周黎明 (Raymond Zhou's bilingual blog) 用中文写娱评，用英文写时评

这是该瞎猜系列的最后一篇。多谢大家忍受到现在，没想到大家对这话题兴趣索然。据说昨晚彩排有媒体出席，我是之前写完的，即便猜对了，也属于瞎猫碰上死耗子，不属于泄漏机密。但，昨天下午，网上流传出韩国电视台的片断，后来马上删除了，不知谁的头要落地了。

Harmony can be so stressful
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
2008-07-31

这篇主要猜谁唱主题歌，以及怎样点火。

And the singer is ...
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
2008-07-25

The Olympic organizing committee has just let the cat out of the bag by revealing how fireworks will be used during the opening ceremony. We now know they can display the five rings in the sky, since a fireworks rehearsal is pretty hard to keep hush-hush.

A theme song, however, can be rehearsed in the privacy of a studio or even a living room. That makes it much more difficult to predict who will sing the all-important tune, which will be guaranteed a zillion air plays in the next year.

The CCTV annual gala might well have given us several clues, though.

The only two singers who consistently get solo chances are Song Zuying and Peng Liyuan, who are both known for their traditional Chinese image and their so-called "Chinese bel canto" style of singing. But who is the likelier choice? They've never sung a duet and picking one over the other seems unfair. Besides, Forever Friends, written by perennial Olympic theme song composer Giorgio Moroder, does not seem to suit their style. (Some say the song will be used for the closing ceremony.)

Picking from the pop scene is even harder. There are at least half a dozen A-listers, including Liu Huan, Mao Amin, Na Ying and Wei Wei. The national TV station usually abides by the principle of equal opportunity and has them share a song - the latest example is the earthquake relief show. If you push that logic a step further, the theme song may even be sung by a chorus of 100 singers. All the pre-Olympic jingles, including We Are Ready, were recorded this way.

There is little likelihood that popular choices such as Jay Chou and the Super Girls will make the cut. The only known Hong Kong or Taiwan singer with the vocal prowess to deliver a power ballad is Jacky Cheung, but he is not exactly Andy Lau or Jackie Chan in terms of his political connections.

What about choosing a foreign singer? That would certainly give the show a touch of "internationalness" and therefore reflect the global aspirations of the host country. Celine Dion would have been ideal - with a song written by Tan Dun and orchestrated by David Foster, such a melody would be a surefire worldwide hit. But the cancellation of her Beijing concert earlier this year pretty much ruled her out of the running. If a foreign singer like Andrea Bocelli or Julio Iglesias were selected, he or she would probably sing with a Chinese partner. Call it the Barcelona way, for which Spaniard Jose Carreras and import Sarah Brightman teamed up for Amigos Para Siempre, a title almost identical to the Beijing quasi-theme song.

The last possibility is to have a new face, or more accurately, a new voice. That was more or less the way of the Los Angeles and Sydney Games. The result will catapult the singer to instant fame and it would have a positive spin-off. It would diffuse internal politics by excluding all the A-list stars and it would be the bravest thing organizers could do. So, it is not entirely impossible.

I won't dwell on the choice of the last torchbearer, who will light the Olympic flame. It has been declared a State secret known to only a few people. Liu Changchun would have been perfect - he was the first Chinese athlete to attend the modern Olympics and he did it in defiance of the puppet government in Japanese-occupied Northeastern China. But he died in 1983. The closest to Liu Changchun is Xu Haifeng, who took home the very first Olympic gold medal in Chinese history, in 1984.

Liu Xiang's coach has ruled out the champion hurdler and anyway, he was the first torch-bearer. 

And how will the flame be lit? The possibilities are endless! But consider this: The last torchbearer ignites a high-tech fire phoenix, which in turn flies up to kindle the sacred flame.

The phoenix is the feminine counterpart of the dragon, but unlike the dragon, it has more positive connotations in Western mythology. Since the dragon will reportedly keep a low profile, the phoenix might be better for such a high-profile job. A phoenix rising from the ashes is a symbol whose meaning is shared by both East and West. And what image can better capture China's rise in the last three decades than a phoenix flying up gracefully?

In terms of imagery, the phoenix matches the Bird's Nest like a glove. As a matter of fact, there is a Peking Opera comedy called Phoenix Returning to its Nest. It was created by the iconic Mei Lanfang, who conveyed Chinese-style feminine beauty better than any modern-day supermodel. The very first place where the torch started the domestic leg of its run was Fiery Phoenix Square in Sanya, Hainan province. Of course, a phoenix flying inside the national stadium, perhaps even above the stadium, would need a high-tech helping hand.

The image of the Bird's Nest may inspire a great many ideas. Doves symbolizing peace can fly out into the sky, which, on second thoughts, is not something for a night show. What if it's illuminated? Weather permitting, the shape of the building will not only be a good background, but will be integrated into the artistic concept. A nest is basically home sweet home, but getting in and out of it has Freudian overtones of breaking out and returning to the comfort zone of one's roots. A person's life is such a journey, and so is a country's.

最近《新周刊》做了一期“穷忙族”的封面，才知道“穷忙”原来是英文working poor翻译过来的。

但是——

英文的working poor跟中文的穷忙族有非常大的差别：

比如，working poor通常是指蓝领工人，虽然工作，但因为薪水非常低，基本上处于贫困线以下；

而中国的“穷忙族”通常是指职位不高、事业进展不大的白领，至少这是我从《新周刊》的例子中感受到的。如果类比的话，中国的“穷忙族”要远高于西方的working poor。

为什么会产生如此望文生义的错位呢？

我猜测，英文的working poor强调的是贫穷，而“穷忙族”更多着眼于“忙”，虽然忙，但工资上不去。英文的working poor如果忙的话，就不会poor了，因为他们多半是拿时薪，经济不好的时候有一桩活没一桩活的，他们为了摆脱穷，经常需要打两份甚至三份工，以此来摆脱贫穷。

而我们的穷忙族，显然是拿固定薪水的。

中英文中，有不少貌似对应、实质差别很大的表达法，其实是一个陷阱，至少对于凭字典理解外文的人如此。

Creating history
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
2008-07-18 

A decade ago, I was asked by a theater operator to describe what kind of stage show could attract a constant stream of audiences in Beijing - a city where a production that runs for a week is considered a success. In response, I reminded him of an old Chinese saying: "Insiders look for mastery of the trade, and outsiders want a spectacle." You can rely on insiders for word of mouth, but you need to also have outsiders to pack a house, night after night.

I went on to provide him with a long list of stage tricks that I had seen on Broadway and in Las Vegas, which I knew could dazzle a Chinese audience. To top it off, I proposed a possible storyline that could weave these theatrics into a single show. But budget constraints nipped that project idea in the bud.

Budget, however, is no constraint for Zhang Yimou, the director of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony. He is under pressure to outshine all previous Olympic opening galas in terms of technology-aided pageantry.

What the director does need is an effective "clothesline," or sweeping storyline, from which the high-tech gimmicks can be comfortably hung. That, in my mind, will be provided by China's own rich mythology.

Imagine a giant cosmic egg floating out of a formless chaos, made possible by state-of-the-art lighting and equipment. Of course, it won't take 18,000 years as in the ancient creation myth, but music can help suggest the passage of time.

When the mythological figure of Pangu emerges from the egg, I imagine it will be like the entrance of Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his Terminator movies, only more impressive.

I'm not sure how Pangu will be depicted - a hairy, primitive giant with horns on his head and clad in furs; or a smooth-bodied young man, like the painting of Adam on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. He won't be totally naked - that's for sure - but his wardrobe needs to make him look really physically formidable. After all, with a swing of his giant axe, he will separate the murky yin of the earth from the clear yang of the sky. And he'll gradually raise the sky by growing taller and taller, possibly with an inflatable costume.

If Zhang brings off this feat, people overseas will realize that China's own story of the creation rivals that of other nations in both imagination and grandeur.

The process of Pangu creating earth is said to have taken another 18,000 years. But he does not simply ride into the sunset after his work is done. Instead, his demise is full of dramatic flair - his breath turns into wind, his voice thunder, his left eye the sun, right eye the moon, his body the mountains and extremes of the world, his blood rivers, his muscles fertile lands, and his sweat flies off as raindrops, while his bones crystallize into valuable minerals and diamonds.

What impresario would not love this?

To follow up on the Pangu tale, we have Nuwa, the Goddess who patched up a broken sky. The trouble started with a quarrel between two powerful gods. One of them smashed a mountain that had served as a pillar holding up the sky. The collapse caused the sky to tilt towards the northwest and the earth to slant southeast, engendering fires and floods, and frightening beasts. Nuwa then chopped off the legs of a giant tortoise, which she used to replace the pillar, and gathered stones of seven colors to seal and heal the sky. But she could not move the sky to its original position, which explains why the sun, moon and stars move in the direction of the northwest, while rivers in China flow towards the southeast.

The Nuwa legend has other versions that run parallel with the stories of Genesis, but they are less well known in China. Similarly, the Deluge archetype appears so often that Western audiences will easily see the resemblance. I guess the myth, if used, will be simplified to its barebones - the story of another superhero saving humanity.

Houyi could be a third perfect choice, credited with having saved earth from being scorched by 10 suns. The 10 sun-birds at one time were accustomed to rise one at a time - but as the mischievous offspring of the God of Eastern Heaven, the birds were rebellious youngsters. Houyi, being the God of Archery, was called for to rectify the situation. He shot down nine of them.

Houyi did not ride into the sunset either. The God was angry with him for killing his sons, instead of teaching them obedience. He stripped Houyi of his immortality and banished him from Heaven.

I'm not sure whether Zhang Yimou would also want to include Houyi's earthly exploits: he conquered the God of Winds that uprooted crops and tore down houses; he tamed the turbulent Water God so that the latter would not burst river banks and flood farmland; and he stared down one monster after another, each of which represented plaques and other menaces.

It's not difficult to imagine a Houyi that resembles a version of the archer played by Orlando Bloom in Lord of the Ring trilogy. For instance, Huang Doudou, the dancer who provided choreography for Zhang's First Emperor at New York's Metropolitan Opera, has the boyish charm, athletic prowess and balletic dexterity needed for such a role.

Every recent Olympics opening ceremony has presented origin stories from the host country. Of course, there are myriad ways to tell such a story. To depict how China was born, you could also show a giant replica of the Peking Man, dating from half a million years ago.

But I think Zhang will sacrifice some archeological precision for a flight of mythological imagination. The epic adventures of Pangu, Nuwa and Houyi are at once uniquely Chinese and globally acceptable. Well staged, they could be the highlight of China's biggest show.

Second guessing
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
2008-07-11

从七月初开始，我在《中国日报》上每周发表一篇关于奥运开幕式的猜想。纯属瞎猜，但也得到一些海外媒体的呼应。现在转载过来（sorry，不翻译了），供大家一笑。

Raise the red curtain
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
2008-07-02

The Olympic opening ceremony is in rehearsal. But until it is unveiled in the evening of August 8, the extravaganza will remain a State secret, known to only those involved.

What will the performance be like? Will it be the mother of all stadium shows?

Without any inside information - even if we had, we couldn't tell you, or we'd have to kill you afterwards - we'll mount the mother of all educated conjectures, just to intrigue you and make Zhang Yimou's job of creating surprises more difficult. 

Now, we know Zhang, artistic director of the Beijing Olympic ceremonies, is an artist of versatility. He is equally comfortable with art-house flicks and blockbuster epics; he has helmed three tourism-oriented open-air shows and three productions of Western operas. Unless he reinvents himself from the ground up, a Zhang Yimou aesthetic is not difficult to discern. Our guess is based on his existing oeuvre, which we believe reflects and encompasses his artistic upbringing and convictions.

Zhang has a penchant for bright colors.

The trio of films that established him in the international arena, Red Sorghum, Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern, all made daring use of the color red. It is a symbol of passion - sometimes forbidden passion. In folk culture, it is also celebratory. Many of the ornaments for Chinese holidays, such as banners, lanterns and clothes, accentuate red as the essential element in the color scheme.

The burst of colors is found in different ways with different implications in his early and late works. The delirious golden shimmer in Curse of the Golden Flower suggests a mental state of the imperial family and may lead to less-than-positive interpretations. However, there is little possibility Zhang will tone down the color saturation in favor of something such as, say, the Taoist colors of black and white. A Zhang production will not be like a demure watercolor - not a chance for the Olympic gala.

A Zhang Yimou production depends heavily on symbols - anything that yells Chinese, from household bric-a-brac to royal ornaments. He has been ridiculed for this predilection. (Sardonic writer Wang Shuo called him a "home designer".) But there is no denying that symbols represent a country more efficiently than a nuanced picture

Given the size of the overseas audience, symbols may be the only way to go. So, expect bicycles, pandas, dragons and the whole mascot army.

Zhang excels at crowd control. Except for the one who lights up the stadium torch, there is little likelihood that any one person will steal the show. Taking a hint from the Spring Festival gala on CCTV, more than one artist may get the honor to sing the theme song.

Geometric formations appear in all of Zhang's stage productions. They can be awe-inspiring, but also lyrical if needed. The dance numbers in Impression Lijiang often feature hundreds of performers. Not everyone likes this kind of group calisthenics or its variations, but it is visually direct and speaks a universal language. Of course, what Zhang concocts will be more artful than what we saw 30 to 40 years ago.

The emphasis on the collective over the individual is not only his preference but also a necessity. How can he highlight solo artists without offending the vast number of artists of similar stature?

However, while the live audience will be astonished by the sheer size of the spectacle, the television screen will need a few close-ups. That's when cute girls in miniskirts playing erhu can be zoomed in on, as he did for the eight-minute segment at the closing ceremony of the Athens Olympics.

China's richness in culture presents a problem: How to boil down the endless varieties into a manageable sampling? What will be considered essential and representative?

He has too much material and his headache is how to whittle down the long list of choices. But the big challenge is how to avoid cliches and retain freshness when faced with domestic and overseas audiences, who may have diametrically opposed expectations.

I have confidence that Zhang will serve up an abundance of crescendos with acrobatic stunts and large crowds, which will set your heart pulsating. What I worry about are the quiet moments necessary to balance the grandness with breathing space. Zen tranquility and Taoist non-action may not be appreciated by the billions of viewers who form the lowest common denominator in taste.

It is easy to crystallize a local or ethnic culture into a consistent style - just look at Zhang's Impression series of live shows at scenic attractions - but China is too diverse. And showcasing diversity may spiral into a laundry list of symbols and totems.

By temperament, Zhang is a child of northern China, with constant restraint punctuated by emotional outbursts, which have found an ideal outlet in excessive use of bright colors and folk elements. He is not as familiar to the southern style of grace and atmospheric creation, something often seen in a traditional Chinese painting or poem.

The show will feature hi-tech wizardry and it will have eye-catching scenes galore.

But will it have originality? Will it please the home audience as well as those who know little about China? Will it leave a lasting impression?

We'd have to wait until the fat lady sings.

1. Following Zhao Bandi, an American teacher at Peking University failed in his attempt to convince moviegoers to boycott Kung Fu Panda with his argument that Chinese children should not watch Hollywood movies.

By his logic, Peking University students should boycott his class and take only classes given by Chinese teachers.

2. John Woo said he was inspired by the giant panda when he named the new-born pony "Mengmeng" in his movie, Red Cliff.

Maybe we should name the American professor in the above-mentioned boycott "Bandi Bandi".

3. Disney is staging three of its classics, Cinderella, Snow White and Beauty and Beast, on a Beijing stage.

Thank goodness they didn't choose Mulan - or they'd have attracted more protestors than fans, including American professors who hate anything produced by Disney.

On second thought, perhaps they should have included the Chinese tale. Sometimes a controversy helps to sell more tickets.

4. Supergirl Li Yuchun announced she would go abroad to "study music", and then put her plans on hold.

Why do Chinese stars always pick the lame excuse of "overseas study"? They should either go totally Chinese by saying they'll hide in a deep mountain and live like a recluse - or take the really exotic route, by pretending to follow an Indian guru.

5. Zhou Bichang, another Supergirl, admitted that she had been "preserved in a fridge", meaning that she had not been offered new gigs after she refused to renew her contract with her record company.

It's time to go to Julliard School for a change, baby.

6. Celebrity entertainers Zhou Xun, Gao Yuanyuan, Chen Kun and Tong Dawei have pledged to take public transport during the Olympic Games to help reduce traffic.

They will no doubt attract so many onlookers on the subway that I should be able to find a less crowded subway car if I simply avoid them.

7. Zhang Ziyi is finally engaged - to a very rich man. A commentator in China wrote, "If you have a daughter, you should have someone like Zhang."

What if Zhang's fiance goes broke someday?

8. The very tacky but very entertaining Sister Hibiscus is reported to have sold a total of eight tickets for her upcoming debut concert.

So sad that she got her name during a time when entertainment is free of charge.

9. Hong Kong star Edison Chen, forced into early retirement after his sex photo scandal, made a three-second cameo appearance in the Hollywood movie The Dark Knight. He plays a security guard and has one line: "May I check in your cell phone, sir?"

最近一阵接受了数不清的采访，中国媒体、外国媒体、报纸、电视、网络……嗯，我得跟吴宇森要工钱，至少要他补偿我的时间。以下是《赤壁》放映前的一篇。
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
赤壁之战，未完待续 

郭娟／文《经济观察报》

《赤壁》开场字幕，投资方的名字浩浩荡荡拉出来一长串，这部对外宣称耗资8亿的电影的确非一家之力可以完成，8亿这个数字也是中国观众在习惯了听说“大片”动辄耗资上亿以来所达到的最高值，其间各方投资进进撤撤，一荣俱荣，一损俱损，利益、风险并行，除了站在风口上不进则退的几个大头，余众得像孙权那样左右权衡，考量导演吴宇森纪录里《变脸》和《风语者》两个票房极端，以及阵前形势。按照国内电影投资商对票房30％的分成来粗略计算，《赤壁》的票房成绩达到20几亿才能保证收回成本，而之前国内的最高纪录是张艺谋《满城尽戴黄金甲》的3亿票房。影评人周黎明说，这就意味着《赤壁》必然不能只指望国内市场，拉进韩国的投资商作为伙伴早在计算之内，还用了一位表情和口音一样狰狞的日本演员——邻近的韩国和日本也是战略部署重地，而为了适应更为广阔的西方市场，这部以三国乱世作为背景的电影简化人物关系，模糊掉过于复杂的历史线索，都在情理和预料之中。所谓的“脸谱化”，张飞一出场必然是万夫不挡之勇，周瑜需将古琴弹得锃琮作响，刘备则要耗费许多口舌来说明自己是多么爱护老百姓，才能让外国人轻松辨认，此人可杀敌，此人善用计，或者此人宅心仁厚到有惺惺作态的嫌疑。

周黎明说决定一个片子质量的其实是最不花钱的部分——剧本，而大片的故事往往很弱，“这不奇怪，其实这是个规律，好莱坞也是”，大片的编剧往往不只一人，几个人同时工作，再加上导演和制片方的意见，棱角互相抵消，反倒没了小片子里“作者”个人的鲜明特色，“大片的投资都很大，出于商业上的考虑，一般不会把那么重的责任交给一个人。在好莱坞，很多决定权会在制片人手里，国内制片人大多只管钱，导演说了算，这就得看导演个人的能量有多大。”几部“土生”大片让中国观众把几位大导演由外到里看了个透，纵使戛纳和威尼斯的数道光环也遮不住贫血症的面色苍白。中国电影的传统是重观念，商业片的概念的到了1990年代才慢慢有了苗头，而导演们亦不习惯商业片的操作，最花钱的部分也最易学，服装布景自不必说，国内并不输给好莱坞，地广人多，大场面拍得出来，但是特技和细节部分仍有差距。
 
“《赤壁》要看它的成败，成了就是一个学习的范本，败了说明这种方法有问题。也不能完全否定国内大片，其实好莱坞的模式也是有长有短，有规范，但是浪费也很大，工作人员都拿很高的薪水，一个很简单的工作可能要好几个专业人员做。国内拍片子是作坊式的，中国人不笨，一点就通，一个人能干好几个人的活儿，而且这两年的合拍片也是学习的机会，这些都容易，一时达不到的就是特效和细节。” 虽然吴宇森在好莱坞多年，《赤壁》中群众演员的僵硬还是显而易见，未加调教，十分业余，细微处也妨碍了《赤壁》成为一个真正制作精美的商业大片。
 
“我觉得这次吴宇森最大的挑战是怎么兼顾海外和国内观众。如果内行看不出门道，外行看着又不热闹，那就失败了。”兼顾两边观众，李安的《卧虎藏龙》是最成功的例子。单从上半部的《赤壁》来看，没有《卧虎藏龙》那样地行云流水，两位导演都在好莱坞多年，但看出处，一个儒家底子的台湾人，一个是擅长黑帮和暴力的香港导演。《赤壁》里溃败后的刘军营中，处处洋溢着一种解放军“大决战”时的气氛，将士们一身正气，说话掷地有声，小意图全盘暴露。而片中多次提到的“朋友”则更像是小马哥时代“兄弟”的升级版本，义字当头。而周瑜一句，我有一个梦想，那就是团结，上下一心，真正实现了东吴和刘备气质上的联合。

台词得罪的都是本地观众，到现在还没有哪部“古装大片”在放映时能不引起哄笑。吴宇森比几位内地导演的幽默感稍胜一筹，至少不是在需要严肃时惹人讪笑，倒是刻意安排下的“包袱”，诸葛亮的“不冷静”，孙尚香的“匹女有责”和点穴功夫，周公瑾一踏进刘豫州的地盘，见得关云长教一众学龄前儿童念“关关雎鸠”，张飞习书法，而豫州本人正干着老营生，旁边堆起了一座草鞋山，几乎有意在开玩笑。曹操的大将说“我们大哥打这场仗就是为了一个女人”时实在让人忍不住联想黑社会小弟惯常说的“我们大哥砍人原来是为了一个马子”，让人寻着点早年港片的影子。只是那样的轻快活泼在黑帮厮杀或者电光和金属碎片横飞的现代戏里还是让人愉快的调剂，放到《赤壁》这样的皇皇巨制里，忽然间比例失调，如同关东大汉拍着牙板唱“对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋”。布景和场面做得凿实，言语却轻飘飘像江东薄暮里的一缕烟，见得光便轻薄起来。

用明星是商业片的一个基本特点，陈可辛回忆早期电影《甜蜜蜜》时曾说，“别人说《甜蜜蜜》是个文艺片，其实完全不是，不然就该找两个内地演员来演，不会请张曼玉和黎明了。”同样是出于商业考虑，《赤壁》中的几个主角也是用了梁朝伟、金城武和张震等明星，这是票房保证，但真论表演，几位明星对电影的贡献并不大，而周瑜同小乔的一段床戏堪称无中生有，硬是拼贴上去了一段。

不过古装大片的势头也不会因了一个《赤壁》的成败而停歇，大片来自经济利益的驱动，投入大，产出便大，而由于国内目前的审片制度，古装片最易避开政治硬伤和敏感话题——《英雄》中的“天下”观如果不是导演努力解释，任谁也难在那样稀薄的故事中萃取。让人更感兴趣的是吴宇森的古装大片，香港传统加上好莱坞经验，是否能给内地的商业大片新的启示？

回流内地

“香港商业片的传统是一脉相承的，拍电影就是赚钱，这点和好莱坞比较像。拍商业片其实是从市场反着推，和做产品一样，要花多少钱，给谁看，再决定拍成什么样”，周黎明说，“香港导演到内地来拍电影十年前就开始了，香港的市场太小，80年代那种繁荣是不可能再出现了，2003年之后，‘香港电影’就不存在了，变成‘中国电影’，但是也有问题，因为原来很多人喜欢港片因为港片的味道，合拍之后由于审查等各种原因，那个味道也没有了。”

2007年戛纳电影节时，五位香港导演和内地电影公司吉安永嘉同时亮相戛纳，由关锦鹏担任艺术总监，五部筹划中的影片就包括了预计今年上映的徐克导演的《女人不坏》。这似乎是一个十分明确的信号，香港创作和制作团队的经验同内地资金的联合，导演有老有新，有的偏重文艺，有的擅长商业，每部电影投资大小也不同。

当时陈可辛正在香港筹备他的《投名状》，他说不去凑戛纳的热闹了，其实香港的观众不认电影节，发行人喜欢什么，观众就得喜欢什么，但是来内地做电影，发行人说一定要去戛纳，因为内地的记者都在那里，“其实一大票人去了面对的还是中文媒体，我觉得有点别扭，现在内地经济一发展起来都还是乱的，就像英文里讲的anything works,你回来老百姓谁知道戛纳有没有请你。”陈可辛说他其实一直都不太愿意在内地拍戏，因为对超级大片缺少兴趣，“其实越大的片面对的年龄层就降得越低，我一向都是给比较成熟的观众拍电影，所以一直没有回去。直到有一个机会拍《如果，爱》，我才想拍个歌舞片可能能把我原来那种爱情片屏幕拉大一点，在我原来的故事的基础上加元素，让观众觉得我一定要进影院。《投名状》就是要把屏幕弄得更大，因为投资很大，群众演员很多，明星很多。这个是因为市场。”《投名状》脱胎于邵氏老电影《刺马》，是他第一次拍大场面的武戏，要请指导，要磨合，要干自己不擅长的事情。仍然是内地市场的吸引力。

关锦鹏说，“我觉得要是在地方之大，人口之多，有好多的数字告诉我们，电影院的数目在增加，票房在增加，其实是告诉我们，这个地方电影的机缘快来了。”施南生负责吉安永嘉发行部门，“我觉得赖着她对内地、香港，尤其是对海外市场的经验，看完一个剧本以后，如果决定了这个片子的类型，会做一些市场的评估，因为不是所有的华语电影都可以往全世界发行，可能有些电影它在日本、韩国这些东亚的地区潜力比较大。”他说现在同内地的合作比从前更多样和直接，从前合拍片要有内地制片厂的指标，现在也可以和民营公司结合，但对内地市场缺乏了解，还需要很多磨合，国内市场在选材上有比较多的限制，很多东西同意识形态相关，整个制度比不得香港开放。“所以会出现香港电影人跑到内地来找资金、找题材，来磨合的同时，受到一定的规范。”

“80年代中我们出来拍电影的时候还是大公司、大制片厂，像邵氏、嘉禾，导演可以比较安心地拍戏，到今天整个生态已经不一样了，导演对于融资、发行都会有不同程度的参与。虽然永嘉没有制作团队，但是每个工作室都有非常强大的制作团队。永嘉现在有施南生执行的发行部，基本上是可以做一个部署，甚至可以把每个电影的排片，什么时候上映都有一个比较通盘的计划。你说能不能马上变成好莱坞，人家有那么多年的经验和系统在里面，中国真正缺乏的可能是一个系统的建立，经济的起飞是给了电影业很多很好的空间，但是最终到电影发行和制作，资金的来源和运用，一个电影公司怎么经营，有没有一个健全的体系，在拍一个片子之前做好一个计划，这个东西中国还缺。”

中国近几年电影市场的起色仍然表现在大片和小成本电影，中型制作的电影最为稀缺，“中型片应该占的比重最大，至少要占一半，这样生态才健康，因为大片不会去创新，而小片是能给新导演提供一些机会。有人曾跟我说像《疯狂的石头》这样的电影一年应该有上20部。中型片不好可能也有些主观的因素，因为现在投到电影里来的钱很多是黑钱，导演就是为了赚这个钱，有时我看一个电影都能看出来是哪个煤老板或者哪个茶园的老板投的钱，如果做影评人就得天天看这样的电影，那还不如让我去撞墙。”周黎明说。《女人不坏》等五部制作虽然不是《赤壁》这样宏大的制作，但现代题材，中型或者中型偏上的制作，成熟的香港导演，或许能在这个点上给出更多的启发。还要再看。

吴宇森的《赤壁》我曾经给了偏负面的评价，但那是站在《魔戒》的角度。如果我换一个视点，它一点也不输给《特洛伊》。只要你放松心态，《赤壁》甚至可以说非常好看——除了那个难看之极的中分发型。

《赤壁》骨子里是一部非常现代的戏。有一刹那，我觉得赵子龙跟张飞要来一个high five。真的，我稍微数了一下，《赤壁》囊括以下现代话题：

一：同一个世界，同一个梦想

二：We are ready! （出现在英文字幕中，由曹操说出，但可以代表所有角色的心声。）

三：中国足球队夺冠世界杯，而且场场赢，一边倒地赢，赢到全国都像对待乒乓球那样乏味了。（没错，不然怎么叫做“同一个梦想”呢？）

四：十多万难民需要迁徙，最好从灾区搬到江边。刘备如果补上一句台词：“一分希望，百分努力”，我保证电影院全场哭得稀里哗啦。

五：希望工程最新口号：现在读书将来有饭吃

六：DIY时尚——鞋子自己做，结实又环保。

七：帅哥军师的电眼外交，比汤唯那招浅薄露骨的色诱更灵。那场古琴二重奏，以及林志玲黯然的神色，盖过断背山上的牧羊曲。难怪当今世界流行帅哥外交，就凭克林顿那两个长相平平的国务卿，你就知道他的外交不会有起色。到底还是普金更懂中国文化。

========
我会在《看电影》专栏写一篇不搞笑的、详细的《赤壁》分析。

1. John Woo's latest epic Red Cliff prescreened to the press in an abridged version about one third of its total length. 

This disappointing highlight overturns the filmmaker's claim that it will be the best movie in Chinese history.

2. Kung Fu Panda has exceeded 100 million yuan in box office receipts in the mainland market.

I told you an ass-kicking panda could make more money than a sitting bamboo-chewing panda.

3. CCTV-5 sportscaster Zhang Bin has emerged from a six-month hibernation imposed after his wife openly accused him of adultery.

Hester Prynne: Do you call that punishment?

Zhang: I'd rather wear the letter A on my chest than vanishing from public view.

4. Tony Leung has denied, for the umpteenth time, that he was not going to tie the knot with long-time beau Carina Lau.

I don't understand why the public is more anxious than Leung's mother. You're not going to hold the baby, or be invited to the wedding, for that matter.

5. Actor Wang Baoqiang, known for playing Forrest Gump-like characters, has just published his autobiography.

It's hard to embellish a true-life rags-to-riches story, but it's worth a try. Who knows, the Wang Baoqiang story may be turned into a movie or TV drama and spawn more money-making ventures.

6. Cecilia Cheung is said to join the cast of Outlaws of the Marsh as the archetypal unfaithful wife Pan Jinlian. 

This sounds like another gee-whiz casting idea that entertainment producers have conjured up from their logic of art imitating life.

7. There was a rumor, later denied, that Wang Gang, host of a Beijing TV show about antique collection, has married Luo Xiyue, hostess of a similar show on CCTV. In an unrelated rumor, Han Han, the second most popular blogger in China, is "chasing" Xu Jinglei, the number 1 blogger.

You see the pattern? The marriage of rivals leads to the creation of monopolies.

8. Shaanxi farmer Zhou Zhenglong has been arrested for faking the South China tiger photos.

But you can't deny that he was an extremely good actor. Even an Oscar winner could have buckled under such public scrutiny, but he held out for quite a long time.

9. The leak of photos from the Dream of the Red Chamber cast is so consistent that the entertainment pages are flooded with these images on a daily basis. 

I have a better marketing idea: leaking photos of photogenic young actresses caught on candid camera in a catfight.

10. In another story about Dream of the Red Chamber, writer Wang Meng openly speculated that Cao Xueqin, author of this classic novel, could be gay. What man would give such detailed descriptions of so many different women, Wang argued.

Many defenders have come out to protect Cao's good name, but not a single critic has sided with Wang. Does this say something about the status of gays in China?

影评人周黎明评《赤壁》：中西方可能都不讨好http://www.sina.com.cn 2008年07月10日10:24  长江商报

　　令全球影迷期待的吴宇森古装大戏《赤壁》(上集)今日零点终于在全国各大影院正式上映。记者昨日电话采访国内知名影评人周黎明，他就看片所得，向本报记者一一解析影片主题、点评演员表现等核心内容。周黎明称，此片整体是写实的正剧，但战争场面没能进一步的升华，他悲观地认为，此片很可能在中西方观众处都不讨好。

　　本报记者　王瑾

　　主题：浅薄，缺少精神内核

　　Q：《赤壁》主题真如吴宇森所言是讲团结？

　　周黎明：影片整体定位是正剧，表现手法很写实，但影片缺少过往华语电影中打斗戏结束后对主题的升华。尽管打斗场景很多，镜头运用也很巧妙，但始终缺少了一点精神层面的内核。同时，吴导过往最擅长的在作品中表现男人情谊的主题，在本片加入了女性角色和爱情戏后，单薄不少。

　　剧情：中外观众都不爱

　　Q：影片故事讲得够圆满？

　　周黎明：因为全片主要演员多达十几人，对不了解三国故事的西方观众而言，可能看完了，还连张飞和关羽都分不清，很难会买账。至于国内观众，因为太熟悉这段历史，又会格外挑剔。而且外界诟病的台词，应当是导演无意识的搞笑，比如我们看片时，听到刘备对诸葛亮说，“你多吃一点，路还很长”，全场人都笑起来，但导演本意肯定绝非搞笑。不过观众已经领略过《夜宴》、《黄金甲》，现在放平心态看此片，也不算太枯燥无味。

　　场景：有些还不如《三国之见龙卸甲》

　　Q：除了谋士的智慧较量，三国故事中著名的几场大战，观众也多是耳熟能详，《赤壁》中的战争场面尤其是大的战争场面，效果如何？

　　周黎明：剧组花费大量人力物力，打造出的战争场面还算大气。在反映阵法上，拍摄手法也相当到位。比如八卦阵的场景，导演选择从空中来俯拍全景，效果相当好。

　　但与过往的《黄金甲》、《投名状》等大片相比，此片打斗戏并无太大进步。在赵云救阿斗的场景上，甚至不如刘德华主演的《三国之见龙卸甲》，《见龙卸甲》中的打斗，层次感分明，尽管有点戏剧的夸张，但观众看得很过瘾。而《赤壁》里，这场戏就太过简易，几个来回的打斗结束后，便草草收场。

　　导演：想突破，结果还不如以前

　　Q：吴导的指导风格和过往比变化大吗？

　　周黎明：变化很大，这次他更像是用好莱坞的手法，来拍摄中国的历史题材。同时，他以往作品中，打斗戏多有华彩，但这次更为写实。他很希望走出一条让国内外观众都能接受的电影路，就在片中刻意将人物关系简单化，结果他只讲好了三个国家头领的故事，却没讲好每个头领手下一组人之间的关系和故事，会让中国观众感觉很不过瘾。

　　演员：表现都不太好

　　Q：内地演员和港台演员谁表现更突出？诸葛亮和周瑜之间真有断背情？

　　周黎明：这部戏里所有演员的表现都不太好，可能是为了让西方观众看得懂，演员们都刻意往浅层次里演。不论是内地的张丰毅，还是港台的梁朝伟、金城武，表演模式都有点端着，但似乎内心又很有城府，起初我不明白，为什么演员都像一个模子里出来的，看到成都首映礼上，他们都说自己的角色像吴宇森，我才恍然大误，原来他们学的是一个原型。我看的武戏部分没林志玲的戏份，倒是赵薇扮演的女英雄形象，演绎模式很有样板戏的味道。诸葛亮和周瑜之间，充其量有一点暧昧，但绝不是断背，不然就成恶搞了。

　　鸽子：鸽子戏最精彩

　　Q：吴导的作品绝对离不开鸽子，《赤壁》里的鸽子元素是否运用得当？

　　周黎明：白鸽用得很巧妙，特效也做得不错，尤其是上集的最后一个场景，借鸽子的视角，来推移镜头，拍摄出了军队的全景和特写，堪称全片最为精彩的部分。相信下集中，这些鸽子还会发挥出更大的效果来。

　　票房：上座率不会低

　　Q：您认为《赤壁》上集的国内和海外票房会怎样？下集是否值得期待？

　　周黎明：就剧情而言，这部影片在日本和韩国应该会比较讨好，因为日韩本身是受三国文化熏陶的国家，票房不会很差。但在中西方市场上，可能两头观众都很难讨好。不过，这部电影的主演本身具备票房号召力，上座率肯定不会低。全片精彩的内容都放在下集里，自是值得期待。

注：我在采访中说，赵薇的孙尚香很像是同样发生在赤壁那一带的《洪湖赤卫队》里的女主角韩英。