Making It
Director: Richard Chen Yao-chi
Rating: 5.0
Year: 1978
The Wynners were probably the top pop band of the
1970's in Hong Kong. They consisted of Alan Tam, Kenny Bee, Anthony Chan
and those two other guys. Just kidding - Bennett Pang on lead guitar and
Danny Yip on bass. But once the band went their solo ways - with the occasional
reunion - Alan Tam and Kenny Bee went on to huge careers in music and in
the movies and Anthony Chan was in his share of films usually as a comic
character. They formed in 1973 coming out of a band called the Loosers and
had a few smash albums and gained a big teen following. Their music isn't
particularly innovative - very poppy - often covered English songs
- but with good voices and fine harmonies. They also made three films basically
playing themselves - Let's Rock in 1975, Gonna Get You in 1976 and this one
in 1978.
This one won't win any acting awards as the five boys basically fool around
for 90-minues ala the Beatles in Help but even goofier. Full of gags, pratfalls
and funny faces but every now and then they stop and sing a couple decent
songs. In a way the humor and music foretells the Aces Go Places that came
along in a few years. Their Canto-pop songs are certainly influenced by Sam
Hui's music (as were most at the time). 90 minutes of easy going silliness.
Probably only for fans of the group or the actors. And I would have to put
myself in that second category - Kenny Bee starred in Shanghai Blues and
The Chinese Feast which are two of my favorites and Alan Tam was in Espirit
d'Amour, Armour of God and The Other Side of Gentleman.
In the film our five lads are trying to break into the music business unable
to hold any jobs, on the verge of being kicked out of their five-layered
bunk bed. At one audition a woman tells them they are terrible and can't
sing Mandarin - "Granny that was English". But at another audition they strike
it big and have a gig planned that night. At the same time the pampered son
of a wealthy man (Kwan Shan - a Shaw Brothers romantic legend 15 years before)
escapes a forced marriage by jumping overboard. In one of those movie co-incidences
he looks just like Alan Tam. When Tam gets sick before the show and has to
go to the hospital the band drafts his double who happened to be in the audience
to join them. And wonder of all wonders he sings pretty well - just as well
as Alan Tam I would venture. Meanwhile, two crooks in need of money see the
real Alan Tam in the hospital and thinking he is the rich son kidnap him
in order to ransom him. Hijinks follow. A bunch of familiar faces filled
out the film - Mama Hung (Sammo's mother) with the broom, Fung Hak-on as
the mugger, Meg Lam as the mistress and Sai Gwa-pau as the advertiser of
ladies underwear.
