msmithbooks Chapter 98 The Fairy Sister's Wonderful Experience
Chapter 98 The Fairy Sister's Wonderful Experience
Chapter 97 The Fairy Sister's Wonderful Experience
Without countless trials and tribulations, how can you infuse your will into your work?
Zhang Jun heard this quote from a sword-forging competition, but it's surprisingly fitting for filmmaking.
For a director, each film release is nothing short of an exam. Success depends on many factors, but the quality of the work itself is undoubtedly the most crucial.
However, for the other guests at the premiere, besides showing their support, they were also looking forward to seeing what kind of film they would see.
A few of us attended the premiere of Chen Gezi's movie "The Promise" last time, and to be honest, we didn't understand what Chen Gezi was making.
But you can't say anything bad about her, or you'll offend Chen Gezi.
So they had to say something vague and ambiguous to get by.
Considering Zhang Jun's performance in his first three films, the guests felt that he shouldn't have tried to praise the film without knowing what to say, like he did with "The Promise."
The moment the lights dimmed, Liu Yifei subconsciously shrank back in his chair, as if trying to find a more comfortable viewing position.
She held the popcorn bucket in her arms, and her right hand naturally reached in, grabbed a handful, and stuffed it into her mouth.
She munched on popcorn, her gaze casually sweeping over the familiar backs of the heads in the row in front of her.
Chen Kun's hair was styled very well, Sun Li was talking to Deng Chao in a low voice, while Yang Mi sat upright next to her, seemingly a little nervous.
Liu Yifei suddenly found this feeling quite novel.
When she attends similar events, she is always seated in one of the best positions, surrounded by either leaders or industry bigwigs.
In that situation, she had to maintain a smile, sit upright, and even control her breathing in an elegant and proper manner.
But today is different.
Her mother was sick and couldn't come. She sat in the fifth row by the aisle, next to Yang Mi, and further back were several media reporters she didn't recognize.
No one was paying attention to her, because everyone's attention was focused on the movie that was about to start.
She can slump in her chair, devour popcorn, gasp in amazement at exciting moments, or secretly yawn when bored—if there are any boring parts to the movie.
However, based on her impression of Zhang Jun's works, this possibility is unlikely.
The quiet chatter that had been filling the theater suddenly disappeared, replaced by an expectant silence.
Liu Yifei heard the sound of herself chewing popcorn become exceptionally clear, so she quickly slowed down her movements.
The dragon emblem has appeared.
Then there are the opening animations from investors such as Guanzhi Pictures, China Film Group, Yingyi Entertainment, and Zhang Jun's personal studio.
The logo of Guanzhi Pictures is very tasteful; it is a carved wooden door that is slowly pushed open, with warm light shining through from behind it.
The title "Reign of Assassins" is presented in an ink-wash style, against a backdrop of a rainy alley in Jiangnan, creating a very artistic atmosphere.
Liu Yifei grabbed another handful of popcorn, this time with a gentler touch.
The movie opens with an assassination scene on a rainy night.
The camera shoots from above, revealing the ancient town with its black tiles and white walls, shrouded in a hazy, picturesque scene in the rain. Then it plunges rapidly down, passing through the rain curtain and landing in a narrow alley.
A dozen men in black, armed with knives, surrounded a carriage. Their movements were swift and decisive; without any unnecessary words, they immediately took action.
"Wow."
Liu Yifei heard someone exclaim softly behind him.
This fight was beautifully designed.
There are no special effects of flying or teleporting, and no slow-motion shots that make you anxious. It's just real weapon clashes and close-quarters combat.
The trails of swords cutting through the rain were clearly visible in the shot, and blood mixed with rainwater splashed on the bluestone slabs, which were quickly washed away.
What caught her attention even more was the editing rhythm.
Zhang Jun's editing is very restrained, giving the audience enough time to see the beginning, development, climax, and conclusion of each action, but never dragging it out.
It can be fast enough to take your breath away when it needs to be fast, and slow enough to capture subtle changes in a person's expression when it needs to be slow.
Then the drizzle appeared.
She was dressed in black, holding an oil-paper umbrella, and walked slowly from the alley entrance. The rain was heavy, but her clothes didn't seem to get very wet, with water dripping from the edge of the umbrella.
The men in black spotted her and sent half of them rushing towards her.
For the rest of the time, Liu Yifei forgot to eat popcorn.
She didn't even put down her umbrella; she just slightly turned her wrist, causing the umbrella to spin and the raindrops to be flung into an arc.
Then a slender sword popped out from the umbrella ribs, its light flashing so fast in the rainy night that it was just a blur.
The five men in black fell to the ground almost simultaneously, each with a small wound on their throat.
"So cool!" Liu Yifei couldn't help but whisper.
She heard Yang Mi next to her also take a breath.
The camerawork in this scene is exquisite.
One shot is taken from behind Xi Yu's shoulder, allowing the audience to see her sword-wielding hand and the enemy rushing towards her. The sense of presence is so strong that it makes your palms sweat.
Another shot is taken from below, with rain dripping from the edge of an umbrella, passing through the frame, and landing on the face of the fallen corpse.
Without a single line of dialogue, the character's ruthlessness and composure are already established.
Liu Yifei suddenly remembered the behind-the-scenes footage she had seen a few days ago while preparing for the shoot. Fan Bingbing said that Zhang Jun demanded that "every frame be used as a poster".
She now understood what that meant: every frame of the assassination in the rainy night could be made into a movie poster.
When the opening credits appeared, a buzz of discussion arose in the theater.
Liu Yifei could hear the excitement in those voices; it was the reaction of an audience captivated by the opening of a good movie.
She started eating popcorn again, but her eyes didn't leave the screen.
The movie then gets to the main point.
King Wheel (played by Wang Xueqi) gives instructions at the Black Stone organization's secret base.
The lighting in this scene is quite interesting; the entire set is illuminated only by a few oil lamps, with most of the characters' faces hidden in shadow.
The Wheel King's voice has been specially processed, giving it a metallic, husky quality.
"The drizzle defected, taking half of Rama's remains with it."
The Wheel-Turning King said, "Find her and retrieve her body."
Lei Bin (played by Fu Dalong), the magician (played by Yin Xiaotian), and Ye Zhanqing (played by Fan Pangbing) accepted the order.
Liu Yifei noticed that the three characters made their entrances in different ways.
Lei Bin was eating noodles, the opera singer was playing with fire, and Ye Zhanqing was doing her makeup in front of a basin of water.
In just a few shots, the character is revealed.
Liu Yifei watched with great interest. She found herself starting to view the play as an "audience member" rather than an "actor," and began to enjoy it.
At this moment, Zhao Jiping's background music quietly began to play.
It was a duet of guzheng and xiao, with a gloomy and eerie melody that perfectly matched the mysterious and oppressive atmosphere of the Black Stone organization.
Liu Yifei doesn't know much about music, but she could hear the "energy" in the piece, the desolate feeling of a night rain in the Jianghu.
The film shifts to a small town in Jiangnan, and the pace suddenly slows down.
Liu Yifei saw covered walkways, stone bridges, and covered boats appear on the screen. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the steam from the breakfast stalls was mixed with the mist.
Zhang Ziyi, who plays Zeng Jing, is dressed in a coarse cloth dress and is sorting fabrics in front of a fabric stall.
The transition was handled very naturally.
There are no flashbacks, no lengthy inner monologues, just a few everyday shots.
Zeng Jing washes clothes by the river, cooks at the stove, and mends clothes under the lamp—viewers can clearly feel that this once ruthless female assassin is trying hard to be an ordinary person.
"You acted really well," Liu Yifei heard Sun Li whisper to Deng Chao in the front row.
Deng Chao nodded: "She's Zhang Ziyi, an international star, acting in this kind of role is a piece of cake for her."
Jiang Asheng (played by Andy Lau) has made his appearance.
Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh; the Heavenly King's look this time was too subversive. It was completely different from his usual handsome image, instead resembling a simple, even somewhat rustic, errand boy.
His clothes were worn, his hair was messy, he had a towel draped over his shoulder, and he spoke with a strange accent.
But it is precisely this image that makes the character feel real.
The scene where Jiang Asheng trips over a stone slab and spills soy milk on a cloth stall elicited good-natured laughter in the theater.
Liu Yifei herself laughed. She didn't find Andy Lau's clumsy yet sincere way of apologizing at all out of place.
She watched the scene where the two had their first conversation very carefully.
There was no spark of love at first sight, no deliberate ambiguity; it was just a simple encounter between two ordinary people in a rainy alley.
Zeng Jing handed over the umbrella, and Jiang Asheng thanked her, agreeing to return it the next day.
But Zhang Jun's camera language captured that subtle feeling.
Raindrops formed a curtain between the two, the brief touch of fingers as the oil-paper umbrella was handed over, and the slight pause in Zeng Jing's back as she turned and walked into the rain.
"That's what you call ambiguous." Yang Mi suddenly muttered to herself beside her.
Liu Yifei turned to look at her and found that Yang Mi's eyes were fixed on the screen, her gaze very focused.
For the next period of time, Liu Yifei was completely immersed in the story.
She watched Jiang Asheng and Zeng Jing go from borrowing and returning umbrellas to cooking together, and finally sitting in the old house's kitchen to eat a simple dinner.
These scenes were filmed so realistically that it made you forget they were martial arts movies.
The firelight from the stove reflected on their faces, the fumes from cooking, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks during meals—every detail was filled with the warmth of everyday life.
But just when the audience was about to forget about the martial arts world, the film suddenly pulled back to the main storyline.
Blackstone's assassins have found the town.
The first encounter took place at the cloth stall, where Lei Bin used flying needles, needles as fine as cow hair that were almost invisible in the sunlight.
Zeng Jing realized at the last moment, grabbed a handful of copper coins and threw them as hidden weapons. The copper coins and the flying needle collided in the air, making a crisp clanging sound.
The design of this fight scene was truly eye-opening.
There were no grand, sweeping movements; it was all close-quarters, delicate martial arts. The fabric stall became a battlefield, the rolled-up fabric became weapons, and even the hanging garments became cover and traps.
While protecting Jiang Asheng behind her, Zeng Jing also dealt with Lei Bin. Her movements were swift and ruthless, but she always maintained a calm expression on her face, a mask of her killer instincts.
"This fight scene was cleverly designed, utilizing the environment and not just fighting for the sake of fighting," someone said.
Many martial arts films feature fight scenes designed to showcase action, but the fight scene in this movie serves entirely the characters and plot.
Zeng Jing wanted to protect Jiang Asheng, so she fought conservatively; Lei Bin wanted to capture her alive, so he didn't kill her either.
The restraint of both sides actually made the fight more intense.
As Lei Bin retreated, he left with the words, "Xi Yu, you can't escape."
The atmosphere in the theater became noticeably tense.
Liu Yifei found herself sitting up straight without realizing it. The popcorn bucket was on her lap, and she hadn't touched it in a long time.
As the film progresses into its middle section, the pace begins to quicken.
The magician and Ye Zhanqing then appeared on stage one after the other.
The magician's tricks and martial arts are very creative, including fire blades, smoke escape, and puppet strings—Yin Xiaotian brought this morally ambiguous character to life.
Ye Zhanqing's madness and ruthlessness sent chills down Liu Yifei's spine.
Especially the scene where he was buried alive by the Wheel King.
Many guests and audience members in the theater had seen the behind-the-scenes footage and knew that Fan Bingbing was actually buried in dirt. But watching the finished film on the big screen was a completely different experience.
The camera zooms in on Ye Zhanqing's face.
When the damp soil covered her, her eyes were open, and there was no fear in them, only an almost fanatical excitement.
After the soil was compacted, she began to twitch instinctively, but a smile still lingered on her lips. That smile was so eerie, so chilling, that it sent shivers down one's spine.
"My God—" A female audience member in the back row gasped.
Liu Yifei subconsciously touched his face, as if he could feel the suffocating sensation of mud covering his mouth and nose.
Fan Bingbing's performance in this scene was so intense that it made people forget she was a beautiful woman and only remember her as a crazed killer.
After the scene of burying the dead, the theater was quiet for several seconds.
As the film enters its final third, all the clues begin to converge.
Liu Yifei was completely engrossed in the story. She stopped analyzing the shots and pondering her acting; she simply followed the narrative.
The reversal when Jiang Asheng's identity was revealed surprised her; Zeng Jing's resolute fight against Black Stone to protect him made her heart ache; and the final showdown on the pagoda made her hold her breath.
Chin Ka-lok's action choreography reached its climax here.
The fight scenes between Zeng Jing and King Zhuanlun, and between Jiang Asheng and Ye Zhanqing, are edited in parallel.
Zeng Jing's fighting style was agile and ruthless, making full use of the narrow space of the pagoda; Jiang Asheng, on the other hand, was straightforward and hard-hitting, trading blows with Ye Zhanqing.
The editing pace is so fast it's dazzling, but you can still clearly see every move and technique.
The most shocking scene was the one where the pagoda collapsed.
The wooden pagoda broke in the middle, and tiles, beams, and fragments of Buddha statues fell like rain. Zeng Jing and the Wheel-Turning King continued their struggle on the collapsed pagoda, each foothold disappearing in the next second.
This scene lasted a full five minutes.
There are no lines of dialogue, only the sounds of clashing weapons, breaking wood, people's panting, and Zhao Jiping's increasingly impassioned background music.
Liu Yifei's palms were sweating as she watched; she didn't even realize she had been clenching her fists the whole time.
As the Wheel-Turning King finally fell from the tower, Zeng Jing used her last bit of strength to grab onto the broken beam. The camera slowly pulled away from her blood-stained face, and the entire collapsed pagoda ruins lay silent in the rain.
The theater was completely silent, and then the movie came to an end.
There was no clichéd happy ending, nor any deliberately sentimental farewells. Zeng Jing and Jiang Asheng were both seriously injured, but they both survived.
The final scene returns to a small town in Jiangnan, where the two sit in the courtyard of a renovated old house, separated by a small table with tea sets on it.
After the rain, the sun peeked through the gaps in the clouds.
Zeng Jing was making tea, her movements still a little stiff. Her right hand had been injured in the final battle. Jiang Asheng wanted to help, but she gently pushed him away.
"I'll do it myself," she said.
Jiang Asheng sat quietly, watching her.
The tea was ready. Zeng Jing poured two cups and pushed one over. Jiang Asheng took it but didn't drink it; he just stared at the tea leaves floating in the cup.
"From now on—" he began, then stopped.
Zeng Jing looked up at her.
"Can we still come here for meals often in the future?" Jiang Asheng asked softly.
Zeng Jing looked at him for a few seconds, picked up her cup of tea, and blew on it to cool it down.
"Mmm," she said.
Just this one word.
Then the camera slowly zooms out, from the courtyard to the rooftop, to the entire town, and to the distant, dark green mountains.
At this point, Zhao Jiping's accompaniment transforms into a simple guqin solo, with a few notes repeating in a loop, like raindrops dripping from the eaves after a rain, slow and steady.
The subtitles appeared.
The lights in the theater didn't come on immediately; instead, behind-the-scenes footage started playing on the screen—a tradition in Jackie Chan's films, which Zhang Jun had adopted.
Liu Yifei saw Fan Bingbing being pulled out of a pit with her face covered in mud, saw Zhang Ziyi flipping down from a roof beam and filming twelve takes in a row, and saw Wang Xueqi wearing the black robe of the Wheel King, chatting and laughing with young actors on set —
The audience began to get up, but many remained seated, seemingly still immersed in the movie.
Liu Yifei is also one of them.
She sat in her seat, watching the subtitles slide by, her mind still replaying scenes from the movie.
The popcorn bucket had fallen to the ground sometime during the day, and the remaining half bucket was scattered all over the floor, but she didn't pay any attention to it.
"How is it?" Yang Mi nudged her arm.
Liu Yifei snapped out of her daze and blinked: "————Beautiful."
She found herself at a loss for words, unable to find a more suitable description.
It's not "wonderful," not "shocking," it's simply "beautiful." That kind of beauty is solid, complete, and leaves you feeling completely satisfied after watching it.
Gao Yuanyuan, sitting in the front row, exclaimed with delight: "Zhang Jun has improved again."
Sun Li nodded: "The dramatic scenes in this drama are more impressive than the action scenes."
Deng Chao laughed and said, "But the action scenes are also amazing. I could study that final pagoda fight scene for a month."
1
As the audience began to leave, Liu Yifei overheard various comments: "Fan Bingbing is so beautiful, oh my god—"
"Zhang Ziyi and Andy Lau make a great pair!"
"Wang Xueqi's acting was superb; he perfectly captured the twisted nature of the Wheel King—"
"I was stunned when my identity was revealed."
Liu Yifei followed the crowd and slowly walked out. When she stepped out of the theater, her eyes squinted slightly because of the bright lights in the corridor.
The area outside was already packed with people. Media reporters were interviewing the main cast and crew, while audience members gathered in small groups to discuss the events, and staff were busy maintaining order.
She saw Zhang Jun surrounded by reporters, answering some questions.
From her angle, she could see the outline of his profile.
Liu Yifei suddenly recalled the scene in the movie where Zhang Jun made a cameo appearance as a peddler. Although it was only for a few seconds, Zhang Jun looked completely different from his usual self when he wore coarse clothes and had smeared ash on his face.
Many directors can act, and Zhang Yimou has even won a Best Actor award. Although Zhang Jun doesn't have many scenes, it's clear that he can act.
Yang Mi was very excited because her role was not cut at all and was completely preserved, even receiving a special mention during the end credits.
Yang Mi knew that this was Zhang Jun's way of repaying her, which made her feel that everything she had done was worthwhile.
"No!" came the agent's voice from the side.
She turned her head and saw her agent pushing through the crowd towards her: "How was it? Was the movie good?"
"nice."
Liu Yifei repeated herself, then added, "It's especially beautiful."
The agent was clearly satisfied with the answer: "That's good. Director Zhang said there's a small banquet later and asked if you want to attend?"
It was just the main creators and a few friends.
Liu Yifei was about to agree, but then changed her mind: "I'm a little tired, I want to go back first."
The agent paused for a moment, but didn't ask any further questions: "Okay, then I'll take you."
It was already dark when I left the cinema.
The neon lights of the CBD lit up, and the traffic flowed along the street, forming a river of light. Liu Yifei got into the car, closed the door, and shut out the noise outside.
As the car drove onto the main road, she leaned against the window, watching the night view flow by outside.
The scene from the premiere was still vivid in my mind: Zhang Ziyi and Andy Lau in their dazzling glory, and Fan Bingbing smiling sweetly as she linked arms with Zhang Jun.
Rumors circulated that Fan Bingbing and Zhang Jun had a special relationship, and now it seems that this is indeed the case.
Liu Yifei suddenly felt a little envious.
I'm not envious of Zhang Ziyi for being able to play such a great role, nor am I envious of Fan Bingbing and Zhang Jun for having such a good relationship.
She didn't know what she envied; perhaps it was that they weren't bound by constraints, that state of freedom.
For no apparent reason, Liu Yifei suddenly had a thought: what kind of life would she have without her mother's supervision?
No one knows the answer to this question, and the thought only flashed through my mind before disappearing.
As the car rounded a bend, the cinema's sign grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror until it disappeared among the buildings.
Liu Yifei snapped out of her thoughts, opened her phone, and saw a text message from her mother: "Did you enjoy the movie? Remember to come home early. The cold medicine is on the table."
She replied, "It looks good. I'll get back to you right away."
After pressing the send button, she thought for a moment, then opened her contacts and found the number she had saved a few days ago.
That was Zhang Jun's number; the premiere invitation was sent to her through this number.
She typed a few words: "The movie was great, congratulations."
After hesitating for a moment, he added, "I hope we'll have the opportunity to collaborate in the future."
send.
As Liu Yifei got out of the car, a night breeze blew by, carrying the warm and moist scent unique to early summer. She looked up at the sky and, unusually, saw a few stars in the capital city; though faint, they were definitely there.
When I got home, my mother was indeed still awake, sitting on the sofa watching TV while waiting for me.
"You're back? How was the movie?"
"Extremely good." Liu Yifei said this word for the third time, but this time her tone was more certain.
She changed her shoes, took a shower, and returned to her room after completing the whole process.
She closed the door and didn't turn on the main light, only the desk lamp.
A warm yellow light spilled out, and she sat down at the table, casually pulling a notebook from the bookshelf to write in her diary.
She turned to a blank page, picked up a pen.
The pen hovered over the paper for a while before she began to write: "On June 20, 2006, I went to see the premiere of 'Reign of Assassins.' It's director Zhang Jun's new film. Unlike his previous films, it's a martial arts film, but not the traditional kind—"
She wrote slowly, recalling the details of the movie and the performances of the celebrity guests at the premiere as she wrote.
Then she continued, "The movie is fantastic, like a really satisfying meal, and the action scenes are amazing. I have a feeling this movie will do well."
Another point is that Director Zhang Jun is very handsome, handsome enough to be an idol.
Liu Yifei stopped writing at this point.
Looking at these words, she suddenly smiled.
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