Before the film "First Burning Incense", as early as 2009, Wang Anyi had collaborated with Xu Anhua, and also related to Zhang Ailing: Wang Anyi adapted Zhang Ailing's novel "The Golden Lock" into a stage play, directed by Huang Shuqin in Shanghai and directed by Xu Anhua in Hong Kong.
That was the first time that writer Wang Anyi tried to adapt a stage play, and it was also the first time that film director Xu Anhua directed a stage play.
△ Wang Anyi 丨 Yang Mei Photography
When the Hong Kong version of "The Golden Lock" premiered, Wang Anyi, who was studying in Hong Kong, was invited to see the performance, and she was surprised to find that before the performance, Xu Anhua had been smoking outside the theater.
She said she felt horrible because she hadn't directed a stage play before. Movies can be constantly repaired and repaired, and finally come up with a complete thing. She said that if something went wrong with the stage play, she was sweating profusely, saying that she did not dare to go in and watch it. ”
When he finally came to the stage, Xu Anhua held Wang Anyi's hand. Wang Anyi recalled that at that time, Xu Anhua's hands were sweaty,
"I think she's really an artist."
△ Xu Anhua, director of the movie "First Burning Incense"
That cooperation left a deep impression on Wang Anyi. Nearly 10 years later, when Xu Anhua found Wang Anyi again, Wang Anyi thought that the director wanted to buy the copyright of his own work.
"I saw her looking for me so anxious, thinking she was trying to buy my rights. I knew she wouldn't look for me easily, and there would be something wrong with me. Anyway, at that time, I had already decided in my heart that no matter what she came to me to do, I would say yes. ”
As a result, there was a cooperation between the writers and directors of the movie "First Incense".
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Morning News: Before the movie "First Burning Incense", you adapted Zhang Ailing's "The Golden Lock" into a stage play, which was also directed by Hui Anhua in Hong Kong. That was your first adaptation of the screenplay, what was the reason?
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Wang Anyi: I am very grateful to the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center for this matter. At that time, Yang Shaolin (former general manager of Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center) and Lu Liang wanted me to write a script. I think they're bold because I'm a completely vegan and have never written anything on stage. And I was very picky, so I told them that there was only one thing I was willing to write, and that was to adapt "The Golden Lock". They were also not familiar with Zhang Ailing, and they thought how could I want to write about such a subject. But I was still quite persistent, saying that I was interested in this, and I would write it myself, whether they used it or not. But they also compromised later, and also helped me find a director, that is, Huang Shuqin, because Huang Shuqin and I were both fathers of Renyi (referring to the Shanghai People's Art Theatre). In 1995, the Shanghai People's Art Theater and the Shanghai Youth Repertory Theatre merged to form the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center).
But Huang Shuqin was much harsher than they were. My first draft came out, she wasn't satisfied, and she said you made it impossible for me to get started. In the second draft, I came up with a big reversal, completely writing a very showy skill (script), that is, from the perspective of modern people to write about the past life, the past life is reflected in the way of dreams. She was even more dissatisfied, she said that this was not okay, the script was not written like this.
Before writing the third draft, the Drama Center had already decided that she would be the director, so she gave me some theatrical initiation.
She said that writing a screenplay is different from writing a novel, writing a novel can be hidden, the script must be turned out of the pocket, I must let everyone see it, let her have something to direct. She said that the novel is implicit, and I am the more subtle way in the novel, which is actually quite challenging for me.
But I didn't seem to have to write it, and then I wrote the third draft. The third draft made one of the biggest changes, that is, to pull off all the long white lines. Because (the rhythm) is originally very urgent, after the long white line is pulled off, there is room for time and space, then you can expand a little more. I sent her the third draft, and by then I had already planned for her to let me write the fourth. Unexpectedly, she called me, and she said that your third draft was really well written, and it was so fixed. Then it was lined up.
<h5>Morning News: Is "The Golden Lock" a work by your personal favorite Zhang Ailing? </h5>
Wang Anyi: That's right. Zhang Ailing and I are not so one way in the end, but I think "The Golden Lock" is the closest to me, and it is the one that makes me most interested in getting to know this writer. This "proximity" is a bit close to the aesthetics. Because Zhang Ailing once said a sentence, she said that women with great energy are primitive women. At this point, I think we are closer, and I can't say close, that is, I prefer that kind of "primitive woman".
△ Hand-painted stills from the movie "First Incense"
After Chen Sihe later watched the play, he raised some questions, saying that in fact, there was still a gap between me and Zhang Ailing. What he means is that in fact, the character of Cao Qiqiao is very self-interested, I emphasized the energy of her body, lust, in fact, the reason why she lives in this family, there is also a relationship of interests, so it is called "Golden Lock". But I can't take care of it, because there are too many aspects to take care of when writing drama, so that's all.
<h5>Morning News: When Chen Sihe was lecturing on Chinese literature, he mentioned that he didn't like The Golden Lock because he couldn't understand how ruthless a mother was to her children. </h5>
Wang Anyi: I think Chen Sihe is actually quite Taoist (laughs). One is brutal, and the other I think he has a very gentle personality, and he doesn't like this kind of hot, powerful person.
Another point I think is obvious, our (mainland) actors and directors (when considering the role) are too moral. Originally, I personally wanted Lü Liang to play the Third Young Master in it, when he was still relatively young and thin, but Lü Liang said that he absolutely could not act. Later, they found several people, and they were unwilling to act. I don't know why they don't want to act, but in fact, I think this person is very dramatic. The actor who found this role in Hong Kong was very smooth, and all of a sudden, the actor (Li Runqi) was also very famous, and they seemed to accept it easily.
The two places are completely different in this regard. In the process of rehearsing this play, I was constantly shouted by Huang Shuqin to explain (why the plot developed so much), and then Huang Shuqin did not let me go, I sat in the rehearsal hall, and I kept explaining (why this character did such an act). In Hong Kong, I don't want to explain a word.
<h5>Morning News: The difference here is because the two directors have different understandings of Zhang Ailing, or is it that Hong Kong has a higher acceptance of Zhang Ailing? </h5>
Wang Anyi: Obviously, in Hong Kong, people know Zhang Ailing much earlier than we do. At that time, even so far, I didn't think that Zhang Ailing was (deeply) understood in the mainland, because the culture was too estranged. You don't see so many people like Zhang Ailing, so many Fans, in fact, do not know much.
I remember when Hui Anhua directed this play, I only made one phone call, and at that time I didn't know her, but people at the Hong Kong Theater told me that it was Hui Anhua. Xu Anhua said on the phone that every scene does not seem to have an end, and you have to give it an ending to every scene, especially a very intense scene. I thought about it and said that when Cao Qiqiao first played, didn't Ji Ze come on the field with her back, she sat on the new bed, and when she saw that everything around her was empty, she asked "People".
She seemed to understand immediately, and there was no more phone call. Until I looked at Hong Kong during the rehearsal, there was not a single phone call, not a single question.
<h5>News Morning News: Zhang Ailing's work has been adapted into film and television dramas with a high degree of attention, and "First Incense" has attracted much attention since its inception. Did you have any concerns when you accepted a screenwriting job? </h5>
Wang Anyi: I think (the first pleasant cooperation with Xu Anhua) is of course a very important foundation. I am very grateful to Xu Anhua, because she has discharged a completely different face, a completely different face. When I went to see the play, Chen Sihe was stationed in Hong Kong, and I invited them to come and see them. Chen Sihe watched the first half, came out and told me that the queue was very good. It is very concise, and probably because cantonese is relatively fast, the deleted lines in the Shanghai version have been retained, and the performance time is not so long.
So after that time, I was particularly grateful to Xu Anhua. I think this guy is a good guy, a really good guy. When she premiered in Hong Kong, she didn't dare to enter the theater and kept smoking outside. She said she felt horrible because she hadn't directed a stage play before. She said how can a stage play be like this, the film can be constantly repaired, and finally get a complete thing. She said that if something went wrong with the stage play, she was sweating profusely, saying that she did not dare to go in and watch it. She said I would never rehearse a stage play anymore, as if I had been scared out of half a life. At the end of the day, when we came to the end, she held my hand, it was really sweaty, and I felt like she was really an artist.
Therefore, this time receiving "The First Incense" is directly related to director Xu Anhua. When she came to me, I had just arrived in Hong Kong, and I had just put my things down, and she said she was in Shanghai. I said it was a coincidence that I had just arrived in Hong Kong and would not be back until half a year later. She said I'd go back to Hong Kong tomorrow. By the third day, she was sitting downstairs from me. I saw that she was so anxious to find me, thinking that she did not want to buy my copyright, anyway, I had already decided in my heart, no matter what she came to me to do, I would agree to it. I know she won't look for me easily, and she'll be fine looking for me.
<h5>Morning News: "The First Incense" is a novella, to expand it into a film of more than two hours, where is the difficulty of this adaptation? </h5>
Wang Anyi: Xu Anhua sat down and told me about this matter, I have not yet returned to God.' Of course, I have seen "The First Incense", but whether it can be changed into a movie, I still don't know, she is already saying where the problem is. She said that she needed you to make up a lot of things, because she had done a lot of work in the early stages, knew where the problem was, and said it as soon as she came up.
Because I had changed "Color Ring" before, I was not as scared as I was at the beginning when I faced Zhang Ailing's things. Zhang Ailing's stuff is actually easy to change because it is complete. So you don't have to think about where it starts and where it ends, you don't have to think about it, she will definitely justify herself, and you can trust her very much.
But what you have to do is to make up, and there are many places that need to be made up. Because the relationship between all her characters how to get to the end of such a field, is very troublesome. If you think about it, this girl enters her aunt's house, she knows her own status, she knows what her aunt wants her to do, and then how to meet her aunt's expectations and be able to meet her emotional needs. This is everywhere that needs to be filled, because the novel can be carried over in one sentence, or it doesn't matter if it is left blank there (and the movie can't).
△ Movie "First Incense"
But I have written "Color Ring", "Color Ring" needs to be supplemented than it, I am not afraid to make up, the main thing is the understanding of these characters. "The First Incense" has a gorgeous color, it expresses people's feelings is also very strong, it has a strong expression of feelings, and then interpersonal relationships are quite complicated, and everyone's fate is full of suspiciousness.
<h5>Morning News: There may be two views on Ge Weilong's choice. For a woman, she likes a person, even if she chooses this person in a limited choice, no matter what method she uses to go with him, of course, in the eyes of outsiders, she is "sold" and has to raise this man. But from the perspective of the person concerned, she is with the man she likes, in this regard she has succeeded, and she does not know how to do it in the future, anyway, there is wine in this day and drunk in this day, try it first. Which view would you prefer? </h5>
Wang Anyi: I think Ge Weilong is actually a very forward-looking person, she is not the kind of person who is desperate and constantly needs her aunt to enlighten her.
My aunt is also very good at using some of her concepts, such as the concept of chastity, saying that you are already in such a situation now, if you gamble, you are just going to be a housewife of an ordinary person's house; the aunt said that she, (in the eyes of outsiders) looks pretty good, do you know how much I spend on maintenance; she said that if you go to an ordinary person's house, may you live such a life, you will soon grow old, then this is the point.
So Ge Weilong and Georgie Qiao are also helpless choices in some ways, but I think she has a strength, that is, to turn passive into active.
The women in Zhang Ailing's novels all have an "ability" to turn passive into active, and her environment is passive, in fact, it is passive. But Ge Weilong is more sharp in this passivity, she has lost her body, you think that the white tassel is not willing to take this step, she is very late to come out. Bai Liusu was several years older than Ge Weilong, and she had already experienced marriage, so she was much more powerful than Ge Weilong, and she could control this situation.
But Ge Weilong's move is very dangerous. Director Xu hopes that when she is newly married, Georgie Joe will cheat, that is, she will pull this person into the marriage, but he is still restless, and he will not be at ease. At this time, I think Ge Weilong is a risk of seeing her move step by step.
Of course, the movie and the novel are still a little different, that is, Director Xu still has to have a love in it, so in the movie, twists and turns, stumbling, Georgie Joe still has a little sincerity for her, there is a little sincerity. The novel also reveals a little, when they are on the street during the Spring Festival (Wei Long is recognized as a prostitute), in the car, in fact, Ge Wei Long said that sentence, she said "I am actually the same as them, but I am voluntary", he said "you are not allowed to talk nonsense", Georgie Joe still has pain, there is still pain.
At this time, I personally think that this pair of men and women is also very pitiful, and it is also very pitiful to live their lives like this.
→ Interview with Wang Anyi (1) 丨 "Zhang Ailing's Qiao Qi Qiao is a muscle man"
→ Interview with Wang Anyi (3) 丨 "From the perspective of fiction, she writes very well, but her values are different from mine."
Source: Thoughtful