Many sisters backstage asked me to recommend dramas to keep them entertained during the holidays. Recently, I noticed a new drama "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty".
What surprises me is how else can I shoot such a classic IP as "Di Renjie"?
Although there have been many hits in the past, such as the 2004 version of "Detective Di Renjie" which was famous for its "Yuan Fang" theme, and many of Tsui Hark's movies.
But 20 years have passed, there is not much room for the old IP to explore, and the audience's vision has become more demanding.
So at the beginning, "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" really made me sweat.
However, I watched a few episodes with the intention of testing the waters, and I found that "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" is indeed a good-looking detective drama that I couldn't stop watching.
In addition, there are two more clicks that hit me -
One is that it makes the suspense drama into a movie-level high-end aesthetic. The Chinese horror aesthetic reminds me of the Shaw Brothers productions in the 1990s, the charming and ghostly Hui Gan horror excites me.
Secondly, it explores the awakening of female consciousness in that era through solving crimes without being preachy.
A while ago, Zhu Dan said that Yiwei Yiwei was exhausted from filming "The Case of the Tang Dynasty", but netizens were not distressed and even had more expectations for the drama because of it (hahaha, they don't care about Yiwei Yiwei's life and death series at all).
Indeed, just by taking a look at the cast: Zhou Yiwei, Wang Likun, Zhong Chuxi, Zhang Jiayi, Zhang Ruoyun, Chen Duling... you will know that there is something good to watch here, and you will be more curious about the chemical reaction of this combination. .
What's even more amazing is that as a Chinese story, the original work of the same name of this drama, "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty", was written by Dutch diplomat, sinologist, and novelist Gaulo Peit over a period of eighteen years.
is written by a foreigner!
and then to the meticulous events in the book: the Phoenix Seal Case, the Screen Case, the Golden Case, the Legend of the Rain Master... The names of each chapter are filled with strong doubts.
is a bit interesting. What can a Chinese detective drama with a Western perspective + American drama thinking be like? The first impression of
is that it is fast and refreshing.
has no lag at the beginning. In less than 5 minutes, it explains how a palace maid stole the seal of Queen Wu Zetian in the dark night and spread false orders to kill important officials. (The camera shows a close-up of the sachet on the palace maid, remember this test point)
Immediately, the queen’s most beloved sycamore tree also caught fire for no reason.
Therefore, there were rumors among the people that the queen had lost her moral character and that the fire from heaven would not tolerate it. Taking advantage of the loss of the Phoenix Seal, the conservative ministers also began to criticize the Queen who was engaged in the New Deal for neglecting her duties and advocated the abolition of the Queen.
People were panicking, and the protagonist Di Renjie appeared.
He had just returned to Beijing from the desert and had no interest in government affairs. He ran into his childhood friend and his teacher, Wei Wuji, a great scholar at the time.
Master Wei is currently helping the queen to rebuild the surname register, which means that the order of the world has changed drastically, and classes are no longer solidified, which is a precursor to major changes in the current situation.
But Wei Wuji was an upright man and had no interest in government affairs.
In addition, their playmates are still as cute as ever. The three of them could have enjoyed themselves in the chaotic world by reminiscing about the past and talking about their hearts. However, misfortune soon followed. This rare reunion also involved Di Renjie in the Phoenix Seal Case mentioned above. middle.
It is said that Di Renjie's old playmate turned out to be an alcoholic secretly, the kind who did not dare to let the teacher know.
Di Renjie was dragged by his family to take the imperial examination, but he took Di Renjie to the restaurant with his back leg, and the whole process was seamless.
This restaurant is a bit strange. There are singing girls, drinks, and a back door for easy entry and exit, but everyone keeps it secret and denies it.
Fortunately, the two of them had a great time drinking, so they ignored these doubts and just had fun. The playmate also took out the wine bag he brought with him to add more, but gave up because the wine bag leaked.
Of course, extreme joy can lead to sorrow, and the turning point always occurs at the most relaxing moment -
When Di Renjie woke up from alcohol, he found himself trapped in a sea of fire, and his friends had died tragically.
Reunion means farewell, and both Master Wei and Di Renjie fell into pain.
For the sake of his friend, Di Renjie decided to find out the truth.
Only then did I realize that there were too many doubts about this case.
In one, the restaurant that caught fire was locked, and among the burned corpses was a female corpse with a sachet - yes, she was the palace maid who stole the seal at the beginning.
The queen's trusted guard Kang Zhiyi took away the female body in a hurry after the incident.
Secondly, the restaurant hasn’t found out yet, but the silkworm coop built under the Queen’s New Deal also suddenly caught fire, and people were burned to death.
Starting from the sycamore tree, these three "fires from heaven" were obviously directed at the queen. They were so coincidental that there could only be two explanations: either Wu Zetian really angered God, or someone did it deliberately.
Folks and courts believe more in the former, thinking it was Empress Wu's fault.
But Di Renjie discovered a key problem. The victims in the silkworm shed actually died before the fire.
And judging from their silk accessories and hand features, they are not silkworm farmers at all. Instead, they may be those Yulin soldiers who falsely spread the imperial edict and stabbed the governor of Yangzhou to death.
is irritated. This is obviously a "death without evidence" game. The death of these people not only removes the witnesses, but also adds fuel to the theory of "Sky Fire". The fact that "everything is put to its best use" shows the rigor and ruthlessness of those behind the scenes.
What is even more strange is that in addition to the Yulin army in the palace, these dead were also rebels led by the father of the queen's confidant Kang Zhiyi.
How did a son of a rebel become a close confidant of the queen?
Following the clues, Di Renjie found out that Kang Zhiyi was rescued by Sun Qing, a powerful official who opposed the queen, and later placed him next to the queen. And both of them were present on the night of the fire.
The truth seems to be coming out at this point - Chang Sunqing is the mastermind behind the scenes, Kang Zhiyi is the executor, and these two are the masterminds of stealing seals and setting fires.
The truth has been revealed?
However, Changsun Qing was so powerful that even Wei Wuji, who had lost his beloved disciple, could only persuade Di Renjie to stop.
The mysterious case that finally got close to the truth seems destined to go unsolved.
But when the frustrated Di Renjie came to his playmate's grave to get drunk, he discovered something strange -
The wine bag his playmate was carrying had a strange smell, and when he touched it with a brush, it burned out of thin air.
The truth was revealed -
The murderer was none other than Wei Wuji!
The spontaneous combustion of the sycamore tree was caused by someone deliberately placing an iron pestle on the tree as a lightning rod. Wei Wuji, who seemed to have no interest in current affairs, actually hated the surname record that was being revised. He had known that the student was greedy for drinking, so he used him as a human bomb, hoping to use him to fuel public opinion.
Do you think this is a reversal?
No, this is just the first layer of the truth. After all, The Fire in the Silkworm House has not concluded yet.
At this time, the powerful minister Sun Qing stopped raining fire from heaven to pray for blessings, and kept the gas lamp burning for days, and forced the emperor to depose the queen.
Empress Wu was calm, and even confirmed with Changsun Qing, was this really going to happen? After getting the affirmative answer, the eternal lamp split along the flame...
What was hidden in the lamp was the stolen phoenix seal.
According to the logic of suspense dramas, Chang Sunqing cannot be the big boss behind the scenes.
Because, he was also included in the calculation in the end.
At this time, the evidence has been established that he stole the Phoenix Seal to frame the Queen, and all previous accusations against Queen Wu disappeared.
Did you see it?
The real beneficiary of the entire case is the Queen, and she is actually the mastermind behind the scenes. She directed and acted in the Phoenix Seal case, actually to bring down her political enemy Sun Qing and clear her name.
How badly she was scolded in the front, how pitiful the people were in the back.
So, she also arranged the fire in the silkworm coop. Wei Wuji thought he had a brilliant plan, but in fact he became the queen's pawn and an assist.
's suspense under the machinations, rigorous logic, detailed clues, interlocking, reversal and reversal, really shocked me, and I said it was so enjoyable.
In addition to the rich and juicy plot, "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty" is also exquisite in other aspects.
also mentioned in the previous article the long-lost Chinese horror aesthetics, which is charming, chilly and weird.
has an intuitive visual aspect -
For example, in the first scene of the book, the vision of the palace maid stealing the phoenix seal is beautiful, hazy, and dim, with virtual reality and reality just like the beautiful shadow in "Liao Zhai" floating out of the page, and your eyes will be pulled Walk.
There is also a strange imagery -
In this scene, the ministers are arguing fiercely against the queen in the court. In the next scene, the queen is reading and reciting Buddhist scriptures in the quiet harem.
This contrast is surprising and eerie, with a deep oriental artistic conception.
There is a scene that left a deep impression on me. When the ministers were criticizing the queen, and their voices became louder and louder, the camera turned and a phoenix on the eaves of the palace was shrouded in dark clouds.
This montage has a very cinematic quality, using objects and people to reveal the terrifying undercurrent surrounding the queen.
When I was a child, I watched Shaw Brothers horror films. The combination of simple and rich colors and horror elements revealed the unique artistic conception of oriental exotic aesthetics. Years later, I still have endless aftertaste. The latest episode of
, "The Screen Case," also has the same desolate aesthetic logic.
The colorful screen originally showed a loving couple, but suddenly it turned into a scene of wife murder.
The blood mark shines into reality, the blazing flames are strange, and the slender fingertips are ready to move in the darkness. It is a kind of scary and alluring itch that makes people want to stop.
The beauty of strangeness has always been an integral part of Eastern aesthetics, and Chinese horror is more concerned with artistic conception and depth than foreign horror with purely sensory stimulation.
It is not a straightforward thriller, but there is often a complex human nature and soul in it, which makes it more enjoyable as you taste it.
is like Wei Wuji.
He seems to be selfless, taking care of his poor apprentice for decades, but in fact he is vicious and can take his life to play chess at any time.
After being exposed by Di Renjie, he immediately set himself on fire and died, as cruel as a pure evil ghost.
It’s terrifying to think about what he said before:
. In
's words, he portrayed himself as being extremely indifferent to fame and fortune, and distinguished himself from the conservative people who were extremely opposed to the queen. In fact, he was the most fierce and most valuing authority among them.
Why don’t students dare to drink in front of him? Because the teacher always trains people. From this detail alone, it was revealed that he was clearly the person he said was in a high position and enjoyed power.
The queen asked him to preside over the modification of the surname ranking, which was actually a subversion for him. His power is being dismantled, so deep down he is terrified and angry, until his sin is completely exposed.
The people closest to you may turn around and sacrifice you. This kind of unpredictability of knowing people but not knowing their hearts is even more frightening.
and Wu Zetian.
seemed to be completely surrounded by enemies at first, but she didn't expect that the taciturn girl turned out to be the biggest conspirator.
A dozen lives can be just smoke bombs in the face of power games.
Moreover, I found that the ambition of this drama is not small -
The nine small unit dramas are like jigsaw puzzles, inadvertently showing you a grand social picture showing the judiciary, criminal law, diplomacy and other scenes of the Tang Dynasty.
For example, in the case of a restaurant fire, the judge originally wanted to use sky fire to solve the case, but after being stopped by Di Renjie, he simply designated the only survivor Di Renjie as the murderer. This shows the mediocrity of officials in the Tang Dynasty at that time.
However, Wei Wuji and Changsun Qing, who seemed to be serving the country and the people, actually abandoned propriety, justice and integrity because of their dissatisfaction with Empress Wu, and did not hesitate to use various means to remove political opponents. The occlusion and inaction of the Tang Dynasty ministers were also reflected in this.
All of this further highlights the necessity of the Queen's New Deal, and the spiritual outlook of women in the Tang Dynasty, headed by the Queen, is also fully displayed.
The voice of the old forces towards Empress Wu that "it's all luck, you can't fight her" is actually nothing more than the patriarchal society's fear of women taking power.
Wu Zetian's reforms have positive significance in promoting society, but they have touched the cake of the old forces. As her biggest weakness, gender is enough to make her repeatedly embarrassed.
The selfishness of human nature will erase the rational vision.
Empress Wu's "right", they can't see it, and don't want to see it.
As a woman, Empress Wu wanted to make a difference in the political arena. How difficult was it?
Even Di Renjie, a symbol of masculinity and justice, only objectively spoke for Empress Wu, was also made to doubt himself.
The emperor, as the centralizer of power in the world, was considered cowardly and incompetent simply because he respected the queen.
Is there no truth, only a power struggle?
Gender is the original sin, greater than right or wrong.
This shot is quite wonderful, but the tilted perspective implies injustice
Therefore, Empress Wu had to use strong tactics to personally concoct the "Feng Seal Case" to eliminate those who hindered her and the progress of the times.
And when she succeeded in overthrowing Changsun Qing, she did not use the image of a strong person, but the image of a weak woman who was framed.
She wants people all over the world to participate in the accusation against her. Once the case is reversed, she can make everyone feel guilty and ignore her gender and objectively face her right and wrong.
She pretends to be a pig and eats the tiger, which is both her wit and her helplessness as a woman.
The nine cases may seem unrelated, but in fact they reveal the imperative of the Tang Dynasty’s New Deal at various levels. Di Renjie seems to be solving the case, but in fact, he is solving the world's obsession with knowing injustice but continuing to defend it, including injustice to women.
Wu Zetian and Di Renjie, this pairing has a deep meaning, and there may be more intertwining and reversal as the subsequent plot unfolds.
For men, power is just power, it is more than rights.
For Wu Zetian, not taking back power means not having the most basic rights, or even death.
As for female consciousness, in addition to Wu Zetian, who is the queen, I am looking forward to what the mental outlook of ordinary women will be and how they will "take back their rights."
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