Comedy hasn't come of age in big Chinese cinema, but "Crazy Stone" is an
exception, as a priceless piece of jade jewelry is discovered in the washroom of
an arts factory - and the fun unfolds.
No one can deny how important imagination, funny lines and impressive
characters are to a comedy. But for most Chinese directors, comedy is definitely
not their genre.
Today, while Feng Xiaogang is undoubtedly one of the major names associated
with comedies, Ning Hao, an unknown 29-year-old, is rapidly rising with his
latest black-humor flick, "Crazy Stone."
"I had never expected that the film could receive such positive reviews from
the audience," says director Ning, a native of Shanxi Province. "You know, it is
not a big production with dazzling stunts and acclaimed cast."
Ever since the national release on June 30, Ning and distributors have
already traveled to Beijing, Chongqing and Shenzhen, and other cities, to
promote this eccentric small-budget work.
"Director Ning has injected his humor, passion and talent into this picture,"
says Ellen Eliasoph, managing director of Warner Bros Pictures China, the
movie's distributor. "We are confident of its future."
The film, starring Guo Tao, Liu Hua and Xu Zheng, begins with the discovery
of a priceless jade jewelry piece in an arts and crafts factory. The jade
unexpectedly stirs the craziness of people around it, both the bumbling thieves
and the guards.
People can guess out the certain ending just from the first part of many
pictures," says director Ning. "However, life is full of coincidences and
grotesquery. It is unpredictable. Those are the things I'd like to express in
this film."
But the philosophy is conveyed with the help of modern commercial elements,
from the movie's multi-flavored music (Peking Opera, Western symphony music and
modern rock) to the hot Chongqing dialect delivered with subtitles.
With so many popular locations at hand for filmmaking, like Shanghai and
Beijing, many people feel confused why Ning selected Chongqing as the setting.
"First it should be a hot city," Ning explains. "The characters of the story
are ready to do something. And the humid-hot climate can draw them to the edge
of insanity."
After his trip to Chongqing early this year, Ning was so amazed at the
transformation there. The age-old wooden architectures coexist with the
glass-coated skyscrapers, and its people are wandering between the traditional
culture and luxurious modern lifestyles.
"It seems that I can see through the 300-year evolution of the city in one
view," director Ning laughs. "Here, anything is possible. No place else is
better than Chongqing to run a story like that."
Throughout the movie's screenings, the entire hall was usually overwhelmed
with laughter for the comedic performances of the actors and the funny lines.
"We need comedies," says audience member Wendy Chen. "Many domestic movies
feature heavy themes, pale storylines and boring dialogues. But we got so much
pleasure from this film - sometimes we just need simple fun."
And taking joy and inspiration to the audience is also the simplest thing
director Ning needs. A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, he made two
art-house films before "Crazy Stone" - "Incense" (2003) and "Mongolian Ping
Pong" (2005), but neither has been shown in cinemas.
His feature debut "Incense," which tells about a young monk's journey raising
money to repair a damaged Buddha statue, won him the Grand Prize at the Tokyo
Filmex and the Gold Prize at the 28th Hong Kong International Film Festival's
Asia DV Competition in 2004.
Though Ning built his name on making art movies, he doesn't conceal his
passion for commercial works.
"Most young Chinese directors rarely have opportunities to make big
commercial productions," he says. "The investors usually prefer to choose
veteran filmmakers for such projects. Starting their career with art films seems
an unwritten rule for us." 'Focus: First Cuts'
With an estimated budget of 6 million yuan (US$750,000), "Crazy Stone" is
co-produced by Warner China Film HG Corp, Beijing-based Concord Creation
International and Hong Kong star Andy Lau's production firm, Focus Films.
Remarkably, it is also part of "Focus: First Cuts" project invested by Lau
with about 25 million yuan. The project aims to support promising young Asian
directors to promote their films to a wider audience.
Director Ning is the only one of the project's six new talents who comes from
the Chinese mainland.
The other five are "My Mother is a Belly Dancer" by Hong Kong's Lee Kung-lok;
"Rain Dogs" by Malaysia's Ho Yu-hang; "Love Story" by Singapore's Kelvin Tong;
"The Shoe Fairy" by Taiwanese director Robin Lee; and "I'll Call You" by Hong
Kong director Lam Tze-chung. Many have been acclaimed on the Asian film scene.
"Actually I am the last one who joined in Lau's project." Ning adds. "He gave
me both adequate working space and freedom."
A veteran actor himself, Lau spoke highly of Ning's endeavors on this comedy.
"He has a unique sense of humor that I have not seen from many Hong Kong
directors," he says. "The movie is much better than what have expected. Ning is
so talented."
Breaking the ice of anonymity, director Ning, now with a big crowd of movies
fans, will have many more opportunities than his peers to shoot his next
commercial film, likely the sequel to the "Crazy Stone," he says.
"Crazy Stone" is now being screened at 12 cinemas in Shanghai, such as
Paradise Warner Cinema City, Shanghai Film Art Center, UME International
Cineplex, Studio City Cinema, Kodak Cinema World, among others. Please call to
check the specific screening schedule.