Image description: "My Altay" stills
Our reporter Lu Wenyao Our special reporter Luc
Following "Flowers", another drama series from a serious literary work has recently become popular. Adapted from the essay collection of the same name by writer Li Juan, directed/written by female director Teng Congcong, and starring Ma Yili, Zhou Yiran, Yu Shi, etc., the 8-episode drama "My Altay" not only received high ratings, but also received a Douban high of 8.8 It also popularized tourism in Xinjiang and introduced literary adaptation into a new situation. Many viewers who were still immersed in "Altay" found that prose could be adapted so beautifully and smoothly, soothing the restless hearts in the city.
Young people's "dream destination"
From its first appearance at the Cannes TV Drama Festival on April 7, to meeting the audience at the Beijing Film Festival on April 25, to its official launch on May 7, look back at "My Altay" On the way to "getting out of the circle", it is not surprising that the show has received high ratings and high topicality. Li Juan's original work "My Altay" has been in existence for 14 years. It has gained a large number of readers in the process of reading and dissemination, and they have high expectations for the film and television adaptation of this prose. In the early promotion of
drama version "My Altay", the main focus was the "gentle and fiery Altay" written by Li Juan, coupled with the appeal of actors such as Ma Yili and Yu Shi and the beautiful scenery in the play, gradually Expand attention to non-readers. At the same time, the reason why the play became popular is that it provides the "sense of healing" that contemporary young people crave most - Li Wenxiu, a girl who grew up in Altay, pursued her literary dream in a big city but repeatedly ran into obstacles, and was forced to return to her hometown to meet the owner of a canteen. Her mother depends on each other for life. After getting acquainted with Batai, a young Kazakh man, Li Wenxiu gradually discovered the beauty of the local area... This is the "dream destination" of many young people working hard in big cities.
"Everyone is communicating sincerely"
In an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Global Times, "My Altay" director Teng Congcong said that she did not expect the "My Altay" series to be as popular as it is now. She believes that the nomination of the drama "My Altay" at the Cannes TV Drama Festival is mainly due to its novel subject matter, because in the process of urbanization, the ideological collision of nomadic people due to changes in their living habits is a phenomenon of worldwide cultural concern. . When
talked about the opportunity to adapt "My Altay", Teng Congcong said: "It shows the self-consistency and healing. The beautiful scenery of northern Xinjiang and the way the locals get along with each other are very humorous and meaningful." Balancing the presentation of original works and dramas is often a major challenge in film and television adaptation work. Teng Congcong said that although prose and TV dramas have different narrative modes, dramas expand the perspective so that the relationships between characters can be sorted out in the dramas, " It seems to be a story that is told slowly and healingly, but all the relationships between the characters are constantly developing."
Teng Congcong emphasized the preparation work such as collecting interviews in Altay and in-depth interviews with local people before filming to understand the lives of ethnic minorities. , which laid a solid foundation for the final presentation of the series. In order to restore the local culture, the crew made a lot of preparations. Director Teng Congcong said that the crew spent nearly two years visiting and conducting research in Altay starting in 2020, and hired a national cultural consultant team for guidance. A team of ethnic consultants also assisted at the filming site to ensure the accuracy of lines, actors' pronunciation, and folk culture. The success of the series is also inseparable from the hard work of the actors - the male protagonist Yu Shi spent nearly half a year learning Kazakh language before filming began, trying to present the Kazakh young Batai in the drama who is independent from the books. During the 56 days of
's on-site shooting starting in April 2023, although various emergencies were encountered and the shooting time was tight, the beautiful scenery of Altay still made many crew members work in a relatively excited state.
When talking about the part of the series that most touches the audience, Teng Congcong emphasized the importance of sincere communication. She said: “Everyone longs to be treated sincerely, and the more attractive part of this series is that everyone is communicating sincerely, which reflects the truth, goodness and beauty that human beings desire in their hearts."Teng Congcong also believes that the popularity of the drama version of "My Altay" is more in line with the current social psychology. "The audience understands that as long as they do not hurt others and allow themselves more freedom, they can have a good life. . "
"The drama is not long but refined"
Coincidentally, " Blossoms " at the beginning of this year is also a feast from literature to images, and it is "unreplicable". Although the original work that won the Mao Dun Literature Award has more readers , "Flowers" has also been adapted into a drama, but the TV series version of "Flowers" is more like Wong Kar-wai's "second creation". The ups and downs of Mr. Bao and his uncle in the shopping mall, and the emotional entanglements with Li Li, Lingzi, and Miss Wang, It has transcended Jin Yucheng's pen and ink, and has its own life in Wong Kar-wai's colorful shots and music. As for Ma Yili's performance in "Flowers", although the character has a completely different identity and experience from that in "My Altay", but There are key sublimation moments in the performance, which also shows that no matter what kind of literary adaptation, full-bodied characters and affectionate performances are one of the elements that can most directly impress the audience.
Looking back on film history, serious literature is originally a film and television work. The source of adaptations ranges from " blessing ", which was the earliest film made in New China, to "Linjiapu", "家", "teahouse", "Four Generations Under One Roof" and "Fortress Besieged", etc. A large number of famous works have been adapted. When it is brought to the screen, the adapters use the most rigorous creative attitude to restore the classic scenes and characters written by the master. Directors such as Zhang Yimou also have a special liking for modern and contemporary serious literature, such as "Red Sorghum " and "High Red Lantern". "Hang " has been put on the screen, and received enthusiastic responses in the domestic and international film circles. Later, "magic modification" methods were also used, such as the remake of " Thunderstorm " into " Full City with Golden Armor ", among which The relationship between characters born out of Cao Yu's works is still worth recalling.
Compared with popular literature and Internet literature, the difficulty and threshold of adapting serious literature are higher and the cycle is longer. In recent years, there have been fewer and fewer cases of being made into movies. "White Deer Plain " also encountered negative reviews. In contrast, TV series are more suitable for adaptations of feature-length novels due to their platform and duration, such as "The Ordinary World", "The World" and "Life" in previous years. "The Road" has been recognized by the broad audience, and the drama version of "White Deer Plain" has a better reputation than the movie version. The trend of "drama-oriented" serious literature is becoming more and more obvious.
Compared with those original works with millions of words and a duration of thirty or forty years. Compared with the collection of period dramas, "My Altay", which has only 8 episodes and is originally written in prose, is another new attempt and breakthrough in the film and television adaptation of serious literature. This may herald the arrival of the era of domestic "short dramas". It has also made more viewers realize that "the drama is not long but precise". The key is to have a solid script and reliable directors and actors as guarantees. Only then can it be worthy of serious literature's thinking about human nature and exploration of the world. "original heart". ▲
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