1. The arduous process of film and television recreation of "Dream of Red Mansions".
In the face of "Dream of Red Chambers", which can be regarded as the pinnacle of ancient Chinese literature, how to successfully bring its wonderful story to the screen is undoubtedly an unprecedented challenge! This monumental work not only has a twisty and moving storyline, but also a level of unattainable delicacy in character building.
It is precisely because of its depth and breadth that it is a severe test for both the director and the actor to perfectly convey the spiritual connotation of the original work in film and television works.
Each audience's understanding and expectation of a classic role may be different, and in order to perfectly present the ideal image in everyone's mind on the screen, it undoubtedly requires the director and actors to have excellent control.
Even if the crew puts all their efforts, it is inevitable that some viewers may think that there is a deviation from the image in their minds.
However, despite the odds, many directors have stepped forward to challenge this grand feat. Each of them adheres to their unique shooting concepts, integrates their own unique styles and imaginations into their works, and brings a colorful audio-visual feast to the audience.
Some versions are committed to accurately restoring the core values of the original work, while others boldly introduce new artistic concepts while inheriting traditions.
Although each version has its own characteristics, they all show us the unique insights and innovative perspectives of different directors on classic classics. Among them, there will always be some masterpieces that are more in line with the public's aesthetics and can touch the soul and stand out and become eternal classics in the hearts of red science lovers.
So, among the many versions, which one can best show the soft and demure image of "Sister Lin falling from the sky"? Let's take the classic scene of "Lin Daiyu's first entry into Jiafu" as a starting point to deeply analyze and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each version.
2. Review the glorious achievements of the 87th edition of "Dream of Red Mansions".
Among all the film and television versions of "Dream of Red Mansions", the 1987 version directed by Lu Xiaoman is undoubtedly the most classic and outstanding representative. The play is planned and supervised by the well-known screenwriter Lu Xiaoman, and he has done his best to accurately restore the essence of the original work.
Whether it is the fine depiction of the characters' personalities or the careful arrangement of the plot details, they all strive to be close to the spirit of Mr. Cao Xueqin's original work.
What's even more eye-catching is that this series brought together many powerful actors with outstanding acting skills at that time, such as Chen Xiaoxu, Wang Ji, Wang Zhiwen, etc., which can be described as a group of stars with a strong lineup.
Among the many film and television works, Lin Daiyu played by Chen Xiaoxu can be called a powerful turner, with her excellent performance, not only made the entire crew famous, but also made the work an immortal classic.
You only need to carefully gaze at the image of Lin Daiyu created by Chen Xiaoxu in the play, "when she is quiet, like a delicate flower reflected in the water, and when she acts, like a slender willow branch swaying in the wind", you can deeply realize that she seems to be a real existence that jumps out from the pen and ink of the famous literati Cao Xueqin.
From her delicate movements of hiding her face and being shy, to the beautiful atmosphere of reading poetry and books in her eyes, to the melancholy and loneliness vaguely revealed in her lowered eyes, Chen Xiaoxu perfectly interprets the internal and external characteristics of Lin Daiyu with her superb acting skills.
The audience couldn't help but sigh: "This is simply Lin Daiyu who walked out of the book!" Looking at her figure in a foreign land, lonely and helpless, but still beautiful, it seems that I can really feel the arrogance and warm emotions in her heart.
The careful planning of the production team of the whole play, as well as Chen Xiaoxu's wonderful interpretation, have jointly created the glorious status of this 87 version of "Dream of Red Mansions". This version not only portrays the characters in the original book vividly, but also leaves an indelible deep impression on the role of Lin Daiyu for the audience.
To this day, it is still regarded as a timeless classic in the minds of red science lovers.
3. The style of "Dream of Red Mansions" is unique
Going back even further, we can't ignore the 1977 Shaw Brothers Film Company's "Dream of Red Mansions". This film, co-starred by Zhang Aijia and Lin Qingxia, two popular actresses at the time, has aroused widespread attention and fierce controversy since its release date because of its unique artistic style.
It is worth mentioning that Zhang Aijia, who plays the role of Lin Daiyu in this film, has a very different image from people's imagination of Lin Daiyu in the original book. At the beginning of the film, she was like a heroic chivalrous woman, breaking into Jiafu with a heroic and free attitude, and the whole person exuded a capable, decisive and otherworldly temperament, which was in stark contrast to the gentle and subtle image of Lin Daiyu in the original book.
When Zhang Aijia was hazy with tears in her eyes and devoted herself to the performance of the crying scene, the audience was even more amazed by her three-dimensional facial features and heroic image, which was far from the image of Lin Daiyu, who was as soft as pear blossoms and rain in the original book.
However, we also need to understand that this film is based on the unique aesthetic of Shaw Brothers.
The reason why the famous director who has been deeply involved in the film industry for many years has such a unique and thoughtful portrayal of the role of Lin Daiyu played by Zhang Aijia is actually hidden behind a heart for artistic excellence.
Although there are slight differences from the characters in the original novel, this brave and imaginative "innovation" is precisely the wonderful thing about the film and television adaptation, and it gives a new vitality and imagination to the famous Lin Daiyu character in classic literature.
Therefore, although Zhang Aijia's appearance of Lin Daiyu in the film is slightly different from the traditional image in the public's mind, this work is full of novel ideas in terms of plot setting and aesthetic style, while also retaining many elements unique to Hong Kong films, thus successfully attracting the attention of many red science lovers.
This is undoubtedly a bold and fruitful innovative attempt by film and television adaptation on the basis of sticking to the spirit of the original work.
Fourth, the 89 version is eye-catching in beauty but lacks charm
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, in 1989, another high-profile film and television version of Dream of Red Mansions finally came out. This time, the famous veteran actor Tao Huimin was entrusted with the important task of playing the fascinating role of Lin Daiyu.
When the film first started, Tao Huimin's beautiful face immediately aroused the audience's amazement, and even Jia Baoyu was deeply shocked when she first met her in the play.
When filming Tao Huimin, the directors made no secret of their admiration, doing their best to show off her indescribable skin lines and slender figure. The audience was also intoxicated and praised her appearance as charming as Lin Daiyu's description of "being angry and like a spirit".
However, it is clearly not enough to have a beautiful appearance. How to perfectly display Lin Daiyu's noble and elegant temperament and the charm of knowledge and etiquette on the screen does not seem to be the field that Tao Huimin, who has always paid attention to external beauty.
In contrast, the elegant and indifferent and elegant temperament that Chen Xiaoxu narrated in the 87 version, Tao Huimin's version of Lin Daiyu left people with more glamorous and moving appearances, but it is difficult to perceive Lin Daiyu's noble and erudite inner qualities through her eyes.
Perhaps it is precisely because of the lack of an in-depth depiction of the core of the character's personality that this version has been criticized and accused of "overemphasizing beauty".
After all, Lin Daiyu's unique charm is not only in her outstanding appearance, but more importantly, in her cold, subtle, and otherworldly personality. In order to perfectly interpret such a character with a strong intellectual atmosphere, it is far from being achieved by beautiful appearance alone.
This is undoubtedly the best explanation of why this version is so praised and some viewers disagree with its characterization! Lin Daiyu has an extraordinary temperament, soft and moving, but what makes her more precious is the elegant quality she contains.
Unfortunately, version 89 falls short in this regard.
5. The current focus of controversy: The character modeling of the 10th version of "Dream of Red Mansions" has been criticized
Time flies, and it has been more than 20 years since the 89th edition. In 2010, another new version of "Dream of Red Mansions" appeared on the silver screen again. However, this drama has been controversial and criticized since its birth.
Many viewers sharply criticized the makeup design of the characters, and they thought that Daiyu's image makeup was too "village girl into the city", which was really unacceptable.
There is no doubt that for such a classic costume masterpiece, the shaping of the character image is undoubtedly a crucial link. Lin Daiyu, as the daughter of a scholarly family from an upper-class aristocratic family, should show an elegant and dignified demeanor.
However, when this version of Lin Daiyu first appeared, it left people with an extremely rough and casual impression.
The director's mistake in controlling the character image seriously affected the audience's understanding and cognition of the plot development of the whole series and the character of the character. The audience's original expectations, Lin Daiyu's radiant and generous manners, have come to naught in this version.
Such a low-level mistake should not have happened in such a famous classic. No wonder this version of Lin Daiyu's image has been subjected to such strong criticism and condemnation, which is heartbreaking.
It is a pity that the charm of a classic character has been trampled on so wantonly.