Theo 163, Journey to the West movie was made in 1982 and faced many difficulties due to lack of funds and equipment. The female director, Duong Khiet, was the one who contributed the most to its success. However, she was neglected and betrayed by the main cast. This was also the reason why the female director did not love the child she had worked so hard to create.
In the autobiography of Yang Jie: 9981 difficulties, Journey to the West director talked about the difficulties she encountered while making the film.
Due to lack of funds, the female director had to pay for food out of her own pocket. The project ran out of money after filming episode 11, and Yang Jie had to run around looking for sponsors. Finally, the film crew cooperated with the Ministry of Railways’ Digital Bureau 11 to complete 25 episodes.
Director Yang Jie was twice reported for wrongdoings during the filming of Journey to the West. |
While searching for a suitable location for the set, the production team traveled all over China to survey, but were reported to have used public funds for pleasure. It was only when the inspectors came to investigate that the crew’s hardships became known to the public.
However, those difficulties are insignificant compared to the betrayal of the main cast in Journey to the West with director Yang Jie.
Accordingly, after completing the first part of Journey to the West, the cast became famous all over the world, and the Singapore event also invited the film crew to come over to exchange. However, when director Yang Jie gathered everyone to practice the performance, Liu Xiao Ling Tong (playing Sun Wukong), Ma De Hua (playing Pigsy) and Yan Huaili (playing Sha Wujing) all reported sick and could not attend the event. The truth is that they were invited to perform commercially to earn more money.
Director Yang Jie When he learned about the incident, he was angry and criticized the main cast. But because of that, the actors were upset and reported it to a director of China Central Television at that time, Wang Feng.
Wang Feng and Yang Jie had a conflict. He used his power to declare the disbandment of the Journey to the West film crew, but in reality, he kept the main cast and only removed director Yang Jie.
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According to her, the cast of Journey to the West not only broke their promise to director Yang Jie for money, but also stabbed her in the back. |
Male singer Tuong Dai Vy, who performed the theme song of the movie Journey to the West, “Where is the road?”, angrily criticized the cast: “How can you be so ungrateful? If it weren’t for director Duong Khiet, would you be where you are today?”
Being stabbed in the back, director Yang Jie was extremely angry. In 1994, when Journey to the West was scheduled to produce a second part, the leadership of CCTV saw that no one could take on the director’s position except Yang Jie, so they decided to invite her back. In order to continue to play their roles, the four masters and disciples went to apologize and knelt before director Yang Jie to resolve the grudge.
However, the pain remains. In 2011, when interviewed on a television show, Duong Khiet confided: “I don’t feel proud of Journey to the West. The film is a lasting pain in my heart. Ten years after the film first aired, I didn’t watch it. When I turned on the TV and saw Journey to the West, I changed the channel.”
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Director Yang Jie confided that she was heartbroken when the film became famous but she was left out. |
In 2017, when director Yang Jie passed away, Liu Xiao Ling Tong, Ma De Hua and the cast of Journey to the West came to pay their respects. But they were condemned by the public because right at the funeral, the legendary stars answered the media and introduced their new projects.
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Liu Xiao Ling Tong as Sun Wukong visits Yang Jie but instead takes the opportunity to promote his new movie. |
According to Sohu, the 1986 film Journey to the West was rebroadcast more than 4,000 times, holding the record for the most rebroadcast work in China. At the time of its premiere, the film’s audience rating was 89.4%.
The work helped director Yang Jie be honored as one of the top 10 Chinese film and television directors in the new era (1978-1987). Journey to the West also won the Golden Eagle Award for Best Film. In addition, the behind-the-scenes stories of the film crew are also an attractive topic for audiences.