Why can't Chinese movies produce classic blockbusters Zhang Baotong 2018.8.30

Hollywood is a world-famous film center, gathering a large number of top directors, screenwriters, stars, and stuntmen from all over the world. The atmosphere and popularity of Hollywood movie scenes, and the realism and gorgeousness of stunts have left a deep impression on people. Hollywood has produced many classic blockbusters such as "Broken Blue Bridge", "Gone with the Wind", "Titanic" and "Roman Holiday", especially love story films are classic and romantic, and are famous all over the world. Who has watched these movies, who hasn't been moved to tears again and again because of the plot in the play?

In fact, the stories of these movies are not real, but written and directed by the screenwriters and directors based on the elements of the film. They use the legend and romance of love, and interpret each love story into a romantic legend and touching classic with the most beautiful colors and moving stories. This form of cinema has touched thousands of people and influenced thousands of filmmakers. Including China and many other countries are borrowing from Hollywood's classic romantic form in order to win more audiences, get huge repercussions and huge profits.

I have also seen some Chinese films that blindly imitate and emulate the Hollywood way, selecting young and beautiful actors and actresses, choosing luxurious and romantic shooting locations, and using exquisite and high-end shooting methods. At first glance, it looks like the kind of Chinese people who are playing American dramas.

The traditional differences and love styles between Chinese and Western cultures are significantly different, Western love can be extremely legendary and romantic, while the touching aspects of Chinese love are more manifested in the steadfastness, observance and sacrifice of love. The romance of the legend can be fully expressed and expressed in the movie, but the kind of steadfastness and long-term dedication is difficult to express in a vigorous way. Here I can contrast two classic love stories. Such as China's "Ladder of Love" and the United States' "Golden Jade League".

"The Ladder of Love" tells the love story of Liu Guojiang and Xu Chaoqing, villagers of Changle Village in Zhongshan Ancient Town, Jiangjin. When Xu was 29 years old, her in-laws wanted to remarry her to a rich man in his 40s, of course Xu was unwilling, because what she really loved was Liu, but at that time, their love and marriage were not accepted by people, and they were also subjected to people's rumors and strong opposition from their families. In order to get rid of marrying someone you don't love, you have to live with the person you love. In August 1955, Liu, then 19 years old, and 29-year-old Xu eloped with her four children to the top of Banpotou Mountain, which is 1,500 meters off the beaten track. There is almost no road from the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain, and those who go up to the mountain to collect medicine rely on wild vines to climb up the mountain, and many places are steep cliffs or deep streams. So, going up and down the mountain is very dangerous. There are more than 20 miles from the bottom of the mountain to the top of the mountain, but it takes four or five hours to walk. When they reached the top of the mountain, they had no food or shelter, and they lived in a cave by digging wild vegetables and picking pulp leaves. One night, another tiger tried to enter the hole, and scared them to death. They began to farm, but the corn and sweet potatoes they planted were attacked by wild boars and monkeys. Later, when the children reached school age, they sent them to the bottom of the mountain and left them at Liu's parents' house. In order to allow Xu Neng to go down the mountain to visit the child, Liu began to build roads and excavate stones in the mountains, and it took him 50 years to dig 6,208 stone steps and build a road from the mountain to the bottom of the mountain. This was what came to be known as the "ladder of love".

Let's look at the plot of "The Golden Jade League": Nick Frank is an idle rich man who meets Terry Mako on a cruise ship. The two had a great conversation, and Nick took Terry to visit his grandmother in a rural village when the ship docked temporarily. Terry discovers Nick's talent for painting. The two have a secret relationship. When the ship arrives at the terminal New York, the two are going to be separated, and they agree to reunite on the top floor of the Empire State Building in New York in half a year. Half a year later, Nick left alone in the Empire State Building from daylight until dark, with no trace of Terry. Terry, on the other hand, was in a car accident on the way and was unable to reach it. Terry, who can't walk, is reluctant to look for Nick again, but he happens to meet Nick again at a dance party half a year later, and Nick is already a well-known painter by this time. Nick struggles to find Terry's place to live and prepares to pursue Terry again.

From these two stories, the touching beauty of Chinese love is manifested in the hero's sincere devotion to the heroine for half a century, and he spent more than 50 years, day after day, paving the road with steel drills and hammers so that the hostess could go down the mountain to visit her children. It shows a man's responsibility and affection for a woman. This kind of touching story is very touching to tell, but when it is expressed in the movie, it will make people feel simple and plain, lacking passion and romance. But "Golden Jade League" is different, the rich and idle male protagonist and the beautiful woman fall in love at first sight, fall in love, and then go through tribulations, unfortunately separate, and reunite again after hard work. It's all Hollywood-esque routine.

If it is to choose love, people will definitely choose a plain, sincere and simple life. But as a movie, of course, people like to watch that kind of legendary romantic story and plot. As a Chinese movie, I also very much hope to shoot a classic Hollywood-style love blockbuster, but China's traditional culture and concepts, Chinese's love and performance are very different from Westerners. If we emulate and copy Hollywood's methods and methods, it will definitely lead to the result of Dong Shi's imitation. Therefore, if you want to shoot a classic Chinese film, you must have Chinese characteristics in terms of material selection, screenwriting, directing and shooting. I watched "The Singer of Izu" filmed by the Japanese, and I thought that the Japanese are really amazing, and they really blend the essence of Hollywood. They use Hollywood techniques to express Japan's unique cultural ways to the fullest.

There are also many classic films in China that are deeply loved by people, such as "Liu Sanjie" and "Dream of Red Mansions", etc., which also have many love plots, these love stories have Chinese national characteristics and have the mysterious color of the East. Every country and nation has its own essence and beauty of culture and art, and this is the characteristic of national art. Hollywood movies depict American values and national customs. If we want to emulate and copy their styles and characteristics, no matter how similar we are, we will not be able to surpass them, but will be self-defeating. Only on the basis of conscientiously studying and drawing on the details of our nation's knowledge can we integrate what we have learned and use it to express the characteristics of our nation, so that our nation's art and characteristics can be concerned and loved by the people of the world. Such as our Chinese painting, our music and dance and our Chinese medicine culture. Only when the culture and art of a country and nation become the essence can it become a classic of world culture and art.

At present, there are still very few classic films in China that have caused a sensation and attention in the world, and one of the reasons is that the film industry pays more attention to Hollywood-style grand scenes and exquisite pictures, but lacks exquisite and moving love stories and movie scripts. This shows that our film art has not really learned the essence of Hollywood filmmaking, let alone integrated what we have learned with the characteristics of our nation. The success of the Japanese movie "The Singer of Izu" is first of all because they chose a good classic story. Without this classic story, there would be no film. In fact, there are inexhaustible classics in the treasure trove of Chinese literature, but some directors like to shoot "Pan Jinlian". I think even if "Pan Jinlian" is filmed well, it will not become a classic, because this story cannot become a classic in the first place.

The Chinese nation is a great nation with a long history, and compared with the United States, Chinese culture is more extensive and profound than that of the United States, and has a long history, but why do Chinese films always follow Hollywood's footsteps and only follow suit, instead of innovating and surpassing? Why is "Liu Sanjie" deeply loved by the Chinese people, but "Pan Jinlian" has to be shot again and again? It can be seen that Chinese films have lost their way in pursuit of box office and quick success. Maybe that's why Chinese films can't produce high-quality products and classics, and it's also the reason why Chinese films can't revitalize and rise.