A Feminine Gaze: A Lacanian Analysis of the TV Series Journey to the West

Abstract

Abstract: The TV series Journey to the West, first shown on China Central Television in 1986, is undoubtedly a seminal work in the history of Chinese television. As a TV remake of the classical Chinese novel bearing the same title, this work, following the principle of "faithfulness", substantively makes itself a symptomatic excess to the original novel. Through the "feminine affection" depicted by the general director Yang Jie, the original novel's phallocentric perspective is replaced in a revolutionary way by a feminine perspective of the Queen of the "Feminine Kingdom". In the end of the TV remake when Tripitaka has "completed" the journey to the West, he nonetheless is still haunted by the abyssal gaze from the Queen, which, for Lacan, means the opening-up of a radical passage from law to love.

Key words: Journey to the West, Lacan, symptom, perversion gaze

Wu Guanjun. A Feminine Gaze: A Lacanian Analysis of the TV Series Journey to the West[J]. Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art, 2016, 36(6): 27-36.

References

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(1)2016年已作上映预告的就有五部《西游记》题材电影:《西游记之孙悟空三打白骨精》《敢问路在何方》《大话西游终结篇》《大唐玄奘》《西游:盘丝洞》。
(2)见《艺术人生》之“《西游记》再聚首”专题节目。
(3)本文引用《西游记》语段全部见于吴承恩:《西游记》(北京:人民文学出版社,2009)。引文后统一标明引自《西游记》第几回,后文不复赘注。
(4)关于幻想与对象a更进一步讨论,参见Guanjun Wu,The Great Dragon Fantasy,81n.
(5)央视86版电视剧《西游记》的编剧,除了导演杨洁之外,还有国家文化部艺术司副司长戴英禄、国家一级剧作家邹忆青(女)。
(6)以上引文出处,均见央视86版电视剧《西游记》第16集《趣经女儿国》。
(7)同上剧,第16集《趣经女儿国》。
(8)引文出处见央视86版电视剧《西游记》第16集《趣经女儿国》。
(9)如,“三藏沉思默想道:‘我待不说话,不吃东西,此怪比那女王不同,女王还是人身,行动以礼;此怪乃是妖神,恐为加害,奈何?我三个徒弟,不知我困陷在于这里,倘或加害,却不枉丢性命?’以心问心,无计所奈,只得强打精神,开口道:‘[……]’。”以及,“那女怪弄出十分娇媚之态,携定唐僧道:‘常言黄金未为贵,安乐值钱多。且和你做会夫妻儿,耍子去也。’这长老咬定牙关,声也不透。欲待不去,恐他生心害命,只得战兢兢,跟着他步入香房[……]”以上引文均见央视86版《西游记》第55回。
(10)根据“美猴网”(孙悟空扮演者六小龄童章金莱的官方网站)的资料,拍摄《趣经女儿国》这集的外景地正是苏州。参见《CCTV〈西游记〉的外景地》。
(11)阎肃几乎承担了电视剧《西游记》中为歌曲填词的工作,除了以下的例外---《女儿情》是由《西游记》的导演杨洁作词、《取经归来》是由该剧编剧之一的戴英禄作词、《生无名本无姓》是由付林、晓岭作词。而《女儿情》/《相见难别亦难》的作曲者许镜清,则创作了该剧中的所有音乐。
(12)见央视86版电视剧《西游记》第16集《趣经女儿国》。
(13)同上剧,第25集《波生极乐天》。
(14)徐少华在1988年一封写给记者的信中曾写到:“时间对于一个演员来说尤其宝贵,因为它比任何职业都要短暂,这一点我想许多人都是可以理解的。大型电视系列剧《西游记》前后共拍摄了六年的时间,换了三名唐僧,的确是一件十分遗憾的事。但换一个角度,请大家为一名正处在创作旺盛时期的青年演员想一想,也应该理解我的苦衷。一些外国影星一生可以拍摄80-100部戏,平均一年拍4-5部。而我们的演员六年才能够完成一个角色,这对一个国家的艺术事业来说,无论如何,也并不是一件值得提倡的事情。对一个演员来说,难道就不是对青春和生命的极大的浪费?”参见徐少华。
(15)见央视《艺术人生》之“《西游记》再聚首”专题节目。
(16)李连杰在《霍元甲》上映后接受电视采访时也曾谈到,他当年去香港拍戏,便正是因为不满意当时大陆演员的工资收入状况。
(17)杨洁进一步提到:“作为当时中国第一部大戏,当时电视台没有预算,一开始准备的钱不够用,中间就要停拍了,没钱了呀。第一次拍神话剧,我们也没有经验,所以只有把钱全花在艺术上、业务上,当时我们的夜餐费是3毛,不到11点还领不到。在全国20多个城市转点时,几车皮的东西,搬运都是自己来干,师徒4人都要干。大家干得太辛苦,晚上吃饭时,我说每桌加两瓶啤酒,他们都欢呼起来。那时候的人都挺可爱的”。参见陈艳涛。
(18)见央视《艺术人生》之“《西游记》再聚首”专题节目。
(19)需要指出的,随着这二十年当代中国的意识形态氛围之剧烈变迁---尤其是九二年之后驶入“快车道”的商品经济-市场化的社会转型,整个社会-符号性坐标已发生了根本性转向。徐少华的选择若产生于今天的意识形态氛围下,则恰恰将会成为一个激进的“女性”行动、一个症状性的溢出。

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