"Once Upon a Time" is a hit. It is a trilogy series with ratings higher than 8.5 for each film. The key is that the box office is equally impressive.
This time, the two consecutive films have made "Once Upon a Time" become the most popular screen character nowadays.
Of course, what followed was the establishment of many movies and TV series about "Once Upon a Time".
After all, this is a big IP, but it doesn’t belong to anyone alone.
Putting this aside for the time being, the entire trilogy of "Once Upon a Time" has been released. This time, most film critics and media people are no longer commenting on one part of the trilogy, but all three parts together.
The interpretation also begins with the entire series.
Film critic Liu Fei, a die-hard fan of Li Yi, has high praise for this trilogy.
"I don't know if you have noticed, but in the trilogy, whenever the bad guys in the movie hear the words "Once Upon a Time", they are all frightened and panicked. As an audience, when I hear the background music playing,
Everyone would be inexplicably excited. At first I thought it was just because of the melody of "Men Should Be Strong", but it was not the case. I think this is the charm of a hero.
For every ordinary person in this world, the word "hero" carries too much content: on the one hand, people regard heroes as an unattainable romantic imagination; on the other hand, they earnestly hope that they can achieve something in their lives.
There are real living heroes. "Heroes" have always been a combination of romance and reality, and people's yearning for heroes has also developed in two different directions. Many heroic images in Chinese culture come from the battle between gods and demons.
, among the myths and legends where demons and gods gather together, there are many that actually once lived on this land and come from every corner around us. Heroes like Sun Wukong are enviable, and another kind of
Heroes have developed many different legends and stories. In the traditional Chinese martial arts culture, there are many cases of "heroes" that have been adapted and re-created.
But only Once Upon a Time is special, and even more special is the "Once Upon a Time" series directed by Li Yi.
In my personal opinion, the greatest success of the "Once Upon a Time" series is that he elevated the film to the level of an epic film. The film is no longer concerned with the martial arts battles of traditional kung fu films, nor is it even the King Hu-style hatred of family and country.
Instead, we stood at a higher level and reflected on the entire country and nation to a certain extent.
We can see a lot of things in the "Once Upon a Time" trilogy.
The reflections on "Once Upon a Time" are multifaceted:
About national self-strengthening;
Something about national self-esteem;
About the corruption of the Qing court;
About the ignorance of the people;
About revolutionary sacrifice;
About traditional martial arts and foreign guns and artillery;
About the technological revolution;
There are even ideas about love.
The list goes on and on. These reflections may not be profound, but this kind of courage and vision have never been seen in previous kung fu movies or even commercial movies.
In terms of content, Tsui Hark focused the time and space of the film on the background of the late Qing Dynasty, a period of "changes unprecedented in three thousand years", and interspersed various historical events: the Sino-French War, the Black Cavalry, militia, human trafficking, and the White Lotus Sect.
, Revolutionary Party... Although there are many historical errors, this approach has indeed greatly enhanced the watchability of the film.
The second success of the film is that it created a brand new image of Huang Feihong. Unlike other Kung Fu movies, Zhao Qian's version of Huang Feihong has an "image", and his identity and personality are quite complex: he is both an ordinary citizen and a martial artist.
He is a well-known local martial artist, and also serves as the instructor of the Black Cavalry Army and the chief coach of the militia; although he is an outstanding representative of traditional culture, he deeply hates the corruption of the government and the ignorance of the people; he has an open-minded attitude towards the advanced technology of the West, but
Still never forgetting national self-esteem, self-love and self-improvement; in any other aspect, he is proactive and determined, but in terms of love, he is passive and restrained... Putting modern characters into ancient characters, Director Li Yi's "old
The approach of "bottling new wine" has undoubtedly shortened the distance between the characters and the audience.
After watching the movie, I have to sigh. Looking back at the modern history of China at this point in time, it really makes people feel extremely emotional and grateful. I feel that the revolutionaries have gone too hard on this road to save the nation; at the same time, I am extremely grateful to our ancestors.
Your blood and tears have not been in vain, and today the country is as beautiful as you wish.
Many people have seen the story of Huang Feihong, but they have overlooked that it is also a modern story of China.
Let's first take a look at the historical background of "Once Upon a Time".
The story of the movie takes place in the late Qing Dynasty, when Cixi was in power, and it was also the most decadent and turbulent era of the Qing Dynasty. From the movie, we can see that there were many foreign concessions at that time, and disputes between China and Yangtze were frequent. The Eagle Kingdom showed its integrity to the Qing government
After establishing a concession in Shanghai, they built more than 800 simple houses along the Yangtze River for Chinese refugees to live in, and started a real estate business. Following the Eagle Concession, more and more countries established concessions in the Qing Dynasty.
The Qing government gradually lost control of the concessions, resulting in the phenomenon of a state within a state.
During the Qing Dynasty, the great powers each occupied their own territory and became kings. The Qing government's loss of sovereignty over the territory quickly eroded the Qing government's credibility among civilians. The people could not rely on the government, and many civilians became keen on practicing martial arts for self-protection. The folk martial arts style
The image of Da Zhen Huang Feihong was the spiritual representative of the folk martial arts troupe at that time.
"Conflict" is an indispensable element in the plot of the script, and the conflict in "Once Upon a Time" comes from the confrontation between China and foreign countries at that time, the confrontation between cultures, and the confrontation between the times.
In "Once Upon a Time in Once Upon a Time", in the scene where Huang Feihong met Aunt Thirteen for the first time, Aunt Thirteen, who had returned from overseas, shook hands with Huang Feihong. Huang Feihong was stunned for a moment, and bowed to Aunt Thirteen. At this time, Huang Feihong
It is the epitome of the Chinese attitude towards foreign culture at that time, which was old-fashioned, conservative and exclusive. However, the thirteenth aunt who returned from overseas accepted Western culture and was full of curiosity and thirst for knowledge about foreign technology. The relationship between the two created a very special atmosphere in the movie.
There are many points of conflict and laughter, which also reflect the conflict between Chinese and Western cultures.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In the first part, there is actually another point, as Yan Zhendong said before his death: No matter how good our kung fu is, we can't compete with foreign guns and cannons.
It also hints at the end of the cold weapon era in modern times.
There is a scene in "Once Upon a Time in China" where foreign traffickers and businessmen opened fire in the theater to assassinate Huang Feihong. Many civilians were injured as a result. Instead, Huang Feihong was framed by the Qing government. In Baozhilin, Huang Feihong held a
The foreigner's musket was thoughtful and said to Thirteenth Aunt, "Tangshan should change, fists and kicks cannot beat the guns." Huang Feihong understood at this time that even if he was a militia coach, no matter how powerful his martial arts were, he could still fight
Without guns, only cannons were used. In history, with the collapse of the Qing government and the establishment of the Republic of China, guns gradually took the dominant position, and the cold weapon era truly became history.
The change of Huang Feihong's attitude towards Western culture in the play reflects the Chinese people's desire for new knowledge and their desire for change in modern China.
It can be seen from the plot in the movie that at the very beginning, Huang Feihong was resistant to Western culture. For example, in the scene where Thirteenth Aunt helped Huang Feihong to fit him into a suit and make a suit, Huang Feihong said at that time, "In the future, the Chinese people will
When you have to put on a suit, let me wear it!" Later, Huang Feihong began to wear a foreign hat, put on sunglasses, take the train, and even participated in medical exchange meetings, using a steam machine to make medicine, Huang Feihong completely reproduced the Chinese nation
The process of “learning utensils” experienced by modern people learning from the West.
Compared with "Once Upon a Time in China", the second film "Once Upon a Time in China" is closer to history. In it, characters like Lu Haodong and Mr. Sun appeared. Mr. Sun and Huang Feihong were in the medical field.
We met at an exchange meeting, and later worked together to treat the injured with Chinese and Western medicine at the Eagle Country Consulate. The Mr. Sun here is the man we know well, including his nickname "Yixian" and his profession as a doctor, which basically restores the person he is.
Assume. Why should the character Mr. Sun be put into the movie? Because if it is about the past of China, then the element of the Revolution of 1911 is indispensable. The movie secretly expresses a point of view. In China, which was oppressed at that time, martial arts practice
The country cannot be saved, and medicine cannot save the country. Only ideological reform can help the people achieve independence, democracy, and prosperity.
Of course, the one who is even more unforgettable and saddening is Lu Haodong!
Especially when faced with the ignorance of the people, his reactions are really disappointing. This is not the biggest problem faced by the pioneers of that era.
Lu Haodong was not confused in the end, but became more and more determined. Only by changing everything can he save this country. A single spark can start a prairie fire!
He dyed the flag red with his own blood, and he is just one of many martyrs. There are too many such people. They may be nameless, but they all sacrificed their lives and blood for the same goal.
!
The plot line of Once Upon a Time in Time III: The Lion King is that in order to prevent Li Hongzhang from signing a treaty with the island country and ceding the Liaodong Peninsula, Tsarist Russia decided to assassinate Li Hongzhang during the Lion King match. After Huang Feihong accidentally learned the news, on the one hand, he wanted
Dealing with the local tyrant "Zhao Tianba" at that time, on the other hand, he also wanted to destroy Tsarist Russia's plan and prevent the assassination of Li Hongzhang.
The treaty mentioned in the movie is actually the historical "Treaty of Shimonoseki". An important article in the Treaty of Shimonoseki is that the Qing Dynasty ceded the Liaodong Peninsula to the island country. At that time, Tsarist Russia always regarded the northeastern region of the Qing Dynasty as its sphere of influence.
, so Germany and France were united to put pressure on the island country, and the final result was that the island country returned the Liaodong Peninsula, but the Qing Dynasty needed to pay an additional 30 million silver in addition to the original 200 million taels of compensation. This large sum was equivalent to the Qing Dynasty
15 years of treasury revenue has allowed the island country's military strength to develop rapidly.
The climax of the movie is the lion king competition at the end. In fact, the setting of this scene is very interesting. The Qing Dynasty held this competition to show its national power to other great powers. When the various forces fought to death under the city,
, I think the great powers from all over the world who were watching on the city wall were not sighing at the power of the Qing Dynasty. What Huang Feihong said to Li Hongzhang after winning the gold medal is still a classic.
Having said that, let’s take a look at the villains of the movie. We all know that if the success of the protagonist group determines the quality of the movie, then the success of the villain also determines the quality of the movie.
Movie ceiling!
A successfully created villain can definitely raise the overall ceiling of the movie.
The villains in the "Once Upon a Time" series of movies are undoubtedly very successful.
In "Once Upon a Time in China", Yan Zhendong is an extremely contradictory and tragic character. The director of the film devoted a lot of effort to this character. In a sense, he is the representative of traditional Chinese martial arts.
A microcosm: He originally had the dignity and bottom line as a martial artist, but under the pressure of survival, he had to bow to the evil forces he despised in his heart, and even helped them do evil. And when he used despicable hidden weapons, he was still no match for his opponent.
When Huang Feihong was young, the last fig leaf in his heart was ruthlessly torn off, and he could only die in madness. When he was dying, he only left the helpless sigh of "no matter how good our skills are, we can't beat foreign guns."
For a character like Yan Zhendong, it can be said that he is really not a pure villain. When people see Yan Zhendong, I believe their first impression is definitely not disgust, but sympathy and sympathy for his untimely birth!
Similar to this, there is Nalan Yuanshu in "Once Upon a Time: Men Should Be Strong". This character's positioning is more complicated. Strictly speaking, Nalan Yuanshu should be called the opponent of the protagonist Huang Feihong rather than the villain.
: The two are both equally matched opponents and sympathetic confidants. Both are heroic figures who stepped forward when the country was in crisis, but the paths they chose and the methods they used were different.
From the perspective of our audience, the character Nalan Yuanshu may feel that he is a complete villain and that he is not a qualified official.
But in fact, from his standpoint, the only thing wrong in everything he did was the object of his loyalty!
He knew English, he sympathized with the people, he even sympathized with the White Lotus Sect, his attitude towards foreigners was neither humble nor arrogant, etc. It can be said that he was an outlier among officials of that era! But he still made a mistake and ended up like that!
I won’t say much about Zhao Tianba in the third part. This character is actually very simple. He is an arrogant and domineering gang leader who is unscrupulous and unjust. His evil is also pure. He is the purest among the villains in the trilogy.
of evildoers.
What I really want to talk about is the character creation of Gui Jiao Qi, which is absolutely outstanding in the third part.
Compared with Zhao Tianba's pure evil, Gui Jiaoqi is a very pure person from the bottom of society. He is not an independent personality. He is the leader of the coachman. If he is attached to Zhao Tianba, then he will do evil and attach himself to Huang Feihong.
Do good!
Gui Jiao Qi is also pure. He is more like a microcosm of the people at the bottom of society at that time. He does not have so many good and evil views of right and wrong, and the purity of evil and evil, and the purity of good and good!
Gui Jiao Qi is lucky because he met Huang Feihong, Aunt Thirteen, and people like Huang Qiying. Otherwise, after being discarded like garbage by Zhao Tianba, his end can be foreseen!"
