In recent years, Chinese films have developed rapidly, the market has grown rapidly, and the desire for good scripts is also increasing day by day.

In such a complex and diverse environment, remaking excellent foreign films has become a more popular practice. There are remakes of movies such as "I Am a Witness", "Manhunt", "The Appearance of Suspect X", and "Crazy Caller", but most of them are not as good as the original works.

However, "Manslaughter", a remake of the Indian film "Manslaughter", has brought an unexpected excitement to the audience, and is a rare successful adaptation practice.

Earlier, "Manslaughter" became popular with its exquisite conception and exquisite twists. This time, it was produced by Chen Sicheng and directed by Ke Wenli. Xiao Yang, Chen Chong, Tan Zhuo, Qin Pei and Jiang Haowen star in the remake of "Manslaughter". Judging from the box office and reputation, this movie is undoubtedly a successful adaptation.

It turns out that this remake was quite thoughtful.

The title of the movie "Manslaughter" goes far beyond the superficial meaning of "Manslaughter" seen by the audience. The social and cultural aspects behind it are the essence of the film. This is also the reason why the ending of the Chinese version is different from the Indian version.

The movie "Manslaughter" added Chinese story elements to the Indian story, making each character have distinctive characteristics, which is closer to the psychology of the Chinese audience and has won praise from the audience.

Looking at the adaptation of this film from the perspective of film and television criticism, this is an effective attempt in the history of domestic film adaptation. The adaptation experience of aesthetic criticism behind the "montage" technique and "multiple images of goats" It is indeed worth learning from later generations.

The name of the movie "Manslaughter" does not just mean the superficial meaning of "Manslaughter". The social and cultural aspects behind it are the essence of what the director wants to convey in this film.

1. Manslaughter at the most superficial film narrative level

Li Weijie’s eldest daughter Pingping was raped by the inspector general’s son Sucha at a summer camp organized by the school. After being beaten unconscious and accidentally killed by Pingping, his mother Ayu buried the "body" in a grave next to her home.

Use montage images to create a narrative level of "manslaughter" for the audience to understand the superficial meaning.

2. "Manslaughter" at the level of implicit narrative logic

Judging from the details of the film, the squeaking sound made by Li Weijie's youngest daughter An An repeatedly scratching the table with a fork made the male protagonist Thinking of the sound of Sucha struggling with the coffin with his fingers, he pretended to be calm and immediately stopped.

The tongue swallowing and suffocation in the parallel editing and the blood stains on the coffin lid can objectively prove the fact that Sucha was still alive at that time.

Obviously, Li Weijie, who personally buried the "corpse", chose not to act even though he knew that Sucha was not dead, thus causing the fact of Sucha's death.

In fact, clues can be seen from the details when Li Weijie went to give alms to the monk again. The monk said meaningfully: "Only giving without form has infinite merit."

Forming the second level of "manslaughter".

3. "Manslaughter" by a mob, this is the highest level of "Manslaughter"

Father, mother, eldest daughter, villagers, bus conductors, hotel waiters, etc. " "The rabble", no longer be a weak goat, dare to confront the powerful and be strong-faced. These contradictions continue to produce explosive points.

Many people cheered for Li Weijie in front of the camera. The emotional response of the weak was heart-stirring. It made many fruitful additions to the original story, such as the struggle of human nature and the microcosm of society.

When the camera pans to Uncle Song En, Li Weijie’s staunchest supporter, the camera changes from black and white to color.

Uncle Songen remained silent, showing a wry smile that was like a blank human face. He gave not only social thoughts, but also the cry of a soul that stood up for love and a view of the future.

This is why the ending of the Chinese version is different from the Indian version.

Compared with the Indian movie "Manslaughter", "Manslaughter" strengthens the traditional image of China for each character and shows Chinese emotions, so that Chinese audiences will not feel unfamiliar when watching it, thus Have a passion for and identify with the film.

1. Being a father

In the first half of the movie, Li Weijie is a very cowardly and face-loving man who runs an Internet company and makes little money. Even the police officers bully him. For fun.

He loves watching movies and often uses them as a way to escape reality. In the fictional world, he can always become the hero of his dreams.

Li Weijie has a low status in the family and does not receive much respect. He is not good at expressing his feelings for his daughter, so that her daughter doesn't understand him.

When Li Weijie said "I am a useless man" in the movie, he also exposed the shaky relationship between husband and wife with Ayu.

But this is the final emotional point chosen by the director, and he has found a convincing enough motivation for the ending of the movie, which is "being a father".

For such a man, when his wife and daughter were violated, Li Weijie unexpectedly withstood the problem. With his anti-detective experience gained from watching movies, he forced La Yun and his wife into desperation until they lost their lives. Job and status.

Li Weijie and his family rehearsed the interrogation content in advance, using the "montage" film technique to instill proof of their family's alibi on the day of the crime to the people around them.

After several rounds of torture, La Yun identified the body at the cemetery based on the testimony of Li Weijie’s youngest daughter An An. Li Weijie replaced the body with a sheep. This was a turning point in the plot and a shining point in Li Weijie’s image.

At the same time, Li Weijie, played by Xiao Yang, has been reshaped into a typical Chinese good father and husband, a pillar on which his family can rely.

After her daughter fell asleep, she secretly put the fees for the summer camp in Pingping's room. The letter she wrote to her eldest daughter Pingping was full of fatherly love.

Running around for his family every day, he is kind, frugal, tolerant and restrained.

At the end of the film, Li Weijie surrendered and was escorted into a police car. Outside the car window, his wife Ayu and daughter Pingping chased after him crying. After seeing this, Li Weijie cried like a child in the police car.

This scene is Li Weijie's emotional release and a sublimation of the character, which naturally wins the audience's affection and recognition.

He could have evaded the police investigation, but he followed his own conscience and surrendered, which transformed Li Weijie's character from the "hero" image created in the early stage to an ordinary person. Such lens narration and the ending of the story reflect the protagonist body with traditional Chinese values.

The whole story not only has Chinese emotions, but also respects the audience's psychological state.

2. Both mothers

Reserved:

Li Weijie’s wife Ayu wears an apron to cook when she appears, and is a typical housewife. , the traditional Chinese image of a good wife and mother.

Facing her husband, she is a considerate wife, facing her daughter, she is a gentle but tough mother, and facing the violent Sucha, she is a mother who does not hesitate to block her eldest daughter and protect her child. .

Judging from the clothing, Ayu appeared simple, clean and wore plain clothes in several appearances.

Judging from the decoration at home, the words "Peace to the whole family" are written on the mirror, and the name given to the daughter also expresses the hope for life - peace and security.

Ayu's mother image in the entire movie is reserved and restrained, gentle and tough.

Excessive doting:

Facing her son Sucha, La Yun in the movie is a doting mother who loves her son as much as she lives. Facing her husband, she is a submissive wife. He is a shrewd and capable police chief when it comes to his job.

After Sucha's companion Pony explained the mistakes La Yun's son had made, she guessed that his son was in danger and began to torture her in every possible way. At this time, Ayu expressed her suppressed feelings towards La Yun. La Yun shouted:

At this point, La Yun's feelings for his son are the same as Li Weijie and Ayu's feelings for their children.

Although the two families grew up in different environments, the traditional Chinese expression of maternal love is fully reflected in the film.

3. Native family

Compared with Layun and his wife, Li Weijie is not a "bad example": When they met at the pagoda, Layun cried and prayed that Li Weijie just wanted to know Whether his son was dead or alive, he felt sympathy and sadness for the pain of La Yun and his wife. This was an important reason that really prompted Li Weijie to make the decision to surrender.

La Yun's arrogance, doting and abuse of power made Sucha unscrupulous, and their failed education made Sucha punished by fate.

Compared with La Yun, Li Weijie is not a "bad role model." Is the justice that he uses his own cleverness to escape legal sanctions and defends with injustice really justice?

Will his actions make his two daughters become the next Sucha? I think it is inevitable that my younger daughter has learned it.

In fact, An An only scored 70 points in the exam. In order to get the violin he wanted, he tampered with the score sheet. This was the second reason that prompted Li Weijie to surrender.

The background music "We All Lie" played as Li Weijie turned around to buy a harmonica. "We All Lie" is the ending theme of the Korean drama "Castle in the Sky". "Castle in the Sky" is mainly about children. Educational issues completely correspond to the theme here.

Ayu said: "Some children are children, and some children are just beasts." The Layun family raised such beasts as Sucha due to lack of education for their children.

Li Weijie chose to surrender in order to educate his children and set an example.

At that moment, the humble little man shone with the most moving brilliance.

Look at the influence of "original family" on children through Freudian psychoanalysis: The original family is a sociological concept, which refers to the family in which one is born and grew up, including the family atmosphere and traditions. Habits, children’s learning partners in family roles, family interaction relationships, etc.

In recent years, the discussion of "original family" has not diminished. From the perspective of Freudian psychoanalysis, the impact of the original family on individuals is subtle and we cannot escape or avoid it.

The two native families in the movie "Manslaughter" raise their children in different ways, which develops their different personalities and leads to different behavioral choices.

Li Weijie’s youngest daughter An An secretly changed her grade to 100, which is the result of the metaphorical influence of her native family.

And Sucha was born in a family of high-ranking officials, and his pampered character was cultivated from a young age. It is undeniable that the influence of the native family on a person's growth is also the reason why the film can be based on Freud's psychoanalysis. Cited results.

In montage, when different shots are spliced ??together, they often produce specific meanings that each shot does not have when it exists alone.

Li Weijie explained "montage" in a small restaurant. The general audience had a preliminary understanding of this professional film term, which also laid the necessary foundation for the subsequent plot development.

Huang Mao pointed to "Detective Chinatown 2" and said that this is called thrilling. Li Weijie said, "This is called montage, which is shot editing and special effects."

Therefore, the movie "Manslaughter" is also a good montage teaching film.

1. Parallel montage

In the movie "Manslaughter", the cross-cut between Li Weijie watching a boxing match and his wife and daughter accidentally killing Sucha is a good montage display.

Pingping and his mother Ayu's resistance against Sucha in the warehouse paralleled the exciting duel in the Luo Tong boxing ring, bringing the audience into a tense atmosphere.

The fighting scene at this time is not only the fight between Sucha and Pingping, but also represents the fight between a small person and a powerful official.

As the red boxer in Luotong boxing fell, Sucha also fell after being hit hard. The "tongue swallowing" described in the fighting match was also the final "death" of Sucha. "Laying the groundwork.

2. Crossover montage

In the movie "Manslaughter", "Listening to Sutras" was changed to "Muay Thai". When Li Weijie's family was interrogated by the police, the fighting scene reappeared intersecting with Sucha's visit. Clip together.

The fighting scenes are intertwined with the interrogation scenes, creating the same tense atmosphere in the fighting field and paving the way for the next plot.

Li Weijie’s criminal method is a kind of montage. After cross-editing what happened on the 2nd and 3rd days, he used watching the boxing match to create an alibi for the whole family, misleading everyone into thinking that Li Weijie’s family was on the 2nd. No. 3 is all in Luotong, thus hiding the truth.

At the same time and in different spaces, Li Weijie was watching a Muay Thai fight, and Ayu and his eldest daughter were fighting Sucha. On one side, the Muay Thai fighter kicked Ayu in the stomach, while Sucha kicked Ayu, and the boxer fell down. On the ground, Sucha fell to the ground...

The director used a cross-montage technique for these two scenes, editing together the bullying and manslaughter of the second-generation officials' wives and daughters, and the audience watched the film during this period. The process is from an omniscient perspective, and the nerves are gradually tightened.

After the tension, the audience's psychology continued to be stimulated by the plot: What should Li Weijie and his family do next?

3. Repeat montage

The domestic version of "Manslaughter" replaced the "dog" in the Indian version of "Manslaughter" with "goat", which is quite successful in the adaptation. One thing that stands out.

The sheep is a recurring MacGuffin in the movie, a thing that drives the plot.

The several appearances of sheep seem casual, but in the end they become the climax of the whole film, and are a satire on the bad police bullying the villagers.

The three times the sheep appear, the color of the film gradually darkens, which is a metaphor for the male protagonist’s inner demons becoming more and more serious.

After Li Weijie decided to surrender, the live sheep reappeared, the colors brightened and became transparent, and the temple bell rang, which was a metaphor that the male protagonist was relieved, had let go of his knot, and was determined to plead guilty and accept punishment.

The triple image symbol represented by the goat is the highlight of the film adaptation. The goat is related to the murder case Li Weijie was involved in. The goat is a metaphor for the fate of the weak ordinary people. The strong are cut by men and the weak are lambs. It is also a religious symbol. sense of sheep.

From the perspective of film criticism, the "goat" image also better fulfills the requirements of film aesthetic criticism than the Indian version.

Compared with the original Indian movie "Manslaughter", the movie "Manslaughter" was born out of the original work, but not inferior to the original work. The remake was quite successful.

The article analyzes the three levels of meaning of "manslaughter". The title of the film is the origin of the film's story and the core element of the entire film's narrative structure.

Secondly, the expression of Chinese-style emotions allowed "Manslaughter", which originated in India, to add a Chinese temperament to the story. The director's unique lens language created emotional expressions that amazed the audience.

"Manslaughter" is not only a crime genre film, but also reflects reality, society and life thinking. In terms of montage, "Manslaughter" has certain demonstrative significance.

Overall, this new version of "Manslaughter" produced by Chen Sicheng and directed by Ke Wenli is indeed a rare domestic film, and it is the mature type of film that is most lacking in the mainland.