English Translation by Nancy Horenburg
Confrontation in a fake Bronx - interview with Jackie Chan
-What is the story of Rumble In The Bronx?
The story is very simple. Bill Tung plays the role of my uncle who is the proprietor of a supermarket in the Bronx. Because of problems with the local gangs who steal money and products, he wants to close the commerce. My father, who is one of the associates of the commerce, calls me from Hong Kong to sign a contract and we sell the enterprise to Anita Mui. As my uncle is a liar, I do not know at what point it is difficult to keep a commerce in the Bronx and I say, "Yes, the supermarket is good". Later on, she becomes aware of the problems and thinks that I wanted to trick her. Afterwards, I help her . . . not by helping in the store, but to get rid of the bad elements. Certain contrabands enter in play and the problems augment, which gives cause to a lot of action and scenes of pursuit and of combat. Rumble in the Bronx is totally different from Drunken Master 2, which was more a film of kung-fu - the last is more a film of action.
-What made you chose Vancouver rather than Toronto?
The action of the film is supposed to be in the Bronx, but filming in New York caused a lot of problems with the syndicates . . .certain quarters at night, the incidents which can be produced . . .that's why we chose Vancouver. There are some scenes of pursuit by car and scenes of the street which were filmed in New York. We first foresaw filming in Toronto, but it's very cold there I believe . . .Vancouver is a city where it is easier to transport material. Personally, I did not have anything to do with the choice of place of filming because I was working on other films. I sent the director Stanley Tong to look for areas to film. He found out that Vancouver was the better choice. The team is very professional and I feel very much at ease to film at Vancouver because it is possible without problem to block the streets with all the decor. We can take our time to film. At Hong Kong it is mostly; "Hurry up, you must do all this in one hour because the people complain about the noise", that kind of thing,. It is very difficult to film in Hong Kong. After three or four hours, we can be ready to see the triads disembarking to claim money. We give them money and then another group will arrive and demand the same thing. If we do not give them money, they start breaking everything. At Vancouver, the police is on our side and helps us. The other day for example, after the victory of a hockey team, the fans were very happy and so they had a lot to drink. They stayed close to us and refused to leave. I really did not know what to do but the police came and dispersed them, so simply. The filming becomes much easier and professional with this type of aid, rather than that of the syndicates. We foresaw filming at Vancouver for three months and we have not had one day of retard up to here. The duration foreseen for filming is about three months and a half. Hong Kong is a very small city and after all these years, I think I have already used up all the possible places. During the last five or six years, I voyaged all around the world and filmed in Morocco, at Paris, in Spain, in Yugoslavia. . .always at the exterior of Hong Kong.
-You are without doubt very occupied with all your films . . . how do you find the time to keep yourself in shape?
Two days ago, we filmed at night in Vancouver. The sun rose around 4 o'clock in the morning. I felt I needed exercise so I climbed towards Stanley Park, I did one hour jogging, then I went back and slept. I still have enough time to do many things. As the health is what I feel to be the most important, I have to keep myself in perfect physical condition. My stories do not turn around love stories but action and dangerous stunts, so I must keep myself in form.
-Do you think that the success of Drunken Master 2 will give birth to a new type of martial arts films moving away from the films charactised by the excessive use of wires?
These last years, the characters of kung fu films fight like superman's - wouch wouch wouch - you understand? I detest this kind of thing! The people do not believe it. How is it possible to give 10 kicks in one single jump? People can make a jump of 6 stories? No! All this drives me really mad and that's the reason why I wanted to make a film of kung fu: so that I could show to the other directors what is the real traditional kung fu film. Yes, okay, maybe before it was slower. But I changed all that, and not only at the level of the style - you know it was whap, whap, whap. Then I brought the `serpent' technique and now everything goes faster. Older stars like Ti Lung were very surprised by the changes that I made because they knew that the habitual kung fu films did not go at that speed; there is also the incredulity factor. But now I make everything more credible. For example, how is it possible to fight being completely drunk? There must be reasons given. In Drunken Master 2, my father detests that I drink because that brings about all sorts of problems. I decide not to drink anymore, but at the end, I break. After being burned and wounded, I have to drink a bit of alcohol to diminish the pain. That's the reason why I drink alcohol from the factory. I make things credible....there are not any things like 10 kicks in a single jump or someone who bounces at a height of 10 stories. These kind of things do not belong to reality. All these films die in Asia because nobody goes to see them, apart from Drunken Master 2. Why is it said that the kung fu film no longer exists? Why do Jackie Chan films have a numerous public? It's a question of confidence. The spectators know that I do not cheat. That's what distinguishes me. Before, when I made a film it was for money; now, it's first for pleasure, then for money. I like to think that people go to see my films, because I have a message to pass to them.
-Your films often turn around the family. To what is due the more somber tone of Crime Story?
The idea of Crime Story came during a moment of filming of Double Dragon. Another director who acted in the film - Kirk Wong Chi-Keung - spoke to me a lot about this project because he wished for my opinion. I found the story very good. Later on, I learned that the chosen actor renounced his role, due to no time. If another actor could not be found, the film would be done later. I knew that the director needed a change and also needed to make a living. I told my boss that I wished to make this film to help the director. I was also curious to open myself to a new kind of film. I wanted to try and show a new facet of Jackie. About in the middle of the film, I stated that my character was not verified enough. In the version of Crime Story where I made cuts, we see a scene where 2 characters make love in a lift. In the original version, Kent Cheng brings a girl to a parking and makes love to her on the roof of a Mercedes, then the people come to take the car and there are a lot of chases and screaming. I told the director, " No, that is not the style of Jackie Chan." and after, I did the scene my own way.
-What do you think of the popularity of criminal dramas inspired by diverse events and the erotic films of Hong Kong?
Personally I do not really like this kind of thing because, as an actor one must be capable to interpret different roles. But for me it's very difficult. One of the things the most amusing in Asia are the children. When a Jackie Chan comes out, the father, the mother and all the children go to see it. They know, after all these years, that my films include numerous combats, but no violence. I show as little blood as possible and no scenes of sex; I do not use bad words or offensive pleasantries. The story always carries a message: 'Behave yourself, go to school . . .' and the bad always go to prison. That's the reason why my films have such a success in Asia. Every time one of my films comes out, the children, the students, everybody goes to see it. This incites me to make my films with great attention.
-What happened to the film you intended to make on the subject of fire fighters?
Oh! The story of the firefighters, the western and also Rumble In The Bronx are projects that have been put in waiting for 10 years. All the time that I speak about them to my boss Raymond Chow, he tells me, "No, no, no, do not do it now". Then Karate Kid and its sequels came out. My boss tells me, "Ah, maybe you are right". I tell him, "Of course I am right!". Then I want to do the film about the firefighters and Backdraft comes out. I was not aware of that! If I film it now, the people will think I copied the idea, so I do not do it. I wanted to make a western, then Dances With Wolves came out. Now I no longer want to wait. One day, as I was working on Project A, some people came to tell me: " We just came from seeing the new Speilberg and there is a scene with a bicycle in". It gave me such a fright! I went to see the film. It was E.T. I continued my film and filmed my bicycle scene. It was completely different to what Speilberg did. In fact, in his last 'Indiana Jones', he was inspired by me! It made me very happy. Now I am no longer afraid that the people think that I copied from other directors, so I will keep my idea and make a western after Rumble in the Bronx. After all this, I count on returning to my story of the firefighters. I always dreamed of making westerns. I already think of places like New Mexico and Vancouver. I get sent many photos of possible places to film. For this film, it is possible I will use new actresses. I want to find a beautiful American Indian, an occidental and a Chinese. In the western, I am married to an Indian, I have a Chinese mistress and I have to likewise encounter an American. It's a very interesting story.
-What makes you decide to direct a film yourself or to have it directed by someone else?
After Mr. Canton and Lady Rose, I thought I did not have enough funds necessary to direct Armour of God Part 2. But I always have the situation in hand. I want that every film I direct to be better than the one before. I do one take, a second take, I film and refilm, I cut and recut...I feel that there is too much pressure around me. I realize that I still have many dreams to make come true. When will I finish? Two years for one single film? I think that even at 50 years old, I will not have made all the films I want to. That's why I decided to find directors to make all these films. With a film like Crime Story, I found a director, but I am always in the end director; same thing for Drunken Master 2. These directors do not know my capacities and have difficulty to master the situation. I am not the best, but at least, I know what I am capable of. If the film comes out and has no success, the first victim is Jackie Chan, the second is the producer, the third is the director. So I tell the director," I do not take your place. You must know that I am the one that takes the film to heart the most. You, you finish this film and you pass on to another". These films, they are my cherished children. Certain directors consider their films like a simple part of their work. " Ok, this one is finished, I pass to the next." They do not preoccupy themselves with the quality of the film and it drives me mad. I give my trust to a director, but then he must merit that trust, if not it ends there. It's not the sort; 'He is dismissed and I become director'. At least, I leave the name of the director on the credits.
-Do you have a favorite film, or is there one of your own films that you prefer more than the others?
I like the films of Speilberg and I think that he is a real genius; 'Indiana Jones' and `Jurassic Park' are my preferred. As for my own films, on the matter of director, Mr. Canton and Lady Rose is the one I prefer. For the action scenes, Police Story is better.
-Yourself, Samo Hung and Yuen Biao were formed at the school of the 7 Fortunes of the Peking Opera. That solid training was profitable for all of you and made you celebrities in the end. Why do you think that the transition between this kind of training and the cinema does not happen anymore?
It's attributed to these kinds of schools and the government of Hong Kong. In fact, nearly no government would accept that, only China. It's a very hard training. There is no reason to strike the students. And we trained not for ourselves, but from and for the state. We trained every day and I did not want to do it, but the state pushed me to do it.
-The portrait that is traced of these schools in Farewell My Concubine reflects reality?
Yes, entirely. But not in what concerns the Seven Fortunes. For us, it was much more sophisticated!
-What will happen, regarding you, to the cinema industry of Hong Kong at the change over in 1997 and what are your projects concerning the change over?
Firstly, I am not a politician and I film only films I like to film, not political films. I do not think that this will occasion veritable changes for me. I count staying were I am at this moment and continuing to film what I please. Many think of leaving, but they are to my belief mostly politicians. During the filming of Drunken Master 2, the Chinese government helped me a lot. I am in fact very optimistic towards this subject.