news
September 1999
Augustin Roi du Kung Fu (King of Kung Fu) is showing
in France. This was good timing because by chance I was in Paris last week. An enjoyable film and for
me much better than Irma Vep.
It now appears that Maggie will not appear in Memoirs of a Geisha after all.
Finally Maggie is one of the judges at the Venice Film Festival.
Thanks very much to Kevin Leonard for this info, and particularly the tip off about Augustin. You can
visit his Maggie Cheung Web Club.
According to a HK newspaper, Hou Hsiao-hsien, the famous movie master from
Taiwan wants Maggie as the lead actress in his next film and Tony Leung to be
her costar. Maggie and Tony Leung are currently working on Wong Kar Wai's new
film, Flower Like Years (see below).
Hou Hsiao-hsien, whose works include Flowers of Shanghai/Hai shan hua (1998), is said
to be a very close of Maggie's husband, Olivier Assayas. In March this year, Maggie went
to Taipei with Olivier and discussed future projects with Hou Hsiao-hsien.
According to a recent (June 4) research report by HK MDR (Hong Kong Market
Distrategy Research center), Maggie is the most popular HK actress. This makes her
extremely valuable from an advertising perspective. This report is said to be based
on a survey of over 10,000 local HK people.
Many thanks again to Miss Chiahuil from Taipei for e-mailing me this and the above news.
Maggie can be seen in the UK in the rerelease of Jackie Chan's Twin
Dragons (1992).
May - Maggie is on the cover of a special issue of the well known French magazine Cahiers
du Cinema entirles "Made in China" and discussing many aspects of the Cinema of Taipei,
Hong Kong and Beijing. There is a full page article on Maggie, entitled "Maggie Cheung, la
princesse de Hong-Kong". There are two pictures of Maggie trying on costumes during the
making of Flower Like Years.
Thanks to Miss Chiahuil from Taipei for e-mailing me the news and pictures.
On 24 April Maggie attended the 18th HK Film Awards, and with Anita Mui and Michelle Yeoh
presented the Best Actor award to Anthony Wong. Maggie wore a blue sleeveless top and a gray
silk gown and looked stunning as ever.
Very many thanks to Miss Chiahuil from Taipei for e-mailing me the news and with pictures of Maggie
at the event, as well as some scenes from the forthcoming Wong Kar Wai directed Flower Like Years,
shown further down the page.
Correction : In late April Maggie was scheduled to attend
the New York Women's Film Festival at the end of April. However she will now be unable to
attend due to filming commitments, presumably on Flower Like Years. It
had been rumoured that a large number of Maggie's films would be
shown but unfortunately it looks like none of her films will be shown after all.
However for anyone living (like me) near London the news is a little better. In May
The ICA is showing
Comrades Almost a Love Story. Also showing will be
Eighteen Springs (with the excellent Wu Chien Lien, Anita Mui and Leon Lai, directed by Ann Hui), A
Queer Story (directed by Shu Kei), and Red Rose
White Rose (directed by Stanley Kwan).
On 11 March Maggie was guest presenter at an event at the 18th HK Film Awards. The event was
to present certificates to the nominees. She came on the invitation of HKFA committee chair
Ng See Yuen. She felt that since she is the four time Best Actress winner and Ng See Yuen
asked, she should oblige and thus immediately agreed. Also attending was Anthony Wong, who
co-starred with Maggie in the Heroic Trio films, and who won best actor
this year, for his role in Beast Cops.
1. presenting certificates to Mabel Cheung Yuen Ting, Anita Yuen Wing Yi, Fiona
Leung Ngai Ling, Yau Suk Ching and Ng Kwan Yu
2. with Cheung Yuen Ting
3. with Ng Kwan Yu
4. by herself
March 1999
Maggie is rumoured to be linked to a large scale collaboration between Hollywood and
China entitled Choi Gum Fa (or Sai Jinhua), with a budget of some US$40 million.
It will be a historical costume film about the faithful concubine of a Chinese ambassador
to several European countries. The concubine goes with him to Europe. On completion of his
duties the ambassador returns to China but dies shortly thereafter. The concubine later
becomes a prostitute in Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing.
Maggie would play the lead character Choi Gum Fa. The role would be highly challenging
since it would require her to play the character from the age of 17 to 64.
Other names that have been linked to the project include Hollywood stars Robert DeNiro,
Michael Douglas, or Dustin Hoffman who would play the role of a general. Hong Kong film
stars Chow Yun Fat and Johne Lone have also been mentioned.
The producer reportedly would be the director of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola,
and Ang Lee is being considered to direct.
Maggie attended Denmark's
National Film Festival which is celebrating it’s tenth anniversary this year. The
festival ran from February 26 to March 14, 1999 and opens with a special tribute to
Maggie.
Showing at the festival are no less than 11 of Maggie's films : Actress; As Tears Go
By; Chinese Box; Comrades Alomst A Love Story; Dragon Inn; Farewell China; Full Moon
in New York; Heroic Trio; Irma Vep; Song of the Exile; and Soong Sisters.
Thanks to Morten Schmidt for letting me know, and for the picture.
with Wong Kar Wai (left) &
Tony Leung
In February 1999 Maggie started work on Fa Yeung Nin Wa (literally Flower Like Years)
directed by Wong Kar Wai backed up by Christopher Doyle (cinematography) and William
Cheung Suk Ping. Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro also star. Filming is expected
to finish around July after which Maggie plans to return to Paris.
Special thanks to Miss Chiahuil from Taipei for her kindness in e-mailing me with these scenes
from the film.
The really big news is that on 26 December 1998 Maggie and Olivier Assayas (director
of Irma Vep) got married in France. Congratulations to the
happy couple and best wishes for the future! Thanks to both Carmen Ho and AN9E1HEAR7
for the news. Maggie says that she will reduce her workload to just two films a year
so that she can spend more time with her husband.
During 1998 Maggie stars in a French film entitled King of Kung Fu. In the film her character is in love with a man obsessed with Chinese culture. Most of the film is shot in France, with the finale shot in Hong Kong in December.
On 13 October 1998 Sony's Columbia Pictures announced that Maggie is to star in "Memoirs of a Geisha", which Steven Spielberg is to direct. A number of actresses were being considered for the role including Michelle Reis (Lee Ka Yun), Karen Joy Morris (Mok Man Wai) and Carina Lau Ka Ling, but Maggie finally was chosen.
The film is set in Japan just prior to the start of the Second World War. Maggie will play Mameha, the mentor of Nitta Sayuri, a nine-year-old girl sold into slavery at one of Kyoto's most prestigeous geisha houses. Under Mameha's teaching, Nitta grows to maturity and reaches the top of her profession.
However, because Spielberg wants to make a film with Tom Cruise this year, he is unlikely to start work on this project until 2000.
December 1997 Irma Vep opens in Sydney
photo by Michele Gregolin, source Reuters
4 September 1997 In Italy at the Venice Film Festival
Maggie poses with British actor Jeremy Irons and Chinese director Wayne Wang during a photocall at the 45th Venice Film Festival. They are there to present "A Chinese Box" directed by Wang.
Maggie pictured with Olivier Assayas, director of Irma Vep and later to become Maggie's husband, and Steve Buscemi
photo by Michele Gregolin, source Reuters
