As hundreds of fans crowded the front entrance of Taipei's Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall to catch a view of the arriving star-studded audience for the 1982 Golden Horse Awards (Taiwan's "Oscar" ceremony), TV sets lit up across the island.
Hosted by entertainers Chiang Kuan-chao and Hu Yin-mong, the highly visible proceedings reached their climax with the presentation of the award for Best Film to The Battle for the Republic of China, produced jointly by the Shaw Bros. of Hongkong and Taiwan's Central Motion Picture Corp. The film was also cited for Best Original Music and Best Theme Song.
Three top awards, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, went to the film Man on the Brink, produced by Century Motion Picture Corp. of Hongkong. Man on the Brink, a detective story, was the speculative pre-ceremony choice among the local movie critics. Greatly surprised, the newest, and perhaps the youngest, Best Director awardee, Hongkong's Chang Kuo-ming, 31, expressed his gratitude in a notably Cantonese accented Mandarin: "I am very grateful for this honor, which will encourage me to make more films based on artistic rather than commercial concerns." Man on the Brink, though highly commended by critics and recognized with Golden Horses for its achievements, was- incredibly-a box-office failure both in Hongkong and Taiwan.
Awardees Wong Ping and Eddie display their winnings. (File photo)
Among 16 other award winners, Ku Feng, declared Best Supporting Actor for his role in Tiger Killer, was the oldest. Holding his Golden Horse, and displaying a head of grizzled hair, he joked: "To an old actor, who has played so many kinds of roles in so many hundreds of films, this honor, perhaps, comes a little bit late. But - No, No, it is never too late!"
In a time comparison with Ku Feng, the Best Child Actor, Chou Pin-chun, no doubt considered that recognition could never come too early. Playing a vigorous imp in his very first film, The Green, Green Grass of Home, the rotund little actor, naturally, gave credit to his parents.
Best Actress went to Wong Ping for her role as a loose woman in Tiger Killer. This was her first, and possibly last, Golden Horse award since, after her marriage, she has almost retired from film circles to play a much "cooler" role.
Special tribute was paid during the ceremony to the late actor Ou Wei. His widow and two children appeared on stage to receive a special memorial award, including a cash grant of NT$200,00 (US$5,000). Mrs. Ou received a standing ovation following her announcement that she had decided to donate the money to the ROC Film Industry Foundation, which provides sup· port for aged and infirm motion picture personnel.
A glittering audience symbolizes the universal appeal of the motion picture. (File photo)
The unexpected appearance of Olympic medalists Chi Cheng and Yan, Chuan-Kuang, who presented the award for Best Documentary, also stirred the audience.
Among the capacity audience of 2,000 were, of course, many representatives of the Chinese motion picture industry here and in Hongkong, plus cinema delegations from Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
James M, Roberts, of the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, greeted the audience in Mandarin. He urged Chinese motion picture producers to join the foreign films competition for the Oscar. "I think that the Golden Horse awards and the Oscar share a common goal," said Roberts.
Following the showing of a short clip from the pre-color film Suspicion, internationally famed Joan Fontaine, its leading actress, came on stage in a water-blue evening gown, and told an appreciative audience that “being kissed by Cary Grant in that old movie was a pleasant experience, but to me, it was much more gratifying to have a happy birthday here in the Republic of China." Two days before the ceremony, a party in honor of Fontaine's 65th birthday was organized at Taipei's majestic Grand Hotel by the ROC Government Information Office, one of the sponsors for this year's Golden Horse Awards. A spectacular three-layer birthday cake drew applause from Fontaine. According to Dr. James C. Y. Soong, director General of GIO, the birthday cake was specially made in fountain shape to symbolize its French counterpart - "fontaine."
Hostess Hu with actor Horst Bucholz. (File photo).
German-born actor Horst Bucholz, also an honored guest at the ceremony, told mistress of ceremonies Hu Yin-mong, "If Brooke Shields should meet you, she would admit that the prettiest actress is here." The international film-idol had been asked about his reactions on learning he would play opposite the teen sex-symbol in Sahara, a film being readied for shooting next year. Bucholz wished that his Mandarin vocabulary was greater than that of Academy-exec Roberts, because he expects to visit Taiwan again to make use of it.
Lasting a tight 135 minutes, the awards ceremony also featured live entertainment by performers and performing groups from at home and abroad.
Preceeding the Golden Horse ceremony in Taipei, other cinematic activities-designed to foster the upgrading of Chinese motion picture quality-drew heavy audiences. The "International Film Exhibition" and "The I 960s- A Chinese Film Retrospective" unfolded for three weeks in the nation's capital.
Dancers in a live performance - real people entertain the idols of the flickering screen (top); The finale- A triumphant Golden Horse acknowledges the appreciation of the crowd (bottom). (File photo)
Among international films shown in special categories were documentaries, shorts, the films of Saul Bass, and the films of Robert Bresson.
Long lines of fans formed early to assure tickets to Ingmar Bergman's From the Life of the Marionettes, Francois Truffaut's The Last Metro, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Lili Marlene, Claude Goretta's The Lace maker, and Liliana Cavani's The Skin.
The 1960s were the heyday of the Chinese motion picture. In that golden decade, the quality and quantity of Chinese films reached their highpoint. Such films as Imperial Lady, Madame Tung, Dragon Inn, Arch of Charity, and At Dawn, won awards abroad, and outdrew Western movies at local box offices.
This year's Golden Horse ceremony has now faded away, but its moral still rests with the cinema industry, as delineated by GIO Director Soong: "Affected by the universal recession, the Chinese movie industry has suffered its worst afflictions within this decade. But regardless of the profit situation, there are still a few people with great courage and wisdom who have dedicated themselves to upgrading the quality of Chinese movies. Their devotion to the cause of art will win, for themselves, immortality as artists and earn our highest respect." -By Jennifer H. Chu