Why is Nirvana in Fire? Zhang Li Wen Wei Po?

I watched Nirvana in Fire on the iQiyi website. Well, it's been a month since the premiere of the TV station. Prior to this, Weibo, WeChat and various communication platforms had a continuous heated discussion on this TV series. But as soon as they saw the words such as costume, palace fight, lingering beauty and rotten female audience, they lost interest in reading. Fortunately, during the Boao China Literature Forum in June last year, 165438+ 10, I was persuaded by a friend with a harsh eye, "The play is well done and worth seeing." Another friend added, "It represents a new height of TV production in China".

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As a product of popular culture, Nirvana in Fire is as far away from the "joke" drama of hormone excess as possible and closer to the "drama". The audience are all amazed at the light color of TV series and the beauty of ink painting. But what is more precious than this is the overall restraint of TV dramas. Especially when expressing the feelings of the characters. In "Nirvana in Fire", there are brothers, fathers and sons, men and women, monarch and ministers, and family ties. Love stumbles, hate also converges. Love is not only love, but also politics, sacrifice and fulfillment; Hate is not only hate, but also class and status, even power struggle. There are manners and interests among the characters, and they are inextricably linked by blood. Based on the real relationship between characters, the story logic is interlocking to establish internal persuasiveness.

All the story links revolve around a character named Mei. This is the image that the whole play tries to create. He is a young marshal of the Red Flame Army, Lin Shu. He is a luxurious and charming son, serving the country enthusiastically. However, he was also a victim of court tactics. Overnight, the family changed from a loyal minister to a traitor, and 70 thousand soldiers died for no reason. After a narrow escape, he experienced virus invasion and became a weak Jianghu leader.

Every TV series has its own angle of telling the world, and behind every shot there is a fulcrum that leads the audience to watch. Mei's position from top to bottom, from bright to dark, from expensive to cheap, from center to edge, makes this TV series have a different viewing angle from the previous palace dramas. Two fates and two circumstances make it impossible for Mei to indulge in court politics. He can't completely stand inside the court and think, nor can he completely immerse himself in the victory of Machiavelli tactics. When the political situation above the imperial court changes, Mei often thinks of those unknown soldiers who died with hardships; When the prince and the prince were arguing over how to cover up the incident of the private gun workshop, he was thinking about the people who were bombed in the whole street; When Yu Wang competed for the leadership of disaster relief in front of the emperor, he thought about how to keep the food for disaster relief from being detained. ...

Watching Nirvana in Fire will remind us of those costume dramas that were once very popular and participated in our growth. For example, the historical drama Emperor Kangxi starring Chen once brought us the theme song "I want to live for another 500 years"; I will also think of the concubines in the palace and tell how a pure girl reached the peak of power and became the queen mother. The play is about the unwilling and painful struggles of harem women, who have been jealous of each other all their lives for Wang Bo's love. I will also think of Princess Zhu Huan, the swallow who never makes mistakes ... These TV plays have been popular all the time, and they also lead us to think from the perspective of kings, concubines and princesses. The audience can easily imagine if I am Kangxi, if I am Zhen Xuan, if I am a princess. ...

Nirvana in Fire is impressive in that, as a court drama, it deviates from the narrative perspective centered on the court. Few works can tear a corner like Nirvana in Fire, and look at court politics from a folk standpoint. If I were Su Zhe; If I am a descendant of the Red Flame Army; If I happen to live in the street where a private gun workshop exploded ... as long as I deviate from the position of the imperial court, as an audience, we may not have to worry so much about the king, the young master and Gege. As long as it deviates a little, the theme song of living for another 500 years sounds ironic; As long as you don't bring yourself into the role, you will find that Zhen Xuan in the period of revenge is also a member of the dark court; As long as she jumps out, the swallow's resistance is no longer resistance-what if she is not the illegitimate daughter of the emperor?

Nirvana in Fire makes the audience awake when watching the drama, and people may fail, lose their strength or be marginalized in an instant. Of course, the court nobles in the court drama have their own positions and hidden reasons, but what if you become the victim of the scheme and become the lowest link in the food chain? Mei Su Chang, who crawled out of the dead, means people, rivers and lakes, and the edge-from the standpoint of hell and cheating people, what are those tactics and interests struggles? Nirvana in Fire is a popular TV series, but it is also different from ordinary soap operas. Its attraction is that the play chooses a low perspective, an alienated perspective and the perspective of a man who narrowly escaped from the battlefield of death. In this way, the weather and pattern of the whole play will be clear.

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As an actor, Hugh is lucky. At the right age, he met a suitable role that belongs to him, and this role itself has a wide range of social influence. Mei will be a landmark figure in the history of China TV series, and a new generation of heroic image with elegance, clarity, wisdom and justice. It is also very rare that this role fits Hugh's life experience very well. On and off the screen, actors and characters form a magical intertextual relationship. After a car accident and disfigurement, Li Xiaoyao, who was noisy on the screen ten years ago, is gone, and Hugh is like a reborn person.

He gave May Su Chang life. Beneath Mei's handsome and tough appearance, there is an old soul that has gone through many vicissitudes. In the face of the old enemy Xie Yu's forced dislike, his mouth slightly floats; Mei Su Chang's weak body and strong willpower coexist before Xia Jiang extorts a confession; Gentleness and love are restrained in front of the neon princess; Sighing in front of Fei Jing, unable to control great sadness ... Hugh plays a responsible, affectionate and temperate scholar; A psychological counselor with a huge iceberg in his heart and a calm surface; A young general who crawled out of hell stood up for revenge and truth. His performance made us believe that the young marshal who walked out of the palace gate in fresh clothes and a uniform was so high-spirited, and the counselor who warmed around the stove and was riddled with diseases was so disheartened. -Even if he sat in silence, there were stories, loneliness and unspeakable pain in Mei's eyes.

Many people have noticed the subtle changes in 20 15 National Idol. In this year, our heroes and idols began to give way to a patient, a consultant and a man who was put on the brink of death by a Li Yunlong-style general. But the reason is not the audience's appreciation of the disease aesthetics, as some cultural critics say-the critics only see the shell of the role, but not the connotation carried by the role. In fact, Mei Su Chang is physically ill, but he has a strong martial arts history. He is intelligent, humble and introverted, and he is a gentle and introverted gentleman belonging to traditional China.

Restraint and "doing something and not doing something" are the keynote of the play. In particular, "doing something and not doing something", in Wang Jing's place, we can't disregard morality and unscrupulous means for the purpose; In May Su Chang, innocent people are not implicated as much as possible. As the Green Demon analyzed in The Witness Who Came Back from Hell, in this play, "There is no innocent blood on the hands of good people. The villain wants to change the official second generation from prison and find a similar one; May Su Chang changed the reputation of her princess with a female corpse. In other words, producers are aware of this. This is the consciousness from the perspective of modern civilization and it is correct. "

In the play, May Su Chang is sober. He knows light and darkness. Even the creators know how to help the wise new monarch, even if they try their best to create a perfect hero. However, there is still a voice of warning and hesitation in the play: "Jing Yan will become like me after he becomes king." I can't give you the world you want, and neither can he. " This is the line that the emperor said to Mei in Nirvana in Fire, and it is also one of the most unforgettable scenes in the play, once again pulling the audience addicted to brotherhood back from their dreams.

Another unforgettable detail is that as a consultant, Mei Su Chang dislikes Machiavellian politics very much. In the play, he said sadly, "You know my hand used to bow off a fierce horse. But now I can only stir up trouble in this sinister hell. " In Mei's values, a hero is fighting on the battlefield, killing the enemy on the front line and sharing weal and woe with the people. At the last moment of his life, he asked to die in the battlefield. This is to seek benevolence and find himself again. -Mei did something rather than do anything by hook or by crook, which also made him in sharp contrast with the ambitious and desperate court revenge hero popular on our screen.

After watching the court dramas for many years, it is easy for the audience to believe that in our 5,000-year-old historical tunnel, there is a life-and-death struggle and unscrupulous means; There is the helplessness of the king and the difficulty of the imperial concubine, but the arrival of Mei has activated our re-understanding of that long and secret history. This vivid figure makes the audience believe that in our history, there are also weak scholars who are unwilling to live only for the truth; If you are patient and bear the burden, you must also demand fair rights; Some young generals hated tactics, did not envy temples, and died in battle. Nirvana in Fire persuaded many people who have no confidence in domestic dramas to watch our TV dramas again. This gives us an opportunity to reflect. "How have we become a country of etiquette? Now all those trivial noises on TV don't feel vulgar, and money worship doesn't feel vulgar?" (green demon language)

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Because it tells the story of love between men, Nirvana in Fire is regarded by the media as a male version of Gong Dou Opera. But this fight is not another fight. In the alliance between King Jing and Mei, the most important thing is not to become an emperor and an important minister, but to appeal for the truth and restore justice. The difference between it and many court dramas is that it doesn't talk about tactics. On the contrary, it hates tactics. Even the characters have the disdain of feudal society for imperial power. When Mei Su Chang said that "the world belongs to everyone", it also showed the modern value orientation of the whole play. Of course, drama is more about friendship, truth, justice and the bottom line of being a man. Such values and ideas, regardless of the times, are worth remembering. I think, in terms of how to understand the court tactics, Nirvana in Fire is closer to the values and cognitive positions that we modern people should have today, which is commendable.

I once discussed Nirvana in Fire with a screenwriter friend. In his view, the only regret of this TV series lies in its "overhead" history. However, I agree with the "overhead" approach. No drama can truly restore our history. What matters is not which dynasty we return to, but whether we can establish a sense of history and reality and convince the audience that there have been such things and such people in history.

Nirvana in Fire has successfully built a sense of reality and history, thanks to the excellent production team behind it. When watching TV series, I often think of the efforts and good intentions of directors, actors and every behind-the-scenes worker. This is a respectable hard-working team. But we should also mention the screenwriter and novelist Hai Yan. A novelist who has never appeared in the media. She constructed a wonderful story in the void, and outlined a seemingly soft but powerful gentleman image for us, which is the most important cornerstone of the success of this TV series. Today, many people talk about the decline of literary creation and novels. However, if we realize that most popular film and television dramas are related to contemporary mature literary works, then we will find that literature may not be as declining as we thought, but just returned to places that we don't often pay attention to.

Of course, when watching Nirvana in Fire, it is hard not to think about the cultural influence and cultural output, and the penetration of Korean dramas into our cultural life over the years-almost unstoppable. Li Yingai and Dae Jang Geum, Professor Du of Kim Soo Hyun and You from the Stars were once the topics we talked about in the streets. In fact, the popularity of Korean drama characters and stars also represents the recognition of Korean cultural interests and values. These TV series characters and stars have potentially influenced our understanding of Korean tradition and culture.

This time, "Nirvana in Fire" crossed the ocean and swept across the Taiwan Strait. Hugh and Mei became national idols overnight. The difference is that Dae Jang Geum and Professor Du belong to Korean culture, while Mei is made in China. When Hugh, Mei Su Chang and Nirvana in Fire became popular, it was not only the success of an actor and a role, but also the revival of a long-lost ancient style, which was our acceptance of a traditional aesthetic today.

What is this aesthetic? It is the aesthetic taste of light and blank space, and the artistic conception of traditional ink painting; It belongs to China's polite tradition, it values friendship over interests, it is restrained affection, it is soft and powerful; This is also a memory of China's traditional literati character and an ideal spirit related to justice and loyalty. The popularity of a work of art ultimately lies in the aesthetic connotation and cultural connotation of the work itself. When it has modern values and the leading role of the times, it will have a huge and far-reaching impact. In this regard, it is no accident that nirvana in fire and its derivative topics have remained high since 20 15.

Tianjin 20 16 1.6