★The director of Lu Xun's "Blessing" explains:

1. Facing Three Difficulties

Lu Xun's masterpiece "Blessing" will be adapted into a four-part Huangmei Opera musical TV series. First of all, we must face up to the fact that this is a difficult creation. There are three difficulties:

First difficulty: At this time, there is a massive campaign against TV dramas adapted from Lu Xun's works such as "The Story of Ah Q". It is already difficult to adapt Lu Xun's works, but now it is even more difficult. More pressure.

Difficulty: "Blessing" has already been famous for its Yue opera adaptation "Xiang Lin's Wife" starring Yuan Xuefen, and Xia Yan's movie adaptation "Blessing" has become famous later. If you want to cross these two To be honest, it is more difficult than "February" and the movie "Early Spring in February", and "Pan Zhang Yuliang" and the movie "Painted Soul". Even if we avoid common ground and seek differences, it is not easy.

Three difficulties: Of course, we have the main advantage, which is the lyrical singing of Huangmei Opera. At first glance, the melancholy singing voice of Huangmei Opera matches the sadness and bitter tears of Sister Xianglin very well. In fact, if you think about it carefully, Lu Xun’s writing is highly refined and the characters are very typical. Sister Xianglin It is sadness followed by suffering, suffering followed by sadness, and little light is revealed. This is very different from the youthful, bright and warm style of Huangmei Opera, and is even incompatible with it, which is still a problem.

However, since you have to do it, you can’t be stumped. You need to change your spirit and perspective. It may be difficult but also has its advantages.

For example, how to treat famous people’s masterpieces? As Comrade Wang Weiguo, deputy director of the China TV Drama Production Center, said, as long as we respect Lu Xun and respect the realism and typical spiritual essence of the original work, it is just a " Bring order out of chaos." Not with theoretical criticism, but with artistic practice.

For another example, the Yue opera "Sister Xianglin" (first released in 1946) and the movie "Blessing" (first released in 1956) have reached two peaks, but they started from them. Starting from the current feelings of the times, we climb upward; decades have passed, can we start from the current feelings of the times and seek our way to climb? As long as we study and explore sincerely, we will always find our own characteristics.

For another example, in terms of the fusion of the artistic style of Huangmei Opera and the artistic style of "Blessing", we have done many Huangmei Opera musical TV series and accumulated some experience, although this drama added another It is a difficult problem to unify the style between the original work and the adapted work. However, as long as the integration is carefully pursued, it is not impossible.

People often say: Many things are both opportunities and challenges; they are both pressure and motivation. For this play, seeking truth from facts, recognizing difficulties, mustering up confidence, and overcoming difficulties should be a spirit that runs throughout.

2. Building Three Bridges

Spirit alone is of course not enough. To turn difficulties into positive factors, it also depends on hard thinking, diligence and skill in artistic practice. We realize that adapting famous works into opera and TV series is building "three bridges".

The first bridge: the telepathic bridge between classics and the times. When adapting famous works, people always say: "It's thankless." Xia Yan said of him: "Although I don't have the idea of ??'pleasing', I have personally experienced the 'hard work'." ("Xia Yan on Creation" p. 375) Especially It is an adaptation of a famous classic like Lu Xun's "Blessing". What's more true is that as Xia Yan said: "When I adapted "Blessing", I was very cautious about adding a little bit." (ibid., p. 406) But it is necessary to "change" “There must be movement. As Mr. Lu Xun said: "Whatever is deleted must be gained." Therefore, to become a masterpiece is not only a monument that appeared in its time, but also a stream that can flow with the times and advance with the times. Therefore, the adaptation of famous works is to build a bridge between famous works and the current era. This is a fundamental starting point, so there are three levels of how to treat famous works correctly: one is respect. This is the most basic principle and prudent attitude that determines whether an adaptation can be done well. The second level is understanding. The deeper the understanding, the more true respect can be achieved. The third level is perception. With insights based on the depth of understanding, sparks of creative change and imagination will flash out, and such sparks will not burn the original work, but may make the original work shine with the brilliance of a new era. Xia Yan's idea when adapting "Blessing" was: "Adapting Lu Xun's works must respect the simplicity of the original author.

The atmosphere of "Blessing" is quite heavy. I have considered: Will post-liberation audiences feel too sad when watching this play? Is it necessary or not? Later I thought, after all, this is a thing of the past, and the fate of Chinese women in the past era - it is good for today's audience to know how they got through in feudal society. But it doesn’t need to make the audience feel too depressed or even too sentimental. Therefore, I added the detail of Mrs. Xianglin cutting down the threshold to show the character's resistance in a semi-crazy state. " (Ibid., p. 413) It can be seen that Xia Yan stood in that era and was thinking hard about building a spiritual bridge to communicate between "Blessings" and the times. He saw the "resistance" hidden in the character of Sister Xianglin, which was also profound. Therefore, he used the creative expression of "cutting the threshold". At the same time, he thought of the gap between the times, so he added explanatory and guiding "narration" to the famous works and the times in the front, middle and back of the film. The painstaking efforts of seeking communication. So, when we adapt "Blessing" nearly 50 years ago, we must have a deeper and newer understanding and build a new bridge between it and our era.

The most important thing we think of is, of course, the fate and character of Sister Xianglin. She is a "person" eaten by the feudal ethics of the old society. This fate cannot be changed; she combines the suffering of women in the old society. Of course, the typical character of enduring, accepting, and sighing cannot be changed; therefore, the typical environment, which is as dark as a prison, is naturally not suitable for major changes.

However, Mrs. Xianglin's heart is hidden. Those who are filled with resentment, hatred, and anger have a beautiful yearning and a desire to change their destiny. Moreover, there are also acts of resistance: "escape" when they heard that she was being sold, and "bump" (happy case) when they first entered the He family's bridal chamber. , the "donation" (threshold) for liberation and the final resentful "question" of "does a person have a soul?"...but these are only weak lights, and they are soon extinguished by the bitter rain and sad wind. Xia Yan did not make it up, but he saw the potential resistance of Sister Xianglin in the original work, and in order to communicate with that specific era, he set up a "half-crazy resistance" for Sister Xianglin to "cut down the threshold". "However, because this big move seems too inconsistent with the psychology and behavior of Mrs. Xianglin in front of it, it also contradicts the well-known rhetorical question: "Does it have a soul? "Too far apart. There have always been sharp disputes, which are worthy of our study and research, but not necessarily imitated.

This reminds me of Mr. Lu Xun's famous saying about the definition of tragedy: "What makes life valuable Things are destroyed for people to see. "The good, the beautiful, and the noble are all valuable, of course; and the better and more beautiful these valuable things are written, the more regrettable, touching, and sad they will be when they are destroyed. In turn, the hatred for the destroyer deepens. This is probably the effect of tragic aesthetics. Lu Xun's wife Xianglin has such a life, but Lu Xun, who cherishes the ink as much as gold, has not yet understood the beauty that Xianglin has and the good life. This is what we need to express in today's era, and it is also the world where opera, especially Huangmei Opera, can express its lyrics.

Therefore, we want to write Sister Xianglin into a beautiful image. A branch of green bamboo standing in the cold wind, a piece of jasper soaked in tears. To create some ethereal place to show her desire and appeal for life, she cannot just cry without laughter, and we will only have a sad face. Seize several major plot changes in the play to create ups and downs, mixed with joy and sorrow.

In short, I want to open some transparent windows in the suffocating tragedy and depression. Let the emotion of longing for beauty be expressed, reflecting the depth of tragedy. Let today's people enter the era of Xianglin's wife, and let Xianglin's wife enter the current era. It expresses this wish: a woman's destiny is often an era. In order to no longer have Mrs. Xianglin, we need to remember this Mrs. Xianglin forever.

The second bridge: the bridge of artistic integration between opera and television. The biggest difficulty in the creation of Huangmei Opera musical TV series is naturally how to better blend and integrate the virtuality of opera and the reality of television. It should be said that we have explored and gained something, but it has not yet been achieved. Not perfect. How to make this drama? Of course, we will continue to explore along the path of integration and communication of "poetry, emotion, and beauty", but just like our previous dramas, we need to rethink and repeat it. In order to avoid repetition, this film "Xiang Lin's Wife" should have its own unique thinking.

From the perspective of "poetry", generally speaking, this is a passionate and sad poem about longing for light in the miserable wind and rain; it is like a winding stream hidden in the mountains, a sincere and implicit poem. She was born to shout in the face of life, and she sang in the face of the cold wind. She was a mantra in a cold tone. Therefore, the style of this poem, including lyrics and music, will pursue the simplicity, innocence, and folk style of the mountains and fields.

In terms of "emotion", the emotions in this play are also subtle and deep. It is the emotional tide aroused by the conflict between kind-hearted people longing for happiness but cruel reality suppressing or even destroying this beautiful yearning. In that specific social environment, all the torture and misfortune that Sister Xianglin suffered seemed "normal". This is the profoundness of Mr. Lu Xun's observation and performance. Therefore, the emotions of this play flow, collide, and rush through the inner world of the characters, especially Xianglin's wife, and there are several times of sadness, sadness, and tragedy. The tone of this tragedy cannot be changed. We must fully display her inner desire for happiness and love for beauty at the same time, not to eliminate its tragedy, but to contrast and deepen its tragic appeal and art. beautiful. Therefore, the music of this drama will be very important, and it may form a style that is both plot-focused and music-focused. It will focus on "solo singing" that reveals the inner feelings of the characters, show various forms, sing lightly and croon, give full play to the musical advantages of Huangmei Opera, and sing like a Xianglin Sister-in-law!

From the perspective of "beauty", we have been working hard to explore in order to pursue the integration of the beauty of opera and the beauty of television and build a harmonious beauty of opera and TV series. We hope this drama will be more effective.

This is a tragedy, a very personal tragedy. She is a cold stream hidden in the valley, with warmth hidden in the coldness, bright color in the harshness, resistance in the humiliation. As mentioned earlier, literature and music pursue this pursuit to deepen its tragic beauty; at the same time, we also hope that performance, art, and photography can all be integrated into the creation of this style of beauty.

As the "Project Establishment Report" said, this drama will "continue to explore the aesthetic pursuit of opera TVization and strengthen the unique opera procedural beauty of Huangmei Opera's original art." We have already paid attention to this point, basically from The music has changed the impression of "conventional TV dramas with additional singing"; and I also want to enhance the singing and dancing color in the performance and enhance the charm of the opera performance. There was such a performance in "Pan Zhang Yuliang", and I also experienced the difficulties in this area. This time we will use the intense inner conflict of the play and the emotional richness of the arias to better create an ethereal zone, allowing the yellow plum blossom to spread its light and elegant grace.

In terms of scenery and environment, we hope to have deep mountains, quiet streams, green bamboos, and light flowers. I don't want to create a single desolate tone of "ancient road, west wind, thin horse", but hope to have the interweaving and contrast of cold and warmth, joy and sorrow, mountain flowers and white snow.

Of course, we hope to work harder on our increasingly fluent "lens language" and more creatively blend "virtual" and "real" harmoniously to show unique characteristics. The beauty.

We hope that this drama can not only build a bridge over Xianglin's wife's fate, but also build a stronger artistic bridge between opera and television.

The third bridge: the bridge of aesthetic communication between opera TV series and the audience. The birth of opera TV series is based on the need for opera to survive and develop, and the need for television to expand and enrich. The audience wants to watch TV and watch opera. Among these three needs, the needs of the audience are decisive.

This special audience group naturally loves both the art of opera and the art of television. We must connect these two kinds of information from the audience to adjust our creative ideas. They want to appreciate the good-sounding and beautiful Huangmei Opera, but also want to see the vivid plots, complete stories and changing rhythms of "conventional TV dramas". Just as Comrade Wang Weiguo said: "Everything that is present in regular TV dramas must be present in 'opera TV dramas', plus the necessary opera features and lyrics that are not found in the former." And all this must be harmoniously and interactively integrated into a structural whole. Without structure, it’s all talk. Therefore, we must first stick to the main structural line of "Xianglin's Wife" and strive to express it vividly.

The general principle is that we are taking Lu Xun’s novel "Blessing" as the main body, returning to the original work to re-read it, think deeply, develop ideas, and seek reference and inspiration in various revisions, but it is The "creations" of various modifications will not be used directly.

Accordingly, some adjustments have been made to the characters: Sister Xianglin has been as mentioned above, and He Laoliu will be more honest and amiable: the mother-in-law is not an evil mother-in-law, she also endures the sorrow in her heart and lives a secular life. The uncle did not intend to harm others, he even thought he was making some small profits by "helping others"; even Mr. Lu Si was not a "evil person", they were just real people of various ecology in the "evil world". Here I would like to focus on three new or enhanced characters: One is Sister-in-law Wu, who also works as a servant in the Lu family. She is a person who is both suffering from life and loving life. She is a considerate sympathizer who arouses hope for life in Mrs. Xianglin. There is also the Xiangfu young couple. Xiangfu is Xianglin's younger brother. In the original work, he has no name and is only called "brother-in-law". His only action was to help hold down Mrs. Xianglin and He Laoliu. He was named "A Gen" in Yue opera and movies, and was changed to a kind person who helped Mrs. Xianglin escape, but there was no development; now we let him Extend and enrich. His wife Erya is only mentioned in the novel when Mrs. Wei describes Xianglin's mother-in-law to Mrs. Lu Si: "Now the second son's daughter-in-law has also married." This shows that Xianglin's mother has indeed sold Xianglin. Mrs. Lin’s money bought her second son a wife. Of course, she has neither name nor image, so she can be said to be a new character. And she was bought with the money from selling Xianglin's wife, thus making the emotions and fate of the two women closely linked, sharing the same joys and sorrows. I want to extend the shadow of the fate of women in that era to enhance its social thickness. At the same time, it also makes the lyrics of Huangmei Opera more diverse and fuller. However, when adapting a masterpiece like "The Blessing," adding or deleting characters must be done with caution. Therefore, the main point of the many revisions of this play text is to change the character of Erya, step by step, to make it more integrated into the atmosphere of tragedy, always in the "guest" position, and the "companion" of Sister Xianglin. This also needs to be grasped well in the second creation.

According to this, the play takes the huge turning point in Sister Xianglin's fate as an opportunity, and uses the interweaving and contrast of the three emotions and the ups and downs of the three emotions to form the backbone of the plot and the main emotional line, which is the main body of the structure.

The first emotional outburst was "escaping" from Xianglin's house. Before escaping, it not only showed Xianglin's beauty but also revealed her inner misery and hopelessness... When she heard the news that her mother-in-law was going to sell her to the He family, although she had no idea of ??controlling her own destiny , but she couldn't bear the humiliation. With the help of Xiangfu, she escaped desperately.

After she really escaped, she suddenly felt that the outside was so strange and open, and a new desire for survival arose in her heart. Although she was just a discriminated servant in Mr. Lu Si's house, she got along well with the servants and was praised by the neighbors. She gained weight and became beautiful. She smiled, facing the river, and followed the thin water. As the waves moved, so did her heart...

However, at this moment, she was snatched away and sold to Hejia'ao! This was the first emotional ups and downs, the strong action of "happy incident", and the beautiful thoughts accumulated in my heart were suddenly shattered. Then, like water falling to the bottom of a valley, waves surged again. He Laoliu's true love that cannot talk about love, that true love that cannot say love, ignited the nameless fire; Xiangfu and Erya's unique, bitter and beneficial apology and gratitude actually made Xianglin's wife A second surge of emotion arose, and it lasted until the birth of a child, the debt was about to be paid off, and when the couple was full of simple hope for life, He Laoliu died! Then her son was picked up by a wolf again, and the light of hope in her heart was extinguished.

As a result, the second emotional ups and downs occurred. After this fall, you really can only wander around in the deep valley. The desires during life have faded away, leaving only the thoughts after death. Later, Liu Ma suggested to her a wonderful way to avoid "dismemberment after death": donate a piece of temple threshold. She felt an illusory sense of relief again, forming a third burst of emotion. In this year's "blessing", she will enjoy the joy of equality. From her clothes to her behavior, everything is shocking. Perhaps this is not only the relief of feeling one's own "relief", but also a kind of "revenge" for being discriminated against for a long time. Therefore, the blame, discrimination and humiliation she received were naturally more serious than before, and she was kicked out of the Lu family. This formed her third emotional ups and downs, and she fell into the valley of death.

This is the end. Lu Xun's "Blessing" is a first-person narrative.

The opening chapter is that when "I" returned to Lu Town for the New Year, I met Mrs. Xianglin who had become a beggar and asked him: "After a person dies, does he have a soul?" With hell, "So, what about the dead family?" Everyone can meet each other?" In this way, Lu Xun's writings about Mrs. Xianglin's death were silent and without sighs. There were only incomprehensible questions, leaving people with deep thoughts and imaginations to answer them. This is the brilliance of the novel's narrative. But in movies and TV dramas, the death of Mrs. Xianglin must be a heavy blow, and it cannot be without voice, action, or image.

As a result, there are various endings such as lamenting and singing, cutting the threshold, and the threshold turning into a "guillotine".

We also handled the ending very carefully and have revised it several times. Basically, I want to return to the artistic conception of Lu Xun's novel "Blessing". Start imagining from those two questions. Because there was a question about whether the first person had a "soul", she couldn't really cut down the threshold, but she had the urge to take revenge. Because she had the second question "Can all the members of the dead family meet?", she had imagination, appeal, and yearning, and finally came to the ending like this: after strong accusations, in the Wan family " Amidst the sound of firecrackers "Blessings", she sang "People say that home is beautiful after death, as if I heard my relatives calling me to come home," followed by a series of "Give me back..." She disappeared when her suffering was over and in despair. ; She disappeared in the yearning when she returned "home"; she disappeared in the cold wind and the lively "blessings"...

We want to hold on to the three ups and downs. The main line seems to be able to say what Lu Xun has not said, rather than adding to him what we want to say. This is the "respect" we must have. We also want to stick to the main thread of these three ups and downs, and use a more freehand approach to innovate in the director's performance. Of course, we also want to use the main line of three ups and downs to capture the audience's appreciation, build a bridge to communicate with the audience, and achieve the unity of ideology, artistry, and appreciation.