[Source: The Bund Pictorial, October 16, 2007. Byline: Zhang Yan 张嫣]
[Editor's note: the Chinese title of the movie under discussion, "Tie Sanjiao" 铁三角 actually means "Iron Triangle," but "Triangle" is the film's International English release title, and will used here]
"Triangle," the new film directed in relay by three famous Hong Kong directors has just gone into general release in China. The first part of the movie was directed by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam took over for the middle third, and Johnny To helmed the final segment. In Beijing recently on a publicity tour for "Triangle," Tsui Hark, representative of Hong Kong's "new wave" of filmmakers, sat down for an interview with "The Bund," during which he told us that "curiosity compels me to look at things from different angles, and that often leads me to different viewpoints." 
"Triangle," directed in relay by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnny To, went into release nationwide [China] in October, 2007. The three, each the leader of a particular school of Hong Kong filmmaking, and all wearing dark sunglasses and black clothing, talked cheerfully and humorously about their careers.
Although the three have known each other for 30 years, each has traveled a different road in his film career. The large-scale style of Tsui Hark's swordsman epics overturned the films of Chang Cheh; with stormy tales of love-hate relationships between cops and robbers, Ringo Lam has established his own school; and, with his Milky Way Image production company leading the Hong Kong film industry through its most difficult decade, Johnny To has explored ordinary people's struggles to survive and get through this era. After dominating Hong Kong film for so long, these three in recent years have assumed an increasingly realistic tone in their writing, while at the same time clinging tenaciously to merging idealism with strong individual styles. The three male leads of "Triangle," Sun Honglei, Simon Yam and Louis Koo, also reflect the directors' personalities.
The three directors persisted in using Hong Kong itself as the setting for the film. There was no script, with the actors not knowing what they would be doing right up until shooting began on each scene. Asked about his own role, Simon Yam simply said he was "at a loss" to describe it, but fortunately Hong Kong actors are all familiar with this shooting style, and "filming this way is much like life; you don't know what is coming next, but when it does you cope with it." Hollywood might not understand this scriptless method of filming, and while Hong Kong filmmakers are sometimes criticized for having "bad habits," it is very difficult for them to alter this characteristic. Tsui Hark went even further in saying that this time [filming] was not a lonely struggle, but instead, with the help of his two co-directors, it was one of the most satisfying experiences of his 30-year career.
In the following interview, B=The Bund Pictorial and T=Tsui Hark
The Most Fun in 30 Years of Filmmaking
B: When the three of you began conceiving of this film, did you think about what style or keynote you would follow?
T: When we decided to make this film, we had no regular style or keynote in mind. We set a budget and cast, and we knew it would be a contemporary story involving three people, but that was all. We didn't even conclude at that time whether it would be set in Hong Kong, or what kind of story it would be, a love story or whatever.
B: Nothing was known?
T: The first part was mine to film, so I began the story. There were no limitations on what I might choose to do. When I was writing the story, I naturally gave some thought to what could follow it. But what the other two directors followed up with was nothing I could have expected.
B: I've heard that after the initial showing of "Triangle," the three of you got together and talked for a long time. What did you talk about?
T: It was just a free-ranging discussion on what further adjustments we might make to the film, and also what effects we might get by adjusting the music. I was the one who first raised the idea of working together, if the three of us could agree, but if there was anything we couldn't agree on that would severely limit us. But as it turned out, we were all pretty flexible on story and style, which proved fruitful.
B: There are those who think that Sun Honglei, Simon Yam and Louis Koo really represent you three directors. Do you?
T: Audiences may associate the three actors with us because of our filmmaking characteristics, but actually it's not at all the case that they represent us. Each director is endued with his own individual characteristics, and maybe those three actors reflect some part of that. Simon Yam has his frailties, Sun Honglei is sober and a bit gloomy, while Louis Koo is relatively simple.
B: The final part was set up by Johnny To; how do you feel about only being able to wish you had the ending?
T: Yes, it was his way of thinking. I have my own view, and if the ending were up to me it would have turned out differently.
B: What would have been your ending?
T: I can't talk about that. (Laughs) If I did, I would be talking about another film, not this one.
B: Starting with "Running on Karma," Johnny To has expressed in his films the idea of "putting aside."
T: Yes, and that may be because of the understanding he now has of this stage of life, that by "putting things aside," you can free yourself. Our view of the world is related to our life experiences. In life and in the process of growing up, various influences set the standards we make judgements by, and our movies are all affected by our values.
B: You say this is the most fun you've had in 30 years of filmmaking. Why?
T: Sharing the production of the movie with everyone gave me a kind of special feeling. I use to be a "lone gun," fighting solo battles, not consulting with anyone, handling everything alone, worrying about everything myself. But this time, having good friends to discuss things with was a fascinating experience. At first, we thought that making this movie could be a very complicated matter, but actually it didn't turn out that way, and the worries and anxieties we had at the beginning vanished once we began filming. The three of us never diverged from our cooperation, the final result is very good, so I'm happy.
"We are Directors, but Fans Too"
B: Your directing cooperation with Ringo Lam began on TV in 1977; what form did that take?
T: It was a TVB miniseries called "Jia Bian"家变 (Home Changes), and at that time we were writers and directors at the TV station. There were altogether six people who wrote and directed on that series, and Ringo and I did two sections, each of us responsible for one. I remember the series had 114 episodes in all, and we would shoot 6 or 7 of these at a time, 6 hours long [when aired], and we would be filming from very early to very late every day. So filming is definitely more relaxed now.
B: All three of you started out as television directors. You especially were a member of Hong Kong's "New Wave" of filmmakers, so how do you view television's influence in forming the New Wave?
T: That generation which was called the Hong Kong New Wave by no means shared a common spirit and philosophy. The expression "New Wave" was really just a term used for the situation of the Hong Kong film community at that time, that's all. Every director had his own style and views, but there was no common spirit. The Hong Kong New Wave just formed, that's all, whereas the French New Wave, for example, was guided by a spirit and style shared by that generation's film theorists. The Hong Kong film community had the chance to achieve this kind of uniformity, but unfortunately, as it developed internally and externally it was unsuccessful.
B: Now we see other New Wave members like Patrick Tam and Ann Hui returning to filmmaking; what’s your take on this?
T: They’ve been groping about for a very long time, and have formed a mature outlook on film and film technology. Starting about 30 years ago, they turned out a variety of experimental films, and now they have a more clear idea of their own personal style. One could say they’ve now fixed their conceptions of movies, with more of a tendency to express their own styles.
B: But your own style has not always been fixed. Your more recent works, like “Seven Swords” and “Time and Tide,” as well as this new film “Triangle,” all concentrated on realism, with absolutely no trace of the demons and magic that characterized your 1990s movies. Why haven’t you fixed your own style?
T: (Laughs). If you could see the stuff I did back when I was in television, you might wonder whether I have any style. I’m trying very hard to write realistically now. “Style” for me is something very difficult to talk about, since I have unlimited curiosity, and that curiosity leads me to look at things from different angles, and that often leads to different styles.
B: You’ve worked before with the other two directors during the past 30 years, and when you worked with Johnnie To, were you in the habit of discussing the script at those times?
T: Over the last 30 years the 3 of us have become good friends, and while there have been times we didn’t see each other that often while working on our own projects, we’ve come into contact, sometimes often, sometimes seldom, but when we have worked togethere we've always been able to cooperate, like when I worked with Johnnie To on the One Hundred Years of Film Co., etc. The three of us were apart for so many years, but things have come full circle and now we’re working together again, and I think that’s a lucky thing. I feel I can get out of a unitary way of looking at things, and see the complexities of situations, but when we are telling a story cooperatively, it gets more interesting because it's being examined from three angles. We are directors, but we are also fans, and together we can come up with many ways of developing the story, and that makes things really interesting.
“I’m Filled With Curiosity About the World”
B: What are the most important changes affecting movies?
T: The changes in life. The world is really more dramatic than anything we could ever see in a theater. These changes grow out of our actions, our reasoning, circulation, balance, and interactions with each other.
B: So how do you deal with change?
T: Dealing with change in the world is an enormously worthwhile topic. Man is so tiny in the universe, and in a situation of change humanity confronted with a crisis may have no idea of how to deal with it. You may lead a very quiet life, but the greater environment is changing constantly, and we can only go along. I hope we can make sure that during these changes we not lose control, and understand what we are doing.
B: Do you believe that people understand what they themselves are doing?
T: Speaking of the whole world, mankind still has wars, and is still confronted with global warming. The difficulties we face are by no means trifling matters, and we have to think about what we want the earth to become. As for life, every individual makes his own analysis.
B: What is your own analysis?
T: A person’s lifetime is short, just several decades, so it is very important to be clear on one’s objectives in life. What is most important is to get over one’s personal barriers.
B: Are movies the best channel for expressing your thoughts?
T: There is no medium like movies for doing this, they have images, a story, and allow so many people to take part in it. It is really a very entertaining means of expression, and in reality if you lack the means of expressing something, whatever it may be, movies may still be an appropriate outlet.
B: It’s said that you want to make a movie set in Beijing. How would you prepare to depict a place so well-known and yet so strange?
T: I have a great interest in the world as a theme, and for someone as full of curiosity as I am, I would want to see if this story had a variety of possibilities. I just have to get over my personal barriers, and if there are other things in it I like, then that is what I will do.
