Jiu tu (The Drunkard) (2010) Movie Script
Rusted love on a rainy day
thoughts play hide and seek
among smoke rings
Push open the window
The rain shimmers on the branches
The rain falls like dancers' steps
Gliding down leaves
Perhaps it was too dark at the bar
or her make-up was too thick
If I hadn't drunk so much
I would definitely not have slept with her
I don't earn much as a writer,
so I can't afford to be this generous
When I'm sober
I often feel sorry for myself
Now I feel more sorry for her
I give her half of my writer's salary
because I'm now sober
Why drink such a strong drink?
Do you come here often to drink alone?
Yeah
You want to forget painful memories?
I want to get rid of happy ones
I want to write a novella called
"Hemingway in Hong Kong"
Hemingway is penniless and sick
He has to eat bread dipped
in sugar water everyday
He approaches various publishers
with the manuscript of
"A Farewell to Arms",
but no one takes it
The publishers urge him
to write martial fiction instead,
and tell him this is
what readers really want
If he can do that
he will no longer have to starve
He could buy himself a large flat, a car,
and have steaks every day
Hemingway refuses
The publishers think he is an idiot
Yesterday I got to the part where
Monk Tung wants to take revenge
but his enemy Iron Abacus
is a hundred miles away
What shall I write next?
Let me have a drink first
I got it
Monk Tung holds
a chopstick with his two fingers,
blows on it and tosses it forward
The chopstick flies through the air
through the mountains and lands
straight on Iron Abacus' solar plexus!
That's it
Mr. Lau, the chief wants today's serial
I'll give it to you later this afternoon
Hemingway refuses
The publishers think he is an idiot
His landlord kicks him out
One morning, a prostitute living on
the second floor comes home
and finds him slumped
at the bottom of the stairwell
and starts to scream.
People gather to watch
When the police come,
he still clutches a manuscript of
"Old Man and the Sea" in his hands.
Want a cup of coffee?
I prefer something alcoholic.
Lily
Marry me
Forget it, have a drink
Have you found a job yet?
I'm still writing.
That's a hard living.
Beats starving.
I have a job, do you want to do it?
What kind of job?
Setting a trap.
I don't know what you mean.
I'm going out with a factory boss.
He is very rich, a decent guy
He's been meeting me secretly
during office hours.
I still don't understand what you mean
I'll set a date with him at a hotel
Then you walk in and take a picture
Did you learn this kind of dirty tricks
from the movies?
As long as there's money to be made,
who cares if it's clean or dirty?
You want me to pose as a photographer
and extort money from him?
No, I want you to pose as my husband
Me
Pretend to be your husband?
That's right
Think about it
If you want to do it, call me
When I was six, I lived on West Bao Xing
Road in Zhabei District of Shanghai
near the train station.
When the Globe Theatre was showing
"The Ten Commandments"
The war came.
War, war, war
Mother was doing the laundry
and I snuck out to watch the war.
To us kids war was fun.
We cheered when the hair salon
across the street got hit by a bullet
Soldiers in green uniform rushed by,
carrying long rifles.
Later on, soldiers in
yellowish-brown uniform rushed by
carrying long rifles.
Everyone stared at them.
They didn't know the reasons to go to war.
We couldn't identify who they were
the difference only rested with
their different uniforms.
These were all Chinese.
Has there been any advances
in Chinese fiction?
Why do you want to talk about this?
Let's have a drink
and talk about women.
What do you think of
Mao Dun's "Midnight"?
In his letters Lu Xun mentions there
are no finer novels than that
How about Ba Jin's trilogy?
These questions are
too taxing for the brain
Why don't we talk about women?
Stop talking, let's drink up
Slow down, don't drink so fast
We live in such tumultuous times.
Why haven't we produced anything
like "War and Peace"?
There's only ever been one Tolstoy
in the whole of Russian history.
It's not so simple
Impossible, impossible
Nowadays all popular literature
is about the same
Let's not talk about this
Let's drink up
I know there's something
you want to say
- No. - Come on
There are several reasons
First, screenwriters' income is not stable
Second, the audience doesn't
appreciate good movies
The government doesn't
protect screenwriters' rights
There is no true film critic
The whole environment is bad
Piracy is ram pant
Screenwriters like me earn too little
But this is Hong Kong for you
What are you talking about?
I asked you about writers.
Didn't you ask me
why all movies nowadays look alike?
You're drunk.
You're the one who's drunk
No one wants to know whether
"thought" is lean or fat.
You're drunk. Let me take you home.
Some are fat, some are lean
I'm not drunk
Not one bit
I have no family in Hong Kong
A soldier in green uniform was
dragged into an alleyway
The one in green uniform
was very young
about 1 5 or 1 6 years old,
and he was injured
Forget it
He took out a big knife
and cut off the younger soldier's head.
Everyone watching from behind
the iron gate was shocked
After I went home I had a high fever
and had nightmares
Have you ever read Francoise Sagan?
I think she's a genius.
All her novels are the same.
You only need to read one and
don't need to bother with the rest
I think "Lolita"
is an absolute masterpiece.
I'm reading a Chinese translation.
This belongs to your father?
Stop it
Are you scared?
We've been drinking
It's just a drink, not poison.
Alcohol is not poison
but to a 1 7 year old girl, it's even worse.
You think I'm still a little girl?
I didn't say that.
So what do you mean?
I mean...
poison can kill a person,
and when you die it's over
But alcohol is different
it can make you lose your head
It can make
a 1 7-year-old girl do something
she might regret for the rest of her life
Doctor, he is awake
How do you feel?
You were hit on the head
By whom?
How would we know?
How can you not know?
Don't get so excited
Your injuries are quite serious,
you need to rest
Come in
Are you OK?
I think so
The doctor said he gave me 1 2 stitches
Take a rest for a few days
I'll pay the hospital fees
I didn't know that old fart
would bring two bodyguards.
You should have thought of it earlier.
I thought he was just some old fool
Now look who's the fool
I'm thirsty
Bring me some alcoholic drink.
No, that's against hospital rules
You can't drink alcohol here
Have a good rest
Another one
You just got out of the hospital,
you shouldn't drink too much
Doesn't matter. One more
Alright, just one
then I have to leave
Another whiskey on the rocks.
Call me if you need anything.
Drink up. It's on me
Going out?
I just came back
What do you want?
I want to discuss something with you
They're out playing mah-jong.
They won't be back too early
Watch out. You're only 1 7!
Why are you so scared?
You're even more cowardly than virgins
You're only 1 7
And you're not a small kid
You're a mature man
Mature?
Mary, where are you?
Your mother won in mah-jong.
Let's go out for a midnight snack.
What caused a 1 7 year old girl
to be so brazen?
She must either have watched
too many American movies
or read too much pulp fiction.
Mr. Lau
I want the room back.
You got to move out!
Why?
My daughter is still very young
I don't want her to
get ruined by a drunkard
What are you talking about?
This is a free world
Writers have the freedom to write
martial arts novels or pulp fiction
Readers have the freedom to read
martial arts novels and pulp fiction
This place has too much freedom
Writer's sweat and blood
get no protection
Any book that sells gets pirated
and sold in South-East Asia
If these publishers have freedom
Perhaps thieves should have
the freedom to steal
Lau
Haven't seen you in almost a year.
Where have you been hiding?
Did you win the lottery
or got caught up with a woman?
We miss you, especially
when we play mah-jong.
Aren't you afraid that I'll have no money
to pay you if I lose?
Write a screenplay for me
I've never written one before
What are you afraid of?
All screenwriters in Hong Kong
are amateurs anyway
The audience doesn't care
People only want to see period dramas
As long as they feature Lin Dai or
You Min or some other movie stars
Also with the cinemascope
And the movie will make money.
The screenplay doesn't matter
But Mandarin pictures we make
are much better than dialect films.
If that's the case,
why pay $3000 for a screenplay?
$3000 is nothing compared to
overall budget of a movie
Director Li once smashed
an antique vase
which costs three times as much
I am pretty hard up recently,
and I have to move
If writing screenplays is
as easy as you say
I'm willing to try
What should I write about?
Nowadays it's not hard to find subjects
Dream of Red Chamber, Water Margin,
Tale of Three Kingdoms
and other classics provide enough
materials for one hundred years
If it's so easy
why hire a novice like me?
The truth is we are old friends
I would like to give a try
I need the money for the move
No problem
Write a synopsis first
Once we approve the story
we'll advance you $500
Alright?
You decided to move?
It's all your fault
What did I do?
How can you tell your parents
that I wanted to ruin you?
There is a way if you don't want to move.
What way?
You don't need to know
but you have to promise me one thing
What is it?
Her lips are colored with
almond color lipstick,
and even the smoke
she blows out is almond scented
Don't be scared. I'm not a little girl.
If that's the case, why hesitate?
I need to make a call
Mak, I need to borrow $300.
I've decided to move
Be careful
Come here,
I have something to say to you
What is it?
Tell me your new address
Why?
You need a reason?
Y es, a very good one.
You're afraid I'd eat you?
Afraid you'd start more rumors
Tell me your new address.
Call me when you're 20
I'll tell you a secret.
What?
You have to swear not to tell anyone.
Then don't bother telling me
You're a stubborn man
Yes, I am a stubborn man
I like your stubbornness
Don't talk this way.
I'm going to tell you the secret anyway
What secret would
a 1 7 year old girl have?
I had an abortion when I was 1 5
Mary, you're too young,
don't abuse yourself like that
You're a writer,
but your mind is too old fashioned.
Being too new-fashioned is
dangerous for a 1 7 year old girl.
Dangerous? How?
You'll know what I mean in ten years.
Goodbye
Mr. Lau, you sure can drink
I'm alright
Why do you have so much alcohol
around if you don't drink?
Well, I can't just leave
the liquor cabinet empty, can I?
Sorry to have drunk half
a bottle of your whiskey
It doesn't matter.
Nobody drinks it anyway
You were telling me
Your husband comes home
twice a year?
Y es
He writes to you every day?
No.
Once a week?
No.
Once a month?
No
He's never written to you?
He's illiterate
Can't he find someone to write for him?
He's too busy
When he's on the ship,
he's busy gambling.
When he's on shore,
he's too busy with women"
He makes good money smuggling goods
And you have to raise a kid alone
Her eyes are like two pieces of glass
Desire wriggling behind the glass
Does he love you?
I don't know
Do you love him?
I love money
I think I love money
As long as he sends me money
every month
As long as he sends me money
every month
I'll meet him at the pier
every time he comes back
I'll meet him at the pier every month
He seldom stays in Hong Kong
Don't you get lonely?
Don't drink so much
Why?
If it wasn't for the drinks,
we wouldn't have done what we did...
Something is bugging me
You're afraid I'll stick to you like a leech?
No, no
Absolutely not
Save the drink for tonight
Don't be scared, I won't trouble you
What's the matter? You can tell me
I earn my living by writing
I just got notice from the newspaper
my martial arts stories are no good
and they no longer require my services
That's that
I see
You don't think this is important
Come and eat
Ideal swims in the whiskey glass.
Hope swims in the whiskey glass.
Sorrow swims in the whiskey glass.
Is this good stuff?
Enjoy the meal
Why aren't you eating?
War, war, war.
Japanese Army Invaded Shanghai
Refugees from
the south of the city poured into
Big World Amusement Park which had
just been declared a refugee camp
I was on a bus heading home
it just went past the Nanjing Cinema
when I heard a loud whistling sound
coming through the air
followed by an earth-shattering blast
I saw a man with his head blasted off
yet still running on the road
Failure is the mother of success
Even though the first screenplay
didn't succeed
you can still write another one
I'll be honest with you
what the movie business lacks most
are scriptwriters like you
My boss
He adapted Japanese movies into
Chinese by changing bits and pieces
That's what things are like
There's shortage of good scripts
Don't get discouraged
If you truly want to enter
movie business, don't give up
Let me tell you
If I was the boss,
I'll let you make a historical epic
Your brain has big problem!
Boy!
Mr. Lau
No need
- Take it - No need
Mom, I'm going to school
I'll get my coat
There are two problems
that need to be solved.
Which two?
First, job, second, moving.
You want to move again? Why?
Although I'm poor, I still have my pride.
I don't understand.
Without any income, I will become
a spineless person living off women
An escapist becomes tired of this world
That's right. I don't know
what's left for me in this world
I want to start a literary magazine,
and you will be the editor
My mother has promised to
use her own savings to help me
What about your father?
He would not approve
I suggested this idea to him before
but he said literary magazines
in Hong Kong should not exceed
"Youth Journal" level
or else it would lose money
His view is quite correct.
If our magazine can have
a positive effect on this polluted city
then losing a few thousand dollars
is still worthwhile
That's a fool's way of thinking.
In this society there are too many
smart people and too few fools
I've made up mind
Have you thought of
the name for the magazine?
I think we could simply call it "Literature."
What do you think?
We could call it "Avant Garde Literature"
People will know right away
that it is ahead of its time
What do you think?
Alright, We'll call it
"Avant Garde Literature"
I will not accept any kind of subsidy
and will never stoop to
publishing pornography
I will give you a salary of $300.
It's not much, but as long as
you don't drink, it should be enough
Even if our literature magazine
attracts only one reader
Our efforts will not be in vain
Alright
You have my support
I need to move
Can you advance me $300?
Why are you crying, mom?
Do your homework
Who is this?
Who is this?
Who is sleeping in my bed?
It's Mrs. Wong
Why are you in my bed?
This is my bed
Leave
Have a drink with me
No, I've had a lot already
Please leave
If you don't leave, I will
Why are you crying?
Mom was taken to the hospital
What happened?
She drank half a bottle of disinfectant
You shouldn't give up on yourself
You should quit drinking
Use the money to buy food
Use your time to write
You once told me that
James Joyce was half blind
He had to teach to make a living
He also worked as a clerk
But he never gave up on
what he wanted to do
and completed Ulysses
The Irish censors banned his book
and publishers made money off
pirated copies
Readers misunderstood him
But he was not discouraged
He kept writing
and almost starved to death
although he died only 21 years ago
He is already recognized as
a "modern literary giant"
Literature is a type of hard labor
You have to keep working at it
like a mule
You told me all this yourself
Min, don't work too hard
Mrs. Lei, I'm a new tenant here
I'm not Min
Mr. Lei
Mr. Lau, have a seat
Who is Min?
That's the name of my elder brother
Where is he now?
He died in Chongqing
during the Japanese war
He was in his early 20s, and
had just graduated from university
He hadn't got married yet
He was a bright kid, my mom's favorite
This is my brother
We were walking along
the Hanyu highway
someone discovered an undetonated
bomb in front of the iron factory
We stood still War, war, war
We dared not take another step
but my relative walked on quickly ahead
His wife ran after him,
and pulled him back
She scolded him at the top of her lungs
Saying that the bomb
might explode any time
He said, because the bomb
might explode any time
that's why he has to move it to the fields
Otherwise it will blow up
the whole factory
then he would not have the will to live
His wife would not let him take the risk
She ran after him like a mad woman
When he was moving the bomb
with his bare hands
Boom! It exploded
Afterwards we could not even
find their corpses
All we found was a charred
yellow leather shoe and a gold ring
Min, I made you some pork liver congee
It's cold out. Eat it and you'll be warmer
I don't eat pork liver
Min, you are always so stubborn
Pork liver is good for your body
Listen to mom and eat up
Be a good boy
It's delicious. Now I feel warmer
Thank you
I know you like roses.
They were selling them cheap
this morning
She told me she has a father
who likes to gamble, an invalid mother
two younger brothers
and two younger sisters
She said her father owed $500 in
gambling and was unable to pay it back
they were persuaded by the landlord
to put her to work as a dancing girl
She said that elderly patrons
sought to re-discover their youth in her
She earned a lot of money but
had not saved a penny
She told me
she didn't know how to dance
so she went to dancing school
the teacher put Spanish fly in coffee
and forced her to drink it
Lulu and Mary are both early bloomers,
but they are in fact different
Lulu has been hurt and abused,
while Mary wants to hurt herself
After she had learnt Waltz,
the dance teacher turned to another girl.
I might hate Mary,
but I can't help pitying Lulu.
She said she hated
young men and old men
but liked middle aged men
She liked middle aged men like me
She remembered the first time we met
and everything I said to her
She likes to listen to me talk
If Lulu wants to seek revenge on me,
I'm glad to let her
Among the different thoughts
inside my head,
one had won the day
I want to prove myself a hero
in front of a 1 7 year old girl
Are you ready with the inaugural piece?
Y es
I still need to make changes.
I'll give it to you in two days, ok?
No, let me send it out first,
and you can correct it later
Alright
You are not going out tonight?
It's already 4 o'clock
I've been writing non-stop,
and I haven't even had lunch yet
Why don't you come out now
and I'll buy you dinner
Afterwards you can take a rest
Go home and work on Gramont's
"Proust As I Knew Him"
You treat me like cattle
Those who engage in literature
must work like a mule
Alright then
Min, you haven't even had lunch yet.
I just made this sweet soup.
Have some before you go out
It's exactly like my script!
I wrote the script!
You wrote it?
So boring!
The more despicable you are
the higher you rise
Those who are true to their consciences
are at the bottom of society
to be tram pled upon
I just saw "Butterfly Dreams"
What do you think?
I think the script has problems
What problems?
It has artistic value
but lacks commercial worth
I still haven't received my money
We are old friends, don't talk this way
You still think of me as your friend?
We've been friends for over 20 years.
If you are my friend,
you shouldn't steal my script
How should I put it?
"Butterfly Dreams"
Now I want you help with a problem
Sure, what is it?
I still haven't found a job,
and I got to pay back some debt.
How much do you need?
$3000 is a big sum.
Can you make it less?
That's the price for a movie script
O.K. I'll see what I can do.
Listen,
You have to
I'll do my best
You still live in the same place?
I'll send someone over with the money
No, I've moved
I'm leaving
You haven't finished your coffee
I've made up my mind
I can't go on being a fool
I can't starve or live without alcohol,
nor do I want to worry about
paying the rent
I'm looking for Mr. Lau.
Oh, you're looking for Min.
Please wait a minute.
I'm looking for Mr. Lau.
Min, there's someone here for Mr. Lei
The Director asked me to give you this.
Which director?
Director Mo.
Enclosed please find $50 to assist you,
kindly reply to this note
Please wait a moment
I'd rather starve than take your charity
Give it to Mo
"Everything Visible Is Empty"
What do you think?
It's very well written.
Just the title is eye catching enough,
"Golden Lotus'Sex Escapades"
I didn't know you could write like that
To earn a living
I hope you can help me.
It's you who are helping us
Does this mean you'll publish the piece?
It'll appear in the paper
day after tomorrow.
What is the fee?
We are a small paper and
can't be compared with the big boys
Perhaps you'll find our fee too small
How much per thousand words?
US$8
If the readers respond well
we'll increase to $1 0 in 2 months
Alright, that's settled
There's something else
You have other questions?
I want an advance of $1 00.
Can you do it?
Our paper has never done this before.
I understand
Just this once, please help me
I can personally lend you $1 00
We are old friends
But write me an I.O.U.
One more
Drink up, great!
- Again
- Let's eat first
You know what?
I'm tired of this dancing girl life
You want to get another job?
I want to be a house wife
Do you like Elvis'songs?
You know how to do
"mash potato dance"?
No
You like watching movies?
Who's your favorite movie star?
I like Lin Dai with her large eyes
Du Juan when she is angry
and I like You Min, Grace Chang and
Julie Yeh Fung in "Stars, Moon and Sun"
Have you seen
Grace Chang's "Mambo Girl"?
I watched it when I was young.
I went home and imitated her dance
I liked them all
Big sister
This is my brother
Do the potato dance for me
I can't
Sorry to trouble you
I'm leaving
Is big sister drunk?
That's right
She doesn't really know how to drink
Why don't you take her to a hotel?
I don't understand what you mean
They say that big sister is a bad girl
Whoever has money
can take her to a hotel
Don't say that.
Why?
Because your sister is
doing it for your sake
We never asked her to.
But you have to eat and go to school
Our dad earns money to pay for that
Your dad is out gambling all the time,
how does he get the money?
Silly boys, look after your sister
Behave yourselves
When did you arrive?
Why didn't you go to work
at the newspaper?
Take a look at this stage play
It is very well written,
the technique is excellent
I don't want to
Why?
I'm sick of it. I've decided to
give up doing serious literary work
Honestly, even if I managed to write
something like "Old Man and the Sea"
nobody will appreciate it
Are you drunk again?
No, I had a few drinks
but I'm not drunk
Every writer wants to be known,
but it's not necessary
You told me that even James Joyce faced
humiliation and was misunderstood
whe he was alive, but he never gave up
If what we do will be appreciated
a hundred years from now
then our present sufferings are all worth it.
Society is too cruel and practical
We can't go on living in our dreams
Don't you remember what you told me?
You said Proust suffered from asthma
He was confined to an airless room
for over ten years
But he ended up writing
"Remembrance of Times Past"
Mak
don't talk about that again
In order to make a better living,
I've decided to write porn fiction.
You can take away any of the books
on the shelf if you are interested
Today I wrote a very pornographic piece
to a newspaper in Central
They gave me $1 00 in advance
You are giving up your ideals for $1 00?
That's right
What about your editor position
at "Avant Garde Literature"?
- I don't want to do it any more
- I've lost all interest in literature
Haven't seen you in ages.
Here alone?
No, I came with my husband.
- You're married? - Y es
Why didn't you tell me?
He looks familiar.
You've met him
He is the factory boss
The one who sent his thugs
to beat me up?
You married him?
Yes
Why?
Why do you have to marry him?
Because
He's rich
Money rules everything. It's the devil.
It is more powerful than God,
especially in Hong Kong
I've fallen in love with you
If I treat her as a prostitute, I am a hero
but if I treat her as a lover,
I'm pitifully inadequate
"Avant Garde Literature"
I plan to describe Golden Lotus'sex
lives with her various tenants
I'll describe how horny she is
How she seduces the men
How she achieves greatest sexual
satisfaction with all the male tenants
So on and so forth
Don't need much thought
No need for plot nor character description
No need to create atmosphere
As long as I write about sex
I'll get my money
Telephone call for you.
I sent you the first issue. Did you get it?
Y es.
How is it? I'd like to know your views
I admire your courage and determination.
What about the content?
What do you think?
Very good, every piece is above standard.
And the original writings?
Not as good, but passable
How about the translated pieces?
They are of a high standard
The deadline for the second issue
is coming up
I know you are too busy
for translation work
But you read a lot, so I'm hoping you
could provide us with some materials
I haven't read any serious literature lately
What?
I dream that 40 years from now
A Hong Kong film director
adapts my novel to the screen
But this director does not pay me a cent
I dream that 50 years from now
Another director adapts
another novel of mine
This is the first time I get money
for film adaptation rights
I drink a bottle of brandy to celebrate
Not finished yet?
You're here
Here's the light.
How is "Avant Garde Literature"
coming along?
The second issue is at the printer's
We don't have much original writings yet.
How is the first issue selling?
Very poorly.
How poorly?
We shipped 1 000 copies to
Singapore and Malaysia,
but the distributor said
they could only sell 30 copies
and we should only send them
They also want us to have serial novels
I see
What about the sales situation
in Hong Kong?
It's a little better,
but we've sold fewer than 1 00 copies
Mak, we're old friends.
Can I be frank with you?
Sure
If the magazine sells only
then it's not worth your effort.
As long as there is a single reader
I will continue to publish
"Avant Garde Literature"
In that case,
I try to write a short story for you
Sure, but what pseudonym will you use?
The one I use all the time
But you're writing four porn novels
under that name!
So?
So?
I can't have you writing serious
literature under the same pseudonym
with which you write
Golden Lotus' Sex Escapades!
If that's what you think
then forget it
Mr. Lau
I'm quitting next month.
Why? You switching to another club?
You're tired of the trade?
Then why are you quitting?
I'm getting married
Who are you getting married to?
- A young client.
- You don't know him
The word 'young' pierced
my heart like an arrow
Your cheeks are redder than Lord Kwan's.
Stop drinking
I'm OK
I want to drink
Drink up. We should celebrate
Come on, I'll drink
Alright, I'll drink with you
We obtained some donations and bought
a few dozen grey military overcoats
We were young then,
and didn't trust anyone but ourselves.
We want to see the soldiers'warm smiles
as they received the overcoats from us
So we braved gunfire to deliver the coats
We crawled through a bamboo forest
As we did so an enemy mortar
exploded among the bamboo grove
Someone beside me yelled
I lifted my head up to look
our class rep was lying with his face up,
his face covered in blood
War, war, war
Japanese Army Attacked Shanghai
A piece of his head
had been blown away by shrapnel
pieces of his brain came dribbling out
His eyes were wide open and
his eye balls remained still
I couldn't take it anymore.
I stood up and was about to leave
The class rep talked to me
in a trembling voice,
"Please smash my head in with a rock!"
Is this the military hospital?
You had a bad dream
Where is Lulu?
Who?
The girl I was drinking with.
I'm sorry, I don't know
How did I end up here?
The police brought you.
Someone hit you with a bottle
Who?
I'm not sure.
Nurse, can you loosen up
the bandages for me?
Sure, no problem
When can I get out of the hospital?
Your injuries are serious
You have a concussion
So you have to stay here for observation
Is this better?
Could it have been Lulu?
You'd gone missing for days,
I didn't know what to do
I didn't expect this.
I was in the hospital for a few days
You could have kept on
writing on the hospital bed
All you need is a pen
and a stack of paper
My head was hurting, I got no inspiration
You're a professional writer
You should be able to write
under any circumstances
Professionals get sick too you know.
I'm telling you
You cannot stop writing from now on,
even if you're sick in the hospital.
If I have to write even when I'm sick,
then I quit
Fine. A lot of people would
kill for your job
What's up?
You're drunk again?
No
Maybe not yet,
but don't drink any more.
Why?
My daughter really wants to meet you.
You want to introduce
your daughter to me?
That's right.
How much?
US$300
$300?
I haven't won the lottery yet
Take a look
I don't have much money on me.
She may be young,
but she can make you happy.
I know, but I don't have that much money
How much do you have?
How old are you?
You lie!
Do you do this all the time?
My first time.
You're lying again!
Do you do this willingly?
My father is sick.
He needs the money for medicine
You are such a cliche
This is mid-day news
from Radio Hong Kong
First up is international news
concerning Cuban crisis
According to Reuters,
US President Kennedy's speech
at Congress today reiterated that
US government is highly concerned
about Soviet missile bases in Cuba,
which US views as military provocation
President Kennedy will present an
ultimatum to Soviet Premier Khrushchev
demanding that
the USSR dismantle all missile bases
already under construction in Cuba
Or the US will take military action
including bombing of Cuban
bases with nuclear weapons
I'm sorry,
Lulu doesn't work here any more
Sir, do you live here?
I'm looking for Lily
Mister, who are you looking for?
I'm looking for Lily, Lily!
Madam!
I don't know him
Her voice sounds familiar
You are Lily, right?
Who are you?
I want Lily
She's already married
That's 1 5 catties in total
I'll give you $30 for them
How about $50?
Literature isn't worth that much
You have blue books?
They are worth more
Who are you looking for?
I want to find a little girl.
She's around 1 5 or 1 6
What's her name?
I don't know
I've been here. her mother brought me
She said she wanted to
introduce me to her
They moved
I only have a few dollars on me.
Why look for her?
Am I so desperate that
I just want to see another human
being more pitiful than me?
He's awake, he's awake
He didn't die
Don't feel sad. There are no problems
that can't be solved.
That's right.
The world is a wonderful place
Min, you're a smart person
Why would you do such a silly thing?
Promise mom you won't drink
so much from now on
I promise I won't drink anymore
neither alcohol nor disinfectant
Mother
You have come home
I take a rest first.
Sure
Min, don't drink any more alcohol
from now on
It's bad for you
Listen to mom, don't drink anymore
Here's $3000
It should last you for a while
How can I take your money? I can't...
Of course you can. You're my son
Min
you came back from the war
safe and sound
Mama is too happy
Take it, take it
Before I drank the Dettol,
I thought I had lost everything
After I drank the Dettol, I seem to have
regained everything I had lost
What would you like?
You want whiskey or brandy?
A bottle of whiskey
Sorry, forget it
I'll just have a packet of cigarette
Haven't gotten my salary yet
You must be joking,
you look like a boss yourself!
Thanks
Hot coffee
To me, drinking is very important,
but it is not like the sun and air
You need money to buy it
In order to drink I have to earn money
How else will I live after I'd spent
all of Old Mrs. Lei's money?
I was just over 20 years old, in Shanghai
The buttonwood trees on Avenue Joffre
The squash court on
Avenue du Roi Albert
Roast suckling pig at DDC Cafe
All of them were attractive,
but not as attractive as alcohol
I met a dancing girl Lily,
who was tired of life
She said she liked my eyes
I didn't know she was so good at lying,
and willingly became her slave
I gave her everything I had
She took me drinking all the time
I never got drunk once
I was proud of my ability to drink
But she told me,
"One day, you will get drunk."
And sure enough I did
That was when
she quit being a dancing girl because
she was marrying the cotton king
I went to our usual haunt and got so
drunk that I didn't know where I was
I was just over 20 then
From then on drinking became a
passport that took me to another world
I may not like
the oblivion alcohol brought
but I hate the ugly reality of life more
There was a time when I drank white
rice wine everyday in foggy Chongqing
There was another time when
I drank yellow rice wine in the rain
For a time I drank whiskey everyday
at a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui
I think wisdom is created by the devil
The more you have,
the more worries you have
What happened?
You were really drunk last night
but were still capable of arguing
with mother-in-law
in the end, she cut her wrist in her room
That afternoon I wrote on my notebook,
I'm quitting drinking today
But by night fall, I drank
a few glasses of brandy in a restaurant.
thoughts play hide and seek
among smoke rings
Push open the window
The rain shimmers on the branches
The rain falls like dancers' steps
Gliding down leaves
Perhaps it was too dark at the bar
or her make-up was too thick
If I hadn't drunk so much
I would definitely not have slept with her
I don't earn much as a writer,
so I can't afford to be this generous
When I'm sober
I often feel sorry for myself
Now I feel more sorry for her
I give her half of my writer's salary
because I'm now sober
Why drink such a strong drink?
Do you come here often to drink alone?
Yeah
You want to forget painful memories?
I want to get rid of happy ones
I want to write a novella called
"Hemingway in Hong Kong"
Hemingway is penniless and sick
He has to eat bread dipped
in sugar water everyday
He approaches various publishers
with the manuscript of
"A Farewell to Arms",
but no one takes it
The publishers urge him
to write martial fiction instead,
and tell him this is
what readers really want
If he can do that
he will no longer have to starve
He could buy himself a large flat, a car,
and have steaks every day
Hemingway refuses
The publishers think he is an idiot
Yesterday I got to the part where
Monk Tung wants to take revenge
but his enemy Iron Abacus
is a hundred miles away
What shall I write next?
Let me have a drink first
I got it
Monk Tung holds
a chopstick with his two fingers,
blows on it and tosses it forward
The chopstick flies through the air
through the mountains and lands
straight on Iron Abacus' solar plexus!
That's it
Mr. Lau, the chief wants today's serial
I'll give it to you later this afternoon
Hemingway refuses
The publishers think he is an idiot
His landlord kicks him out
One morning, a prostitute living on
the second floor comes home
and finds him slumped
at the bottom of the stairwell
and starts to scream.
People gather to watch
When the police come,
he still clutches a manuscript of
"Old Man and the Sea" in his hands.
Want a cup of coffee?
I prefer something alcoholic.
Lily
Marry me
Forget it, have a drink
Have you found a job yet?
I'm still writing.
That's a hard living.
Beats starving.
I have a job, do you want to do it?
What kind of job?
Setting a trap.
I don't know what you mean.
I'm going out with a factory boss.
He is very rich, a decent guy
He's been meeting me secretly
during office hours.
I still don't understand what you mean
I'll set a date with him at a hotel
Then you walk in and take a picture
Did you learn this kind of dirty tricks
from the movies?
As long as there's money to be made,
who cares if it's clean or dirty?
You want me to pose as a photographer
and extort money from him?
No, I want you to pose as my husband
Me
Pretend to be your husband?
That's right
Think about it
If you want to do it, call me
When I was six, I lived on West Bao Xing
Road in Zhabei District of Shanghai
near the train station.
When the Globe Theatre was showing
"The Ten Commandments"
The war came.
War, war, war
Mother was doing the laundry
and I snuck out to watch the war.
To us kids war was fun.
We cheered when the hair salon
across the street got hit by a bullet
Soldiers in green uniform rushed by,
carrying long rifles.
Later on, soldiers in
yellowish-brown uniform rushed by
carrying long rifles.
Everyone stared at them.
They didn't know the reasons to go to war.
We couldn't identify who they were
the difference only rested with
their different uniforms.
These were all Chinese.
Has there been any advances
in Chinese fiction?
Why do you want to talk about this?
Let's have a drink
and talk about women.
What do you think of
Mao Dun's "Midnight"?
In his letters Lu Xun mentions there
are no finer novels than that
How about Ba Jin's trilogy?
These questions are
too taxing for the brain
Why don't we talk about women?
Stop talking, let's drink up
Slow down, don't drink so fast
We live in such tumultuous times.
Why haven't we produced anything
like "War and Peace"?
There's only ever been one Tolstoy
in the whole of Russian history.
It's not so simple
Impossible, impossible
Nowadays all popular literature
is about the same
Let's not talk about this
Let's drink up
I know there's something
you want to say
- No. - Come on
There are several reasons
First, screenwriters' income is not stable
Second, the audience doesn't
appreciate good movies
The government doesn't
protect screenwriters' rights
There is no true film critic
The whole environment is bad
Piracy is ram pant
Screenwriters like me earn too little
But this is Hong Kong for you
What are you talking about?
I asked you about writers.
Didn't you ask me
why all movies nowadays look alike?
You're drunk.
You're the one who's drunk
No one wants to know whether
"thought" is lean or fat.
You're drunk. Let me take you home.
Some are fat, some are lean
I'm not drunk
Not one bit
I have no family in Hong Kong
A soldier in green uniform was
dragged into an alleyway
The one in green uniform
was very young
about 1 5 or 1 6 years old,
and he was injured
Forget it
He took out a big knife
and cut off the younger soldier's head.
Everyone watching from behind
the iron gate was shocked
After I went home I had a high fever
and had nightmares
Have you ever read Francoise Sagan?
I think she's a genius.
All her novels are the same.
You only need to read one and
don't need to bother with the rest
I think "Lolita"
is an absolute masterpiece.
I'm reading a Chinese translation.
This belongs to your father?
Stop it
Are you scared?
We've been drinking
It's just a drink, not poison.
Alcohol is not poison
but to a 1 7 year old girl, it's even worse.
You think I'm still a little girl?
I didn't say that.
So what do you mean?
I mean...
poison can kill a person,
and when you die it's over
But alcohol is different
it can make you lose your head
It can make
a 1 7-year-old girl do something
she might regret for the rest of her life
Doctor, he is awake
How do you feel?
You were hit on the head
By whom?
How would we know?
How can you not know?
Don't get so excited
Your injuries are quite serious,
you need to rest
Come in
Are you OK?
I think so
The doctor said he gave me 1 2 stitches
Take a rest for a few days
I'll pay the hospital fees
I didn't know that old fart
would bring two bodyguards.
You should have thought of it earlier.
I thought he was just some old fool
Now look who's the fool
I'm thirsty
Bring me some alcoholic drink.
No, that's against hospital rules
You can't drink alcohol here
Have a good rest
Another one
You just got out of the hospital,
you shouldn't drink too much
Doesn't matter. One more
Alright, just one
then I have to leave
Another whiskey on the rocks.
Call me if you need anything.
Drink up. It's on me
Going out?
I just came back
What do you want?
I want to discuss something with you
They're out playing mah-jong.
They won't be back too early
Watch out. You're only 1 7!
Why are you so scared?
You're even more cowardly than virgins
You're only 1 7
And you're not a small kid
You're a mature man
Mature?
Mary, where are you?
Your mother won in mah-jong.
Let's go out for a midnight snack.
What caused a 1 7 year old girl
to be so brazen?
She must either have watched
too many American movies
or read too much pulp fiction.
Mr. Lau
I want the room back.
You got to move out!
Why?
My daughter is still very young
I don't want her to
get ruined by a drunkard
What are you talking about?
This is a free world
Writers have the freedom to write
martial arts novels or pulp fiction
Readers have the freedom to read
martial arts novels and pulp fiction
This place has too much freedom
Writer's sweat and blood
get no protection
Any book that sells gets pirated
and sold in South-East Asia
If these publishers have freedom
Perhaps thieves should have
the freedom to steal
Lau
Haven't seen you in almost a year.
Where have you been hiding?
Did you win the lottery
or got caught up with a woman?
We miss you, especially
when we play mah-jong.
Aren't you afraid that I'll have no money
to pay you if I lose?
Write a screenplay for me
I've never written one before
What are you afraid of?
All screenwriters in Hong Kong
are amateurs anyway
The audience doesn't care
People only want to see period dramas
As long as they feature Lin Dai or
You Min or some other movie stars
Also with the cinemascope
And the movie will make money.
The screenplay doesn't matter
But Mandarin pictures we make
are much better than dialect films.
If that's the case,
why pay $3000 for a screenplay?
$3000 is nothing compared to
overall budget of a movie
Director Li once smashed
an antique vase
which costs three times as much
I am pretty hard up recently,
and I have to move
If writing screenplays is
as easy as you say
I'm willing to try
What should I write about?
Nowadays it's not hard to find subjects
Dream of Red Chamber, Water Margin,
Tale of Three Kingdoms
and other classics provide enough
materials for one hundred years
If it's so easy
why hire a novice like me?
The truth is we are old friends
I would like to give a try
I need the money for the move
No problem
Write a synopsis first
Once we approve the story
we'll advance you $500
Alright?
You decided to move?
It's all your fault
What did I do?
How can you tell your parents
that I wanted to ruin you?
There is a way if you don't want to move.
What way?
You don't need to know
but you have to promise me one thing
What is it?
Her lips are colored with
almond color lipstick,
and even the smoke
she blows out is almond scented
Don't be scared. I'm not a little girl.
If that's the case, why hesitate?
I need to make a call
Mak, I need to borrow $300.
I've decided to move
Be careful
Come here,
I have something to say to you
What is it?
Tell me your new address
Why?
You need a reason?
Y es, a very good one.
You're afraid I'd eat you?
Afraid you'd start more rumors
Tell me your new address.
Call me when you're 20
I'll tell you a secret.
What?
You have to swear not to tell anyone.
Then don't bother telling me
You're a stubborn man
Yes, I am a stubborn man
I like your stubbornness
Don't talk this way.
I'm going to tell you the secret anyway
What secret would
a 1 7 year old girl have?
I had an abortion when I was 1 5
Mary, you're too young,
don't abuse yourself like that
You're a writer,
but your mind is too old fashioned.
Being too new-fashioned is
dangerous for a 1 7 year old girl.
Dangerous? How?
You'll know what I mean in ten years.
Goodbye
Mr. Lau, you sure can drink
I'm alright
Why do you have so much alcohol
around if you don't drink?
Well, I can't just leave
the liquor cabinet empty, can I?
Sorry to have drunk half
a bottle of your whiskey
It doesn't matter.
Nobody drinks it anyway
You were telling me
Your husband comes home
twice a year?
Y es
He writes to you every day?
No.
Once a week?
No.
Once a month?
No
He's never written to you?
He's illiterate
Can't he find someone to write for him?
He's too busy
When he's on the ship,
he's busy gambling.
When he's on shore,
he's too busy with women"
He makes good money smuggling goods
And you have to raise a kid alone
Her eyes are like two pieces of glass
Desire wriggling behind the glass
Does he love you?
I don't know
Do you love him?
I love money
I think I love money
As long as he sends me money
every month
As long as he sends me money
every month
I'll meet him at the pier
every time he comes back
I'll meet him at the pier every month
He seldom stays in Hong Kong
Don't you get lonely?
Don't drink so much
Why?
If it wasn't for the drinks,
we wouldn't have done what we did...
Something is bugging me
You're afraid I'll stick to you like a leech?
No, no
Absolutely not
Save the drink for tonight
Don't be scared, I won't trouble you
What's the matter? You can tell me
I earn my living by writing
I just got notice from the newspaper
my martial arts stories are no good
and they no longer require my services
That's that
I see
You don't think this is important
Come and eat
Ideal swims in the whiskey glass.
Hope swims in the whiskey glass.
Sorrow swims in the whiskey glass.
Is this good stuff?
Enjoy the meal
Why aren't you eating?
War, war, war.
Japanese Army Invaded Shanghai
Refugees from
the south of the city poured into
Big World Amusement Park which had
just been declared a refugee camp
I was on a bus heading home
it just went past the Nanjing Cinema
when I heard a loud whistling sound
coming through the air
followed by an earth-shattering blast
I saw a man with his head blasted off
yet still running on the road
Failure is the mother of success
Even though the first screenplay
didn't succeed
you can still write another one
I'll be honest with you
what the movie business lacks most
are scriptwriters like you
My boss
He adapted Japanese movies into
Chinese by changing bits and pieces
That's what things are like
There's shortage of good scripts
Don't get discouraged
If you truly want to enter
movie business, don't give up
Let me tell you
If I was the boss,
I'll let you make a historical epic
Your brain has big problem!
Boy!
Mr. Lau
No need
- Take it - No need
Mom, I'm going to school
I'll get my coat
There are two problems
that need to be solved.
Which two?
First, job, second, moving.
You want to move again? Why?
Although I'm poor, I still have my pride.
I don't understand.
Without any income, I will become
a spineless person living off women
An escapist becomes tired of this world
That's right. I don't know
what's left for me in this world
I want to start a literary magazine,
and you will be the editor
My mother has promised to
use her own savings to help me
What about your father?
He would not approve
I suggested this idea to him before
but he said literary magazines
in Hong Kong should not exceed
"Youth Journal" level
or else it would lose money
His view is quite correct.
If our magazine can have
a positive effect on this polluted city
then losing a few thousand dollars
is still worthwhile
That's a fool's way of thinking.
In this society there are too many
smart people and too few fools
I've made up mind
Have you thought of
the name for the magazine?
I think we could simply call it "Literature."
What do you think?
We could call it "Avant Garde Literature"
People will know right away
that it is ahead of its time
What do you think?
Alright, We'll call it
"Avant Garde Literature"
I will not accept any kind of subsidy
and will never stoop to
publishing pornography
I will give you a salary of $300.
It's not much, but as long as
you don't drink, it should be enough
Even if our literature magazine
attracts only one reader
Our efforts will not be in vain
Alright
You have my support
I need to move
Can you advance me $300?
Why are you crying, mom?
Do your homework
Who is this?
Who is this?
Who is sleeping in my bed?
It's Mrs. Wong
Why are you in my bed?
This is my bed
Leave
Have a drink with me
No, I've had a lot already
Please leave
If you don't leave, I will
Why are you crying?
Mom was taken to the hospital
What happened?
She drank half a bottle of disinfectant
You shouldn't give up on yourself
You should quit drinking
Use the money to buy food
Use your time to write
You once told me that
James Joyce was half blind
He had to teach to make a living
He also worked as a clerk
But he never gave up on
what he wanted to do
and completed Ulysses
The Irish censors banned his book
and publishers made money off
pirated copies
Readers misunderstood him
But he was not discouraged
He kept writing
and almost starved to death
although he died only 21 years ago
He is already recognized as
a "modern literary giant"
Literature is a type of hard labor
You have to keep working at it
like a mule
You told me all this yourself
Min, don't work too hard
Mrs. Lei, I'm a new tenant here
I'm not Min
Mr. Lei
Mr. Lau, have a seat
Who is Min?
That's the name of my elder brother
Where is he now?
He died in Chongqing
during the Japanese war
He was in his early 20s, and
had just graduated from university
He hadn't got married yet
He was a bright kid, my mom's favorite
This is my brother
We were walking along
the Hanyu highway
someone discovered an undetonated
bomb in front of the iron factory
We stood still War, war, war
We dared not take another step
but my relative walked on quickly ahead
His wife ran after him,
and pulled him back
She scolded him at the top of her lungs
Saying that the bomb
might explode any time
He said, because the bomb
might explode any time
that's why he has to move it to the fields
Otherwise it will blow up
the whole factory
then he would not have the will to live
His wife would not let him take the risk
She ran after him like a mad woman
When he was moving the bomb
with his bare hands
Boom! It exploded
Afterwards we could not even
find their corpses
All we found was a charred
yellow leather shoe and a gold ring
Min, I made you some pork liver congee
It's cold out. Eat it and you'll be warmer
I don't eat pork liver
Min, you are always so stubborn
Pork liver is good for your body
Listen to mom and eat up
Be a good boy
It's delicious. Now I feel warmer
Thank you
I know you like roses.
They were selling them cheap
this morning
She told me she has a father
who likes to gamble, an invalid mother
two younger brothers
and two younger sisters
She said her father owed $500 in
gambling and was unable to pay it back
they were persuaded by the landlord
to put her to work as a dancing girl
She said that elderly patrons
sought to re-discover their youth in her
She earned a lot of money but
had not saved a penny
She told me
she didn't know how to dance
so she went to dancing school
the teacher put Spanish fly in coffee
and forced her to drink it
Lulu and Mary are both early bloomers,
but they are in fact different
Lulu has been hurt and abused,
while Mary wants to hurt herself
After she had learnt Waltz,
the dance teacher turned to another girl.
I might hate Mary,
but I can't help pitying Lulu.
She said she hated
young men and old men
but liked middle aged men
She liked middle aged men like me
She remembered the first time we met
and everything I said to her
She likes to listen to me talk
If Lulu wants to seek revenge on me,
I'm glad to let her
Among the different thoughts
inside my head,
one had won the day
I want to prove myself a hero
in front of a 1 7 year old girl
Are you ready with the inaugural piece?
Y es
I still need to make changes.
I'll give it to you in two days, ok?
No, let me send it out first,
and you can correct it later
Alright
You are not going out tonight?
It's already 4 o'clock
I've been writing non-stop,
and I haven't even had lunch yet
Why don't you come out now
and I'll buy you dinner
Afterwards you can take a rest
Go home and work on Gramont's
"Proust As I Knew Him"
You treat me like cattle
Those who engage in literature
must work like a mule
Alright then
Min, you haven't even had lunch yet.
I just made this sweet soup.
Have some before you go out
It's exactly like my script!
I wrote the script!
You wrote it?
So boring!
The more despicable you are
the higher you rise
Those who are true to their consciences
are at the bottom of society
to be tram pled upon
I just saw "Butterfly Dreams"
What do you think?
I think the script has problems
What problems?
It has artistic value
but lacks commercial worth
I still haven't received my money
We are old friends, don't talk this way
You still think of me as your friend?
We've been friends for over 20 years.
If you are my friend,
you shouldn't steal my script
How should I put it?
"Butterfly Dreams"
Now I want you help with a problem
Sure, what is it?
I still haven't found a job,
and I got to pay back some debt.
How much do you need?
$3000 is a big sum.
Can you make it less?
That's the price for a movie script
O.K. I'll see what I can do.
Listen,
You have to
I'll do my best
You still live in the same place?
I'll send someone over with the money
No, I've moved
I'm leaving
You haven't finished your coffee
I've made up my mind
I can't go on being a fool
I can't starve or live without alcohol,
nor do I want to worry about
paying the rent
I'm looking for Mr. Lau.
Oh, you're looking for Min.
Please wait a minute.
I'm looking for Mr. Lau.
Min, there's someone here for Mr. Lei
The Director asked me to give you this.
Which director?
Director Mo.
Enclosed please find $50 to assist you,
kindly reply to this note
Please wait a moment
I'd rather starve than take your charity
Give it to Mo
"Everything Visible Is Empty"
What do you think?
It's very well written.
Just the title is eye catching enough,
"Golden Lotus'Sex Escapades"
I didn't know you could write like that
To earn a living
I hope you can help me.
It's you who are helping us
Does this mean you'll publish the piece?
It'll appear in the paper
day after tomorrow.
What is the fee?
We are a small paper and
can't be compared with the big boys
Perhaps you'll find our fee too small
How much per thousand words?
US$8
If the readers respond well
we'll increase to $1 0 in 2 months
Alright, that's settled
There's something else
You have other questions?
I want an advance of $1 00.
Can you do it?
Our paper has never done this before.
I understand
Just this once, please help me
I can personally lend you $1 00
We are old friends
But write me an I.O.U.
One more
Drink up, great!
- Again
- Let's eat first
You know what?
I'm tired of this dancing girl life
You want to get another job?
I want to be a house wife
Do you like Elvis'songs?
You know how to do
"mash potato dance"?
No
You like watching movies?
Who's your favorite movie star?
I like Lin Dai with her large eyes
Du Juan when she is angry
and I like You Min, Grace Chang and
Julie Yeh Fung in "Stars, Moon and Sun"
Have you seen
Grace Chang's "Mambo Girl"?
I watched it when I was young.
I went home and imitated her dance
I liked them all
Big sister
This is my brother
Do the potato dance for me
I can't
Sorry to trouble you
I'm leaving
Is big sister drunk?
That's right
She doesn't really know how to drink
Why don't you take her to a hotel?
I don't understand what you mean
They say that big sister is a bad girl
Whoever has money
can take her to a hotel
Don't say that.
Why?
Because your sister is
doing it for your sake
We never asked her to.
But you have to eat and go to school
Our dad earns money to pay for that
Your dad is out gambling all the time,
how does he get the money?
Silly boys, look after your sister
Behave yourselves
When did you arrive?
Why didn't you go to work
at the newspaper?
Take a look at this stage play
It is very well written,
the technique is excellent
I don't want to
Why?
I'm sick of it. I've decided to
give up doing serious literary work
Honestly, even if I managed to write
something like "Old Man and the Sea"
nobody will appreciate it
Are you drunk again?
No, I had a few drinks
but I'm not drunk
Every writer wants to be known,
but it's not necessary
You told me that even James Joyce faced
humiliation and was misunderstood
whe he was alive, but he never gave up
If what we do will be appreciated
a hundred years from now
then our present sufferings are all worth it.
Society is too cruel and practical
We can't go on living in our dreams
Don't you remember what you told me?
You said Proust suffered from asthma
He was confined to an airless room
for over ten years
But he ended up writing
"Remembrance of Times Past"
Mak
don't talk about that again
In order to make a better living,
I've decided to write porn fiction.
You can take away any of the books
on the shelf if you are interested
Today I wrote a very pornographic piece
to a newspaper in Central
They gave me $1 00 in advance
You are giving up your ideals for $1 00?
That's right
What about your editor position
at "Avant Garde Literature"?
- I don't want to do it any more
- I've lost all interest in literature
Haven't seen you in ages.
Here alone?
No, I came with my husband.
- You're married? - Y es
Why didn't you tell me?
He looks familiar.
You've met him
He is the factory boss
The one who sent his thugs
to beat me up?
You married him?
Yes
Why?
Why do you have to marry him?
Because
He's rich
Money rules everything. It's the devil.
It is more powerful than God,
especially in Hong Kong
I've fallen in love with you
If I treat her as a prostitute, I am a hero
but if I treat her as a lover,
I'm pitifully inadequate
"Avant Garde Literature"
I plan to describe Golden Lotus'sex
lives with her various tenants
I'll describe how horny she is
How she seduces the men
How she achieves greatest sexual
satisfaction with all the male tenants
So on and so forth
Don't need much thought
No need for plot nor character description
No need to create atmosphere
As long as I write about sex
I'll get my money
Telephone call for you.
I sent you the first issue. Did you get it?
Y es.
How is it? I'd like to know your views
I admire your courage and determination.
What about the content?
What do you think?
Very good, every piece is above standard.
And the original writings?
Not as good, but passable
How about the translated pieces?
They are of a high standard
The deadline for the second issue
is coming up
I know you are too busy
for translation work
But you read a lot, so I'm hoping you
could provide us with some materials
I haven't read any serious literature lately
What?
I dream that 40 years from now
A Hong Kong film director
adapts my novel to the screen
But this director does not pay me a cent
I dream that 50 years from now
Another director adapts
another novel of mine
This is the first time I get money
for film adaptation rights
I drink a bottle of brandy to celebrate
Not finished yet?
You're here
Here's the light.
How is "Avant Garde Literature"
coming along?
The second issue is at the printer's
We don't have much original writings yet.
How is the first issue selling?
Very poorly.
How poorly?
We shipped 1 000 copies to
Singapore and Malaysia,
but the distributor said
they could only sell 30 copies
and we should only send them
They also want us to have serial novels
I see
What about the sales situation
in Hong Kong?
It's a little better,
but we've sold fewer than 1 00 copies
Mak, we're old friends.
Can I be frank with you?
Sure
If the magazine sells only
then it's not worth your effort.
As long as there is a single reader
I will continue to publish
"Avant Garde Literature"
In that case,
I try to write a short story for you
Sure, but what pseudonym will you use?
The one I use all the time
But you're writing four porn novels
under that name!
So?
So?
I can't have you writing serious
literature under the same pseudonym
with which you write
Golden Lotus' Sex Escapades!
If that's what you think
then forget it
Mr. Lau
I'm quitting next month.
Why? You switching to another club?
You're tired of the trade?
Then why are you quitting?
I'm getting married
Who are you getting married to?
- A young client.
- You don't know him
The word 'young' pierced
my heart like an arrow
Your cheeks are redder than Lord Kwan's.
Stop drinking
I'm OK
I want to drink
Drink up. We should celebrate
Come on, I'll drink
Alright, I'll drink with you
We obtained some donations and bought
a few dozen grey military overcoats
We were young then,
and didn't trust anyone but ourselves.
We want to see the soldiers'warm smiles
as they received the overcoats from us
So we braved gunfire to deliver the coats
We crawled through a bamboo forest
As we did so an enemy mortar
exploded among the bamboo grove
Someone beside me yelled
I lifted my head up to look
our class rep was lying with his face up,
his face covered in blood
War, war, war
Japanese Army Attacked Shanghai
A piece of his head
had been blown away by shrapnel
pieces of his brain came dribbling out
His eyes were wide open and
his eye balls remained still
I couldn't take it anymore.
I stood up and was about to leave
The class rep talked to me
in a trembling voice,
"Please smash my head in with a rock!"
Is this the military hospital?
You had a bad dream
Where is Lulu?
Who?
The girl I was drinking with.
I'm sorry, I don't know
How did I end up here?
The police brought you.
Someone hit you with a bottle
Who?
I'm not sure.
Nurse, can you loosen up
the bandages for me?
Sure, no problem
When can I get out of the hospital?
Your injuries are serious
You have a concussion
So you have to stay here for observation
Is this better?
Could it have been Lulu?
You'd gone missing for days,
I didn't know what to do
I didn't expect this.
I was in the hospital for a few days
You could have kept on
writing on the hospital bed
All you need is a pen
and a stack of paper
My head was hurting, I got no inspiration
You're a professional writer
You should be able to write
under any circumstances
Professionals get sick too you know.
I'm telling you
You cannot stop writing from now on,
even if you're sick in the hospital.
If I have to write even when I'm sick,
then I quit
Fine. A lot of people would
kill for your job
What's up?
You're drunk again?
No
Maybe not yet,
but don't drink any more.
Why?
My daughter really wants to meet you.
You want to introduce
your daughter to me?
That's right.
How much?
US$300
$300?
I haven't won the lottery yet
Take a look
I don't have much money on me.
She may be young,
but she can make you happy.
I know, but I don't have that much money
How much do you have?
How old are you?
You lie!
Do you do this all the time?
My first time.
You're lying again!
Do you do this willingly?
My father is sick.
He needs the money for medicine
You are such a cliche
This is mid-day news
from Radio Hong Kong
First up is international news
concerning Cuban crisis
According to Reuters,
US President Kennedy's speech
at Congress today reiterated that
US government is highly concerned
about Soviet missile bases in Cuba,
which US views as military provocation
President Kennedy will present an
ultimatum to Soviet Premier Khrushchev
demanding that
the USSR dismantle all missile bases
already under construction in Cuba
Or the US will take military action
including bombing of Cuban
bases with nuclear weapons
I'm sorry,
Lulu doesn't work here any more
Sir, do you live here?
I'm looking for Lily
Mister, who are you looking for?
I'm looking for Lily, Lily!
Madam!
I don't know him
Her voice sounds familiar
You are Lily, right?
Who are you?
I want Lily
She's already married
That's 1 5 catties in total
I'll give you $30 for them
How about $50?
Literature isn't worth that much
You have blue books?
They are worth more
Who are you looking for?
I want to find a little girl.
She's around 1 5 or 1 6
What's her name?
I don't know
I've been here. her mother brought me
She said she wanted to
introduce me to her
They moved
I only have a few dollars on me.
Why look for her?
Am I so desperate that
I just want to see another human
being more pitiful than me?
He's awake, he's awake
He didn't die
Don't feel sad. There are no problems
that can't be solved.
That's right.
The world is a wonderful place
Min, you're a smart person
Why would you do such a silly thing?
Promise mom you won't drink
so much from now on
I promise I won't drink anymore
neither alcohol nor disinfectant
Mother
You have come home
I take a rest first.
Sure
Min, don't drink any more alcohol
from now on
It's bad for you
Listen to mom, don't drink anymore
Here's $3000
It should last you for a while
How can I take your money? I can't...
Of course you can. You're my son
Min
you came back from the war
safe and sound
Mama is too happy
Take it, take it
Before I drank the Dettol,
I thought I had lost everything
After I drank the Dettol, I seem to have
regained everything I had lost
What would you like?
You want whiskey or brandy?
A bottle of whiskey
Sorry, forget it
I'll just have a packet of cigarette
Haven't gotten my salary yet
You must be joking,
you look like a boss yourself!
Thanks
Hot coffee
To me, drinking is very important,
but it is not like the sun and air
You need money to buy it
In order to drink I have to earn money
How else will I live after I'd spent
all of Old Mrs. Lei's money?
I was just over 20 years old, in Shanghai
The buttonwood trees on Avenue Joffre
The squash court on
Avenue du Roi Albert
Roast suckling pig at DDC Cafe
All of them were attractive,
but not as attractive as alcohol
I met a dancing girl Lily,
who was tired of life
She said she liked my eyes
I didn't know she was so good at lying,
and willingly became her slave
I gave her everything I had
She took me drinking all the time
I never got drunk once
I was proud of my ability to drink
But she told me,
"One day, you will get drunk."
And sure enough I did
That was when
she quit being a dancing girl because
she was marrying the cotton king
I went to our usual haunt and got so
drunk that I didn't know where I was
I was just over 20 then
From then on drinking became a
passport that took me to another world
I may not like
the oblivion alcohol brought
but I hate the ugly reality of life more
There was a time when I drank white
rice wine everyday in foggy Chongqing
There was another time when
I drank yellow rice wine in the rain
For a time I drank whiskey everyday
at a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui
I think wisdom is created by the devil
The more you have,
the more worries you have
What happened?
You were really drunk last night
but were still capable of arguing
with mother-in-law
in the end, she cut her wrist in her room
That afternoon I wrote on my notebook,
I'm quitting drinking today
But by night fall, I drank
a few glasses of brandy in a restaurant.