The term "two sides of one body" is most appropriate to put on Li Ronghao and Zhang Yimou recently.
Not long ago, Li Ronghao's song "Wumeizi Sauce" was on fire and also caused controversy.
On the one hand, the song is too hot.
It dominates the top spot on major music platforms.
As long as you swipe a few times when swiping a short video, you will definitely hear a cover of this song.
The phrase "your shallow smile is like plum sauce" in the chorus has become the most romantic confession of young people today.
On the other hand, the song is too cheesy.
Its melody is a bit like Jay Chou's "Romantic Phone".
"Romantic Phone" is a song released in 2005.
Compared with "Nocturne" and "All the Way North" on the same album, this song is not much classic.
Unexpectedly, almost 20 years have passed, and similar melodies have become a hit on the Internet, which shows how lonely the Chinese music scene is.
Music critic Ding Taisheng was shocked by the song, commenting that "Wumeizi Sauce" is "a strong Chinese rural style, mixed with elements of short video platform explosion".
Strangely, Lee Ronghao used to scoff at such songs.
In an interview, he said bluntly:
"What I hate the most is my most popular songs, "Li Bai" and "Not to End", which are ugly, dirty, and unbearable."
In just a few years, he became the person he hated the most.
In fact, Li Ronghao has always had a musical pursuit.
In 2018, he published such a highly musical high-level work as "Ears", but it was not recognized by the market.
The turning point occurred in 2019.
This year, he served as the mentor of "The Voice of China".
In the program, he chose a popular Internet song "Your Tavern Closed to Me" for the students, easily defeating the high-level songs carefully arranged by Wang Leehom for the students.
In the face of controversy, Li Ronghao posted that "there is no distinction between high and low music", and this explanation has also been recognized by many young generations.
But after that, he tasted the sweetness, and also began to move closer to the sinking market, enjoying himself in the sinking market.
Later, "Sparrow" and "Plum Sauce" were all such works that catered to the sinking market.
Also suffering from the same dilemma is Jay Chou.
In the past 20 years, Jay Chou has ushered in a new era in the Chinese music scene, but after entering 2010, he feels overwhelmed.
In 2016, he released a new album, which includes the musical "Bedside Story" and the show-off "Turkish Ice Cream".
As a result, neither song was popular, but the casual saliva song "Confession Balloon" was popular all over the streets, and even appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala.
Later, he held a concert, and fans ordered songs on the spot, hoping that he would sing the Internet divine comedy "Learn to Cat Bark".
Jay Chou was obviously stunned, and he relieved himself, "This song is very fashionable."
But in the face of the "enthusiasm" of the fans at the scene, he finally followed the piano accompaniment "meow" a few words.
Times have changed, and Jay Chou himself is confused.
In the song "Waiting for You to Get Out of Class" published in 2018, he directly expressed his confusion with lyrics:
"I sing so much to the heart, but I can't go into your heart; I sing the confession balloon, and finally you turn back. ”
After that, he completely lay flat, leaving a pool of stagnant water in the Chinese music scene.
New songs seem to explode on the Internet, but in fact they can't ripple a little.
In the film industry, such "two sides of one body" are also staged on Zhang Yimou.
This year's Spring Festival file is the strongest reputation in history, and excellent works such as "The Wandering Earth 2", "Manjiang Red", "Nameless" and "Deep Sea" have emerged.
Originally, the public expected that "The Wandering Earth 2" would be the final winner.
On the first day, the box office of "Manjiang Red" was indeed pressed by "The Wandering Earth 2".
But then its box office climbed steadily, and finally overwhelmed "The Wandering Earth 2", got a box office of 4.5 billion +, and also greatly refreshed Zhang Yimou's single-film box office record.
In terms of the reputation of the film, the trend of "Manjiang Red" is also a little elusive.
In the first two days after its release, the reputation of the film was very good, with a Douban score of 8.0 points, and many people shouted after watching it:
"It's worthy of being an old man, ginger is still old and spicy!"
However, with the increase in the number of release days, the film's Douban score plummeted all the way to 7.2 points, and Zhang Yimou also stood on the cusp of public opinion overnight.
So, what's the problem?
01、
To answer this question, we have to focus on Zhang Yimou.
Over the past few decades, Zhang Yimou has been a "big master" in the circle of Chinese film directors.
He is the pioneer and wall-breaker of domestic films.
After more than 40 years in the film, he has made at least 5 disruptive innovations for domestic films.
In 1984, Zhang Yimou served as a cinematographer to shoot "One and Eight", announcing the collective awakening of the fifth generation of directors;
In 1988, Zhang Yimou won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival with "Red Sorghum".
This is the first time that a Chinese-language film has won the highest award at the three major international film festivals, and after "Red Sorghum", there has been a boom in the shooting of literary and artistic films in China;
In 2000, Zhang Yimou invited stars to shoot "Heroes", which ushered in the era of blockbuster domestic films.
This film sold 250 million in China, accounting for 25% of the annual box office, and no one has surpassed it so far;
In 2008, Zhang Yimou directed the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics as a film director, which surprised the world, and he also gained the reputation of "National Teacher".
In 2016, 66-year-old Zhang Yimou filmed "The Great Wall".
His ambition is great, and he invited Hollywood popular movie star Mark Damon to make an international blockbuster belonging to China and let Chinese elements go to the world.
If this film is done, he will open an era again, but unfortunately it was finally filmed as "Four Unlike".
This "Great Wall" also seems to have ended Zhang Yimou's era early.
In the box office rankings of previous years, it was difficult to find him.
Until this year's "Manjiang Red".
It stands to reason that a historical director like Zhang Yimou can enter the 6th position in the box office list of Chinese film history with a movie, which is a happy thing.
We can imagine that if this list does not have Zhang Yimou, it will make people feel that the gold content is insufficient.
So why is it that many viewers are lamenting that such a vision has been realized now?
In fact, as long as we clarify why "Manjiang Red" is successful and what shortcomings are behind it, this problem will be solved.
Simply put, "Manjiang Hong" is a "custom work" for market preferences.
This "customization" permeates almost every link of creation.
Split it up.
The audience loves stars, so the starry light of the film reaches its peak.
There is Shen Teng, who has the most appealing box office, and with him, the film box office bottom 1 billion;
There is Yi Yangqianxi, who specializes in the young market;
There are also Lei Jiayin and Zhang Yi, both actors with high national recognition, and they are also the hottest actors in the current entertainment industry.
In addition to Wu Jing, the five hottest actors in the film industry at that time, the film invited four at once.
Audiences love watching comedy on New Year's Day.
The main poster of this movie is a red background, and the top also reads "suspense tube enough, laugh to the end".
The last four words were doubled.
In addition, Shen Teng's joining is also an important epitome of the film's comedy positioning.
Today's audience also likes to watch suspense stories.
So the film compresses the plot into a courtyard.
A typical confined space narrative that starts with dead bodies, and as soon as the characters appear later, you can't help but want to see what happens between them;
In addition, the film also relies on the hiding of the character's identity to design a continuous reversal.
This is also an important way to enhance the suspense of the story.
There are also audiences who are enthusiastic about home and country feelings.
The title of this movie is "Manjiang Hong", usually as long as you see the three words "Manjiang Hong" come out, which Chinese will not be shocked.
Relying on the accumulation of these creative elements, the film reaped a large wave of box office.
But the problem is, these "customizations" are strictly speaking, in fact, creative skills.
In order to get more box office, the film is equivalent to taking a "shortcut" on every track.
Of course, as a commercial film, "Manjiang Hong" is understandable in this operation.
The goal of commercial films is clear, that is, the box office.
For the sake of the box office, change you as a producer, change you as a director, as long as the money is enough, you will also use these "skills" to the extreme.
But when the "over-commercialization" of all this is attached to Zhang Yimou, it is somewhat confusing.
In other words, if the film were replaced by any other director, it would not have suffered such doubts.
But he is Zhang Yimou.
02、
From a certain point of view, Zhang Yimou also took great pains when shooting this work.
For example, in addition to the techniques we mentioned earlier, he also tried to complete the shot with one shot to the end;
For example, he abandoned the previous "big and complete" shooting method, and the film was completed in a small courtyard and shot "small but fine";
For example, his previous works were criticized for the form over the content, but this film was shot with ups and downs and climax.
However, these ingenuity are essentially "embroidery on sesame seeds", which is a skillful use of commercial techniques, and does not jump out of the category of commercial film shooting.
In essence, they are all bowing their heads to cater to the commercial market and striving for high box office.
This is not the same as the great innovation that he held his head high and created an era.
Zhang Yimou's film back then was not just a movie.
He is a banner of Chinese cinema and a benchmark for film quality.
His work can create a whole new cinematic language.
For example, the composition in "Yellow Earth", the colors in "Red Sorghum", the wildness in "Ju Dou", and the hints in "The Red Lantern Hangs High" all had a profound impact on later film directors.
His works can also hold new talents in the film industry.
For example, Gong Li Zhang Ziyi in the early stage, Ni Ni and Zhou Dongyu in the later period, and Mou Girl also continue to inject fresh blood into Chinese movies.
Years later, although the films themselves become obscured, the innovations behind these films will endure and affect an entire era.
Obviously, "Manjiang Red" does not have such magic.
In the past, Zhang Yimou would not have "catered to" so thoroughly for the box office.
The first films he made, let alone the box office, sometimes had to be revised many times in order to be released.
Even if the commercial blockbuster "Heroes" later transformed into a film, the output is full, and the storyline will not have these obvious "skills" to cater to the audience.
But now 72 years old, he has also embarked on these "opportunistic" roads for the sake of the box office.
It's like a top state banquet chef, now instead of studying the dishes, he has begun to work hard in the superficial direction of "selling" and "sour and spicy".
You carve beautiful flowers on sesame seeds, and it may be "a little interesting" at the moment.
But as time passed, when the movie itself was covered with dust, it was still just a sesame seed after all.
All of Zhang Yimou's skills and efforts are nothing more than making "a commercial film" into a "commercial film that is easier to sell", which is insignificant in the long river of time.
Of course, commercial films will always be the mainstream of the film market.
A movie can gather a large number of popular movie stars, pull the skill of a commercial film to the extreme, and use the national appeal to win a high box office in the Spring Festival file, these are beyond reproach.
But on Zhang Yimou, it will always make people feel a little disappointed, and even a little price drop.
03、
As mentioned above, Zhang Yimou's "Man Jiang Hong", Li Ronghao's "Wumei Zi Sauce", and Jay Chou's "Confession Balloon" are essentially works that cater to the sinking market.
These works have a "down-to-earth" expression, even if they are very vulgar and not high-class, but under the trend of today's times, they can be liked by many people.
This is in line with the laws of the market, and it really helps creators to achieve instant returns from the market.
But on the other hand, we must know that the road of art still needs to be constantly explored.
As ordinary people, of course, they can freely choose based on their personal preferences.
But as top literary and artistic workers standing at the bow of the ship, their mission is to lead the aesthetics of an era.
Especially for a façade figure like Zhang Yimou.
There are countless pairs of young eyes, famous and nameless, in the Chinese film industry, looking at Zhang Yimou and wanting to learn from him.
If they also "take shortcuts" in the future, they all use their skills to over-commercialize, cater to the audience in form, and dwarf their artistic aesthetics.
In the short term, it can gain huge benefits, but in the long run, it will definitely damage their creative ability and hinder the benign evolution of Chinese films.
Therefore, for Chinese films, Zhang Yimou's attempt to shoot "Manjiang Red" this time may have achieved a super high box office return.
But Pi Ge still has to say that 72-year-old Zhang Yimou is not a good role model.
In Hollywood, Spielberg, who is in his seventies, is still exploring technological innovation, and a "Ready Player One" is filmed with scenes, novelty and depth.
Eastwood, who is also an advanced age, did not think of proving his "box office ability" with skills, but continued to discover good stories and delve into realistic themes.
In a way, Zhang Yimou is China's Spielberg, or Eastwood.
Pico still appreciates Zhang Yimou's various changes when filming "Above the Cliff" the year before last, whether it is the theme of spy warfare, lens language or narrative method.
That is the direction that a generation of film giants should explore when dealing with commercial films.
No hurry, no opportunism, no rush for quick success, every step is stepped on very solidly.
In the box office of 1.2 billion, every point is the audience's recognition and gratitude to him, and the film also provides valuable creative inspiration for subsequent domestic films.
In contrast, the movie "Manjiang Red" is destined to leave his directorial career with one of the biggest regrets.
Zhang Yimou's creative road is still long, and he will make many film works and even TV series in the future.
As an audience, we expect him to pick up his former "arrogance" and not shoot his works so "lightly" in order to please the market.
Don't let the bright name "Zhang Yimou" become blurred again.
Text/Pippi Film Editorial Office: A Chicken
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