Mui in eyes of Friends
An article borrowed form a Chinese Forum
關錦鵬谈anita
就談張曼玉和梅豔芳吧！張曼玉和梅豔芳其實是非常好的朋友，但個性很不一樣。張曼玉在香港出生，少年在英國讀書；梅豔芳並沒有受很高的教育，從小就開始表演。我認為兩個都是本質非常好的人，但是表達的方式不一樣。舉例來說，我記得張曼玉拍「三個女人的故事」，事後補配音，為了紐約某街道名稱的發音該怎麼唸，跟工作人員爭執起來，非常堅持自己所認定的事物。還有一次拍「阮玲玉」，原本想叫她把眉毛剃掉，畫上細細的眉毛，營造出
30
年代的樣子。她說：「關錦鵬我告訴你，不可能！我聽人家說眉毛剃掉就再也長不出來了。」我們只好用膠水把她的眉毛黏得非常細。等拍完樣片（燈光、機器做測試效果），她看完以後，一聲不響就走出去。到了下午，我們在房裡開會，她敲了敲門，一開門，見她兩手按著自己的眼睛說：「阿關
…
」雙手一放，她把眉毛剃掉了！大家很開心也很感動。張蔓玉就是這樣的人，凡是要靠自己做決定，很自主。
反觀梅豔芳，妳別看她好像形象百變，很前衛的樣子，其實非常傳統，甚至她會很婉轉去傳達某些情緒。再講「阮玲玉」，
89
年因為北京發生了一些事情，她不願再到大陸拍戲，但是「阮玲玉」必須在上海拍攝，於是她情願辭演。後來找來張曼玉，她因此得到
11 座女主角獎項。
當然就有很多人問梅豔芳：「會不會後悔？」她都說：「不會啊！」過了幾年，她在生日宴會上有些醉意，拉著我說：「，我還是會遺憾的 … 」她很會照顧別人的感受，因為有些場合張曼玉也在，所以才做這樣的回答。但如果是張曼玉，她會直接回答：「我會遺憾啊！不過沒關係」，相形之下，比較灑脫。
Stanley Kwan talked about Anita Mui
Let's just talk about Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui!
Actually Maggie Cheung and Anita Mui are very good friends, but with different
characters. Maggie Cheung was born in Hong Kong, had her schooling since
young in England. Anita Mui didn't have proper schooling of a high level,
she had performed since young. But I feel both have very good quality ,
but they express their view in different ways. Let's take an
example, I remember when Maggie Cheung was working for the movie [Full
Moon in New York]. at
the audio part, for the pronunciation of the name of a street, she argued with
staff, insisted she was correct. Another occasion, when she was working
for [Yuen Ling Yuk], originally we wanted her to shave off her eye brows, and
then draw very thin eye brows for her, so to create a look of 30s. She
said: [Stanley Kwan, let me tell you, impossible! I heard people say once
eye brows are shaved, they will never grow out again.] So we could only
use glue to make her eye brows look very thin, and we had the trial
shots (by using lighting and machine to test the result). After she saw
the trial shots, she didn't say anything and left. In the afternoon, we
were having meeting in the room. She knocked at the door, when it was
opened, we saw her covering her eyes with her 2 hands and said: [Ah Kwan...]
She moved her hands away from her eyes, she shaved off her eye brows! All
felt very happy and touched. Maggie Cheung is this type of person.
She wanted to make decision by herself, very independent. Now look at
Anita Mui, though she is ever changing in image, very trendy and
fashionable, she is very traditional (in
thinking), she will convey her emotion in an very
indirect way. Back to [Yuen Ling Yuk], in 1989 as something happened in
Beijing, she didn't like to shoot picture in mainland China, but [Yuen Ling Yuk]
must be shot in Shanghai, so she decided not to take up the role in that
film. Then we looked for Maggie Cheung, and for that she got 11 best
female actress award.
Of course many asked Anita Mui: [Do you feel regret?] She said: [No!] After a few years, at her birthday party after a few drinks, she pulled me aside and said: [I can regret....]. She cares about how other people feel. As at many occasions, Maggie Cheung was there too, so she had to answer like that. But if it was Maggie Cheung, she would directly said: [I regret! But never mind.] In comparison, it is more beautiful and easy.
(Personally, I always feel regret for Mui not taking up the role in the movie [Yuen Ling Yuk], because there are not many big chances in one's life, she gave up so easily but then she never got another similar script for which, strictly speaking she was the only leading role, in her later years. She just scarified her career for some political movement, or pro democratic movement she was involved in. Though she got her own dream and her own belief at that time, and she believed she made a right decision, politics are always so complicated and to me quite ugly. So at such a young age, how much actually Mui knew about politics and how much she, just as all the general public, knew about the truth of that incident? She risked her career to help those student leaders to escape from China, how many of them are still truly involving in pro democratic work of China after they left the country? Why they had to escape from China, and left their student followers in China to face whatever execution that might follow? As in her early interviews, she revealed that she had a strong desire to help her country. But I think politics definitely not her field. In her later years, she used her expertise and influence in performing arts and concentrated in approaching the performing sectors of Chinese government, to enhance exchange between China and Hong Kong in performing industry, it is definitely a very mature and more realistic plan and move.
Agree with Kwan, Mui is a very considerate person, she cares a lot about other's feeling, more than herself. Never wants to hurt people, and doesn't like others to worry about her. She bears the burden herself, otherwise she might not even have cancer.
About that movie, it is a good movie, and I like to collect real good movies. For many times, I almost bought it, but then hesitated, I haven't bought it till now. It is because of Mui, I don't like to re-watch it and own it. Childish in a way, but that is me lar...hahaha...
The above is just my personal opinion, you might not agree, but please don't attack me, don't like wars - by Woodstock)