Alexi Tan : My original script was very dark and depressive. John is into hope. He wanted more joy, less death in the story. So, he did several suggestions but let me in charge. He especially made some additions on the action scenes.

I told him I did not want to copy him and a newspaper at that time that followed the project had an headline with: “I don’t want to copy John Woo !” He granted me a lot of support during the film production, but he never helped me during the shooting. When we began post-production he started to change things, he had the final cut. At first, the movie last more than two hours and he reduced it to 90 minutes. I wish the movie had last longer but you know, John Woo had a vision of film producer… But I learned a lot with him. He was a real mentor.

Alexi Tan : The movie is taking place during the 1930s, a period that I and the actors know from our family history. We did a lot of researches to stick to authenticity in terms of the period, clothes and Art deco. Yet I pondered: “Do I just make a faithful transcription of that period or do I do a cinema work and adapt myself?” If in the movie, there is no contemporary element, it is the cinema vision that is modern.

Sergio Leone, I love his incredible sets, the iconic figures and the abrupt action jumps. I adapted the 1930s into the Wild West where, for instance, the character of Mark (Chang Chen) is the cowboy prototype. I am Chinese but I grew up with western movies.

Alexi Tan : You are right to emphasize that sequence. Actually, the movie is based on special effects and illusion. The Shu Qi character embodies the illusion of dreams, the “Shanghai Dream.” The whole representation of Shanghai is in this sense only made of illusion with her new lifestyle and new western clothes.

It was not easy for us, because the old Shanghai does not exist anymore. In Europe, you always have your old towns where you are able to shoot historical movies. We have had to rebuild everything in studio.