THE GRANDMASTER | Wong Kar-Wai tells the story of legendary martial arts teacher, Ip Man. But it was a fight to get it to the screen…
《一代宗师》| 王家卫讲述一代武学宗师「叶问」的传奇一生。然而这次的“大荧幕之路”似乎并不是那么坦途……
‘ I was fighting for three hours when I felt this trembling in my hand…’
“当我感觉到自己手抖的时候，我们已经练了3小时了……”
First conceived in 1999, five years in the making and almost two since it was first screened, Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmaster might just as easily be called ‘The Grandfather’, given the speed of its arrival. But, at least according to its director, the wait has been worth it. A chopsocky spectacular based around the life of the legendary Ip Man, “It’s a new chapter in this genre,” Wong states, hiding as ever behind his trademark shades.
从1999年就开始筹划，经历了5年的制作和近2年的拍摄，看来王家卫的这部《一代宗师》，我们可以叫做“一代祖师”了。但至少在导演看来，这些年的时间都是值得的。传奇人物叶问的一生让这部动作电影格外引人注目。王家卫戴着他的招牌墨镜说道：“这是同类电影的新篇章。”
The film casts Kar-Wai regular Tony Leung as the aforementioned martial arts maestro who taught Bruce Lee and popularized the Wing Chun kung fu style. While the story begins in 1936, long before he met Bruce Lee, Leung admits he blended characteristics of Ip Man with those of the Enter The Dragon star. “I think that makes sense, because his earlier life should be like Bruce Lee: very confident, very talented, very charismatic.”
王家卫的御用演员梁朝伟在片中饰演叶问。叶问是李小龙的师傅，也是咏春拳的发扬者。电影的时间设定在1936年，叶（问）、李（小龙）的相遇其实是距次很久之后的事情了。尽管如此，梁朝伟承认他在角色塑造过程中也借鉴了李小龙在电影《龙争虎斗》中的角色形象。“我觉得这是合理的，因为叶问的早年应该和李小龙很像，他们都很有自信、有天才、有魅力。”梁朝伟说。
Kar-Wai’s first martial arts movie since 1994’s Ashes Of Time, he was inspired by a documentary about Ip Man attempting to give Wing Chun demonstrations as an old man. “Near the end, he stops and you can tell it’s a very agonizing moment, because either he’s too weak or too tired to carry on or he simply forgot it. That moment really moved me.”
王家卫的第一部武侠电影是1994年的《东邪西毒》。在此之后，一部叶问的纪录片吸引了他，片中正是老年叶问在示范咏春拳。“片子最后，他停了下来，你可以感觉到这时候他非常幸苦。要么他是太累或者太虚弱了，打不动了；要么他可能就是忘了（怎么打）。这个地方非常打动我。”
While the actors went into intensive training, the film was thrown into turmoil in 2009 when Leung fractured a bone. “I was fighting with six or seven stuntmen and we’d been doing that for three hours when I could feel this trembling in my hand,” he says. “I was in agony.” Never mind throwing a punch, he couldn’t even lift a glass.
2009年演员集训期间，梁朝伟骨折，导致电影一度停拍。“我当时在和6、7个替身演员练拳。当我感觉到自己手抖的时候，我们已经练了3小时了。”梁朝伟说：“我当时很痛苦。”那个时候，他根本连副眼镜都拿不起来，更不要说出拳了。
Requiring six months to heal, it wasn’t his first accident either. A ski injury back in 2004 meant he had to delay his training by six months. “Everything was fucked up by me!” Leung groans. “I don’t feel good making trouble. I’ve come to help!” But Leung wasn’t the only reason for delays – with bad weather also causing issues. So much so, a rival production managed two films in this time – Ip Man (2008) and Ip Man 2 (2010).
这次的骨折，梁朝伟花了6个月才康复，但这样的意外已经不是第一次了。2004年，他在滑雪时背部受了伤，又是6个月无法参与训练。他叹道：“事情都被我搞砸了，我不喜欢这样的感觉。我是来做事的啊。”然而，梁朝伟（的意外事故）并不是电影一再拖延的唯一原因，不愿作美的天气也在考验着这个团队。而在此期间，由叶伟信执导、甄子丹主演的《叶问》和《叶问2》已分别于2008年和2010年上映。
Still, Kar-Wai isn’t bothered, believing his film is far more than a simple action flick. “The Grandmaster is a film about kung fu,” he says. “It tells you more than skill. It tells you more about these people, the world of martial arts. What is their code of honour? What is their value? What is their philosophy?” Leung nods in agreement, delighted by the experience. “I’ve never [played] such a positive, optimistic guy for Kar-Wai,” he smiles. “I’m usually so repressed!”
但这并没有影响到王家卫，他始终相信他的电影绝非“动作片”那么简单。他说：“《一代宗师》是一部关于功夫界的电影，它不仅仅说的是‘功夫’，更是那些‘人’，以及他们所处的真实的‘功夫世界’：比如他们平时开玩笑用的什么哏，他们取舍进退的时候考量的是什么，他们安生立命的那套哲学到底有什么不同？”梁朝伟对此也点头表示赞同，而且他对这次的合作感到很愉快。他笑道：“我在（王）家卫手里从来没有演过这么积极乐观的一个人，我以前演的总是很压抑的。”
