cover news reporter Li Yuxin
At the beginning of 2024, the movie "Flowers" was released, which fired the first shot for the film and television market in the new year. The play uses wonderful light and shadow to create a beautiful and swaying world from the 1990s. In this world, the all-powerful Mr. Bao in the business world is like Miss Wang from the Puxi Oriental Pearl Tower, the resolute and resolute strong woman Li Li, and the charming Reiko... various characters appear one after another, creating a flourishing scene both inside and outside the play.
"Prosperity" stills
She is what her uncle calls a "debt collector", and she is also a flexible female boss in Night City. She is also a noble lady who "lent" her fortune to A Bao (played by Hu Ge)... In the play, Ma Yili plays Lingzi, a lovely woman with a sharp mouth and a soft heart. Although in the eyes of the audience, she often quarreled with A Bao, was full of market spirit, kept money and was shrewd and capable, but because of these qualities, people were able to understand the core of Reiko's character, feel her joys and sorrows, and understand her feelings for A Bao. of affection.
"In Lingzi, I can see something very shining about Shanghai women. They are flexible and stretchy, and they also pay great attention to friendship." Ma Yili said.
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"The harder you scold Mr. Bao, the more you care about him"
"This character is really amazing." Open the first episode of "Prosperity" and you can see a restaurant full of fireworks. In the middle, Reiko, the female boss of Night Tokyo, greets all kinds of customers familiarly and warmly. She is smart and capable, and will take action promptly when Mr. Bao encounters difficulties, and handle complex interpersonal relationships appropriately; she is also well-rounded, and is generous when facing guests, making others smile with her jokes.
"When I was acting, I also thought she was very powerful, flexible and flexible, and also attached great importance to friendship. There is a relationship between her and Mr. Bao that is difficult for others to understand, because she has these qualities."
won a pair of 2 Thousand yuan of earrings, turned to Po and asked for 20,000 yuan; sold the high imitation clothes that Po had stored in the store, and pretended to be confused in front of him... In the play, Lingzi and Mr. Bao often quarreled, and always Director Wong Kar-Wai also enjoyed watching the comedic quarrel scene in which Mr. Bao was cheated of his money. "The director likes to watch Lingzi and Mr. Bao quarreling on the set. He will add fuel to the fire and let us add some funny things, just like a child."
In fact, the quarrel between the two was also Lingzi's expression of concern. a way. "Shanghai women are just like that, they don't like to say nice things. Some people have misunderstandings about Shanghai women, thinking that we like to be garrulous and arrogant. In fact, this is not the case. Sometimes we don't talk well, but instead Express it in the form of scolding. The harsher the scolding, the more caring you actually feel. It contains a kind of female self-esteem and pride."
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"I am very clear that Reiko loves A Bao deeply."
Met at In a foreign land, Lingzi lent her "luck" to Mr. Bao, hoping that he could negotiate a good business deal smoothly; back in Shanghai, Mr. Bao fulfilled Lingzi's dream and opened a nightclub for her. In the play, Mr. Bao and Reiko go from acquaintance to acquaintance and then to acquaintance. The emotions between the two are complex and difficult to explain. But because of a pair of pearl earrings, Reiko and Mr. Bao almost broke up.
"I think no one can be emotionally sober in the world. Lingzi loves Abao. I am very clear that Lingzi loves Abao deeply." Ma Yili has her own interpretation of the relationship between the two that is difficult for others to understand. In her eyes, there is a "respectability" that Shanghainese care about and value between Lingzi and Mr. Bao. "This kind of dignity is reflected in the sense of distance and security. The relationship between Lingzi and Abao is open and relaxed, and there are back and forth. Lingzi will cooperate with Abao's dignity, and Abao will fulfill Lingzi's dignity. It is a sense of order with regional characteristics."
The occurrence of the pearl earring incident made it difficult for Reiko and Mr. Bao to maintain their "respectability". But in Ma Yili's view, this break was actually the awakening of Lingzi's self-awareness. She began to understand that only by not depending on men can she gain true respect."After this, she (Lingzi) will return to Shanghai with the most decisive attitude, and truly live as the boss's wife, not as the woman behind Mr. Bao."
In the play, there is a scene where Lingzi asks A Bao to withdraw from Ye Tokyo shares , the scene of returning luck to her. In this scene, Reiko was uncharacteristically absent from her jokes and jokes about Mr. Bao. Ma Yili also recalled that the filming of that scene took a long time, and it was the only scene in which she did not yell at Mr. Bao. "Actually, the answer comes out when you don't know what to choose. Just when you want to call out to A Bao, A Bao has already turned around and left, so it's better to just miss it."
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" "Wong Kar-wai captured my most beautiful look"
The popularity of "Flowers" is inseparable from the actors' portrayal of the characters in the play, and also from director Wong Kar-wai's intention to recreate the turbulent years in Shanghai with a movie-like texture. Ma Yili said that Wong Kar-wai is a very delicate and warm-hearted person. When the work intensity is high, Ma Yili likes to eat small desserts to satisfy her hunger. Wong Kar-wai will ask the staff to prepare small desserts on the set. When she is not filming, she is habitually a little hunchback, and Wong Kar-wai will promptly remind her "Don't hunch your back, keep your chest up".
Wong Kar-Wai's warmth also made Ma Yili work harder to create the character: In order to get a good shot of a look, she filmed from 11pm to around 2am, repeatedly wearing high heels and climbing up a stool to change the light bulb. Thirty-four, and no complaints.
Although it was very hard during the filming, Ma Yili could not hide her excitement when the film was released, and said that Wong Kar-wai captured her most beautiful look, "He is a director who loves actors very much. He will continue to work hard through the work process." Get to know the actors, discover the good points about them, and the points that other directors have never seen before, and then he will ask the screenwriter to change the script to give the actors more room to display."
In addition to directing, the drama version of "Flowers" Screenwriter Qin Wen, who had previously collaborated with Ma Yili on "The First Half of My Life", met again and the two had a better understanding. "Teacher Qin Wen understands women's language and sense of language very well, and quarrels and curses are also contexts we are very familiar with." Therefore, even if she only gets the script when she goes to the scene for makeup every day, Ma Yili will still quickly follow the lines to see if she can add some new and more interesting things. Even Hu Ge, who is responsible for the whole process of being "scolded", will also join in. Among them, creating together.
Ma Yili said with a smile that Wong Kar-wai often said on the set, "If you don't perform well, you will be cut." So everyone tried their best to perform every scene they had. "When you watch the show, you will definitely be able to see the changes in our faces over time. It's not about whether there are wrinkles on our faces, but the changes in our eyes. Three years ago, our eyes were very confused. When filming was completed three years later, there was something in our eyes. Tired. I think this is in line with a process of life."
(Picture of this article is based on Jiangsu Satellite TV)
