For Love of Leslie: Fan Art (4)

Fans of Leslie Cheung's movies fall into two basic categories:  those who are fans of Leslie as a singer and an actor, and those who are fans of Leslie solely as an actor. In fact, many in the West have no idea that Leslie was as big a singing star as he was an actor. I think it can be argued that Leslie Cheung was one of the greatest and most popular Cantopop performers who ever lived. While he also turned in many great performances as an actor, he did not redefine the history of Hong Kong cinema in quite the same way he did the history of Cantopop. An actor is much more dependent on the script and director, not to mention the myriad other individuals who contribute their talents to a film, to leave such an indelible mark on the history of film. For this reason, a number of the fan videos featuring Leslie that I have watched seem to have been created by fans of the director, in particular Wong Kar Wai, more than they were specifically fans of Leslie. That said, Leslie figures prominently in three of Wong's seminal films, so he figures prominently in many of these director-focused fan vids. A number of different approaches are evident in these videos. Some of them are set to the music of one or more of Leslie's songs. Others use Western music that, nevertheless, adds an interesting dimension through the juxtaposition of images and sound. Some videos focus on a single movie, while others bring together clips from various movies that are edited to display particular qualities of Leslie's performances.Here is a thematic video set to Leslie's 1996 song, "Red," featuring clips from films that span his entire career, from in 1982 to in 2000.Video:http://youtu.be/c5HUKlh8FAoThe next video is from , in which Leslie played a competitive marksman who became a psychotic killer. The soundtrack is one of Leslie's own songs.

Video: http://youtu.be/EBpjA0_XQPgThe next video also features scenes from , but the soundtrack is Kane's "Shot of a Gun." Video: http://youtu.be/-Sbpk_vgn-QOne of my favorite movie fan videos profiles "Leslie in Action" and is set to an infectious Goldfrap tune.Video: http://youtu.be/niYyLdrAQ7oLeslie's masterful performance in Wong Kar Wai's art house classic, , has inspired many fans of Leslie and/or the film to create some wonderful videos.First, a compilation of clips from the film edited to go with Leslie singing "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."Video: http://youtu.be/dXTkBCRkySAThe second video of is set, perhaps surprisingly, to a song by Jeff Buckley.Video: http://youtu.be/yMVIsz-gRX4The music of Berlin indie band, The Whitest Boy Alive, paired with clips from . In places, the editing brilliantly injects the energy of the music into the images.Video:http://youtu.be/4Sixh4p1kWAAnd, finally, the beautiful film, , featuring one of Leslie's most transcendent roles, set to the music of The Guess Who's "Glamour Boy." A fitting tribute to one of Asia's most glamorous and talented actors and singers.Video:http://youtu.be/m9gl3iguSC0