Maggie Cheung, DJ?
Friday, May 4, 2012 at 8:00AM 
Every once in a while I remember to miss Maggie Cheung muchly. But she's been gone so long now. We haven't seen her onscreen since 2004 when she cameo'ed in 2046 and grunged her way through Clean as a drug addicted wife in the rock scene. I understand she returned to screens briefly for two Chinese films in 2010 but neither of them crossed the pond.
Well yesterday in Taipei she cut the ribbon at the new Louis Vitton flagship and look how fresh and kicky she looks ===>
Tony, one of my most trusted reader sources for international film star news, pointed this story out to me and translated a bit of the attached video. I'll let him explain from here:
She even served as DJ of the evening! Wouldn't you just LOVE to know
what kind of music she plays?!The host of the event very tentatively asks her about when we might see her on the big screen again. Her answer: 'When the right script comes along, I don't rule out the possibility to work again.'
Arrrrg. Somebody send Ms. Cheung the RIGHT script, please!!!"
I second that. It doesn't even need to be in Chinese, filmmakers. What the hell are all you auteurs waiting for? She speaks English and French (witness her fine work for Olivier Assayas in Clean and Irma Vep) as well as Cantonese and Mandarin so there are a LOT of filmmakers who are missing out and failing us.
Get on it, people.
If you've never experienced the Maggie Magic here's your quintuple feature assignment. Program yourself a mini Maggie fest:
THE HEROIC TRIO (1993)... because it's insane
COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (1996)... melancholy swooning
IRMA VEP (1996) ...Maggie plays herself
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2001) ...one of the greatest films of all time
HERO (2002) ...for the ravishing color and action
Reader Comments (7)
I remember reading an interview with her in some avant garde British magazine a couple years ago and she said she was breaking from films to do music full-time. No idea why. It broke my heart a little.
In the late 80s to early 90s, I used to watch her HK movies, she churned out gazillion of them per year. But after Irma vep, she started being very seletcive and I do miss her. My favorite perfornace from her is "The Actress" ; she is so good in it.
I miss her a lot...I deeply would like Ang Lee arrived with the right script...
If there is anyone out there who has not seen In The Mood For Love, well then, you have a homework assignment tonight! If you are at all into unrequited love, stunning simple fashions, or Mad Men era production design, you will swoon. And the feelings that Tony & Maggie have for each other is completely understandable. I mean, look at them!
I do dream that one day soon, Ang Lee will arrive with the right script and somehow, someway, work his magic and woo Maggie AND Tony Leung into one of his projects.
A Time Asia article described Tony and Maggie as the 'Bogart and Bacall' of Asia. Seriously, those two have mad, mad, mad chemistry together. How mad is it? Well, to this day, there are still rumours that Tony's wife, Carina Lau, hates Maggie because Tony allegedly still carries a torch for her (based on other rumours that Tony and Maggie had a hot fling years ago, but due to their diverse personalities couldn't make the relationship work).
Last I read, Director Hou-Hsiao Hsien was courting her to play a supporting role in his new Wu-Xia film with Shu-Qi and Chang Chen. The article seemed to imply it was a done deal, but now I'm having trouble finding confirmation....
Well, Maggie Cheung is one of a kind. She is one of the rare stars (real ones) who do NOT play a role offered by Hollywood but have a global reputation.
As to the films you mentioned, I think you might miss Center Stage (aka Actress, for which Cheung won her best actress award at Berlin Int'l Film Festival in 1992 ) out.