At the end of December, I read "Wives and Concubines", and I liked this novel. I watched the movie "Raise the Red Lantern" last night. After comparing it, I found that there are still many differences between the movie and the book.
1. Story background
Big Red Lantern: Shanxi Compound
Wives and concubines in groups: Jiangnan
The original book had a dark and damp feel, "like moss on a bluestone slab".
The filming location of the movie came from the Qiao Family Courtyard in Shanxi Province. There are often pictures of walking on the roof, which is very beautiful.
2. Set up clever red lanterns and lighting
The movie adds the image of the red lantern, whichever Mrs. Chen goes to, he will light the lantern. Personally, I think this imagery is the finishing touch of the film. First, the red color creates a visual impact, which contrasts with the compound under the white snow, giving people a solemn and eerie feeling. The whole movie is a contrast of red and dark colors. Second, the story uses the plot of lighting a lamp to show several wives fighting for favor. Yan'er's death is also related to lighting. Third, the process of lighting the lamp is very interesting, especially the old man takes small steps.
3. The faceless Master Chen and Chen Zuoqian in the book
Chen Zuoqian in the book is a little more human. It was the first time he saw Song Lian wearing a school dress and holding an umbrella, and he smiled happily. (This point of view comes from another netizen's film review, and I myself agree very much). In the film, Chen Zuoqian never had a positive face, reflecting that he was a "feudal patriarch".
In addition, it is written in the book that Chen Zuoqian lost his ability one day, which is an important reason for Mei Shan's derailment, which adds more tragedy to the entrance of the fifth wife at the end.
4. Songlian and Feipu
Feipu in the book has homo(bi)sexual orientation and has more interaction with Songlian. Feipu admits that he likes Songlian, but he is afraid to touch Songlian's legs because he is afraid of women.
And the emotional line between Songlian and Feipu in the movie is a bit abrupt, and there is no hint of gay, only Songlian's eyes show it (it's really beautiful)
5. Song Lian and Third Wife Mei Shan, Well and the House of the Dead - Madness and Death
In the movie, the image of death is the house of the dead. After drinking, Song Lian lost her words and told Mei Shan's secret, and was heard by the caring Zhuo Yun, which directly led to the tragedy of Mei Shan's tragic death. This plot adds to the dramatic conflict in the movie, making Songlian hated by many viewers. In the movie, Mei Shan and Yan'er were killed, and her fear of the dead man's house caused Song Lian to go mad.
In the novel, the image of death is the well. The book does not mention how Zhuo Yun discovered Mei Shan's secret, so Mei Shan was not killed by Song Lian. Song Lian is not reconciled to Chen Zuo's thousand-year-old body, and is in love with and longing for Feipu, but has not had a substantial relationship with Feipu, because Feipu is "afraid of women". Song Lian, who heard the story of the death well, saw Mei Shan's tragedy and thought that she almost ended up like this, so she was scared crazy.
6. False pregnancy
Fake pregnancy is a new addition to the movie, because of the fake pregnancy, Song Lian fell out of favor and was blocked. In the book, the important reason why Songlian fell out of favor was Chen Zuoqian's loss of sexual ability.
Movies and novels all explain the reasons why Songlian fell out of favor.
7. Goose
Yan'er always wanted to be a wife, so she hated Songlian very much. In the movie, Yan'er informs Zhuo Yun about the fourth wife's false pregnancy, Song Lian retaliates for Yan'er to expose her hanging up the lamp, and finally Yan'er kneels in the snow and falls ill and dies. In the book, Yan'er drew the fourth wife on paper and threw it into the toilet as a piece of paper. In the end, Songlian forced Songlian to eat the piece of paper and fell ill and died.
Compared with the original, the movie has made a lot of changes, and I still have many details that I haven't summarized. I think the most ingenious change is the image of the big red lantern. The change I don't like is the plot where Song Lian kills Mei Shan after drinking.
In terms of characters, the imaginary Songlian should be a feminine and small girl from the south of the Yangtze River. The story takes place in the south of the Yangtze River, in a dark, dark and damp house. Song Lian, played by Gong Li, is a bit stout and beautiful, and her thoughts are written in her eyes. The eldest wife, the second wife, and the third wife are almost exactly as imagined, especially the second wife, Zhuo Yun.
All in all, this is a very good movie to watch. The novel is also very well written. Friends who have seen the movie can look for Su Tong's "Wives and Concubines" (Su Tong was only 25 years old at that time), a novella.
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