By Winghei Kwok
In remembrance of Leslie Cheung on the sixth anniversary of his passing, APA recounts the top ten works that capture the irresistible heartbreaker persona that audiences came to love him for.
Some think of him as tragic hero, some consider him the perfect lover, and some call him a sex icon. The chameleon singer, actor, and songwriter Leslie Cheung took on many roles throughout his career. With his boyish good looks and unique charm, Cheung successfully captured the hearts of countless women (and men) early on in his career as a singer, producing great hits like "Monica," "The Wind Continues Blowing," "Unwilling to Sleep." Cast often as a handsome but sometimes heartless rebel in film, the young Leslie Cheung was Prince Charming to many teenage girls in the 80s. Cheung became mostly known for his romantic hero roles in films such as A Chinese Ghost Story, Ashes of Time, Rouge, and The Bride with White Hair. He also ventured into comedy in All's Well, Ends Well and action in the much celebrated Once a Thief with Chow Yun Fat.
As the saying goes, life often imitates art. Leslie Cheung proved to be a romantic hero both onscreen and also in real life. When he held hands with his male partner of 10 years publicly, proudly and courageously, Hong Kong's conservative public miraculously embraced his personal life. Cheung, being fully out of the closet, found much more freedom in exploring androgyny and homosexuality in his films, and he fine-tuned his art of seduction to accommodate both sexes.
As an actor, singer and irresistably beautiful human being, Leslie Cheung excelled at breaking hearts in his movies. Hopelessly devoted one minute and ruthlessly cold the other, gentle and meek like a schoolboy one minute and aggressive like a madman in the next, his characters often left you wondering if his caresses were more menacing then his blows. On April 1, 2002, Leslie Cheung committed the most heartbreaking act of all: taking his own life and leaving his loved ones and fans in painful disbelief. On the sixth anniversary of his death, we recount the top ten heartbreaker roles he embodied, in film and through music.
"Monica" (1984)
One of the breakout songs that launched his career, this candy pop number features a fresh and youthful Leslie Cheung saying goodbye to puppy love. Thanks, thanks thanks, thanks, Monica, the 80s, and all the goodies that comes with it -- like the leopard-print leotard and neon-colored tights.
Lemon Coke (1982)
Hailed as the Hong Kong James Dean early in his career, the budding actor often played rebellious young men with a devil-may-care attitudes. Leslie had his debut leading role in the youth romance Lemon Coke, where the young Romeo falls in love with Juliet in a school play, only to dump her after she has swallowed the poison, of love.
The Bride with White Hair (1993)
In The Bride with White Hair, timeless beauty Brigitte Lin stars opposite Leslie Cheung as a swordswoman who is supposed to run off with the love of her life. However, after being publicly shunned by her clan and beaten to a pulp, she finds out her lover, who is supposed to be waiting in rescue, is nowhere in sight.
Rouge (1987)
Can love transcend life and death? She believes so, but he chickens out. In Rouge, prostitute Ruhua (Anita Mui) falls head over heels for the rich and dashing Chan Chen-Pang (Leslie Cheung). The two are supposed to commit suicide, but a twist of fate leaves her wandering the afterworld all alone.
Days of Being Wild (1990)
In reference to his early James Dean persona, it was no surprise that Leslie Cheung would be perfect for his role in Wong Kar Wai's classic Days of Being Wild. In this film, he stars opposite Maggie Cheung as her friend for a minute, as he later dies alone on a train, realizing he is a bird without feet. Commitment issues kill.
"Red" (1996) / "Love By Stealth" (1996)
Later in Leslie Cheung's career, he's able to not only have an open homosexual relationship in his personal life but to embrace his sexuality in his songs. "Red" is an ultra-seductive number filled with mystery and arresting imagery. In this music video, one can hardly figure out who is sleeping with who, who is seducing who and who has cheated on who. To find out what' s actually going on or just to check out the wickedly beautiful Karen Mok, there is the sequel "Love By Stealth."
Temptress Moon (1996)
In an opium-ridden China, where sanity is at stake on a national level, it is probably not a very good idea to fall in love with a womanizer. Temptress Moon captured one of the most heartbreaking love triangles in Leslie Cheung's filmography. Gong Li, a headstrong old-money heiress from a small town ventures into the corrupt city of Shanghai, only to lose her virginity haphazardly to a servant who has loved her for years -- in order to become a "real woman" for the seasoned heartbreaker Zhongliang (Leslie Cheung) to play with.
Viva Erotica (1996)
Viva Erotica takes a humorous dig at the broken dream factory in Hong Kong, at a time when piracy was destroying the movie industry. Leslie Cheung stars as a struggling scriptwriter who is forced to make porn for a living. When the Lolita-like sex goddess Mango (Shu Qi) comes along as his porn film female lead, it is hard to blame him for fantasizing. However, his policewoman girlfriend (Karen Mok) thinks otherwise.
Happy Together (1997)
At a time when hardly any serious movies would take on homosexual themes, Wong Kar Wai, along with Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung, tested the boundaries of the Hong Kong cinematic landscape by portraying a complex, realistic gay relationship with depth and humanity. Always on the verge of breaking up and breaking down, the duo love fiercely and hate in extreme. Along with lust-worthy photography and the exotic landscape of Buenos Aires, Happy Together is heartbreaking because of the emotional exhaustion and the minimalistic beauty of two men simply in love.
He's A Man She's A Woman (1994)
Another movie to play off the theme of androgyny, He's A Woman She's A Man is a romantic comedy staring Leslie Cheung as a music producer caught in a love triangle between a woman (Carina Lau) and a "man" (Anita Yuen), whom he will reluctantly but irresistibly fall in love with.
Published: Friday, March 20, 2009
