- Title: CHINA: ACTRESS GONG LI STARTS WORK ON HER LATEST FILM " PRETTY MAMA"
- Date: 29th October 1998
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (OCTOBER 29, 1998) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) GATE OPENING ONTO SET OF "PRETTY MAMA" MOVIE, ON FIRST DAY OF SHOOT WOMAN SAYING "KAISHI" (START), MAN RIDING BICYCLE ACTRESS GONG LI PLAYING CHARACTER OF SUN LIYING, MOTHER OF A DEAF CHILD AS SHE TRIES TO TEACH HIM HOW TO TALK OLD WOMEN WATCHING GONG LI TALKING TO DEAF BOY AS SHE WALKS IN STREETS MORE STREET SCENE
- Embargoed: 13th November 1998 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Reuters ID: LVADVJ9POOIPVPW1VI0CRMQWFNBE
- Story Text: Top Chinese actress Gong Li has switched from her glamorous roles to play an unusual character in a movie about hardship and maternal love.
A piece of wasteland in Beijing is the site of a filmset where Chinese movie star Gong Li has started work on her latest movie, "Pretty Mama".
But as the title suggests, China's "pretty woman" of cinema has traded in her smouldering beauty for a different role -- that of a poor, harassed mother.
The movie, directed by Sun Zhou, looks at the theme of maternal love, but also touches on physical disability, discrimination and poverty.It's a tale of self-improvement and courage against adversity, themes the movie makers are hoping will strike chords with Chinese movie-goers.
Chinese cinemas have seen attendance at domestically-produced movies fall in the past few years.As film-goers flock to the ten foreign movies allowed at Chinese cinemas each year, and as home video and video compact discs (VCDs) of foreign movies make inroads on the domestic movie market, the local industry has had to find new ways to compete.
Movies portraying sensitive, if popular, political issues are censored in China, so film makers have had to look to other popular issues to draw cinema-goers.
Pretty Mama" is about a mother, Sun Liying, and her struggle to help her deaf son.
"I'm telling a tale about people living in a low-income group.I hope people living in precarious conditions can share my feelings", said Director Sun Zhou, famous in China for another of his movies, "Heartstring".
The film opens with a mother whispering common nouns to her son.But when the seven year-old son repeats obediently, passers-by turn to look, for he is deaf and his tone is unusual.
Though her husband leaves her after the boy loses his hearing, Sun refuses to give up the fight to raise him normally.Starting with "Mama", she gradually teaches him how to speak, hoping one day he will attend university.
When he fails school entrance examinations because of his slurred speech, she gives up her well-paid work at a joint venture company to concentrate on her child's education.
"She is facing social problems, she has her own problems, but she tries to solve all of these problems on her own.She doesn't ask for other people's help, and she makers her own efforts to solve these problems.I think her character is special", said Gong Li about her character.
Gong gained international fame starring in many critically-acclaimed Chinese films including "Raise the Red Lantern", "Shanghai Triad" and "Temptress Moon".
Many of her earlier movies were made in collaboration with Chinese director Zhang Yimou.
In the movie, Sun Liying starts performing menial jobs, and frantically tries to collect 600 United States (U.S.) dollars) to buy a hearing aid.
Her ex-husband then dies in a car crash, leaving her totally helpless.
She gets engaged to a man from out of town, in the hope of finding a more stable life.But the day before her wedding, she cancels all arrangements and goes back to her son, after realising her deaf child is the only thing that gives meaning to her life.
"I think it's more difficult to play a contemporary role, it's so close to real life.We know very little about people living in the past, except from books.So, I think it's difficult to act in a contemporary movie, its really not so easy", said Gong.
China's film industry has stagnated in recent years, with output falling to about 80 films a year from around 150, amid a paucity of investment and an official "spiritual civilisation" campaign. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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