Author: Li Yan
Zhang Yishan's version of "Deer Ding Ji" is one of the few large-scale martial arts dramas in 2020, but since its inception, it has been ridiculed by netizens, and only got a rating of 2.7 points on Douban, refreshing the lowest score of "Lu Ding Ji". However, this does not prevent the ratings and network popularity of the new version of "Deer Ding".
Since it was serialized in Ming Pao in 1969, the film and television adaptation of the novel "Deer Ding" has never stopped. For more than 40 years, "Deer Ding" has been adapted into many versions, creating Wei Xiaobao with different styles. In the late 1970s, after Shaw acquired the rights to adapt Jin Yong's literature, a series of cinematic operations on Jin Yong's novels were implemented. The circle-breaking combination of Shao's martial arts directors Zhang Che, Chu Yuan and Jin Yong constitutes a spectacle of martial arts culture. In 1983, Shaw's film version of "Deer Ding" was released, and star Wang Yu became the first wei Xiaobao actor. Wang Yu's performance is quite spiritual, but the 90-minute film volume is not enough to support the grand pattern of Jin Yong's story. After a series of court legends around the Forty-Two Chapters, the film's story came to an abrupt end. Wang Yu's version of Wei Xiaobao did not leave too much impression on the public, one is that it is old, and the other is that Shao's own is getting thinner and thinner.
Of course, Wang Yu's agility inspired the follow-up to Wei Xiaobao's interpretation. In the 1984 TV series "Deer Ding" produced by TVB, after removing Wei Xiaobao's innate evil qi, it brought the audience a classicist narrative aesthetic. In the confrontation with the Kangxi Emperor played by Andy Lau, Liang Chaowei explores a character image with the bottom line of social conscience between the noble and the city. Wei Xiaobao, played by Liang Chaowei, is lively and innocent, wise and righteous, and this character trait makes the work detach from the original literary framework and gives the audience an image perspective outside of literature.
In the early 1990s, Hong Kong cinema entered a brief golden age, with a group of directors making subversive adaptations of a large number of literary originals. Just as Xu Ke reinvented and renovated the martial arts concept of "Smiling Proud of the Jianghu" in "Undefeated in the East", Wang Jing let us see a more modern Wei Xiaobao in Zhou Xingchi's version of "Deer Ding".
Zhou Xingchi's version of "Deer Ding" gave Wei Xiaobao the soul of modernity. Under Zhou Xingchi's exaggerated and exaggerated interpretation, Wei Xiaobao is no longer an outlier who only exists in the ancient officialdom, and the image of cleverness, selfishness and mercenarism is perfectly combined with the image of small people in modern society. At the same time, the humorous language full of modern sense not only retains the essence of Wei Xiaobao's oily and slippery and chicken thief, but also the second innovation of the character. This kind of innovation based on the character of the character actually makes the audience have a deeper sense of convincing and identification with the character. Obviously, Zhou Xingchi used his characteristic nonsense way to create a new Wei Xiaobao.
In addition, since the 1990s, Wei Xiaobao has become a regular guest in film and television dramas, in addition to the "Deer Ding" canonical series, there have also been "Fengzhigou Girl", "Xiaobao and Kangxi" and other out-of-the-box interpretations, which further enriched Wei Xiaobao's screen image. Among them, there are also works that give Wei Xiaobao a sense of justice, righteousness, and even absolute martial arts, but after Wei Xiaobao was shaped into an image that approached the traditional martial arts, he had a strong sense of dislocation with the original work.
Wei Xiaobao was born in the city and carried the city culture of the Huaiyang region. His conservatism and incompleteness are doomed to not become chivalrous characters, but the city spirit in him makes him closer to the reader. This is especially evident in Chen Xiaochun's version of "Deer Ding", when the protagonist has a dialogue with the audience with an equal and sincere attitude, the vivid feeling of the characters is about to come out. Under the influence of Wei Xiaobao's grounding, his actions are more easily accepted, tolerated or even recognized. Of course, the audience's empathy is based on Chen Xiaochun's wonderful interpretation of Wei Xiaobao.
As Mr. Jin Yong's sealed work, "Deer Ding Ji" reverses the traditional appearance of previous martial arts novels, creating a Wei Xiaobao who is completely different from the traditional chivalrous, and is a new understanding and interpretation of the integration of heroes and the world. He is a slippery chicken thief, a heavy habit, both cunning and sleek, and has an arrogant and stubborn side; he does not learn any skills, and he reveals the rogue temperament of a small, but his heart is frank and natural, with a chivalrous spirit.
Wei Xiaobao loves money, lust, and power, but he also has his own bottom line, and it is this bottom line that retains the good feelings of readers and audiences for him. Although Wei Xiaobao is greedy for money, he never uses despicable means to earn money; although he is lustful, he really loves his wives large and small; although he loves power, he can stand firm in the camp of justice in the face of great right and wrong.
Such a character actually has the shadow of the reader and the audience in reality, but he is also given the high IQ and high emotional intelligence that ordinary people lack, and can influence the overall situation by himself, without losing justice and integrity, which undoubtedly fits people's original complex of hero image. The undetermined heavenly conscience in his personality and the interpretation of chivalry and integrity under the premise of protecting himself are probably the ideal state pursued by ordinary mortals. Moreover, the money, power, and beauty that Wei Xiaobao obtained through his own ability are probably also the ultimate dreams of mortals. Therefore, how to interpret such a civilian hero who has high hopes in the minds of readers and audiences is indeed not an easy task. (Li Yan)
Source: Guangming Network - Literary And Art Review Channel