I was an actor in ???

[Fredo]

Hello!

In 1997 I spent three months in Hong Kong as a backpacker, and for the first month I did several odd jobs. These included two days filming as an extra in the film ???. I actually got a larger part, which was not planned, because of my hair I think.

The film came out a few weeks after filming, and at the time I was working as an English teacher. I had some students recognize me!

But after this I forgot about the film for many years until about ten years ago when I met some people from Hong Kong and told them about my time there. The film came up and they told me the knew the film! I was so surprised!

I would like to do a YouTube video about my experience, and I would like to get some help understanding the film better, and understanding how well it is remembered, its place in HK film history, etc. Also, why is the name of this film translated into English something like "counting dead grass?"

Can you please help?

Thanks,

Fredo

PS This is me on the left

[bkasten]

Welcome Fredo.

This is you?
http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_detail ... ay_set=eng

Can we add your name in the credits?

As for the film, I think one of the HKMDB's best reviewers (Neil Koch) wrote what he thought of it, along with some context:
http://hkmdb.com/db/reviews/show_review.mhtml?id=9684

Bob

[heinz Germany]

that should be Fredo, too: http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_detail ... ay_set=eng
Nice to know that story! (something some of us dreamed of to do)

[Fredo]

Hi everyone - sorry I've taken so long to reply!

Yes, that's me! How funny. Please feel free to update your database.

Also, I think I said i'm going to try and make a YouTube video about the film and I have a few questions. If anyone could help that would be great. Also, please let me know if I should post this in another part of the forum.

1) Why does the Chinese version of the title translate as "counting dead grass," or similar. What does that mean exactly? It sounds like a reference to a proverb perhaps?

2) I arrived in Hong Kong in early June, and this was filmed that same month. It came out in the theatres about 3 weeks later if memory serves me correctly. It certainly came out before I left Hong Kong in late August. Was that normal for a film to be produced so quickly! I was really surprised when it came out (I was teaching English at an English club in Jordan and found out the film was released when some students recognised me - it was showing just around the corner and I went with a bunch of my fellow "prisoners" to see it).

3) I'm sorry to see the film doesn't get that good of a review. When I read about Stephen Chow he sounds to me like the Cantonese version of Adam Sandler - a talented comedian who has made a lot of successful films that rely on pretty childish jokes. Some of his films are not that good, but people still know them because he is so popular. Does that sound fair for Stephen Chow films, including Lawyer Lawyer?

4) I saw the film just once, as I mentioned above, but the subtitles were really hard to follow. I know there is a longrunning gag that Foon has to keep things up his bottom for other prisoners, including a chicken leg. Am I right that I play the leader of the "gweilow" prisoners who is making him do this? And that the reason I am beaten up is to get me to stop? And I am threatened with having a mahjong set stuck up my bottom? That's what I remember, but I can't find a subtitled version of the film to check that with.

Thanks in advance. Please let me know if you want to hear more about my experience. For example, when you see me throwing food at Foon, those weren't my hands. I couldn't follow what the director wanted, so he did it himself with one of our prisoner jackets over his arm.

[Fredo]

Hello again!

I've just posted a video which mentions my experience appearing in Lawyer, Lawyer. The video is about another subject, but I'm planning to do a video about my Hong Kong film "career" in the next few weeks and wanted to trail it. Here's a link: https://youtu.be/TYTxQWZvPLY

I have two requests: Is it possible for my profile to be updated with my name, "Fredo Rockwell"? This is the profile I mean: http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_detail ... ay_set=eng Or the credits, or whatever is the right thing - I'm not sure.

Second request: Is there any version of the film online with good English subtitles? There is a version on YouTube with no subtitles at all, and some with other languages, but none with English I've found. I've seen the film only once with English subtitles, back in 1997 in the theatre, and they weren't very easy to follow to be honest. Anyway, I'd like to understand better what is being said in the scenes I'm in.

Thank you!

Fredo

[Fredo]

Hi again,

I've just posted a video on my YouTube channel which mentions my small role in Lawyer Lawyer (https://youtu.be/TYTxQWZvPLY). The video is about another topic, but I'm letting people know I plan to do a video about my brief film career soon.

Is it possible to get my name added to the credits for the film, as suggested in another post? If so, I'll show this in the video.

Also, does anyone know a good English translation of the script? I don't actually know what is happening in all of the scenes I'm in. It wasn't explained on set, and the English subtitles in the theatre in 1997 were not great.

thank you!

[bkasten]

Fredo - I can add you to the database, but I need to know your name.
Bob (the owner of this website)

[heinz Germany]

Hi Bob, You maybe overlooked this:

Is it possible for my profile to be updated with my name, "Fredo Rockwell"

[bkasten]

Hi Bob, You maybe overlooked this:

Is it possible for my profile to be updated with my name, "Fredo Rockwell"

Oops.

[bkasten]

Fredo, all set:

http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?i ... ay_set=eng