Judging from the title of the play, Peace Hotel is easy to cause misunderstanding. Not only has a killer opened a hotel with the same name in the Jianghu, but a hotel with the same name which was built in 1929 and witnessed the history in Shanghai is still open today. Even Eason Chan once wrote a song with the same name written by lin xi, telling a love story with murders.
However, none of these are actually related to the TV series Peace Hotel. This spy war drama, starring Lei Jiayin, Li Guangjie and Chen Shu, fictionalizes a puppet Manchuria in Northeast China in a special period, which is mainly used as a "peace hotel" for foreign friends.
In a short period of ten days, because of a failed arrest, diplomatic representatives from all walks of life on the international stage, including communist party, Nanjing National Government, Northeast Police who worked for the Puppet Manchuria, Kwantung Army, Japanese parties whose political opinions were different from those of the Kwantung Army, the United States and the Soviet Union, were temporarily blocked in this hotel and appeared in BLACKPINK one by one, cheating and using each other’s injuries.
"Peace Hotel" stills
According to the drama, the "Peace Hotel" we see now is a completely rebuilt venue, with an area of about 20,000 square meters. It has built an imaginary five-star hotel, covering all the details, including VIP rooms, guest rooms, elevators, stairs, casinos, restaurants, linen rooms, basements and sewers. And every part is used, even the pipeline for fast delivery of clothes upstairs has been photographed.
According to netizens’ summary, this is equivalent to a large-scale real-life werewolf killing.
Plan of the third floor of Peace Hotel
From this point of view, although unrelated, the "Peace Hotel" in the TV series really has an intersection with several hotels of the same name: love, diplomacy, murder, rivers and lakes.
Up to now, the Douban score and word-of-mouth of "Peace Hotel" are quite eye-catching in domestic spy war dramas, especially the three leading characters: Wang Dading (Lei Jiayin), a bandit who set me free in Northeast dialect, and Dou Shixiao (Li Guangjie), a puppet policeman, and Chen Jiaying (Chen Shu), an abstinence heroine who is an expert and underground party with high IQ. Often, the more obvious and extreme the personality characteristics are, the more difficult it is to perform, and the performance is human and difficult. The three of them are still in a relatively closed space and time, with almost no empty mirrors and cut scenes, and they test their acting skills and lines like a drama stage.
Lei Jiayin plays Wang Dading.
In the view of director Li Jun, this is also the "most complete" work of the starring lineup since his career. "Everyone’s acting skills are at a level."
Li Jun, a classmate of Wang Xiaoshuai and Lou Ye, was also named the sixth generation director when he just graduated, but he played himself more in the field of TV series. He has produced modern dramas about urban men and women, such as "Going to the North", "Landing, Please Turn on your mobile phone" and "Chinese Marriage". Last year, the movie "The Great Reversal" which was countered by word of mouth was his latest work.
Stills of "Landing, please turn on your mobile phone"
Stills of "The Great Reversal"
Spy warfare is no stranger to Li Jun. As early as 2005, he filmed the Red Pursuit Order, but Li Jun believes that the excitement is not exclusive to spy warfare. "I am personally interested in the works of extreme confrontation. For example, the Beishangguang series seems to be talking about urban love, but the emotional intensity is not lost to spy war dramas."
The reason why he chose Peace Hotel is that he and screenwriter Zhang Lai have been friends for many years. What’s more, like The Great Reversal, the script of Peace Hotel has many reversals, and the theme is different from that of other spy war dramas, which does not talk about tasks, but only about saving lives. "It is not based on the anti-Japanese war, but only talks about how these short 10 days have affected the World War II and the world pattern. The most interesting thing is that this group of people whose starting point is to save their lives has taken you to a high spiritual realm. " Li Jun said.
If you are familiar with the popular urban dramas he has filmed, you will know that Li Jun likes to shoot the toughness of women in these dramas. This time, as in Peace Hotel, Chen Shu, as a hostess, is an underground party and an expert in behavior trace analysis. Her IQ is like an open existence, and her ability is comparable to that of Mary Su. Li Jun explained that he believes that the audience will gradually accept such a person’s design, and this is a kind of integration of modernity.
"I like to shoot the strong side of women, with extremely strong personality, tension and no attachment to men. I think that at the moment, we dare to use Chen Jiaying as a big heroine in a spy war drama where the protagonist is usually a particularly serious man. This is a modern thinking. "
Chen Shu plays Chen Jiaying.
In fact, for the screenwriter Zhang Lai, it is not difficult to let the mistress open. "Chen Jiaying is actually very simple. She is a godlike mistress. The most difficult thing to write is the sergeant Dou played by Li Guangjie. It is difficult to grasp the fire. It not only shows publicity and inner restraint, but also shapes his complete personality. It is not a villain of Facebook. "
The reasons for the quirks and the gap between people’s minds have made Li Jun have high expectations for the script. He admitted that this gave him the opportunity to "show off his skills". "The principle for me to accept the play is to find points that meet my interests and present all the skills I have."
Li Jun’s idea of "presenting his own skills" is unique compared with the sixth generation directors we are familiar with. He has mentioned his views on the artistry of film and television works in more than one interview. This time, he frankly told reporters that he really doesn’t think that artistry is a pursuit for him, and he doesn’t recognize some educational methods in the current academic school.
"I am not a person who will strongly express my outlook on life and values in my works. I don’t think I have the right to express myself in commercial products. My job is professional, and I should give priority to meeting the needs of the audience. My very strong cognition is that the first attribute of all film and television products is commodities, and artistry is the packaging of commodities. It is hard to say that there is a measure of artistry, but what is finally recognized by the market, its aesthetic feeling and so on, is artistry. Artistic quality is often neglected in vocabulary. It is wrong that people think that what is not easy to understand and understand is art. All strong artistry is aimed at packaging the same commodity. "
Screenshot of Peace Hotel
It is worth noting that in the TV series "Peace Hotel", the leading actor Wang Dading is a bandit with the highest education in Northeast China. He studied beauty dance and mumbled about Shakespeare. He doesn’t think there is anything wrong with being an outlaw with a high degree of education, because the times make it more important to survive, and the armed forces can be liberated in the future, and they have embarked on a higher spiritual realm because of saving their lives. Many viewers couldn’t figure out the background of this role. The screenwriter Zhang Lai explained, "He has to be knowledgeable and have a certain culture, so that when he is a spy, he can talk to people and talk nonsense." But perhaps for Li Jun, Wang Dading itself is very intimate.
Director Li Jun.
[Dialogue]
"Peace Hotel is the most complete lineup since I filmed."
The Paper: Your previous works paid more attention to urban emotions, such as Chinese Marriage, Beishangguang Series, Landing, Please Turn on Your Mobile Phone. Why did you choose a spy war drama this time?
Li junActually, I have also made a spy war drama before, called The Red Pursuit Order, and I have also made a Dark Red. Personally, I am interested in the works that are extremely antagonistic. For example, the series of Beishangguang seems to be talking about urban love, but the emotional intensity is not lost to the spy war drama.
Poster of "Red Pursuit Order"
The Paper: From the scenery to the name, it has nothing to do with Peace Hotel starring Chow Yun Fat or Shanghai Peace Hotel?
Li junIt doesn’t matter at all. It is called "Peace Hotel" because we are a drama calling for peace. The overall style of this hotel is based on the most popular decoration concept in the world in the 1920s and 1930s, and some parts are more avant-garde. Through visual image, it is hoped that the audience can feel that what happened here is the epitome of the world.
The scenes inside the hotel account for 80% of the whole play, and 20% is to ensure that it is so breathable. After all, it depends entirely on the story that happens inside, and everyone doesn’t know what direction it will be threatened by fate. This requires a lot of scriptwriters and is very brainy and intelligent. In the end, we ensure that the overall logic of the story is very complex, but the single episode will not be difficult, otherwise the audience will not watch it.
The Paper: Did you personally choose the protagonists in Peace Hotel? For what reason?
Li junI chose all the actors. I’m lucky. I think this is the most complete lineup since I started filming.
"The most complete" means that everyone’s acting skills are on the same level. Peace Hotel is a group drama, and every role is very important. If one of them collapses, the sense of struggle of the group drama will be insufficient. I think I’ve done it, too. Even if foreign actors are here, everyone doesn’t think there will be a sense of disobedience.
And several leading actors can be said to have exceeded my expectations. For example, Li Guangjie was chosen to play the villain this time because he wanted to find something that might exist in the actor, but he never had a chance to present it. His performance was excellent.
Li Guangjie plays Dou Shizhen.
The Paper: Lei Jiayin is very funny in the play. Was he happy at the scene, too?
Li junNo, Lei Jiayin is a very professional actor. He is very professional and has a strong sense of faith. Many of our friends also like to post his emoticons in the circle of friends, but I think from my understanding of him, he feels that he needs to present such an image. He is not a comedy character himself, and he is even quiet at ordinary times. His jokes are all because he needs to cooperate with the role.
The PaperAfter the peak of spy war drama, it seems that the audience are familiar with the routines, methods and bridges of the same theme, and they are easy to get tired. "Peace Hotel" tells the story that happened in the same hotel for ten days, which is somewhat similar to "The Wind". What do you think is the attraction compared with ordinary spy war dramas?
Li junThis time, we filmed a typical escape from the secret room. For 10 days, the hotel was blocked and everyone was forced to come in. The biggest feature is that our hero, as a spy, has no task and just wants to save his life. For example, this bandit played by Lei Jiayin is actually here to pick up girls. After being threatened to come in, he saved his life while continuing to pick up girls, which can be said to be dancing on the tip of the knife. The starting point of his dancing is human instinct, not revolutionary ideal.
I think the great difference in this play is that it is not based on the anti-Japanese war, nor on China’s contribution to World War II and mankind, but only on how these short 10 days have affected World War II and the world pattern. The most interesting thing is that this group of people whose starting point is to save their lives have taken you to a high spiritual realm and conveyed a sense of responsibility to all mankind. I think that’s what communist party people looked like in my mind.
Screenshot of Peace Hotel
The Paper: Does the protagonist have a historical prototype? Or did you use real events in history?
Li junFrom the plot to the characters, they are original, but I think it is very likely that such characters really existed, but they were lost in history. In terms of scriptwriting techniques, we have added modern or even post-modern concepts, and added a sense of humor to adjust the transition at any time in the tension and decryption pleasure.
The PaperThe heroine Chen Jiaying is a patriotic overseas returned overseas Chinese doctor of medicine, a senior detective expert, and an expert in behavior trace analysis. She is particularly tall and has the feeling of being a big lady. Have you ever thought that in that revolutionary era, such women did not have great credibility in the eyes of the audience?
Li junPeople’s belief and unbelief are accumulated in a continuous process, not born. I believe that as the story progresses step by step, the audience will finally believe that there will be such a person as Chen Jiaying.
From my past works, you will find that I like to shoot the strong side of women. My heroines are usually extremely strong, tense and not attached to men. I think that at present, we dare to use Chen Jiaying as a big heroine in spy war dramas where the protagonist is usually a particularly serious man. This is a kind of modern thinking.
The PaperDo you tend to cooperate with actresses of the royal sister type?
Li junYes, I would like such actors, and there are also such actors who go out from my works, such as Christina.
"Peace Hotel" stills
The PaperIn recent years, the brain-burning spy war dramas have passed a peak in China, while other spy war dramas with younger actors and higher values are also liked by young people. They may not be novel or rigorous in logic. What do you think?
Li junNot only spy war dramas, but many dramas are younger and idolized. These are all attempts, but the current conclusion is not ideal. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the starting point of idolization of spy war dramas, but there are no successful examples so far.
"I like Lu Han very much. He has a feeling that Leslie Cheung shines when he was young."
The PaperIn your past works, did you try to avoid using small flowers and small students?
Li junObjectively speaking, my choice of actors first depends on the complexity of the role. Secondly, because I am not too young, I will be jealous of young actors (laughs).
As a director, after finishing the production of the whole play, there will be smuggling goods and conveying his own values and aesthetic orientation. My orientation is not so young men. In my personal opinion, the charm of a man will not be displayed until he enters a more mature age stage. But I’m not rejecting the flow of stars, or the flow is not good. Many young actors also have the strength, and I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with them.
The Paper: Is there any goal of cooperation?
Li junTo tell you the truth, I never watch entertainment news, and I seldom watch TV dramas, but I like Lu Han very much. I have seen him and seen his concerts. He has a clean, bright and luminous feeling like Leslie Cheung when he was young. There is also a Wu Yifan, whose appearance I like at first sight. He is very handsome.
The PaperSome people on the Internet commented that you were on the same level as Lou Ye and Wang Xiaoshuai, and you were labeled as the sixth generation director, but you actually took the road of TV series. Do you care about this label?
Li junThe people you mentioned are all my classmates and directors whom I respect and appreciate very much.
I think the so-called directors of the fifth and sixth generations were only in the state that China’s culture was very poor at that time, or the film genre was not very clear, so some film critics needed some statements to establish a label, that is, to divide them by generations.
I filmed The Past in Shanghai in 1996. At that time, some people said that I was a sixth-generation director. At that time, I couldn’t say that I was disgusted with this, but I was confused. Will there really be this generation? I think this generation needs us to have a common program, ideal and theme to express, but I don’t think we really have such a common sense of obligation and responsibility. The creation of film directors is very personal. Although they have a common brand in the times, they really have little in common. The only thing is that everyone is still pursuing something tangible in their hearts.
I haven’t really given much thought to the question of making a movie or a TV series. For me, the biggest attraction of movies is not the applause of flowers, but the possibility of narration is much greater than that of TV series. The TV play depends on the actors’ dialogues and lines to show it, and it needs to be filmed realistically. The film may not need lines, but one or two empty mirrors can convey it, allowing the director to express much more space. But after all, the greatest pleasure of being a director is telling stories. I will care whether my efforts satisfy the audience. As for the success of the purpose, the ratings and the box office, I can say that I have never paid attention.
Stills of Shanghai Past
The PaperCompared with your classmates, are you a director who follows the rules very much? There are often sensitive parts in their works.
Li junMany directors will strongly express their inner thoughts in their works, but I am not a person who will strongly express my outlook on life and values in my works. I don’t think I have the right to express myself in commercial products. My job is professional, and I should give priority to meeting the needs of the audience.
Some people who make art films may have a problem with Hollywood filmmakers, but in fact, many of their filmmakers are intellectuals and come from famous schools. Why do they want to hide their self-expression? This is the difference between professional and non-professional directors. If you cause property losses, I think you are responsible as a director. Does your inner voice need to be expressed in this way? Different people have different opinions.
The PaperDo you think this era has hampered you? Including the audience’s aesthetics, the choice of the film, what to invest in, which may be different from what you adhered to when you graduated from school?
Li junI always think that everything that exists has its rationality, and many things need to be adapted by yourself. For example, some young actors with poor ability can make them more attractive, and that is the problem of ability. On the other hand, when it comes to traffic stars, I will also look forward to working with them now. Maybe they are not so good at other people’s plays, but will they be different here? This is my value. As for who uses fire, I am very angry. My play can create higher commercial value, so it is not surprising that investors come to me.
The PaperAs you can see from your previous interviews, you emphasized the matter of professional director, and thought that China’s art education lacked logic and put too much emphasis on sensibility. Did you feel this way when you were at school? So you don’t really agree with the education you received at that time?
Li junI have a strong feeling about this. I used to joke with teachers and classmates, preaching that students’ artistic experience is very important, but I also taught them where to look when getting off the bus and which side to get off is more in line with the beauty of the camera. Pragmatic technology is the first thing to be done in college education, not sensibility. You want students to become basic industry practitioners first, and you must first be able to feed yourself. Every time I see someone who is forced to die in the circle, everyone sighs. I think it is his right to choose to live or die, but when we sum up his death to the conflict between ideal and social reality, it shows the lack of our basic education.
The current social environment is very different from that at that time. On the other hand, education should adapt to the development of the times and give people basic ability to survive first, rather than ambitious and whimsical things.
Being a professional director is actually much more demanding than being an artistic director. You have to be able to adapt to various types of films, such as the idol drama "The King Behind the Scenes" I am shooting recently. I think I can give it a higher aesthetic than idol drama, and I can also give candy. There are several plots that surprised the actors and said, "Can it still be so sultry?"
Poster of "The King Behind the Scene"
The PaperThe filming of "The King Behind the Scenes" is in collaboration with Zhou Dongyu, who is already the golden horse winner. Is it difficult to improve her performance?
Li junZhou Dongyu used to play more spiritual girls. This time, it is a great challenge for her to play the so-called professional elite. I believe that she works very hard and can also integrate her personal characteristics into professional women.
The PaperProfessional directors who can control various themes are common, but artistry is often the lifelong pursuit of many directors. Do you pursue artistry?
Li jun: No, my very strong cognition is that the first attribute of all film and television products is commodities, and artistry is the packaging of commodities. But the goods should also be divided into high and low. Why is the same material worth hundreds of thousands of Hermes bags? The most important thing is artistry. It is hard to say that there is a measure of artistry, but what is finally recognized by the market, its aesthetic feeling and so on, is artistry. Artistic quality is often neglected in vocabulary. It is wrong that people think that what is not easy to understand and understand is art. All strong artistry is aimed at packaging a commodity. The packaging of so-called art films is to attract some people who like it to watch it in a form that ordinary people are not willing to accept.
