All About Women
Encyclopedia
All About Women originally titled She Ain't Mean and Not All Women Are Bad, is a 2008
Chinese
romantic
comedy-drama
film directed by Tsui Hark
, who also edited the film, and co-wrote the story and screenplay with famed Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong
. The film stars Kitty Zhang
, Zhou Xun
and Kwai Lun-mei
, and tells a series of interwoven stories as it focuses on the lives of three women and their romantic relationships with the men that they encounter. Zhou plays a clumsy woman who secretly develops a pheromone
drug patch, which serves as a plot device
for the film; Kwai plays a punk rock band singer, who is also a boxer and novelist; and Zhang plays a wealthy attractive woman.
Originally set to be an updated version of Tsui's Peking Opera Blues
, All About Women was shot in Beijing, China, and was released in China and Hong Kong on 11 December 2008. The film was later released in Singapore on 8 January 2009.
, in a deleted scene, cameos as a taxi driver; co-screenwriter Kwak Jae-yong appears as a noodle restaurant patron; Hong Kong film director Jacob Cheung
appears as himself, playing an unlucky patient; and actor–film producer Henry Fong appears as Zhou Xun's character's boss.
, director Tsui Hark
wanted the film to be one of several remakes of films produced by the company. Tsui expressed his inspiration for All About Women being a calligraphy with the words She Ain't Mean written in Chinese (女人不坏). He said that after seeing the drawing, he awoke one day, and images of countless women flashed across his mind. While promoting his 1991 film Once Upon a Time in China
in Seoul, Korea, Tsui attended a seminar, where met Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong
. Tsui began working on a script titled She's a Hooligan, developing various characters, who began to gradually form into something more concrete after several days. When Tsui discovered that Kwak was working on a script similar to his, he abandoned his own script, and collaborated with Kwak. Kwak wrote the script in Korean before it was translated into Chinese. Tsui then commented on and amended the Chinese version before it was translated back into Korean. The script was later re-edited by Kwak and retranslated into Chinese.
. In March, Tsui, for the first time as a filmmaker, invited the Chinese press visit to the set of All About Women in Changping, Beijing. Kitty Zhang commented on Tsui's style of filmmaking as the director would frequently make changes to the screenplay: "Often, when I arrived on the set in the morning, he'd hand me three pages of the script, saying that it's what we'd be filming today. I was taken aback. What he gave me earlier only had two paragraphs. Why such a big change?"
Upon being questioned, Tsui admitted there would be changes to the screenplay, since he did not have everything he wanted in the film on the shooting script.
Chinese films of the 2000s
This is a list of films produced in mainland China ordered by year of release in the 2000s. For an alphabetical listing of Chinese films see :Category:Chinese films-2000:-2001:-2002:-2003:-2004:-2005:-2006:-2007:...
Chinese
Cinema of China
The Chinese-language cinema has three distinct historical threads: Cinema of Hong Kong, Cinema of China, and Cinema of Taiwan. Since 1949 the cinema of mainland China has operated under restrictions imposed by the Communist Party of China's State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television and...
romantic
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
film directed by Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, who also edited the film, and co-wrote the story and screenplay with famed Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyunghee University. He achieved success with his debut film Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day in 1989, but the failure of his next two movies led to eight years of unemployment before a comeback with the...
. The film stars Kitty Zhang
Zhang Yuqi
Kitty Zhang Yuqi is a Chinese actress. Her first major role was in Stephen Chow's 2007 Hong Kong film CJ7, which brought her media attention and kickstarted her acting career.-Biography:Zhang was born in Shandong province...
, Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" in China in the early 2000s, along with Zhang Ziyi, Xu Jinglei and Zhao Wei.-Early life:...
and Kwai Lun-mei
Kwai Lun-mei
Kwai Lun-Mei is a Taiwanese actress. She started her acting career in the movie Blue Gate Crossing as Meng Ke Rou. Lun-Mei then appeared in a few more movies before she went on to gain more recognition in the movie Secret directed by Jay Chou, which Kwai acted as the female lead, Lu Xiao Yu with...
, and tells a series of interwoven stories as it focuses on the lives of three women and their romantic relationships with the men that they encounter. Zhou plays a clumsy woman who secretly develops a pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
drug patch, which serves as a plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
for the film; Kwai plays a punk rock band singer, who is also a boxer and novelist; and Zhang plays a wealthy attractive woman.
Originally set to be an updated version of Tsui's Peking Opera Blues
Peking Opera Blues
Peking Opera Blues is a 1986 Hong Kong film directed by Tsui Hark. The movie combines comedy, Hong Kong action, and serious drama with scenes involving Peking Opera...
, All About Women was shot in Beijing, China, and was released in China and Hong Kong on 11 December 2008. The film was later released in Singapore on 8 January 2009.
Cast and characters
- Zhou XunZhou XunZhou Xun is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the "Four Young Dan actresses" in China in the early 2000s, along with Zhang Ziyi, Xu Jinglei and Zhao Wei.-Early life:...
plays Ou Fanfan, a clumsy worker at a medical clinic who becomes petrified upon contact with any man. She is completely sightless without her thick glasses, and secretly develops a pheromonePheromoneA pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
drug patch, which allows men to be attracted to her. Zhou was immediately cast after director Tsui HarkTsui HarkTsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
felt that she should be cast in a comedic role. She accepted the role, having been a fan of Tsui's films. She also found Tsui to be a colourful and amusing person, as while during production she was able to sample many different lives everyday. During filming, she once had a record of changing into 12 different costumes and 12 different make-ups in one single day: "Even if it took half an hour for each make-up, it would still mean 6 hours of being 'manipulated' by others, I felt like a puppet, very exhausting."
- Kitty ZhangZhang YuqiKitty Zhang Yuqi is a Chinese actress. Her first major role was in Stephen Chow's 2007 Hong Kong film CJ7, which brought her media attention and kickstarted her acting career.-Biography:Zhang was born in Shandong province...
plays Tang Lu, a corporate businesswoman, who tends to follow her head, not her heart. Zhang commented on the character, and how her friends relate to Tang Lu: "I've got female friends like that. They're actually very happy and think they're doing very well. Only other people think that they're sad and lonely, and society portrays them as such." To prepare her for the role, director Tsui Hark hired an expert to give Zhang some training. Zhang admitted to having some pressure on the film's set as she feared destroying the expensive costumes and props.
- Kwai Lun-meiKwai Lun-meiKwai Lun-Mei is a Taiwanese actress. She started her acting career in the movie Blue Gate Crossing as Meng Ke Rou. Lun-Mei then appeared in a few more movies before she went on to gain more recognition in the movie Secret directed by Jay Chou, which Kwai acted as the female lead, Lu Xiao Yu with...
plays Tie Ling, a 19-year-old boxer, internet novelist, and punk rockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
singer. She has an "imaginary" boyfriend, unaware that nobody else can see him. To prepare for the role, Kwai learned how to ride a motorbike, and weave through traffic on it: "I was scared out of my wits. A lot of money had to be spent as I ended up scratching lots of vehicles along the way." Kwai also commented on the costumes for the film: "It's the first time I realised a costume designer can be so miraculous. Putting on the clothes by William Chang, I felt as if I were transformed into another person...this is a far cry from my usual self."
- Godfrey Kao plays X, a famous rock superstar, who is Tie Ling's imaginary boyfriend.
- Alex FongAlex Fong Chung-SunAlex Fong Chung-Sun is an actor in the Hong Kong TV and film industry. He was born on March 17, 1963 in Macau.-Films:*2011 Overheard 2*2011 The Founding of a Party*2011 The Lost Bladesman*2010 Love Is The Last Word...
plays Professor Wu Mong-Gu, a charismatic environmentalist. Fong described his character as someone who "must not be dressed too elaborately," and that "he dresses only in simple clothing."
- Stephen FungStephen FungStephen Fung Tak-Lun is a Hong Kong based actor, singer, model, writer and film director.-Biography:Fung's mother, Julie Sek Yin, was a famous Shaw Brothers actress...
plays Sima Xiaogang, Fanfan's love interest, who resembles her former dance instructor. He is an indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
er, who winds up being a human experiment for Fanfan's pheromone drug patch. Fung joined the production of the film mainly due to his passion for music.
- Eddie Peng plays Mo Qiyan, Tang Lu's cousin and secretary. He is a nerdy, bespectacled guy, who is attracted to Tie Ling. Screenwriter Kwak Jae-yongKwak Jae-yongKwak Jae-yong is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyunghee University. He achieved success with his debut film Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day in 1989, but the failure of his next two movies led to eight years of unemployment before a comeback with the...
described the character as being similar to that of Cha Tae Hyeon, a character from his 2001 Korean film My Sassy GirlMy Sassy GirlMy Sassy Girl is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong. It tells the story of a man's chance meeting with a drunk girl on the train which changes his life...
.
- Shen Chang plays Tian Yuan, a timid colleague, who is hired to pose as Tang Lu in the hopes of initiating a deal with Professor Wu.
Cameos
The film features cameos from four filmmakers: the film's director, Tsui HarkTsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, in a deleted scene, cameos as a taxi driver; co-screenwriter Kwak Jae-yong appears as a noodle restaurant patron; Hong Kong film director Jacob Cheung
Jacob Cheung
Jacob Cheung Chi-Leung is a Hong Kong film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His credits include A Battle Of Wits , which was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Golden Bauhinia Awards, and Beyond the Sunset , which was nomimated for two awards at the 9th Hong Kong...
appears as himself, playing an unlucky patient; and actor–film producer Henry Fong appears as Zhou Xun's character's boss.
Development
To commemorate on the 25th anniversary of his production company Film WorkshopFilm Workshop
Film Workshop Co. Ltd. , is a Hong Kong production company and film distributor. It was founded in April 1984 by producer/director Tsui Hark and his wife, Nansun Shi...
, director Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
wanted the film to be one of several remakes of films produced by the company. Tsui expressed his inspiration for All About Women being a calligraphy with the words She Ain't Mean written in Chinese (女人不坏). He said that after seeing the drawing, he awoke one day, and images of countless women flashed across his mind. While promoting his 1991 film Once Upon a Time in China
Once Upon a Time in China
Once Upon a Time in China is a Hong Kong martial arts action/adventure film franchise directed, written, and produced by Tsui Hark. The stories are based on the life of the legendary kung fu master, Traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and Chinese folk hero, Wong Fei Hung...
in Seoul, Korea, Tsui attended a seminar, where met Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong
Kwak Jae-yong is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyunghee University. He achieved success with his debut film Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day in 1989, but the failure of his next two movies led to eight years of unemployment before a comeback with the...
. Tsui began working on a script titled She's a Hooligan, developing various characters, who began to gradually form into something more concrete after several days. When Tsui discovered that Kwak was working on a script similar to his, he abandoned his own script, and collaborated with Kwak. Kwak wrote the script in Korean before it was translated into Chinese. Tsui then commented on and amended the Chinese version before it was translated back into Korean. The script was later re-edited by Kwak and retranslated into Chinese.
Filming
All About Women was shot in Beijing, China from January 1 to April 2008, and was hailed as updated version of Tsui's 1986 film Peking Opera BluesPeking Opera Blues
Peking Opera Blues is a 1986 Hong Kong film directed by Tsui Hark. The movie combines comedy, Hong Kong action, and serious drama with scenes involving Peking Opera...
. In March, Tsui, for the first time as a filmmaker, invited the Chinese press visit to the set of All About Women in Changping, Beijing. Kitty Zhang commented on Tsui's style of filmmaking as the director would frequently make changes to the screenplay: "Often, when I arrived on the set in the morning, he'd hand me three pages of the script, saying that it's what we'd be filming today. I was taken aback. What he gave me earlier only had two paragraphs. Why such a big change?"
Upon being questioned, Tsui admitted there would be changes to the screenplay, since he did not have everything he wanted in the film on the shooting script.
Awards and nominations
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Name | Outcome |
| 28th Hong Kong Film Awards 28th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony for the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 19 April 2009 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Eric Tsang, Teresa Mo, Sandra Ng, Vincent Kok, Kay Tse, Denise Ho, Lam Chi Chung, Chin Kar-lok, Louis Fan, Tin Kai Man, Michelle Lo and Wong Cho Lam.-Best Film:-Best Director:-Best... |
Best New Actor | Kitty Zhang Zhang Yuqi Kitty Zhang Yuqi is a Chinese actress. Her first major role was in Stephen Chow's 2007 Hong Kong film CJ7, which brought her media attention and kickstarted her acting career.-Biography:Zhang was born in Shandong province... |
Nominated |
| Best Costume Design | William Chang | Nominated | |