In the 17th century AD, Niu Colu and Zhen Huan in the Forbidden City of China fought for the power of the harem, and they succeeded in ascending to the throne of the Queen Mother.
In the 18th century AD, England. London. Two old prostitutes fought for customers and succeeded in having high-net-worth customers in the entire block.
In the 20th century AD, the two most famous contemporary Hollywood actresses in the United States were torn apart, and the one who succeeded would be the most eye-catching star at the Oscar party.
The above are the three dramas "The Legend of Zhen Huan", "Famous Shu" and "The Enemy". Different eras, different countries, different classes. But it's the same theme: women's wars.
War, let women go away.
But women's wars are always about men.
Because war is about power, and for thousands of years, power has been in the hands of men.
Zhen Huan grew up in the dark under the imperial power for thousands of years, Ming Shu survived in the play of the nobles, and the old enemies were competing for resources under the major Hollywood production companies.
I just want to talk about Rivals today, FX's 2017 series of skits, a true adaptation of the war between two superstars in Hollywood's golden age. The actors who starred in the two superstars were also Oscar winners in the 1990s. Use the Hollywood superstars of the 90s to perform the superstars of the 60s, and destiny is reincarnated.
In the 1950s and 1960s, it was the golden age of Hollywood. Garbo, Hepburn, Monroe, Vivien Leigh... Superstars came out in large numbers, and the stars were shining. But it is also the most unfriendly era for actresses, especially those who are old and out of breath.
The entertainment industry is never short of fresh, beautiful and young faces. Young female stars received flowers and compliments. And for the female stars who are in grades and with aging faces, no matter whether you have been nominated for more than a dozen Oscars and won a few golden statuettes, or you have turned all living beings upside down, you can only play a supporting role for flowers when you get old. (Does it sound a bit similar to the current situation in China?)
The aging of the red face is extremely cruel to the female Ming.
Like the boss of the company in the show said
"I am Zeus, they are but Venus,
I made them, I made them goddesses,
But when they are old, I should strike them with lightning."
Look, the female stars of that era, youth and beauty are everything, the snobbery of the production company, when you are young and beautiful, you are regarded as a goddess.
Joan, was one of the most attractive women of that era. When she was young, she turned all beings upside down, and countless people fell under their skirts. She also judged the situation and found a rich and rich man at the most beautiful time to marry and become the hostess of PepsiCo. Born from the bottom of the family, subjected to sexual assault and violence since childhood, from a dancer to a Hollywood actress, every step is to rely on his own beauty and hard work, step by step to become a winner in life.
Behind every success, there are her unknown hardships and efforts, but despite this, people always regard her as a beautiful vase. The recognition she wanted, especially from another woman.
Betty, ten Oscar nominees and two Oscar winners. Known as the most powerful actress at that time, the benchmark is now almost at the level of Aunt Mei. When Joan finally got the Oscar trophy she was longing for, Betty had already held two trophies as the door barrier of the toilet in her house, ran to Broadway to perform a stage play, and raised her middle finger to Hollywood. Talent is something that only those who have it are qualified to disdain it.
But the reality is that no matter if you are a former beauty goddess or an actress with superb acting skills, you are all faced with the same situation: when you are middle-aged, you have no drama to act and no way to go.
The ups and downs when they were young naturally made them unwilling to just walk off the stage and spend the second half of their lives hastily. As a result, the half-century rivals, old enemies, and even though they hated each other, decided to join forces to perform a performance together, and once again stepped into the spotlight and turned around once again. Hence the following film: What ever happened to Baby Jane
To put it simply, it is a B-level thriller played by an old actor. At the beginning, almost no production company was willing to invest. Everyone threw the same question: who would buy a ticket to watch two movies? An old woman who is over fifty years old is tearing up the drama? ? But after all, this is a superstar who has been popular for half a lifetime, and the two have been tit-for-tat and never cooperated before. Considering the gimmicks off the show, Warners finally decided to invest in the filming, but it was not optimistic.
Sometimes life is a gamble.
Betty and Joan, the last gamble in their lives, this time they won the bet, the box office was a big hit, and the two received attention again. They thought that the second spring of their career was ushered in, but things did not develop as they thought. People like to watch their ripping dramas, but they don't like to watch them, they just hope to see them appear in a thriller and adventure drama with a curious and gossip mentality.
It is the sadness of actors to be popular in dramas and not popular with people. After "Langui", the spotlight only shone on them for a short time, and after taking the stage, they still had to call it a curtain call.
Joan, still can not get rid of the title of vase, also can not get rid of the stain before becoming famous, this inferiority has always followed her throughout her life. She hoped that she would be beautiful forever and always be the target of pursuit, but she had to accept the fact that she was old and pale. When she wants to conquer and control the man with her charm again, sorry, the other party will only reject it nakedly. Beauty can never stay in a person for too long.
So, what about strength and expertise? Will it last long?
Betty, nominated for the Oscar again for the mad woman in "Langui", was nominated for the 11th time, but unfortunately she lost to the young new actor and did not get on the podium again as she wished. After the Oscars, she did not get any good movie invitations, and some were just a female supporting role, and had to endure the unprofessional performance of the popular female stars of the same crew who arrived late and left early. Professionalism can indeed prolong an actor's life, but it cannot keep her in the spotlight.
The fate of all actresses is the same: if you can't die in the high light and become a legend, then you can only accept the reality and make way for the young actors.
But the sad thing is that after half my life was handed over to the stage, and after the curtain call, I turned around and found that my life was already full of chicken feathers, and there was no place to go.
Joan married a director of PepsiCo and lived in a mansion, but left a large debt after her husband died. After calculating for most of her life, she ended up living alone in a small apartment in Manhattan, suffering from cancer and dying alone. And Betty, under the brilliance and glory of her career, has four failed marriages, her daughter's runaway and estrangement, and 100 cigarettes a day for company.
Life is long, and when you are at your brightest, you can never imagine how it will end.
50 years of acting career, only 2 seconds in the video review. Nearly half a century of competition has left only loneliness in the end. Maybe the other party is the one who really understands you, an opponent and a friend. However, under the coercion of capital, the provocation of the media and the needs of the market, the two never reached a settlement.
In the end, the two were just trapped in the cage of Vanity Fair, and the audience clapped and applauded as they watched their fight. After you quit, no one cares about your real life. The glitz and chasing are like clouds of smoke, but in the end, the highlight of life is the moment of joy, the understanding of friends, the recognition of opponents, and the love for performance.
This is a drama with a big heroine. It is different from Zhen Huan competing for a man (the emperor), and it is different from the heroine drama in which the celebrities compete for several men (clients). In the 1950s, women finally began to pursue themselves instead of pleasing others. The goal of competition was no longer around men, but about glory, dignity, and achievement. This is also the progress of the times.
The good news is that in the 21st century, middle-aged actresses have more choices. In recent years, there have been more "old and pearly" older actresses in the Oscars for best actresses. Aunt Mei is still in her 70s. No. 1, and this year's Coleman in "The Favourite" and last year's Francis in "Three Billboards" won Oscars for their complex and multi-layered performances. With age, people finally see more connotations of actresses in addition to being young and beautiful.
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