Chapter 163
The big screen can magnify her lethality tenfold
"Zhao Jiang" is about two hours long, and the narrative angle chosen is slightly different from what Pei Xuehai imagined.
The theme of female generals seems to carry the implication that "women are as good as men." Including Pei Xuehai, who was watching the movie for the first time, everyone thought they would see a protagonist who was oppressed by feudal society and angrily broke the prejudice.
But Tang Bing didn’t shoot it like that. In her lens, Li Sanniang fled to the manor and took in refugees just to survive. And when she had a place to stay and a certain degree of defensive power, she naturally thought of taking it a step further.
Since the world is in chaos and disputes are everywhere, why can't she be included in the team of kings, princes, generals and ministers?
This is actually a rare development in narratives with female protagonists.
She was not helpless, nor was she forced to turn evil. Li Sanniang, stroking her homemade map, took the initiative to step into the struggle in the troubled times. There was a light of ambition in her eyes, which was particularly bright under the faint candlelight.
Ling Suisui has a face that is not afraid of the big screen and becomes more beautiful the more it is magnified. Tang Bing used close-up shots of her face to capture her facial features and her real skin texture. The unfiltered picture did not beautify the tired area around her eyes, but the audience had no time to judge her condition.
Everyone in the audience was absorbed in watching the film, even Ying Nian, who had already seen the entire film. Their sights were firmly grasped by Li Sanniang. The light bursting from her eyes had a magical power that could make people focus on it without distractions, to feel and immerse themselves in it.
Pei Xuehai was originally leaning on the back of his chair, but slowly sat up straight as the movie played. His body had already begun to age, but his heart, which had experienced many ups and downs, seemed to have touched the scorching temperature.
This feeling... is like there is a fire in the front of my chest, and I have to burn something to calm down from the resonance of this ambition.
She is perfect for movies. Pei Xuehai thought to himself.
There is no distinction between high and low forms of film and television works, but the artistic expression of film can fully bring out its strengths. If her ability to control and infect others with her emotions is also an attack, then the big screen can amplify her lethality tenfold.
Worth it, was his reaction.
It was worth it for him to watch the movie, and it was also worth it for Ling Sui to finish filming it. Although the previous shot is not long, the real highlights do not need to be emphasized repeatedly. As time goes by, the impression it leaves on the audience will become more and more lasting and profound.
How many actors have this opportunity to enter the hearts of the audience? Many people have been filming for their entire lives but still cannot achieve that, and Ling Sui is only 24 years old. No wonder she is so envied.
The movie was still going on, and Pei Xuehai had watched too many fighting scenes that had excited the audience so much that they couldn't take their eyes off them. What surprised him most was probably Ling Suisui’s solid martial arts skills.
Tang Bing has won many awards, but he is still a newcomer in the field of directing. There is still room for improvement in her arrangement of fighting scenes. There are some very difficult moves that Pei Xuehai felt sorry for.
But a few minor mistakes can only be considered a minor flaw, and the overall completion of the fighting scenes is still very high. If he were to compare it with his first film, Director Pei wouldn't dare say that he made a better film than Tang Bing.
It is true that the new generation pushes the old generation forward. This teacher-student duo is incredibly strong.
Pei Xuehai glanced at Ying Nian next to him... It's really frustrating to compare yourself with others. Fortunately, there is still Xia Tian among the younger generation in the family.
"Zhao Jiang" is an excellent example of balancing art and commerce in recent years. Although Li Sanniang was not pushed into a difficult situation, she did encounter a lot of troubles, and she solved them one by one, just like leveling up and fighting monsters.
The expression of this part is simple and straightforward, and there is almost no threshold to watching the movie. When the audience walks out of the theater, they should feel that they have not yet had enough and have been thoroughly enjoyed.
Pei Xuehai calculated the time. The movie was about to end, and Tang Bing probably wouldn't show the scene where Li Sanniang handed over her military power.
He felt it was a bit of a pity. The rivalry between Li Sanniang and Li Yuan, the father and daughter, was difficult, but also very interesting, and it really reflected the actors' acting skills. With Ling Sui's strength, she would never show weakness. Instead, it was a rare opportunity.
But this is understandable. After all, the length of a movie is limited, and the scope of storytelling must be compromised. When Pei Xuehai was a director himself, he would cut out many of the actors' wonderful shots for overall considerations.
The ending stops here, at the moment when Li Sanniang is about to reunite with her father and brother, and the generals of the army she led are excited. I don't know whether this is a fairy tale created by Tang Bing, or a kind of irony that uses happy scenes to contrast with sad feelings?
In the last scene of the film, Li Sanniang was leading the horse. Pei Xuehai looked at her close-up shot and felt a little surprised, but he quickly understood.
She stroked her warhorse, and in the distance came the sounds of celebration from drums, harps and flutes.
"The sun has set."
She said this softly, and the horse rubbed her palm affectionately.
She smiled, and her delicate and fair face was very beautiful in the afterglow of the sunset. This was the most beautiful moment of Ling Sui in the entire movie.
When the film ended, Pei Xuehai let out a long sigh from his chest.
These are two completely extreme performance styles... The breadth of Ling Suisui's performance abilities is indeed beyond his imagination.
There are no Easter eggs in "Zhao Jiang", but in order to avoid being recognized, Ying Nian and Pei Xuehai still sat in the back row until the lights came on and the ending song and subtitles were all played.
Ying Nian said with some pride: "Grandpa, I was right, wasn't I? Sui Sui acted really well!"
Pei Xuehai: "...what does that have to do with you?"
That's strange, who are you to her? Why are you so proud of yourself?
All it takes to truly pierce the heart is a simple question. Ying Nian, whose defense was broken by this question, was extremely depressed. He deeply regretted that he was not like Xia Tian and did not inherit his grandfather's eloquence. Now he didn't know what to say.
He could only save himself by saying, "I'm happy for her, we are friends." After leaving the cinema, Ying Nian couldn't help but ask:
"Grandpa, how do you think I behaved in there?"
Ying Nian looked at Director Pei with expectant eyes. His grandfather seldom praised others, so even if he could give him a comment of "barely okay", it would be considered a compliment!
However, Pei Xuehai frowned.
"Oh, so you acted in it too. I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."
Year: ...
He wants to hit himself again. Why doesn’t he learn his lesson and has to ask? It’s not like I don’t know grandpa’s character!
He followed behind dejectedly, but quickly adjusted his attitude.
It’s not that he acted badly, it’s that Sui Sui acted too well, so others didn’t notice him. If someone else were to act with Ling Suisui, the effect might be worse than his. At least he didn't hold back, otherwise his grandfather would have scolded him long ago.
Ying Nian followed Pei Xuehai and saw that he seemed to be thinking about something.
Ying Nian asked: "Grandpa, did you get any inspiration after watching the movie? Will you ask Sui Sui to be the leading actress? Can you let me play a role as well?"
Pei Xuehai did not answer his three consecutive questions. He waved his hand to tell his grandson to shut up and not to affect his thinking.
As for inspiration, there was indeed some - he had a vague outline in his mind. This was a character who was somewhat similar to Li Sanniang, but also completely opposite. However, the specific details had yet to be filled in, and it was hard to say whether it could be realized.
Ying Nian thought about it and decided not to tell Ling Suisui about this. After all, a director’s inspiration is a very mysterious thing, and no one can guarantee that it will be realized. It may be cut off halfway through.
At noon on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the first batch of Spring Festival moviegoers began to express their viewing experiences on social platforms.
Just by physical sensation, everyone can tell that "Zhao Jiang" is the most discussed. The key words that were mentioned repeatedly first were "good looking", "enjoyable", "super exciting and passionate", and "Ling Sui's acting is superb", and the overall reputation was excellent.
The film's creators all breathed a sigh of relief. Before the war of public opinion began, although the first batch of feedback could not represent everyone's opinions, it was the most realistic evaluation of the entire Spring Festival period. Once competitors have shown their skills, it will be time for public relations companies to worry about how to stabilize the direction of the trend.
During the Spring Festival, when people all over the country have a lot of free time, the impact of a movie’s reputation on the box office is quick. The crew just finished the poster showing the box office breaking 200 million and sent it out in the morning, and the publicity staff also made the one showing the box office breaking 300 million. We thought we were well prepared, but we didn't expect it to break 400 million in the evening, which was faster than anyone imagined.
This is normal. "Zhao Jiang" is already very famous, and the first wave of positive feedback has helped to increase its appeal. For a movie that they already know and has received good reviews, the audience will definitely be willing to find out more.
In the box office charts on the first day of the Lunar New Year, "Shogun" won the daily championship, and was very close to the second-place comedy, while the third place was obviously lagging behind. Apart from the animated feature films which performed as usual, the fifth-placed films and those following them opened up a very exaggerated gap.
In the past, the Spring Festival period was all about the top films eating the meat and the other films just drinking the soup, but according to the current situation... the leading three major animations can suck the whole market dry.
Sui Si happily celebrated that Ling Sui's first movie of the year was leading the box office. Those who said that "Zhao Jiang" would definitely lag behind before its release were still stubborn - no matter how many marketing water armies there are, they are nothing in front of the real quality of the movie. The audiences on the first day were deceived, and the false prosperity will definitely backfire!
This statement is correct for the Spring Festival period, but unfortunately the film it describes is not "Zhao Jiang", but the comedy film ranked third.
Facts have proven that having a stellar cast doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to produce something good. Even if a comedy movie gathers the funniest actors, it is still powerless in the face of terrible plot and shabby editing.
Therefore, on the daily box office list on the second day of the Lunar New Year, "Zhao Jiang" was still ranked first, and the comedy film starring Bian Yuanzhou was still ranked second, but the box office gap was relatively small, which made many viewers sigh that this was the peak meeting between Sun Jiayi and Qian Tu.
This is a joke, and passers-by may mention it casually. Sui Si will not explain it specifically to ruin other people's mood. But people in the industry know clearly that Ling Suisui is the soul and core of "Zhao Jiang", and Bian Yuanzhou is just one of the leading actors. The contributions they made to the two films and their ability to carry the box office are not at the same level at all.
As for the third-place film in the Spring Festival period, it has fallen to the average level between the second and fourth places, and was eliminated in the battle for the Spring Festival championship in advance.
At present, the box office of "Zhao Jiang" has accumulated to 800 million. This achievement is quite impressive not only for young actresses, but also among all the Chinese female stars’ box office rankings.
The scariest thing is that this movie has only been out for two days. No one can predict how much room it has and what results it can ultimately achieve. The only thing that is certain is Ling Suisui’s skyrocketing popularity and status.
Of course, such excellent results will arouse envy, not to mention that many people want to bring "Zhao Jiang" down.
After all, audiences’ time and money are limited. Who can guarantee how many movies they will watch during the Spring Festival? Every crew wants to be the audience’s first priority!
Since the third day of the Lunar New Year, "Zhao Jiang" has been hit by several waves of crazy negative public opinion. Various marketing accounts happily accepted the negative articles. They are most willing to publish content related to the top streamers. During the Spring Festival holiday, they can not only raise prices but also earn money from the KPI of controlling comments of their fans.
Therefore, no matter how many times Weibo tries to be “clear and bright”, it is just superficial work. If they don't make up their mind to deal with these accounts and crack down on this industrial chain thoroughly, how can the war of words that incite emotions and provoke comparisons disappear?
The fans were all very alert, thinking that they were going to face a tough battle, but they did not expect that the quality of "Zhao Jiang" was so good that the audiences who had bought tickets for it could not sit still.
Who would like to see a work that they truly like being maliciously slandered by others? It’s not that different opinions are not allowed, but you should at least show your ticket stub before you speak!
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