The Bund 《上海灘》

[Ken Cheng]

Wow sounds very interesting That's an exciting way to start the sequel making the new villain more menacing and calculating. I'm actually glad to see that FGY is gone in part one. I actually thought he would stay till part 3 based on your posts. That's a huge relief because i love having new villains. It keeps the series interesting.

Yeah. Each part of THE BUND features a new main villain and new co-leads for Ding Lik. Ah Lik is the only constant (other than the city of Shanghai itself) in all three parts.

In Part 2, watch for the character of Cheung Gwai (played by Liu Kai Tze). In THE BUND I, he had a relatively minor role as Mun Keung and Ah Lik's loyal "little brother." He becomes much more important in Part 2, and besides Ah Lik, Cheung Gwai is the most interesting developing character in Part 2. He seems to have taken on the role that Ah Lik had early in Part 1...the brash, brutal young thug.

[Ghaleon]

Yeah. Each part of THE BUND features a new main villain and new co-leads for Ding Lik. Ah Lik is the only constant (other than the city of Shanghai itself) in all three parts.

New villains = good

Now when I watch Gem of Life or Moonlight Resonance, it won't be the same.

[Ken Cheng]

New villains = good

Now when I watch Gem of Life or Moonlight Resonance, it won't be the same.

You're going to have a hard time going back to "standard" TVB series after THE BUND experience.

Everything is just going to look that much crappier by comparison.

[Ghaleon]

You're going to have a hard time going back to "standard" TVB series after THE BUND experience.

Everything is just going to look that much crappier by comparison.

NO kidding! Imagine TVB actually remade The Bund. Every scene will look and feel bright, happy and glamorous. Charmaine Sheh would play FCC and Ron Ng plays HMK TVB has lots its innovative and artistic edge.

[Ken Cheng]

NO kidding! Imagine TVB actually remade The Bund. Every scene will look and feel bright, happy and glamorous.

Actually, TVB *did* do that in 1996. It was called ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHANGHAI, with Sunny Chan as Hui Mun Keung and Nnadia Chan as Fung Ching Ching.

It was forgettable.

[Ghaleon]

Actually, TVB *did* do that in 1996. It was called ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHANGHAI, with Sunny Chan as Hui Mun Keung and Nnadia Chan as Fung Ching Ching.

It was forgettable.

Actually it's gotten worse now. I haven't seen anything innovative from them for a very long time. They're definitely just winging it these days since they are in the comfort zone. You're right that Chinese don't like change and stick to habit. So they watch anything that TVB releases. I'm not saying that the newer series are not entertaining. They are good if you want to kill time. But they are nowhere near art.

[Ken Cheng]

Actually it's gotten worse now. I haven't seen anything innovative from them for a very long time. They're definitely just winging it these days since they are in the comfort zone. You're right that Chinese don't like change and stick to habit. So they watch anything that TVB releases. I'm not saying that the newer series are not entertaining. They are good if you want to kill time. But they are nowhere near art.

Many younger viewers who grew up with TVB's 1990s and 2000s series don't like THE BUND. The flavor is just a bit too strong for their tastes. THE BUND is not an easy series to digest: it forces you to think. You can't just mindlessly watch the series because it engages your mind on so many levels. Some viewers completely miss the point of the series.

I think many of THE BUND's thematic intricacies and subtleties would be lost on today's audiences. Maybe we're "dumber" as a culture than we used to be.

[Ghaleon]

Many younger viewers who grew up with TVB's 1990s and 2000s series don't like THE BUND. The flavor is just a bit too strong for their tastes. THE BUND is not an easy series to digest: it forces you to think. You can't just mindlessly watch the series because it engages your mind on so many levels. Some viewers completely miss the point of the series.

I think many of THE BUND's thematic intricacies and subtleties would be lost on today's audiences. Maybe we're "dumber" as a culture than we used to be.

Perhaps. It could be a guilty pleasure thing as well. I wouldn't be able to watch The Bund all the time but i can watch wuxia whenever i want. It requires a certain mood to be able to enjoy it.

It's kind of like Godfather vs Star Wars. Godfather is art. It's a masterpiece. One of the greatest movies of all time. But i have to be in a certain mood to watch it. I love Star Wars because it is pure guilty pleasure.

[Ken Cheng]

Perhaps. It could be a guilty pleasure thing as well. I wouldn't be able to watch The Bund all the time but i can watch wuxia whenever i want. It requires a certain mood to be able to enjoy it.

I find THE BUND a great post-heartbreak series. If you're going through a rough spot, THE BUND flows like finest wine, because you can relate to the characters' experiences. The Golden Rule about THE BUND is that nobody gets a happy ending: everything ends in disappointment, tragedy, loss, and bitter irony.

Yeah, I can relate...

It's kind of like Godfather vs Star Wars. Godfather is art. It's a masterpiece. One of the greatest movies of all time. But i have to be in a certain mood to watch it. I love Star Wars because it is pure guilty pleasure.

That's a good way of putting it.

[Ghaleon]

I find THE BUND a great post-heartbreak series. If you're going through a rough spot, THE BUND flows like finest wine, because you can relate to the characters' experiences. The Golden Rule about THE BUND is that nobody gets a happy ending: everything ends in disappointment, tragedy, loss, and bitter irony.

Yeah, I can relate...

Yes i guess so. It's kind of like listening to sad music when you're sad. When you're depressed then Bund is a great series to watch. it's a better expression than sad palms.

[Ken Cheng]

Yes i guess so. It's kind of like listening to sad music when you're sad. When you're depressed then Bund is a great series to watch. it's a better expression than sad palms.

ANYTHING is better than Sad Palms.

By the way, I've requested the super moderator to move all posts pertaining to THE BUND in this thread from post 1591 on to the dedicated BUND thread that hasn't been updated since October, 2007. Now that you've finished watching Part 1, there's no need to hide from the plot spoilers anymore.

[Ghaleon]

ANYTHING is better than Sad Palms.

By the way, I've requested the super moderator to move all posts pertaining to THE BUND in this thread from post 1591 on to the dedicated BUND thread that hasn't been updated since October, 2007. Now that you've finished watching Part 1, there's no need to hide from the plot spoilers anymore.

Nice! I think that's more appropriate too. YG holds nothing on HMK in terms of down-beatedness

[Ken Cheng]

Nice! I think that's more appropriate too. YG holds nothing on HMK in terms of down-beatedness

The downbeatedness is comparable, but whereas Yeung Gor makes it look emo and whiny, Hui Mun Keung makes it look *cool* and suave.

[Ken Cheng]

The super moderator is still figuring out the technical aspects of transferring posts from one thread to another, but the recent BUND-related posts from TVB VCD/DVD releases thread will be migrating here soon.

Until that happens, however, let's pick up our discussion of that classic series here on the dedicated BUND thread. The cobwebs have been gathering here for too long.

[Ghaleon]

I agree about CYF's HMK. His quiet presence and smile gave a charming aura. From what i hear from you, it seems that HXM did a better job as HMK than as YG. His YG was extremely emo and whiney!

[Ken Cheng]

I agree about CYF's HMK. His quiet presence and smile gave a charming aura. From what i hear from you, it seems that HXM did a better job as HMK than as YG. His YG was extremely emo and whiney!

If what people say about the novel's depiction of Yeung Gor is accurate, then no actor who has portrayed him has done it right. I have great respect for Andy Lau's acting talents, and he's one of Hong Kong's better actors (not quite in Chow Yun Fat's class, but excellent nonetheless), but even he didn't succeed in making this character likable (to be fair to Lau, however, he was just acting the character as the scriptwriter and director told him to, so the onus falls on them, not Lau, for making the character irritating).

Hui Mun Keung is also an extremely difficult character to depict correctly because of the unmatchable standard that Chow Yun Fat set. Sunny Chan failed completely to approach that standard. Leslie Cheung gave a good acting performance, except the character he portrayed was "Hui Mun Keung" in name only; the character didn't evoke any resonance with Chow's classic interpretation at all.

Huang Xiaoming did about as well as humanly possible to play the character without being Chow Yun Fat. He got it about 80% right, which is pretty remarkable. I've got to give him props for that.

[Ghaleon]

Huang Xiaoming did about as well as humanly possible to play the character without being Chow Yun Fat. He got it about 80% right, which is pretty remarkable. I've got to give him props for that.

Nice, i might check out the Shanghai Bund only after finishing Bund II and III. How about the actress, did she do a good job as FCC? I thought AC was phenomenal. She was one of the reasons (besides CYF) that kept me glued to the screens. I think she's one of the best actresses ever. She first caught my eye as SYY in CLH 79. Then I saw her in God of Sabre. There's something about her looks and acting that i find unique and attractive (and no other actress has been able to replicate).

[Ken Cheng]

Nice, i might check out the Shanghai Bund only after finishing Bund II and III. How about the actress, did she do a good job as FCC? I thought AC was phenomenal.

Shun Li (I think that's her name) was quite an attractive Fung Ching Ching, but I didn't think there was anything special to her depiction of the character. She gave a sort of "by the numbers" performance. She was competent, but not special.

Also, BUND 2007 didn't write the character well; the most recent Ching Ching came off as spoiled and whiny. She didn't have the elegance or class of Angie's version.

[Ghaleon]

Yeah Angie Chiu might be my favorite actress overall. She's talented and she's beautiful.

Got this from wikipedia.org for the TVB Awards:

All-Time Most Memorable Male Leading Roles 我最難忘的男主角：

The Bund 《上海灘》 - Chow Yun Fat 周潤發 (許文強)
Luk Siu Fung 《陸小鳳》 - Damian Lau 劉松仁 (陸小鳳)
The Return of the Condor Heroes 《神鵰俠侶》 - Andy Lau 劉德華 (楊過)
Journey to the West 《西遊記》 - Dicky Cheung 張衛健 (孫悟空)
Healing Hands 《妙手仁心》 - Lawrence Ng 吳啟華 (程至美)

All-Time Most Memorable Female Leading Roles 我最難忘的女主角：

It's Just That Easy 《點只咁簡單》 - Josephine Siao 蕭芳芳 (林亞珍)
A House Is Not A Home 《家變》 - Liza Wang 汪明荃 (洛琳)
The Bund 《上海灘》 - Angie Chiu 趙雅芝 (馮程程)
A Kindred Spirit 《真情》 - Nancy Sit 薛家燕 (好姨)
Old Time Buddy 《難兄難弟》 - Maggie Cheung Ho Yee 張可頤 (程寶珠)

It also got an award for Top 5 Classic Television Award for the series as a whole.

[Ken Cheng]

Oddly enough, until THE BUND, Angie Chiu was known mainly for her wuxia roles. After THE BUND, however, she wasn't assigned to many wuxia projects; THE BUND steered her towards more 1930s and modern roles.

Chow Yun Fat and Angie Chiu were already established as stars before THE BUND, but Ray Lui's career probably benefited the most from the series. It was literally his first starring role. He would be one of TVB's most dependable actors for the rest of the decade (although because of his edginess as Ding Lik, he got many villainous roles at TVB).