Biopics In Chinese Entertainment: Risk And Responsibility

I became a fan of several old-time singers -- some of them were even DEAD. I could talk about how F4 led me to appreciate the late Teresa Teng's music. It's bizarre to think that the late Barbie Xu's ashes are now in Chin Pao San Cemetery -- the same place of Teresa's burial. It would be strange that I only started listening to Anita Mui's music after she DIED. F4 and Jolin Tsai were often the talk in the 2000s. In my case, Jolin was once called Britney Spears, then she was called an Asian Madonna, presumably so short after Anita passed away. One can think that a biographical series Mui Yim Fong Fei (2007) was released a few years after Anita died -- something that I never knew existed. I tried watching Anita (2021) as a mini-series on Disney+. 

I found myself and now I'll confess, I actually bashed Louisse Wong trying to do the song numbers. Sure, Louisse delivered the minimum needed for the other parts -- I found myself wanting to shoot the television screen with a GUN. Talk about extremes! I wrote my post where I thought that the Tsai Sisters, Jolin Tsai and her older sister Jo Tsai, could play as Anita and the late Ann Mui. However, this is an "update" to the post since I realized that there can be NUMEROUS PROBLEMS in a biopic. In fact, maybe that's why I'm having a hard time finding the Zhou Xuan TV series -- Zhou Wei, who wrote the biography challenged the TV series for inaccuracies. The same can be true when the Teresa Teng: I Only Care About You was criticized not just for Michelle Chen's appearance -- it was criticized for TOO MANY CREATIVE LIBERTIES LIKE A NON-EXISTENT BOYFRIEND!

Now, let's dive into my recent example, the Anita (2021) movie that became a mini-series (which I watched in a glimpse), and my wish may have caused a lot of disasters, IF IT HAPPENED

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Anita was a beloved icon in Hong Kong. No one can deny that she was in the ranks of people like Teresa (for Taiwan) despite the DIFFERENT approaches. I can enjoy both on their own merits. F4 led me to Teresa's music. Jolin made me interested in Anita's music after the latter died -- because I wanted to see the evolution. I was in college when Anita passed away. It was interesting to hear her music on CD -- to hear a different voice. I found Anta's contralto voice to be more powerful than Jolin's mezzo-soprano. Was it because Anita's voice was more recognizable? 

I watched a few episodes of the mini-series, maybe barely even half. I couldn't remember when I watched it. But what was certain was that the film had A LOT OF SPECULATED DIALOGUE. One was her conversation with a doctor. Wait? How did the directors of the film know that Anita was recommended to have her ovaries removed, which may be a standard procedure? How did the directors know that Anita was worried about not being able to conceive? Aren't conversations with doctors a PRIVATE MATTER, and it would be a BREACH OF INFORMATION at that point! I just took it at face value. However, one can look into the film and say, "HUH? HOW DID THE DIRECTORS EVEN KNOW THAT." The character Goto Yuki was actually a FICTIONAL CHARACTER -- one meant to fill screen time. The Mui Yim Fong Fei TV series even added another story for ratings -- Anita's supposed romance with ANDY LAU. IRL, Andy and Anita were just friends. One can compare Andy and Anita to the way Jerry Yan and Jolin Tsai are "just friends". Fortunately, Jerry didn't act as Andy, and neither did Jolin act as Anita.

 

Why did I write my desire that Jolin would play as Anita in Anita (2021)? It was because Louisse Wong was a newcomer and Anita died a superstar. The concert scenes felt forced to me. Louise was a newcomer. I was thinking, "WTF?!" I'm no critic and I'm just another blogger. Why I wanted Jolin to play as Anita was because "Jolin would be able to pull these concert scenes!" What I ignored was that Jolin didn't have Anita's acting ability. Anita won BOTH acting and music awards. Jolin, unlike Anita, was focused on being a singer. Which makes me think that my desire for Jolin and her sister Jo (who's not acting, but is a businesswoman) to play the Mui sisters, may have been SEVERELY MISGUIDED!

After seeing more of Mui Yim Fong Fei, I'd say that the TV drama deserved its bland performances by Alice Chan as Anita. I thought, "Jolin should've been Anita!" However, the more I watch it, the more I think that Mui Yim Fong Fei DOESN'T DESERVE JOLIN'S PERFORMANCE. Jolin has the Madonna vibes (in a modern way) while Anita was Madonna in her own way. I felt that the scene where Anita dies on stage (if that's how it really happened, as Andy can be seen crying), after having a romantic duet with Andy Lau (the actor He Gang kinda resembles him in certain angles). The truth was Anita got admitted to a hospital sometime before she fell into a coma -- which I heard happened on Christmas Eve. Anita's death on December 30, 2003, can be marked as a Christmas season disaster. The robotic performance of Alice as Anita is basically, "The SH*TTY TV series can have it! Jolin's too good for it!"

If the scene had Jerry (as Andy) holding Jolin (as Anita) in that TV series -- their careers could've TANKED. The reason has to be that the TV series was a badly done biopic. Andy and Anita NEVER had a romantic duet before Anita died on stage. The TV series should've ended with Anita being taken to the hospital, falling into a coma, and dying there. 

Jolin Tsai Instagram

Now, to think about how Anita's life was one of tragedy. Unlike the Tsai sisters, the Mui sisters weren't able to enjoy life. For example:

• Anita and Ann were CHILD PERFORMERS who performed at nightclubs. The Tsai sisters neer had to drop out of school for that! Even worse, child labors weren't as strict at that time! Singing at night clubs would expose them to HEAVY DOSES of second-hand smoke -- which may have contributed to their cancer later in life. Ann died in 2000 and Anita died in 2003. 
• The Tsai sisters were living average lives growing up -- compared to the MUI SISTERS. The Mui sisters were so poor it led to their child performer stats. 
• Jolin was able to form her part-time band Twister in high school. Anita dropped out of high school to continue singing. Anita developed nodules -- something Jolin probably never did. 
• Jolin won the MTV competition, so she can add an extracurricular to her college. Anita sang at the New Talent Singing Competition in 1982 (which I think she was 18, turning 19 at that time), mostly out of necessity.  
• Ann's marriage to Poon Lak Tap was in the strains. The exact reasons remain unknown. Poon later took his sons to Canada. Anita regretted being unable to see them or take care of them. Worse, Anita lost contact with them. However, Jo's marriage to Kevin Lin is reportedly stable. Jolin may have had a bumpy love life like Anita. However, Jolin has the opportunity to bond with her nephew and niece. Anita was deprived of that privilege.
• Jolin's advocacy against COVID-19 was during a global pandemic, while she was HEALTHY. Anita's advocacy against SARS in 2003 was when she was already getting ready for death. Anita later revealed she had cancer in 2003 when she could no longer hide it. Anita may have kept quiet about her cancer so she can pursue treatment WITHOUT paparazzi. Jolin was practically healthy in the midst of a pandemic.

It should be noted that Jolin was slowly breaking away from the Britney image for the MADONNA persona. Jolin and Anita wore extravagant costumes, were activists for a cause, and they have a strong stage presence. If I'm not wrong, some critics began to look at Jolin as Anita's successor, despite the two singers having DIFFERENT appeal. Anita is Anita and Jolin is Jolin -- something that's often forgotten by the critics! It's one thing to do a comparison, but calling Jolin "Asian Madonna" so soon was out of place. Jolin is the Madonna of TAIWAN. Anita is the Madonna of HONG KONG. Jolin's song "Love Love Love" was released on January 1, 2004, a few days after Anita died. One can think of one star's demise as contrasted by another one's slow rise to power. 

It was already bad enough that a comparison between Jolin and Anita was made -- despite their different musical styles. Anita's songs were based on what worked IN HER ERA. Jolin's songs were based on what worked IN HER ERA. The comparison gets more and more similar yet different. It's possible that off-screen, Jolin was offered the part of Anita more than once. However, Jolin not accepting them (if ever the offers happened) would be a wise decision. Jolin's probably aware that Anita is too much a beloved icon or that she's not all that good an actress. It would be good because capitalizing on a tragic demise of a beloved icon isn't proper. That's one hard lesson that I learned but fail to apply more than once!

Portraying Anita's most difficult moments can be challenging. For one, Anita's final conversations with her friends is a PRIVATE MATTER. In short, Jolin portraying a dying Anita can be a huge challenge. No one has any real of Anita's last moments and THAT'S GOOD. The intense moment of seeing Anita die in the hospital is a SERIOUS MATTER. Those moments should NEVER be put at all. It might be good for Jolin to be ANITA if:

• The scene where Anita gets a nodule can be cut short, with an UNNAMED DOCTOR. 
• Sticking to the TRUE narrative that Anita didn't reveal her cancer diagnosis until 2003 -- when she was already terminal.
• Anita had signs she wasn't well. Jolin could've been given makeup to make her look dying.
• The dialogue where Ann says, "I don't know if I'll see my children grow up." was a private matter. Ann can just be sent to the hospital. A time stamp is used to show Ann had died. Jo might be able to portay Ann dying. Jolin can still cry like Anita would. No dialogue. A creative liberty of an unnamed doctor consoling her without words would do. If a dialogue is used, an UNNAMED DOCTOR tels her Ann didn't make it, and console her. Cut short!
• In the final moments, Jolin can be seen on a hospital bed, rushed for palliative care. Stand in actors playing as doctors will not be named. The door closes hinting that Anita is having her private moments. A scene of Anita talking to unnamed people, telling them to "Let her die in peace." would be better.
• A time stamp signifying Anita has passed away, to her funeral, would be the BEST WAY to end the film.  

Which, in turn, Jolin is "less than Anita" or "not Anita" isn't going to be a problem. However, the problem is portraying Anita in a film that was TOO FULL OF MISUSE OF CREATIVE LIBERTIES. Which is why my wish was severely miscalculated!

However, the difference was that La Grande Chaumierre Violette was CONSENT

Cast members visit the real-life wife of the late painter (Provided by Epoch Times)

However, one can look into how La Grande Chaumierre Violette was created. There was actually consent FROM THE FAMILIES. The fact that this film showed the CAST MEMBERS INTERACTING WITH THE ACTUAL PEOPLE. The final episode showed the interaction between the cast members and the descendants of the historical people. Basically, there was CONSENT to the use of creative liberties that SUITS to at least, portray the a narrative that woud've FIT. We will NEVER GET the word for word account. The only thing that can happen is to verify the incident happened.

For example, the scene in La Grande Chaumierre Violette involving the Venus De Millo, was most likely told by one of the descendants. Grandparents and parents tend to tell stories of their youth. A grandmother may even talk about her closeness to her grandparents back in the past. Stories are passed down, and memory degrades. I can remember my late paternal grandmother telling me about wartime. She's only giving a summary as she was VERY OLD when she told the story.

 A respectful collaboration would have thought of whether or not the creative liberty would derail the story. There was no over-the-top acting, no exaggerated scenes, none. There would be some assumed scenes but the assumed scenes may have been born out of a person's FAULTY RECOLLECTION. 

Sure, I'd prefer a documentary for being less biased. But a well-done biopic, though not as effective, can still be a powerful tool.