In 2002, a special spy war drama almost changed the audience's understanding of the word "spy war".
It's called "The Oath is Silent". The
drama tells the story of the national police protecting submarine experts from being persecuted by spies in the 1960s.
Although it belongs to the "spy war" genre, the play is more about the deep and emotional descriptions of the public security officers and patriotic youths of that era, which is a profile of the entire era.
The right suspense elements and the constant reversal of inspiration have even made the "spy war" genre move closer from the traditional "catch undercover" mode before the founding of the People's Republic of China to the "anti-special" mode after the founding of the People's Republic of China.
However, due to the more specific nature of the subject matter, the creative space of this kind of "anti-special drama" was once restricted.
Since then, "Insidious", "Before Dawn", "Kite" and other new films have emerged, and "anti-special dramas" have also lost their luster under the siege of classic traditional spy dramas one after another.
Today, 20 years later, another "anti-special" drama with almost the same story background has caught the audience's attention.
- "Thrush"
is also an expert in protecting returnees. They are also based on the times, positioned on emotions, and endorse the feelings of home and country.
This drama is destined to be different.
Eight CCTV channels were launched, with a ratings of 2.88% and a market share of 9.5%, ranking first among all channels for two consecutive days.
Is it the aging of old wine in new bottles, or the surprise of new wine in old bottles?
After 20 years, if the same anti-special theme is used in "Thrush", how can it be different?
Brother Pi will take everyone to inspect the goods.
01, two scenes of "Mission: Impossible" and two scenes of "a plan within a plan", full of suspense and excitement, this is the right flavor!
Suppose you are an expert who has just returned to China, and your old friend told you the time, place and code word to contact the person who protected you before being arrested.
But when you come to this place as agreed, you find that there are two people, both of whom have the right number.
you, what should you do?
This problem was encountered by Ji Danyang, a mathematics expert played by Liu Xueyi.
In the 1950s, our country was very poor and wanted to build submarines, but it was blocked by imperialism led by the United States.
Helpless, the country can only call on aspiring young people to return to the country, and Ji Danyang is one of them.
In fact, Ji Danyang's "mathematics" major was the key to the United States letting him return to China, because at that time, the subject of mathematics had little impact on industry.
Danyang has all the research materials of submarine expert An Wenshan in his hands.
One of the important purposes of his return to China is to bring this information back.
People and things are equally important, and protecting Ji Danyang from the spies has become a top priority.
Generally when we watch traditional spy wars or anti-special dramas, we always have a fixed perspective.
Some are from the perspective of the good guys, highlighting the tension and excitement of a battle of wits, such as "Latent", and some are from the perspective of the bad guys, mainly showing the anxiety and excitement of the game between the two sides, such as "The Opponent".
But "Thrush" takes a different approach, placing the main perspective at the beginning on the "bystander" Ji Danyang.
This gives the audience a sense of immersion like playing "script killing" for the first time. The two references to "Mission: Impossible" at the beginning of
confused many viewers.
Let's assume again that you are Ji Danyang, disembarking from the ship with important information, and agree that the person wearing a black hat and holding the Tawis brand will be the person to meet you.
You stood at the entrance of the platform, glanced at it, and saw such a person, so you walked straight towards him.
But when you saw his eyes, you didn't look back and walked past him like a stranger.
He turned around and called you: Sir, are you from Tawis?
You answered, yes.
The other party immediately calls your name, shakes hands and greets you.
When you are almost convinced that this is the person who picks you up, the car horn next to you reminds you, and you suddenly find that there is a group of people behind you, wearing similar hats and holding the same sign, waiting anxiously for someone.
At this time, what should you do?
This is the first "Mission Impossible" that Ji Danyang has encountered. If there is no experience, many players will be offline from this step.
Fortunately, Ji Danyang studied mathematics and had a delicate mind. He keenly discovered that the hat worn by the first person to receive him was not "black" but "navy blue".
So he turned around and ran away, escaping.
is good, I have passed the first level.
Look at the second level. You and An Wenshan have agreed that if the dock connection fails, someone will contact you again at the fixed table in the bar lobby at 8:30.
When you hold your pocket watch and check the time of a few minutes, you arrive at the fixed table and find that a beautifully dressed lady has already sat down before you.
The two of you looked at each other, and the other party said your joint password.
Then you are almost convinced that this is the person you want to connect to.
Just when you two were about to sit down and chat about secrets, another lady came.
She is holding a glass of wine, also knows the password of the joint, and appears in front of you with almost the same posture.
Now, your mind is a little confused.
are both women, both know the secret codes, and both seem like good people.
At this time, what should you do?
If the following plot is not included, most viewers will not be able to survive these two levels. Even if
survives, there will be more exciting things later.
Because there are still two "plans within plans" waiting for Ji Danyang.
Without knowing the good guys and bad guys, assume that you, as Ji Danyang, have passed the first two levels.
As long as you pass the customs with your code book, you can return to the embrace of your motherland.
But the journey in line at the customs seems like the longest journey in your life.
You are dressed up in disguise, but you don’t know that the British police who passed the customs have been bribed by the secret agents.
What should you do when the police check your ID and even close the border before you leave the border?
If you are lucky enough to pass the customs.
After you have been protected, you rush to your place of work. You only need to get off the train and you can devote yourself to the cause of building the motherland.
You are full of excitement and making various wonderful plans for the future.
But in the dark, a sniper rifle has been assembled and quietly aims at you when you get off the train.
At this time, how can you escape from danger when you are completely unaware?
Have you noticed that the good thing about "Thrush" is that it uses the third-person perspective of shooting to fully enhance the suspenseful atmosphere of the entire drama.
Before the answer is revealed, we don’t know how the protagonist passed the level.
Compared with other "God's perspective" spy war dramas, "Thrush" firmly caught the audience's attention with just this one hand.
02, Ding Yongdai has brilliant eyes, Liu Zhibing is full of aura, 5 veteran actors and 2 young actors are well chosen
In recent years, spy dramas have been following the path of idolizing young people.
But a good spy drama will always have a veteran actor who knows the secrets.
In terms of casting, "Thrush" is also quite unique.
If you don't read the plot introduction, the first moment Pi Ge saw Ding Yongdai, he would never have imagined that he was the lurking spy leader "Snow Wolf".
Ding Yongdai appeared, limping, asking his daughter why she came back so late, and going to heat up the meal.
When my daughter sat down to massage him, her face was full of kindness, which made people feel from the bottom of their hearts that this was an old father who had gone through many vicissitudes of life.
His daughter is working the night shift, and the way he is getting close to and scolding the girl while he is busy at work is quite endearing.
How could such a character be the spy "Snow Wolf"?
What made Brother Pi suspicious was a look.
Ji Danyang was injured in the throat by police officer Pang Hongmei, and accidentally went to Bai Minghan, played by Ding Yongdai, for treatment.
When he heard his daughter say that Ji Danyang was an expert who returned from studying abroad to build the country, Ding Yongdai's eyes changed for a moment.
The meaning revealed in this look is a profound look, as if confirming a target.
When Ji Danyang was given acupuncture to treat his throat, his look was different from the ordinary seriousness, with a hint of murderous intent that was not easily noticed.
If you don’t look carefully, it is difficult to find such subtle changes.
But to the attentive audience, this looks like an easter egg. It is Ding Yongdai, the "snow wolf", who deliberately leaked the information to the audience.
After Bai Baoshan, Ding Yongdai has played many positive characters, including Boss Peng in "Crossing the Yalu River" and Zhou Zhigang in "The Human World".
The most outstanding villain seems to be Emperor Liang in "Nirvana in Fire".
This time, Ding Yongdai once again plays the role of the villain, and he will definitely perform brilliantly.
Let’s look at another veteran actor, Liu Zhibing.
The entire drama begins with a speech by the leader played by Liu Zhibing.
Liu Zhibing looks majestic, and he often plays the role of chief and leader.
When the experts were greeted at the station, a lecture shot of them getting off the bus and entering the scene filled up the welcome standards.
Staring at Ji Danyang's eyes that contained tears but did not show emotion, it was like seeing a relative reunited after a long absence, which moved people at a glance.
There are also many old actors in the film, such as Kong Lin, the "professional mother", Cao Weiyu who plays An Wenshan, and Xu Baihui, who is famous for Yu Hong in "The World", more than 5 powerful actors.
In addition to these well-known veteran actors, the casting of the two young actors in the film is also very appropriate and just right.
One is Liu Xueyi, who plays expert Ji Danyang.
Liu Xueyi was ridiculed as a "second male professional" because he played the role of Green Leaf in most ancient puppets, and this time he finally took the leading role.
This is his first time participating in a spy war, and Liu Xueyi’s performance is acceptable.
His understanding of the character Ji Danyang is relatively profound.
As a returned mathematician, he has a passion to serve the country, so after returning to the motherland after experiencing many difficulties, his eyes were already red with a gentle handshake.
You can read from the expression that the character Ji Danyang has a deep sense of ritual for this hand.
But as an ordinary person, he would be at a loss and panic when faced with a life-and-death gun battle. Comparing
, the emotional tension is there, and the character presentation is also there.
Another one is Peng Xiaoran who plays the lead female role Pang Hongmei.
Peng Xiaoran's previous works were mostly focused on ancient puppet dramas. Modern dramas, especially spy war dramas, are relatively rare.
As a female police officer, Peng Xiaoran’s portrayal of Pang Hongmei is highlighted by her “chicness”.
In terms of movements and body skills, he must have received professional training.
In the drama, Peng Xiaoran has many action scenes, all of which are very smooth and even look like he is beating up a girl, which is also very exciting.
The dialogue, especially the dialogue with the enemy during the stalemate, is very oppressive, and combined with the helpless Ji Danyang next to him, it is full of expressiveness.
Only four episodes have been released. Under the background of these old actors, I believe that the two young actors will perform better in the future.
we will wait and see.
03. Giving youth to anti-special dramas and soul to period dramas, "Thrush" comes alive!
According to Pi Ge, at the core level, "Huamei" has two points that deserve the most attention.
The first point is that it revitalizes the long-dormant "anti-special drama".
Nowadays, when talking about "anti-special dramas", there are only two dramas in Pi Ge's mind that can be called classics.
In addition to "Silence" we mentioned at the beginning, there is also "No Regrets" released in 1995.
These two dramas are both very good, but their excellence lies not in the theme of "anti-special", but in the solidity of the content itself.
"Anti-special" is just a shell. What the director filmed is actually the era and the phenomena of life.
In 2020 or even 30 years from now, when we bring out the "anti-special" type again, we certainly cannot repeat the old path.
Therefore, new wine is put in old bottles. "Thrush" incorporates the essence of the modern "Werewolf" game, adds multiple clues and buries many suspense elements, allowing the audience to have the pleasure of deciphering while watching the show.
This is its unique style and the basis for attracting the audience.
In today's fast-paced drama, if it cannot catch the audience's attention, no matter how good the drama is, it will be in vain.
The first four episodes of "Thrush" are obviously successful.
uses a very new method to stabilize the basic base of the "anti-special" type.
The second point is that it elevates the drama "Era" on a spiritual level.
is also a story about welcoming submarine experts back to China. The essential cores of "Thrush" and "Silence of Oath" are actually the same.
Although in terms of presentation methods, one is heavy, non-flashy realism and calmness, while the other focuses on using the perspective of young people to modify the story with suspense and witness the prosperity and growth of the motherland.
But there is only one driving force, and that is patriotism.
Even in 2023, patriotism is still the hottest, most popular, and most fashionable collective emotion.
The feeling and mood of "patriotism" are engraved in the bones of the Chinese people and will never change.
Therefore, when Ji Danyang resolutely returned to China despite the obstruction and took up the "Water Drop Project" to build submarines for the country, when Pang Hongmei risked his life to protect the lives of scientists and uncovered the enemy's conspiracies time and time again.
The strong patriotism and national pride have support and penetration.
Struggle and dedication complement each other in "Thrush".
This makes it not boring as preaching, but also watchable as a genre drama. Innovations like
are obviously more suitable for the current platform and more suitable for people's current tastes in watching dramas.
Of course, "Thrush" is not perfect, but it is also a useful attempt for the audience to pick out the "anti-special" genre from the pile of old dramas and present it in a new way.
progress is made by trying, isn't it?
"Thrush" is still on the air. It's too early to tell what the show's final reputation will be.
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