Gao Jie. (File photo, taken by reporter Hu Shunxiang)
[Reporter Xu Shiying/Reporting from Taipei] The classic film "Goodbye Southland, Southland" directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien celebrates its 30th anniversary. The 4K restored version premiered at the Golden Horse Film Festival today (14th). Actors Gao Jie and Xixiang, as well as photographers Li Pingbin, Chen Huai'en, sound Du Duzhi, editor Liao Qingsong and other behind-the-scenes creatives gathered together. During the interview, Gao Jie was also asked about Hou Hsiao-hsien's current situation. He frankly said that he hoped for a miracle to happen, but for now he could only wait and did not want to disturb the director's rest. He revealed in a low-key manner that he would still keep in touch through Hou Hsiao-hsien's son Hou Fuyue.
Talking about Hou Hsiao-hsien's physical condition, Gao Jie said: "We hope for a miracle. How is his condition now? We can only wait, and we don't want to disturb him and let him have a good rest." He revealed that he is still in contact with Hou Hsiao-hsien's children. If a doctor recommends relevant drugs, he will communicate through Hou Hsiao-hsien's son, hoping to do his part.
Please read on...
After seeing "Goodbye, Southland, Southland" again after 30 years, Gao Jie was deeply touched. He bluntly said that this work is not only a classic, but also thanks to Hou Xiaoxian's gift, it also brought many opportunities for his acting career. He revealed that movies have even become a basic teaching material at the Beijing Film Academy in China, and a teacher once asked how Hou Hsiao-hsien produced such a work.
Gao Jie believes that the most powerful thing about Hou Hsiao-hsien is that he knows how to use each person's characteristics to allow the actors to fully express familiar things. "People we don't understand are listening and asking questions. It is a very surface and state of life." He also said with a smile. , there are some dialogues in the film that even the actors themselves are confused about. For example, Xixiang talks about the fog and ground on the ground. Everyone has no idea why he is so familiar with it. However, this is how Hou Hsiao-hsien lets the actors play naturally, and the others follow the director's movements and perform in harmony.
However, this work, which is now regarded as a classic, actually put Hou Hsiao-hsien into creative difficulties at the time. Li Pingbin revealed that Hou Hsiao-hsien was unable to grasp the contemporary rhythm during the filming, and was not sure what he wanted to shoot. After the filming was completed, he felt even more confused and dissatisfied when faced with a large amount of negative material. He even directly put the material in the editing room and ignored it. It wasn't until time settled and the hidden context was rediscovered in the picture that the film had a chance to be reborn.
In the end, this film, which was once ignored by the director, unexpectedly became a classic in film history, and was later selected as one of the best films of the 1990s by the French "Cinema Notes". Hou Hsiao-hsien himself later listed "Goodbye, South Country, South Country" as one of his personal favorite works. He believed that Gao Jie, Lin Qiang and Yi Nengjing showed extremely strong life energy in the film.
Gao Jie has his own interpretation of the meaning that the film wants to convey. He believes that "Goodbye, Southland, Southland" describes the life of the second generation from other provinces in Taiwan. "Everyone lives so hard and tries so hard, but there is still a distance from money. This is life." He also recalled that when the film was selected as a competition film at the Cannes Film Festival, the chairman of the jury, Francis Coppola, was particularly interested in the film and even asked the company to send a copy to the company in the hope of watching it again. Although he did not win the award in the end, Gao Jie believed that Hou Hsiao-hsien's attitude towards gains and losses was very open-minded, which made him cherish the opportunity to cooperate and learn from the director.
As for whether he contacted the heroine Yi Nengjing, Gao Jie said that this time the contact was through the Golden Horse Executive Committee, but the person he was most looking forward to meeting was Lin Qiang. He described the relationship between the two as "just like the friendship between gentlemen." Lin Qiang is now more deeply involved in Buddhism, living a life he likes, and never forcing anyone. "Anyway, his appearance is a surprise for me." Finally, he lamented that time flies by, and it is extremely precious to be able to reunite with everyone after 30 years and look back on this work.
