TV re-adaptation of the classic novel All Men Are Brothers

在中国，根据四大名著改编而成的电视剧就像自来水一般，不管创意宝库枯竭得多快，供给总是源源不断。继去年《三国演义》和《红楼梦》被两家卫视翻拍之后，如你猜测的那样，这回该看新版《水浒传》了。
TV adaptations of the "Four Great Classical Novels" are like tap water in China - no matter how low the creative reservoir appears to sink, the supply never seems to run dry. Following satellite re-adaptations of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and A Dream of the Red Mansion last year, it's time for - you guess it - another new version of All Men Are Brothers.

这个改编自经典小说的《新水浒》共86集，时下正是各大卫视的每日热播剧集，现在已经播出过半。
Adapted from the classic novel, the new show, All men are Brothers is an 86-episode series broadcasting on major satellite TV channels every day, and is already midway through its showing.

现代价值观
Modern values

尽管《新水浒》旨在赋予这个传统故事以一种与时俱进的现代价值观，但反而招致观众以及评论家的嘲讽。
Aiming to give "updated values" to the traditional story, the new show has instead caused derision among viewers and critics.

香港导演鞠觉亮面对媒体采访时说：“我知道李少红（曾执导新《红楼梦》）和高希希（曾执导新《三国演义》）都坚持忠于原著，但我想要另一种全新的改编。
"I knew Li Shaohong (director of A Dream of the Red Mansion), and Gao Xixi (director of Romance of Three Kingdoms) would stick to the originals, but I've decided to give a brand new adaptation, " Hong Kong director Gaau Leung Guk claimed to media.

鞠觉亮补充说：“我从没想让这部戏还原真实，相反我想通过人物塑造、服装、造型、故事情节等方面，为当代观众呈现一部合他们胃口的戏。”
"I never wanted to make TV to be authentic but instead to make an acceptable show for modern viewers in terms of character-building, costume, make-up and storyline," Guk added.

《新水浒》中的一些改编颇受争议。原著中的潘金莲是一名放荡女子，且这种形象在中国人心中已根深蒂固了。如今，该人物在起初几集中被塑造成了一名勤劳纯洁的家庭妇女，拒绝了许多富家公子的追求。
There are several controversial changes for All Men Are Brothers. Pan Jinlian, portrayed as a loose woman in the original novel and a long-established symbol of such in China, is now recast as a hard-working virginal housewife in the first episodes, refusing several wealthy young suitors.

小说中潘金莲与情人西门庆一起合谋杀害了她的丈夫。而新版中，她和西门庆的偷情行为却演变成了浪漫的爱情故事。
In the novel, Pan murdered her husband with her lover, Ximen Qing. In the new adaption, her affair with Ximen is a romantic love story.

鞠觉亮坚持认为：“故事开始时我选择将潘金莲的放荡一面隐藏起来，因此，真相浮出水面时故事会显得更有戏剧性。”
"I chose not to show Pan's loose side in the beginning… so it's more dramatic when the truth comes out," Guk insisted.

无牙的老虎
Toothless tiger

武松以其勇敢和正直，成为中国以及东亚文化中的一位英雄形象。他赤手空拳与老虎搏斗的故事家喻户晓，但在新剧中，武松手握尖刀，而通过电脑特技合成的老虎看上去很假很失败，同时武松的戏服模仿了《加勒比海盗》中的杰克船长，也被观众认为是很“荒谬”。
The character of Wu Song is iconic in Chinese and East Asian culture for his courage and just nature. His fight with a wild tiger with his bare hands is a household tale - but in the new adaption, Wu uses a knife, the fake-looking tiger is a work of spectacularly unsuccessful CGI and Wu's costume has been called "ridiculous" for resembling the Jack Sparrow's in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

鞠导演说：“赤手空拳打死老虎是不可能的，即使是世界上最勇猛的人都无法办到，因此我们给武松加了把刀。”

"It is not possible to kill a tiger with your bare hands, even the bravest man in the world couldn't, so we had to give Wu Song a knife," Guk argued.

英雄遭遇同性情结
Homosexual heroes

梁山好汉们可能彼此间都称兄道弟，但这些兄弟间到底有多亲密呢？有人认为新剧过于强调他们的外表和情感了。
All men might be brothers but just how close are these bros? The new version emphasizes their looks and emotions too much, some say.

林冲长相英俊，经常会招来同性的赞美。事实上，整部有关绿林好汉的剧集中普遍充斥着一种同性情结。林冲常常被刻画成一个女性化的形象，同时一些男性角色佩戴起花饰，而且有很多纹身。
The character Lin Chong is a man so handsome, he habitually attracts male compliments. In fact, a generally homosexual atmosphere pervades the whole bandit series. Lin is habitually described with female imagery and the men wear flowers and sport various tattoos.

鞠导演说：“我需要处理每个独一无二的人物。比如，童贯是太监，因此他会有一点同性恋情结。将林冲比喻成女性这是玩笑，而绝非同性间的调情！我们也做过相关研究，宋朝时男人们的确佩戴花饰。”
"I need to deal with each unique personality," Guk responded. "For instance, Tong Guan is a eunuch, so he is a little gay. Using a female metaphor for Lin Chong is a joke, not gay flirting! We also did research... men did wear flowers in the Song Dynasty."

《水浒传》原著充满着血腥和粗俗，有许多非道德的色情与暴力情节，甚至还有吃人场面的描述。这些[性和暴力]全部被删掉了。影评人胡亮表示：“要想通过审查，这些暴力色情的画面肯定不能搬上荧屏。”
The original novel is gory, earthy and full of amoral sex and violence - there's even cannibalism. All that's been excised. "They [sex and violence], of course, cannot be shown on TV if they want to pass censorship," film critic Hu Liang said.

(China.org.cn, www.i21st.cn, August 26, 2011)