Although I have heard about the Korean version of the old boy, it may be because of rejection of the hypocritical impression of the Korean TV series, so I have not watched it. I heard that the American version was remade, and I just went to the theater to see it yesterday. The more intuitive feeling is that it is not bad.
Since it is a remake, the director not only needs to continue the tension of the original version in the plot and the tension in the characterization, but also needs to integrate the local culture so that the local audience can understand the meaning of the film. I went home at night and watched the original version again. I feel that although the two films have not changed much from the plot, they are actually not comparable. The original version of the old boy focused more on the discussion of human nature and love, while the US version focused on the plot centered on revenge.
First of all, it is very different from the original version in the expression of the character's emotions. It is not difficult to see from many Japanese and Korean films that Asians are very sentimental, and their expression and release of emotions and emotions are also quite extreme: extreme depression or extreme indulgence---I am not sure whether the director can really understand the original film Central Asians treat emotional moths to the fire. However, unlike the original version of the male protagonist’s monologue and the illusion of being imprisoned, the US version uses behaviors and foreign objects to express the psychological activities of the characters.
For example, in the original version, when Wu Daxiu saw the news about his wife's tragic death, the director used thousands of ants to bite Daxiu's body to express the character's feelings of bone-eroding grief, despair and death; but in the US version In the movie, the lonely Joe goes to sleep with the mouse, holding a pillow with a human face painted in blood, which further expresses that his spirit was crushed by loneliness before revenge became the driving force for the male protagonist to survive. . . It is not difficult to see that, culturally, although Westerners advocate individualism, they actually care about teamwork, and what they fear most is being isolated and abandoned. . From movies like Robinson Crusoe, we can see that it is very painful and terrifying in the eyes of Westerners to break away from the collective and civilization.
Secondly, it may be due to appeal reasons that this is a movie with completely different styles between the two versions. The role arrangement and plot development of the US version are clearer and more concise. Almost every character that has appeared is used to the best of its ability. It conforms to the simple and intuitive linear logic of Westerners, and the purpose is very clear: I just want to tell a story! There is a detail in the movie: an Asian woman holding a yellow umbrella, her role function is very clear: boss's assistant and sexual partner: she participated in the initial kidnapping of Joe, let him out, and always accompany the boss. However, in the Korean version of the movie, different characters are placed in these links. There is a hypnotist, a thug, and a person who wants to commit suicide. Of course, the role of the hypnotist separates the two dramas in the plot.
Many people criticize that the American version of oldboy is not as profound as the Korean version, and it is instructive---maybe. But from the story point of view, the American version is more reasonable. The male protagonist witnessed the girl’s incest incident when he was young and publicized it. This caused the girl’s family to move away, but the father’s perverted love for his children made the family almost Being destroyed, the only surviving brother blamed all this on the male lead, not only because of his long tongue, but also because he witnessed the unbearable scene that exposed the ugly metamorphosis of a family that was originally whitewashed into a healthy and happy family to go out in the sun. Retreat. Therefore, he imprisoned the male protagonist, killed his wife, cultivated and used his hatred to avenge him, let him also taste the destruction of the family, separated from the flesh and blood, and even designed him to have a relationship with his daughter, using the male protagonist to be the least contemptuous, which also harmed his whole family. The incest comes to revenge the male lead. To be honest, I don't think this family feels incest is a sin, but when the original life is broken and the family is destroyed, my brother can only blame the person who told his family's secret.
The plot of the original version is more complicated, in which not only the encounter between the male protagonist and his daughter was arranged, but even the relationship between the two of them and the subsequent relationship were generated under hypnotic conditions, which I am puzzled. Since it is hypnosis, I think the protagonist’s reaction after knowing the truth should be more angry than self-blame and shame. After all, hypnosis is artificial, far less than what he believes to be love between relatives is constituted by an unbearable and shameful thing. The impact. Although it is mentioned in the play that it is difficult for two people to have love with hypnosis, which implies that sexual behavior is spontaneous, there is always a feeling that there is no silver in this place. At this point, the US version did a good job, deleting the hypnosis paragraph. From the expression when the brother saw the relationship between the male protagonist and his daughter, it can be seen that this incident exceeded his expectations. As a result, the painful shame and self-blame that the male protagonist later showed when the truth came to light became more coherent, and the feeling of being in the middle of the game became stronger!
In conclusion, the American version of the remake does not have the meticulous character handling of the original version, nor does it copy the spirit conveyed by the original: the original version profoundly describes the plot of brother and sister incest, focusing on taboo and brave love; while the remake version The incest between fathers and children in the book is really descriptive, focusing on lust, so the film itself conveys less of the spirit of "inspiration of love". I believe this is also one of the reasons why many original parties feel that the remake is far less than the original. . But as mentioned in the title, despite the burden of the original movie, the American version of Old Boy is still a movie worth watching.
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