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Thread: The Bund 《上海灘》

  1. #301
    Senior Member Ghaleon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Batman View Post
    My friend A. Nettleton likes to draw women that way. Besides, you've got to consider the angle and the way the character is seated.

    Haven't seen it. How does it compare to THE BUND?

    There are more of them in II/III than in I, if only because in I, the focus was on Ching Ching and she didn't begin wearing them until late in the series.
    I like the second pic. That's a pretty sexy mini skirt.

    Shanghai Triad also deals with the underworld in Shanghai so the style and visuals are quite similar to Shanghai Bund and The Bund. Gong Li plays the girlfriend of a powerful crime boss and her character is both sexy and a b*tch She has an arrogant and bossy attitude towards everyone. But she also has a secret relationship with the boss's right-hand-man! It's about triads so there are opium deals and rival gang wars. It's a pretty cold and gritty movie.

    $this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j278/magazeta/Chinese_Movies/Shanghai_Triad-4.jpg')
    $this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.kinema.uwaterloo.ca/images/triad2.jpg')

    I wonder if there are any women like that in The Bund.

    Gong Li was very sexy in that movie as the girlfriend of the triad leader. She was the main character which is refreshing to say the least (since most gangster movies are from the perspective of a male gangster).
    Last edited by Ghaleon; 03-05-09 at 12:52 PM.

  2. #302
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    For some reason the opening flashbacks on Bund II are not cut, at least not the episodes I have seen so far, which is episode 6. Weird, then they should have left the ending credits in peace as well, which they don't btw

  3. #303
    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ganryu View Post
    I like the second pic. That's a pretty sexy mini skirt.
    Yeah...Jolie takes the Earth Federation Forces' uniform protocol allowances to an extreme, much to her male colleagues' delight.

    The images aren't entirely irrelevant to THE BUND; read my fanfic and pretty soon, you'll begin to recognize certain ideas and images.

    Shanghai Triad also deals with the underworld in Shanghai so the style and visuals are quite similar to Shanghai Bund and The Bund. Gong Li plays the girlfriend of a powerful crime boss and her character is both sexy and a b*tch She has an arrogant and bossy attitude towards everyone. But she also has a secret relationship with the boss's right-hand-man! It's about triads so there are opium deals and rival gang wars. It's a pretty cold and gritty movie.
    I've seen a number of 1930s Shanghai gangster films, but thus far, none has captured the atmosphere as compellingly as THE BUND.

    Something of Note: typically, TVB adapts the works of others. For example, TVB has obviously adapted the wuxia novels of Jin Yong and Gu Long, and needed to pay a licensing fee to use the names, etc., of the wuxia authors' copyrighted creations. TVB has also, of course, made series based on Chinese historical, folkloric, and mythical figures...all of which are in the public domain.

    But only once have other production companies licensed TVB-created concepts and characters for their own productions. After all, the Chinese production company that made SHANGHAI BUND (2007) and the film company that made 1996's SHANGHAI GRAND movie are not, in any way, affiliated with TVB. They had to license Hui Mun Keung, Ding Lik, Fung Ching Ching, Fung Ging Yiu, etc., from TVB.

    That's because THE BUND is the Greatest Series Ever Made. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It's telling that of the hundreds of series that TVB has made in 40+ years, only THE BUND has been optioned for adaptation by others.

  4. #304
    Senior Member Ghaleon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Batman View Post
    Yeah...Jolie takes the Earth Federation Forces' uniform protocol allowances to an extreme, much to her male colleagues' delight.

    The images aren't entirely irrelevant to THE BUND; read my fanfic and pretty soon, you'll begin to recognize certain ideas and images.
    I think mini skirts are the greatest invention in the history of mankind haha

    If you had pics that'll be cool There's only so much you can say with words.... or is there?? *curious*

    That's because THE BUND is the Greatest Series Ever Made. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It's telling that of the hundreds of series that TVB Has made in 40+ years, only THE BUND has been optioned for adaptation by others.
    Yes that is telling. The TVB execs must know that The Bund was their most successful and highest quality product. Well I did the best I can to promote the series.

    Even with all the shanghai gangster dramas and movies out there, the original Bund is still unique. It's a work of art of the same caliber as The Godfather and that movie is regarded as (one of the) greatest movies ever. Curiously enough, both ending up being trilogies.

    Quote Originally Posted by NetDragon View Post
    For some reason the opening flashbacks on Bund II are not cut, at least not the episodes I have seen so far, which is episode 6. Weird, then they should have left the ending credits in peace as well, which they don't btw
    Glad to see the opening is there. Is there anything special with the ending credits?

  5. #305
    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ganryu View Post
    I think mini skirts are the greatest invention in the history of mankind haha
    And it's probably indeed MANkind that invented those skirts.

    If you had pics that'll be cool There's only so much you can say with words.... or is there?? *curious*
    There are some, but I wish there were more. In some parts of my GUNDAM fanfic, I've tried to do Noir in Space, if you can imagine it.

    Yes that is telling. The TVB execs must know that The Bund was their most successful and highest quality product. Well I did the best I can to promote the series.
    I think TVB should do a BUND marathon and just broadcast nothing but the three series for an entire week, and promote it heavily. See if that sparks a revival. Some people haven't seen the series in decades, and younger viewers haven't seen it at all.

    Even with all the shanghai gangster dramas and movies out there, the original Bund is still unique. It's a work of art of the same caliber as The Godfather and that movie is regarded as (one of the) greatest movies ever. Curiously enough, both ending up being trilogies.
    Even THE GODFATHER didn't become a trilogy until 1990, a full decade after THE BUND Trilogy was complete.

    But unlike THE GODFATHER, the second part of THE BUND Trilogy wasn't better than the first.

  6. #306
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ganryu View Post
    Even with all the shanghai gangster dramas and movies out there, the original Bund is still unique. It's a work of art of the same caliber as The Godfather and that movie is regarded as (one of the) greatest movies ever. Curiously enough, both ending up being trilogies.
    THE BUND did not invent Asian crime drama. The genre had been around for years before THE BUND. But THE BUND revolutionized expectations for such dramas, and created a huge vogue for them that has since never really gone away. If you think about the popularity of Asian crime drama during the past quarter century...well, much of that is attributable to the popularity of THE BUND.

    And this year, in 2009, we're coming full circle. In production right now is a Hollywood picture called SHANGHAI, which will be released later this year (or perhaps next year). The movie will star Chow Yun Fat as a Hui Mun Keung-like Shanghai crime boss.

    So Chow Yun Fat returns to "Hui Mun Keung" at last...for Hollywood, this time.

  7. #307
    Senior Member Ghaleon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Batman View Post
    THE BUND did not invent Asian crime drama. The genre had been around for years before THE BUND. But THE BUND revolutionized expectations for such dramas, and created a huge vogue for them that has since never really gone away. If you think about the popularity of Asian crime drama during the past quarter century...well, much of that is attributable to the popularity of THE BUND.

    And this year, in 2009, we're coming full circle. In production right now is a Hollywood picture called SHANGHAI, which will be released later this year (or perhaps next year). The movie will star Chow Yun Fat as a Hui Mun Keung-like Shanghai crime boss.

    So Chow Yun Fat returns to "Hui Mun Keung" at last...for Hollywood, this time.
    I think the Shanghai Bund should be popular amongst new viewers. When they watch that they might even have the urge to check out the original Bund.

    Wow a hollywood movie about shanghai triads. Can't wait for that one. I don't think CYF has done anything memorable for a while.

    I think TVB should do a BUND marathon and just broadcast nothing but the three series for an entire week, and promote it heavily. See if that sparks a revival. Some people haven't seen the series in decades, and younger viewers haven't seen it at all.
    I wonder if part of the reason why Tai Seng released the Bund trilogy on DVD was because of Shanghai Bund. Maybe they hoped they can catch a wave of new viewers? Or it could just be that the Bund was already part of their original DVD release schedule. There are so many things that TVB can do to promote their series. The series is already completed and out on DVDs. It already has a solid reputation. So frankly they don't have to put too much effort to promote the series. A simple, "GREATEST SERIES OF ALL TIME" ad would do

  8. #308
    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ganryu View Post

    I wonder if part of the reason why Tai Seng released the Bund trilogy on DVD was because of Shanghai Bund. Maybe they hoped they can catch a wave of new viewers? Or it could just be that the Bund was already part of their original DVD release schedule.
    I said all through last year that TVB should have released THE BUND in 2007 to capitalize on the renewed interest sparked by the new series. Here's something to think about, though: the copyright date on THE BUND's DVD set is 2008. Usually, the copyright year matches the year of release. I have a feeling that this DVD set was actually planned for release months ago, but got delayed until just last month for some unknown reason.

  9. #309
    Senior Member Ghaleon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Batman View Post
    I said all through last year that TVB should have released THE BUND in 2007 to capitalize on the renewed interest sparked by the new series. Here's something to think about, though: the copyright date on THE BUND's DVD set is 2008. Usually, the copyright year matches the year of release. I have a feeling that this DVD set was actually planned for release months ago, but got delayed until just last month for some unknown reason.
    ... probably to spend time cutting the intros

    Which is ironic since it actually adds to the atmosphere like you guys mentioned. Not to mention having those lead-in sequences.

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    I noticed this release is by Tai Seng and there doesn't appear to be a Hong Kong version by TVBI/Modern Audio.

    Maybe TVBI are working on a uncut and remastered version for the Hong Kong Market, a long shot but who knows

  11. #311
    Senior Member Ghaleon's Avatar
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    ^^ I'm not sure. Regarding the master transfer... What happens when TVB licenses Tai Seng for a particular DVD release? Doesn't TVB send the master copy to Tai Seng? How else would TS even mange to create the DVDs to begin with?

    Either way the current release is fine. It's mostly intact (95%) - only the intros are missing and some of the gory scenes have been trimmed down. It's not worth it to wait XXX years for the next release when you can get it now. I doubt we're going to get yet another Bund release anyway. BTW if you live outside US you can order from firestarlaser.com. That's the only way to get Taiseng TVB DVDs if you're outside the states (there might be other sites too but haven't found any so far).
    Last edited by Ghaleon; 03-05-09 at 08:27 PM.

  12. #312
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    Well i'm going to start Bund II soon. Looking forward to the girls

  13. #313
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ganryu View Post
    Well i'm going to start Bund II soon. Looking forward to the girls
    The action sequences aren't bad either, although I can't think of any off-hand that were as great as the best ones of THE BUND I.

    I loved the opening sequence of Episode 1 of THE BUND II, however. Ding Lik wastes no time in declaring total war on Hui Mun Keung's killers. Someone was going to pay for killing Mun-gor, and Ah Lik wasn't inclined to be merciful.

    Breakout Character of THE BUND II: Chang Gwai (Liu Kai Tze) - limited to a relatively minor supporting role in THE BUND, Chang Gwai becomes much more significant in THE BUND II. Liu Kai Tze did a good job in portraying this character.

  14. #314
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    Word to the Wise on viewing THE BUND II and THE BUND III: allow the expectations to drop somewhat. While still fine, entertaining series, BUND II and BUND III do not approach the level of the original series. That much is a given. Missing Chow Yun Fat and Angie Chiu's characters is a disadvantage that can't be overcome and isn't.

    That said, many of the same production values that went into making the first BUND remain present in the two sequels, so they are quality series even if they can't live up to the legend of the original.

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    I am currently working my way through The Bund II, and man do I have to say...what a boring storyline. It is nowhere near the plotline of part I, and the love triangle between Ray Lui, Gigi Wong and Tse Yin is like neverending. It's like she runs around having this grimace on her face all the time thinking: Oh no, who should I love?!... Geez, make up your mind, lady! So that we can get on with the actual storyline..if there is any...and I am up to episode 12
    Last edited by NetDragon; 03-07-09 at 04:55 PM.

  16. #316
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    Quote Originally Posted by NetDragon View Post
    I am currently working my way through The Bund II, and man do I have to say...what a boring storyline. It is nowhere near the plotline of part I, and the love triangle between Ray Lui, Gigi Wong and Tse Yin is like neverending. It's like she runs around having this grimace on her face all the time thinking: Oh no, who should I love?!... Geez, make up your mind, lady! So that we can get on with the actual storyline..if there is any...and I am up to episode 12
    I felt that THE BUND II got off to a reasonably strong start in its first five episodes, but then wandered deeply into the Ding Lik/Chu Yin Yin/Dik Wan Tze love triangle story and got lost in there. If I were to do THE BUND II, I would have more greatly emphasized the war between Ding Lik and Dik Wan Tze...and I wouldn't have revealed Dik's role in the murder of Hui Mun Keung so soon. I'd have left it a mystery that Ah Lik must gradually unravel, and when he does, the war intensifies.

    The final few episodes of THE BUND II bring things a bit back into focus, although by then, it's a bit late to recover the momentum of the series. Towards the end, the character you're most interested in is Chang Gwai, not Ding Lik.

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    Senior Member Ghaleon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Batman View Post
    The action sequences aren't bad either, although I can't think of any off-hand that were as great as the best ones of THE BUND I.

    I loved the opening sequence of Episode 1 of THE BUND II, however. Ding Lik wastes no time in declaring total war on Hui Mun Keung's killers. Someone was going to pay for killing Mun-gor, and Ah Lik wasn't inclined to be merciful.

    Breakout Character of THE BUND II: Chang Gwai (Liu Kai Tze) - limited to a relatively minor supporting role in THE BUND, Chang Gwai becomes much more significant in THE BUND II. Liu Kai Tze did a good job in portraying this character.
    Thanks I'll keep an eye out on Chang Gwai. Just saw episode 1 and the intro sequence of 2. It's strange seeing those previews at the beginning of each episode that were missing in Bund I. The french assassin dude didn't even do his trademark grin lol. They dusted him off pretty easily. The character at the end of ep 1 looks awfully familiar. I think i seen him in a ATV drama. I wonder if he's the "mastermind". I'm not having any high expectations of Bund II so hopefully i won't be disappointed. Just treating it as an above-average gangster drama that continues after the classic Bund I. The girl that Ah Lik brings to the auction looks pretty decent.

    So how's the lineup of gwai lo's in Bund II?

  18. #318
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ganryu View Post
    Thanks I'll keep an eye out on Chang Gwai. Just saw episode 1 and the intro sequence of 2. It's strange seeing those previews at the beginning of each episode that were missing in Bund I. The french assassin dude didn't even do his trademark grin lol. They dusted him off pretty easily. The character at the end of ep 1 looks awfully familiar.
    That's Patrick Tse, father of Nicholas Tse and a legendary Hong Kong actor active since the 1950s. He'll be important in THE BUND II as a character named Dik Wan Tze.

    Mr. Tse was also one of the four main characters of THE SHELL GAME, as Guangzhou Gambler King Lo 4 Hoi. You'll also recognize him as the actor who played Dali prince Deun Jing Tsun (i.e. Deun Yu's adoptive father) in DGSD '81 and as Yeung Teet Sum (i.e Yeung Hong's father/ Yeung Gor's grandfather) in LOCH '82.

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    More on Chang Gwai:

    In THE BUND II, the character of Chang Gwai best exemplifies how Shanghai's dark world can corrupt even the purest characters. In the original BUND, Chang Gwai is shown as a brave, loyal, idealistic, and kindhearted youngster...steadfastly dedicated to Ding Lik and Hui Mun Keung and always willing to give of himself for his brothers.

    But power corrupts, and as Chang Gwai becomes increasingly powerful in Shanghai, he becomes increasingly brutal and self-serving. Hui Mun Keung and Ding Lik did a good job in teaching the young man how to survive and thrive in Shanghai's dark underworld, but they were not successful in imparting the code of twisted ethics that governs that underworld, and greed, envy, and selfishness begin to take hold of Chang Gwai in the course of THE BUND II.

  20. #320
    Senior Member Ghaleon's Avatar
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    Didn't know Nicholas' father was in the showbiz. His father's image has glamor and money written all over him

    But power corrupts, and as Chang Gwai becomes increasingly powerful in Shanghai, he becomes increasingly brutal and self-serving. Hui Mun Keung and Ding Lik did a good job in teaching the young man how to survive and thrive in Shanghai's dark underworld, but they were not successful in imparting the code of twisted ethics that governs that underworld, and greed, envy, and selfishness begin to take hold of Chang Gwai in the course of THE BUND II.
    Thanks i'll take note of it. Seems like we have another interesting character to look forward to.

    Been watching some Young and Dangerous and Shanghai Triad to get back in the gangster drama mode....

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