CCTV Drama Review： I gave ＂Casting Sword in Desperate Situation＂ five stars!

　　CCTV News:On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Gutian Conference, the revolutionary historical TV series "Casting Sword in Desperate Situation" jointly produced by CCTV, Huace Film and Television and Xiamen Wansheng Film and Television landed on a set of prime-time hits of CCTV. This is an unforgettable history, and in all fairness, it is a meticulous work.

　　As the ancient poem goes, "When we look at the side of the ridge, the distance is different", when we choose different angles and different criticism methods to treat the same TV play, the connotation, value and significance we can see are also very different. Generally speaking, there are political, economic, moral and cultural standards for judging the value of TV works. Among them, the "ratings" standard once became an important indicator.

　　Over the years, CCTV has been practicing the "ratings" standard and establishing the "ecological" standard in TV evaluation. The connotation of "ecology", from nature to humanity, is very rich. In short, it is to advocate the optimization of TV ecology, advocate the "green" and "environmental protection" of TV, and create a good humanistic and social environment, which is ultimately consistent with the goal of building an ecological and civilized society advocated by the country at present.

　　By introducing the concept of "ecology" to re-examine TV, we will gain a brand-new understanding of TV. By the standard of "ecology", I give "Casting Sword in Despair" five stars.

　　The first star: to show the "diversity" of TV cultural ecology.

　　Protecting biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance are the core concepts of ecology. As far as the healthy development of TV ecology is concerned, it is also very important to pay attention to the wide coverage of TV drama content and theme categories, avoid certain types of "prevailing" and "homogenization", and pay attention to the richness of ecological categories. For decades, China TV plays have fully demonstrated the "diversity" development trend of TV cultural ecology. Especially since 2010, the creation of TV dramas on revolutionary history has reproduced the glorious course of China revolution and painted a magnificent film and television art scroll of China revolutionary history with unique theme advantages, grand historical perspective, lofty value guidance and magnificent aesthetic character. It is a necessary complement to the previous spring tide in Europe, America, Japan and South Korea, as well as the craze for costume, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the craze for realistic themes. Moreover, it is also a drama about revolutionary history. The focus of this drama is the historical events during the land reform period, which fills the gap in the theme of TV dramas in this period and enriches the ecological categories of TV dramas in China.

　　The second star: highlight the influence of "environment" in ecology on people.

　　A very core factor in ecological research is the research environment, including the influence of natural environment and human environment on people. Casting Sword in Despair is adapted from a real historical event that began in 1928. It is a past story that was born in a real history and region. It is 90 years apart from the present time and space, and it may become a fading historical memory. The value of this film lies in the efforts made by the creators to restore various historical scenes in their artistic creation, and the "handwriting" in scene selection and production restoration is amazing. Gutian site, Woods behind Gutian site, Peitian ancient village, uninhabited village, Dingwuling, Quaoli pier, Xiaozong ancestral hall and many other landmark buildings with historical features and regional characteristics are presented on the screen one by one. Pulling the audience back to the hard revolutionary years in an instant not only restores history, but also brings it to life, which is very different from the fabrication of some current time-travel dramas.

　　Moreover, the characterization, character and environment in the play have formed a special relationship, especially "restoring the texture of the times" and highlighting all kinds of "conflicts" and "growth" of the characters in the ever-changing environment. This kind of "ecological" observation has broken the facebook and conceptual characterization mode, making the characters in the play more real, lovely, full of flesh and blood and touching people’s hearts. Specifically, its special "environment" lies in "the desperate situation of guerrilla warfare for three years", its core "conflict" lies in "overcoming all kinds of non-proletarian thoughts", and its special "growth" lies in the fact that it has finally grown from "a Red Army team dominated by peasants at the beginning and with complex components" to "a red iron army with firm faith and fearlessness".

　　The third star respects the "naturalness" in the ecology.

　　This naturalness is highlighted in the realism of "natural carving" in characterization. Judging from the drama about revolutionary history, the TV series "Casting Sword in Desperate Situation" is very "grounded" and its characters are very real and lovely. The expression of history is not rigid, not conceptual, respecting history, respecting the weakness of human nature, and not making things up. The appeal of art comes from "truthfulness". No matter whether it is the main character or the minor character, its various real and meticulous performances have a moving power. What is the true face of a team with mixed components, mainly farmers, lax discipline, unclear beliefs and scattered sand? This is one of the highlights of this drama, and it is also a place where many comedies are highlighted (for example, because sausage forgot the gun, because pork forgot to return to the team, etc.).

　　Another example is the shaping of the main characters, especially Chairman Mao, who suffered from malaria because of acclimatization. There is a voice-over in the play: "The leader who led the people of China to overthrow the old world and establish a new China was also in such an embarrassing situation, which is enough to show how hard-won our socialist country is now!" There are many aspects in the film about Zhu Mao’s Red Army’s use of soldiers as gods, but this passage has broken the way of "deifying" the leaders and really has a convincing force.

　　The fourth star attaches importance to the "spiritual ecology" of the characters.

　　Literature and art are the project of casting the soul. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader emphasized that patriotism should be the main theme of literary and artistic creation, and people should be guided to establish and adhere to the correct views on history, nationality, country and culture, so as to enhance their backbone and confidence in being Chinese. The influence of TV series on people’s spirit is very profound, because the visual expression of TV series can easily lead to idol effect. Looking back at the TV series "Casting Sword in Despair", if we use the "ecological" standard to measure it, it is very necessary to educate people like "Do not forget your initiative mind". The independent camp in western Fujian led by Li Huacheng forged the soul of the army in the desperate situation of "no food, no bullets, no medicine", adhered to the principle of "building the party ideologically and building the army politically" established by Gutian Conference, and made concerted efforts with Chen Tianyou and other team leaders. Cruel war scenes, firm revolutionary beliefs, and the sacrifices and growth of all the soldiers have moved countless netizens: "It is really not easy to pay such a painful price behind a few strokes in history books!" "Suddenly understand us ‘ Listen to the party’s command, win the battle, and have a good style of work ’ How did the people’s army grow up! "

　　The fifth star: the ecological "integrity" of the team of editors and directors.

　　The attributes of TV series are complicated, which are both works of art and cultural products. Its concrete formation has its own unique cultural and ecological environment, and it is also in a unique ecological chain. Very different from traditional works of art, it is first of all the product of "team" wisdom. It is an art science, and it must be operated scientifically as a whole. From planning, scriptwriting, filming to being on the screen, it must go through a strict production process, and it must be a harmonious and optimized combination of creative factors such as screenwriter, director, actor, camera shooting, recording, art design, music, makeup, clothing and props. The so-called "amateurs watch the excitement, experts watch the doorway". If you look at the TV series "Casting Sword in Despair" from a professional perspective, you can see its "step by step" exquisiteness.

　　On the one hand, this "high-quality" ecological optimization combination is based on the improvement of the professional level of China’s TV drama creation, on the other hand, it is based on the superior combination of its own creative team. In 2016, "The Desperate Defender" triggered a ratings boom, and won many awards such as "Five One Project Award", "Flying Award" and "Golden Eagle Award". As the second part of the "Three Musts" series, Casting Sword in Despair is still under the general planning of Yuan Jingui, starring Qian Linsen, a famous screenwriter, and Zhang Tong, who won the flying prize for "Breaking Defender", and adding new blood to the strength school. Affectionate patriotism, compact plot, excellent drama production, exquisite interpretation by actors, music that makes the finishing point, and many obscure behind-the-scenes creators have restored a true history for us with their professional level and dedication.

　　Literature and art can’t be slaves of the market, and they can’t get lost in the tide of market economy. A good work should put social benefits first. Excellent literary and artistic works, it is best to be successful in thought and art, and to be welcomed in the market. Literature and art should be able to help build a green humanistic ecological environment and enhance the spiritual and ecological strength of the audience. Under this standard, I give "Casting Sword in Desperate Situation" five stars. It is an unforgettable historical memory, a "picture book of revolutionary heroes", and its intrinsic value, in addition to the digital display of current ratings, can also play a supplementary role in history textbooks.

　　(Commentator: Zhang Wenjuan)