It is a pity that Feng Xiaogang's version of "Loyal Dog Bagong" is far inferior to the American version and the Japanese version

Author: Li Xiaotian

Feng Xiaogang, the "little steel cannon" who once dominated the Chinese film industry, is really outdated and can't do it.

Since "Only Yun Knows" hit the street, there has been no movement for several years. Many people are speculating whether Feng Xiaogang went abroad, and as a result, he suddenly exerted his strength in the first half of 2023. First, the online drama "Echo" directed by him was launched, and the result was once again pounced, and the reputation was really not good.

Now, the Chinese version of "Loyal Dog Bagong" starring Feng Xiaogang is officially released. As a result, it is still far inferior to the previous Japanese version and the American version. There are also tear-jerking plots, but only good sentences without good chapters, far from satisfying.

Feng Xiaogang is really dying.

Regarding the story of the loyal dog Hachiko, the earliest movie version was the Japanese version of "The Story of the Loyal Dog Hachiko" released in 1987, which became a classic as soon as it was released, and the Douban score was also 9.2 points.

In 2009, the American Hollywood adaptation of "The Story of the Loyal Dog Hachiko" was officially released, and the result was that this version was better than the Japanese version, the story was more touching, the film was more classic, and the Douban score reached 9.4 points.

With these two versions at the bottom, the Chinese version of "Loyal Dog Bagong" has attracted a lot of attention since its filming, and I want to see a story of our own.

As a result, the mission of "Hachiko the Loyal Dog" is only half completed. The story was adapted to Chongqing, and the story really became a Chinese story, and the localized adaptation was quite successful. But the localized adaptation is excessive, and the original touching story line in the story has been diluted, far inferior to the Japanese version and the American version. I have to say, very regrettable.

"Loyal dog Hachiko", the core point of this story lies in the dog called Hachiko, talking about its absolute loyalty to the male protagonist, talking about its infinite attachment to the male protagonist, and talking about its connection significance to the male protagonist's family.

The best reason why the American version is the best is that it cuts the complexity and simplifies the story line, focusing on the friendship between the professor played by the male protagonist Richard Gere and the dog Hachiko that is not more friendship than friendship. It begins with the story that the university professor picked up Hachiko from the train station and fell in love with it after picking it up. This process is Hachiko's cuteness and captures the professor's soft heart. Later, as Hachiko grows up, it evolves into a professor who captures Hachiko's love for him. For the reason of dog breeding, Hachiko is not as good at grabbing balls thrown out by the owner as other dogs. However, Hachiko learned in order to teach. A small detail explains Hachiko's efforts towards the professor.

Then, there is the scene of going to the station day after day to pick up and drop off professors to and from work. Finally, a touching scene came, the professor died unexpectedly, but Hachiko still waited at the door of the station day after day, expecting the professor's figure to appear again. This is ten years, and it has not changed until death. Hachiko's loyalty also touched everyone who knew the story.

The American version of "The Story of the Loyal Dog Hachiko" is brilliant in the extremely simple story line, and touches people with the most simple feelings.

The story of the Japanese version of "The Tale of Hachiko" is also touching and classic, but its story line is a little more complicated. Especially at the beginning stage, unlike the American version, which directly points to the topic of Hachiko that the professor picked up from the station. The Hachiko in the Japanese version was given to the professor by a friend, but the first thing to like was the professor's daughter. The professor didn't like Hachiko that much. There's a daughter in it.

Later, the daughter fell in love and married, and after the daughter left the family, the professor began to pour his love into Hachiko. In this way, Hachiko has some tools and has become the spokesperson for his daughter.

Fortunately, the daughter's scene does not occupy long space in the entire film, and the story of one person and one dog in the back has enough space to be displayed. However, the relationship between the Japanese version of the professor and Hachiko is more of a master-servant relationship, unlike the American version, which is a friend relationship. Fortunately, the Japanese version was filmed early, and everyone accepted it, and if you look at it now, it is estimated that the Animal Protection Society will be somewhat uncomfortable. But the whole did not affect Hachiko's bitter drama of waiting for the professor day after day at the station, and everyone who had seen it was deeply shocked, greatly moved, and burst into tears.

Let's talk about the Chinese version of "Loyal Dog Bagong", driven by national emotions, the adaptation is a little too much. First of all, the title of the film is "Loyal Dog Hachiko", but in fact, the name of the puppy in the film is Hachiko. The difference between "Eight Gong" and "Eight Tubes" is still quite big, and the title of this film is really ridiculous. Moreover, the little Akita dog in the Japanese and American versions was specially changed to a Chinese pastoral dog, and it was placed first in the cast. This trick is really too deliberate and completely unnecessary. From this, you can also feel that the screenwriter is afraid to anger nationalist sentiments.

National sentiment is still a trivial matter, and a better expression of the Chinese adaptation is very good. Even, "Loyal Dog Hachiko" puts the story in Chongqing, and it is the time before and after the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, which gives the whole story a strong sense of the times, and even has a sense of breaking the history of the dynasty, and has some epic feeling. At this point, I have to say that the ambition and courage of the main creator are still big enough, and I really admire it.

But then again, the most touching part of the story of the loyal dog Hachiko lies in the love of people and dogs, and the main creators make epic adaptations, whether the steps are too big, pull the egg, but hurt themselves.

The story of "Loyal Dog Hachiko" no longer focuses solely on the story of the professor and the dog, but tells the life changes of the entire family before and after the construction of the Three Gorges. There is not only the professor played by Feng Xiaogang, but also the wife played by Chen Chong, and there is a son and a daughter. First the daughter got married, and then the son went to Beijing. Then there is the interactive life between the professor and the dog. In this process, it is always impossible to see how much family members like puppies outside the professor. It seems that the daughter has never interacted much with the puppy, nor has the son. The only time was when my son took a train to Beijing, and the professor took the puppy to the delivery station. As a result, the professor had a bad heart and could not catch the car, only the puppy rushed to the station and sent his daughter on the last ride.

The interactive relationship between the whole family does not clearly explain the degree of intimacy between them, the sense of family CP is not built at all, the whole film looks down, you can't feel what the role of this is for the children, especially the role between a person and a dog at the core of the story, basically has no impact, dispensable.

That is to say, the painting adds too much to the relationship between the entire family, but it does not tell it well, and it dilutes the core story line of human dog love. Then such an adaptation is worth scrutinizing.

The content that should not be told takes up too much space, and when it comes to the story line of human dog love, there are not many scenes available. The fragment of the interaction between humans and dogs with details is only a scene buried by the river. The setting of this bridge section is compared with the clip of the American version of the dog learning to hold the ball, and the judgment is high.

The scenes of people, dogs, and stations are not as good as the American and Japanese versions. Although the interaction between people and dogs in front of the station is shown many times in the scene, the details are insufficient, there are no memorable clips, and there are no wonderful moments. In the end, when entering the climax, it is completely relying on the music to sensationalize, relying on the continuous switching of the camera to tear up, although the role has also been played, but it is really not smart enough. Or the American version, with the most simple lens language, after multiple foreshadowing, finally reached an emotional climax, there is no harm without contrast, and with contrast you will feel hurt.

In the final analysis, the screenwriter and other main creators are obviously enlarged, and they have to expand the story of a person's dog love into a big and unwarranted period drama. A period drama is a period drama, and as a result, the hook between the characters is too sparse, lacking the conflict it should have, pulling things up, insincere words, and smashing the story.

As for the actors, only Chen Chong played well in the whole film, very market and soft, and the master lady who played the knife-mouthed tofu heart was good. And Feng Xiaogang is a completely wrong casting. Although Feng Xiaogang starred in "Old Cannon" and won the performance award for this. But after all, the Beijing hutong string in "Old Cannon" is Feng Xiaogang's own familiar life, and the role is also a character he has been familiar with since he was a child, and it is natural to act smoothly.

The university professor in "Loyal Dog Hachiko" is a high-level intellectual and a character with very delicate feelings, this kind of role requires that kind of restrained expression, many places should be better than acting without acting, relying on micro-expressions in the quiet to convey the character's inner scene. And this kind of role, you should find an actor like Chen Daoming to play.

The protagonist in "Old Cannon" is an impulsive character, with a temperament and swaggering behavior, and the reality of Feng Xiaogang is known as "Little Steel Cannon" because he is also such a character, and it is appropriate for him to play it. And the choice of Feng Xiaogang in "Loyal Dog Bagong" is really a huge mistake. The so-called Feng's introversion in the film just confirms Feng Xiaogang's sense of loneliness since "Only Yun Knows", and this can only be seen as funny and cannot be regarded as acting skills. With Chen Chong, he obviously looked stupid and couldn't hold the scene.

The scene was not given, and the feelings were not well foreshadowed, so Feng Xiaogang was hardened, and the result could only be that the entire film was held out and the watchability was greatly reduced.

The puppy in the film is very cute, which can be regarded as earning enough face for the pastoral dog. Let this kind of rural native dog that everyone thinks of be a tubulaji has greatly improved its image. However, this line of dogs cannot become a complete story line alone, and it is adapted and fragmented, completely living up to the cute dog.

Wasted a good theme, wasted Chen Chong, wasted Feng Xiaogang, wasted Chinese pastoral dog, it's a pity.

Previously, Ren Dahua's version of "Guide Dog Little Q" failed the classic once, and this time "Loyal Dog Hachiko" once again failed the classic. Alas!