The universality of the image of "Ma Tsai" in Hong Kong cinema

In the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, gang-themed works permeated market life like cold lemon tea in a tea shop. According to statistics from the Hong Kong Film Archive, more than 30% of the 1,286 Hong Kong films produced between 1990 and 2000 were river and lake-themed. In the world of rivers and lakes created by these works, the role of "horses" is like a must-have item during the Mid-Autumn FestivalIt is indispensable. It's not the most brilliant, but it's the key to preserving the overall taste. From "True Heroes" to "Underworld", from alleys to night scenes east of Tsim Sha Tsui, these believers wearing floral shirts and flip-flops shaped the background of Hong Kong cinema with their flesh and blood.

If Hong Kong gangster movies are a fancy banquet,horseThis is the dish that makes the market fireworks the most exciting. It's not as dazzling as the main character, but it seems to be a traditionSo simple and real - the layers of rice aroma are interspersed with the sweetness of osmanthus, like the brilliance of humanity that occasionally shines under the laws of rivers and lakes. When the audience is enthusiastic about Chen Haonan's loyalty in "Crazy Boy", they often tend to ignore the group of supporters who fight fiercely at the Temple Street night market behind him. When the rooftop showdown in "Hell Story" is breathtakingly magnificent, few people pay attention to the low ears and eyes lurking in the shadow of the Chongqing Tower. The chain of ecosystems formed by these characters is a small landscape of Hong Kong society.

Characters from the "Crazy Boy" series

In the comic version of the movie "Crazy Boys", Banana Peel (played by Xie Tianhua) and Chao Pi (played by Zhu Yongtang) are calledhorseModel of the image. According to a survey by the Faculty of Film at Hong Kong Baptist University, about 40% of the HK$1.28 billion box office revenue generated by the series between 1996 and 2000 said they deeply remember the portraits of the supporting cast. When Chen Haonan is in danger, the banana peel always jumps out first, holding a mountain knife to cut through the siege. As if it was cut by the Mid-Autumn Festival5 mooncakes——Ingredients such as almonds, walnuts, and melon seeds are closely related and indispensable. In the Battle of Macau, Chao Pi covered up his brother's tragic death with dozens of knives, imprinting the ethics of "justice on the head" into the audience's memory.桂花糕

The technique of drawing these characters is reminiscent of the tradition of creationOsmansus CakeCraftsmanship: The director carefully captures the life of the market where people boxing while drinking at street stalls on Portland Street, with detailed details of the day-to-day details, the progress and retreat of raising money at the mahjong hall, and the ambiguous consideration for the dancers while watching the nightclub. When the audience saw a picture of a banana peel using blood-stained banknotes to buy medicine for their mother, a picture of him dying while hugging his brother,horseIt transforms from a flat symbol into a warm, living individual. Their position within the gang system is exactly the same5 mooncakesThe relationship between medium sugar winter melon and orange cake retains its unique flavor while relying on each other.

Characters from the "Infernal Affection" series

In the "Hell Matters" trilogy directed by Liu Weiqiang, Jilu (played by Du Wenze) and Xili Chan (played by Du Wenze) are redefinedhorseDepth. The Hong Kong Film Critics Association once pointed out that these two characters account for 37% of the golden lines in the film. Before his death, Xili Zhang said to Chen Yongren: "If you concentrate, the boss will definitely know." It's the same as the last dish at the teahouseOsmansus Cake——It looks sweet and simple, but it has a long aftertaste. The insensitivity of Dill's mechanical commands in the shootout at the pier reflects the identity anxiety in the collective subconscious of Hong Kong society after 97.

The situation of these characters in the gang's food chain is like being pressed against the bottom of a gift box5 mooncakes——Not only must we bear the weight of traditional justice, but we must also withstand the pressure of the changing times. When Dilu paid his respects to Guan Gong following Han Chen, the ironic contrast between his embarrassment and his hasty escape during police detection was a collective portrayal of the people of colonial Hong Kong. And the role of Siri Chan is like a clear mouth used at a tea partyOsmansus CakeHe uses that candor to dilute the cruel texture of the gang world.

Characters from Zhou De's films

Among Zhou Dede's charlatans,horseThis image shows the features of absurd demolition. Yoon Tianqiu, who calls himself "Cherry" in the "King of Comedy", is actually an alternative who wanders around the worldhorse。 According to a 2003 survey by the Hong Kong Theatre House, the character's line "Actually, I'm an actor" was used by 46% of service industry workers as social media signatures. This cleverness of transplanting the vocabulary of gangsters into the set ecology is like a general5 mooncakesThe ingredients are broken down and reconstituted into molecular dishes. This revitalizes modern life while preserving traditional charm.

• Sister Turkey (played by Karen Mock), who follows Stephen Chow in "God of Food", subverts the image of traditional believers with distorted styling and obsessive waiting times
• The leader of the axe troupe in "Kung Fu" (played by Keifumi Tian) interprets the absurdity of modern gangs with exaggerated body language
• "Shaolin Football" is a skilled brother struggling in the market, reflecting the philosophy of survival at the grassroots

These characters always reveal their true feelings with gags, as if they were served after a greasy feastOsmansus CakeUse sweetness to relieve the weight. Sister Turkey sang a love song to protect the God of Food with buck teeth, and when the master panicked and called for help at the scene of the bloody battle, Stephen Chow skillfully played ithorseFrom a tool man to a being with subjective consciousness. This coping method is like combining traditions5 mooncakesIt has been improved into a snowy version and has found the perfect balance between inheritance and innovation.

How these characters shape the image of "Ma Zai"

In Hong Kong cinemahorseThe group portrait weaves together the myth of "loyalty and justice". According to a survey conducted by the Faculty of Cultural Studies of the City University of Hong Kong in 2018, 72% of the 500 respondents were able to accurately narrate at least three classicshorseActs of loyalty. This kind of cultural penetration can be said to be a must for any family during the Mid-Autumn Festival5 mooncakes——Younger generations often complain about its traditional sweetness, but it always has an important place in cultural memory. In "Crazy Boy," Foreskin continues to hold on to his secrets in the face of intense torture, trying to extract a confession. And the implicit understanding of life and death built by the five bodyguards in "Gunfire" repeatedly emphasizes this value.

However, these characters are never reduced to thin moral symbols, and the struggle under loyalty is almost like thatOsmansus CakeOsmanthus stands tall in a transparent texture. The ferocity of the spoon-swallowing plane (played by Zhang Jiahui) in "Underworld" contrasts sharply with his desire to quietly stare at an ordinary family stall on the street. In "PTU", a bald head (played by Lin Xue) panics on the night of losing a gun, expressing the helplessness of the little people in the gaps in the system. These tense interpretations arehorseThe image seems to have been steamed and dried5 mooncakesThe filling is rich in layers and leaves a long aftertaste.

It reflects the epitome of Hong Kong society

These screen followers are actually like capillaries in Hong Kong society. In a 2015 field survey conducted by the Faculty of Sociology of the University of Hong Kong, 63 of the 87 former gang members surveyed admitted that their behavior patterns were influenced by gang movies. This phenomenon of intertwining virtuality and reality is like arranging shrimp dumplings in a teahouseOsmansus Cake——It is both a cultural product and a social existence. In The Legend of Lei Luo, Lard Boy (Wu Meng Da Yan) runs through the corrupt police system, accurately reflecting the social reality of the pursuit of power land in Hong Kong in the 60s and 70s. The confusion among followers on the eve of "O Records" in 1997 coincides with the collective anxiety of the people of Hong Kong at the time.五仁月餅

These characters have a collective memory, like tradition5 mooncakesThere is controversy about green and red silk. While some consider it shabby, others have a taste of the times. In "The Cripple", a college student (played by Ye Tong) is at a loss after the establishment of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission, and in "Days of the Underworld", A Chang (played by Huang Qiusheng) hesitates on the eve of immigration, etc.horseThe twists and turns of fate have become historical annotations. Their on-screen struggles are actually artistically transformed by Hong Kong citizens to survive the torrent of the times, and their cultural significance extends beyond the scope of genre films.

It depicts the living environment of the dwarfs

Behind the epic stories of rivers and lakes,horseThe most touching thing about this character is that he values the dignity of little people. This seems to be a simple but warm dish served at the end of a luxurious banquetOsmansus CakeYou can touch the softest part of a person's heart. The Mickey Mouse tattoo on the back of the Leopard brothers (played by Zeng Zhiwei) in "Sweet Honey" instantly freezes the innocence of the characters of the underworld. The scene in "Across the Seas" where Ah Jiang (played by Chow Yun-fat) shares egg tarts on the street is a scene where the killer returns to his original form in the market. These inspirationshorseThe video breaks the shackles of the genre and has gained universal resonance.

Such creative wisdom is like the handiwork of a master5 mooncakesPrecise control of the ratio of sugar to oil. If you add one point, it will become greasy, and one point less will be scattered. From the scene where Aaron (played by Lee Cansen), an intellectually disabled follower in "Made in Hong Kong," murmurs on the roof of a public housing unit, and a retired Chinese-British soldier in "Last Year's Fireworks" becomes a club thug, these characters dismantle the romantic myth of gangsters while building a humane care for marginalized groups. What they chew on the screen is not just dissatisfaction, for exampleOsmansus CakeIt is the essence of life.

The role of "Ma Tsai" in the film plays an important role in Hong Kong cinema

Throughout the history of Hong Kong cinema,horseThe characters have transformed from narrative tools to cultural symbols that symbolize the city's memory. The process is5 mooncakesThe history of evolution has evolved from lunar offerings to human carriers, from traditional pastries to cultural ambassadors. While wandering on the periphery of mainstream stories, it builds a parallel universe on the screen with a tenacious vitality that makes you feel a more realistic breath than the main character and a temperature that can be felt more than a heroic story.

When you crush golden things on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival5 mooncakesI picked up a crystal object at the teahouse.Osmansus CakeYou may remember the screen followers who once made us laugh and cry. The rivers and lakes they built with their flesh and blood go far beyond the simple dichotomy of good and evil, becoming a codebook for interpreting Hong Kong's social culture. In this survival guide on movies, eachhorseAll are vivid footnotes, witnessing the legend of the City of Light and Shadow.

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