"I got a lot of inputs from film graduates fresh out of their studies in foreign countries. From them, I learned a lot about master shots and others. All these talks on styles. I was lost. By then I had the script for FENGKUEI ready, but was lost, not knowing how to begin. It used to be so easy. After learning about my problem, Chu (Chu T'ien-wen) showed me this book. The autobiography of Chinese writer Shen Tzunwen. It had an interesting narrative structure, writing with a broad and panoramic view. One is totally objective, philosophical about all these events to come in the world. I could still remember while doing FENGKUEI, urging my cinematographer PULL BACK. PULL BACK. [laughing] BE DETACHED. BE DETACHED. Then when it came to A SUMMER AT GRANPAS the same creative problems held me back. How am I going to tell my story? Before, style had never been an issue. It was then Edward Yang showed me the film, Pasolini's OEDIPUS REX. The narrative is crystal clear. You know why he did what he did. The view points, be it objective, be it from a certain character, be it a man or a woman. There you are. So I think when I did A SUMMER AT GRANPAS there were three narrative points. One through the eyes of director, an objective projection of his ideas. The other through eyes of actors, pondering the inner world of characters. Ok, there were only these two angles, not three." [Hou Hsiao-hsien in Olivier Assayas Dokumentation "HHH – A Portrait of Hou Hsiao-Hsien"]
