【明報專訊】Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh won the best actress award at the US Academy Awards for her role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. With Hong Kong being where Michelle Yeoh found fame, the SAR government has also congratulated her, describing her success as "a testimony to the strong potential of Hong Kong's film industry".
Michelle Yeoh has been in the film industry for nearly 40 years. Starting as a beauty contest champion in Malaysia and going on to become a martial arts heroine in Hong Kong, she evolved into a well-known female star in Hollywood and finally makes history by winning an Oscar for best actress in the US. Her acting career is itself a very inspiring story.
Michelle Yeoh has starred in many films but had never been honoured as the best leading or supporting actress before this. Recollecting her film career in Hong Kong, she mentioned being criticised by one of her peers for having made no improvements in acting. The Oscar win is undoubtedly a nod to her acting and years of hard work. In the entertainment business, the two genders are not equal. While studios still favour award-winning leading male actors after the age of 60, female actors have fewer and fewer opportunities to be the lead as they age. Michelle Yeoh also said that in recent years, many people in the industry had believed that she should retire. Receiving the best actress award at 60 years of age, she must have brought about a sense of vindication to many senior female film stars.
In the late 1990s, Michelle Yeoh entered Hollywood. Among others, she and Chow Yun-fat starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which also won an Oscar for best foreign language film. Back then Hollywood was the centre of the world's film industry, and everyone wanted to make it to Hollywood. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was hailed as "a Chinese glory" for winning an Oscar. Over the past 20 years, the world has changed drastically, and so has the film industry. Although Hollywood films still command a leading position in the world, the situation is no longer that one-sided.
The success of Everything Everywhere All at Once is a breakthrough for Asian Americans. Having said that, although the Oscars have occasionally produced some gimmicky and "politically correct" award winners, everything stays the same after discussions were over. In 2002, black actress Halle Berry was declared the best actress at the Oscars. 20 years on, Berry said that her win has brought little difference. It remains to be seen how much change the spectacular achievements of Everything Everywhere All at Once and Michelle Yeoh will generate.
Michelle Yeoh started her entertainment career in Hong Kong. In her acceptance speech, she also mentioned Hong Kong for "letting me stand on your shoulders" so that she can be where she is now. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the SAR government congratulated Michelle Yeoh, describing her award as well-deserved and "a testimony to the strong potential of Hong Kong's talents and film industry".
Michelle Yeoh's mention of Hong Kong in her speech shows that she cherishes her old friends and memories. However, it is undeniable that the golden age of Hong Kong films, which coincided with her arrival in the city to start her career, has long gone. More likely, people's impression is that the "testimony to the strong potential" is "in the past tense".
Hong Kong has undergone tremendous changes in recent years. Over the past two years, the popular culture industry has picked up, which to a certain extent has been propped up by an attachment to local culture. To grow further and regain its past glory as an Asian dream factory, the industry must enhance its overall strength. The SAR government needs a long-term and proactive policy for the popular culture industry. If the measures to support the film industry are still about sustaining job opportunities for more people in the business and funding film productions, a major breakthrough will be unlikely.
明報社評2023.03.14：楊紫瓊封后未忘香港 本地影業重生要圖強
馬來西亞女星楊紫瓊以電影《奇異女俠玩救宇宙》，在美國奧斯卡封后，香港是楊紫瓊揚名之地，特區政府亦有道賀，形容她的成功「彰顯香港電影圈的實力」。
楊紫瓊從影近40年，由馬來西亞選美冠軍到香港武打女星，再成為荷李活知名女星，最終在美國奧斯卡封后，寫下歷史一頁，她的演藝生涯，本身就是非常勵志的故事。
楊紫瓊拍過很多電影，但之前從未得過最佳女主角或女配角榮譽，她憶述在港從影歲月，還提到曾被同行批評演技無進步，這次封后無疑肯定了楊紫瓊的演技及多年努力；演藝界兩性不平等，比起影帝級演員年逾六旬一樣可獲片商青睞，女演員年華老去，當女主角機會也愈來愈少，楊紫瓊亦稱，近年不少圈中人認為她應該退休。她在花甲之年封后，相信亦為很多年長女影星吐了一口烏氣。
1990年代尾，楊紫瓊進軍荷李活，她和周潤發有份主演的電影《卧虎藏龍》，亦曾得過美國奧斯卡最佳外語片。當年荷李活就是世界電影業的中心，人人都希望進軍荷李活，《卧》片得獎被譽「華人之光」。20多年過去，世局劇變，影業亦然。荷李活電影在世界雖仍佔領導地位，但已不再那麼一面倒。
《奇》片成功對美國亞裔而言確是突破，不過話說回來，歷年美國奧斯卡雖偶有一些噱頭十足兼「政治正確」的大獎得主，但話題冷卻後還是一切照舊。2002年，黑人女演員荷爾巴莉美國奧斯卡封后，20年過後，荷爾巴莉卻說，封后並無帶來什麼改變。《奇》片和楊紫瓊取得的佳績，可以推動到多少轉變，還得走着瞧。
楊紫瓊在香港展開演藝事業，她得獎致辭時，亦有提及香港，「讓我可以站在你們肩上」，走到現在這一步。特區政府文體局長恭賀楊紫瓊，形容她獲獎實至名歸，同時亦「彰顯香港演員和香港電影圈的實力」。
楊紫瓊感言提及香港，反映她是念舊情的人，惟無可否認的是，她來港拍戲時的港產片黃金年代，早已一去不返，若說「彰顯實力」，予人感覺更多是「過去式」。
近年香港經歷巨變，流行文化產業這兩年有起色，某程度是靠本土情懷撐起，若要進一步壯大，重拾昔日亞洲夢工廠的光輝，必須提升綜合實力。特區政府要有長遠且積極的流行文化產業政策，倘若支援電影業的措施，仍停留在讓多些電影人有工開、出錢支持一下電影拍攝，很難有重大突破。
■ Glossary 生字 /
vindication : proof that sth is true or that you were right, especially when other people had a different opinion
crouch : to lower the body with the limbs close to the chest, esp. for concealment or before pouncing; be in this position
command (sth) : to have control of sth; to have sth available for use