First of all, let me correct you. The 1987 version was about the literary masterpiece "Dream of Red Mansions", while the new version is a farce staged by a group of boring people.
First of all, let’s talk about the literary consultants. The literary consultants of the 1987 edition are Zhou Ruchang, Cao Yu, Shen Congwen Qigong, Wu Shichang, Zhou Yang, Yang Xianyi, Dai Linfeng, Jiang Hesen, Wu Lengxi, Lin Chenfu, Chengyin, Zhu Jiayu, Wang Chaowen, etc. Could it be that they are literary greats, and the new edition There are no literary consultants. They are all screenwriters. They are Gu Xiaobai, Hu Nan, Bai Bangni, Qing Mei, Zhang Tianran, Li Xue, Dong Youzhu, Liu Yue, and Cai Yima. Among them, the literate people are estimated to account for Half of them, the rest are probably illiterate.
The second is casting. The casting for the 1987 version has the final say based on "suitability", and the actors have also undergone three years of training (of course the training time may be subject to examination). The new version of casting starts with "auditions". Of course, the results of the auditions are out, but the role is still not decided, and there seems to be something fishy in the casting. For example, Bai Bing, who plays the adult Xue Baochai in the new version of "A Dream of Red Mansions", was originally The second place in the Baochai group in the "Red Mansion Draft" logically cannot get the role. But look at Bai Bing's background. After participating in the CCTV talent show "Dream China" in 2006, he signed a contract with Emperor Star Entertainment, a subsidiary of Hong Kong's Emperor Entertainment, and Emperor is one of the investors in the new version of "Dream of Red Mansions". When preparing to film "Dream of Red Mansions" in 2007, it was reported that Bai Bing had received support from investors and was scheduled to star in the drama. At that time, the person in charge of the Emperor expressed his attitude to the media: "Our company is one of the investors in "Dream of Red Mansions" this time. We have paid for it, and it is normal to use one of our actors!" This publicly released "unofficial declaration" It caused an uproar immediately, but then the matter fell silent. In addition, Yao Di, who plays Wang Xifeng, and Tang Yifei, who plays Qin Keqing, have both been rumored to have unclear relationships with investors. In the end, the starring roles were even swapped. I couldn't understand that the two characters in the play are absolutely completely different in personality and temperament in all aspects, but our beloved director Li Shaohong has such a great ability to let them switch back and forth, and It always fits so well. The final result was that Daiyu was fatter than Baochai, and Baoyu, who looked like the moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival, was played by a long-faced person. Fortunately, Li Shaohong still claimed that he respected the original work.
Let's take a look at the script: The 1987 version boldly started from scratch, using the clues of the fat batch as the guideline and the purpose of exploring the lost results, and wrote the "true story" by itself. (Of course, the research of so many red scholars is relatively true and reliable.) Although the plot is not perfect, it at least avoids many flaws that Cheng Gao could not explain, and it is more consistent with the clues revealed in the first eighty chapters of Cao Hui and Zhi Pi.
As for the last forty chapters of the new version, it can be summed up in one word: "awkward". Why is this happening? Because the TV series’ slower pace and more detailed lens language amplify the inconsistency of the characters. Taking the marriage between Jia and Xue as an example, the three characters Jia Mu, Wang Xifeng, and Xue Baochai completely subverted the image and personality of the characters in the first eighty chapters. As a result, the internal logic of the characters' motivations and plot development became uncoordinated. Director Li, like a crowd who did not know the truth, watched Jia Mu and Wang Xifeng, the two masterminds of the plot, alive and well. The sudden changes in their behavior must be shown in detail. In this way, the audience is really puzzled. Baoyu's madness obviously improved after hearing the news of Daiyu's marriage. On the contrary, Jia Mu, Mrs. Wang, who cared about him the most, and Wang Xifeng, the smartest one, were all brain-dead and insisted on giving Baochai to him to stimulate him. The various details of the contract negotiations, the indifference to Daiyu's condition, and the nervousness of the three masterminds on the wedding night are described in detail and without missing a single stroke. Little did they know that these details amplified the inconsistencies in the plot and characters, which was counterproductive to the audience's acceptance of the integrity of the 120-episode version.
Another problem in the last forty chapters is that in order to make up for the absence of Lin Daiyu, a large number of flashbacks and scenes of Daiyu wandering around in Baoyu's imagination were used to fill it. As a result, the plot rhythm of the last 4 or 5 episodes suddenly became loose, making the audience feel dragged out. In the last 50 episodes, most of the episodes were devoted to explaining the ending of the attack. But Baoyu bowed hastily and it was over. Thinking of the 1989 version of the movie, it ends with Baoyu returning to the illusion of Taixu, and the police fantasy fairy has a special conclusion.
This is the end of the traditional Chinese cultural connotation. Just like calligraphy, the strokes must turn at the end to leave a lingering aftertaste.
Therefore, it is not impossible for the new version to use the next forty chapters. But there is absolutely no plot reduction or adjustment of complexity and simplicity. This is a huge disappointment.
The next thing is music: the music of the 1987 version of the TV series is truly unprecedented. It is an unsurpassed peak for Chinese film and television drama soundtracks. I believe that no one can deny this. Of course, if we ask the new version to surpass the 1987 version, it would be a bit difficult. However, in order to surpass the natural sound of the 1987 version, Li Shaohong simply used the unconventional ghostly sound (the audience felt the ghostly sound without any difference. This is mainly due to the sound effects) "Eh...", "Oh...", "Huh..." will appear without any reason). Li Shaohong's intention was obvious when he took a dangerous move with his sword. As a result, the new version's various theme songs, ending songs, and interludes basically abandoned the melody and were completed in a manner close to a cappella. The song "Burning Flowers" is repeated over and over again, but the climax of "Where is the fragrant hill at the end of the sky" is not used. Instead, the sentence "But it doesn't matter if the beams are empty and the nest is empty" is repeated over and over again. Just to prevent the audience from comparing it with the 1987 version of Song of Burying Flowers. "The Flower Burial Song" still has a tune, but when it comes to "Purple Lingzhou Song" and the like, it is openly recited instead.
The next step is the decoration: in the new version, regardless of status, the unified makeup is "copper money makeup". I really don't know if they have any common sense.
The costumes are messy, the props are messy, the historical background is messy, the characters’ lines are messy, the rules and regulations are messy... there is simply nothing that is not messy.
I’m so tired that I can’t write any more. Now that I think about the new version, it’s like abusing myself. I suggest you read The Red Mansion yourself. I’m talking about the book, not the TV series.