"The Thirteen Langs of the South Sea" is a 1997 Hong Kong film directed by Ko Chi-sum and starring Tse Kwan Ho, which tells the legendary life of a talented Cantonese opera screenwriter, Jiang Yubiao (The Thirteen Langs of the South China Sea). The film is based on the eponymous work by To Kwok-wai, and the original book won the 10th Hong Kong Book Award. However, before the release of the film, in order to meet the screening standards, some important plots were deleted, which led to the integrity and quality of the film being affected.
The storyteller's line in the movie lacks a beginning that leads to the story of Nankai Shimaro and all the plots where the storyteller meets Nankai Shimaro later. The structure of the original ** is to tell the story of Nanhai Shisanlang in the voice of a storyteller, which can not only highlight the legend of Nanhai Shisanlang, but also reflect the unique perspective and feelings of the storyteller. This part is deleted from the film, which makes the film lack a clue of guidance and connection, and also loses a dramatic effect.
Thirteen Lang watched the play when he was a child, and later went to Xue Juexian to pull the cavity and walk the board, which was deleted. This paragraph is an important plot to show Shisanlang's love and talent for Cantonese opera, and it is also the starting point of his relationship with Xue Juexian. This paragraph was deleted from the movie, which made Shisanlang's growth process and relationship with Xue Juexian seem to lack foreshadowing and motivation.
The two years that Jusanlang and Lily were in Shanghai were deleted. This section is an important plot that shows Jusan Lang's pursuit and loss of love, and it is also the climax of his relationship with Lily. This paragraph was deleted from the movie, which made the love between Jusan Lang and Lily seem pale and thin, and also weakened Jusan Lang's later tragedy.