This director is vindictive.

Chapter 245: It will make your blood boil, and it will also leave you feeling like you have a fishbone stuck in your throat.

It's not that Wang Jun of Huayi Brothers and Guan Huhui, the director of "The Eight Hundred," are in the same boat; it's mainly because Chen Mo is just too eccentric.

It's truly a double-edged sword!
A saying has even started circulating online: "A truly great movie dares to invite Chen Mo to its premiere!"

Although it was just a joke among netizens, no one really thought it was just a joke.

Just like Chen Mo's movie premiere, it has now become an industry benchmark, especially the "Chinese entertainment starlets" in the first row, which has almost become a recognized authoritative certification.

So, after thinking about it for a long time, Wang Jun still called Chen Mo: "Director Chen, please go easy on me!"

Chen Mo felt a little wronged. What the hell is this "please be kind"? I didn't say anything! It's all those stupid netizens and stupid media that are making wild interpretations, okay?

He really felt wronged!

"Mr. Wang, maybe I shouldn't go? You know, no matter what I say, it will be misinterpreted!" Chen Mo said.

"Hahaha! Just kidding. Director Chen, you're now a standard trendsetter at movie premieres. Netizens say that if they don't dare invite you to a premiere, it must be a bad movie!" Wang Jun quickly said.

What a joke! Although Chen Mo is indeed a double-edged sword, as long as the movie isn't bad, it's an excellent publicity weapon!

To put it bluntly, if the movie is good, then Chen Mo's promotional power alone can be equivalent to the promotional effect of millions or tens of millions of dollars!
Don't be fooled by the fact that Chen Mo attended the premiere of "Vanguard" and was then misinterpreted by the media and netizens. In reality, it might not actually be a bad thing for "Vanguard".

At least the exposure is real.

Although it was relatively negative, it really can't be blamed on Chen Mo; it's just that the movie itself was bad.

Otherwise, this kind of exposure is something you can only dream of.

The next day, Chen Mo brought Yang Mi and Zhao Liying to the premiere of "The Eight Hundred".

Wang Jun and Guan Hu both came to greet them immediately.

"Director Chen, I have a request! Please grant it." Guan Hu said with a smile.

Chen Mo asked with some surprise, "What does Director Guan want to say?"

Guan Hu said with a wry smile, "After the premiere, if there are any shortcomings in the film, please point them out directly, Director Chen. Please don't just say polite things!"

Chen Mo was a little dumbfounded. Wasn't he supposed to be this assertive?

Guan Hu continued, "I'm mainly worried about the media and netizens over-interpreting it!"

"So please don't hold back, speak your mind!"

"Hahaha!" Everyone couldn't help but laugh, even the media personnel couldn't help but smile.

It is evident that Chen Yin-Yang Master's power is indeed immense, which is why Guan Hu immediately took precautions.

However, compared to "Vanguard," which has obvious flaws but few strengths, "The Eight Hundred" actually has very obvious strengths and weaknesses.

Unlike at the premiere of "Vanguard," Chen Mo was no longer at a loss for words when it came to how to evaluate the film.

However, it's alright. Chen Mo really wanted to say, "I really didn't mean it," but the movie was just awful, so what could he do?
It's not appropriate to say anything directly about this kind of movie, so we can only respond with polite words.

But honestly, were the things I said really what everyone interpreted them to mean? Definitely not, right?
I, Chen Mo, am an honest and trustworthy young man who never tells a lie!

The premiere of "The Eight Hundred" has begun.

Listening to Guan Hu on stage talking eloquently about how he did things to recreate historical scenes during filming, Chen Mo couldn't help but shake his head.

In fact, "The Eight Hundred" was both made and broken by history.

Why do you say that?

Because the defense of Sihang Warehouse is a real historical event, and it is documented in historical records.

However, "The Eight Hundred" underwent a great deal of artistic processing, which can be said to have created a huge disconnect between the entire film and the historical events.

If you're just talking about the movie itself, there's nothing wrong with that, since movies can't completely follow historical facts. But when you're promoting it, you're talking about history and how it's faithful to the original.

The claims of "seven years of preparation", "a 1:1 replica of the Sihang Warehouse", and "verification of a large amount of historical data" are false.
Guan Hu even claimed, "We want the audience to see the most authentic War of Resistance against Japan."

This is why the film received mixed reviews after its release.

Getting back to the main point, the premiere ceremony was finally over, and the movie began to be shown.

Chen Mo had seen this movie in his previous life, but in this life, perhaps because of his different identity, or perhaps because he had filmed more movies.

Therefore, Chen Mo naturally viewed the film from the perspective of a director.

how to say?

The earlier scenes did feel somewhat redundant.

The movie doesn't explain why the Battle of Sihang Warehouse was fought. Chen Mo doesn't know what Guan Hu was thinking, but it's safe to say that if you're a viewer who isn't very familiar with this period of history, watching it will feel particularly awkward.

Because the defense of Sihang Warehouse was actually a "performance" in history!
The entire film focuses on "how to fight," but hardly explains "why to fight."

The defending soldiers were bewildered: "What are we fighting so hard for here?" But no one answered!

Onlookers in the foreign concessions scoffed, "Over four hundred men blocking the Japanese army? It must be a performance!"

Real-world viewers: "This is inexplicable!"

The film attempted to emulate the "depoliticization" of "Dunkirk," but ironically, the Sihang Warehouse itself is a political symbol, leading to dissatisfaction among history buffs and confusion among ordinary viewers.

This is also one of the biggest problems with this movie.

For example, Yang Mi and Zhao Liying, although they learned about the defense of Sihang Warehouse, did not actually have a deep understanding of this history.

So when I was watching it, I was a little confused.

Of course, the merits, or the amazing aspects, of this film are also obvious.

It can be said that this subject matter and this battle are very representative.

Why do I say this? From the perspective of filmmakers and artists.

This film, this battle, can be said to have a very distinct, or rather, very shocking visual contrast.

From a visual perspective, the most striking feature of this film is the extreme contrast between color and light!
On one side, the concession was ablaze with neon lights, a vibrant scene of revelry, with the warm yellow glow of casinos and dance halls, the elegant attire of foreign ladies, and the shimmering reflections of champagne glasses. Life went on as usual: reporters took photos, vendors hawked their wares, and children played, as if the war were a mere "performance."

On the other side, the Sihang Warehouse was gloomy and oppressive, with a cold, smoke-filled atmosphere, bullet-riddled walls, and soldiers covered in blood. It was filled with the aura of death, with close-ups of severed limbs and a ground stained with mud and blood.

This scene is undeniably visually stunning.

"Two worlds separated by a river"—the distorted prosperity of the colony versus the brutal resistance of China.

At the same time, it must be said that Guan Hu truly deserves his reputation as a director who comes from an art film background; he is indeed very good at playing with comparisons.

The comparison is not only visual, but also auditory.

For example, the phonograph in the rental area played "Night Shanghai," the dance hall played jazz music, and the crowd laughed.

Meanwhile, at the Sihang Warehouse, bullets whistled, explosions roared, and soldiers groaned in pain.

There is a very classic scene: a bullet pierces a warehouse window, the camera cuts to a ballroom in the concession, and the rhythm of jazz drums overlaps with the gunshots—an artistic cruelty.

Another point is the comparison of the reactions of different groups of people.

Onlookers in the foreign concessions: They held up binoculars to "watch" the battle, like watching a circus performance;

The betting game involved placing bets on "how many days the Nationalist army can hold out";
Finally moved, they donated money and goods—a satirical portrayal of the transformation from "numbness to awakening."

Warehouse defenders: Knowing they were being used as "political pawns," they still resisted with their own flesh and blood;
The camera repeatedly focuses on the soldier's gaze as he stares at the opposite bank—a gaze filled with resentment, anger, and sorrow.

The Suzhou Creek, which separates these two sides, has become a very obvious "colonial scar"!
The Suzhou Creek served as the boundary between the International Settlement and the Chinese-controlled area, a line of humiliation drawn by the foreign powers with guns and cannons. Foreign journalists on the south bank watched indifferently, while soldiers on the north bank risked their lives to gain international attention; a white horse charged from a warehouse into the Settlement, eventually falling to the ground—symbolizing hope being strangled before the colonial barriers.

In summary, the contrast between the two banks of the Suzhou River is the sharpest knife in "The Eight Hundred"—it cuts through the romanticized narrative of the War of Resistance against Japan, revealing the bloody reality.

However, there were indeed quite a few flaws. What left Chen Mo speechless the most was the final human-powered delivery phone line.

There's a strange feeling that it's just trying to evoke emotion for the sake of evoke emotion.

This is a very basic logical fallacy, so basic that Chen Mo doesn't know what the screenwriter was thinking. But in his opinion, this part really does feel a bit absurd.

This is a battlefield! The Sihang Warehouse is only a few dozen meters away from the foreign concessions; safer communication methods like signal flags and lights could have been used.

What's the point of sending a telephone line if it needs a continuous physical connection? It would be too easy to sabotage it.
For such a ridiculous reason, so many lives were lost. The "sacrifice by biting the line" plot is like a cliché from an anti-Japanese war drama, and the deliberate attempt to evoke emotion is blatantly obvious.

The scene where they protect the flag also felt very contrived, and the feeling of watching a ridiculous war drama was really too strong.

In conclusion, there were touching and shocking moments, but there were also moments that felt out of place and plenty of things to complain about.

Just as Chen Mo said before, this is a movie with very obvious strengths and weaknesses.

When the soldiers glared at the bright lights and bustling streets of the foreign concessions and cried out indignantly, "We bleed here, while they watch the show on the other side!" the film revealed the cruelest contrast in war—their lives were exchanged for nothing more than applause from onlookers.

At that moment, Chen Mo saw that many people in the theater had tears in their eyes.

And then there was that last letter to his family, which contained only a few words: "To sacrifice oneself for righteousness is my wish!"

Seeing the soldiers announce their hometowns and names and resolutely jump off the cliff, at that moment they used the most ordinary names to interpret the weight of "unsung heroes".

Seeing the soldiers strapping grenades to themselves and jumping off buildings to bomb Japanese armored units, their final farewell before collectively facing death was devoid of grand pronouncements, only the simplest "See you in the next life."

The entire room was filled with sobs. Even though it wasn't the first time Chen Mo had seen it, his eyes were still red. The two women beside him were already sobbing uncontrollably.

This scene may have been exaggerated to some extent, but from a cinematic perspective, it can be said to be the most memorable scene in the entire movie.

Chen Mo couldn't really feel moved by the flag-raising scene, mainly because it felt too much like a "war drama".

In the past, when the public hadn't been exposed to many films, this scene might not have been problematic, and its logical coherence would have been overlooked. But let's not forget, we're no longer in an era of film scarcity. Nowadays, audiences' appreciation levels have been raised to a much higher level.

At least the basic logic requirements for movies are relatively high.

Of course, Chen Mo could understand. After all, although the logic of this scene was indeed lacking, the visual impact was indeed very strong.

Chen Mo glanced at the audience at the premiere and noticed that this scene elicited two completely different reactions.

Some people were moved to tears by this tragic scene.

Another group of people remained unmoved, not because they were cold-blooded, but because this scene arguably severely undermined the seriousness of the film.

Chen Mo himself couldn't help but wonder how he would have filmed this scene if he were in charge.
He might directly use real historical moments.

The change to Japanese ground machine gun harassment with the defending troops taking turns carrying the flag is more in line with historical facts;
At the same time, slow-motion shots were cut, and a documentary-style detached presentation was used; it's not a matter of better or worse, but simply that this is film, and every creator has their own interpretation.

When the flag was actually raised, a foreign reporter from the concession took photos and asked Xie, "How many days can you hold out?" Xie replied, "Soldiers have no choice but to persevere."

This historical fact is arguably more profound than the movie, but it is also clear that, in terms of visual impact, it is not "exciting" enough.

To be honest, the scene where they deliver the telephone line later on was a bit jarring, which is what Chen Mo considers to be the biggest flaw in the film.

It completely disregards logical reasoning.

Of course, from the perspective of the film's expression, perhaps the intention was to convey "awakening" through this scene!
However, the rationality was completely ignored. Most importantly, the flag-raising ceremony scene was something that many people, unless they were history buffs, probably wouldn't care about, because ordinary people wouldn't really see anything wrong with it.

However, this scene of delivering telephone lines was too explicit.

Even an ordinary viewer, without needing to be a history buff, will spot the biggest logical flaw in it.

Imagine if the enemy were delivering telephone lines, why would they bother to attack the people?
Why not just blow up the phone line?

Once the telephone line is cut, it becomes completely useless!

But the result was quite different. So many lives were lost because of a single telephone line. It was sentimental, but it was truly a ridiculous drama!

The movie ended, and Chen Mo turned his head to look at the two women; their eyes were a little red and swollen.

It's obvious she was crying earlier.

"What do you think?" Chen Mo asked.

"Great! Better than I expected. Although there are some parts I don't quite understand, it's better than 'Vanguard'!" Yang Mi said.

"Exactly, why send a telephone line at the end? I don't quite understand. If it gets blown up, wouldn't that be a pointless sacrifice?" Zhao Liying asked, her brows furrowed slightly.

"What do you think?" they all asked, looking at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo said, "You'll find out soon enough."

After the film screening ended, Guan Hu led the main cast and crew on stage for a curtain call, followed by the interview and Q&A session that the media loved to see.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo's side was still trending on social media because the "complete guide to polite phrases" from the newly released movie "Vanguard" was still trending. As a result, Chen Mo immediately attracted a lot of media reporters.

You see, even though Guan Hu and the others are the main creators, there's absolutely nothing newsworthy about interviewing them!

There's nothing but self-promotion and hype; there can't possibly be anything else.

Chen Mo is completely different!
This guy is a walking news generator.

Perhaps because Chen Mo's previous answer was so powerful, Wang Jun and Guan Hu also came over at this moment.

"Director Chen, I'm a reporter from Film Weekly."

Chen Mo interrupted directly, saying, "I know what everyone wants to ask, so I'll just say it."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

Indeed! Chen Mo has far too much experience with this kind of situation.

"When I came here, Director Guan Hu told me, 'Director Chen, if you have any opinions about this movie, just say them directly. Don't hold back or say anything polite.'" Chen Mo said with a smile.

The media professionals were also amused.

Guan Hu clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture towards Chen Mo.

"Actually, Director Guan is my senior. Logically speaking, it's not very appropriate for a junior director like me to criticize a senior's work. But I know you guys probably won't let me off the hook if I don't say something," Chen Mo added.

As a result, the media reporters rolled their eyes. Goodness, how many seniors have you ever spoken ill of?

Poet Chen: ? ? ?

Teng Huatao:? ? ?

Zhang Yimou: ? ? ?

"In this film, the director uses top-notch audiovisual language to tell a tragic allegory full of historical controversy—it can make your blood boil, and it can also leave you with a lump in your throat," Chen Mo said.

The reporters were somewhat surprised to hear this, because they didn't expect Chen Mo to actually say anything polite.

This assessment can be described as both positive and negative.

Guan Hu's anxiety subsided, and Wang Jun also breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, Chen Mo didn't act like he did in the previous "Vanguard" incident.

"This film can be described as having very obvious strengths and weaknesses. Its strength lies in the stunning visual contrast between the two banks of the Suzhou River."

And then there are the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for righteousness. I believe that any Chinese person would find it hard not to be moved by the scene where they announced their hometown and name before bravely facing death.

However, the drawbacks are also obvious: the emotional scenes are excessive, and some scenes, such as protecting the flag and giving away telephone lines, are illogical.

In conclusion, this movie is worth watching, but to have a better viewing experience, first of all, don't listen to what the director and others say about recreating the most authentic War of Resistance against Japan. It is recommended to watch it as an allegory with a sense of ritual, and as a documentary with historical material.

Please remember that the film is "based on historical events" rather than "a historical recreation." I believe this will greatly enhance the viewing experience!

(End of this chapter)