Balancing act

Every child in China grows up hearing the story recounted in Havoc in Heaven. It is a coming-of-age tale that sees Sun Wukong turn from a carefree character into the great Monkey King. Sun Wukong obtains "golden cudgel", a magical weapon, from the Dragon Palace under the sea, leading the Dragon King to appeal to the heavenly court. Sun Wukong is then enticed to heaven, where a scheme to ambush him is set and he is put into a furnace. However, after burning for 49 days he changes and evolves, until finally breaking free with a glaring pair of "gold-gaze fiery eyes". The climax of the tale begins with the birth of the Monkey King and ends with his heroic victory over the troops of the heavenly army.

Havoc in Heaven has become a key production in the classic Peking Opera repertoire since the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The new film follows the script and performance formats of the 1950s, when Havoc in Heaven became hugely popular on stage, turning Sun Wukong from a previously laid-back youngster into an untamed hero.

Decades later, one challenge that Cheng and his production team face is how to balance the new approach with maintaining the fundamentals of the art.

"The basic principles and performance skills in Peking Opera cannot be changed," he says.

For example, performance in Peking Opera often emphasizes symbolism over the accurate portrayal of motion. There are never real horses on the stage, and the film reflects that. And when Sun Wukong "eats "peaches, he merely mimics the action of eating without taking a bite.

Some background images on stage, like the painted waterfall, remain, and a live band was on set to provide a soundtrack for the film, rather than overdubbing prerecorded music.

"If we change the traditions to cater to people's taste and preference for a regular film, it will no longer be a Peking Opera piece of art," Cheng explains.

On the other hand, some creativity is needed because Cheng and his team don't just want to document a stage performance.

For instance, four young actors play the role of Sun Wukong in different parts in the film. According to Cheng, this is to fully display each performer's expertise, in martial arts, dialogue, dancing or singing.

To facilitate a more film-like rhythmic flow, Cheng cut some interludes that are typical to the stage performances and uses montages to move the story along. Computer-generated imagery is also applied in a restrained way to achieve some visual effects and to realize impossible scenes, such as explosions or the heavenly court floating in the clouds－things which, as a stage performance, rely solely on the viewers' imagination.

Also, close-ups and slow motion scenes in the film leave no room for actors to make the slightest mistake in front of cameras, such as those that would probably go unnoticed in an opera house.