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Under the Banyan Tree: Tso Tat-wah, Iron Man of the Silver Screen Donna Chu |
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Tso Tat-wah may have retired from the silver screen, but he is still very much the Iron Man he was known for during his film career. He may be in his 80s, but he walks with such a perfect posture and speaks with such a booming voice that one can't help but nod head when he explains how he has been practicing martial arts since an early age. "I was eleven or twelve and a boarding student at St Peter's College. My favourite pastime was going with my schoolmate Leung King-pung to watch silent films at the World Theatre on Des Voeux Road," remembers Uncle Wah. "I was totally hooked and wanted desperately to join the film industry. But how? We saw in the end credits the words 'Shanghai Yueming Film Company' and decided to go to Shanghai." The young men hopped on a boat bound for Shanghai. Upon landing, they responded to an advertisement on a newspaper and paid the required $2 application fee. Within days they received their reply. Following instructions, they got to the studio at Xiafei Road. It was none other than the "Shanghai Yueming" of their dreams. Thus started Tso Tat-wah's long and glorious film career. What appears to be a haphazard incident is in fact very good proof of the two budding talents. Tso stayed in Shanghai for three years, working as an extra and assistant. He worked out every day, though apparently not knowing that his increasingly perfected physique is preparing him for a future as a "great knight" of Cantonese cinema. He returned to Hong Kong in 1936, working on the film The Bandits of Shandong, followed by a series of projects, serving as continuity man and deputy director while often appearing in front of the camera. He got his first leading role two years later, in the 1939 film, A Woman of Virtue, starring with actress Tsi Lo-lan. "I had lots of jobs, spending entire days at the Nanyang Studio. I was busy, but was leading a fairly stable life. Then the Japanese came. They came without warning; the day before Hong Kong fell, I was still working on a film." Production stopped during the occupation and Tso found himself worrying about making a living. He accidentally learned that there was a need for second-hand clothing in the Mainland and threw himself into the business. He made his first fortune doing that. After the war, he used that fortune to buy a property near Hau Wong Temple, establishing the Youqiao Film Company with his friend Mui Yau-cheuk. "Youqiao debuted with Thirteen Heroes with Seven Swords (1949). For that film, we found Law Yim-hing." The company did well, producing a number of martial arts films. Tso was a box office guarantee, his name alone was able to secure a film's entire budget. Offers came pouring in, giving rise to many "one film companies" that were established for the sole purpose of fulfilling a single contract. Nonetheless, good things didn't last. The Cantonese cinema went into decline. To reverse the trend, Tso rallied the industry, coming together to make several films that did well at the box office, such as Supreme Sword (1969) and Secret Agent No 1 (1970). But these efforts were not enough to save the day and decline of Cantonese films persisted. Such are memories of 30 years ago. Audiences may have forgotten the rise and fall of the Cantonese cinema, but Uncle Wah remains unforgettable, with over 700 films under his belt. Walking down the street with Uncle Wah, he is readily recognised by fans old and new. It is obvious that the aura of the martial arts knight and the crime-busing inspector still surrounds him. Years may have gone by, but Tso Tat-wah remains in his fans' hearts.
Editor's note: Mr Tso Tat-wah visited the Hong Kong Film Archive on February 21 to talk to us for our Oral History project. This article, an abstract of the interview, is written by Donna Chu, who conducted the interview with him. (Translated by Sam Ho) Donna Chu is a freelance research writer. |
