New Age Artists

Chapter 655: Earthquake in all directions!

"Life of Pi" has been released in China for some time. Its box office performance cannot be called a blockbuster, but it is not bad either.

Because of their cultural background and historical influences, Chinese audiences not only do not reject foreign cultures, but often view them as progress.

first time.

Audiences were attracted by the film's gorgeous visual spectacles and profound philosophical narrative and flocked to the theaters.

Immerse yourself in a fantasy-filled survival fable and enjoy scenes such as a sea of ​​fluorescent jellyfish, schools of flying fish attacking, and whales leaping out of the night.

These scenes bring a good visual experience to the audience, and the story of Pi and the tiger coexisting also makes people begin to think about the meaning of faith, human nature and survival.

Of course, I vaguely felt that there was something wrong, but I couldn't tell what it was.

Even if someone thinks that there is something wrong with the film's perspective, sharing it on most websites, except for the three-way platforms, will be ridiculed or even labeled as a conspiracy theorist.

Even though the audience's minds have been liberated, Lu Chuan, Feng Xiaogang and Zhang Yimou have been scrutinized one by one, but can Li An be the same?

Li An is an internationally renowned director and has won many international awards.

Is an ordinary audience member qualified to question even if he has bought a ticket?

Even though some people keep talking about "equality" and "freedom", these people are the ones who most advocate hierarchy.

But at some point, the scattered sounds began to slowly grow louder and then converge.

Then a torrent formed.

On platforms such as Dongtian Film Review Section and Dongtian Weibo, which are not influenced by external narratives, some deconstructive analyses by movie celebrities have appeared.

The audience realized that "Life of Pi" is not just a fable about survival and faith, but also hides a deeper ideological manipulation behind it.

The "symbiotic" narrative in the movie is ostensibly about the coexistence of Pi and the tiger, but in fact it is a metaphor for the plunder and oppression of the Third World by Western hegemony.

This interpretation shocked many viewers and even made them feel cheated.

I originally thought I was watching a profound movie about human nature and faith, but I found that there were such complex political metaphors hidden behind it.

The audience began to reflect on whether Li An’s previous films also had similar characteristics.

On social media, audiences are hotly discussing the symbolic meaning of "Life of Pi".

Not just a discussion based on the film, but there is a hidden pleasure.

In 13, the emergence of Santong Entertainment opened a gap, but the right to speak is still firmly controlled by certain people.

Examining "Life of Pi", deconstructing "Life of Pi", and examining Li An, it is not just about beating the dog, but directly beating the owner's dog, bypassing six generations of agents, and beating the owner himself.

It is a fight for the right to define aesthetics and narrative.

Internet users may not understand the deep-level fierce game, but the most intuitive thing is that taking back the right to define means taking back the right to set prices, and taking back their own rights and interests that have been monopolized by some so-called "authorities" and used to make profits.

It concerns the vital interests of everyone.

As the deconstruction deepened, the audience gradually came out of their initial shock and began to discuss it heatedly on Weibo, trying to uncover every layer of metaphor behind the movie.

This deconstruction not only allows the audience to re-examine "Life of Pi", but also allows everyone to have a deeper understanding of Hollywood's narrative strategies.

Many viewers realize that Hollywood movies are not just entertainment products; they often carry a specific ideology that conceals structural contradictions and power relations through universal values ​​and individualized survival narratives.

As we dug deeper, many things came to light.

When "Lust, Caution" was released, Shen Santong spoke out.

Watching it again now, "Lust, Caution" is not a metaphor, but blatant malice.

Let’s look back from an industry perspective.

Movies like "The Flowers of War", "Nanjing Nanjing", and even "1942", are more or less following the path of "Lust, Caution".

What about further ahead in time?

Zhang Yimou's costume blockbusters, Feng Xiaogang's costume blockbusters, and even Lu Chuan's "The Banquet" are all following the path of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

Is it that the straightforward and rough narrative treatment of "Lust, Caution" is not due to Li An's inability, but that some force requires him to produce such a play within a limited time?

Looking back at this line, in the early years, before the rise of the new generation of film directors and the appearance of Shen Santong, Chinese films relied entirely on the three major directors, mainly Zhang Yimou.

In 06, the three major directors all went out of business!

Overseas revenues of "The Promise", "The Banquet" and "Curse of the Golden Flower" have all been cut off! All the costume blockbusters have been shut down!

Coincidentally?
coincidence?

At another critical juncture, China's commercial film path is once again facing a choice.

After "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", Li An brought us "Lust, Caution".

It just so happened that all overseas interests of costume blockbusters were cut off and the three major directors were all out of business.

Just a coincidence?
Judging from the results, considering Li An as the red flower double roller of Western ideology can explain things that are difficult to explain clearly and perfectly.

Considering Li An's status in mainland China and the popularity he has received, many viewers felt like they were watching a horror movie when watching "Life of Pi".

Pai finally chose to tell the story of the tiger and hide the truth of "cannibalism". Doesn't it sound like Li An, who talks about film art in a gentle and polite manner on the surface, but hides the story that he is a Hollywood thug who wants to blow out the domestic films and "eat them alive"?

The superficial aesthetic and philosophical exploration of "Life of Pi" is exactly in line with the beautiful imagination of the audience of Dongda University about Li Min's superficial film art.

Li An, who has a bit of an artistic and frail air, speaks in a gentle and even weak manner, is the "young Pi" who survived the "cannibalism" duel.

The movie formed a contrast with reality, and many viewers felt creepy.

It's like lifting a gorgeous veil and seeing the naked reality behind it.

The cruelty impacted the body and mind, constantly shaking the nerves, but it also brought a sense of clarity.

Pain and happiness.

However, some people are unhappy.

Snapped!
Wang Xiaoshuai smashed the third wine glass.

Some people actually use the term "colonial anal personality" to describe the Third Front construction narrative in his film "I'm 11".

Wang Xiaoshuai couldn't help but think of the survival rules he learned at the Sundance Institute in the 1990s: if you want to be appreciated by Western curators, you must point your camera at the rusty factory iron doors rather than the roaring CNC machine tools.

"This is a murder of film aesthetics! This is a riot of the majority!"

Lou Ye looked at the messages from netizens on Weibo, feeling extremely angry and ashamed, and roared loudly.

He was the only one who used handheld photography to deconstruct the system, but now he was subjected to the same deconstruction.

The touted "Suzhou River" at the Rotterdam Film Festival that year was a demystification of Shanghai Pudong, and it has come back like a boomerang.

A cultural salon in Gulou Hutong.

In the smoke-filled box, film critic Chen Mo shook off his cigarette ash and turned his phone screen to the crowd: "These kids on Weibo, under the instigation of Shen Santong, deconstructed Life of Pi into a textbook on neo-colonialism. It's quite interesting."

He deliberately pronounced the word "interesting" frivolously.

Many people quietly looked at Jia Zhangke, the biggest star nearby. As a representative of the sixth generation, he could not escape the storm of deconstruction.

Jia Zhangke calmly analyzed: "This time, Shen Santong launched a postmodern cynicism riot to completely overturn our literary and artistic positions. The audience's populism is attacking us fiercely."

They even dare to deconstruct "Life of Pi". Such audiences will no longer be those who obey their narrative baton.

This incident has brought many things to the surface.

The more taboo an Eastern narrative is, the more premium it has for global circulation.

The scars packaged in the grammar of art films are essentially selling political curiosity to the West.

The aesthetic symbols of the sixth generation have all become dogs raised by the neoliberal world.

How dare six generations of directors, who basically make a living from this, put such things on the table? It's outrageous!
Documentary director Zhou Man immediately echoed: "It is ridiculous to slander a masterpiece like Life of Pi as a colonial narrative coated with Orientalism!"

Independent producer Lao Qin said: "Yes, when 17 Years Old Bicycle was selected by Berlin, it was praised as the light of humanity that transcends ideology. Now it has become the original sin. This is digging up the past. This kind of trend must not be allowed to happen!"

Some of the filmmakers present have already made their mark at international film festivals or are working hard to enter the Western market.

Some of them have been doing this for years, and they also know that if they want to gain international recognition, they must adopt the narrative grammar recognized by the West.

But is this something that can be said?

Moreover, this deconstruction goes beyond them and directly targets Li An and Western narratives. This is what makes them feel uneasy and even fearful.

Not only will it destroy their connection with the international market and affect their career development, but it will also destroy their domestic market space and living space.

Someone joked: "According to this theory, Li An is a thug, but what are we? Have we all become the accomplices of Hollywood's cultural agents? If anyone has a way to make money outside, why not introduce it to me?"

Zhou Man frowned. "What do you mean? Who said we can't make money from foreign media? Lou Ye can use the Chinese Film Fund to market Jia Zhangke's film overseas and earn foreign exchange. That's a real talent!"

Jia Zhangke glanced over with displeasure. In recent years, many art filmmakers have rebelled.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the man who spoke suddenly felt more pressure. He smiled awkwardly, poured himself a glass of whiskey, drank it all in one gulp and said, "Yes, yes, I'll drink a glass as a punishment myself."

Seeing this, those who originally had different opinions chose to remain silent.

If you express a different opinion today, it may be spread out tomorrow.

It will offend some important partners and even affect their project financing and issuance.

The salon host, Professor Wang from the Film Academy, tried to smooth things over by holding a glass of Pu'er tea: "Art should transcend ideology."

On the bookshelf behind him, The Clash of Civilizations and The World Is Flat stand side by side: "Take the part about the cannibal island, for example. It is clearly a universal dilemma of human nature."

"Teacher Wang is right!"

Zhou Man raised his voice and said excitedly, "These conspiracy theorists don't understand the aesthetics of movies at all. Using Bengal tigers to replace violence is the subtlety of the narrative."

Lao Qin spat and said, "Fuck! Let these stupid audiences deconstruct it. The more they deconstruct it, the higher the copyright fee Li An gets. The copyright fee from Chief Jia's movie is enough for them to earn for a lifetime."

Jia Zhangke smiled reservedly. He didn't make as much money as people said. Many people didn't even know that there was a cultural damage clause in the overseas distribution contract, but he didn't need to explain anything.

"Where, where."

Everyone talked about film creation again. Jia Zhangke was still in post-production on "A Touch of Sin", so they kept in touch with each other and quickly reached a consensus. They wrote a joint letter to the Film Bureau together.

Li An's success is due to his outstanding talent and profound understanding of film art, rather than pandering to the Western discourse system.

The anti-intellectual wave of populism cannot be encouraged, as it will be extremely harmful to the film industry!

We must not allow conspiracy theories to spread!

It might sound funny if it gets out, a group of people deconstructing, criticizing and opposing the establishment of filmmakers, and finally have to ask the Film Bureau to mediate, but basically no one thinks there is anything wrong.

Not only should you contact the Film Bureau, but you should also contact the Radio, Film and Television Bureau and the Cultural Department!

Inside the clubhouse.

Xu Zheng and Ning Hao finished massaging feet together.

Guangtou Xu asked casually, "Haozi, what do you think about sending No Man's Land to Berlin?"

Ning Hao hesitated and said, "If I do this, I will be finished in the literary and artistic circles, not to mention the European Film Festival."

Xu Zheng sneered: "Why should we care about this? How much money do they have? Look at the current domestic film market. One movie has a higher box office than the total box office ten years ago. I say, Haozi, you have to think about yourself."

Ning Hao hesitated, knowing that things were different now.

Xu Zheng was just an actor back then, but he worked hard to get into the film industry. Now he is a director in the billion-dollar box office club and has quite a few projects on his hands.

Looking back a few years ago, Xu Zheng had to bow his head in front of Shen Santong, the new director of Santong Entertainment.

In just a few years, not only did the gap not narrow, but with the rapid development of Santong Entertainment, Ning Hao could no longer see Xu Zheng's position.

It's not just Xu Zheng. With more and more directors emerging from Santong Entertainment, he has only released one film, "The Golden Robbery", in recent years. The surprises that the genius director and Ning's comedy brought to the audience seem to have become a distant memory.

Ning Hao asked tentatively: "Director Shen wants me to do this?"

"Hey."

Xu Zheng sighed: "Haozi, I'm telling you the truth, don't be angry. We are all ants in front of Director Shen, do you understand?"

Shen Santong mentioned the matter of "No Man's Land" and the operations involved a few years ago. To be more precise, he hinted at it, but there was no further news after that, probably because he had forgotten it.

Shen Santong might have really forgotten about it, but as someone working under him, could Xu Zheng not take it seriously?

Xu Zheng also spoke from the bottom of his heart: "Haozi, let me put it bluntly. Now the cinema chains all depend on Director Shen for their livelihood. If they open a cinema and have a major movie from Santong Entertainment, no matter how far away it is, it can be revitalized immediately."

"Director Shen may have forgotten what happened back then and doesn't care about it anymore. As Director Shen rises higher and higher, do you think his subordinates can not care?"

"We have done a good job and done it beautifully. Director Shen may not be happy, but the past is completely over."

"Brother, I really want to help you."

Xu Zheng's words were half true and half false.

Ning Hao felt that Xu Zheng was flying fast, and Xu Zheng also felt that Shen Santong was flying faster.

Xu Zheng also had ambitions and wanted to work alone, and Shen Santong did not object.

But Xu Zheng is not a child. The higher Shen Santong's status, the more cautious he is in using his power. He also adopts very gentle means to deal with those who oppose him.

The more this happens, the more terrifying it is.

Xu Zheng felt that Shen Santong was like a "faction", gentle on the surface but absolutely ruthless on the inside.

Public opinion is focusing on the controversy surrounding Shen Santong, while Santong Entertainment has quietly occupied nearly half of the film market, fighting on multiple fronts against Hollywood, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the academic community, and some media.

Judging from public opinion alone, Shen Santong is losing ground, but if we look at the battle line, it is Santong Entertainment that is holding a gun to their heads.

Ning Hao sighed: "We made movies together back then, it was so good back then."

Guangtou Xu interrupted, "Haozi, look forward. You are doing well in Xiaoma. Our film market is developing rapidly. It is never too late."

"But you have to be quick. Some things can never be caught up if you miss them. Look at Li An. A few years ago, if it were you, would you dare to think that Li An would become stinking dog shit? Anyway, I don't dare to think about it."

Xu Zheng himself is a latecomer, and he started making movies just to take his career to the next level, for fame and fortune.

He does not have the entanglements of the academic mind and has never thought of flattering the West.

The new generation of filmmakers born in the 80s also pursue art and continue to shoot realistic themes.

But they do not have the same ideas as Jia Zhangke and Lou Ye’s generation, and many of them choose not to submit their applications for awards.

Of course, people like Jia Zhangke are also involved. The reason they occupy the position is that as Western development stagnates, the resources they can provide are becoming fewer and fewer.

They are all knowledgeable people. How to win awards outside is not a secret in the circle.
But even though they understand it, the audience may not care, but as a filmmaker, who can look down on Li Min?

Those who look down on something can only say that they are ignorant and fearless.

There may be people who openly question the filming techniques, but those who dare to question the narrative should think about the consequences themselves.

Xu Zheng is also a director himself and admires Li An's narrative skills.

The narrative structure of "Life of Pi" is extremely wonderful. It adopts a double-layer narrative structure, cleverly combining fantasy adventure with philosophical questioning, showing the director's profound thinking on human nature, faith and truth.

Not only him, I am afraid that many filmmakers think that Li Min's film language has reached a new height after watching the film. Some even call it "the pinnacle of the oriental film master."

However, as the deconstruction deepens, the more knowledgeable you are, the more you will realize the glaring symbolism in the film.

Some viewers may think it is a coincidence, but as a director, I know that there are never coincidences in movies.

Xu Guangtou initially believed that even a highly respected director like Li Min’s works were inevitably subject to the invisible shackles of the Western discourse system.

When the scrutiny spread to "Lust, Caution" and then to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", combined with the development of Chinese commercial films
Xu Zheng's world views were almost shattered. As someone who was relatively close to Shen Santong in his early years, when he recalled Shen Santong's series of judgments back then, he could even more appreciate the horror of Shen Santong's vision.

Ning Hao said: "I can only say give it a try. It's hard to say whether I can win a prize or not. But it's too big to play like this."

In this deconstruction, the audience is not the one who is most impacted, but the practitioners.

Ning Hao also refreshed his cognition time and time again, almost completely overturning his previous ideas.

Guangtou Xu suppressed the ecstasy in his heart. If he could really do it, he would definitely please Shen Santong. He smiled and said, "Think about it from another angle. They disgusted us so many times. Is it too much for us to come back once?"

Ning Hao gave him a deep look and said, "It's not as simple as coming back once."

Li An, who had just flown back from the other side of the ocean, did not expect that public opinion would change so quickly and so drastically.

The in-depth deconstruction of his film "Life of Pi" is full of sharp criticism, even portraying him as a "cultural thug" domesticated by Western narratives, a tool that caters to postcolonialism and serves imperialist hegemony.

Moreover, starting from "Life of Pi", looking back at his past works, the box office of the movies currently scheduled for release have been cut in half.

Like a sharp knife, it cut open something deep in his heart that he had always been unwilling to face.

He felt a shock, as if he was awakened from a dream.

Those film narratives that he was once proud of, those visual spectacles and philosophical thinking that were praised by audiences around the world, now seem so pale and powerless.

He laid everything about him out in front of the public.

In BJ Hotel.

The snow outside the window fell heavily, setting off his slightly tired face.

Li An put down the documents sorted by his assistant, his hands trembled slightly, and ripples appeared on the water in the teacup.

"Am I... domesticated...?" Li An murmured to himself, almost choking.

(End of this chapter)