The unassuming director of a documentary
on a famous film posterist
The Posterist (Hong Kong, 2016)
- Screening as part of the HKIFF's Hong Kong Panorama 2016-2017 program
- Hui See Wai, director
More than 20 years ago now, I walked into a Philadelphia Chinatown video store and discovered hundreds, if not thousands, of movies that had been made in Hong Kong that I hitherto did not know existed but which I would eventually grow to love. Among them were films in videotape boxes featured distinctive illustrated images of people with bigger heads than in real life and often frozen in some kind of comic pose.
These illustrations, I got to quickly figuring out, were for comedies, many of which -- like The Private Eyes, Aces Go Places and All the Wrong Spies -- were wacky, highly entertaining efforts. But it wasn't until I watched The Posterist that I came to learn who was their creator.
Between 1975 and 1992, Yuen Tai Yung designed and created -- by hand -- posters for more than 200 Hong Kong movies, a number of which were big box office hits. Among them were the posters for Bruce Lee's The Way of the Dragon, Enter the Dragon and Game of Death, and all 16 films starring one or more of the Hui Brothers (Michael, Sam, and Ricky).
The Posterist is an informative tribute to Yuen Tai Yung which happens to be have been made by Michael Hui's son, Hui See Wai. In a Q&A session after its Hong Kong International Film Festival screening, the younger Hui talked about having actually originally made the film for just his family and friends to enjoy. In particular, he hopes that a still younger generation of Huis, who include his preteen daughter, will appreciate the contents of this documentary about the artist who Hui See Wai credits for helping him gain a genuine appreciation for his relatives' work, and what a number of people belatedly realize was the heyday of Hong Kong cinema.
The Posterist is the first -- and possibly only -- film directed by Hui See Wai, who actually has no film training and didn't envision becoming a professional filmmaker. And its director has few illusions about it being a pretty modest work; one that's workmanlike in style, with lots of talking heads and few bells and whistles.
But among the aces in his hand are the many posters of Yuen Tai Yung whose beauty and creativity can take the breath away as well as get one smiling. Not to be discounted too are the family connections which undoubtedly helped Hui See Wai to gain access to -- and the cooperation of -- the likes of not only Michael Hui but also singer-actor Kenny Bee, master illustrators Ma Wing Shing and a major fan of Yuen Tai Yung who's collected several of his works over the years in addition to Yuen Tai Yung himself. And it really was quite the bonus that the subject of the documentary turned out to be a great conversationalist, willing not only to share lots of stories but also give a demonstration of his unique way of creating his works of art.
Zhejiang-born and Shanghai-raised, Yuen Tai Yung moved to Hong Kong as a teenager to find work. In the 1990s, he emigrated to New Zealand and, from all accounts, went for years without creating a single piece of art until around 2007, when he returned to Hong Kong after the untimely death of his beloved wife. Amazingly, these days, he's actively creating once more, and also active on social media such as Facebook, where Hui See Wai contacted him. And long may all this continue for someone who looks to get quite a bit of joy from producing art (which, these days, also include realistic portraits along with cartoon-style illustrations) but also hanging out and sharing with his many fans, young as well as old!
My rating for the film:7.0
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