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Cast:
Chow
Yun Fat
Alex
Man
Cecilia
Yip
Wu
Ma
Producer:
John
Shum
Director:
Leung
Po Chi
Score:
 
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HONG
KONG 1941
AKA:
Waiting For Dawn
Year:
1984 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
With
his huge success in 'Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon', Chow Yun Fat seems to have finally
made the precarious leap from cult actor (in the west) to
genuine star of the near future. Of course, Hong Kong film
fans have long held the screen legend in high esteem and he
still commands sizeable chunks of tabloid space in the local
press even though he is currently concentrating his efforts on
Hollywood. Some who are just noticing the ability of Chow Yun
Fat through his current popularity are digging into his
back-catalogue and naturally picking out the very famous
collaborations with John Woo - a director who has made the
transition to Hollywood supremo within the space of a few
films. However, it is certainly to be noted that, for a real
appreciation of Chow Yun Fat's abilities, the prospective
viewer needs to also look outside of the John Woo and even
Ringo Lam connections. 'Hong Kong 1941' is a film that
deserves the same attention as some of Chow's more widely
known performances and is further proof that his acting
prowess didn't just start with 'A
Better Tomorrow'.
Chow
plays a wanderer who arrives in Hong Kong after journeying
down from the north and finding access out of the troubled
country impossible. Hong Kong is in a state of civil unrest
and the tensions are further heightened when the Japanese do
actually invade and enforce their cruel grip on the land.
Within this chaos, Chow befriends a local coolie (Man) after
an initial misunderstanding and the two decide that their best
chance of surviving the surrounding turmoil is to stick
together. This new found friendship is put under analysis when
the pair both fall in love with a terminally ill girl (Yip)
who values both of their attention. Whatever discomfort this
at first brings is soon pushed to one side as the trio form a
strong bond and manage to scrape together a reasonable day to
day existence. So far, the chaos has rumbled under the surface
and the Japanese, although having invaded, have not gained
full control of the town. This havoc explodes when the
Japanese exert their influence on the locals and all are
forced to kowtow to these vicious oppressors. Chow perceives
that the only way to get out of this hellish environment is to
work for the Japanese and hope that his constant submission
will gain him the three passports he needs to get himself and
his two friends out of Hong Kong. There soon comes a point,
though, when Chow's loyalties and his apparent co-operation
under the Japanese yoke are severely tested and he realises
that the three friends need to risk everything to escape the
Hong Kong powderkeg.
'Hong
Kong 1941' is a powerful and moving study of the effects of
war on the ordinary person and the strains of such pressure on
any friendship. The film's strength is the way that the
tension gradually builds up; the opening thirty minutes gives
hints of the civil unrest, but also focuses on the innocent
pleasures that the three friends enjoy together - then the
real force of the film kicks in. This slow increase in the
film's power and the relative calm of the opening half-hour
means that the closing twenty minutes is not only absorbing,
but also nerve-jangling. Credit for this must go to director
Leung Po Chi who orchestrates this frightening depiction of
1941 Hong Kong with an immense amount of control and allows
the characters to breathe within the narrative. Chow Yun Fat
is excellent in the lead role, combining an inner-confidence
with a real depth of sensitivity and Cecilia Yip garners
audience sympathy in her difficult role. The main plaudit
though should go to Alex Man who gives the performance of his
career; it's sad that in later years he would very rarely be
given such a well-developed character to take control of. Man
is all masculine bravado and exterior strength, but underneath
the audience can clearly see the inner-pain he feels in the
traumatic situations he finds himself in. This subtlety of
character is one of the film's strongest points and is yet
another reason why this film deserves to be a definite
recommendation. 'Hong Kong 1941' was critically acclaimed in
its year of release and was nominated for numerous awards -
the 17 years since it was made have done nothing to strip away
the undoubted power of this film. Highly recommended.
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