Chapter 422: Make It Into a Movie Immediately
The editor-in-chief of this issue of "Yanhe" recommends Yu Hua's novella "A Kind of Reality", which tells the story of brothers killing each other for the purpose of eliminating each other's sons. The author tells the thrilling "A Kind of Reality" in an extremely cold narrative tone.
Since returning from studying at Luyuan last year, Yu Hua has gradually matured in the skills of avant-garde novels, and his creation has also entered a climax period. He has successively published "Noon When the Northwest Wind Howls" and "The World is Like Smoke", and this time he wrote "A Kind of Reality".
An absurd novel with avant-garde experimental color, Yu Hua tells the thrilling "A Kind of Reality" in an extremely cold narrative tone, showing the fragility and absurdity of reason, full of anger and anxiety about the viciousness of human nature.
Yu Hua's style is already familiar to the general readers. Some people call him the "bloodiest and most indifferent" author in China, of course, referring to his articles.
However, what readers are most interested in this issue is not this avant-garde novel, but Fang Minghua's "Qiu Ju Goes to Lawsuit"
There are not too many obscure sentences, nor are there any erratic and changing character thoughts or cross-spliced plot paragraphs. The novel uses plain language to describe a rural woman's unyielding lawsuit.
"Ask for an explanation." is the most common phrase the heroine says.
This Qiu Ju, as well as the village chief Wang Shantang, who is the "antagonist" in the novel, their every move seems so familiar, and those stories seem to happen around me.
This is the first time I have seen a citizen sue an "official", and in the end he actually won!
After the novel was published, it immediately caused a heated discussion. The famous critic Li Tuo published a review in the "Literary Gazette":
"The novel describes it like this: women on the street wear scarlet lips, their hair is curled into layers and piled on their heads, and their high heels make a sound; pedestrians walk hurriedly, without time to feel the hot air around them - everything begins to speed up and prosper, as if some power is awakening.
"This is China now, old and yearning for modernity, slow and eager to burst out. In the uneven streets of the city, next to the cheap hotel is a "trendy hair salon"; on the New Year's picture stalls in the town, pictures of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars are placed side by side with portraits of great men. All of this seems like a metaphor.
Fang Minghua uses his delicate pen to slowly unfold this picture of life for mediocre people: how a pregnant woman "petitions" step by step with her tenacity and stubbornness, and finally gets an explanation. If this is the awakening of legal consciousness, I would rather add a note to it: this awakening contains the warmth of human feelings. "
Finally, I would like to ask Comrade Fang Minghua: from last year's "Platform" to this year's "Qiu Ju's Lawsuit", if we count the "No One Can Be Left Behind" written a few years ago, they all write about the joys and sorrows of small people in reality. Does this mean that in the "avant-garde" of the literary world, there is still a survival foundation for realistic novels? And you call it a new realist novel."
Fang Minghua saw this review article three days later.
He approved of Li Tuo's comments, and he deserved the title of "Master Tuo" later. Of course, Fang Minghua did not intend to answer Li Tuo's question at the end of the article.
What's the hurry?
Isn't there going to be a seminar on new realism novels later?
Please invite Li Tuo to come, everyone can speak freely and have a good debate.
This is the last hot spot of novels in the literary world in the 1980s.
Fang Minghua drank tea and read the newspaper leisurely.
At this time, the phone on the desk rang, Fang Minghua took the microphone, and a man's voice came from it.
"Is it Comrade Minghua?"
"Standing Committee Member Liu? Hello, I am Fang Minghua." Fang Minghua said quickly.
"Minghua, your novel "Qiu Ju Goes to Court" is very good. Have you read yesterday's "People's Daily"? The newspaper specifically commented on this novel."
"Really? Standing Committee Member Liu, I've been busy with work recently and I haven't had time to read it."
"Then you should take a good look at it. However, the article highly praised your novel. It said: This novel gives ordinary people and ordinary cadres a vivid legal lesson. How can ordinary people protect their own rights and interests? Grassroots cadres must change some of their illegal practices, otherwise they will be sued by the people. This is better than reading the legal provisions a hundred times."
"If this effect can be achieved, then I will be satisfied." Fang Minghua was very humble.
"Haha, of course, but I think it's not enough."
"Oh, you say."
"The audience of novels as a medium is still relatively small. The general public, especially rural people, rarely read magazine novels. In order to expand the influence, I suggest making it into a movie!"
Standing Committee Member Liu expressed his opinion on the phone: "Haven't we produced a famous director in Qin Province? Let him shoot it!"
"Are you talking about Zhang Yimou?" Fang Minghua asked.
"Yes, it's him! He just won an award abroad, which is a glory for our country and our Qin Province! I asked the comrades from the Department of Culture to communicate with Director Wu of Xiying, and asked him to persuade Zhang Yimou to shoot your novel!"
"Commissioner Liu, there's no need to bother. Zhang Yimou and I are also quite familiar with each other. I'll tell him."
"That's good. You two will definitely make a film with both aesthetic value and educational significance by joining forces!"
"Thank you for your encouragement, Commissioner Liu."
After chatting for a few more sentences, they hung up the phone.
Fang Minghua sat on the chair, picked up the teacup and took a sip, thinking of what he had just said.
Let Zhang Yimou shoot this movie?
Isn't this a natural thing?
I just don’t know, what is Zhang Yimou doing now?
There was no telephone installed in Zhang Yimou's home, and a director like him did not have a fixed office at Xiying Studio. Fang Minghua had no choice but to call Wu Tianmin to ask for news about Zhang Yimou.
At this time, Zhang Yimou was still shrouded in happiness.
Just this year (1988), at the 38th Berlin International Film Festival held on February 12, Zhang Yimou won the Golden Bear Award for Best Film for his film "Red Sorghum". This was the first time for a Chinese filmmaker to win a junior film in Europe. Won the top prize at the film festival.
At that time, Zhang Yimou was wearing a suit that he had just made before going abroad. He laughed and took the "Golden Bear" he won for "Red Sorghum" and then raised it high above his head. The golden bear shone brightly above his head.
Because of his laughter, Yimou's mouth opened very wide, his eyes almost narrowed into a straight line, his short, thick and thick eyebrows squeezed towards the center of his eyebrows, and the lines at the corners of his mouth on both sides of his nose became more and more distinct.
Later, Mo Yan saw this photo and commented: "With this dignity, he really looks like the production captain of our village."
Now, he is at home, admiring this photo.
Although some people gave it bad reviews, he felt very satisfied.
Elegant? Personable?
That's not yourself.
I'm a fool to begin with, so you have to make me wear a suit?
In Berlin, he had always refused to wear a suit. If he hadn't been "threatened" by someone in advance to safeguard national dignity before going on stage, he thought it would be fine to wear his usual coarse cotton-padded jacket.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door outside.
Zhang Yimou went over and opened the door. It was Wu Tianmin, the director of Xiying Film Studio, holding an old briefcase in the creaking nest.
"Director, why are you here?" Zhang Yimou was a little surprised.
"When I came to see you win the Golden Bear Award, did you become a different person?" Wu Tianmin said and entered the room.