I'm recently watching a Chinese TV series called "Pass by Happiness". It's based on a novel called "Happy Pie". I fix the schedule watching it. When I compared it with the novel, I started to understand how great a filmmaker can be. A novel forms basis of a story; it may be meaningful; it may be beautiful, however, the dialogs in a film are usually based on the script or even more than that, and often times, they are the key sources of the story's being wonderful. It seems, films, in a way, are more expressive than novels; what's more, it seems, filmmakers are able to understand and dig deeper than novelists in SOME way. I keep watching this series, not because of its story; it's a common entertaining story about love and marriage. It doesn't really matter if you miss some part of the plot, and the story goes on and on. You watch it as an onlooker, and look at the main characters to see how their feelings offer you some kinds of emotion at some moments. However, when the series forward, I start to feel something more than just a story stronger and stronger day after day. It's not a perfect TV series; it doesn't have amazingly pretty women combined with amazingly outstanding performance. Nevertheless, the dialogs are great! There is wisdom inside, inside filmmaker's mind. The filmmaker created a role who was not in the original novel and I'm well impressed by this wise woman. I start to be aware that I am actually watching this woman, her wisdom; the actress is not amazingly pretty (but at least refreshingly nice) it doesn't matter for me who plays the role; I'm watching the role but not the actress.
Illustrated by Stickman--stickman galore!
Some sample dialogs for you to share (can't list all, otherwise I have to tell of the whole story - some conversations are very plot related)Both conversations are between the wise woman and an artist whose talent she appreciates. The artist is working for the woman; they are like good friends, sister and brother. The artist is in love with another married woman.
First conversation:
The artist: Do you believe that there is a feeling that surpasses love?
The woman: What is it?
The artist: It's called "missing".
The woman: Don't you want to “possess" her?
The artist: In my heart, I already have her.
The woman: Does she know that?
The artist: She is the same, I'm pretty sure; I can feel it.
Second conversation:
The woman: In this world, there are two kinds of people who are the least responsible.
The artist: Who are they?
The woman: One is the hooligan; the other is the artist.
The artist: Then who is the most responsible?
The woman: The business person, like me.
