Xu Anhua's film "The First Burning Incense" was recently released, which is adapted from Zhang Ailing's novel "Agarwood Crumbs • First Burning Incense". As of now, the film's reputation and box office are not ideal, with a Douban score of 5.5 and a box office of only 30 million yuan in the 6 days of release.
Stills from "The First Incense"
As one of the most prestigious novelists in the Chinese language scene, Zhang Ailing is a big IP herself, with huge traffic. Therefore, since the release of "First Incense", despite the polarization of reviews and various controversies, the popularity has not decreased.
Zhang Ailing's novels have a very unique temperament in terms of narrative, imagery and style, and also cause many difficulties in their film and television adaptations. It is a well-known fact that Zhang Ailing's novels are not well adapted. Director Hou Xiaoxian even said, "Zhang Ailing's novel cannot be filmed, it is a trap." ”
The author believes that first, because Zhang Ailing's novels have a large number of delicate, rich and subtle psychological descriptions, good at using strange metaphors, unique imagery, emotional subtlety, sad background, and do not have the strong plot and dramatization required for film and television; second, Zhang Ailing's works are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and have many readers. "Zhang Fan" is very familiar with his works, and is naturally more critical of the remakes of film and television works and the speech and behavior of the characters in the play.
Next, let's talk about Zhang Ailing.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > life is a gorgeous robe crawling with fleas - Zhang Ailing's "Genius Dream"</h1>
On September 30, 1920, Zhang Ailing was born in Shanghai to a declining aristocratic family. Although her family is famous, Zhang Ailing's childhood is full of unbearable memories. Because the father was addicted to opium, and did not fulfill the slightest father's responsibility to the two brothers. Her newly educated mother could not stand her father's decadence and filed for divorce when Zhang Ailing was in elementary school. Later, his father Zhang Zhiyi married his stepmother Sun Yongfan, and because of a quarrel with his stepmother, Zhang Ailing escaped from her father's house and defected to her mother. Although Zhang Ailing had a tragic childhood, these are also the resources for her later writing, because her life is a drama.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > like a person, humble to the dust, out of the dust to blossom. ——Zhang Ailing</h1>
In 1943, Hu Lancheng went straight from Wuhan to Shanghai to visit Zhang Ailing, which also opened the prelude to this emotional entanglement.
Hu Lancheng and Zhang Ailing went from acquaintance to acquaintance to love. Zhang Ailing in the original did not have a happy family environment, but in Zhang Ailing's world, there is no family affection, human feelings are indifferent, love is fantasy, now meet Hu Lancheng, who is 14 years older than her, the warmth from a mature man, melted her frozen heart for a long time, so no matter whether Hu Lancheng is a traitor, nor does he care that Hu Lancheng has a wife, she has never eaten fireworks. For Hu Lancheng to the dust, despite the world's rumors, love can not extricate itself.
Hu Lancheng and Zhang Ailing wrote a marriage letter: Hu Lancheng and Zhang Ailing signed a lifelong marriage, wishing that the years would be quiet and the present world would be stable. Although Zhang Ailing's pen has written all the love of men and women, but only did not see through their own love, Hu Lancheng is a traitor and do not say, in the emotional flow of characters, the beginning of chaos and abandonment, with love is not dedicated, and Zhang Ailing privately decided that it did not take long to fall in love with the little nurse, and also asked Zhang Ailing to accept her as a concubine. Zhang Ailing, who was low to the dust, chose to forgive her husband in pain.
Until 1945, when Japan surrendered, Hu Lancheng fled, fled to Wenzhou, and got along with a widow again, once again shamelessly asking Zhang Ailing's forgiveness, in this relationship, Zhang Ailing loved so hard. Repeated betrayals made her wake up like a dream: I am not his first woman, nor will I be his last woman, and cinnabar moles will eventually turn into mosquito blood. Later, he made up his mind to sever ties with Hu Lancheng. Wounded all over the body, she ended this chaotic love that was "low to the dust" with her last care.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > laugh, the whole world laughs with you, cries, and you cry alone. ——Zhang Ailing, "Flower Wither"</h1>
Zhang Ailing, who came to the United States, met the equally depressed Laiya when she was down, and Laiya was 19 years older than her and was a writer who had been a writer. Like a father, Laiya gave Zhang Ailing a warmth she had never had before, and the two quickly fell in love.
Soon after marriage, Laiya suffered a stroke and was bedridden, in order to survive, she did radio translation, worked in college, desperately wrote film scripts, not only to support herself, but also to support her husband who was paralyzed in bed, regardless of whether it was worth it or not, and then Laiya died.
Zhang Ailing wrote in "Half Life": "You ask me whether it is worth it to love you, in fact, you should know that love is not worth it." A woman like Zhang Ailing, she has the talent of the world, but unfortunately the talent can not be exchanged for half a lifetime of warmth. After Raya left, she no longer had feelings to pin herself on, and locked herself in the apartment, hardly seeing guests.
In the 1980s, Zhang Ailing's literature was recognized by people, and the world was amazed by her unique style, many fans went to China to visit Zhang Ailing, but they never found a trace, and the arrogant Zhang Ailing moved around to avoid visitors and avoid any form of interference. The female writers who were once legendary in the Republic of China gradually grew old in loneliness.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > tasted the cold and warmth of the world, and the upside downs and displacements were lost for a lifetime. Zhang Ailing, she has loved, hated, hurt, bloomed, decadent, and happy. In the end, he was alone, silent, and quietly returned, which was also complete. </h1>