In the field of television dramas, anti-corruption dramas have always been a hot potato.
On the one hand, such dramas can often reflect the true ecology of some officialdom, which is a theme that the audience likes to hear.
On the other hand, it is often because the subject matter is sensitive, and the scale is not easy to grasp when creating.
Since 2000, the mainland has filmed a large number of excellent anti-corruption dramas, and then the policy has been tightened, and this type of drama has slowly been marginalized.
Today we will take stock of the 10 highest-rated anti-corruption dramas in the past 20 years Chinese mainland, and also experience from them what kind of growth and changes domestic anti-corruption dramas have experienced in more than 20 years.
—10—
National Prosecution
In 2004, Douban scored 8.0
In 2003, the TV series "Absolute Power" was the first cooperation between Sichenkova and screenwriter Zhou Meisen and director Jiang Shaohua, in which Sichenkova played a villain, and After filming, Sichenkova was very depressed.
She jokingly complained to Zhou Mason that she had played a villain and that she must "restore her reputation" in the next play.
The speaker has no intention of listening to the heart.
During that time, the Supreme People's Procuratorate wanted to make a TV series about the procuratorate, and they approached Zhou Mason and let him experience two years of life in the procuratorate.
Zhou Mason could not find creative inspiration at first, until after chatting with Sichenkova, he immediately came up with the image of a righteous and awe-inspiring female prosecutor in his mind, and wrote the script of "National Prosecution".
Zhou Meisen took a fire in a certain city as the starting point, and procurator general Ye Zijing, with the help of Chen Hanjie and Tang Chaoyang, broke through many obstacles and finally unveiled the truth of corruption behind the scenes.
After Sichenkova got the script, she immediately repeatedly studied the script in her home, which involved a lot of professional legal vocabulary, and she could blurt it out during filming.
"State Prosecution" is the first TV series in the mainland to comprehensively reflect the lives and work of procurators, with a compact plot, full characters and a large scale, exposing the dark side of many societies to the audience.
—9—
"State Cadres"
In 2005, Douban scored 8.1 points
"State Cadre" is a new masterpiece by Wang Zhiwen after filming "Black Mist" in 2003.
In the play, he played a vice mayor with a righteous heart, there was a fake pesticide incident in the city, after investigation, it turned out that the children of several high-ranking officials colluded to sell fake pesticides to farmers, and the deputy mayor played by Wang Zhiwen was the main grasp of this matter.
In the midst of the fierce struggle, he defeated the criminal gang in one fell swoop and was successfully elected mayor.
As the name suggests, the drama "State Cadre" is a standard main theme TV series, but the director shows us a new image of a national cadre from all dimensions with a magnificent vision, a story of ups and downs, and a variety of vivid characters.
When Wang Zhiwen played this role, in order to be close to reality, he temporarily changed his words while shooting, and the actors who played with him were also affected, often with him when acting freestyle, this adjustment ensured the arc of the character, but also made the role more grounded.
"State Cadres" has undergone strict censorship by the four ministries and commissions of the state before broadcasting, which can be described as walking on thin ice, coupled with the blessing of Feng Enhe, Luo Haiqiong, Wu Gang, Du Yulu and other new and old drama bones, making it an impressive official anti-corruption drama in 2005.
—8—
Loyalty
In 2001, Douban scored 8.3 points
In 1999, Zhou Meisen's anti-corruption novel "Made in China" was named "the first novel dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China" by the Central Propaganda Department.
Subsequently, director Hu Mei was invited by relevant parties to adapt the novel into a TV series.
Hu Mei, who came from an art family, has always been indifferent to politics, and she is completely unfamiliar with the provincial party committees, municipal party committees, and county party committees described in the novel.
First of all, she spent a year going deep into Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shanxi, etc., experiencing life and doing a lot of homework.
Secondly, in order to polish the script, she offended the author of the novel, Zhou Mason.
At the beginning, the screenwriter of the TV series was Zhou Meisen, Zhou Meisen wrote several drafts were rejected by Hu Ming, Hu Mei found other screenwriters, seven drafts, before writing the script of "Loyalty".
After the TV series was broadcast, Zhou Meisen was completely angered, and he angrily rebuked the director through the "Yangtze Evening News" and other media for "disregarding the truth of life, making things up, damaging the quality of the drama, and constituting infringement on his novels."
Because of the subject matter, the lead actor Zhang Guoguo just refused to perform this play, and Hu Mei visited the house four times, and Zhang Guoli took over this book.
In the end, Hu Mei also paid out of her own pocket, borrowed 700,000 yuan, and jointly invested with the filming unit to shoot this TV series.
In 2001, the play met with the audience, and the social problems exposed in the play were eye-catching.
For example, during the period of industrial transformation, some officials frantically made money in the name of reform, and colleagues could not look down and shouted out the sigh of "there are shadows behind high-rise buildings, and there are blood and tears under the neon".
In addition to the undisguised content, the play also gathered Zhang Guoguo, Jiao Huang, Liu Bei and other old drama bones, And Wang Feng also sang the ending song of the same name, which is a rare anti-corruption boutique drama in general.
—7—
"The Great River Goes East"
In 2003, Douban scored 8.3 points
In "Bright Sword", Li Yunlong, played by Li Youbin, and Zhao Gang, played by He Zhengjun, are a pair of golden partners, many people do not know that before "Bright Sword", the two also had a cooperation in a drama, in which Li Youbin played the mayor, and He Zhengjun played the vice mayor, and the two joined forces to fight against the dark forces.
This drama is 2003's "The Great River Goes East".
This drama is the final chapter of the "repeated black trilogy" after "Snow Without a Trace" and "Never Let You Go", based on the "Muma Case" that shocked the whole country.
The real "Muma case" can be described as "collapse-type", with more than 100 people involved in the total case, including 1 at the deputy provincial level, 4 at the deputy municipal level, and 17 party and government leaders.
"The Name of the People" is also fictional no matter how large the scale, and "The Great River Goes East" directly changed the real case into a TV series, which is shocking, and some viewers said that if this drama is only broadcast now, the popularity is definitely not inferior to "The Name of the People".
—6—
In the Name of the People
In 2017, Douban scored 8.3 points
In 2017, "In the Name of the People" became a phenomenon-level hit drama, which is also an anti-corruption enlightenment drama for many young audiences.
How popular is this show? 4 years later, when the names Li Dakang, Gao Yuliang, and Qi Tongwei are mentioned, their images can immediately appear in everyone's mind.
Someone also made up a slip of the tongue for each character:
Zhao Dehan did not move a point, with the universe Sun Liancheng in mind, Shengtian half son Qi Tongwei, it is better to dance Wei Caixia, learn the foreign language Chen Qingquan well...
On the depth of thought, the scale of the script's lines, the breakthrough of "The Name of the People" is obvious to all, and some lines you will call this can also be reviewed; and on the breadth of dissemination, it is also the first place in the anti-corruption drama.
Unfortunately, this show has two big bugs.
First, Hou Liangping, played by Lu Yi, is too tall and complete, and is crushed to death by other supporting roles.
Second, the role of Huang Mao is too redundant, so that the rhythm of the second half of the whole play is completely dragged down.
If it weren't for these two drag oil bottles, this drama would definitely be on a 9 points.
—5—
Absolute Power
In 2002, Douban scored 8.4 points
In 2003, the anti-corruption drama "Absolute Power" starring Tang Guoqiang and Sichengova was launched on Hunan TV, setting a 32% rating miracle, and the theme song "Man" sung by Tengger was also popular all over the country.
This drama brings together the three giants of the anti-corruption drama actors at that time: Tang Guoqiang, Sichengaova and Gao Ming, telling the story of a thrilling anti-corruption case that occurred in Jingzhou City during the era of reform and opening up.
Among the big three, Tang Guoqiang plays Quan Sheng, the secretary of the municipal party committee with personality charm and political character.
Gao Ming plays Liu Chongtian, the deputy secretary-general of the provincial party committee who seeks truth from facts and is jealous and hateful, and the two are positive characters, but the two have deep contradictions because of differences in opinions on urban construction during the previous team.
The mayor Zhao Fenfang, played by Sichengova in the play, lacks political morality and is greedy, and after being investigated, he colluded with the underworld and sacrificed a large number of state-owned assets.
After the East Window incident, she jumped from the upper floor and ended her sinful life by suicide.
Because of her first appearance as a villain, Szchenkova shut herself in her home in Switzerland, repeatedly studied the role, and finally grasped the essence of the character, but starring in the play also caused a huge psychological shadow for her, and then in "National Prosecution" she played a positive prosecutor to adjust her unbalanced mentality.
Tang Guoqiang and his wife Magnificent both participated in the play, but his wife is the wife of a sworn enemy in the play.
Screenwriter Zhou Meisen originally wanted to create a situation of "three legs standing tall" by Tang Guoqiang, Gao Ming and Sichengaova when writing this script, but the two positive characters PK and a negative character made the villain's oppression insufficient, which is a regret of this drama.
—4—
High Latitude Shudder
In 2007, Douban scored 8.6 points
The 2007 anti-corruption drama "High Latitude Shudder" can be described as a gathering of stars.
The director is Guo Jingyu, Yang Zhigang's brother, although he often pulls his younger brother to act in his own plays, but the quality of Guo Jingyu's early works can still stand the test of word of mouth.
The screenwriter is Lu Tianming, who is the father of the sixth generation director Lu Chuan, and is also a famous writer and screenwriter, this drama is adapted from his novel of the same name, and his "Provincial Party Secretary" was selected as "New China 70 Years 70 Novel Collection".
Among the actors, Li Xuejian does not need to be introduced much, it is difficult for anyone in China to call out his name, and he plays a reconnaissance hero who has been married four times in this play.
Another actor, Wang Zhifei, is also an actor we are familiar with, starring in works such as "The Great Qin Empire" and "Gutian Junhao".
The big villain in the play is played by Li Qiang, mentioning this name you may not be familiar with, but he played Ximen Qing in "Water Margin" in 98, and also played a villain in "Back to Back Face", with a "Sven" face, he is naturally also a big villain in this play.
The drama made by such a strong lineup is naturally also wonderful.
The title "High Latitude" refers to the place where the story takes place, the border town of Taurigan.
The deputy mayor shot and killed, and then committed suicide in the detention center, the detective played by Li Xuejian took off his police uniform before retirement, carrying a secret mission to this small city to carry out a mission, he and the police played by Wang Zhifei fought against the villain played by Li Qiang, after a bloody struggle, they defended the dignity of the country with their lives.
—3—
"My Lord's Ups and Downs"
In 2005, Douban scored 8.7 points
The five years from 2000 to 2004 were the peak of China's anti-corruption drama creation, and dozens of large-scale high-quality works were born.
Due to the scale of anti-corruption dramas, in April 2004, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued a notice that the subsequent anti-corruption dramas could only be broadcast in non-prime time, and the number of anti-corruption dramas in the whole year was reduced by 40%.
And "My Lord's Ups and Downs" is the first anti-corruption drama approved after the "ban on broadcasting".
Director Jiang Shaohua and screenwriter Zhou Meisen are the golden partners of anti-corruption dramas, and they have already collaborated on "Absolute Power" and "National Prosecution" before.
"My Lord Sinks and Floats" is a drama that complements "The Name of the People".
"In the Name of the People" talks about the contradictions of interests between the masses and corrupt officials, while this drama talks about the official and business wars between the government, the stock market and listed companies, and deeply reflects on the deep-seated contradictions in reform.
The scale of this drama is huge: laid-off workers block the door of the municipal party committee to make trouble, the mayor takes people to curry favor with the provincial leaders, the mayor has an illegitimate daughter, because he does not have an ID card, he was caught by the relief station and sold to the hotel as a periphery...
Because the scale of this drama is amazing, there is no big name pressure, and it has been squeezed into non-prime time broadcast, so although its Douban score is as high as 8.7 points, it has not set off much waves.
Four years later, the sequel to this drama, "My Hero", was broadcast, and the quality was not bad, but because of the scale problem, it was not even broadcast on provincial satellite TV, becoming a pearl in the anti-corruption drama.
—2—
The Supreme Interest
In 2004, Douban scored 8.9 points
"Supreme Interest" is the highest quality anti-corruption drama written by Zhou Meisen, and it is also a political drama that shows the sharpest and most core contradictions in the contemporary political field, and his purpose at the beginning of the creation is to set up some positive examples and sound a warning bell for cadres who want to be corrupt.
Because the scale is too large, the main creators wrote five scripts, went to Beijing four times, held high-level seminars three times, and finally started shooting in Wuhan in February 2002, with an investment of more than 7 million yuan.
In October 2003, "Supreme Interests" was broadcast on CCTV, starring Sun Haiying, Zhang Mingyu, Cheng Yu, Zhang Xianheng and other actors, telling the story of the municipal party secretary who bravely reformed and deepened the anti-corruption in the face of the mess left by the two predecessors.
This drama is only 20 short episodes, but it contains all the core of 52 episodes of "The Name of the People", and it is incredible that it can be broadcast on CCTV so far.
—1—
The Year of the Dragon Archives
In 2003, Douban scored 9.1 points
In 2003, in the most active year of anti-corruption drama creation, this peak work "The Year of the Dragon Archives" was born, the Douban score of this drama was as high as 9.1 points, but there was very little information about it on the Internet, and an important reason was that this drama dug too deep.
Zhang Fengyi played the strategizing secretary Sha Ruijin in "In the Name of the People", and in this play he played a mayor with political ambitions.
He became mayor after 10 years of salary and wanted to carry out drastic reforms, but he was blocked by many obstacles: Long Fuhai, the scheming secretary of the municipal party committee, and Jia Shangwen, deputy secretary of the rival party committee, also encountered black guns and took over the case of Long Fuhai's son suspected of smuggling.
After watching this drama, some people feel that Zhang Fengyi played a lone hero, who is not facing an enemy, but a systematic corruption, and some people say that in this drama, except for Zhang Fengyi, who is a character shaped by literature, everyone else has a real character archetype.
The two-faced personality of Secretary Gao Yuliang in "The Name of the People" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and Secretary Long Fuhai in "The Archives of the Year of the Dragon" has more depth than Gao Yuliang; he is not corrupt on the surface and does not exceed the rules, but in fact he is nepotistic, gangs and factions, and even instructs people to shoot black guns at the mayor, and a big web of power is woven behind his back.
"In the Name of the People" has been very good in character building, but it is still too flat compared to this drama.
The above are the ten highest-rated Chinese official anti-corruption dramas since the 21st century.
In fact, it can be found that the development of anti-corruption dramas depends on two important factors: one is the policy of the times, and the other is the foundation of the main creator, especially the level of the screenwriter will directly affect the quality of the entire series.
Of the 10 works we selected according to the rating, 6 of them are written by Zhou Mason, if there is no such writer to deeply cultivate this theme and form a benchmarking orientation, domestic official dramas may lose more than half of their brilliance.
On the other hand, the audience's love for such film and television dramas is also beyond doubt.
We look forward to the future can be more such "not afraid to show the sharp edge" of the good drama, but also look forward to the environment can be more inclusive, only when the market is mature and stable, more writers will be willing to dive in here, in this theme to create more possibilities.
I hope that one day in the future, when we mention the new official anti-corruption drama, we will no longer use the embellishment prefix of "large scale, really dare to shoot", but return to the theme and content itself, and calmly say that this is an official drama, the story is very good to watch, very real.
That day was the real blossoming of Chinese film and television dramas.
Text/Pippi Film Editorial Department: A Chicken
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