On The Problem Of Classics Remaking

At present, consumerism is permeating into every aspects of sociallife, the concept of consumption and that of value of nowadays peoplehas undergone tremendous changes. With its rich cultural connotation andextremely high aesthetic value, Classics play a great role for theconsumerism and electronic media, the film adaptations of literaryclassics, show signs of growing prosperity. In recent years, a dream ofRed Mansions, Journey to the west, Romance of the Three Kingdoms,Water Margin have been prescreened into television screen. Recognizedas the four Chinese classics, their remaking have been concerned by thecommon audience and scholars. The problems appeared in the remaking,and the controversy caused by showing also worth inquiry. The mainfocus of this thesis is the problem of classics remaking in theconsumption era.The whole analysis mainly based on the TV plays filmed by CCTV(as referred in the essay as the old version)and the newly filmed TVdramas (a dream of Red Mansions directed by shaohong li, ThreeKingdoms directed by xixi gao, Water Margin directed by jueliang ju andjizhong zhang’s version of Journey to the west) and aimed to discover the big changes between the also the big reflection caused by the cultureof consumption. Focuses on the analysis of the four masterpieces andanalyses the different characterization of consumption which includesconsumption of symbol, vision, desire and pleasure.During the era of consumption, the real energy that pushes the massconsuming is now what the consumable are standing for. The fourmasterpieces, symbols as the Chinese culture; the actors, directors,symbols as the pop culture are both now becoming the consumables. Theconsumerism stimulates the desire of the mass consuming in every ways,arouses the searching for sensual pleasures, encourages the satisfactionfor instant urges. Through the analysis of the figuring, scenes, images,plots and lines in the new versions, the essay tries to reveal the tendenciesof completely consumerism, the shallowness of the adaptation and thetawdry mass pleasure.After the collecting and statistical works of the questionnaire surveyresults have been done, the chapter three takes a viewpoint—thereception aesthetics to analyze the viewing motivation and expectinghorizon among the audiences towards the newly filmed TV dramas of thefour masterpieces. Just opposite to what they are always advertising"faithful to the originals", the new version actually deviate from the spritof the originals and used every methods trying to please the mass,however met the audiences’ expecting at a misunderstanding area at last. Analysis of the new trend of remake in domestic movie market and howthe remake work failed to satisfy the audience, to reveal the problems theremakes are facing and tries to give them suggestible solutions.