The Dream of the Red Chamber
In 2007, the final competition was held in Beijing to select actors for a new edition of The Dream of the Red Chamber movie. Actually, there have had a bunch of video productions derived from this world famous chef-d’oeuvre. In the autumn of 1924, Mingxin Film and Video Corporation made a Peking opera- mode short film of The Dream of the Red Chamber, played by the reputable actor– Mei Lanfang . This can be called the first adaptation of the book on screen
After that, series of films are made as well as some Shaosing opera [prevalent in Chekiang and Shanghai]. They were all very popular at their time.
Among them, the most influential one shoul be the 1987- version. It was screened by CCTV. Even today we can still see the series played on TV. Personally, I enjoy this version the most. I think both the sets and the actors are very professional. The whole play seems like a real portraiture of the life back at a certain period of ancient China. All the actors are fully devoted to this play. They spent totally three years in the the Grandeur Garden in order to form a living habit closest to the characters. Thus the play is as successful as it always is.
The competition held last year has received floats of criticism. As a supporter of the 1987- version, I personally don’t like the idea of retaking the play. I think it will cause unnecessary upset of my fixed imagination of the work. However, preparations are being done for their retake recently.
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