Poster of Liu Laogen

Unsatisfied with his achievements in skits, Zhao Benshan has turned his outstanding comic performing ability to films and TV series themed on real life. The comic TV series, including Liu Laogen, Liu Laogen II, Ma Dashuai, and Ma Dashuai II, all of which he acts as director and leading actor, has greatly pushed the development of China's comic TV art, with each of these countryside-themed TV series having the following distinct characteristics.

To begin with, all these TV series are true to life, real and simple. For example, Liu Laogen and Liu Laogen II elaborate on how the farmers in Northeast China try to get rich through their hard work, while the Ma Dashuai series focus on the farmer workers in the city, detailing the process of how they sort out various problems and revealing the state of social life through the ordinary people. As a farmer artist, Zhao Benshan is extremely familiar with the life and problems in the countryside; hence he can handle countryside-themed works with skill and ease.

Poster of Ma Dashuai II

Second, all his TV series feature vivid characters, lively and heart-stirring. The image of the farmer acted by Zhao Benshan, though cloddish and unsophisticated, is true to life, vivid, and humorous, with a strong touch of local flavor. In the Liu Laogen series, Zhao Benshan successfully portrays an accomplished farmer entrepreneur, and in Ma Dashuai series, a typical farmer worker in the city who suffers a lot in an attempt to settle down in the city.

Third, all the TV series are of a simple and unaffected style with witty and humorous language. Tinted with strong folk flavor, both Liu Laogen and Ma Dashuai series are filled with the wisdom and philosophy of life, dealing with the things concerned with ordinary people. In terms of plot handling, the Liu Laogen series vividly portray the hardships and the emotional ups and downs endured by Liu Laogen in trying to start an enterprise. The Ma Dashuai series, on the other hand, sharply present hush sarcasm against the various social problems through the application of hyperbole.

A stage photo of Liu Laogen

Fourth, all the TV series attach much importance to references and skills. In a successful comic play, plot dislocation is a frequent scene, such as a man rushing into a women's bathroom, which is arranged to elicit more laughter. As a director, Zhao Benshan is good at drawing on the Hollywood comedy model. The story of Ma Dashuai, for example, is unveiled on the basis of "dislocation," which gives rise to a number of incidents between "Ma Dashuai" and "Fan Debiao" (another leading character in Ma Dashuai series) .

Last but not least, Zhao Benshan's TV series are capable of provoking deep thoughts. Be it Liu Laogen or Ma Dashuai, the images Zhao has created truly represent the status quo of the society. The Ma Dashuai series, for instance, are deeply concerned with the destiny of farmer workers, vividly recording the variety of conflicts in the urbanization process. Through portraying Ma Dashuai's disappointment, hesitation, and hard work, the series expose the huge difficulties and sensations caused by the difference between city and countryside while paying tributes to their integrity and kindness.

Author: Jessie

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