Things after watching Shanghai King movie

After watching Shanghai King movie 1

Following the release of "Shanghai King" on the 17th, it was recently announced that "Shanghai King II" will be scheduled for March 16, two movies a month Released within the relay. Hu Jun, who played the first generation Shanghai King Chang Lixiong in the movie "Shanghai King", played the famous Hongmen gang leader in modern Chinese history with his extraordinary domineering attitude.

Hu Jun said that he chose to play the role because he felt that the role of Master Chang was good enough. He was a hero created by the times and had a fatalistic tragedy. It was a role he had never played before. As a representative of domestic tough guy actors, Hu Jun has a sense of righteousness about him. In his acting career, he has also created many tough guy characters. The accumulation of time has allowed him to show more inner touch and calmness when playing the first generation of Shanghai King Chang Lixiong.

Director Hu Xuehua said frankly that the character Chang Ye is a great hero, and the character himself must have a positive temperament. He chose Hu Jun because he has such a feeling that he can play a trustworthy king. After watching the movie "The King of Shanghai" 2

Last weekend, a gangster movie "The King of Shanghai" based on the old Shanghai beach was released. This big production, which brings together stars such as Hu Jun, Yu Nan, Qin Hao, Li Meng, Yue Xiaofeng, etc., shouts out the heroic words of being divided into two parts and released within a month.

This reminds people of the great director John Woo, whose films "Red Cliff" and "The Taiping" were released in upper and lower parts. However, except for "Red Cliff" which was slightly better, the reason why "Taiping Wheel" sank at the box office is because it was divided into two parts. In addition, the bad movie "Frozen" is a bad movie. I simply put the upper part and discarded the lower part.

Looking at "The King of Shanghai" again, after its release, although the reputation was acceptable, the box office in the first weekend was only 8 million yuan, which was obviously far from the expectations of the film studio. It seems that dividing a movie into two parts is a move recognized by the industry as extremely risky, and the main reason for this is box office.

"The King of Shanghai" shows the urban memory of old Shanghai in the chaotic and troubled times from 1905 to 1925. It is adapted from the novel by female writer Hong Ying.

Director Hu Xuehua bought the film rights to the novel very early and determined to make a legendary gangster film about old Shanghai.

The reporter watched the movie and thought it was slightly better than expected. The director of photography is Andrew Sakula, who has shot classic works such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs", and the pictures have a blockbuster quality. In addition, the performances of Hu Jun, Li Meng and Qin Hao are also good, but the narrative and shooting techniques are relatively old and literary, which is not suitable for the mainstream young audiences nowadays.

It is conceivable that for such a movie that is far away from the times, it will not be successful at the box office. And with "The Wheel" failing earlier, why did the film studio still choose to release the upper and lower parts in separate parts? This is extremely risky. Where is the path?

Yesterday, a staff member from the film studio told reporters that it was because the film was too long. The director wanted to make a historical picture of old Shanghai, which took 231 minutes, nearly 4 hours. This length is normal for a movie like "Once Upon a Time", but theaters would refuse to schedule the film. So it had to be split into two parts. The first part is 111 minutes long and the second part is 120 minutes long.

In order not to repeat the same thing as "The Taiping Wheel", the movie can only shorten the release time of the two parts as much as possible. The first part will be released on February 17, and the second part will be released on March 16, with only one gap in between. moon.

However, it now seems that the first part of "Shanghai King" failed at the box office, and it is not that difficult to turn around the second part.

In addition, many netizens expressed confusion about the release of "Shanghai King" in two parts, thinking it was completely unnecessary.

John Woo's "The Wheel" divided a movie into two parts. The upper part of the narrative ended just after it started. The audience was dissatisfied, which affected the expectations of the second part. If the material was edited into a movie, with a tight plot and a complete story, it wouldn't be so tragic.

Regarding the failure of "Taiping Wheel", John Woo once expressed his helplessness and anger: "This matter is also a very painful thing to talk about, and a very angry thing." Neither the investors nor the distributors asked me to complete the film properly. First, I don't agree with this movie being divided into two parts; second, I have no intention of turning it into a 3D movie. I haven’t even cut the director’s version yet. It is very sad that the film has developed to this level. If this continues, the Chinese film market will soon burst into bubbles because they are too eager for quick success and will lead the audience in the wrong direction. ? Reflections after watching the movie "Shanghai King" 3

Ten miles away from home, people are drunk and prosperous, singing and dancing are flourishing, storms are rising suddenly, and the stories of Shanghai Beach seem to be endless. Not to mention the film and television dramas such as "Shanghai Bund" and "New Shanghai Bund" that have become classics, even in recent years, movies telling the story of Shanghai in the Republic of China have emerged one after another. In 2012, there were "Big Shanghai" directed by Wang Jing, and in 2014 There is "One Step Away" directed by Jiang Wen, and at the end of 2016, there was "The Demise of Romance" directed by Cheng Er, not to mention the shoddy Hollywood work "The Spy." Now, Hu Xuehua, a well-known domestic director for the anti-war drama "Battle of Peking", has brought us "The King of Shanghai", continuing to focus on old Shanghai.

It can be said that "The King of Shanghai" was released with great acclaim. At the 8th Macau International Film Festival held at the end of last year, the film won five awards including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Music and Best Original Song, setting the stage for the film's release. It can be said to have built momentum. Moreover, the film's release method is also very unique. There is only nearly a month difference between the release of the first and second parts, allowing the audience to wait a little longer to see the sequel. This is also a wise move if the video is of good quality.

In fact, "The King of Shanghai" has a profound foundation. It is adapted from the novel of the same name by the British-Chinese female writer Hong Ying. This book is the first part of Hongying's "Rewrite of Shanghai Flower Trilogy", which includes "Shanghai King", "Death in Shanghai" and "Shanghai Magician". Hong Ying was labeled a "feminist writer" because of this book. It can be seen that the real protagonist of the story is Xiao Yuegui, who was born as a prostitute, and the three generations of Shanghai kings Chang Lixiong, Huang Peiyu and Yu Qiyang actually later became "Shenqu" The queen? Xiao Yuegui's foil, whose pseudonym is Xiao Yuegui.

In the movie, Hu Jun, Qin Hao and Feng Xiaoyue, who played the three generations of Shanghai Kings respectively, all performed wonderfully, while Yu Nan, who played Xiao Yuegui, perfectly interpreted the spirit of a generation of Gone with the Wind. Old Shanghai, cheongsam, troubled times, and the entanglement of life and death, with the background of the great era and the novel as the basis, "The King of Shanghai" has both rare and gorgeous scenes and an ups and downs of the story. It can be said to have passed the test.

However, the shortcomings of "Shanghai King" are also obvious. The story cannot advance steadily, and the main characters to be shown swing back and forth between the three generations of Shanghai Kings and Xiao Yuegui, as if they are just hurriedly walking with their heads down. The passers-by, with their eyes dazzled by the fleeting sights, missed so many sights, and the journey was already over. It’s no wonder that a novel is adapted into a movie. Although it is divided into parts 1 and 2, it still cannot fully accommodate it and can only make some choices in the plot. Because the film failed to add or delete the plot of the novel properly, it could only focus on one thing and lose the other.

In contrast, I still like Ge You's ups and downs in "The Death of Romance". He is calm, tolerant and ruthless. Mr. Lu, whom he plays, is a representative of old Shanghai culture. It can be said that he is talented. He is truly the King of Shanghai. Whether it is the overbearing CEO Chang Lixiong played by Hu Jun, the scheming boy Huang Peiyu played by Qin Hao, or the stubble-bearded young boy Yu Qiyang played by Feng Xiaoyue, they are all slightly inferior to him. Sons and daughters love each other long, heroes are short-tempered, and love affairs are always blown away by the rain and wind. The story of Shanghai Beach must have a sense of the times. "Shanghai King" has its advantages and disadvantages. I hope that the next "Shanghai King 2" can do better.