Some people say that "Farewell My Concubine" is not only the peak of Chinese movies, but also the peak of Chen Kaige's personal works.
This film can be said to be a collection of stars. Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi, Gong Li, Ge You, and Yingda have all contributed wonderful performances in the film, but Leslie Cheung is what impressed me the most.
Before watching this film, I thought that as long as a little fresh meat with better skin could win the role of Yu Ji, but after watching this film, I realized that Yu Ji is none other than Leslie Cheung.
It is said that Leslie Cheung also studied opera for several months in order to play Yu Ji well, with a tactful demeanor, apologetic gestures, and glamorous eyes.
Take Zhang Yixing as an example. Although he played the concubine Yu in "Old Nine Gates", although she was beautiful, her kung fu was not good enough, her eyes were not in place, and the effect was very contrived. We can look at the comparison chart:
"Yu Ji, I only recognize Leslie Cheung"
01
At the beginning of the movie, when Cheng Dieyi was still a little bean, it could be seen that she was first-class and more handsome than girls. Although he was born beautiful and had a more sensitive nature than other boys, at that time, he still believed that he was a "boy Lang".
With the development of the plot, Xiaodouzi ushered in two turning points in his life. One time, the manager of the theater came to pick people, and he thought Xiaodouzi was good and had the potential to be a dandy, so he asked him to play a piece of "Si Fan", Xiaodouzi couldn't pass the test in his heart, and said "I am a female Jiao'e and not a man." Sing "I am a man, not a girl"
The manager turned his head and left. Brother Xiao Shishi saw that the costumes in the second half of the year were soaked in soup, so he took a pipe and stabbed Xiaodouzi in the mouth. With this force, Xiaodouzi finally sang the words of "Si Fan" correctly, "I am a female Jiao'e, not a man." On the surface, it seems that the senior brothers are forcing them to become talents, but in fact, it also implies that Xiao Shi is the key incentive for Xiao Douzi in the second half of his life.
The second turning point of Xiaodouzi is the singing at the Eunuch Zhang's mansion. The two episodes "Eunuch Zhang pushes down Xiaodouzi" and "Xiaodouzi picks up a baby outside Eunuch Zhang's mansion" symbolize that Xiaodouzi has experienced The entire process of female fertility, in order to realize the complete transformation of Xiaodou to women.
According to scientific research, some people with gender identity disorder are acquired, and have a lot to do with their childhood living environment and educational methods. Xiaodouzi's mother abandoned him, coupled with the inappropriate guidance in the pear orchard, it is not difficult to understand why Xiaodouzi regards himself as a woman, laying the groundwork for his tragic life.
After coming out of Eunuch Zhang's church meeting, Cheng Dieyi's behavior was no longer in the category of "mother", but began to identify herself as a woman from the bottom of her heart.
For example, when Yuan Siye asked Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi to go out for a talk, Duan Xiaolou rejected Yuan Siye very politely, while Cheng Dieyi had the look of a young daughter-in-law who was worried about the men in the family fighting.
For another example, when Duan Xiaolou was about to marry Juxiang, Cheng Dieyi behaved like you were a mistress who robbed my boyfriend.
Cheng Dieyi grew up with a misplaced gender identity.
02
After growing up, Cheng Dieyi became a famous actor, specializing in the role of Concubine Yu.
After growing up, Duan Xiaolou also became a famous actor, specializing in the role of Overlord.
They are all famous characters. In terms of professionalism, Duan Xiaolou is far inferior to Cheng Dieyi. When the fourth master Cheng, played by Ge You, commented on Cheng Dieyi, he said "the reincarnation of Concubine Yu"; when he commented on Duan Xiaolou, it was "powerful but not heavy".
Cheng Dieyi is a play maniac, but Duan Xiaolou has no obsession with play. For Cheng Dieyi, singing with Duan Xiaolou is the greatest happiness in his life. For Duan Xiaolou, singing is just a means of making a living. He also wanted to live an ordinary life, just like everyone else, to form a family and live a life of wife, children, and a hot kang.
Therefore, after Duan Xiaolou got married, his wife Juxian stopped singing. Although he was full of complaints, he could stop singing immediately.
But the most interesting part of fate is here. No matter how hard Juxian works, the tide of fate pushes Duan Xiaolou to the front again and again, and he still has to play the overlord.
Cheng Dieyi was also very dissatisfied with his brother being restricted by Juxian, but he was still determined in his heart that his brother loved him. Therefore, his friendship with his brother-in-law did not affect him.
Even after Duan Xiaolou spit on his face in order to save his brother and sang to the Japanese, he was more aggrieved, not to the point of despair.
In this way, Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi witnessed the changes of the times by singing. The same scene was played on the stage, but under the stage, it experienced warlord melee, eight years of resistance against Japan, Kuomintang rule, and finally ushered in the new China.
03
With the founding of New China, everything is a new beginning.
When the regime changes, some people are happy and some people are sad.
The boss in the theater disagreed. He looked at the retreating Kuomintang, and said to Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou, "When the Communist Party is here, you have to listen to the show, right? The new King's Landing Dynasty, the country will change hands, and the celebrations will be less. Got the two of you? No! Let's just wait for a new ticket."
In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou stood on the stage again, as expected by the boss. Once, when Cheng Dieyi was performing, there was a passage that could not be sung, and Duan Xiaolou hurriedly stood up to explain, saying that Cheng Dieyi was not good. The People's Liberation Army is different from the officers and soldiers of the past. Instead of blaming the theater, they burst into thunderous applause.
Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou looked at each other on the stage. Perhaps, they are thinking that the new China is really different.
"We are an invincible team" is preached in the streets and alleys, and everyone starts to talk about "equality". The working people have suddenly become the protagonists of the whole new China, and they are praised. The whole society is in a frenzy, and Duan Xiaolou, Juxiang, and the theater owner smelled the danger of this frenzy.
According to the setting of the movie, this frenzy started before the Cultural Revolution. Except for the revolutionary fanatics, everyone speaks carefully in order to protect themselves. But Cheng Dieyi didn't have it. He had a play in his heart, and he couldn't see that the outside world had already changed. Therefore, when the people in the theater were discussing the reform of Beijing opera. From an artistic point of view, he warned everyone that Beijing opera is about the situation, singing, reading, playing, and everything must be beautiful. Just a few words, but it was mistaken for disgusting the working people who are not beautiful and not worthy of the Beijing Opera stage.
In an era where everything is politically correct, Cheng Dieyi's position in the theater was eventually replaced by his own apprentice. Cheng Dieyi lost the stage to show himself, and locked himself at home all day long. He was weak on the outside, but strong on the inside, unwilling to bow to this dirty world.
Don't sing if you don't want to sing, at least he still has a senior brother.
However, things often don't go as expected, and Duan Xiaolou is also changing. In an era where there is no room for stains, Duan Xiaolou's spirit gradually disappeared. He was no longer the senior brother who always guarded Cheng Dieyi, and he became timid and submissive.
When the Red Guards brigade dragged a group of people from the original opera troupe to the parade, Duan Xiaolou sold Cheng Dieyi in order to protect himself, saying that Cheng Dieyi not only sang opera for the Japanese, but also engaged in homosexuality with Yuan Siye.
The people in the theater were stunned, none of them thought that in the end they couldn't stand the pressure, and it was Duan Xiaolou who hurt Cheng Dieyi. Cheng Dieyi looked at Duan Xiaolou and laughed loudly. He may be thinking, why are their brothers and sisters making such a fuss? He Chen Dieyi, the two most beloved things in his life, one is a drama, the other is a senior brother, and they are both lost in the end.
Maybe someone sees this and will scold Duan Xiaolou as a "scumbag"
But I think it's the catastrophe to blame. Everyone is an ordinary person, and under high pressure, there are only a few people who can bend rather than bend.
Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou met again ten years later, and the two recalled the past. The phrase "I am a male Lang, not a female Jiao Mo" made Cheng Dieyi wake up like a dream. Cheng Dieyi tilted her head thoughtfully, her eyes filled with tears. It's been wrong love all my life, I used to be so desperate, it's more like a joke.
If you don't die, how can you still have the courage to live?
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