Respawn Entertainment: Days of Glory

Chapter 924 A Masterpiece of Realism
Along with the "boiling" sound, there was also the clamor of electric guitars and drums, and the rhythmic energy that erupted from all the musicians on stage.

Bian Lang, who was strumming the rhythm, took a step back and engaged in a battle with the other two guitarists. On the two side screens, Bian Lang's sweaty and ferocious expression, full of masculine hormones, paired with the somewhat obscure cinematic shots on the main screen, made Duan Yu feel that this could easily serve as a music video for Bian Lang's song, while also functioning as a movie trailer.

The film itself contains some passionate scenes, but the background of the male and female leads gives the impression of pure desire for a drunken release. Now, with the addition of these walking hormones from a rock concert, I believe many artsy female bohemians will be captivated.

Let alone the female fans watching the trailer, quite a few of them couldn't stand it at the scene. After Bian Lang yelled "Like a jar" for the second time, their various lewd words made the Chinese male celebrities in the quarantine area blush.

"No wonder Bian Lang wants to do an overseas tour, how exciting!"

Hearing Liu Dawei's ignorant remarks, An Feng rolled his eyes at him and said, "Have you never been to the Rolling Stones Music Festival? The girls in China aren't necessarily worse than those abroad!"

"Guo'er? What does 'Guo'er' mean?"

"It's short for 'bone and flesh skin.' I can't explain it to someone from Shanghai like you. When you go to Beijing to film, just ask a couple of old-timers and you'll understand!"

"Tell me now and what will happen..."

The main reason was that An Feng was too embarrassed to explain what "bone and flesh skin" was in front of so many people. Fortunately, at that moment, Bian Lang's singing came from the stage again: "That was a rhapsody stripped of reality, baby, don't go, don't go... Our love was distorted in our memories back then, never, never again, never again..."

With only keyboard and bass drum accompaniment, combined with the editing of various crazy scenes of the male protagonist on the main screen, it really gives the feeling of directly presenting the imagery of the lyrics.

Some music fans who aren't very good at making connections are probably thinking, "Holy crap! That's how this song should be interpreted!"

But if you ask Bian Lang, he'll probably say, "You can't just listen to one of these songs; you have to listen to all three in a row!"

As for which two other songs are included besides this one, Bian Lang will definitely keep it a secret and won't say. But he will definitely find an opportunity to perform all three songs together at a live event. Those who understand will understand then.

The next moment, Liu Huzhou and Zhang Ting in the harmony moved, their two deep voices echoing behind Bian Lang's mid-range, creating a reverberant effect reminiscent of a concert hall: "We love you, we are afraid, we go away playfully, we go in groups of three or five..."

"We drank ourselves into a stupor, promising to go back, but now we're just drifting around in the shattered photo album..."

This almost obsessive dedication prompted Adams to ask Evelyn, "Bian Lang is so into this movie, what's going on?"

Evelyn was only in charge of overseas business; this film was made in China, so it wasn't her responsibility. But considering what she knew about the whole story, she finally said seriously, "I'll give you a detailed report after it's over!"

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to drink too much tonight. If I don't have a chance, remember to remind me tomorrow!"

Adams's intuition told him that as long as he followed Bian Lang's lead, making money was inevitable; it was just a matter of how much he would make!

"You said the river in your hometown had dried up, you said your favorite flowers bloomed there... Mercedes laughed heartily, masking the fact that it closed at nine o'clock and the streets were deserted..."

Guo Sichu wasn't idle either. After Bian Lang finished singing that part, she joined Tao Xiaoyu and Yang Meng in singing along: "La la... la la la..."

Bian Lang, having put down his guitar, strode over to the second drum position, which was under Lin Yaorong's control, and stood on the prepared drumsticks to start playing.

At the same time, the large screen behind him showed scenes of the male protagonist acting strangely after learning that his wife had left home.

The gripping drumbeats and instrumental vocals amplify the already oppressive visual language, creating an atmosphere that suggests the pain of holding it in and the pain of shouting it out.

It's like someone telling you that if you're heartbroken, you should find a place to yell and vent: "XXX, get lost! I don't want you!"

Shouting the first line feels absolutely exhilarating! But as you keep shouting it, tears are bound to fall!

Every single one of the foreign musicians in the audience felt that no matter how much they overestimated Bian Lang, they ultimately underestimated him. They weren't ordinary audience members; they knew the song had only been written the day before.

In such a short period of time, Bian Lang has been able to enrich the arrangement to this extent. If they were to put themselves in his shoes, it would be impossible for them to do so.

The key point is that every part of this arrangement seems to be meticulously designed.

"That woman's chanting is the male protagonist's wife's mockery!"

Just as the interlude was about to end, Bian Lang returned to the microphone, caught his breath, and continued singing with the same fierce energy he had at the beginning:
"His wife left home several years ago, his father sits in a mahjong parlor smoking, and outside the window, thick smoke billows from the factory buildings. They've sold off the farmland that their family has cultivated for generations..."

Four more lines of lyrics, like a summary of a movie review, brought Duan Yu to tears once again!
He felt that his firm decision to cast Bian Lang was absolutely the best decision for the film. Putting aside the fact that the song was suitable, just the fact that they could get a hard-hitting advertisement at the last stop of Rolling Stone's European tour was something that money couldn't buy.

It's hard to say whether there are members of the Berlin Film Festival's jury present right now... His idea is nice, but the reality is that there aren't, although there are a few film studio owners there.

If they understood the film at the Berlin Film Festival, they'd probably just nod and leave, not bothering to watch the screenings. After all, the artistic standards of Chinese-language films competing for awards at the three major European film festivals aren't as high as they used to be.

To put it bluntly, the feeling of these art films changed when Chinese movie stars started investing in award-winning films to boost their status. While the cinematography might be beautiful, the overall effect felt like a veiled attempt to portray China as backward in order to garner attention and sympathy from Westerners.

If it were at the end of the last century, these kinds of topics would indeed be easily noticed by the judges of the three major film festivals.

But now that it's already a year starting with 22, this tactic has lost much of its appeal to both the audience and the judges, as well as to exaggerated or even fabricated suffering.

However, after watching this realistic film, they still had some thoughts: "Is this about the tragedy of an era?"

"Perhaps! But in any case, with this Rolling Stones song, there will definitely be an audience in the European market!"

That's absolutely true, and these astute businessmen also connected it to another question. Since Bian Lang is already banned from performing in China, would Rolling Stone Records possibly come to promote the film abroad?

Once they had this idea, these guys started to get creative.

“Like a jar!” Bian Lang began shouting these two earth-shattering words over and over again, while the other choruses continued singing at a leisurely pace: “We love you, we are afraid, we go away playfully, we go in groups of three or five…” Then Bian Lang joined in the verses: “We, drunk after a wild drinking spree, promised to go back, but in the torn photo album, we drift and drift…”

The vocals, enhanced with effects, are erratic and unpredictable, sounding like either a player with unstable voltage or a tampered cassette tape. They not only bear the mark of a certain era but also perfectly convey a sense of helplessness!

"Like a jar!"

True rock and roll is about expressing anger and attitude towards society, using an art form to resonate with more people! Clearly, this song has succeeded in doing so!

The Chinese music fans in the audience were drawn into the themes of "bride price," "wife leaving home," "factory," and "selling land." Especially the fans from Dongshan Province; many of them, once they left, didn't want to go back—not because they didn't want to, but because they truly couldn't.

If they rely solely on their memories, the current state of their hometown, a place brimming with stories, has left them unable to even think about the future!

But actually, this song has nothing to do with weddings; it's about the author's third uncle.

Mr. Nan Chui's original words were: "The deceased in the 93 county town murder case was my third uncle. In my memory, he played the erhu beautifully, was stubborn, and was very talented. I think if he hadn't passed away that year, my childhood and the memories of my family would not be like this, and there would definitely be less regret, alcohol, and quarrels."

Thirty years have passed, and this case remains unsolved, gradually forgotten... But I still think, it must have been incredibly painful for someone to be stabbed to death! I wonder if the killer is feeling any pain right now?

The author's grandfather, who was also the father of the author's third uncle, paved the way for the author's third uncle, from introducing him to jobs to providing dowry money for his marriage.

Originally, the author's third uncle had a happy and fulfilling family, but he was murdered, which was the county murder case in 93 that the author mentioned in the pinned post. This led to the breakdown of the author's third uncle's family, the author's third aunt leaving home, and the author's grandfather selling his farmland to pay for his son's funeral. After that, he also became depressed and spent his time in mahjong parlors.

The song's narrative perspective is likely from the viewpoint of the author's third uncle's generation, telling a tragic story of a life that was just beginning to improve when it was suddenly struck by a major tragedy.

But as I said before, let's not let the tragedy of our times become our tragedy.

In China at this point in time, the probability of such a thing happening is extremely low, but it is indeed somewhat heavy to recreate that period through film and television works, but it can also make people reflect on some issues!
However, setting aside the real background of its creation, the song did indeed allow listeners to find an outlet for their emotions and a genuine expression of their feelings.

We find resonance, strength, and even ourselves in songs. As children, we liked catchy, upbeat, and sophisticated songs, but now we prefer songs about life, the world, and emotional release. Our emotions follow the lyrics and melody, but the purpose of these songs is to leave us feeling dissatisfied with our current situation, not to be pessimistic for the sake of being pessimistic.

Of course, some people think that many people focus on the million-dollar bride price mentioned in the opening sentence in order to amplify social contradictions.

From a storytelling perspective, this can also be seen as a clear storyline, telling the tale of a man who works in a factory to earn money to marry a wife, only to have her run away with a Mercedes-Benz. The essence of this story is the yearning for a better life and the ultimate disillusionment, reminiscing about the past in a muddled and broken existence.

Those youthful days and dreams spent in small groups, those aspirations to return home, all eventually faded away in the workstations and disappeared in torn photo albums.

This is another kind of rural literature, a rural life where people sell their farmland to work in factories, a rural life that is unattainable and can only be longed for, and the "bride price" is just the most intense point of conflict. If the wife can live a stable and happy life with the protagonist, then this "one million" will not affect the smile on his face.

Finally, immersed in the performance, Bian Lang began to recall various aspects of the song in his mind.

He remembered that in the years that followed, he would occasionally check if Mr. Nan Chui had left anything in the comments section of this song. Then, one or two years after the song was released, Bian Lang saw the part about Uncle San.

And also:

Ugly Duckling and the Extraterrestrials (1987)

A murder case in the county town in 1993; the reincarnation of a child spirit and the burning of paper effigies to prolong life in 2001.
Studying and Arrogance in 2006
Fufeng Group was established and put into operation in Hulunbuir City in 2010. It was officially launched in 2018. (The last part, "龙盘兔" (Longpan Rabbit), appears to be unrelated and likely refers to a different product or business.)
2021 Sanlian Weekly – The Case of a 14-Year-Old Girl Who Murdered Her Mother
In 2021, liver cancer offered no solace; one patient leaped off a bridge to his death…

Whenever Bian Lang thinks about these things, he also recalls a song: "Li Jinming".

Compared to the abstract nature of this poem, "Li Jinming" is more concrete, and in Bian Lang's opinion, both are masterpieces.

Bian Lang discovered this song after seeing Erdi's introduction, and then went to see Yan Zehuan's live performance.

Bian Lang felt that the music created a documentary-like quality.

The tears under the dilapidated eaves, the clatter of the coffin lid, the steam rising from the hot noodle soup—this isn't a melodramatic soap opera, but rather the most clumsy yet resilient way of living, clung tightly to by countless "Li Jinmings" amidst the impermanence of life. His roar, "I didn't dare turn back," but who could turn back? This became the catalyst for countless tears shed at the scene!

Bian Lang recalls that someone commented on this song: "May we eventually strive to walk out our own vibrant and passionate path in the years to come."

However, Yan Zehuan's own interpretation of this poem is:
"I want to go back to the city. I came out of the mountains and passed through a village."

There were elderly people sunbathing at every doorway, including those watching me.

I asked in my hometown dialect if I could have a bowl of noodles, and after I got it, I squatted down at the door and ate with them.

Villager: Li Jinming...

He returned the bowl to the villager and wiped his mouth.

Me: It seems like it's not just Li Jinming, right?

Villager: Absolutely, it's deep in the mountains. Li Jinming, there are many more.

"I've got it. I'm off!"

Before Bian Lang was banned, he probably would have thought that he should tone down this kind of realistic hit song.

But now, inspired by Duan Yu's movie, he feels that he can write some shocking things like this in the future.

(End of this chapter)