The wait is finally here, "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty"!
is adapted from the classic mystery novel of the same name by the Dutch novelist Gaulop.
Even the screenwriter of "The Strange Stories of the Tang Dynasty" wrote in support: "I am a fan of Gao Luopei, and I like the Red Pavilion, Four Painted Screens, and Chaoyun Temple the most... There is a place in the book called Beizhou. But, I remember it as He came to Nanzhou. He wrote three Nanzhou stories: Huangmei Sha, Stone Bridge Picture, and Hall of All Living Beings. This is also the origin of the name Nanzhou in Tang Dynasty."
In 1969, six episodes of the British drama "Di Renjie" were produced in the UK. A foreigner plays Dee Renjie.
The 1987 and 1996 Sun Chengzheng (Ma Changyu) versions of "The Legend of Di Renjie" are still regarded as classics by old audiences. The classic chapters Ziguang Temple and Chaoyun Temple still make people feel scared when they look back now.
In 2004, "Detective Detective Dee" directed by Qian Yanqiu reached the pinnacle of Detective Dee dramas.
The image of Di Pangpang and the crime-solving duo with Yuan Fang constitute memories for generations. Unfortunately, the trio later disbanded, and the Detective series was unable to succeed.
Since then, the Detective Dee series of films directed by Tsui Hark completely subverted Dee Renjie's image.
Fantasy martial arts, detective reasoning, filmed Detective Dee as a peerless master, and inadvertently created a model of Detective Dee's fantasy film.
Dozens of Internet majors have entered the game one after another, and a "Di Renjie Internet Universe" has unfolded, but the quality is uneven and the casting is unsatisfactory.
Until this "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" was launched on the eighth prime time of the Central Television last night.
brings together Zhou Yiwei , Wang Likun , Zhong Chuxi, Zhang Jiayi , Zhang Ruoyun , Zhang Zijian, You Yongzhi, Ji Ta, Li Chen, Liu Duanduan, Yu Ailei, Zhang Xilin, Yin Xiaotian, He Zhonghua and other dozens of powerful people.
set a historical record for reservations on the cool site before it even started airing, and at the same time, Netflix bought the copyright. To say it is highly anticipated is an understatement.
The higher the expectations, the higher the popularity. The ratings of
easily exceeded 1 as soon as the series was launched, and it eventually took over the ratings of "South and North". During the sub-prime time of CCTV, also after the shutdown wave came, it scored a good 1.2% of the ratings.
Judging from its popularity, it is already a definite "winner of new dramas", but can its quality sustain this popularity for 32 episodes?
After catching up on four episodes overnight, I can say: "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" is a retro and renovation of a classic.
is a detective from the Tang Dynasty that viewers remember, who not only knew how to solve crimes, but also knew martial arts. The addition of two Hollywood screenwriters also gave the series an American drama feel.
But, is it worth pursuing?
To be honest, it’s a bit hard to describe.
has some highlights and some surprises, don’t complain, let’s check the goods together!
Let's talk about the three major highlights first -
1. The rhythm is smooth, the suspenseful atmosphere is sufficient, and the Chinese aesthetics are exquisite. The three major highlights are carefully
When you watch "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty", of course it is a suspense investigation in ancient costumes. The
drama series adopts the unit drama model. The 32 episodes include 9 cases: Phoenix Seal Case, Screen Case, Golden Case, Empty Gourd, Legend of the Rain Master, Desert Chase, Red Pavilion, Skylark Chirping, and Chaoyun Library.
This is also the first highlight of "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty": strong rhythm and strong reasoning.
The story opens with Di Renjie putting down his chamber pot, drinking mutton soup and eating biscuits. From the dewy locust flower on Hong Liang's head, it was judged that he had gone to the Imperial College in the morning.
Then the police surrounded the inn that was full of students taking science exams.
Because the Dongshi Pearl was stolen, and according to the person who collected the stolen goods, the thieves and stolen goods were hidden in this inn.
The headhunter wants to take away all the residents for interrogation, but this will inevitably affect the candidates who are rushing to take the exam tomorrow.
Di Renjie put down the mutton soup and got up to investigate the case.
first deduced the identity information of the tenants one by one based on his observations of staying in the inn for many days.
Finally, a thief who calls himself Mr. Accountant is discovered. The pearl should be hidden in his abacus.
But after a search, the pearl was on the innkeeper's abacus.
Arrested the wrong person?
Reasoning and investigation lie in the details.
Two abacus, one is covered with grease and dirt, the other is as clean as new.
Someone dropped the package.
This scene not only brought out the background of the series concisely and efficiently, but also completed the introduction of Di Renjie's skill and resourcefulness.
But this is just an appetizer. Next, the story starts two main lines: one is the strange case, and the other is Di Renjie’s growth line. Living in Chang’an City of the Tang Dynasty, in addition to the case itself, he also has to face the complex current situation and unpredictability. people's hearts.
The energy of a costume suspense drama came on instantly.
The second highlight: It has a strong sense of suspense and sufficient plotting.
The source of attraction of Dee Renjie's drama is of course suspense.
director Li Yunliang has directed the Douban 8.0 drama version of "The Wind".
A major feature of the show is that it will lay many hooks to attract the audience to continue watching until the puzzle is solved.
No, "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" has just begun, and the director has already taken action.
has just 4 episodes, two foreshadowings and three hooks, which makes people have to follow it. It is quite enjoyable.
The first hook, Skyfire.
This is the real first case in the whole drama, "The Phoenix Seal Case", which establishes the interlocking suspense style of the drama.
The Phoenix Seal was stolen, and the Heavenly Fire came to the world.
Empress Wu's favorite sycamore tree, the prized technical troupe and even the farmhouse where she raised silkworms were all destroyed.
tiansend? What does this have to do with Di Renjie, who was still a commoner?
Because of a "sky fire", the Ju Shui Tower where Di Renjie and his old friends gathered for drinking burned down. Nine out of ten people died, leaving only Di Renjie alive. If it weren't for Mr. Di Renjie played by Zhang Jiayi and the important minister Wei Wuji who acted as guarantee, Di Renjie had to get involved in the case on the spot.
Now, Tianhuo, must be checked.
A series of connections from heavenly fire led to the theft of the Phoenix Seal, and they peeled off the cocoon along the way, and finally converged on Empress Wu's new policy. The power struggle, the conspiracy in the court, and the complex people's hearts were all burned out.
The second hook is the Chao Bureau. A major feature of the
drama series is that it incorporates a large number of temple intrigues and secret battles.
The reason why the Phoenix Seal was stolen affected both the government and the public was that Wu Zetian had not yet proclaimed himself emperor at that time. This was the period of the Two Saints in the history of the Tang Dynasty.
The emperor and the empress were in the same dynasty, and Empress Wu's new policies touched the interests of the family members. The government and the opposition were divided into two factions, and the representative of the backward faction was none other than Changsun Qing.
Skyfire case, is it related to him?
The atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty was turbulent. If Di Renjie wanted to investigate the case, he would inevitably fall into the whirlpool of power.
It happened to be that Chang Sunqing was performing in the street.
Di Renjie took advantage of the situation and set up a plan. From the burning of sycamore trees, the burning of Jushui towers, and the burning of sericulture farmers, he predicted that the next sky fire event would be related to the surname list compiled by Empress Wu, and deliberately launched an attack: "If the sky fire no longer causes trouble, There is no heavenly fire at all, everything is man-made."
But this time, his teacher, Wei Wuji, who edited the surname list, was brought into danger.
The third hook is serial killing.
In the play, Di Renjie pays attention to empirical reasoning.
A "sky fire" broke out inside Ju Shui Tower for no reason. When he found coptis from the mouth of his old friend's wine pot, he laid a clue.
If Heavenly Fire is Human Fire, then this person must be extremely familiar with the drinking habits of his old friend.
This leads to three levels of reversal, suspicion, and constant change.
A confidant general who was supported by Changsun Qing from Empress Wu's side.
to Changsun Qing, who strives to dethrone and occupy a high position.
and then to Wei Wuji, who rescued him many times but was full of doubts.
4 episode, the director buried clues almost everywhere, every plot and every character dug holes for the story behind.
At this point, the suspense flavor of the series has been exhausted.
has wonderful hooks and enjoyable foreshadowing.
The first foreshadowing is the "fight between gods".
There is a scene in the play where Di Renjie finds a flaw in Tianhuo. The seemingly dim and incompetent Jing Zhaoyin pretends to wipe his sweat and secretly mentions: You can't investigate this case, the gods are fighting.
A good sentence about the fight between gods.
The case is difficult to investigate. The root cause lies in the struggle between the important officials of the imperial court and the current emperor and queen, and the nameless Di Renjie is just a pawn accidentally involved in it.
The second foreshadowing is the record of Empress Wu’s surname.
In history, Di Renjie rose from official to prime minister in the period of Empress Wu, and he stood firm in the turbulent court situation. A major foreshadowing of the
drama series is how the young Di Renjie met and was recognized by Empress Wu, and was even cultivated and trained by Empress Wu.
What started all this was actually the "Record of Surnames" that his old friend He Dajing mentioned to him. He Dajing died in the flames; Wei Wuji, who edited the "Record of Surnames", also did not die well.
This "Record of Surnames", which is related to the distribution of power in the Tang Dynasty, should appear again, and will directly lead to the finale of the whole drama, the conspiracy layout that affects the fate of the Tang Dynasty.
The third highlight: meticulous workmanship and uncompromising Chinese aesthetics
The popularity of "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an" in 2019 set a standard for the aesthetics of Tang Dynasty dramas.
"The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" undoubtedly continues this standard in creating a cinematic feel such as scenes and shots.
's few random strokes when solving the case at the beginning outline the various aspects of the market under the prosperous Tang Dynasty, which were prosperous and compatible with both Hu and Han.
At night in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Chang'an was still brightly lit, full of pedestrians, and the people were safe and secure. It was worthy of being the top metropolis in the world back then. The
drama series not only presents the prosperous style of Chang'an City, but also the ancient ships in the sea and the desert landscape of the Western Regions are equally grand, magnificent and strange.
In the intertwining of strange emotions, the whole drama implements Chinese aesthetics and charm. The texture of the picture is simple and beautiful, and the night scenes, such as the shadows of bean-like candles in the pitch black, have an ancient charm.
The costumes in the whole drama are exquisite, and the Tang-style beauties played by Zhong Chuxi, Wang Likun, and Chen Duling are all beautiful. There is a scene where Cao An, played by Wang Likun, is wearing an embroidered white dress, holding a pipa in his arms, and walking across a small bridge. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is a beauty in the painting.
The overall aesthetic style of the series really shows the implicit and blank meaning of the Chinese style aesthetic.
For example, there is a scene where Wei Wuji is telling Di Renjie about the court involvement behind the case. The two of them walk all the way to the high cabinet.
The language of the camera implies that it is exactly the current situation of Wei Wuji and Di Renjie: the higher one goes, the more he sees things. The clearer we get, the more scruples and constraints there will be.
Chinese aesthetics, combined with the thrilling suspense and bizarre cases of the whole drama, are intertwined to create a strange and suffocating atmosphere.
After watching four episodes, "The Case of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty" is still serious enough at least in terms of its creative attitude, and there is no fooling around. However, taking the drama seriously does not mean that the drama has no regrets.
2. The "magic modification" of characters and plot, two regrets that put people in a dilemma
Although it is still a familiar formula of ancient costume suspense dramas, compared to "Detective Di Renjie", "The Case of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty" is less lovable. a bit.
The biggest regret is that the main characters such as Di Renjie have been adapted too much.
Di Renjie was not only a famous official in the Tang Dynasty, but also a detective in the hearts of many viewers.
In the 1987 drama version of "The Legend of Detective Dee", Sun Chengzheng's literary version of Detective Dee should be said to be the most wonderful restoration of Dee Renjie in the original work. He is gentle, elegant, calm and generous.
Liang Guanhua's Detective Dee jumped out of the original work, and the image of the wise and steady Dee Renjie is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Andy Lau and Zhao Youting under the lens of Tsui Hark, although their characters have been greatly changed, they both have the etiquette, justice and humility in Chinese culture, and their temperaments are still in line with the audience's image of Judge Dee.
And the new version of Dee Renjie in Yiwei has too many changes.
From catching a thief in the inn, to the fire case to the Phoenix Seal case, Di Renjie in the play not only has meticulous insight and hard-core reasoning ability, but also can be regarded as the ceiling of the show's force.
Zhou Yiwei's fighting scenes are indeed pretty good, but Di Renjie, who is so capable of fighting, is more like a young ranger who enjoys revenge. Compared to Di Renjie, he is more like a high-IQ version of Li Yuanfang.
Zhou Yiwei works hard to perform a unique tone and straightforward humor, such as interceding for deserters and helping poor scholars, and he is free and uninhibited.
After some experience, in the imperial examination room, he wrote -
Those who change the new, replace the old with the new.
depends on its purpose and its means.
At that time, the New Deal was coming, and every time the law was used to facilitate the people, the people relied on the law for peace.
This also marks the completion of the first round of growth of the character and the beginning of getting closer to Di Renjie in the hearts of the audience.
I think Zhou Yiwei's performance has his own ideas, which is to get closer to the Di Renjie in the audience's heart step by step, and to achieve changes in the character.
But such a change in personality is still too big. And Zhou Yiwei's performance still has too many traces of "Xiu Chun Dao" and "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an".
The final result is that this is probably not the Dee Renjie the audience thinks of.
On the other hand, Zhong Chuxi’s version of Empress Wu is more in line with the audience’s expectations than expected, and she performed the imperial dignity and machinist wisdom.
As for the three members of the "Detective Team", the character changes are not pleasing enough. It is okay for the loyal servant Hong Liang to be like a master and a father, but there is no need to be too daddy; the original characters of the guards Qiao Tai and Ma Rong are quite stable, and Wang Weinian and Geng Mengcheng's version has a high degree of restoration.
Let’s not talk about Ma Rong’s “sexual transformation” now. The key point is that the character of the Western Ranger is too unruly and there is no need to change it.
When the character design does not meet expectations, the embarrassment of the acting will be magnified.
Second, the plot has been changed too much, and the original plot is sometimes confusing.
The reason why the original work of "The Case of Emperor Di of the Tang Dynasty" is popular in Europe and America is that Gao Luopei used the narrative technique of European detective novels to tell the story of the Chinese case. In addition, Gao Luopei had extremely high attainments in sinology, solid academic work and rich writing. The style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
If it is restored one to one, even if young viewers may find it a bit dull, the essence of the series is still enough to watch.
The current situation is that the screenwriter has made a big move. The original work "The Pearl Case", which fully demonstrated Di Renjie's reasoning ability, detailed observation and political wisdom, was used as the introduction at the beginning of the first episode.
Forget it.
The issue is the focus of the original work. It is the secular human nature of the world, but the drama version adds too many elements of court intrigue.
plus the original plot will inevitably have flaws.
Fans of the original work will definitely be affected, and ordinary viewers will also find the plot bland.
As a fan of the original work and "Detective Di Renjie" and the drama, perhaps because of too high expectations, I feel that the new plot of "The Case of Di Renjie" is not as good as the old one. However, the problem of plot adaptation exists objectively.
Our classic adaptation, why can’t we restore the original work as faithfully as possible like "The Three-Body Problem"?
3. Surprises and regrets coexist. Is "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" still worth looking forward to?
Of course, "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" is not without surprises.
Currently, there are two biggest surprises.
The first one is based on strong suspense, but the drama also takes into account the weight of historical drama.
Although the plot design is not perfect, the story does implement a strong reasoning style. Di Renjie investigates the case all the way and determines that the woman is from the palace through the decoration on the dead woman's clothes; based on the workmanship and smell of the sachet she carried with her , and guessed that her true identity was Empress Wu's maid.
This method of investigating, starting from the details, is the foundation of Detective Dee's drama.
In addition, the series also incorporates many contents such as the judiciary, court affairs, and criminal law of the Tang Dynasty. For example, the changes in the court during the same dynasty between the emperors and empresses of the Tang Dynasty show the complexity and changes of human nature in history.
Although the original plot is far from perfect, many lines are written with full meaning, such as "There is no ghost, no truth, it is all a struggle for power."
"Some things, you can see, because someone wants to You see."
"I have endured hardship for decades in a cold window, and I have written in order to enter a high school."
These sentences all bring out the flavor of a historical drama.
The second one is Zhang Jiayi, who plays the second male lead Wei Wuji in the play. Although
ranks second in the cast list, this character was actually discontinued in the fourth episode.
But the mastermind of the opening case still left a deep impression on me.
He was Di Renjie's mentor and a loyal minister in the court. He was upright and clear-minded, resourceful and knowledgeable, so he was given the important task of presiding over the compilation of the "Record of Surnames" by Empress Wu.
But because he opposed women in power, he created rumors of "Sky Fire" and even sacrificed the names of his beloved disciples and subordinates.
Zhang Jiayi played this role with full weight, sympathy and lamentation.
Especially the character's ending, when he suddenly touched his hands and stunned Di Renjie with blazing flames.
Zhang Jiayi in this scene fully demonstrated the darkness of human nature and subverted his past screen image.
Zhang Jiayi's performance was so wonderful that I was even a little reluctant to let this villain go offline.
However, the supporting roles are too eye-catching, which in turn reflects that Zhou Yiwei's character creation needs more work.
In fact, the audience's current doubts about the series mainly come from Zhu Yuxian, especially Liang Guanhua's version of Detective Dee's series, one or two of which are too classic.
But in fact, such ancient costume suspense classics have not been seen again for many years.
In a sense, "Tang Dynasty Strange Stories" written by Wei Shuhua, a big fan of the original work, is an original work, but it is the best domestic costume suspense drama in recent years that can perfectly inherit the essence of the original work.
The film and television adaptation of the classic is destined to be a pity.
But within the existing scope, telling the original work in the most exciting story is the only way to respect the original work.
We are not afraid of deletions, but we are afraid of the creator letting himself go.
In fact, the audience's expectations for Detective Dee's drama are very simple.
just hopes to restore Judge Dee to what the audience thinks he is.
I hope that the famous detective from the Tang Dynasty who once wrote, "It takes an inch of my life to break my heart, but it will cost me a lot of time to guess. Life or death depends on me, I don't have to be cautious." will return as authentically as possible.
He should not be the Western 007 or Sherlock Holmes, but the Di Renjie of the Tang Dynasty in China.
And when the costume detective is explored to the end, what is actually explored is the human heart.
Perhaps such a request is still too extravagant for today's Chinese drama environment.
