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Recently, there have been some "small waves" in the awards judging process in the film and television circles. The Magnolia Awards and Hundred Flowers Awards have both angered the audience because of the nomination of the second-lead male lead for Best Actor. At the same time, when the movie "Dongji Island" was officially announced, netizens also had a heated discussion about who of the two male actors was the real male lead. At present, in the process of the creation of most film and television works, it seems that the controversy over "ranking" is always inseparable, which inevitably reminds people of a type of work that has almost no "trouble" in this regard: film and television works with "strong male lead" and "strong female lead".

The concept of "male protagonist" and "female protagonist" comes from TV dramas. As the name implies, these works are almost always centered around the male or female protagonist, or present the core value of the whole story through their circumstances. As the concept deepens, the film industry is also happy to use it. The recent movie "Jiangyuan Lane" appeared in Cannes. Although there are many stars, it is still called a "female protagonist" film. So from TV dramas to movies, as the concepts of "male protagonist" and "female protagonist" are clarified, what new thinking has it brought?

whatforThe “big” protagonist?

The unique charm of movies and TV series with male and female protagonists

There is an unwritten rule in the TV drama circle: if a drama is named after the protagonist, it is almost certainly a "big" protagonist drama. Early dramas such as "Kangxi Dynasty", "Han Wudi" and "Wu Zetian" can be included in this category, but the concept of "big protagonist" was not well-known at that time until the appearance of "The Legend of Zhen Huan". This phenomenal costume drama has become a monumental work in the history of Chinese TV dramas. Following the perspective of the heroine Zhen Huan, and experiencing her ups and downs in her growth path, the audience experienced the taste of life and saw the world. "Big female lead" dramas became popular, and then "The Journey of Flower" and "Story of Yanxi Palace" became popular, continuing the popularity of "big female lead" TV dramas.

The deepening of the concept of "big male lead" began with the large-scale adaptation of male-oriented novels, but there was no good work to solidify its value until the emergence of "Joy of Life". It can be said that although the previous male-oriented novels also had large investments and high attention, they did not generate corresponding volume. However, "Joy of Life" is different. With its constantly reversing rhythm and control of character creation, the "big male lead" drama has gradually gained popularity.

Compared with the male and female protagonists or group portrait stories, the plot of the "big protagonist" is more focused on the protagonist. Compared with the "Mary Sue" and "Jack Sue" plots that were once criticized, the "big protagonist" drama is more inclined to "do business", and emotional scenes can only be used as a "side dish". Facts have proved that such stories are more in line with the appetite of young people today. Between emotions and career, choosing career, choosing to "upgrade and fight monsters" to strengthen oneself is an absolute "cool drama"! Perhaps this is the reason why the "big protagonist" drama is becoming more and more popular.

On the other hand, the actors in "big leading roles" also form a deep binding relationship with the works - in fact, only actors with enough weight have the opportunity to become "big leading roles", which completely tests the actor's comprehensive strength, and acting skills, popularity, and audience appeal are all indispensable; but correspondingly, the bonus to the actor after the success of the work is also immeasurable, so Sun Li, Zhao Liying, Zhang Ruoyun and others have "reached a higher level" after the "big leading role" works became popular, establishing their position in the film and television industry.

A “big” protagonist makes a “big” actor

Those who truly "support a play by themselves"

Whether it is the arc of the independent-minded characters in the play or the dramatic presentation of the actors' careers outside the play, the "big protagonist" drama can always attract the audience to stop and look forward to the next "big protagonist" work. As the boundary between dramas and movies gradually blurs, the concept of "big protagonist" has gradually moved from the TV drama circle to the film circle. In fact, the film circle has previously had its own unique "big protagonist" theme setting, that is, biographical films.

As a fixed theme, biographical films are adapted from the deeds of real people, especially important figures in the course of modern and contemporary history. They are more like a relatively important and traditional type of "main character" works. From "Gandhi" to "The Last Emperor", from "The King's Speech" to "Darkest Hour", and from "Bohemian Rhapsody" to "Oppenheimer", biographical films have always been a hot favorite for Hollywood awards, with unique advantages worldwide and a considerable number of audiences - obviously, these successful biopics are inseparable from a protagonist who is more similar in appearance than in spirit, and many of them have won the title of "Best Actor" by virtue of their true restoration of the role.

However, biographical films obviously have natural advantages. They not only have the charm of real people, but also the legendary boost of history. Relatively speaking, a true "main character" drama like "Forrest Gump" tests the actors' acting skills more - who can forget Forrest Gump, who ran in the American countryside, wrote the footnotes of life with persistence and sincerity, and interpreted the "American spirit". This is also the "masterpiece" of its actor Tom Hanks. Similarly, for Will Smith, if "The Pursuit of Happyness" is his famous work in close cooperation with his son, then "I Am Legend" can definitely be regarded as a film supported by him alone. In the lonely and desolate apocalyptic world, as the "last man" in the human world, he staged a fierce action drama, and also interpreted fear, fear, loneliness and loneliness in a touching way.

In recent years, "Joker" has become Joaquin Phoenix's personal performance stage. In his superb performance, a real and magical Gotham City is slowly unfolding. Not only does he hold up the entire film on his own, but this film has also become the most profound analysis of human nature in all Marvel DC movies. It has given commercial superhero blockbusters an artistic color of humanistic care and became the first superhero film to win the Golden Lion Award, one of the three major European awards. This is the charm of art and the charm of performance.

Undoubtedly, in the film industry, works with "big protagonists" not only need the plot of character growth to support them, but also need skilled acting skills to support the expressiveness of characters. In the "big male protagonist" film "Perfect Days" directed by Wim Wenders, the public toilet cleaner played by Koji Yakusho lives a similar life every day, with almost no complicated plot ups and downs, but he highlights the texture of life that flows slowly. Koji Yakusho's simple performance is also eye-catching, winning the Japan Academy Award and the Asian Film Award for Best Actor.

From "individual" to "whole"

Any film or TV work is a collective art.

If we count the "main protagonist" plays in Chinese films, biographical films such as "Ruan Lingyu" and "The Thirteenth Son of the South China Sea" have become classics. Zhang Yimou is particularly good at "main protagonist" plays. His works such as "To Live", "Qiu Ju Goes to Court" and "Not One Less" are all classic "main protagonist" plays, and they have also produced international "Best Actor" and "Best Actress" of Chinese films.

Nowadays, the works of "big protagonists" are often seen in the list of Chinese movie box office. "Shen Teng's one-man show" "The Moon Walks Alone" almost combines all the advantages of Shen's comedy style and is very friendly to audiences who like Shen Teng; similar to it is "Jia Ling's one-man show" "Hot" - if Zhang Xiaofei should take half of the credit for "Hello, Li Huanying", then the success of "Hot" is mostly due to Jia Ling's own personal charm; and "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils" finally allowed Ruan Jingtian to overturn his title of "the worst actor".

Although people jokingly say that the works of the "main actors" are "one person supporting the whole play", when it comes to the film and television works themselves, they are not the art of one person, but the collective crystallization of the hard work of the director and many behind-the-scenes staff, and the achievement of more supporting actors in front of the stage. Just as in the controversy over the Magnolia and Hundred Flowers Awards, some viewers rationally commented: "Film and television works are collective art. The main actors are of course important, but the cooperation between the front and back of the stage is indispensable. If the concept is not in line or a certain process is a little bit wrong, the film will be discounted."

Just like everyone not only remembers Ethan Ruan in "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils", they will also remember the hypocrisy, selfishness and cruelty in the humanity of "The Venerable"; they will remember Shen Teng in "Lone Moon", and will be conquered by the kangaroo that combines strength, humor and touching moments; even in a film like "I Am Legend", people will remember the outstanding performance contributed by the smart dog named "Sam"... Whether it is the blessing of supporting roles, or the cooperation of computer special effects and animal actors, they are actually the result of the hard work of the entire team.

In the future, there will still be films with "strong male protagonists" and "strong female protagonists" released on the screen, such as "The Queen of Dumplings", starring Ma Li, which is adapted from real-life stories and shows the story of a female entrepreneur who keeps struggling and counterattacking her life; "Little Me", starring Yi Yang Qianxi, which tells the story of a boy with cerebral palsy realizing his dream of being on stage; "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Greatest Hero", a martial arts film directed by Tsui Hark and starring Xiao Zhan, which tells the story of a generation of heroes defending Xiangyang against the enemy; and "The Sauce Garden" mentioned above, etc., will all be on the big screen soon.

After the concept of "big protagonist" is introduced, the acting skills of actors will be multiplied, and whether they can really support the title of "big" also needs to be tested by the audience. But no matter what, we must also look at the role of "big protagonist" dialectically and rationally. Whether a movie is successful can never rely on just one leading actor, but depends on whether the movie really integrates the leading actor and the whole movie seamlessly and tells a person's story smoothly. Only such a movie is truly worth our audience's expectations.