My own movie
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A scene in film My Own Swordsman. [China.org.cn] |
As opposed to the original TV series, which is filmed entirely indoors, the film was not only shot outdoors but also on location, in Yi County, Anhui Province with plenty of Anhui-style architecture. Traditional wuxia film scenes, such as flying over lakes and fighting on the roofs, give a vivid view of the shooting location. "I have never seen what Qixia Town (location of the series) looks like (before)," 28-year-old My Own Swordsman fan Xie Bo told the Global Times at last week's test screening in Beijing. "In the film, I finally saw it, and it is exactly what I expected it to be."
As director Shang pointed out, the film has kept the characters' acting methods from the original TV series - naturalistic for much of the time, with bold, exaggerated facial expressions and verbal tics at certain times. With a budget of 17 million yuan ($2.58 million), the team could also afford to add several large-scale action scenes.
The original TV sitcom has put the two lead actresses, Yao Chen and Yan Ni, among the A-list in China, now being paid hundreds of times more than four years ago.
However, according to Shang, both offered to star in the film at much "friendlier prices."
Expressing their thanks to the roles at the press conference, Yan, who has worked with Zhang Yimou in A Simple Noodle Story, praised her fellow cast member. "Yao now looks younger and more confident, and her acting have been more natural and effortless," she commented.
Apart from the film, My Own Swordsman has also been adapted into an animation series, stage play and even has its own online game.
"The success of My Own Swordsman is partly because the Chinese film industry lacks good comedies. There's especially nothing for young audiences, such as the post-80s generation and post-90s generation, (especially) after Steven Chow's comedies (ceased)," film critic Hu Liang told the Global Times.
"However, My Own Swordsman should keep its reputation, by avoiding being overused and repeating itself."
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