China’s Woody Allen – Feng Xiaogang

Film director Feng Xiaogang may have made China's biggest box office hit, the disaster movie, "Aftershock", but he built his reputation in comedies, comparing himself to American director, Woody Allen.

电影导演冯小刚执导的灾难片《唐山大地震》在中国获得了巨大的票房成功，但是，奠定这位自比美国导演伍迪·艾伦的中国导演的影视地位的，却是因为喜剧。

"I wasn' t sure what kind of comedy to do. I didn't think I'd be any good at doing Jim Carrey kind of slapstick comedies. I'm more like Woody Allen."

"以前，我不是特别清楚各种类型的喜剧作品该怎样执导。我只是认为，我并不擅长金·凯瑞似的打闹风格喜剧。我的影片更像是伍迪·艾伦的风格。"

His "Annie Hall" moment came with 2001 comedy "Big Shot's Funeral" that featured Donald Sutherland and gained international recognition.

在2001年，由冯小刚执导的喜剧电影《大腕》，同由唐纳德·苏德兰主演的伍迪·艾伦的作品《安妮·霍尔》一样，获得了国际认可。

But last year's "Aftershock" has elevated the 53-year-old to the position of the most bankable director in China.

但是去年的《唐山大地震》的成功，让已53岁的的冯小刚一跃成为中国最有票房号召力的导演。

It took over $147 million at the box office in China making it the highest grossing film in the country' s history. It will also be China's official entry into the Academy Awards this year.

在中国，《唐山大地震》总票房收入超过了1亿47100万美元，这创下了中国电影的最高历史纪录。同样，该片还将成为今年中国角逐奥斯卡大奖的官方作品。

The film is based on the devastating earthquake of 1976 that killed thousands in the city of Tangshang, northeast of Beijing.

电影以真实发生在1976年的一场毁灭性的地震为依据，那场地震夺去了位于北京东北部唐山市上万人的生命。

"I knew from the very beginning that this will become a film that would attract a big Chinese audience. It's a collective memory for everyone here in China so I knew the movie would touch everyone… This movie is also very relevant to many people's daily lives," he said.

冯小刚坦言我从一开始就知道这将是一部会吸引大部分中国观众注意力的电影。这是生活在中国这块土地上的人的集体记忆，因此我知道，这部电影会感动每一个人……而且，这部电影与很多人的日常生活有着密切联系。"他说。

Feng's screen career began in television, directing and occasionally acting, before moving into filmmaking. He tested the limits of the censors along the way. "We walk a very tight rope, we have to strike balance otherwise we' re going to fall," he said about censors in China. "Some of my earlier films might have been a little too edgy for a mainstream audience, at least that what the censors thought."

在开始进行电影制作以前，冯小刚的影视事业还是起步于导演以及偶尔客串电视剧。一路走来，他接受了审查员们最为严格的审查。在谈及中国的审查员时，冯小刚说："我们就像行走在一根紧绷的绳子上，我们不得不努力保持平衡，否则，就会掉下去。""对主流观众来说，我早期的一些电影或许有-点儿太激进了，至少审查员们是这么认为的。"

One of Feng' s targets in his earlier films has been commercialism. including "Big Shot's Funeral" where a film director sells his funeral to advertisers.

冯小刚早期的电影的一大主题是商业主义，包括《大腕》在这部电影里，一位导演将自己的葬礼推销给了广告商。

However some have criticized Feng for becoming too commercial in his own filmmaking. especially with overt product placement in ..Aftershock".

但是，已经有人批评起冯小刚在电影制作上太过商业化，尤其是《唐山大地震》中明显的植入式广告。

In response he told Xinhua News that product placement will be an increasingly important part of the Chinese film.

作为回应，他在《新华社》上发表评论说，植入式广告将逐渐地成为中国电影的重要组成部分。

He prides himself on having the common touch to attract big audiences.

对于自己拥有平易近人的品质从而能吸引大量观众这一点，他为自己感到骄傲。

"The biggest advantage is that I know what audiences want… of course not all of them. but at least I know what most of them want." he said.

"我最大的优势是，我了解观众们的需要……当然，不能说是所有的观众，但至少我了解大部分观众的需要。"他说。

"I don't think that the audience is God. Nor do I think we are above them. I just think that we are on a level playing field."

"我觉得，观众不是上帝，我们也不是高高在上。我只是觉得，我们都身处在一个公平竞争的环境。"