A Dream of Splendor (2022)

Tre amiche contra mundi

Un ottimo drama che, se non avesse incontrato verso la fine qualche intoppo, sarebbe stato sicuramente da 10 e lode.
Partiamo col dire che l’ossatura dell’opera è costituita dalla lotta che tre donne, di cui due abbastanza mature, portano avanti contro il sessismo e l’ingiustizia di un sistema sociale che le vuole ai margini della società.
La profonda iniquità di una società che marginalizza le donne e, ancor di più, coloro che per motivi diversi sono finiti nell’industria del, possiamo dire, intrattenimento, è adeguatamente rappresentata. A tratti, forse lo è troppo. Siamo costretti ad assistere ad un paio di pistolotti piuttosto a sproposito, ci sono alcune scene decisamente forzate e molto improbabili. Perfino essendo d’accordo con l’assunto di base, la rappresentazione sullo schermo in alcuni casi infastidisce, ma è comunque un peccato veniale. E' principalmente un drama femminista, ed è questo il concetto di base, nonostante le storie romantiche di contorno.
Un minus più consistente è l’indispensabile fiorire di malintesi, colpe dei padri, gesti di malconsigliata nobiltà, sparizioni e riapparizioni che si verificano dopo la boa dei due terzi dell’opera. Siccome la coppia principale “deve” essere osteggiata, per diverse puntate si trascinano i soliti cliché stravisti e rivisti, che sarebbero più tollerabili se non togliessero spazio prezioso allo svolgimento di alcune parti della trama che rimangono sospese nel nulla.
Il big boss di turno si rivela essere piuttosto deludente, tanto da non meritare nemmeno la definizione. C’erano a disposizione fior di personaggi politici, ma la grande vittoria finale viene ottenuta su un povero cristo che, sarà pure malvagio, avrà sì compiuto molte malefatte, ma è pur sempre un disgraziato che è rimasto preso in un gioco più grande di lui e che, tra paranoie, risentimenti, ambizione e sete di vendetta, si trova impossibilitato ad uscirne senza perdite irreparabili. Potrebbe prendersi come tipico esempio di come un sassolino, cadendo giù da un monte, generi ben presto una frana rovinosa. Xu Hai Qiao ha dato vita a questa figura tormentata e tormentatrice in modo molto convincente.
Però sono arrabbiata con gli sceneggiatori che hanno pensato bene, negli ultimi minuti, di non mostrarci il matrimonio della coppia principale, bensì diversi minuti di flash back della loro storia. Si vede che han pensato che difettiamo di memoria. Invece del matrimonio della seconda coppia, avrei voluto vedere il loro. Pazienza.
Ma la produzione, signori miei, è magnifica! Ambientazioni e costumi sono splendidi, senza essere eccessivi come a volte accade. Le musiche sono molto piacevoli e le voci degli attori e soprattutto delle attrici sono molto gradevoli, essendo assenti non rimpiante quelle vocine infantili che tanto spesso ammorbano i drama.
E vogliamo parlare degli attori? Il ML Chen Xiao è il tipico esempio di uomo maturo e affascinante che vorrei vedere più spesso. Ben lontano dagli ideali efebici di molti altri drama (e che comunque non sono da disdegnare, intendiamoci!), questo esemplare di maschio virile senza eccesso riesce a catalizzare l’attenzione anche solo col suo viso. Vederlo battersi è materia per sogni, anche perché le coreografie dei combattimenti, pur non essendo prive di elementi fantastici, sono molto energiche e tutto sommato realistiche. Ed è pure molto bravo a recitare, cosa che decisamente non guasta. Cosa chiedere di più?
Liu Yi Fei ben interpreta la FL, una donna matura e quasi indomabile, un’eroina non priva di debolezze e difetti che lotta contro tutto e tutti per ritagliarsi un posto al sole e contrastare le molte ingiustizie perpetrate contro di lei e contro le sue amiche, ma non solo.
Anche tutti gli altri attori di contorno hanno fatto un ottimo lavoro, dando vita a personaggi credibili, sia pur con qualche eccezione. I caratteristi, specialmente, sono stati particolarmente bravi. Dai Xu ha una serie di maschere incredibilmente efficaci, e le usa alla perfezione.
Di molti personaggi ci vengono fornite le motivazioni che li fanno agire e l’evoluzione dei loro comportamenti è giustificata sia dal loro passato che dagli avvenimenti che man mano accadono.
Un appunto devo fare alla coppia imperiale: specialmente l’imperatore è troppo buonista e alla mano, decisamente fuori contesto per il periodo storico e la sua posizione. L’imperatrice lascia correre una minaccia alla sua persona che in altri casi avrebbe significato lo sterminio di tutta la famiglia dell’aggressore, dai trisavoli ai gatti.
Diciamo che molte cose si perdonano perché vedere lo sviluppo dell’amicizia del trio di donne forti, a cui col tempo se ne aggiungono altre, è qualcosa di squisito. La chimica della coppia principale funziona a pieno ritmo e la loro storia d’amore è matura e piacevole. I loro botta e risposta sarebbero da collezionare! Ma, tirando le somme, i diversi difettucci assommano ad un punto di demerito, per cui non mi sento di assegnare il massimo dei voti. Peccato.

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Love is a many splendored thing.

A Dream of Splendor has rocked the staid, tired, cliché infested Chinese period drama world. It is an alluring adult romance that has set the internet on fire. It is a powerful and exhilarating story about downtrodden women who work together to stand up against feudal society. Written and directed by women, it is a story about how women survive, thrive, bond and love. The production values are astonishing, with meticulous attention to detail and appreciation for history and culture.

This story is about the plight of fallen women or jian ji 贱籍 during Northern Song Dynasty. Jian ji are pariahs or outcasts; people who exist outside of the four social classes of scholars, farmers, workers and merchants and are practically slaves, beggars, prostitutes, actors, musicians or fallen people below commoner status. This status is passed from generation to generation and cannot be easily changed and the women are not considered suitable for marriage into gentry other than as concubines. Promising beauties like Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang are trained from a young age in the fine arts and performance to potentially become renown entertainers to the imperial court. Too often, like Zhang Haohao they become courtesans who flourish at the most elite levels of society and are almost indistinguishable from upper class women. Many hope to marry their patrons and leave this existence behind them. This explains both Pan'er and Yinzhang's insecurities and their strong desire to shed the taint of the jian ji 贱籍 status.

The drama was mocked for its preoccupation with chastity which does not fit in with the societal norms of the day. In Guan Hanqing's famous original zaju 杂剧 or Yuan opera 赵盼儿风月救风尘 (Zhao Pan'er Flirts to Save A Harlot), both Panér and Yinzhang are courtesans. Guan Hanqing's works are known for championing the oppressed and courtesans were historically viewed sympathetically. The grace, beauty and education of legendary courtesans is often celebrated in Chinese vernacular literature. The production decided however, that Chinese audiences would not be receptive to a Song dynasty version of Pretty Woman. While some may feel this does not respect the original works, it is not important. The drama adaptation in its entirety is far from prudish and remains faithful to the spirit of the play in its criticism of the hypocrisy of traditional morality. That is all that really matters.

After crushing personal setbacks, Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang make a fresh start in the capital Kaifeng. They are bonded by the hardships they endure due to their low social status. They are realistic characters with flaws aplenty who make mistakes with consequences. They don't always agree and when they fight, they can be woman style mean to each other. Pan'er is a talented performer and a connoisseur of tea, tea art and famous paintings. Despite her serene demeanor, she has her own insecurities but is determined to leave her painful past to become an independent and capable business woman. She won't be bullied, is vengeful and does not hesitate to seek legal redress for injustices.

Pan'er is overprotective of the immature and temperamental Yinzhang, a rare and talented pipa player whose ability is only exceeded by her arrogance and desperation to escape her low status. Together with the feisty and loyal Sanniang, a fantastic cook and pastry chef, the three friends start a teahouse with their pooled resources and combined abilities. On the way to Kaifeng, Pan'er clashes with the Living Devil Gu Qianfan, commander of the powerful and secretive Capital Security Office and all kinds of sparks fly. Liu Yifei and Chen Xiao are the stars of the show with their thrilling, combustive chemistry and screen presence. Both actors have matured considerably and it is fair to say Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan are their best roles to date respectively. Even though Yinzhang is the character that shows the most growth, Lin Yun's portrayal lacks complexity and is not empathetic. It is the weakest link among the main cast. Liu Yan's Sanniang saves the day as the best friend everyone needs with her wonderful mixture of comedic belligerence, endurance and wisdom.

This drama's greatest attraction and also its greatest drawback is the incomparable romance between Zhao Panér and Gu Qianfan. The fervent, ardent chemistry between Liu Yifei and Chen Xiao has me grinning like a giddy, lovesick fool every time they light up the screen. I love how Chen Xiao communicates passion with heat in his eyes and how his expression can suddenly turn from guarded to vulnerable to hopelessly smitten. I leapt up from my sofa and yelled "liar, LIAR" at him in the very first episode when Gu Qianfan claimed not to find Panér beautiful even as his eyes oozed with pure male appreciation. Liu Yifei's Panér is such an exquisite and feminine foil for his masculinity that it is just entrancing to watch their courtship as it evolves subtly from friction to unwelcome attraction as she slowly beguiles him with her grace, independence and soft-spoken sincerity. Yang Yang is a phenomenal director whose gorgeous and intimate camera angles enhances the thrill of their budding romance and build up in passion to the point there are moments I feel like I am invading their privacy. The drawback of course is that the story is much bigger than the love story which is too engrossing and spectacular. All the other plot threads pale in comparison.

At the point I am in serious danger of diabetes from the sugar highs, Pan'er's and Qianfan's romance gets put on ice for a number of episodes for a flimsily crafted misunderstanding. I am less dismayed than most by it, because I like to see a relationship tested for duration by challenges. While their conflict could be better conceived, the writer has fewer degrees of freedom to work with because the plot is embedded within true events and historical figures of the day. This won the praise of many history buffs who got a huge kick out of deciphering who's who and which events, as was analyzed in detail by other viewers such as @CloudA. Panér's heartbroken but enlightened insight that her father fully knew well the consequences of his actions but chose to do so anyway is a resonating fresh twist out of a tired trope. Despite their hiccup, the couple remains honest with each other about their fears and have realistic expectations that it may not be smooth sailing all the way. Du Changfeng and Sanniang's story is charming and heart warming while Chen Lian and Zhaodi's is more youthful and high spirited. I have high hopes that both Yinzhang and Chi Pan will find happiness down the road.

The digression from the main romance plot makes way for the women's story to be properly told, for their bond to mature and for them rescue each other and themselves; to be mistresses of their own destiny. The debut of their fabulous Yong'an Restaurant showcases their combined business sense, artistry and ability to innovate and is for me is the highlight of the drama. Pan'er's riveting tea art performance at the beginning is eclipsed by the extravagant and absolutely decadent dinner performance where famous paintings came vividly to life. I love how spectacularly it involves most of the supporting cast. Both the cheeky He Si and Chi Pan made me laugh and the women looked stunning. It is analogous to how this production breathes life into the famous historical works of art and literature that inspired this story.

For me, the comedy mostly misses the mark. I find Guan Yunping's (Chen Lian) more subtly hilarious brand of humor more appealing than Dai Xu's (Chi Pan) more slapstick and exaggerated approach. The actor tones it down nicely in the second half and manages make me laugh and impresses me with his acting but unfortunately that is where the plot loses momentum. This is somewhat forgivable since it is more of a character story but nonetheless they should have kept things simpler. The political aspects of the conspiracy to disgrace the empress becomes overly convoluted and leaves loose threads. Even though Ouyang Xu's final confrontation with Pan'er is well acted and satisfying, he becomes the embodiment of too many bad men and love to hate stereotypes. The interpretation of Empress Liu-E, a brilliant and powerful historical figure as a woman pushed to try to conceal her humble origins is fascinating and aligns well with the dramas feminist theme. It is well known the Emperor was aware of her background and did not care. Theirs was surely another splendid love story for the ages.

Pan'er and Qianfan's addictive chemistry and their story convinces that love is a many splendored thing. They are certainly bound for the Drama Couple Hall of Fame. Despite the disappointment in plot, which is at best worth an 8.5, I am compelled to rate this a 9.0 for the romance and for getting the important things right including the empowering themes, the originality and the director's magnificent and distinctive visual composition style.

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