I think it didn't really feel that bad because Xiao Feng was supposed to be rugged, and you could take him as this compact package of strength, whereas Murong Fu was supposed to be this good-looking, suave, charming gentleman, and having him really short kind of ruins the elegance.
Speaking of TVB actors too short for their roles: Tony Leung as Cheung Mo Gei in HSDS '86 is another notorious example.
Leung played the role very well, but it always looked ridiculous when all his Ming Cult subordinates towered around him.
I agree with your wife! Cheung Kwok Keung is pretty underrated, but he does so well in supporting roles and is very versatile. His Murong Fu was a pleasant surprise for me. I enjoyed his scenes with Felix and often wished they appeared more often together (+1 for bromance!).
Height does make a difference sometimes, but then I think of Sek Kin, who was quite short but who was a very outstanding actor in his own right and always made an impression whenever he was onscreen.
I never really thought of height that much, but some of the shots of DGSD 2004(?) really illustrate the importance. Felix in the 90's has the most heroic aura in his Xiao Feng and Hu Yidao roles, but the guy in the Mainland adaption didnt even need to say anything and he wowed me with his heroism. All he had to do was strut past a line of people that were all a head shorter than him and send a palm to some random guy mouthing off.
As for shortness getting in the way of Murong Fu, they could have just dressed him better. Form fitting clothes makes a shorter guy look much better, especially since nobody in DGSD was particularly tall.
I reckon Simon Yam is only 5'10 or so, but his charisma and attire makes him much larger than life. He is my second man crush besides Michael Miu's CLX (and no I dont really even like Michael Miu that much, he just completely nailed that role) =p.
Getting off-topic (again) for a moment, Ian, I found the whole logic behind Lau Ching's joining the Yeung Women's Army Corps flawed. Lau Ching failed to qualify for the regular (male) Sung army supposedly because he was too wussy, but...it's not as if the women in the Yeung Women's Army Corps were weakling pushovers. Really, the Yeung Women's Army Corps was likely much, much tougher than the regular Sung army; they were more like an elite corps of special forces troops than some "inferior" group. Sexism aside, there was no logic to the Yeung Women's Army Corps being weaker or having less demanding requirements than the regular Sung army. In fact, all evidence in the series was the contrary; those ladies kicked butt in a way that most of the regular Sung soldiers could only dream of.
It's no surprise that wuxia series are fading. You can only re-hash the same adaptations so many times. It's a shame. There are so many wuxia authors out there, so many novels that could have been adapted. But instead we get the same handful over and over again.
The life and training as a soldier might have been tougher, but the entry requirements for the women's army were more relaxed. The Song army had a physical strength test which Lau Ching just could not pass, while the female army basically recruited anyone. People like Pai Fung and Fei Fung would easily have thrashed any of the male soldiers, but most of the recruits were just normal women who needed training to become warriors. Lau Ching could hence just get in without having his lack of physical strength be a hindrance.
Both Miu Kiu Wai and Simon Yam are 1.80m (5'11"), definitely tall by Asian standards. I got a real kick out of seeing both of them in CLH 84.
Anyway, here's a couple of pics. Guess who?
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I heard a new tv company entering Hong Kong Calles cti, do you guys think they'll be allowed to do Jin Yong adoptions?
If TVB is willing to spend, they can always try and get the wuxia oldies like Norman Tsui and Anthony Lau back. Both look much older but they should still have the onscreen charisma to do chin pei type roles. Both are very active in mainland china at the moment. Why not get Eddy Ko back?
I really wnat to see how Ruco Chan does in wuxia though he looks older than his age.
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyril Connolly
Ruco was in 'New Chor Laung Heung 2000' starring Richie Ren. But, his character doesn't know martial art and his plotline is more romance than wuxia.
I think the closest you can get to see Ruco as a wuxia character is in this series.
http://www.hkatv.com/drama/06/blinddetective/main.html
At least, he knows martial art in this series.
什麼是朋友?朋友永遠是在你犯下不可原諒錯誤的時候,仍舊站在你那邊的笨蛋。~ 王亞瑟
和諧唔係一百個人講同一番話,係一百個人有一百句唔同嘅說話,而又互相尊重 ~ - 葉梓恩
I watched Ruco in that ATV series about Miu Chui Far as Tiger Lui and I thought he was pretty cool as a young fighter and then as a middle-aged fighter. He really looks good in action. He is the only TVB actor that I can currently think of who has the build and the acting chops to carry a wuxia series as lead.
If TVB ever does DGSD again, then I hope Fred Cheng gets a go at Hui Chuk. He has that wide-eyed innocent look. If I see Ron in another wuxia series again, I will cry!
"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
Cyril Connolly
If tvb can remake LOCH again, i hope ruco chan can be guo jing...
Because he is dark and got the righteous look... but who can be huang rong, its not easy to find one who can potray huang rong among the pool of talents in tvb now..... definitely not tavia yeung or myolie again please!!!!
I hope TVB will make Wuxia serials again, but not the remake. I hope TVB make serials based on novels that haven't adapt into serials. Overall, I think TVB serials are still the best among Asian TV serials.