was forced into the palace by his younger brother, unwilling to admit his cowardice. Although he gave up the production right, he caused trouble when Shao Yifu made drastic construction. He sold the old Shaw studio first, and then the Xinhua Theater he bought did not show Shaw films, but premiered western films.

it wasn't until 1961 that Shao Cun officially quit the Shaw Brothers Company, and the Shaw family business split in two.

In the ups and downs of Shaw Company, the struggle for power runs through, and the grievances in the Jianghu have become an endless topic in Hong Kong film and television circles.

spend the blue rays of the road to open the forest. Shaw Company, which faced the separation of its brothers at the beginning of its establishment, suffered from internal and external troubles.

Run Run Run Run Run is a pioneer and conscientious worker. When talking about work, he said, "My attitude in doing things is to do everything well, even the smallest part. I will never relax until everything is perfect. "

Zhang Che, a director from Shaw, witnessed Shaw's dedication with his own eyes. According to his recollection,

"(Shaw) has lived for decades. Go to work at 9 o'clock every day, and practice Qigong for two hours before going to work, without interruption. When I go to work, I explain the work of the supervisors. I write a note, one for each person. When I get to the factory, the first job is to watch the porn taken by the director the day before, stand and watch while doing the hand-lifting exercise. "

Shao Yifu once said that he has no entertainment, and watching movies is his job and his entertainment. He claimed to be the person who watched the most movies in the world. Before the age of 81, he had to watch six or seven hundred movies every year.

In order to ensure the quality of the film, Shao Yifu strictly controls the film. He said, "The audience must be very unhappy after watching the bad film. If they watch too much, they will lose confidence in you. Therefore, it is better to burn the bad film."

In the early days of Shaw's establishment, Shaw shot countless movies. The slogan "Shaw's production must be a good film" is by no means empty talk.

While Shao's family was struggling to develop, the problems caused by Shao Cun's departure were quickly exposed.

Shao Cun has three sons, among whom the second son Shao Weiying is outstanding and deeply appreciated by Shao Yifu. After Shao Yi's resignation from Shaw Company, Shao Weiying was still retained by his sixth uncle as the general manager and became the backbone of Shaw's early years. Shaw intends to train him as the successor of Shaw's film career.

However, Shao Village people were unwilling because they were squeezed out by their younger brothers. They didn't want their son to "work for others" and ordered Shao Weiying to quit the Shaw brothers. Shao Weiying didn't want to disobey his father, so he had to hand in his resignation letter to his sixth uncle and leave for Japan, from then on, he was unknown.

When Shao Weiying left, it was Zhou Naiwen who took over as its general manager. Shao Yifu is unwilling to entrust the power to outsiders. Zhou Naiwen is only responsible for the distribution field, and Zou Wenhuai, hand-picked by Shao Yifu, is responsible for the size of the company.

Zou Wenhuai has made great contributions to Shaw for many years, but his position has always been limited to propaganda director and production manager, and at the highest, he was only the deputy general manager. During this period, the general manager was replaced several times, even if he didn't take real power, he was always on Zou Wenhuai's head.

Zou Wenhuai is depressed. No matter how hard he tries, he can't be independent, let alone become a shareholder. Shaw is a family business. As early as the beginning of its establishment, it was written in the company's articles of association that the main shareholder can only be the Shao family.

this arrangement laid the groundwork for Zou Wenhuai to leave Shao's family and start his own business in the future.

At that time, Shaw's competitor Cathay Pacific made a lot of excellent films that were applauded and hit the box office, which made Shaw a little anxious. Zou Wenhuai made suggestions for Run Run Run Shaw, and hired Lin Dai, the most popular actress in Hong Kong, from Cathay Pacific for twice the salary.

▲ Lin Dai.

Lin Dai, whose real name is Cheng Yueru, whose father, Cheng Siyuan, is a big shot in Guangxi, helped Li Zongren run for "Vice President". Lin Dai was praised by director Li Hanxiang as a star that could not be found in the film industry for decades. Unfortunately, she married dragon five, the son of Long Yun, the king of Yunnan.

in 1964, Lin Dai committed suicide because of a marriage change, at the age of 31. For many years after that, Hong Kong people always mentioned Lin Dai when they thought of beautiful women who were unlucky.

after she moved to Shaw, Lin Dai starred in the film The Story Of Diu Sim in 1958. This film won five awards at the 5th Asian Film Festival, directed by Li Hanxiang.

Li Hanxiang was born in fine arts, and was obsessed with drama. When he was young, he took a forged high school diploma to apply for a college entrance examination. After being discovered, he was disqualified. In 1948, he actively participated in various student movements, but went south to Xiangjiang on the eve of the political reform, and escaped the cultural catastrophe afterwards.

Li Hanxiang is one of Shao Yifu's most valued directors, and his Huangmei tune movies became a major sign of Shao's at that time.

butterfly lovers, which was released in 1963, was written and directed by Li Hanxiang, and made a great success at the box office. After it was released in Taipei, it set a record of 62 consecutive days in Taipei, with a total box office income of more than NT$ 8 million.

When Ling Bo, the actress who played Liang Shanbo in a cross-dressing, visited Taiwan, it attracted thousands of people and thousands of people lined up to see it. For this reason, she won the "Best Actor Special Award" in the 2nd Golden Horse Award. The reason for this award was that the judges didn't know whether to award her the leading actor award or the leading actress award.

"Butterfly Lovers" made Taiwan Province a "crazy city", and for the next 31 years, the Taiwan Province film market has been dominated by Hong Kong. As Taiwan Province actor Zhang Aijia said, Taiwan Province filmmakers feel that as long as there are Hong Kong actors, it is a good movie.

Just as Li Hanxiang's career was booming, Cathay Pacific rebelled against him and supported him to set up the League of Nations Company in Taiwan Province. Li Hanxiang wanted to make a career, and made some good films in Taiwan Province. However, due to poor management, he was on the verge of bankruptcy in a few years, and he could only return to Hong Kong in a mess in 1971.

Hearing that Li Hanxiang wanted to go back to Shaw, Shaw wanted to refuse, or his third brother, Runme Shaw, let bygones be bygones and persuaded him, "Let's fight for money and fail to live up to expectations". Li Hanxiang returned to Shaw, making a comeback, and opened up new commercial films such as deception films, romantic films and Qing Palace films.

Even making erotic films, many later directors can't compare with this old driver.

Hu Jinquan, Li Hanxiang's sworn brother, also became famous in Shaw. Hu Jinquan is a science man. Later, he was the first to shoot light jumping with a spring bed, which was inspired by studying science and engineering.

He introduced Chinese martial arts films to the world, and made classic films such as come drink with me and Longmen Inn. Come drink with me is called the pioneering work of the new martial arts film.

However, Hu Jinquan and Shaw also had frequent disagreements.

In 1964, Hu Jinquan directed the anti-Japanese film "Children of the Earth" for Shaw. Because some Southeast Asian countries implemented anti-racial laws at that time, the scenes of Japanese atrocities and the confrontation between the Chinese and Japanese armies were largely deleted by Shaw before the film was released, especially the scenes with the national flag. Hu Jinquan is not satisfied with this.

After that, the film Red Beard, written by Hu Jinquan, was originally on location in Taiwan Province, and Zou Wenhuai signed a contract with Taiwan, but Shao Yifu ordered it to stop. Later, it was filmed by other directors in Taiwan Province and renamed Mountain Thief, with Hu Jinquan as the titular screenwriter.

Soon, Hu Jinquan left Shaw Company for Taiwan Province.

with Hu Jinquan, Zhang Che, another official of Shao's, started the martial arts film.

Zhang Che was born into a warlord family in Zhejiang. In his early years, he went into politics, first as a Commissioner of the Cultural Games in Shanghai, and then he went to Taiwan Province to be promoted by Jiang Jingguo. Being in officialdom, Zhang Che always thought about official addiction, but he lost frequently in the power struggle and had to quit politics. Since then, he indulged in sex and had an affair with actress Helen Li Mei, so he became a director by mistake.

When she first arrived in Hong Kong, Zhang Che worked in Cathay Pacific for one year, and then was poached by Shaw. When Shaw was the screenwriter's director, Zhang Che received a small note from Shaw every day, on which the assigned items were written. Few people can enjoy this treatment except Zou Wenhuai, which shows Shaw's expectation for Zhang Che.

Zhang Che didn't let him down.

In the 1961s, Shao Yifu, who was far-sighted, adopted the differentiation strategy put forward by Zou Wenhuai, which coincided with the popularity of martial arts novels by Jin Yong, Liang Yusheng and others in Hong Kong, so he intended to create a "martial arts century". During this period, Shaw finally surpassed his rival Cathay Pacific, and the film industry reached its peak.

Zhang Che takes the lead in martial arts films, and the characters in his films are different from the female Xia and Confucian Xia who Hu Jinquan is good at, but more like rangers and assassins who existed in the pre-Qin period. "His words are true, his deeds are true, and he doesn't love his body, so he goes to the plight of scholars."

One-armed Knife, directed by Zhang Che and released in 1967, became the first Hong Kong film with a box office of more than one million, and established Zhang Che's status as a Jianghu person.

One-armed Knife was written by Ni Kuang, one of the "four great talents in Hong Kong".

In 1957, Ni Kuang smuggled from Guangzhou to Macau, and then moved to Hong Kong. At first, he only worked in a dyeing factory, and occasionally contributed to Pravda. Unexpectedly, he made a name for himself by mistake and became a writer.

Ni Kuang also writes about martial arts. In 1965, while running Ming Pao, Jin Yong wrote the novel Tian Long Ba Bu, and had something to go abroad for a month. If the serial of Tianlong Babu is suspended, it will be hard for readers to accept, but Jin Yong is too busy to do it, so he has to ask Ni Kuang to do it.

Before leaving, Jin Yong told Ni Kuang never to write the characters in the novel to death. As soon as Jin Yong left, Ni Kuang blinded A Zi in the novel. When Jin Yong came back, he found Ni