Wang Yaqiao (1889-1936), born in Hefei, Anhui Province, held many titles such as anti-Japanese warrior, national hero, assassination king, founder of the Shanghai Axe Gang, and even Chairman Mao once commented on him: killing the enemy without guilt, resisting Japan with merit, sub-sections are not checked, and major matters are not confused. Unfortunately, Wang Yaqiao was assassinated by Dai in Wuzhou, Guangxi, on October 20, 1936, when he was about to defect to the Communist Party.
(Wang Yaqiao and the Axe Gang member, front row, middle)
Such a real historical legend is naturally the best prototype for film and television creation, only in the mainland, the film and television dramas with Wang Yaqiao as the protagonist include "The First Assassin of the East" and "The First Killer Wang Yaqiao", and other works involved are innumerable.
The "Past of the Republic of China" that I want to introduce today is also based on Wang Yaqiao's experience, except that the character in the play is called Zhang Yaqiao, this 40-episode legendary spy TV series, directed by Lian Yiming, Starring Lian Yiming, Huang Zhizhong, Zhao Huinan, Miao Yuan, etc., was broadcast on the star on January 1, 2011.
Zhang Yaqiao (Lian Yiming) is an underground resistance person who specializes in fighting against traitors and lackeys, and he and Shen Xiaochen (Huang Zhizhong), the owner of the French Concession Loyalist Hall, were brothers as early as the Xinhai Revolution, and later met the revolutionary youth Yan Li (Zhao Huinan). The legend of these three righteous brothers, who gradually diverged due to their different beliefs, and thus constantly fought.
Director and lead actor Lian Yiming, graduated from the Xiqu Academy, due to his certain martial arts skills, he participated in the artist training in Hong Kong in the 1990s, and then participated in a series of action films and served as an action director. After returning to the mainland, he relied on his own efforts to step by step from actor to director position, and won the best director of TV series, the best cross-border director of TV series and other honors. His works are subtle but extremely tense, and combine various genre elements to create various heroic characters as the theme, which is deeply loved by the audience. This time, Lian Yiming played the male protagonist Yaqiao who understands the great righteousness in the play, he is jealous and hateful, assassinates traitors and high-ranking Japanese officials many times, and carries out a love dispute about faith and interests with two other brothers, as a director, Lian Yiming on the one hand to control the whole drama, on the one hand, there is also the portrayal of this multi-faceted, complex character, which can be described as a full-hearted investment, and the success of the play is also the greatest reward for his hard work.
Another male protagonist, Shen Xiaochen, is played by the familiar actor Huang Zhizhong, who has created many tough guy images, and he creates his own unique style with domineering but delicate and introverted acting skills. In this play, Shen Xiaochen's outer and inner softness and heavy love and righteousness are all vividly interpreted by him, and every move is very in place. No wonder director Lian Yiming did not hesitate to "play Lai", but also to strive for him to play this role, in fact, Lian Yiming's vision is indeed "poisonous", so that Huang Zhizhong has a classic character image on the roster of his acting career.
This "Past of the Republic of China" has both gangster fights and brotherly feuds, and also covers various types such as espionage, history, love, and action. What is rare is that the director mobilizes the advantages of various types and integrates them more perfectly, like a hot pot, both the real story as delicious meat, and various emotional conflicts such as vegetables, and more jianghu morality, family love, this pot of strong flavor of red soup cooking, so that all kinds of "food" give full play to its maximum aroma and nutrition.
The drama currently has a rating of 7.7 points on Douban, from the audience's reaction, most people have given praise, but there are also some places to complain, mainly concentrated in the male protagonist's "aura" is more obvious, so that Zhang Yaqiao's character is not as brilliant as Shen Xiaochen, but these do not affect the overall quality of the play, it should be said that this play is still worthy of the word "masterpiece".