The movie "Flowers" makes the lice in the drama circle's "gorgeous nightgown" have nowhere to hide! The first TV series directed by Wong Kar-Wai hit the drama circle with dimensionality reduction from three angles -
1, non-linear structure narrative, using the emotions of the characters as a guide, extending the story line, and making all the characters who have only glimpses full.
2. Use Shanghai actors to shoot a Hong Kong film, and use what Wong Kar Wai has learned in half his life to create a "new concept" of Shanghai images.
3. There is no historical background. The characters are established directly at the beginning. The characters’ three-dimensional sense and sense of world are comparable to Jin Yong’s characters: the “leading brother” Uncle Ye (played by You Benchang), Zhang Wuji-like A Bao (played by Hu Ge), Lingzi (played by Ma Yili) who is like Zhao Min, Li Li (played by Xin Zhilei) who is like Zhou Zhiruo, Miss Wang (played by Tang Yan) who is like Xiao Zhao, and the cigarette seller on Huanghe Road who is like a sweeping monk... They are so beautiful.
Narrative with non-linear structure: Without Wong Kar-Wai’s Six Senses, this story would not be possible.
Feelings of watching "Flowers": Episodes 1-2 are incomprehensible, Episodes 3-4 are not good to watch, Episodes 5-6 are really good, and Episodes 7-8 Not enough to watch, episodes 9-10 are too good. Netizens said:
"Wong Kar-wai has made me have a bad taste in dramas!"
"Is this a drama or a movie? How should others film TV dramas in the future?!"
The story of "Flowers" is not novel; It is the business war story of a young man named Abao (played by Hu Ge) who took advantage of the tide of the times and friends in the world in the early days of reform and opening up to become a prominent figure in Shanghai's business world. What is novel is Wong Kar-wai's way of telling stories, which is non-linear and resembles a multi-layered dream space.
Most dramas about reform and opening up follow the old path of rising from poverty to riches, remembering hardships and thinking about sweetness, but Abao is the "big boss" as soon as he appears on the scene. His appearance of prosperity and wealth makes people feel dislocated in time and space: this is reform. In the early stages of opening? The Republic of China? Or was it the concession period? Then, Abao Shuai got into a car accident within three seconds and his life was in danger (first level dream).
A bigger boss "Uncle" appeared beside him and firmly said that he could not die. From then on, the memories of uncle and A Bao unfolded. (Second level dream)
I thought that the story would start from the beginning, at least from the acquaintance between A Bao and his uncle. No! The life background of the uncle is temporarily hidden here, and it is only said that Abao "obtained primitive accumulation in three steps" under the guidance of the uncle.
Then, through police interrogation, the character and space lines related to Po were elicited:
1, Yellow River Route: the old boss Jin Fenghuang (played by Huang Ling), which led to the story of Po, Commander Cai, and the Qilin Club (Third Level Dream) ), the new boss Li Li leads to future stories (the fourth level dream)
2, Line 27: Miss Wang’s master "Golden Flower" (played by Wu Yue) leads to the past situation of her uncle (the fifth level dream). Miss Wang also brought up the topic of "Mr. Bao and his men" including Mr. Fan and Xiao Ningbo.
3. The route of advancing talents: Reiko brought out Mr. Bao’s internal management system and thought about the topic of “Mr. Bao and his women”.
The narrative of traditional movies generally goes through five stages: beginning, development, conflict, climax, and ending. However, the narrative in "Flowers" does not follow such a linear structure, but uses side portraits of characters and emotional extensions to lead out the story. This is simply an unrepeatable use of talent to tell stories! In other words, if you don't have Wong Kar-wai's "six senses", you can't create such a story line. Isn't this a dimensionality reduction attack? Because
is "based on the emotions of the characters", each character is very emotional.
For example: The friendship between Xiao Ningbo (played by Yu Entai) and Mr. Bao would be treated as the background in ordinary dramas, a story about a supporting character! However, "Flowers" was illuminated once on the "film" of the acquaintance between Xiao Ningbo and Mr. Bao - back then, A Bao, a "skinny Hong Kong businessman", was rejected by No. 27 and could not take root, and Xiao Ningbo was rejected by No. 27 Return the goods and jump into a river in anger.
Xiao Ningbo's life was saved by A Bao, who also took advantage of Xiao Ningbo's power to take root on the 27th. With the cooperation of Miss Wang, the two got their first order worth five million US dollars.
A Bao, who could not swim, was revived by Xiao Ningbo's artificial respiration. Before he had finished vomiting out the water in his mouth, he made an ordering gesture. You will really be infected by the spirit of the people of that era, and you can also feel it. He is bound to become "Mr. Bao", and little Ningbo is destined to become Mr. Bao's "helpful wife".
In the non-linear narrative of "Flowers", even the story lines of fourth- and fifth-line supporting characters such as the little sister-in-law and Tao Tao (played by Chen Long) can be vividly displayed.
At the intersection, a car passed by, and Tao Tao, who was distracted, hugged the little sister-in-law in Wang Jie's "Annie". sky! This is the inner turmoil and "lover culture" of married young people in the market at that time!
The application of monologue has always been Wong Kar-wai's most important artistic method.
"In 1993, a song "A Fire in Winter" burned into Nanjing Road, burning out a Chinese famous brand."
Is this kind of rhythmic, complex and minimalist, both macro and micro? Who can capture the monologue except Wong Kar-wai?
The unique atmosphere expresses the spirit of the times, and Shanghai actors create a taste of Hong Kong movies
The style of Shanghai in the 1990s, and the expressions of people, objects, and things in the movie have almost solidified the impression, but "Flowers" gave me the first This is the first time I have seen the taste of Hong Kong movies in Shanghai. is obviously a business war, but it has a bit of a spy war feel. It is obviously a drama, but it is also a fusion of Hong Kong comedy and suspense - Wong Kar-wai used a group of Shanghai actors and a mixed style to let the characteristics of an era overflow the screen.
For example, in episode 10, there is the emotional scene of Lu Meilin, the most arrogant boss lady on Yellow River Road.
The "Yellow River Road Defense War" intensifies, which leads to the "big brother" behind Lu Meilin.
Lu Meilin, Lu Meilin's husband, and the eldest brother's love debt, financial debt, and brotherly debt. Wong Kar-wai used only a few shots to allude to the vicissitudes of life of the three people. It is really the "art of leaving blank space."
The tears of the "big brother" in the car in the shadow of neon lights make people trance back to the scenes in Hong Kong movies.
There is also the scene where Commander Cai apologizes to Mr. Bao.
leaked secrets to Jin Fenghuang and framed Qilin Society, and a series of "business war" conspiracies led to Mr. Bao's death. However, he smiled away his grudges and convinced Commander Cai that he would spend "his whole life to repay" this brotherhood.
This plot is also a classic Hong Kong movie style: undercover, mole, betrayal, betrayal, redemption, and finally, the return to "everything is fate."
As soon as Chef Kim, the guest star of "Hong Kong Special Chef" Zhong Zhentao, appeared, the BGM and dialogues stirred up the excitement of Hong Kong food films.
At that moment, I seemed to understand why Wong Kar-wai liked "Flowers". He probably wanted to collide the elements of Hong Kong films with the great waves of the era of reform and opening up. Hong Kong style is Hong Kong’s unique life (urban life of Chinese and Western cultures) and a collection of cultural styles, and it has a unique style of architecture, food, fashion and lifestyle, which is also suitable for Shanghai.
There is no historical background, and the characters are established directly at the beginning. This is very Wong Kar-Wai
. There is no doubt that only a master director dares to directly establish the characters without foreshadowing.
The characters dared to stand and stood firm. In "Flowers", the audience did remember every character's characteristics.
If you compare it to the characters in Jin Yong's works, Uncle Ye is like the leading brother. As the mysterious figure behind Abao, his career mentor, and his strong emotional backing, Uncle Ye does not just hide his fame and fortune, he needs Abao as his partner to continue his legend.
Fan Zong is the comedian in "Flowers", a bit like the "Six Immortals of Peach Valley" encountered by Linghu Chong on Guangmingding.
A Bao, who has his own "women's gang", is just like Zhang Wuji, which will make people guess:
What is his favorite Li Li, who is as ambitious and strategic as Zhou Zhiruo?
Or Miss Wang, who is gentle, considerate, smart and strong like Xiao Zhao?
Or Reiko, who is both good and evil, like Zhao Min?
The "sweeping monk"-like cigarette seller on Huanghe Road is also an interesting setting.He is actually the information station on Huanghe Road. He has mastered the true emotions and motivations of the business war universe, including Mr. Bao, and even has a bit of a God's perspective. When the character line no longer extends, the cigarette seller becomes the "dark matter at the center of the business war universe" and begins to play its role, a bit like the setting of the "system text" in online novels.
The relationship between characters in Wong Kar-wai's films is like a tangled web. The lines of the characters are short but sensational, the characters are restrained but full of emotions. In the soothing but tense plot, Wong Kar-wai makes us cry with the characters, laugh with the eyes of the characters, and resonate with the characters in our hearts. Even those who come into our field of vision are only supporting characters.
What is surprising is that "Flowers" is not just a copy of Wong Kar-wai's film style. Its image style is no longer just aesthetic and sad. The post-modern lines have become less obscure and more open. It’s not just the old dreams of youth, fireworks in the world, colorful memories, sensuality and pleasure. It is probably the story of reform in the context of the times that really inspired Director Wang, making "Flowers" even more majestic and loving, like a new tree growing under the thick soil.
"Flowers", which took three years to film, made You Benchang cry, and made Hu Ge and Tang Yan misunderstood to quit the entertainment industry, finally came to fruition, allowing the audience to see a new concept and more sophisticated TV series.
