China Entertainment 1997

July 2008

After getting rid of the haze of the previous two months, it has slowly returned to normal, and it has even become more intense as the Beijing Olympics approaches.

The entertainment aspect, which has been suspended or low-key in the past two months, has also begun to gradually recover.

TV dramas are still lagging behind. The Olympics will be broadcast soon, which will inevitably squeeze a large amount of the viewing market. No matter how popular TV drama producers are, they don’t think their TV series can compete with the Olympics at home.

So in addition to talking about a few new dramas, this summer vacation will be more about reruns of old dramas.

"Journey to the West" and "Huanzhugege" made a strong appearance, while the "Stars" drama was even more brilliant.

"Young Youth", "Martial Arts Story", "Bright Sword", "Heaven Slaying the Dragon", "Legend of Sword and Fairy", "Detective Di Renjie", "The Unruly Princess", "Beauty's Scheming", "Soldier Assault" and many other popular TV series produced or participated in the production by stars, Active on major TV stations and local stations.

At its peak, Stars TV series could directly influence more than 65% of the viewers in front of the TV, making it the undoubted dominant player in the mainland TV field.

A few years later, even if the company Fanxing is gone, these Fanxing dramas that have left countless beautiful memories for everyone will still remain in everyone's hearts...

Compared with the lukewarm TV series, there is still some improvement in movies. The much-anticipated "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" has made a strong debut in the summer season.

In fact, when the movie was released, Fanxing and China Film also thought about whether to avoid the Beijing Olympics.

However, I later chose to release it in late July. On the one hand, it was not too close to May, but at the same time, it could not be separated from the summer schedule. Mid-to-early August coincided with the Beijing Olympics. If it was placed in late July, it could be released for more than half a month. month lead time.

Released in the summer, it is difficult to completely escape the shadow of the Olympics, but then again, the Olympics does not mean everything.

The world does not revolve around one person, nor does it revolve around one thing.

No matter how popular the Olympic Games are, it is impossible to steal everyone’s attention.

Movie release and the Olympics are two completely different concepts and can be separated. Watching the Olympics does not prevent people from going out to watch a movie, and the release of a movie does not hinder everyone from watching the Olympics.

Except for the few days of the opening ceremony, when the popularity may be overwhelming, at other times, the overall impact of the Olympic Games on the movie box office is not as heavy as imagined.

To put it bluntly, except for some events, most people just watch the Olympic Games.

Because it is held in China this year, its influence is unprecedentedly large. In normal times, the impact of the Olympic Games on film and television is actually extremely limited.

In addition, another thing is that "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" was released simultaneously in Japan and other places.

The release date in Japan and South Korea has been set for July 16th. The domestic release date has been delayed for a few days. If it is delayed further, piracy will steal the spotlight.

Don't underestimate the abilities of these pirates. It is not difficult for them to translate anything from Japanese to Chinese. A good pirate can even have professional dubbing actors to re-dub a video and sell it for sale.

Piracy may seem inconspicuous, but if it really works, it can easily kill a major production.

Therefore, even if "Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff" is released at this time, there may be some other disadvantages, nothing more than the soldiers coming to block it, and the water coming to cover it up.

At the same time, due to the dual pressure of the Olympic Games and "Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff", major theaters have chosen to retreat.

The only thing worth mentioning in July is the imported Hollywood film "Hancock" starring Will Smith.

In August, Marvel’s “The Incredible Hulk” and director Wang Yuelun’s comedy “Nine Perfect Things” will be released.

There are some other movies, but basically nothing to talk about, and even fewer of them go to theaters, and more of them go to TV channels.

However, of the above three movies, the one really worth mentioning is "Hancock".

"Nine Beauties" is a low-budget comedy film with limited potential. Not all comedy directors are Ning Hao. Anyone who earns tens of millions is considered a good performer.

"The Incredible Hulk" is a Hollywood blockbuster, and it is Marvel's second movie after the hit "Iron Man" in May.

The result cannot be said to be a loss, but the box office performance in North America in June is indeed difficult to say that it was satisfactory.

Especially when compared with the ultra-high profits of "Iron Man", it is simply unbearable to look at.

Even Cao Xuan, as a shareholder, couldn't help but send an email to the board of directors to inquire, which made his presence known.

Of course, this movie is not actually owned by Marvel. Universal also owns part of the copyright and can intervene in the production or even package it for distribution.

Marvel has never made another solo movie for "The Incredible Hulk".

Firstly, it was because it was frightened by the collective failure of "The Incredible Hulk" and "The Incredible Hulk" directed by Li Eucalyptus a few years ago, and also because it did not want to share money with Universal.

So the Hulk remained invisible until "The Avengers" when he reappeared.

The actors were also changed because Edward Norton, the male protagonist of "The Incredible Hulk", liked to change the script and even wanted to intervene in the final editing of the film.

In Hollywood, the final cut of a film is very sensitive.

Unlike China, which is a director-centered system, Hollywood is a producer-centered system.

In principle, how to edit depends on the producer's arrangements, and film editing should be considered based on the rating system, commercial attributes, market trends and other aspects.

Relatively speaking, this kind of editing may sacrifice a certain amount of artistry, but the chance of a bad movie will also be reduced a lot.

After all, most directors are film artists. When artists are young and willful, they don't care what ordinary audiences think...

Of course, it is not ruled out that movies are cut into bad films by producers. "Justice League" is one of them. This movie is also a microcosm of the struggle between Hollywood directors and producers for the final cut rights.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, Hollywood directors can provide opinions and have more or less editing rights, but the final editing rights are always in the hands of the producer.

Only top directors such as Spielberg, Nolan, Cameron, and Quentin are eligible to retain the final cut rights.

In fact, Fanxing's film and television production philosophy is somewhat similar to Hollywood.

Although many of the movies and TV series produced by Fanxing still focus on the director, and Fanxing tries its best to give creative freedom and respect, at critical moments, the producers and the company have enough power to intervene, and the only thing to prevent is that directors let themselves go.

Regarding this point, directors such as Xu Laoguai, Chen Kexin, Zhang Dabeard and others who have collaborated with Fanxing have expressed their dissatisfaction more or less privately or in public.

Regardless of professionalism, funding, treatment, or various cooperation and assistance, Fanxing is almost the best company in the country.

But only in this aspect, it has been criticized by famous directors, who feel that Fanxing's management is too broad and the atmosphere of capital is too strong.

Fanxing said "Ah, yes, yes, yes" while still going his own way.

They intervened, and although some of them may not always be right, they were really knowledgeable. Most of their suggestions and requests were professional, but disputes and collisions occurred due to different routes such as art or business.

When real estate and Internet capital come in in the future, these movie makers will know what "wide-ranging control" and "too strong aura of capital" mean.

It is estimated that at that time, the first thing they missed was the coal boss who washed his feet and shouted positive energy, and the second was a professional company like Fanxing, which although not very free, was knowledgeable.

Let's talk about Edward Norton's desire to intervene in the final editing rights of "The Incredible Hulk". It is impossible for many directors to obtain the rights, let alone give them to an actor.

Unable to bear it, Marvel fell out with him, and the Hulk/Dr. Banner who appeared later became Mark Ruffalo.

Such a movie full of lawsuits, even if it is a Hollywood blockbuster, is not a concern, not to mention that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not yet emerged, and the Hulk's reputation in China is not particularly outstanding.

In contrast, "Hancock" deserves attention.

Because of hit movies such as "The Pursuit of Happiness" and "I Am Legend", Will Smith still has a certain influence in the country, and he is also somewhat popular with "Superman", so he can definitely gain a group of regular fans. .

As expected, "Hancock", which was released nearly 10 days ahead of "Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff", performed well at the box office.

In less than two weeks, it has earned more than 50 million yuan in box office. If this trend continues, it will not be difficult to exceed 100 million yuan.

However, this result is still a bit weak to stop the Chinese blockbuster "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" which has been making waves for the past two years.

Not even mid-July, relevant authoritative media have already announced that the 2008 summer release of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" will be the news all over the world.

Although there is a bit of suspicion of poisonous milk, at this time, I don't believe who can counterattack and surpass "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff".

At the same time, such publicity, although it has raised the film to a certain height, is a good thing for the box office. Countless viewers are curious about the true face of this super big production and want to buy tickets and go to the theater to watch it.

On July 20, Cao Xuan attended the premiere ceremony with a number of film creators including Jiao Enjun, Bao Guoan, Nie Yuan, Gao Yuanyuan, and Duan Long.

Lao Mouzi, who was still preparing for the opening ceremony, also took a few hours out of his busy schedule to cheer.

Fanxing's singer Zhang Jie sang the title song of his new album, which is also the theme song of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff", "Ode to Red Cliff".

This song is also a rare pure original song by Cao Xuan. The style is heroic and vast, but also has the tenderness of the iron-blooded queen. The lyrics are adapted from part of Su Dongpo's "Niannujiao·Chibi Nostalgia".

After Cao Xuan finished writing it, he asked a few friends to read it, and the reviews it received were pretty good. Although it is not a classic, it can be regarded as one of the best ordinary pop songs.

So I sang it for Zhang Jie, and together with the original title song "The World", his new album's performance was quite impressive.

After Zhang Jie sang the theme song, the first half of the premiere ceremony was completed, and the movie "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" officially began to play.

The credits of a certain company's Dragon Brand, Fanxing, China Film and other companies flashed by, and the movie started with a low male voice narration and a few quick flashbacks of shots.

In the twelfth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao successively wiped out the remaining forces such as Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi, conquered Liaodong Gongsun Kang, defeated Wuhuan, and officially unified the north.

[Movie scene 1: Countless Cao Cao cavalry defeated the foreign tribes, two middle-aged men in Chinese uniforms were killed, Gongsun Kang and several Wu Heng leaders knelt down and surrendered to Cao Cao.

[Movie Screen 2: A map from the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The entire north turns red, with a huge Chinese character Cao on it]

In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, Cao Cao abolished the Three Dukes, restored the prime minister system, appointed himself prime minister, and directed his troops to the southern land of Jingyang.

[Movie scene 3: Cao Cao is wearing the official uniform of the prime minister, standing next to Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty, facing south, and his highness is the ministers who are bowing their heads to pay homage]

[Movie scene 4: Prime Minister Cao gave an order, and Cao Jun’s cavalry, infantry, and warships began to march toward the south]

In August of the same year, Jingzhou Mu Liu Biao died of illness, and his son Liu Cong took over as Jingzhou Mu with the support of Cai Mao and others.

[Movie scene 5: The old man Liu Biao died of illness, a beautiful woman was crying, and a thin and timid young man was supported by several military generals and civil servants]

In September, Cao Cao's army marched into Xinye. Liu Cong thought he could not resist it. Under the persuasion of Jingzhou civil and military forces, he led the people of Jingzhou to surrender to Cao Cao...

At this time, the flashback scene ended and finally came to the main film. Under Xiangyang City, Liu Cong held the seal document in his hands and presented it with trembling hands.

"Prime Minister..."

Cao Cao, played by Bao Guoan, was dressed in battle armor and his eyes were shining brightly, but he soon became amiable and helped Liu Cong up.

"My good nephew has great righteousness and saved the people of Jingzhou from the suffering of the war. He is really a pillar of the Han Dynasty. I will report to your majesty and recommend my good nephew to be the governor of Qingzhou and make him a marquis."

"Thank you, Prime Minister, for your kindness."

The remaining Cai Mao and others paid homage, and Cao Xuan generously rewarded them, but either the benefits were unrealistic, or they directly incorporated their forces into his command.

After stabilizing the situation in Jingzhou, Cao Cao continued to send troops to pursue Liu Bei, who knew he was outmatched and led his people across the river to Xiakou.

As the soldiers and civilians fled, something went wrong inevitably, causing the family members to lose contact, and thus the first climax of the movie occurred.

Poof!

boom!

One shot killed several Cao soldiers and sent them flying. Zhao Yun, played by Nie Yuan, held a gun in his right hand and a sword in his left hand and ran rampant in the military formation. Soldiers from all walks of life came to block him. Small soldiers would die when they touched each other. Generals could fight for more than a dozen times at most.

As the saying goes——

The blood-stained robes and armor are red, who dares to compete with him in the sun?

Since ancient times, only Changshan Zhao Zilong has rushed into battle to help the master in danger!

There is actually nothing to say about this scene. It all depends on the martial arts design. It is intense, thrilling, exciting and beautiful. As long as these elements can be achieved to a certain extent, it will definitely look good.

Considering that it is a small plot after all, only a few minutes long, fast-paced, and very attractive in audio and video, it is still very enjoyable for everyone to watch.

Then Zhang Fei breaks the Dangyang Bridge, which is not long. The subsequent scenes are still mainly about the alliance between Soochow and Liu Bei.

It is precisely because there are a lot of literary dramas at the back that a few good-looking scenes are put in front of them.

"Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff" is based on "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "The Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms".

The original plot of the movie basically does not deviate from this story structure, but is more of a full complement of details.

There are very few magical plots. At least Governor Zhou did not have sex with Xiao Qiao in broad daylight, nor did the two of them go to see a horse giving birth to a pony, shouting "Cute, stand up".

Gao Yuanyuan, the heroine, has so few scenes that it can almost be described as pitiful. She is halfway through the filming of the movie, has only appeared a few times, and only has a few minutes of accumulated footage.

The most important scene is just Zhou Yu and her talking at night, talking about Zhuge Liang by the way, and it is not so much Xiao Qiao chatting as it is revealing information to the audience.

The alliance between Soochow and Liu Bei was on the surface Zhuge Liang's verbal war and Lu Su helping him pave the way, but in fact it was Zhou Yu who secretly promoted it.

Zhou Yu's original intention was to use this matter to test Zhuge Liang's strength, and at the same time to test the opinions of various forces in Jiangdong on this matter.

When Zhuge Liang understood the path and distinguished between friends and foes, it was time for Zhou Yu to make the final decision.

But Zhuge Liang's performance exceeded his expectations. Several meetings and trials, as well as the climax scene of Zhuge Liang's verbal battle with the Confucian scholars, made Zhou Yu couldn't help but feel sympathy for him, and the same was true for Zhuge Liang.

The two sides worked together and finally convinced Soochow and Liu Bei to form an alliance to fight against Cao Cao.

After that, the flag was sacrificed and the generals were worshiped. Zhou Yu was called the commander of the coalition forces. The coalition forces used Liu Bei and Soochow troops to fight Cao Jun in two battles on land and water. The coalition forces won the initial victory.

Especially the water battle personally commanded by Zhou Yu, if Dongwu had not been weak, it would have almost approached Cao Cao's handsome ship.

After a great battle, Cao Cao felt that his naval warfare was insufficient and he practiced naval warfare day and night.

Zhou Yu also felt that Cai Mao and others who had been accepted by Cao Cao had been in Jingzhou for a long time and were considered veterans of water warfare. They were a big threat and should be removed early to further weaken Cao's army's water warfare capabilities.

The movie also officially ends at this place, which is just the right time for the plot to end, so that the audience will not curse, and at the same time, it will attract everyone to watch the next part.

The audience at the premiere applauded, but Cao Xuan himself was a little dissatisfied.

To be honest, compared to the second part of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff", the first part does have less commercial highlights. Except for Zhao and Zhang at the beginning, the last two battles are also somewhat interesting.

In terms of literary drama, Cao Xuan thinks that he is good at filming.

Whether it was a verbal battle with scholars, several confrontations between Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, or the confrontation between Zhou Yu and Sun Quan, Cao Ying's calculations were quite high-level.

But this kind of literary drama is more or less too much for a commercial film. The rhythm of the whole movie is not draggy, but it is also a bit flat.

But there is no way around it. There is too much information about the Red Cliff War, and cutting it into two movies is already the limit. Compressing one movie is really too much.

As a war movie, the strategies and decisive battles of both sides are in the lower part, and sacrifices in the upper part are inevitable.

For Cao Xuan personally, this movie is barely satisfactory.

However, the reporters and film critics who asked questions on the spot still had a relatively positive view, and the subsequent film reviews were beyond Cao Xuan's expectations.

[Movies that have a perfect balance between plot and history are extremely rare in domestic films]

[After being bombarded by movies such as "A City of Golden Armor", "Jing Ke Assassins Qin", and "The Night Banquet", "Three Kingdoms: Red Cliff" is quite satisfactory, which actually made my eyes shine.]

[The victory of details, a movie that has already been revealed, but the grand and fierce fighting scenes and delicate literary dramas are memorable]

[Cao Xuan admits that the rhythm is slightly poor, and most of the exciting plots are in the lower part, so he is full of expectations]

[Jiao Enjun really surprised me, his acting skills are really good, and his elegance and intelligence in the play made me feel that he is really not inferior to Mr. Tang Guoqiang]

[Bao Guoan is the real god, he is a bit more domineering and profound than the TV drama version, and he looks more like a hero in my impression, like Cao Cao]

【……】

Perhaps it was because of the large-scale commercial costume productions produced by famous directors in the past, but now a movie with above-average quality in all aspects is back. Although it is not a surprise, it is enough to make everyone happy.

To be honest, before this, everyone was afraid that Cao Xuan would mess up and follow in the footsteps of others.

It seems now that the first part of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" doesn't have many big scenes, but it is quite exciting, and the drama is also quite interesting. The overall quality can be rated at 7.5~8.2 points.

Especially when it is so set off by other blockbusters, the score can be extra +0.5 points.

Cao Xuan, who was already prepared to be scolded, didn't know whether he should be happy or sad.

Compared with the relatively average reputation of the movie, the box office of "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" is what makes Cao Xuan most relieved.

It happened to be Sunday, the peak period of the box office, and "Three Kingdoms·Red Cliff" hit a box office of 27 million in one go.

Surpassing "Painted Skin", setting a new first-day box office record for Chinese-language films...

This movie is almost the most laborious movie I have ever written. When I first wrote about the shooting, I realized that I wrote about the wrong subject. It is not original and not pleasing to the eye. There are too few highlights if it is not original.

I wrote more than 4,000 words of the plot in this chapter, and then deleted more than half of it. On the one hand, it is a plot that everyone knows, and you will scold me if I am confused. On the other hand, it is too thin to write just relying on words. I feel very uncomfortable when I read it. generally

This one has fewer words, I’ll finish it tomorrow