If you want to ask which of the four famous novels remade by CCTV is better, presumably different audiences have their own answers in their hearts.
But if you want to ask which one has the most difficult and classic filming process, there is no doubt that it is "86 version of Journey to the West".
As the first self-filmed mythological adaptation TV series in China,Although "Journey to the West" was born at an untimely time, it brought countless joys to people of that era.
But it is clear that the TV series has achieved great success, why did director Yang Jie say "regret filming "Journey to the West" more than ten years after the end of filming?
In the 80s of the last century, Yang Jie received the task of filming "Journey to the West" commissioned by CCTV.
Due to the identity of the four famous novels of "Journey to the West", Yang Jie felt great pressure from the beginning.
If the shooting is good, it is easy to say, but once it does not meet the psychological expectations of the people, it is not just as simple as "leaving a stench for 10,000 years".
So before the filming began, Yang Jie put a lot of effort into casting.
But there is a saying: "The sky does not follow people's wishes", and some things do not reap the results of hard work.
For example, the four most important Tang monks and apprentices in "Journey to the West", among them, the casting of the most important Tang monks and Monkey King made Yang Jie feel a headache.
I believe that many viewers have found that the actor of Tang Seng alone has changed three times when he was in Journey to the West.
The first actor to play Tang Seng was Wang Yue, who had just graduated from Beiying when he starred in "Journey to the West".
When he first came to the crew, Wang Yue's heart was still very excited.
After all, not everyone can have such luck as being able to star in a famous novel like "Journey to the West" just after work.
Although at the beginning, everyone else in the director team thought that Wang Yue could not play Tang Seng well, because he was slightly darker and did not have the richness of Tang Seng.
But Yang Jieli overrode public opinion and insisted on using Wang Yue as the starring role of Tang Seng, which allowed Wang Yue to star in the first few episodes of "Journey to the West".
But although Yang Jie recognized Wang Yue's acting skills, Wang Yue muttered in his heart.
First, because a teacher at that time advised Wang Yue not to star in Journey to the West, because he had just graduated.
If the first work after graduation leaves too deep an impression on the audience, it will be very difficult to change the drama in the future.
In addition, Zhang Fengyi, Wang Yue's classmate at that time, had already starred in a movie, and the weight of movies and TV series in the hearts of actors was very different in that era.
Coincidentally, at this time, a film crew threw an olive branch to Wang Yue.
was already unstable in his heart, and there was a comparison psychology among his classmates, and at this time the opportunity was sent to Wang Yue, and it was difficult for him not to choose to star in the movie.
Although he wanted to act at both ends at the beginning, he tried not to make trouble for the crews on both sides.
But Yang Jie found it difficult to accept Wang Yue's idea, and then changed to a new actor Xu Shaohua.
Compared with Wang Yue, Xu Shaohua should be called the most classic generation of Tang monks.
He not only has fine skin and tender meat, but also has the wealth of Tang monks, but also starred in key plots such as "Daughter Country".
But Xu Shaohua didn't last until the end, and left the crew because of school in the middle, which also made Yang Jie very sad.
The third Tang Seng actor is Chi Chongrui, who accompanied the crew to the end, and is also the most recognized generation of Tang Seng by today's audience.
Chi Chongrui was conscientious in the crew, finished the remaining episodes of Journey to the West, and also interviewed many times about Journey to the West.
It can be said that among the three Tang Seng actors, only Chi Chongrui has a clear conscience for the crew.
In addition to Tang Seng, the role with the biggest problem in casting is the "male No. 1" Sun Wukong.
In order to find an actor who can perform "monkey flavor", Yang Jie traveled between the two major monkey factions in the north and south, and finally chose the "six-year-old child" Zhang Jinlai under the recommendation of Zhang Zongyi, the monkey king of the southern faction.
In fact, at the beginning, the starring role that Yang Jie wanted to choose was not Zhang Jinlai, but Liu Jianyang, who is known as the "Monkey King of Jiangnan".
Liu Jianyang is the best ** under Zhang Zongyi, and he is also one of the people who have followed him for the longest time.
But Zhang Zongyi knows what kind of opportunity "Journey to the West" is, and he doesn't want to waste this opportunity.
At the age of sixty, he strongly recommended his son Zhang Jinlai to Yang Jie, but Yang Jie couldn't hold his arms and thighs, and finally agreed to let Zhang Jinlai play the role of Sun Wukong.
Fortunately, Zhang Jinlai did not live up to the expectations of his father and Yang Jie, and he successfully played the role of "live" Sun Wukong.
It can be said that the success of "Journey to the West" is inseparable from Zhang Jinlai's efforts, and Zhang Jinlai has also become the most classic Monkey King in the hearts of a generation.
But the success of "Journey to the West" did not make Yang Jie feel happy, but made her regret making this drama.
Many people don't understand why "Journey to the West" was a great success, but Yang Jie, as a director, regretted it very much.
In fact, the truth is very simple, because the audience only sees the glory on the screen, but does not see the warmth and coldness behind the screen.
After the success of "Journey to the West", the crew received invitations from abroad while gaining fame and fortune.
And Yang Jie was not stingy, and immediately prepared to let the entire crew go abroad to promote traditional culture.
But she didn't expect that no matter how she called for it, the crew still couldn't afford it, and even the most important Tang monk and apprentice didn't come.
After inquiry, she learned that the three Tang monks and apprentices had taken the stage without informing.
Yang Jie, who was furious, immediately called Chi Chongrui**, wanting to ask them what they thought.
Unexpectedly, Chi Chongrui on the other end of the ** also looked innocent, he was obviously resting at home, why did such news come out.
It turns out that this Tang monk master and apprentice is not the Tang monk's master and apprentice, although the apprentice who appeared in the commercial performance has not changed, but the master has become Xu Shaohua.
Xu Shaohua left the crew early, and Yang Jie naturally couldn't control him, so he could only criticize and educate the three apprentices.
Unexpectedly, the three apprentices actually stabbed this matter to CCTV, which indirectly led to Yang Jie's expulsion from the station.
It is precisely because of this incident that Yang Jie said the sentence that she regretted filming Journey to the West.
It wasn't until many years later that the three apprentices realized their mistakes and apologized like Director Yang Jie, and the few of them finally reconciled.
In that difficult era, Yang Jie contributed too much to "Journey to the West".
She is not as lofty as today's big directors, but closely follows the filming progress of the crew throughout the whole process and does everything herself.
It is precisely because of such a leader that the Journey to the West crew was able to survive difficulties again and again and successfully reproduce this classic.
I hope that director Yang Jie will have some comfort in the spirit of heaven, and I also hope that there will be more good directors like Yang Jie in internal entertainment.