Written by / Kong Shan, French Film
"Technical problem (technical problem) ."
Yesterday (April 23) evening, director Zeng Guoxiang made a live broadcast in Hong Kong. In English + Cantonese, he uttered a term that mainland audiences "like to hear and see".
But the meaning is not the same.
He and screenwriter Lin Yongchen were invited to participate in the live broadcast event held by the Hong Kong Writers Association for the "Best Film Character Award of the Year" (Zhou Dongyu nominated the award). As a result, Zeng Guoxiang kept instigating the host to play the feature film of "Youth as a Teenager", which triggered Facebook's blocking mechanism and caused "technical problems". "
Hahahahaha! "The initiator sat cross-legged on the sofa, wearing a green mask and bending over with a smile.
Perhaps only in Hong Kong, in front of old friends, can Zeng Guoxiang be so relaxed. He said that he was very selfish. If "Youth as a Younger" can only win one award in two weeks, he hopes to win the best director of the Academy Award .
Rarely and directly, he spoke about censorship, about the film's disappointment.
For example, in the scene where Yi Yangqianxi pushed Zhou Dongyu to the wall, Zeng Guoxiang felt that the "sexual tension" was insufficient , "Maybe I didn't think clearly about how to create that thing, so I made it now. It just feels a little lacking.”
Also talked about deletions, and some original designs.
Some of these words confirmed an article by the first director (ID: diyidy) who had also been "technical problems".
In the 138-minute version (the length of the film is collectively referred to as the Berlin version), Chen Nian and Xiao Bei are almost in parallel until their first kiss. After the abridgement, the story became Chen Nian as the first main line, with 135 minutes left .
At this moment when the film is out of "interest tension", these crucial details should be brought to light in due course.
01. Blast Boy
Remember Xiaobei's first appearance? Was beaten badly.
No, this isn't his first appearance in "Berlin Edition."
The clue was in the words of the gangster who beat Xiaobei. He angrily rebuked Xiaobei for hitting his younger brother at first. "Hiting my brother" is actually Xiaobei's first appearance in the movie.
Just after the film described Chen Nian's depressing campus life, the camera immediately turned to the off-campus scene, an arrogant fight scene - Xiaobei brought two brothers to the gangster brother to ask for the account, Yi Yang Qianxi looked fierce at the moment .
This scene is completely deleted.
That ferocious expression never appeared again in the movie.
Later, Xiaobei saw in the mahjong parlor that a gangster taught a kid who was stealing money, and went up to stop it, and the two gangsters tore each other. The boss of the mahjong hall was present and arranged the troublesome gangsters into two rows. Don't you guys like to fight and slap each other!
The scene was also removed and only appeared in the trailer and promotional special. Maybe the filmmakers want to use this scene to make a fuss, because it's a real slap in the face.
Zeng Guoxiang confessed in the live broadcast: "For many scenes, we didn't think about any approval issues at the beginning, and we did our best to shoot. Even if the actors were abusive, I also told the actors that there was no way, this is not a kung fu film, it must be real. The two actors are also very happy, the two of them enjoy being beaten.
There is a scene where Qianxi slaps another group of so-called marginalized teenagers. I said next to you that it was really like this. They were very happy after hearing it. They were super happy. The whole group couldn't help laughing.
With this change, there's always been the problem that we want to reduce all the violent scenes. "
As a director, the bloody scene that he voluntarily deleted was the body of a girl who jumped off the building: "I also shot a lot of corpses at the beginning, but finally decided not to use it. I don't want to be so explicit (straight), in your face (aggressive)."
When the host asked what other cuts were made, Zeng Guoxiang said that's all.
In fact, around the identity of Xiaobei's marginal youth, the movie deleted a lot of trivial life clips, and the scene of Xiaobei and his friends riding a motorcycle was gone. The motorcycle is actually not Xiaobei's. Gone are the punks setting off fireworks, delete this because they don't deserve to be happy?
puzzled.
These broken cuts also make it impossible for us to quickly judge Xiaobei's interpersonal relationships and situation.
Perhaps, a young idol full of appeal and charm cannot play a happy gangster, nor can a broken happiness.
Of course, this is all an analysis. What is certain is that the deletion of so many scenes of Yi Yangqianxi has nothing to do with the bullying theme itself, but has something to do with the disclosure of the larger social ecology.
02. Fear the "future"
When it comes to the topic of bullying, this movie does not suffer a knife.
The female villain Wei Lai, played by rookie actor Zhou Ye, was mistaken by many people for spring and summer when she appeared.
Between the beating brows, there is a little innocence, but when she plays bullying, she also shows a kind of cruelty beyond her own cognitive ability.
Such an excellent and complex villain was not created by Zeng Guoxiang, but contributed by the actor himself.
"She's so beautiful, although she's very polite, but you feel a little arrogant in her speech. At that time, we didn't know how to deal with Wei Lai, whether he looked fierce or... until When she appears, and such a beautiful person still bullies you, you feel really miserable, but you are inspired by her."
It's a "regret" that about Wei Lai's violent scenes, the whole movie basically didn't use a knife!
Only one adjustment was made. Wei Lai threatened Chen Nian for the first time, pushed her against the wall, said a few harsh words, and immediately turned on the bitch mode. These sentences have been abridged.
But is this different from not deleting it?
Chen Nian was beaten, "chased" into the trash can, stripped naked, and all bullying scenes were preserved. It is completely impossible to accurately analyze the operation logic here.
03. Beautiful subtitles and a caring ending
It's time to "feed".
Compared with the "Berlin version", subtitles are added at the beginning and end of the film, as well as the anti-bullying reading in real identity by Yi Yang Qianxi.
According to common sense, it is impossible to add subtitles without taking the initiative and consciously at the beginning of the trial when it comes to sensitive subjects like "You Are My Teenager", but Zeng Guoxiang just didn't add it.
"When we write the script, we don't censor ourselves. As a filmmaker, the creation should be based on why you want to make the story. You can adjust it after the film is made . I think it is too much calculation and self-censorship. It must be stumbling, it must not look good.”
I can't stand it anymore, let's change it. Taking the initiative to step back is impossible.
There is also a subtle change here. At the beginning of the movie, Chen Nian became an English teacher in a business school. That scene was actually the ending egg in the "Berlin Edition", and it was "the opening remarks of one of several different endings." , which is refined and placed at the very beginning of the film.
There may be only one purpose, to use such a scene to provide a psychological buffer for the suffocating and depressing plot behind.
Immediately afterwards, from the time point of "2011" that we typed on the screen, we realized that the story here actually happened one year before the birth of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Minors.
With the bugs, why are large-screen smartphones so popular in 2011?
Back to the "Berlin version" Easter eggs, in the tutoring class, Zhou Dongyu found out that there was a potential little girl who was suspected of being bullied in the class, and ended.
But in the finale of the public release version, Zhou Dongyu went to the little girl's desk, helped her, and sent her home, with Yi Yang Qianxi following behind them.
Zeng Guoxiang didn't like this ending at first: " It's very bloody and idol drama . But I don't resist filming it, you can make it first and then decide."
In the end, this "dog blood" ending played a role.
Another ending he envisaged has been exposed on Weibo before: "After 3 or 4 years, Chen Nian came out of prison, and as soon as he came out, he saw his mother waiting for her. Mom went up to hug her, and the two were very moved. When she was about to leave, she saw Xiaobei standing there waiting for her in the distance. The two of them had a very bright smile at each other, and it was over."
And what he really liked at the time was that the prison carts slowly separated away on the road.
04. The ones that are not deleted are more awesome
There are three main police figures in "Youth of You".
Lao Yang (played by Huang Jue), especially inaction. The incident developed to the end, so extreme, but he said to his subordinates, both of them were pulled into the water, are you happy? It is rare for a
Zheng Yi (played by Yin Fang), look at the name, when Zheng Yi is here, is justice here? All the disputes are here.
He didn't like to sleep before (symbolizing love of the world), but when he became a policeman, he began to love to sleep (symbolizing escape from the world) .
If the law is not firmly defended, will Chen Nian and Xiaobei ruin their lives as he said? This is a Dark Knight theme. Will the firmness of the youth become the mortal enemy of recognized justice? This is the ultimate paradox of our current society.
The last character I want to talk about is policewoman Wang Li . In any case, no matter from which angle she looks, she is a villain.
In the end, he was questioned by Chen Nian, but if the world was like this, would you still dare to give birth to this child? It was only then that we began to notice her bulging belly wrapped under her dark police uniform in the dimly lit interrogation room.
Zeng Guoxiang has a kind. He puts the current birth contradiction on the last guardian of the faith of the people's order. Although the lines do not directly submit the answer, but on the video, she answers - before this society is healthy, in this crowd. Before being healthy, not giving birth is the greatest responsibility to the next generation.
Daredevil.
To be honest, for the first time there was a secret urge to "abridge well".
The movie makes such a huge reservation, isn't it confusing?
Of course, it may be easy to explain, that is, the education and public security departments involved in the censorship have different scales.
Why is "Youth of You" destined to leave last summer's summer season?
Because this movie is bound to spark a huge social discussion, it can't make waves during the time when the school loses control, otherwise the psychological rehabilitation class at the beginning of the school will be endless.
Therefore, this film must be released after the school starts, and it will not be released until after the National Day. It cannot get any advance preparation and speculation, so it is unprecedented to give a temporary notice 3 days in advance .
We interviewed the chairman of the Hong Kong Film Awards and director Er Dongsheng last year. When asked about the review, he said from the bottom of his heart:
"How to let a movie pass, you have to observe, you have to know what policies are involved, which department to watch the film, he didn't deliberately stop you, he has to take into account the social impact created , after all, if something happens, the director will not Carry the blame, review the blame."
Earlier, at last year's FIRST Film Festival, we also asked director Diao Yinan, who faced similar problems with "The Gathering at Southern Station," but he said:
"If something puts pressure on you, then you have to continue to work on your creation. Face this thing directly, don't hide . You can't say it, I won't shoot what I want to shoot, I'll change it. I can't change it . . It just means that you have to use your imagination to transcend the constraints of reality in a more intelligent way. Then you may get a more advanced expression."
The host asked Zeng Guoxiang if the movie could not be released at one time, whether he was very lucky.
Zeng Guoxiang replied: "I'm not very casual, I'm very depressed, I must be very depressed, but I won't give up, just you think there must be a way to release it. I just don't know how long it will take to run in and get it done. But in short, I think It won't be released, but it is very persistent, and everyone is very confident that it will definitely be released."
On the day of Zeng Guoxiang's live broadcast, the Blu-ray disc has already been produced, and it will be officially released in mid-May this year.
Someone in the comment area wanted a director's cut. Zeng Guoxiang said, "I want to talk about the director's cut, too."
Huh? It looks like a play.
However, the place where the cut version should appear most is the movie theater.
Oh, and movie theaters are closing down too.
*The pictures in the article are from the Internet, if you have any questions, please contact this number.
The first director's official account (ID: diyidy) is dedicated to in-depth interviews and reports of figures in the film and television entertainment industry, exploring the artistic expressions of directors, actors and producers from the perspective of creation, and providing readers with in-depth and warm artistic references. Welcome to pay attention!
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