For Love of Leslie: Fan Art (3)

Just as religions have holy days and nations have national holidays that punctuate the year and give shape, color and a communal identity to the faithful or citizenry, so too fans of Leslie Cheung have two major dates that are the focus of the fan year. The first is April first. It was on April 1, 2003 that Leslie Cheung took his own life. For many fans, it is one of the saddest days of their lives, the day their beloved Gor Gor left this earth. Suddenly the words of Don MacLean's "American Pie," the song that Leslie performed at the singing contest that launched  his entertainment career, seemed prophetic. The words of the refrain sadly proclaim :  "the day the music died" (in reference to the death of Buddy Holly). For Leslie's fans, April 1, 2003 is the darkest, cruelest and saddest day of the year.  The other date fans commemorate is September 12, which is Leslie's birthday. Each year there are public events in Hong Kong and other cities with active fan groups to commemorate  the joy of Leslie's birth, mixed with the bitterness of knowing that Leslie will never celebrate his birthday again with fans, friends, and family. He will never hear our well-wishes nor smile at the tributes and gifts his fans have prepared for him. Even in our brightest celebration of his life and legacy, there is always a hint of sadness, as April 1 casts its shadow even over such a joyous event as Leslie's birthday.Fans have found many ways to commemorate Leslie around these two events. Various tribute videos are produced, commemorating the fans' devotion to Leslie, and featuring favorite songs, slide shows of beloved images, and video montages commemorating favorite moments from his films, music videos and live performances. Some of the videos focus on fan messages, others focus on some special quality Leslie manifested that especially touched the video maker. I have chosen among literally hundreds of such videos to share some of my personal favorites. Some I like because of the authentic fan devotion they display, touching in its sincerity. Others are virtual masterpieces of video editing that forcefully communicate something of the great beauty and artistry Leslie displayed throughout his career. I leave you with seven very different examples of the fans' love and devotion to the memory, works and life of Leslie Cheung.Video: http://youtu.be/2dTaYiNM-B0This next video features recorded messages by fans for Leslie on his birthday. Video: http://youtu.be/vHfDcVbl0vwMany videos celebrate Leslie's beauty, but this next video is a bit different. Here is how the creator describes the video:  ""Video: http://youtu.be/0GBrCa5NdyYLeslie's physical beauty was celebrated not only by fans and filmmakers, but also by many photographers. In 2010, Red Mission in Hong Kong put together an exhibition of photographs (many unpublished) and original art work that displayed various facets of Leslie throughout his career. Many fans visited the exhibition and there are several video records, such as the following video.Video: http://youtu.be/slvA5KgPqLoI have found many, many videos celebrating Leslie's iconic physical beauty. The next video is especially well-edited, with a mix of footage of Leslie at a photo shoot, performing on stage, backstage (I'm sure the make-up artist never forgot those nights during the Passion Tour when she applied bronzer to Leslie's body ), a public appearance and press conference. All amply demonstrate the grace, poise and elegance that Leslie so effortlessly projected.Video: http://youtu.be/B-lMyxdviR4Other fans have created videos focusing on different aspects of Leslie entertainment career. The next video commemorates his 30 years in show business and amounts to a video professional bio.Video: http://youtu.be/sIMugLXrUGAA tradition has been established by fans since Leslie's death to commemorate him every 4-01 with videos filled with fans messages. The messages are brief, but sincere, accompanied by one or more of Leslie's songs. This is an opportunity for fans to express their deeply-felt emotions:  gratitude, devotion, sadness, grief and love. Even the most positive remembrances have a melancholy and bittersweet quality, for the sense of what we have lost tinges any fan's remembrance of Leslie.Video: http://youtu.be/bopxUA7Tbn4For many outside of Asia, Leslie will be forever remembered for his films. The next video ends with a slide show with one iconic image after another, illustrating many of Leslie's most important film roles.Video: http://youtu.be/VDoMQiN7RRo