In 1992, "Garrison's Expendables" re-entered the Chinese field of vision, but the American drama that caused a huge sensation was cut in half halfway through the broadcast, and it was only resumed after 10 years of hiatus. Behind this is profound social changes, and it also reflects the evolution of people's ideological concepts.
The sensational Garrison's Expendables
As the second American drama to be imported from China, "Garrison's Expendables" began every Saturday at 8 p.m. in October 1980. The show is presented in 26 episodes and tells the story of Lieutenant Garrison in the late stages of World War II who gather a group of murderers, bandits, and thieves from prison to form a death squad. Each team had its own characteristics, and with the purpose of making meritorious service and atonement for their crimes, they made full use of their respective strengths to carry out secret missions in various European countries to attack the German army, and finally turned the tide of the war.
An alternative hero in war.
For Chinese teenagers born in the 1960s who like war movies, the appearance of "Garrison's Expendables" is a shock. After "The Southern Expedition and the Northern War", this drama presented them with the image of an alternative hero in the war. Even today, many people can still feel the excitement of those years when they rewatch this drama.
The social problems brought about by the film.
However, the show also brings a series of social problems. In those days, city dwellers had limited entertainment options and television sets were not widely available. Young people passed on the word of mouth and remembered the name of this death squad, and this was enough for those unemployed youth. In 1979, the number of unemployed people in cities reached 20 million, the highest since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The pressure on the city is even greater, with 400,000 unemployed people in Beijing, accounting for 86% of the city's total population. In this case, Garrison's Expendables becomes a street-savvy element.
According to a survey conducted in Beijing, some young people were facing economic hardship, depressed thinking, and pessimistic and disappointed. A large number of young people have nothing to do and wander around society, and the crime rate has risen, corrupting the social atmosphere. **According to the report, some teenagers imitated the plot in the play to practice Xi flying knives, and thieves also imitated the plot to carry out serial thefts. Even students smoking, drinking, and acting handsome were all affected by this drama.
Research by sociologists has shown that the discontinued release of "Garrison's Death Squad" is closely related to the intensification of law and order problems at the time. In those years, a number of brave gangsters sprung up on the streets, the most famous of which were the kitchen knife team in Tangshan and the axe gang in Hunan, which directly led to the beginning of the "Strike Hard" campaign in 1983.
The reason behind the shutdown.
After 16 episodes, "Garrison's Expendables" suddenly stopped broadcasting, telling the audience in white on a black background: This show is over. Although the plot is not really over, this suspension has become a major event in the cultural world. Viewers have written letters to ** TV station, which has become a major event in the history of CCTV.
It wasn't until 1992 that the remaining 10 episodes of "Garrison's Expendables" were officially released on major TV stations across the country. Time has passed, and the 2003 book "The First and Change of **TV Station" revealed the reason for the disconnection: "This 26-episode series was considered a pure entertainment film with little artistic value and was discontinued for half of the time. Although censors did not explicitly explain the reason for the suspension, the incident had a profound impact on domestic TV dramas.
Conclusion: Social benefits are paramount.
Looking back on this history, it is easy to think of other similar films, such as the "Crazy Boy" series. These films not only portray the underworld characters in a positive light, but also have a negative impact on the healthy development of Hong Kong's young people, and in fact advocate a culture of rushing for quick success, which has been criticized and boycotted by the education circles and parents. The social benefits of the work always come first, and we should not act rashly for the sake of business, create "bright" points, or even become a textbook for bad people. What should we make of a similar situation?
Through the history of the discontinuation of "Garrison's Expendables", we see the social phenomena and conceptual changes of an era. This not only makes people think about the impact of film and television works on society, but also calls on us to pay more attention to social responsibility in the entertainment industry to ensure that the social benefits of works are paramount.
Garrison's Expendables is an American drama that caused a huge sensation in China, however, its abrupt suspension and re-airing has provoked deep reflection on social phenomena and cultural implications. In the early days of its introduction, the drama attracted a large audience, especially teenagers, by telling the story of a death squad of prisoners who went on a secret mission in the late stages of World War II. However, it also caused a series of problems in Chinese society and became a catalyst for the bad behavior of urban youth at the time.
First of all, the anti-hero theme in the play allows the audience to see the unusual heroic images of the war, which is in stark contrast to the expectations of Chinese audiences for war-themed works at that time. The audience is accustomed to seeing the image of heroic and upright soldiers in legendary films such as "Southern Expedition and Northern War", and suddenly seeing the team of prisoners become heroes, it has a profound impact on the psychology of teenagers. This kind of character setting not only makes people re-examine the humanity in the war, but also provides the audience with a new aesthetic experience.
However, it is this particular heroic theme that also brings a series of social problems. The street salvation plot in the TV series became a reflection of the social instability at that time. Reports of young people practicing Xi throwing knives and thefts, as well as the emergence of some hooligans, have sharply increased the problem of law and order. This has not only attracted the attention of sociologists, but also worried ** and parents. The rebellious and uninhibited emotions conveyed by the TV series conflicted with the expectations of social stability at that time, which made the audience imperceptibly suffer some adverse effects while pursuing excitement.
The reason for the suspension was that the show was considered a purely entertaining film and lacked artistic value. This caused widespread concern and controversy, causing viewers to express their dissatisfaction to ** TV. After the hiatus, "Garrison's Expendables" became a popular choice for video theaters, proving the audience's enthusiastic pursuit of the show. However, it wasn't until 10 years later that the remaining 10 episodes were officially released on television**, indicating that the censors have been cautious about the show.
The enthusiastic response from the audience and the strong pursuit of TV dramas also reflected the desire for cultural products and the demand for entertainment in Chinese society at that time. However, the social phenomena presented in the play and the impact on young people also remind us that we need to pay more attention to social responsibility in the cultural industry. As a producer of entertainment products, we should consider the potential impact of the work on society while pursuing commercial success, and ensure that its social benefits are paramount. This is also a question that we need to think about in the entertainment industry today.
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