A Taiwanese with dyed hair
With his brown hair and blue eyes, Doyle is, after all, a "foreigner." Can he genuinely grasp the cinematic spirit of Chinese directors?
Stanley Kuan believes, "Movies filmed by Chinese have a Chinese spirit, but a film ought to leap beyond the scope that only Chinese can understand. Movies should have no national boundaries."
Kuan also stresses, "Chris is already a Chinese. His resolution is revealed by the fact that as soon as he arrived in Taiwan, he had this intuition, that if you don't learn the Chinese language, you can't establish yourself in the Chinese world."
Doyle tells a humorous story that occurred due to his marvelous Chinese. One day he received a phone call from a Western friend. As the two spoke English, a Chinese friend standing nearby exclaimed, "Chris, your English is pretty good!"
Once in Beijing he bumped into Taiwan architect Teng Kun-yen in an elevator. When Doyle spoke his standard Mandarin with a hint of a Taiwan accent, Teng's Beijing artist friend asked, "Why did this Taiwanese dye his hair brown?"
Taiwan director Chen Kuo-fu confirms: Mastery of Chinese is Doyle's foremost qualification for working with Chinese directors, because "language captures communication and thought." From this angle, Chen feels that movies naturally have national boundaries, but Chris Doyle has already broken past the first barrier.
Booked for '97
As his photography gains greater acclaim, his philosophy is that work is a holiday. "If you finish eight hours, what about those other 16?" he asks.
During the current movie industry slump, when the number of films is gradually decreasing and even big-name directors schedule only one film a year, Doyle's calendar is full, clear through 1997. Stanley Kuan, Wong Kaiwai and the mainland director Zhang Yimo have all asked for his help on their next films. Australian directors have also given him invitations.
"Of course, I'm anxious to make promises and sign contracts. It's a kind of security. We're all whores. In business, you have to answer the door. Who knows if tomorrow anyone will want me?" Yet even as he uses the metaphor of a prostitute, he adds that he is only joking. And he guarantees that if by any chance there is a clash in schedules, the films of his Chinese friends will take top priority.
Without question, Christopher Doyle's destiny is intertwined with the Chinese. "The first oriental woman I ever saw was Shu Feng." When he disembarked in Hong Kong, he walked into a cinema to watch his very first Chinese movie. Shu Feng's The Valiant One was on the screen. When he saw a close-up of her face, he remarked, "How beautiful!" From then on, he was entranced by Chinese films.
At 18 he set out to sea and happened through Taiwan, only later settling down here. Now at 43, the time he has spent "stumbling" into Chinese society exceeds the time he has lived in his own country. Taipei, Hong Kong and Shanghai have become his principal living environments.
Will he someday return to Australia? "I go back for five days and start to go crazy," he says. Originally, the reason he left his home was because he knew from books that out there was a completely different world.
In November of this year, Christopher Doyle held his exhibition "Their Best Side" at Taipei's Eslite Bookstore. In his introductory pamphlet, he wrote, "1984-8. Married to France!" And then, "Follow heart to where I belong: H.K., Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing." The time: "1989 Till Forever."
[Picture Caption]
The story of an urban Taipei youth who wants to learn to fly. (courtesy of Performance Workshop)
Christopher Doyle has an "expressionistic" personality, and he loves to show off.
In order to photograph the main actor's expressions inside a car, Doyle is strapped with his camera to the side of the vehicle. It's not hard to imagine just how arduous filming can be. (Working still from Peony Pavilion, courtesy of Central Motion Pictures)
Four main characters, male and female, develop a story of betrayal and unrequited love in Hong Kong's Chungking Mansion. (courtesy of Scholar Film Company)
A story about a high school girl and her love affair in a previous life. (courtesy of Central Motion Pictures)
(top) During the filming of Red Rose, White Rose, adapted from Chang Ai-lin's novel of the same name, Hong Kong movie starlet Yip Yukhing played the role of White Rose. Chris Doyle photographs her pensive, cigarette smoking demeanor. (courtesy of Christopher Doyle)
(bottom) Doyle and Hong Kong director Wong Kaiwai work together with an intuitive understanding. The two have filmed four movies together, including Days of Being Wild and Fallen Angels. (courtesy of Christopher Doyle)
Christopher Doyle has filmed 20 Chinese-language films. He is anxious to avoid repeating his own style and being caught in a rigid structure.
Yet another collaboration between Doyle and Wong Kaiwai. Again, the main topic is love. (courtesy of Scholar Film Company)