Zhang Yimou’s new film “Man Jianghong” was released for seven days and received a box office of 2.9 billion yuan, setting a new high for Zhang Yimou’s directorial career. The word-of-mouth of the film is also very good, and the current Douban score is 7.5 points.
After watching “Man Jianghong”, it is natural to think of Zhang Yimou’s previous work “Above the Cliff”. If you compare it, you can find many connections between the two.
First of all, these two works are suspense films. “Above the Cliff” tells that in the 1930s, four Communist Party agents who had received special training in the Soviet Union formed a mission team and returned to China to carry out secret operations. And “Manjianghong” puts the story in the Shaoxing period of the Southern Song Dynasty, four years after Yue Fei’s death, the small soldier Zhang Da and the deputy commander of the pro-barracks Sun Jun were caught in the “conspiracy” by chance. Both films are full of suspense, and the story progresses layer by layer in constant reversals, and the mystery is finally revealed. In contrast, “Man Jianghong” has a stronger dramatic effect, more reversals, and richer imagination, which undoubtedly arouses the curiosity of the audience.
Secondly, both films are group portrait dramas with many characters. “Above the Cliff” alone has 4 protagonists, while the protagonists Zhang Da and Sun Jun in “Manjianghong” have more roles, but other characters He Li, Qin Hui, and Wu Yichun also have a lot of roles. Both films increase the depth of the film by portraying multiple characters, creating a strong sense of epic.
Third, both films have direct depictions of brutal struggles, the most typical of which is that there are a large number of torture scenes in the films. In “Above the Cliff”, Zhang Xianchen played by Zhang Yi was tied to a seat by the enemy and tortured by electric torture after being exposed. Fill his mouth with vinegar. Both of these scenes are chilling, fully demonstrating the cruelty of the struggle between the enemy and ourselves.
Despite the similarities, the two films present completely different styles. “Above the Cliff” is a serious drama, telling suspenseful stories in a realistic way. “Manjianghong” is different. The film adopts a comedy method. If you just watch this section in the first hour, you will find that it is simply a comedy. Especially Zhang Da, played by Shen Teng, used exaggerated and funny body language to vividly perform an ineffective “street slipper” image. And Sun Jun, played by Yi Yangqianxi, has a serious face, full of vicissitudes, and cruelty. The two are both righteous and evil, supporting the comedy effect of the film. In addition, the joining of comedians such as Yue Yunpeng, Wei Xiang, and Pan Binlong also made the film’s comedy effect stronger, which made the film closer to the cheerful atmosphere of the Spring Festival, and contributed to the increase in the film’s box office.
The biggest difference between the two films is in the shaping of the characters. “Above the Cliff” depicts a group of agents with faith, they regard death as home, and their righteousness is awe-inspiring. For example, Zhang Xianchen was severely tortured, but he never confessed. In contrast, the attitudes of these righteous people in “Man Jianghong” are much more complicated. For example, after Zhang Da was tortured, he told Yaoqin that he “couldn’t take it anymore”. At that moment, his heart collapsed, and he even thought of giving up. As for Sun Jun, the change in his mentality is more complicated. The film presents the psychological changes of these two people very delicately. Their psychological changes are more in line with the characteristics of human nature and can resonate with the audience.
Patriotic movies and heroic characters are one of the eternal themes of movies. “Man Jianghong” has a unique approach, using a comedy style to tell the family and country feelings and heroic feats of a group of small people, using a legendary way to interpret people’s nostalgia and admiration for Yue Fei, which also made the word “Man Jianghong” very popular.
Release date: January 31, 2023
Source: Beijing Daily