Symphony Of Pots And Pans: From The Novel To The Film

1. IntroductionJiang Zilong's novel Symphony of Pots and Pans has gained fervent and enduring attention. Many critics have spoken highly of the achievements of this novel from various perspectives. Compared with that, the movie with the same title which is adapted and directed by Teng Wenji according to the novel is subjected to more controversies. Quite a few people think that the emotion, aesthetics and the"philosophical thinking"reflected by the film have deviated from the life in the film. The critics often compare the film with novel Symphony of Pots and Pans to assess the quality and success. They share a common premise that the film adaptation based on the fiction should ultimately convey"the essence"or"the fundamental"of the original novel to the audience. It is quite reasonable as far as the art of film is concerned. However, from the perspective of text analysis, the novel and the film adaptation based on the novel should be seen as two texts. The references of the film to the novel also need intertextual analysis. This thesis tries to comb the actual differences between the novel text of Symphony of Pots and Pans and the text of the film adaptation. The author believes this will enhance our understanding of the art and literature of the beginning stage of China's reform and opening-up.2. The Novel Symphony of Pots and Pans: Sonorous and Fresh Voice of the Reform1. The Unique"Winding Road Type"StructureThe narrative structure of the novel Symphony of Pots and Pan is the alternate narration of what happened in the two periods. Period I begins from the time when the protagonist starts to have ambition, continuing to the beginning of the other period, which is the middle point of the story—the protagonist's"low point of fate", and this point, as the beginning of the other period—period II, will extend to the real end. There are altogether ten subtitles in the novel, that is to say the novel is divided into ten chapters of varying lengths. Chapter 4 continues the story in Chapter 2, and the story develops in Chapter 6 and Chapter 8. The story in Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 continues in Chapter 5 and Chapter 7. The course of"the starting point extending to the middle point"has completed at the end of Chapter 8. Chapter 9 provides a solution to the conflict at the very beginning of the novel. Chapter 10 continues the narration in Chapter 9. On the one hand, it is the epilogue of the story of period II. On the other hand, it is the ending of the story in period I from the thematic perspective. If the stories of the two periods are compared to two sides of the mountain, the reader can not see the scenery of the other side. The roads paved by Jiang Zilong extend alternately and consistently on both sides of the mountain, leading to the peak—the end of story. Therefore, the author of the thesis calls it the"winding road type"structure.2. Tense and Humorous Dramatic ScenesCorresponding with the"winding road type"structure, the method of telling the story in dramatic scenes is adopted by Jiang Zilong in Symphony of Pots and Pan. Through this method, the novel has a compact structure with the hilarious and attracting scenes, and the literary style presents some features of the"avant-garde"novel. Jiang Zilong is good at refining the dramatic elements in the plot and designing the dramatic conflicts, and he brings into full play the expressive force of the dramatic scenes. The success of the dramatic scenes in Symphony of Pots and Pan can be attributed to the skillful application of the literary techniques, such as"unconventional"method, the method of"abrupt turning", the method of"wits competition", the method of"montage"and so on. The overall characteristic of dramatic scenes in the novel is the combination of tension and humor. The author excels in manipulating the atmosphere of his novel. There is tension in each scene without being rigid and the novel is decorated with humor freely without being frivolous. In pursuit of the dramatic scenes, there is probably a distortion of reality at one point of the novel. However, it is only a minor blemish in a thing of beauty.3. The Various Figures in the Tide of ReformThe novel Symphony of Pots and Pans has exquisite structure and fresh style. The author focuses on the grand issue, without indulging in any depressed emotions or trivial feelings. The"grand issue"in the author's view is the reform which was sweeping across China at that time. The most dazzling image in the reform situation presented by the author is the protagonist Niu Hong. It is in the period of the political and economic transition that Niu Hong, who has unique capability and special personality, becomes the pride of the era. Another impressive image in the novel is Niu Hua with the nickname"Intellect Niu", who has the features of the times. Compared with the pure and great heroine or female model in the literary works of the previous period, she is a little bit mundane like a common person. Compared with the common and wretched small woman in the literature of subsequent period, she possesses more ideal features. The author shows us the true thinking and conversation of an ordinary citizen who likes reading and has conscience, making us feel as if we could hear her voice and see her in person. Zhong Jingshen is an outspoken person who is good at resolving conflicts. Basically, he tries to improve the reality positively on the base of his good understanding of reality. His excellence in resolving conflicts reflects his familiarity with the ways of the world and the interest disputes. His feature of being outspoken shows he is not limited by the reality and does not drift with the current. He has firm belief and ideal in his the heart. This is undoubtedly one of the most aggressive images of the reformists in that era. You Gang, the manager of the catering company, and Sun Lianxiang, the waitress in Chun Cheng Restaurant, who has"a face of class struggle", are the anti-reform forces. They do not have a systematical theory to oppose the reform. The reason for You Gang to oppress Niu Hong's reforming attempts is that his vested interests are threatened. Whereas the reasons for Sun Lian Xiang's opposition to reform are only the tendency from the old time, and her belief that she could have prosperous future like a duck to water under the old system. The author successfully depicts the various figures in the tide of reform, presenting a colorful and vivid scene with the features of the era. This can be regarded as the greatest achievement of the novel Symphony of Pots and Pans.3. The Film Symphony of Pots and Pans: the Anxious and Beautiful Youth Movement1. The Prose Rhythm of Sound and PictureThe narration in the film Symphony of Pots and Pans does not have a definite focus or trend of the plot from the beginning to the end. Therefore, the creator does not adjust the narrative rhythm according to the order of priorities of the plot. Compared with telling a story, he is more indulged in editing those artistic footages with sense of beauty. The director finds pleasure in it, whether it is the daily life in the marketplace, the courtyard and the restaurant, or the scenery in the rain, at waterside and on the mountains, and even the opera performances unrelated to the plot. Such a structure is deliberately designed by the director. It is not appropriate for many scholars to classify the narrative method of the film into the"documentary"category. The narration in the film is uninhibited, with the sound and pictures being beautiful. It is better regarded as the prose rather than documentary. In addition, the director also takes into account the consistence in form while focusing on the feeling and atmosphere, in order to maintain the integrity of the of work, which was the popular technique of prose in the 1980s. Prose is also referred to as"aesthetic text"in the modern and contemporary Chinese literature. This film is undoubtedly an"aesthetic text"among the films.2. Lost on the Road of YouthNiu Hong in the film is a confused and anxious image. Even his"daring to think, to speak and to do"looks sometimes like recklessness rather than courage. By using beautiful sounds and pictures, the director depicts the youth which is a little bit rash, exciting, and also sad. In the novel Symphony of Pots and Pans, the conflict between You Gang and Niu Hong, which is also the core conflict in the novel, is the key point for the establishment of Niu Hong'image as the"vanguard of reform". You Gang in the novel is arrogant, mediocre, self-dramatizing and even a little bit vicious. You Gang in he film does not present any abnormal or immoral features. He just tries to fulfill his duty as a leader in the company. His thought is not"brave"enough at most. You Gang in he film is a little bit muddleheaded, being concerned about face-saving, but he can be regarded as an amiable elder. Niu Hong, on the other hand, is a young man who has no sense of propriety. What the director of film cares about is the emotion of the youth. The conflict between Niu Hong and You Gang becomes the conflict between a red-blooded youngster and a stubborn elder. The two sides of the conflict are not divided into"justice- injustice"or"progressive - backward"parties. The presentation of Niu Hong's anxious youth in the grand narrative frame of"reform"has many limitations after all. Therefore, Teng Wenji put forth effort to explore the narrative subject of"love". In the movie, the audience can perceive Niu Hong's callow"cruelty"in the relationship between Niu Hong and Mang Yue. This perception strongly reminds the audience of the fact that Niu Hong is an unbridled growing youngster and the story is about youth.4. Conclusion: Exploring the Implications from the Novel to the FilmFrom the novel Symphony of Pots and Pans to the film Symphony of Pots and Pans, there are the fundamental differences in the narrative circumstances, images in the plot and the relationship of the figures between the two texts. Drastic changes in the form means the different implications of meaning, which can be proved by the two metaphors recurring in the two texts respectively. The metaphor in the novel Symphony of Pots and Pans is"flower", which implies the rationalist optimism. We can achieve great success, so long as our society can get rid of the conventionality, give people a free development environment, and foster each person's personality and ability within reasonable limits. When the author writes this novel, he sees the magnificent scene in his mind that the socialist China with the steady progress in the reform will become a"grand garden with all the flowers striving for elegance"in the near future. The metaphor in the film Symphony of Pots and Pans is"road", which embodies the persevering outlook on life. The future is unknown and difficult to control. The human choices are actually blind. The only thing one can do is to stick to one's own choice, trying to walk one's way correctly. This is a deep tragic consciousness. The novel Symphony of Pots and Pans expresses the happiness of freedom, whereas the film Symphony of Pots and Pans reflects the dilemma of choice. The two works, with the same title but different interests, precisely indicate the growth of the diverse aesthetic tendencies of the writers and artists in Mainland China at that time.