In 2021, a special historical drama has almost changed the audience's understanding of "main theme drama".
"The Age of Awakening".
Although it is classified as a serious drama, the drama is highly watchable, with just the right suspense elements and constant bursts of inspiration, which makes young viewers unconsciously fall into the trap. The drama depicts the famous masters and patriotic young people of that era with deep and emotional feelings. The thick description has fascinated countless viewers.
After this, the main theme work started a counterattack from being left out to being popular.
However, although there have been works such as "Ideals Shine on China", "Steel Tempered" and "The Final Battle" that have been aired one after another, there has always been a lack of a major drama with a strong reputation.
Until recently, a revolutionary historical drama with a story that follows "Age of Awakening" was launched. As soon as it was launched, it caught the audience's attention - "Ask the Cangmang". The ratings of
broke 1 for the first broadcast, and then broke 1 for 12 consecutive days. As the finale approached, the series became more and more courageous, and the ratings soared to 1.4.
What’s even more explosive is word-of-mouth. Douban scored 8.6, which can be said to be a good start for Chinese dramas in 2024.
There is a lot of tap water on the Internet, encouraging the drama to get out of the circle.
drama series is definitely a great drama.
director Wang Wei has directed popular dramas such as "White Night" and "Secret and Great".
screenwriter, former deputy director of the Documentation Research Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Chen Jin + Liang Zhenhua, chief screenwriter of the TV series "Ideals Shine on China".
In terms of actors, more than 20 actors including Wang Renjun, Ning Li, Ma Shaohua, Song Jia and Baike are in charge, bringing together three generations of powerful actors, old, middle and young.
Even CCTV’s evening “News Network” spent a full 21 seconds introducing it.
However, what does the series rely on to achieve such a high reputation among similar dramas in recent years?
In terms of plot, the play tells the story of the revolutionary exploration journey of young Mao Zedong who returned from the First Congress of the Communist Party of China from 1921 to 1927. The young Mao Zedong’s entrepreneurship, growth, and path-finding are the themes and main contents of "Ask the Cangmang" .
At first, I thought this was just another ordinary revolutionary historical drama, but the more I watched it, the more excited I became.
The drama is both historical and epic, atmospheric yet down-to-earth, serious yet lively, passionate yet compassionate, tragic yet filled with the spirit of revolutionary romanticism.
The significance of "Ask the Cangmang" is that it provides a new creative method for historical themes, that is, showing big history from one person's perspective. It is not only a "history", but also a history of thoughts of great men.
It is no exaggeration to say that the drama truly captures the conscience of Chinese dramas, and this is the most important historical drama that audiences should watch right now!
01, armed uprising, encountering the 412 counter-revolutionary coup, and the ending is suspenseful and tense. Who said historical dramas are not good to watch?
Generally, when we watch traditional revolutionary historical dramas, we will always have a fixed impression: meaningful.
In other words, audiences usually silently accept dramas with this type of theme, giving priority to highlighting the historical value, followed by watchability.
But don't forget, the director of "Ask the Cangmang" is Wang Wei, who has filmed "White Night". The closer the
series comes to its finale, the more the audience can feel the tension and excitement of the battle of wits, and the anxiety and excitement of the game between the enemy and ourselves.
Starting from the 26th episode, the series has been full of big scenes. The climax of the three dramas comes one after another. The rhythm of the plot is fast and exciting, and the viewers are very happy:
The first scene is the third Shanghai armed uprising.
The drama shows the entire process of the uprising in detail: the commander-in-chief of the uprising was the young Zhou Enlai.
In the audience's impression, the uprising sequence basically involves starting with a gun.
But "Ask the Cangmang" captures the tension and overall view of the historical scene - in the secret warehouse where the uprising weapons were counted, Zhou Enlai analyzed the reasons for the failure of the first two uprisings to his comrades: the timing was wrong.
At this time, the Northern Expeditionary Army was approaching Shanghai. "We can cooperate with them internally and externally. As long as they capture Suzhou or Songjiang, we will launch an uprising.""
The next second, a newsboy appeared on the streets of Shanghai: nickname, the Northern Expeditionary Army captured Songjiang!
Then, the camera followed the newsboy's perspective and focused on Shanghai's Big Ben.
The next shot, several grenades exploded, The uprising began.
The uprising troops were fierce and quickly captured most of the enemy strongholds in the city. Zhao Shiyan led the troops to capture the South District, leaving only the North District Railway Station as the stronghold. The enemy had 2,000 troops and equipped with heavy weapons.
The original source of the uprising The planned plan was to use the heavy artillery of the Northern Expeditionary Army to blast away the enemy's firepower, but Bai Chongxi of the Northern Expeditionary Army stood still. What should he do?
Zhou Enlai made the final decision: We can only rely on ourselves, and we must capture the North Station before six o'clock!
About six o'clock that day , after more than 30 hours of bloody fighting, the uprising team conquered all the enemy's strongholds. The third armed uprising in Shanghai also became the highest peak of the development of the workers' movement during the Northern Expedition.
This section is really exciting and enjoyable to watch. Ah!
The grandeur, layout, and scenes of a historical drama are all there.
But then comes the second heartbreaking drama: Chiang Kai-shek launches the 412 counter-revolutionary coup.
Compared with filming the Shanghai workers’ armed uprising, this time, Director Wang Wei used profiling.
In total, he used a spy, a phone call, and a shot of a Shanghai street to capture the turmoil of the current situation and the cruelty of history.
A secret conversation: representatives of Shanghai business circles, When looking for Chiang Kai-shek to deal with the "workers' picket team", Chiang Kai-shek used the excuse of insufficient military expenditure, but in fact he was waiting for the other party to make an offer.
The other party immediately extended three thumbs up as a greeting gift - "300,000? ""3000000. "
Chiang Kai-shek kept silent, but he had a conclusion in his heart.
Next, there was a phone call from Soong Ching Ling, who continued Sun Yat-sen's legacy and advocated joining forces with Russia and the Communist Party.
When Chiang Kai-shek hung up the phone, everything had actually ended. It’s a foregone conclusion.
The next scene is the cruel scene of the massacred Shanghai workers lying on the streets after the April 12 counter-revolutionary coup.
Although the whole process was not filmed, Wang Wei used the lens to give the audience an immersive experience. immersive.
Chiang Kai-shek’s behind-the-scenes dealings, the internal games of the Kuomintang and our sacrifices in history were all filmed.
Finally, it was the third major scene: counterattack.
This scene was filmed and made many viewers not aware of it. Known historical details: We all know the 412 counter-revolutionary coup, but what happened after that? What kind of discussions did we have internally? How did Chen Duxiu contact Wang Jingwei of the Kuomintang to try to resolve the crisis, and why did it fail?
This is the best part of the series This is the place to watch.
And the dialogue scene between Wang Jingwei, played by Zhang Xiaolong, and Chen Duxiu, played by Ning Li, is really wonderful - "Even if there are only 3,000 people, I still advocate counterinsurgency." "
" It's just that the two regiments of Ye Ting own all the assets of Wuhan. If they are dispatched, Wuhan will be completely undefended. "
"We still have soldiers."
The next scene in the play is Mao Zedong, firing guns at the team of the Peasant Training Institute and giving a speech from a high place - "We must stand up, take up the barrel of the gun, defend Wuhan and defend the great revolution. . "
It's so burning!
The atmosphere is like a raging fire cooking oil, the rhythms are interlocking, and there is a sense of tension of an impending war.
And Wang Jingwei's sigh in the play is even more meaningful: People from the Lian Nong Lecture Center, They can all carry guns and fight. Is this run by Mao Zedong a peasant training institute or a military training institute? "
Compared with many so-called domestic dramas that are superficial, "Ask the Cangmang" only uses this one hand to firmly hook the audience. Caught the audience's attention.
Who dares to say that historical dramas are not good to watch.
02. The "History of Revolutionary Entrepreneurship" of young Mao Zedong has been filmed, and the image of Chairman Mao has a successor.
Revolutionary historical dramas are not only beautiful to watch, but also touching.
The most important soul figure of "Ask the Cangmang" is the young Mao Zedong. Only when he is filmed can the series be considered a success.
After catching up on the 30 episodes broadcast in one go, I found that "Ask the Cangmang" captured two key points.
First, it captured the "history of revolutionary entrepreneurship" of young Mao Zedong.
The drama focuses on three major events that Mao Zedong devoted himself to after returning from the First Congress of the Communist Party of China.
The first thing is to establish the Hunan Party Branch of the Communist Party of China.
The scenes in the play are full of meaning: in the deep night, in the complete silence, a beam of light illuminates the dark night, a group of people swear a passionate oath, and behind them is the party emblem illuminated by candlelight.
One day, they will fulfill all their vows, overthrow an old society, and build a new China.
The second thing is to launch the labor movement.
This scene is also very exciting. It can even be said that it is comparable to the highlight of "The Age of Awakening".
"Ask the Cangmang" does not blindly elevate the young Mao Zedong just because it depicts the great man's youth.
Instead, a scene was used to allow the audience to see the growth of young Mao Zedong.
In order to get the labor union established by Huang Ai and others to join us, Mao Zedong did the work himself.
But Huang Ai asked Mao Zedong if he had ever been a worker, saying that workers' affairs were not as simple as imagined.
In order to understand the situation of workers, Mao Zedong went to Anyuan Coal Mine for an on-site inspection.
Unexpectedly, he was heartbroken by the living conditions of the workers: working with young children, sleeping in lice beds, eating pig and dog food, and only dared to go to the mines shirtless because they only had one piece of clothing to wear.
What is even more annoying is that the mother whose husband died in the mine can only feed her young children with rotten vegetable leaves, and is rumored to be an "evil ghost".
Seeing this scene, Mao Zedong's eyes were filled with anger: Those who said she was an evil ghost were worse than evil ghosts.
This experience not only allowed the audience to see the source of Mao Zedong Thought, but also allowed us to see why Mao Zedong was able to lead an old China that was hard to return to and build a new China.
Because compared with the old warlords, who regarded human life as nothing, Chiang Kai-shek, who is the leader and the rat, regards the world as a chessboard for personal fame and fortune.
What the young Mao Zedong saw was the suffering masses. Only a leader with the people in his heart can be chosen by history and the people to achieve the great cause of epoch-making.
It was after this field trip that Mao Zedong not only promoted the labor movement, but also led the workers to launch the Anyuan Road miners' strike that shocked the country. He fought for space and forced the warlords to fully agree to the workers' demands. .
In the end, no one was hurt, no one was defeated, and the victory was complete.
The third thing is that after the Kuomintang counter-revolutionary coup, it advocated armed struggle with the enemy.
This is also the most important story content when the plot enters the ending stage. When
presents Mao Zedong's story line, the play also uses multiple narrative clues in parallel.
includes Chen Duxiu's attempt to cooperate with Wang Jingwei and his ultimate failure, as well as Chiang Kai-shek's seizure of power within the Kuomintang and his break with Soong Ching Ling at the dinner table.
There is also the indignation aroused within our party by the murder of Li Dazhao by Zhang Zuolin.
The current situation is unpredictable. Under the crisis, what choice did the young Mao Zedong make?
This is the content of the story that touches us the most.
Through these tense and relaxed stories, the growth and path of enlightenment of the great man is slowly unfolded in front of the audience.
The second key to the success of the series is that the actors played a brand-new young Mao Zedong.
Over the years, Mao Zedong's image has appeared in more than a hundred works, and actors such as Gu Yue and Tang Guoqiang have also emerged.
Before "Ask the Cangmang", among the young actors who played Mao Zedong, Wang Renjun was not the one with the highest recognition from the audience.
But his performance in "Ask the Cangmang" can be said to be completely transformed. After watching the 30 episodes of
30, I dare to say that among the actors who played Mao Zedong, he may not be the most mature in acting skills, but he is definitely the most energetic one.
And this is exactly what the series wants, not Mao Zedong who has become a great leader, but Mao Zedong on the road of growth.
Wang Renjun performed the 1921 Changsha Orange Island, swimming in the Xiangjiang River, and Mao Zedong who said boldly: "No matter how fast the water is, as long as you know its temper, you will still have a way to control it."
After performing a wonderful drama, facing the furious warlord, he led all the actors to successfully escape and came to Mao Zedong, who was playing in the river.
also performed Mao Zedong, who had a fire in his heart and a light in his eyes at that critical moment of the revolution.
This time, Wang Renjun finally performed the character with such appeal that you unconsciously follow the character into the vast land of a hundred years ago.
The character has lofty ambitions, but also has a compassionate and gentle side.
Compared with Tang Guoqiang's portrayal, Wang Renjun's performance may be a little less domineering.
brings a new interpretation.
The drama "Ask the Cangmang" is not only about what Mao Zedong did in the six years from 1921 to 1927, but also why he did these things in these six years and how he was affected by this experience. shape.
is how the young Mao Zedong completed his ideological transformation and put his actions into practice.
How was he chosen by history, the party and the people to become a leader.
Following the scenes of "Ask the Cangmang", the audience got closer to the young Mao Zedong as never before. They did not look up to Mao Zedong with a serious and aweful attitude, but looked at the growth of another young man from a young person's perspective -
Classmate Qia As a young man, why did he "ask the boundless"?
03. Giving youth to historical dramas and soul to serious dramas, "Ask the Cangmang" has created the conscience of a Chinese drama.
What is so good about "Ask the Cangmang"? Two points deserve the most attention.
The first point is that it revitalizes revolutionary historical dramas that are prone to falling into creative mode.
There are many unique innovations in "Ask the Cangmang".
Such as pictures full of meaning.
opens with Mao Zedong taking a dip in the Xiangjiang River. No one has seen him before. The sound of fishermen's songs begins, and the waves of history come rushing towards him.
The scene in Xuedou Temple is very beautiful. The uncertain face of young Chiang Kai-shek and the gloomy sky echo each other. The picture has already told a story.
When Mao Zedong went to the mine, outside the mine, people were in dire straits. Inside the mine, it was dark and cramped, like a purgatory on earth.
412 After the counter-revolutionary coup, the streets of Shanghai were filled with dark clouds, corpses strewn everywhere, and the mountains and rivers were unbearable to look at.
And when the camera showed Mao Zedong leading the workers' revolution, leading party members to swear an oath, and ascending to deliver a speech at a critical moment, although the night was dark, the warm colors gave people brightness and hope.
Another example is the drama’s use of classic poetry.
For example, "Sheep on the Hillside and Tong Tong Cares About Ancient Times" presented in the play; for example, in the Anyuan scene, the long lens scanned frames of all living beings, which reminded many viewers of Bai Juyi's "The Charcoal Seller".
Also, after the death of Mr. Li Dazhao, Mao Zedong recalled and imagined this paragraph - "Youth".
Another example is the details and fireworks in the thick history.
There is a scene where Mao Zedong takes a photo with his family.
However, in the end, there is no photo of Mao Zedong’s family of four in history.
It turns out that for safety reasons, Chairman Mao’s family of four could not take family photos. Because of this caution, until the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the Japanese army could not even find a photo of the great man.
At the end of the story, after parting ways with Itakura in 1927, Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui never met again. More than half a century later, workers rebuilt the chairman's old house in Itakura, pushed open the wall, and found a letter filling the cracks in the wall. Chairman Mao had never seen these letters until his death, and each one was filled with thoughts that Yang Kaihui could not express.
No wonder netizens on the barrage said, "When I saw this still, my eyes filled with tears and I couldn't help myself."
Also, the drama's unique portrayal of historical figures. Chen Duxiu, portrayed by
Ning Li, besides working, can also listen to operas and play mahjong.
has the arrogance of a scholar and a unique stubbornness. The only time he panics twice in the whole play is when he heard that the rescue operation of Li Dazhao failed. He was shocked at first, and then couldn't help but stammered to himself: This, Shou Chang's body No, how could he stay in jail for so long?
Once at a conference, someone heard the news that Mr. Shouchang had died, and he was stunned.
This Ningli version of Chen Duxiu is really flesh and blood.
Sun Yat-sen, played by Ma Shaohua, is also different from previous versions. Compared with the high-spiritedness in many versions, Ma Shaohua's performance this time is the aging of the character.
Because the timeline in the play is the last scene of Sun Yat-sen's life, both physically and mentally, Mr. Sun Yat-sen was already in his twilight years as a hero.
also has Tang Zeng's version of Li Dazhao, Song Jia's version of Song Qingling, Zheng Yecheng's version of Zhou Enlai, and Zhang Xiaolong's version of Wang Jingwei. Each character gives me a brand new feeling.
The so-called youth is not about age, but about vitality.
The second point is that it elevates the history in the play on a spiritual level.
While watching the drama, I couldn't help but be moved several times.
Once, the Labor Union launched a workers' strike movement. The leader of the Labor Union, Huang Pang Erjun, was taken away by the warlord late at night. "Without trial and without asking for evidence," he was beheaded in just two hours.
Before he died, Huang Pang Erjun still shouted to himself: "Great sacrifice, great success."
Another time, it was because of Jiang Xianyun, the leader of the Three Heroes of Huangpu.
It can be seen in the play that he once served as Chiang Kai-shek's secretary and was highly valued by Chiang. However, after Chiang rebelled against the revolution, he took the stage to denounce him and
resolutely resigned. Although he still received suspicion from Zhang Guotao and others and was wronged, But he resolutely joined the Northern Expedition.
In early 1927, he served as the commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army and happened to save Chiang Kai-shek's life. Jiang promised that he could be promoted to lieutenant general as long as he left our party, but he refused without hesitation, saying, "I only fight for my ideals." , do not follow individuals."
During the Northern Expedition, he unfortunately died heroically while leading his troops to charge. He was only 25 years old.
The series tells the audience time and time again: China’s revolutionary path was not obtained out of thin air, but was obtained by countless revolutionary ancestors who charged into battle.
Just as the creators said: I hope that when young people today watch this drama, they will really feel like this group of young people 100 years ago.
They have dreamed, loved, melancholy and pursued so passionately.
used their fiery ideals to ignite the light of an era.
"Questioning the Cangmang" is like a bright light, taking us back to the age of young Mao Zedong's independent and cold autumn by the Xiangjiang River. The
drama series not only restored the appearance of the prosperous years, but also presented the turbulent waves between "who is in charge?" and presented to the audience the difficult "entrepreneurial" process of young Mao Zedong on the road to revolution.
is more than enough to become a reference and role model for today’s young audiences.
In fact, every generation of young people has twists and turns, setbacks and stagnation in their lives. But take a look at what the young people of Chairman Mao’s generation did?
The road of China’s revolution is unclear, then “ask the vast land, who is responsible for the ups and downs?”
When the revolution encounters rapids, then “strike the water in the middle of the current, and the waves will stop the flying boat.”
The trend of history is the best consolation for the struggle and sacrifice of that generation of young people -
Ask the vast earth, who is responsible for the ups and downs?
The answer is: counting the famous figures, it depends on the present!
