Interpretation of Blossoms Shanghai： How does Wong Kar-wai play with the small screen when the heat is high？

Special feature of 1905 film network The TV series Blossoms Shanghai, directed by Wong Kar-wai and starring Hugh, finally came to light on December 27th, 2023 after six years of preparation and three years of shooting.The first broadcast of the series was 10 minutes, and the central eight broke 2, with a peak of 2.6. The average ratings of the first two episodes were 1.9984.

On the network platform, the heat value in Blossoms Shanghai Tencent Video Station broke 30,000, and it has entered Tencent Video "Explosive Club". The total interactive volume of barrage in Mandarin and Shanghainese versions broke 10 million, and the interactive volume of barrage in a single day broke 1 million for five consecutive days, which made Blossoms Shanghai, which has been expected for three years, gather more attention and flow.

Three years ago, when the news came out that Wong Kar-wai was going to direct a TV series, a group of Wong Kar-wai fans shouted "Impossible".

As a well-known director in the film circle, it takes three to ten years to make a two-hour film. Isn’t it necessary to photograph the collective retirement of fans in a 30-episode TV series? Wong Kar-wai returned after a lapse of 10 years, and the audience commented that "the top priority in the Chinese film circle this year is to make TV series in Wong Kar-wai".

It is no exaggeration to say that Blossoms Shanghai, who has been working behind the scenes for 9 years, has exploded!

However, when this Wong Kar-wai Blossoms Shanghai, which took six years to prepare, three years to shoot and four times to kill, was officially broadcast, we had to admire Wong Kar-wai for still capturing the retro modernity of Shanghai in 1993 with the most exquisite light and shadow and the most delicate lens.

With a film-like texture, the play shows the joys and sorrows, diligence and tenacity, wisdom and affection experienced by Shanghai people in the early days of reform and opening up. Shanghai in the 1990s was "figurative" in this drama, giving the audience an immersive feeling of watching the drama as if they were in the tide of the times.

At the same time, the flow and attention are projected to Blossoms Shanghai, and the voices of voicing to Wong Kar-wai, Blossoms Shanghai and a group of Shanghai local actors are also coming — — There are many negative voices, such as "Shanghai style is out of place in the times", "the story clues are a mess" and "Wong Kar-wai can only shoot the camera but can’t tell stories", and many people in the industry also expressed "some disappointment" after watching the premiere in Blossoms Shanghai.

Film critic Ai Hui said very directly in Weibo: "I don’t like Blossoms Shanghai, but Wong Kar-wai plays Pinduoduo."

However, with the broadcast of Blossoms Shanghai until the 10th episode, the audience’s word-of-mouth gradually began to warm up, and the comments on Blossoms Shanghai in social media gradually changed from "light pollution" to "seeing more and more", and there was a hot search term "watching Blossoms Shanghai five days ago VS five days later" on the hot search list.

In the eyes of film critic Ai Hui, this phenomenon is the normal deviation of the audience’s focus on watching the drama. Including Ai Hui himself, when watching Blossoms Shanghai’s first four episodes, there will be a strong feeling that "form is more than content". It is basically difficult to see natural light in the series. With the help of filters and studio lights, the monotonous sense of high-level makes the audience prone to "visual fatigue" when watching the drama. At the same time, the characters in the first four episodes are thin and the story lines are complicated, so it is very normal for the audience to have negative voices.

However, with the continuous broadcast of the drama series, the weak stories and characters in the early stage are gradually enriched, and the audience’s attention has shifted from the initial "Wong Kar-wai’s filming technology" to "the fate of the characters", and they have begun to devote themselves to the content of the drama series, and it is precisely at this time that several major characters have slowly unfolded.

First of all, Reiko played by Ma Yili, and how did Reiko, who gave a lecture on "Tokyo at Night" in Ginza, and Mr. Bao, played by Hugh, get to know each other? Reiko went to Tokyo with a plane ticket and embarked on a journey without a return ticket. She never thought about giving up. If she could not achieve something, she would never return to Shanghai. At this desperate moment, she and Mr. Bao met, and the two struggling young people resonated, and the soul fit gradually revealed its trace. These delicate warm stories and the vigorous vitality of Reiko’s independence and self-improvement slowly began to infect the audience.

Then began to tell the story of Miss Wang, played by Tang Yan. When it was first broadcast in Blossoms Shanghai, Miss Wang’s character coincided with the role played by Tang Yan before. Many viewers thought that she was still a "love brain" and "silly and sweet", and there was no great breakthrough. However, with the advancement of the plot, Miss Wang’s character became more and more full. In order to prove that "she is her own dock", she refused the Cadillac given to her by Mr. Bao and wanted to make her own way.

It can be seen that Wong Kar-wai applied the techniques of making movies to Miss Wang. For example, he used a low position, and Tang Yan’s big wavy hair was clearly seen. Including how her eyes contain tears and how tears flow down. It is the emotions behind these details that, with the unfolding of the fate of the characters in an episode, the audience will gradually feel so advanced.

The fate of the characters covered with details once again shows Wong Kar-wai’s "super power" to control the story behind emotions. If we say that in the first 10 episodes, the audience only loved Wong Kar-wai’s original shots and light and shadow, in the 13th to 18th episodes, there must be no flaws in the characters, stories and emotions, and the narrative, rhythm and atmosphere set off the TV series Blossoms Shanghai just right. I believe that Mr. "Sunglasses King" will smile after reading the audience’s comments.

On the other hand, the audience familiar with Wong Kar-wai commented that "Wong Kar-wai’s films, like prose, pay attention to emotional transmission, but not to story expression. It’s so specific that he really can’t control it. " Therefore, in the eyes of professional film critics, Wong Kar-wai’s storytelling ability has become a key link in Blossoms Shanghai. So, did Wang Dao really make it?

In this regard, Ai Hui, a film critic who has always been known for being sharp and daring to tell the truth, agreed with the above views of netizens. Wong Kar-wai uses emotions as his clue to string together the stories of the characters, and some of the shooting techniques are actually rarely seen in previous TV dramas.

For example, Reiko has a roof, which has never been repaired properly and always leaks. It is easy for the audience to think of a "stalk" in "Chongqing Forest", that is, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who is lovelorn, always has a dripping towel, which symbolizes Tony Leung Chiu Wai who refuses to cry. Instead, he shed tears on the towel.

This kind of association will make many fans very useful. It seems that in TV series, Wong Kar-wai tells more complete stories than in movies. The capacity of previous movies was just like a room, and Wong Kar-wai had to make a choice. The director can only show you some corners of the room. Then the current 30 episodes are like a museum, so there is enough time and space to put all the things that director Wong Kar-wai loves.

In Blossoms Shanghai’s TV series, he used a lot of documentary materials. The series has repeatedly stressed that this is 1993 and this is 1988. I think he is still very sensitive to the scale of time. Perhaps in Wong Kar-wai’s view, time is about equal to fate. Under the action of time, some people become "face" and some people become "sons". Bao became Bao Zong, Ber Ber became Ber Ber, and Miss Wang became "Entrepreneur Miss Wang".

Director Wong Kar-wai seems to be "in love" with the audience. You misunderstand him, and perhaps it is also a kind of interest to watch Blossoms Shanghai.

Blossoms Shanghai has a relatively concentrated story line every few gatherings. Even if you don’t know anything about it, you will feel a high-level unit drama when you pick out those episodes, which will definitely be a very innovative immersive feeling for the audience.

In addition, Wong Kar-wai insists on his own shooting methods, such as slow work and fine work like single-camera shooting. It is said that Tang Yan spent three years just grinding a Blossoms Shanghai and didn’t take any other plays. Including Dong Yong, a very experienced actor, it takes 30 shots to choose one. There are even actors who think that "maybe I can’t finish it all my life."

Looking back, the "silence" of Blossoms Shanghai’s opening was originally for the sake of the blockbuster behind. This kind of shooting technique is so luxurious that only Wong Kar-wai can do it. We should not underestimate Blossoms Shanghai’s influence. There may only be one or two TV dramas worth chewing like Blossoms Shanghai every few decades, so Blossoms Shanghai may become an orphan for a long time. All the likes and dislikes will eventually turn into traffic, so that everyone can focus on Blossoms Shanghai. For domestic dramas, it may have greater significance.