The day before the premiere of "Flowers", Hu Ge, the starring actor, told this story in an interview:
"While filming a scene on Nanjing Road, there was a moment that suddenly took me back to my childhood.
In my memory, it was the afternoon sunset, and I saw the backs of me and my mother in that golden patch of gold. At that moment, I stood there, tears falling uncontrollably."
The follow-up to this past event is , Director Wong Kar-Wai came over, patted Hu Ge gently, and said:
"This play is to achieve eight words - deja vu, tears in the eyes."
1. A love letter to Shanghai
1969 , 17-year-old Jin Yucheng left Shanghai for the first time and went to Heilongjiang to work in farming.
When this native of Shanghai stood on the black soil of Northeast China, which is more than 2,600 kilometers away, an unprecedented feeling of homesickness suddenly surged into his heart.
In Shanghai at that time, to him, he was just a childhood sweetheart, the girl next door. When they got along day and night, he didn't have much feelings for her. Once he left, the river of longing would continue to overflow.
In 2011, 59-year-old Jin Yucheng returned to Shanghai and worked as a literary editor for most of his life on Julu Road, a place that countless literary youths yearned for.
One day, he walked through the Jing'an wet market as usual and recalled his experience of reuniting with Shanghai after being separated. An idea suddenly emerged: use the words he is good at to write about the Shanghai he knows well.
This idea is very similar to that of an infatuated man who finally mustered up the courage to write a love letter to the girl he has had a crush on for many years.
At that time, 42 years had passed since Jin Yucheng first fell in love with Shanghai.
just write whatever you want.
Soon, Jin Yucheng registered an account called "Dushang Loft" on a dialect website called "Nongtang.com". In the months after
, he has been here, recording stories unique to Shanghai in Shanghainese, writing a total of more than 300,000 words.
A year later, "Harvest" magazine published this work, and Jin Yucheng named it "Flowers". Two years later, "Flowers" was compiled into a book and officially published.
As soon as "Flowers" came out, it was hailed as "one of the best Shanghai novels and one of the best urban novels". This is why it has been able to sweep all the awards in the Chinese literary world and has been praised by many literary lovers. respected.
However, "Flowers" is really well-known to the public because it embarked on the road of film and television, and was directed by "the most romantic filmmaker in the world" Wong Kar-wai.
Wong Kar-wai is obsessed with Shanghai. Born in Shanghai, he followed his parents to Hong Kong when he was 5 years old. Since then, his understanding of Shanghai has largely come from memory and imagination.
Jin Yucheng's meticulous descriptions in the book complete the image of Shanghai in his mind.
Therefore, after reading "Flowers" in one sitting, Wong Kar-wai quickly found Jin Yucheng and bought the copyright without saying anything. After that, 10 years of preparation and filming began.
2. What is acted is a drama, what is moving is emotion
The drama version of "Flowers" attracted the attention of countless viewers as soon as it was aired.
Some people were moved by the ups and downs of Po's transformation into President Po, others were infected by Wong Kar-Wai's atmospheric aesthetic, and some were attracted by the "dazzling array" of beauties in the play.
But the most charming thing in "Flowers" must be the Shanghainese atmosphere in the Shanghainese version that makes people unable to extricate themselves.
The reason why the regional flavor in this drama is so strong is ultimately due to the expressive performances of the Shanghai actors who can be counted on one hand.
It is no exaggeration to say that watching this drama in which Jin Yucheng writes in Shanghainese, Wong Kar-wai directs in Shanghainese, and Hu Ge, Ma Yili, Tang Yan and other actors perform in Shanghainese is not like watching a play, but like watching a play. Watching a group of people live their real lives.
Unlike the original work, where stories from the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s appear alternately, the story in the TV series focuses on Shanghai in the 1990s. The
drama tells in detail how an ordinary young man, Bao, became the famous Mr. Bao amidst the changing times and his own hard work.
Ah Bao, played by Hu Ge, made his fortune from stocks and foreign trade, and became a well-known "trendsetter of the times" on the Yellow River Road.
You may say that he is a white wolf with nothing to lose, or that where there is a will, there is a way. In short, under Hu Ge's interpretation, a Shanghai young man who is wise, civilized and humane has stormed into the hearts of countless people.
In the same role, Hu Ge also played Mei Changsu in "Nirvana in Fire", but unlike Mei Changsu who remained unchanged after reading all the movies, Hu Ge in "Flowers", under the guidance of Wong Kar-wai, showed both It shows his frivolity in his early years and his maturity and sophistication in middle age.
In other words, in this drama, the Hu Ge we see is not separated, but integrated.
Especially when he is wearing a suit and speaking Shanghainese and giving advice in the business field, the feeling can only be described as "beautiful from nature".
Mr. Bao’s success is inseparable from his uncle’s guidance. In fact, it seems inappropriate to use the word “uncle” to refer to the master played by You Benchang.
Because an elderly aristocrat like him, who was all-powerful when he was young, experienced setbacks in middle age but was not disappointed, and still retains his gentlemanly charm and personal wisdom in old age, is more suitable to be described as "Old Koehler".
In Shanghai dialect, the original meaning of "Lao Kele" refers to large gems, and later it gradually became a collective name for elderly nobles.
The uncle in "Flowers" is a typical representative of "Old Koehler".
At the beginning of the episode, when he saw Abao who had finished dressing up, he was startled for a moment. After realizing that his eyes were filled with tears, he immediately closed his eyes tightly and lowered his head.
It can be seen from the choking in his throat that at this moment, he is not only seeing the transformed Mr. Bao, but also the self in his prime years ago.
In addition to his uncle, Abao's success is also inseparable from the help of two Shanghai women, one is the night Tokyo proprietress Lingzi played by Ma Yili , and the other is Miss Wang, the foreign trade clerk played by Tang Yan. Although
are both Shanghai women, their accents are completely different.
The former's words and deeds are full of magnanimity. At first glance, she looks like a low-class woman who has experienced great storms. After finally changing her life against fate, she still regards making money as the only truth in life. Even if she treats A Bao sincerely, she will inevitably make calculations at every turn.
As for Miss Wang, played by Tang Yan, it can be inferred from the school she graduated from, the place where she works, her clothes and strict tutoring, that she is a rich girl with a good background.
Therefore, she has no sense in dealing with others, and the impression she leaves on others is nothing more than being fickle, reckless, and fussy.
Because of this, many viewers attacked Tang Yan's acting skills, saying that her acting was too frivolous.
But Mr. Tomato feels that Tang Yan’s performance in the play can be regarded as the most appealing role since her debut. Under the training of the "King of Sunglasses", she really transformed a high-school girl who is not familiar with the world. , acted so well.
Ma Yili and Tang Yan are certainly eye-catching, but the most beautiful actress in the drama must be the foreign girl who parachuted onto the Yellow River Road at the beginning of the drama - Li Li .
Among the protagonists, Li Li is the only outsider and the only one who does not speak Shanghainese. However, Wong Kar-wai gave the most preference to the role played by Xin Zhilei.
From the gorgeous clothes, to the exquisite makeup, to the beautiful camera angles, Xin Zhilei, a girl from the Northeast who was originally a bit rough-looking, transformed into the most ruthless and charming boss lady on the beach in Shanghai.
It’s no wonder that the various charming boss ladies on the Yellow River Road would be jealous and embarrass her. Even the unchanging Night Tokyo boss lady Reiko had to be on guard against her at all times.
In addition to the above-mentioned leading actors, there are many actors in "Flowers" that make people shine.
Among them, there are 29 Shanghai actors including several protagonists, such as:
Zheng Kai who played a small Shanghai boss with the temperament of a Northeastern big brother;
Chen Long who played a lively seafood boss ;
Wu Yue who can be said to be directly possessed by female cadres in the 90s;
and although they are not professional actors, their acting skills can outshine many professional actors. The Internet celebrity "papi Jiang" and the model Tong Chenjie .
The former plays the role of the proprietress of a boutique shop, and she has an unconcealable sense of businessmanship all over her body.
And the manager of Zhizhen Garden played by the latter is obviously shrewd and capable in every gesture.
Of course there are also Dong Yong, Yu Entai and Yang Haoyu . These are powerful actors who come from elsewhere but are definitely in line with the flavor of the times.
Especially the Hangzhou boss played by Dong Yong in the play, he seems to be honest and arrogant, but in fact he is very thoughtful. He is simply a "combination of local and foreign" that combines stupidity, rusticity and treachery.
When these local, foreign, professional and non-professional actors worked together to depict the gorgeous scene of Shanghai in the 1990s, we finally understood:
The valuable thing about "Flowers" is that it uses the scenery of Shanghai to The people of Shanghai and the words of Shanghai made these actors feel true feelings about that long-gone time, even though they knew they were acting.
3. "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" by "Shangzhijiao"
If Jin Yucheng's "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" belongs to the whole of Shanghai, then "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" adapted by Wong Kar-Wai belongs to only one A small part of the scenery of Shanghainese.
To put it bluntly, only old Shanghainese who have lived in "Shangzhijiao" can resonate with the ten-mile foreign market in the drama version of "Flowers".
In the whole of Shanghai, in addition to the rich people in the upper corner, there are also the poor people in the lower corner, and there are also people in the middle corner who "cannot afford to live in the upper corner, but look down on the lower corner."
This is why many people will criticize the drama version of "Flowers" for being too gorgeous and unrealistic, because not every Shanghainese lives in "Shangzhijiao".
The bright and distorted neon signs in the drama are actually copied one-to-one from real hotels in the 1990s.
Li Li's Zhizhenyuan opened on Huanghe Road. Although this restaurant does not exist in reality, it can be seen from the grand scene when it opened that it was fictionalized based on Mosshengyuan Restaurant.
In addition to the splendid restaurants on Yellow River Road, Lingzi's Night Tokyo Restaurant on Jinxian Road, the foreign trade company where Ms. Wang works at No. 27 on the Bund, and the Peace Hotel, which can support Po's reputation.
These places outline the modern scene of "Shangzhijiao" in the 1990s, and also form the audience's prosperous imagination of "Shangzhijiao" in the 1990s.
But the most fascinating thing in "Flowers" is not these lively places, but the people who appear and what happens in these places.
With these, "Shangzhijiao" has a human touch, and "Shangzhijiao"'s "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" can truly stand out in the minds of the audience.
4. The familiar "flavor" of the Wong family
As Wong Kar-wai's first TV series, we can easily see many shadows of his previous film works in "Flowers".
For example, Xin Zhilei who appeared at the gate of Zhizhen Garden is just like Brigitte Lin who escaped directly from "Chongqing Express". The two of them are exactly the same person in every gesture.
For another example, You Benchang, who frequently comes up with famous quotes as soon as he appears, is quite similar to Zhao Benshan in "The Grandmaster".
And the stares between Li Li and Abao that can be heard from across the street are very similar to the ultimate ambiguity between Chow Mo-wan and Su Lizhen in "In the Mood for Love".
Not only the comparison of characters, but also the use of transition subtitles and the quotation of documentary clips can be found in his previous works for reference.
Of course, these similarities alone cannot match Wong Kar-Wai's unique romantic style.
Sophisticated lighting, clever shots, and ingenious editing are the fundamental reasons why "Flowers" can be directly linked to Wong Kar-Wai.
It is precisely because of this unique "flavor" that belongs to Wong Kar-Wai that the texture of "Flowers" can be so high-end, and the Shanghai in "Flowers" can be so moving.
Conclusion: The Lost Old Dream on the Sea
After the publication of "Flowers", someone once asked Jin Yucheng the meaning of the title of this book. He said:
Blossoms are like little stars with strong vitality, like the twinkling lights on a tree. The little lamps, one is on and the other is dark, this is the smell.
Many people connected his answer with the fate of the characters in the book, lamenting that those characters are like little flowers, blowing by the spring breeze of the times, some withered and some bloomed.
But in fact, Jin Yucheng also made it clear in the collection of essays "The Age of Shuffling" that records life in Shanghai that the reason "Flowers" is called "Flowers" is because of Shanghai's unique housing form.
Here, old and new houses are intertwined, which looks like a scene of blooming flowers.
So, in the final analysis, "Flowers" only uses people's affairs to describe his feelings for the place. The tenacity of the characters largely comes from the broadness of the place itself.
's drama version of "Flowers" casts a thick layer of time filter over Shanghai in the 1990s. When watching it, you will feel like you have seen it before, and you will feel that your old dreams have passed away.
Fortunately, after years of changes, Shanghai is still active on the stage of the times. When everyone is overwhelmed, they will remind us with gentle and mellow words: everything that seems familiar and brings tears to the eyes, and Not a dream.
(Movie Rotten Tomatoes Editorial Department: Zihan)
