[2024.10.02] MAN LIM CHUNG REVEALS WONG KAR WAI LOVES TO BE IN DEEP THOUGHTS ON THE SET

Kristal Tin speaks with Man Lim Chung in the HONG KONG ORAL HISTORY

Man Lim Chung is fortunate enough to have worked with Wong Kar Wai on three occasions

Man Lim Chung takes Kristal Tin to landmarks for film props
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Kristal Tin Nui Nei produced and hosted new program "Hong Kong Oral History" is now airing on the online paid platform "Late Show". She invited Anthony Wong Chau Sun, Alfred Cheung Kin Ting, Eric Kot Man Fai, Man Lim Chung, and the famous comic book creator Ngau Lo to share their experiences from growing up, and together they searched for their past footprints in Hong Kong and witnessed the changes. The famous art director Man Lim Chung took Tin Yui Nei back to the props landmarks, and revealed that director Wong Kar Wai loved to be deep in thought on the set. He could not forget about completing the impossible task for Tsui Hark.

Film Award-winning art director Man Lim Chung was born and raised in Hong Kong. In Tin Yui Nei's program he revealed that before graduating from PolyU's design department in 1991, he went to the theater to watch Wong Kar Wai directed DAYS OF BEING WILD and was deeply impressed. He thought that the storytelling techniques and image treatments were very unconventional, and it is one of the most important films in the history of Hong Kong films. "After watching DAYS OF BEING WILD, I had a lot of questions and thinking space in my mind. In addition I admire directors such as Ann Hui On Wa and Yim Ho, which made me want to join the industry and develop."

After graduation Man Lim Chung was recommended to be the assistant of art direction masters Au Ting Ping and William Chang Suk Ping (Ah Suk). He also had the opportunity to work with Wong Kar Wai on FALLEN ANGELS (DOR LOK TIN SI), HAPPY TOGETHER (CHUN GUONG JA SIT) and IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (FA YEUNG NIN WA). He admitted that he had little interaction with director Wong Kar Wai. "I was Ah Suk's assistant at the time. Wong Kar Wai would only talked to Ah Suk, or ask people to do things through the assistant director or production assistant. He wouldn't converse with others, and would spend most of his time in deep thought. Even if many people call Wong Kar Wai and To Ho Fung (Christopher Doyle) and Cheung Suk Ping the iron triangle, they did not talk to each other on the set. At most he would just set up the camera with To Ho Fung. Their chemistry didn't need any communication."

When talking about working with Ah Suk, Man Lim Chung said that he benefited a lot and learned how to solve problems. "When we couldn't find what we need, we looked for alternatives. We couldn't say no. The Internet wasn't popular at that time, so we have to use our feet to walk all over Hong Kong and Kowloon to find props. The job at that time had too many things to deal with. I was so exhausted after finishing Ah Suk's order that I had no time to think about other things. Sometimes Ah Suk would take me out to look at clothes and look for clothes and fabrics. In addition to visiting famous stores, he would also go to Granville Road and trendy shopping malls in Tsim Sha Tsui to let us know what he wants."

The 56-year-old Man Lim Chung won the Best Costume Design at the 17th Asian Film Awards and the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards this year for the movie THE GOLDFINGER (GUM SAU JI). In 2020 he directed for the first time the documentary KEEP ROLLING (HO HO PAT DIN YING) and won the Hong Kong Film Directors Guild's New Director Award. He humbly admitted that he is not a talented person. He remembered that he was slow to respond when he first entered the industry and was often treated with a roll of eyes. He mainly relied on hard work to make up for his shortcomings.

Speaking of the Tsui Hark directed THE CHINESE FEAST (GUM YUK MOON TONG), he was given the opportunity to be promoted to an art director for the first time. His salary went from more than 10,000 to 40,000. Man Lim Chung was flattered and admitted that it was very hard to make the impossible possible, "For the cooking competition scene, Tsui Hark wanted to make onions and beef fly around as if they were in a martial arts fight. There were no special effect in those days, so I thought of tying fishing wire to the spatula. As long as the spatula was turned with one hand, the onions and beef with fishing wire through them would take flight. Of course, you have to coordinate the shoot with speed so the result would be convincing."

Looking back on his 30 years in the film industry, Man Lim Chung said that he has collaborated with famous directors Wong Kar Wai, Tsui Hark, Sylvia Chang, Ann Hui On Wa, Felix Chong Man Keung, Alan Mak Siu Fai and Edmond Pang Ho Cheung, absorbed different ways of doing things from each of them and helped him build his own career. When asked when will he start directing again? He said, "I am currently directing a documentary about artists. I have no plans for commercial or art films yet. Instead, I hope to use my experience to work with new directors and experience a new stage."