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Awards
at the Hong Kong Film Awards 1990:
Best Actress (Maggie Cheung)
Best Cinematography (Peter Pau)
Best Art Direction (Szeto Wai Yung)
Nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards 1990:
Best Picture
Best Director (Anthony Chan)
Best Supporting Actress (Josephine Koo)
Anthony Chan, also actor on a regular basis through the 80s
and a bit into the 90s (you can see him, in a nominated supporting
performance, with Leslie Cheung in the Shaw Brother's movie
Behind The Yellow Line and in the chilling 3 Days
Of A Blind Girl opposite Veronica Yip), struck gold with
this award winning romance, starring recent Best Actress winner
at Cannes, for her performance in Clean, Maggie Cheung.
Since little reviews from Chan's filmography are available,
it's not too far fetched to assume that A Fishy Story
was a definite highpoint in Chan's career, deservedly so.
What he's brought the world of Hong Kong cinema with his fishy
story is a romance of very expected and unexpected proportions,
set against a highly serious backdrop.
Unlicensed
taxi driver Kung (Kenny Bee) lives in a squatter hut strangely
enough built into a more luxurious apartment that aspiring
movie star Huang (Maggie Cheung) moves into. In order to look
her best when going into her first movie role, Huang enlists
Kung to be her personal driver. However times are tough and
not overly kind to Huang and when she receives the news that
her mother has past away, she loses everything including will
to make her goals come true. With Kung by her side, a bond
will develop now that they have to start over in 1960s Hong
Kong in turmoil...
Already via the black and white opening montage, writer/director
Anthony Chan establishes environment and character perfectly.
Through the stills we see the people fighting for their rights
and in the gorgeous and glamorous Huang's case, people fighting
for that desired fur coat. Yes, Huang is one that seems to
be able to shut out the world she considers to have no personal
affect on her. Her openness, as we find out, is commendable
but certainly her goals in life, being a movie star and being
able to spend money freely is downright childish. However,
developments later reveals a personal reason for her attempting
to rise high and it's one of the many magic moments worth
waiting for in Chan's film. It's also childish to think that
her bonding with a struggling working man such as Kung will
ever happen but as reality catches up with her, that will
happen, as will a genuine struggle to maintain any kind of
position in life.
Part lighthearted romance, part drama, Chan is striking a
finely tuned balancing act for every conceivable story and
moviemaking aspect. The classic boy meets girl but boy and
girl being from apparently different walks of life is handled
with, not so much an originality because we've seen it on
occasions but nonetheless he manages to inject a freshness
to the development between Kung and Huang. Something that
holds much more true as the film rolls along and really takes
some unexpected turns as far as movie romances go. After spending
times in the warm hues, courtesy of director of photography
Peter Pau's eye, it's interrupted by the actual people also
inhabiting 1960s Hong Kong and our characters will receive
a wake up call not only in terms of their continued bonding
but also that life currently is a struggle whether you like
it or not. It's of course primarily Huang who has her world
crumble around her and everyone that she depended on is lost.
Kung however chooses to depended on himself and it's that
driving force that fascinates me about A Fishy Story.
Chan really lets go off any hints to romance (even though
we pretty much know of the outcome) and makes the movie much
more real and also unfair, because times aren't. Case in point,
Kung and Huang both start from the beginning again by saving
up to buy their own Taxi car but an impending taxi strike
quickly ruins their plans to begin flourish and it all boils
down to characters having to make real decisions in order
for life to continue taking steps forward.
The majority of these proceedings have a lighthearted tone
but neither mood, whether it's tragedy or other forms of darkness,
disrupts the other and Chan really makes this an joyous and
affecting journey. Much thanks to the sympathetic nature to
Maggie and Kenny's characters. It takes of course a little
while for us to warm up to Huang but it's all in intent and
handled with focus by Chan. Few comedy sequences or belly
laughs are on offer but when they hit, it's absolutely nailed,
in this case, by Maggie Cheung. In fact, as with other star
vehicles of hers such as Center Stage and Comrades,
Almost A Love Story, the entire film is a highlight reel
of her beauty but within that, the comedienne Maggie Cheung
also emerges. Best sequence being her ordering food, in English,
but having learnt pronunciation from her Indian landlord.
So my highest praise goes out to this multiple award winning
actress who can nail any kind of emotional beat whether it's
subtle, in hysterics etc.
Kenny Bee I've considered adequate as an actor but someone
who's gotten better as years have passed. However, this is
probably his best performance I've seen, backed up by a director
of belief and focus to deliver just that. Kenny will never
be able to perform with great texture of Francis Ng or Lau
Ching Wan but he brings what's needed to this lowly man who's
also finding it hard to make a living because the fight against
injustice by so many others really stops any development of
his. Kenny and Maggie also share a good deal of realistic
chemistry to make us firmly believe in and wanting to follow
their, well realized bond together. Josephine Koo and Anthony
Chan himself co-stars.
A Fishy Story is a splendid gem of also unexpected
depth. That depth does not rival the greatest romantic dramas
but director Anthony Chan brings a fairly subtle texture to
the film and balances the contrasting moods of the film with
nothing less than great skill. Aspects such as the cinematography
and production design also shine and as a final note, I admire
that the film is beautiful despite being restricted in scale,
intentionally so, for large parts. Within every frame, be
it filled or only consisting of Huang and Kung, is expertise
of the highest order and no doubt you'll be affected in many
ways by this wonderful 1989 gem.
The DVD:
Besides being a bit high contrastwise in certain
areas, the approximately 1.76.1 framed transfer offers a respectable
view. Detail is merely ok but a relatively clean print and
good colours makes Deltamac's disc a nice option currently.
The Cantonese Dolby Digital 2.0 track sounds
a little harsh but the sync sound recording of dialogue comes
through well, as does music. A Mandarin 2.0 dub is also included.
The English subtitles are error free and seems
to offer a well-worded translation. Traditional and simplified
Chinese subtitles are also included. Only extra is the trailer.
reviewed by Kenneth
Brorsson
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