In 2001, as soon as a large-scale historical period drama was broadcast on CCTV, it overwhelmed the screen and triggered a wave of drama-watching frenzy. It is no exaggeration to say that everyone from middle-aged to old people to young people are deeply attracted by this drama and cannot stop following it.
This drama is the phenomenon-level drama "The Mansion Gate" of the era.
In the end, "The Mansion Gate" became the drama king of the year with a high score of 9.4, and became another classic work in the history of mainland TV dramas worth watching again and again.
Now 20 years have passed, the TV drama market has become more and more prosperous, but in the field of historical period dramas, there is no such good drama as "The Mansion Gate". "The Mansion Gate" seems to be the last one.
Don't worry, on the evening of March 5th, Beijing Satellite TV's Quality Theater started broadcasting a large-scale historical period drama " Xuanwumen ". This drama starred Siqin Gaowa , Zhang Fengyi , Li Chengru, Ren Zhong and others. Once it was aired, it ranked second in the country in satellite TV ratings, close to the number one "South" "Come to the north".
So what is the standard of this historical period drama "Xuanwumen", and can it be comparable to the hit drama "The Mansion Gate"? After catching up on six episodes in one go, Qiqi had the answer in her heart.
1. The opening of the three lines is unfolding, which is what a masterpiece should look like.
In terms of narrative method, this drama uses three lines at the beginning, which pave the way for the subsequent huge content structure.
The first line is the missing line of the national treasure jade pomegranate.
At the beginning of the series, the protagonist Li Tianshun's ancestor Li Yunmian, as a palace jade craftsman, carved a rare and beautiful jade for the Qing court. This jade comes from the Kunlun Mountains. It is said that whoever has it in its hands can dominate the world. Li Yunmian carved the jade into a jade pomegranate and presented it to the Qing court.
Because of this legend, the journey of transporting jade and pomegranates from the Chengde Summer Resort to the capital was a bloody storm. In the rivers and lakes, in the government and in the public, a large number of people came from all directions to snatch this piece of jade and pomegranate. It can be said that the road transporting jade pomegranates from the Chengde Summer Resort to the capital was paved with countless blood.
Who would have known that a treasure that the Queen Mother and Lafayette valued so much would have disappeared in the Forbidden City where the monks were strictly guarding it. The clue
is quite legendary and can particularly arouse the interest of the audience.
The second one is the personal destiny of the male protagonist Li Tianshun.
Li Tianshun was originally a small jade craftsman in the Qing court. He relied on his craftsmanship to survive in the treacherous palace confinement of Boyun. Unexpectedly, one day the jade and pomegranate carved by his ancestors disappeared from his hands, and Li Tianshun was immediately faced with the danger of death.
On this side, Li Tianshun had just been saved by Pu Lanting, the Lord of Baylor, and met the love of his life - Huang Hexiang on the way to escort.
The two fell in love with each other when they first met, but who knew that this relationship would be so bumpy. So much so that the two faced prison time and again because of this relationship, and even life and death dangers. Later, the Qing Dynasty fell, and the situation changed drastically again and again. Li Tianshun's fate, like a leaf in the huge waves, also changed with the changes of history, and became more ups and downs.
The third one is a hidden line, using the corruption of the Qing court to reveal the coming great changes.
As can be seen in the play, the officialdom in the late Qing Dynasty was extremely dark. As long as someone is willing to pay, the yamen will help you disregard human life and confuse right and wrong. Among them, the experience of the heroine Huang Hexiang illustrates this point. Huang Hexiang's beauty attracted many men to covet her. Among them, Wang Tongren, a wealthy and powerful man in Lao Cai, fell in love with Huang Hexiang and paid the government to arrest her on any arbitrary charge. Then he ran out to "hero save the beauty" in order to win Huang Hexiang's heart.
Also, in the clear day and in the clear, the government does not arrest the traffickers, but helps the traffickers to catch the abducted women. It is really confusing right and wrong, and it is the ultimate in ignorance of right and wrong.
From these cases, we can see how decadent and dark the Qing court was at that time.
And the words Cixi often said directly foreshadowed the imminent fall of the Qing Dynasty.
This sentence is: "How come the Qing Dynasty has reached this point, but there is no Optimus Prime?"
This clue is obviously to pave the way for the subsequent historical turmoil and the great changes of the times.
As a masterpiece that spans a hundred years, "Xuanwumen" uses three parallel lines to unfold the narrative from the beginning. It can be said that it does look like a magnificent masterpiece.
2, cast: Siqin Gaowa + Zhang Fengyi + Li Chengru + Ren Zhong + a group of talented actors, it can be said to be a strong lineup.
In terms of cast, "Xuanwumen" brings together Siqin Gaowa, Zhang Fengyi, Li Chengru, Ren Zhong. There are no less than 20 powerful actors including Tong Lei, , and Li Jinrong. It can be said that the lineup is strong.
ranked first, Siqin Gaowa.
Veteran drama star Siqin Gaowa has created numerous classic roles since her debut. Among them, the most well-known ones should be Xiaozhuang in "Kangxi Dynasty" and Bai Wenshi in "The Gate of the Great House".
"大之门"
In "Xuanwu Gate", 74-year-old Siqin Gaowa plays Cixi in her later years. I have to say that the director's casting is indeed apt. The veteran actor is very close to Cixi in her later years, both in terms of age and aura.
ranked second, Zhang Fengyi.
66-year-old Zhang Fengyi is an experienced actor and a national first-class actor. Since his debut, he has appeared in countless classic TV series. Among his early works, the ones that impressed me most were "Farewell My Concubine" and "Peace Era".
In "Xuanwumen", Zhang Fengyi plays the father of the male protagonist Li Tianshun.
The third place is Li Chengru.
From the unforgettable mental patient in the movie "Big Shot" to the explosive breakout in "Director Please Take Your Place", veteran actor Li Chengru has become more and more popular in recent years.
In the CCTV family emotional drama "Fireworks", which just concluded a while ago, Li Chengru plays the role of Li Chengzhi, the eldest son-in-law of the Meng family, which is also impressive.
In "Xuanwumen", Li Chengru plays Ronglu, Cixi's personal official. With his shrewdness and shrewdness, it is no wonder that he became the most trusted minister around Cixi in his later years.
is fourth and has a heavy responsibility.
Ren Zhong has developed very solidly over the years, and has performed wonderfully in the hit dramas "That Year the Flowers Bloomed and the Moon Was Full", "The Defense of Marriage" and "The Wind Blowing Pinellia".
In "Xuanwumen", Ren Zhong plays the male lead Li Tianshun, a young palace jade craftsman. He was a bit impulsive and reckless when he was young, but after going through a series of great changes, he gradually grew up.
fifth place, Tong Lei.
43-year-old Tong Lei has a kind of beauty that has accumulated over time. Her roles as Zhuo Lin in "Breaking East", Empress Xuan in "Brilliant Star", and Qing Ji in "Acquaintance with the King" all impressed the audience.
"Brilliant Stars"
In "Xuanwumen", Tong Lei played the leading female lead Huang Hexiang, who was also Li Tianshun's sweetheart who fell in love with him at first sight. Unfortunately, although the two of them had each other in their hearts, due to some strange combination of circumstances, they could not be together in the end.
ranked sixth, Wang Zijian .
Wang Zijian, a cross talk actor, has also appeared in many classic roles. Zhang Zhi in "Only Thirty" and Charlie in the Republic of China drama "The Light" are both very recognizable.
"Light" Zhang Zhi
In "Xuanwumen", Wang Zijian plays Pu Lanting, Lord Baylor, and is also the nobleman of the male protagonist Li Tianshun. He helped and supported Li Tianshun all the way, and even almost got himself involved many times in order to save the male protagonist.
ranked seventh, Li Yixiao.
is Dugu Mantuo in " Dugu Tianxia " and Zhu Manniang in "Know or Not".
"Dugu Tianxia"
In "Xuanwumen", Li Yixiao plays the tea-like second female lead Wu Xiuzhen. The only good thing about this character is that she loves Li Tianshun deeply.
In addition to the seven actors mentioned above, this drama also has powerful actors such as Li Jinrong, Yu Bin, Zhao Yi, Wang Jinsheng, Bai Fan, Liang Li, Zhou Xiaoli, Sun Tie, Ding Yujia, Zhao Xinyi and others joining the cast. Qiqi counted roughly and found that there are no less than 20 talented actors, and the lineup is quite strong.
3, three highlights, has shown the strength of a hit drama, another dark horse of the year?
Judging from the episodes currently aired, this "Xuanwumen" has at least three major highlights.
The first one spans a hundred years of history and is magnificent and profound.
The drama begins in the late period of Cixi, and the modern history of one hundred years will slowly unfold in this historical picture.
The Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded,
The Republic of China,
The Anti-Japanese War broke out,
The historical picture of more than 100 years was condensed into a drama, with magnificent momentum and grand scenes, it can be regarded as an epic masterpiece.
The second one is to see the big from the small, which makes people feel particularly involved.
Although it tells the history of more than a hundred years from the late Qing Dynasty to modern times, this drama chooses to start with a minor character, the palace jade craftsman Li Tianshun, and show the historical changes through the ups and downs of Li Tianshun's life. It can be said that it is based on a minor character. Seeing the big picture makes it easy for the audience to get involved.
The torrent of history is intertwined with the fate of ordinary people. We can not only see the struggle and helplessness of ordinary little people in the torrent of the times, but also reflect the ups and downs of the torrent of the times through the ups and downs of the fate of the little people in the great changes.
The third one is full of Beijing flavor.
I have to say that, as the name suggests, this drama is full of Beijing flavor.
Whether it is the lines of the characters in the play, or the background setting of the play - the old streets of Beijing, and the authentic old Beijing neighborhoods, they are all full of Beijing flavor.
Even the words of Empress Dowager Cixi have a Beijing flavor, which can be said to be quite close to history.
Of course, if you want to talk about the problem, it is quite obvious in this drama.
The first one, because it was filmed in 2017. Looking at it today, some plot settings seem a bit old-fashioned. For example, the scene where many men snatch a foreign girl, and the scene where the opera singer Da Dezi asks Cixi for a marriage in order to save the heroine, all seem a bit cliché.
Secondly, although it is a historical drama with a very long span of time, the first three episodes almost all revolve around a woman and the emotional entanglements of the male protagonist Li Tianshun, which is a bit too boring.
The third one is the character of the male protagonist. Although Li Tianshun is the leading male protagonist, full of skills and courage, some aspects of this character's personality are still a bit unacceptable. He acted impulsively and without regard for the consequences. He broke into the palace confinement many times for trivial matters. He was imprisoned several times without telling anyone, and he often had to implicate others. This character is really hard to like.
Maybe the series wants to show the gradual growth of the characters in the historical storm, but such an initial character design still somewhat affects the audience's perception of the protagonist.
Going back to the question at the beginning of the article, can "Xuanwumen" with its strong cast and good first-run results be comparable to "The Mansion Gate" and become the next historical period drama classic?
Qiqi believes that judging from the episodes currently aired, it is still difficult for "Xuanwumen" to compete with "The Great House Gate". However, as a historical period drama with a very large time span, the level of the series' level may not be determined until all the series are aired.
