Story wise, Lost in 1949 is about a woman who was going to visit her Communist husband but later found out that her husband was dead and afterwards she got involved with a street smart funny guy. There weren't a lot of "twisted" plots like any spy drama, as for me it's more of how two people met by chance then became the best friend that everyone wishes they would have in their life. It's not a refreshing plot, but the dialogue and script would make us sit tight and had great laughs.
However, I must admit, what really carries the show is Chen Kun's acting. He played polar opposite twins and he acted so well you will think that they are two diff persons. For Regina, I have never watched her drama before, I didn't know if she always carries that sad face or her character in this drama demands sad face all the time. But she is decent.
Well, if you are coming from TROP, you will also recognize several faces in this drama.
Notes: Bad guy will still play bad guy (duh!)
Music in a drama has never been something I focused on, because a lot of time I find that I love the drama first then I will learn to enjoy the music later. One thing I can comment on Lost in 1949's music is it carries a lively catchy tune that will make you hummed along.
Overall, Lost in 1949 is a hidden gem for me. It is an underrated drama, since I have never heard anyone mention about this drama before. I am thankful that someone subbed it on youtube and I urge everyone to check it out. Lost in 1949 will make you laugh a lot and tear a bit while it is all worth it.
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A kiss is just a kiss.
This drama is set in 1949 during the prelude to the Communist Party of China's descent upon Shanghai the most strategic city in China at the time; which the nationalist Kuomintang had vowed to defend. The loss of Shanghai paved the way for the CPC to sweep into power and the rest is history. Given this backdrop, it is no surprise that this drama is often mischaracterized as a spy thriller. And certainly while espionage is a prominent feature, it is not at all what this drama is really about. It is much more a slice of life drama that explores the social economic challenges and shifting political ideologies that affects friends, families and lovers at this great inflection point in modern Chinese history.I normally heartily dislike dramas set in tumultuous times like this because one cannot realistically expect happy outcomes. So I put this off for the longest time even though I am a huge fan of Chen Kun. But to my surprise, I enjoyed this drama almost from start to finish. The drama deftly avoids being melodramatic or maudlin by telling the story as a witty and intelligent dark comedy; effectively masking the sad, somewhat cynical undertone. I laughed my head off at the comical antics of the flighty widow who tries to turn back time with her first true love, a married man who is clumsily both tempted and terrified by her. It was only much later that it struck me what an ironic and cruel trick fate played on them and their families. Beyond Chen Kun, this drama is well cast with actors with excellent comedic timing.
The newly widowed Huang Liwen (Wan Chen) encounters Qiao Zhicai by chance as they both return to Shanghai. Having just lost her husband, a communist agent, Liwen tries to stay connected to him or perhaps give meaning to her loss by embracing his cause. Qiao Zhicai on the other hand is a a street savvy rogue and a bit of the black sheep of his family who ably navigates through the hyperinflation and shortages during those chaotic times. Their antagonistic initial interactions and misunderstandings blossom into a touching friendship and they become increasingly entangled into each other's lives. Together they try to protect the work of Qiao Lijie, Zicai's identical younger twin and a brilliant nuclear physicist. Their activities invite the scrutiny of the brutal secret police, putting them and their families in harm's way.
Where this drama shines is in its satirical portrayal how the main characters respond to provocation, conflict and deprivation. On the one hand, the drama mockingly lays bare the shallower, superficial and baser human traits of many of the characters and then redeems them by actions that also reveals their capacity for good. This darkly humorous depiction of familial bonds, sibling rivalry, love and betrayal as well as loyalty and friendship is vivid, hilarious and wistful. The overarching plot however will not satisfy true spy buffs although there are some thrilling, suspenseful moments and twists. It amounts to little more than a bunch of rather amateur spies pitted against a bunch of equally incompetent villains and making huge sacrifices for a mission that is ultimately of dubious historical significance.
I cannot praise Chen Kun's stellar performance in this drama enough. He pulled off both twins with such different personalities so convincingly I really believed there were two of them. Some of my favorite moments were when the brothers switch places - when Zhicai pretends to be Lijie he gives you the barest glimpse of Zhicai's concealed personality and vice versa. That is incredibly difficult to pull off and I don't believe I have ever seen it done better. I ended up loving both brothers and to me, Qiao Zhicai has become an all time favorite drama character. On the other hand, I found Wan Chen's Huang Liwen somewhat lacking. To be fair, it is a complex, messy role - a widow who is struggling to find meaning in her loss and existence. But she never convinces that her zeal for her cause is grander than love or friendship or even life itself. And she needs saving all the time. She only has three expressions - woebegone, helpless and cold. For her, a kiss is just a kiss; a means to an end with little true passion. I find her feelings for and attitude towards Zhicai unfathomable and frustrating. I don't think that is what the writers intended. Although she almost redeems herself at the end, I still find her unworthy of the sacrifices and risks Zhicai took for her.
For me this is an 8.5 that would have been a 9.0 if a better actress played Liwen. Nonetheless, I very much enjoyed the story and dark humor - it is very rare to see it done so well in c-drama. I can highly recommended watching this even though as a consequence, I suffered a major relapse and started cyber stalking Chen Kun again.
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Chen Kun is a star
This show is proof that Chen Kun can pull off an entire show 100% on his own.Don’t take this as a spy drama and you’d be happy with the production. It is a story of family ties, brotherhood and love.
Most of the characters/actors are pretty forgettable but Chen Kun is really something. He can pull off playing the main (playful, witty and street-smart) character so well. I initially thought that his character was going to be a bumbling fool for the entire show but I enjoyed seeing him grow into a family-loving man.
He also plays his twin brother who is the polar opposite - a nerd, awkward and highly-intelligent physicist. Pretty amazing.
Story wise is fair. It’s basically the spy game between the KMT and CCP but there’s really not much of it until the last 10 episodes. ¾ of the drama is on the family and Chen Kun’s manoeuvring both parties who use his skills.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Journey towards liberation which started with a suitcase.
Lost in 1949 is set in a tumultuous Republican era in history of China when The Communists Party was set to liberate people from the tyrant rule of The Nationalist Party.The drama begins with a woman, Huang Li Wen who suddenly come accross a suitcase which belongs to a Communist spy. She bumps into a man, Qiao Zi Cai resulting in the suitcases to be switched. Later she learns that her husband was a Communist spy and had died in a secret operation. Taken back by this sudden loss, Huang Li Wen decides to join the Communist Party as a spy. Thus begins her journey towards liberation.
The drama starts off as a cat and mouse chase between the spies and the Secret Service Agents. But at the end became story of sacrifice which led the country towards a new light.
Though the plot may seem quite common as in many Chinese dramas focusing on the Republican Chinese Period, but what draws our attention is the portrayal of the twin Qiao brothers by Chen Kun (Alloys Chen). Qiao Zi Cai and Qiao Li Jie are two brothers who are polar opposite but eventually they realise how they are quite similar to each other and without one the other cannot thrive. Their changing attitudes towards each other and the bond between them made something impossible to be possible.
The romance portrayed here is of a different and deeper dimension. It is more of the feeling kind rather than the describing-by-words kind of romance. If you came here solely for the Romance tag, you will obviously be a little disappointed. But if you hang on for a little bit you would obviously enjoy watching.
The drama ends with a open ending which is obviously acceptable for the plot. Though the ending is poignant but it is realistic. But I find Qiao Zi Cai's ending is not justified even after his sacrifice.
Though this drama is something which I accidentally came accross, but it was quite enjoyable. At some point it did get a little bit predictable, but I'm glad that I decided to hang on till the end as this drama turns out to be a hidden gem. From the Sanghai streets to the costumes, everything is just too well done.
Obviously this drama has its own flaws and you might find the plot to be not unique enough. But if you want to watch something realistic and heart touching, do give it a try. Also you can watch it if you are tired of watching dramas with cliches and want something out of the box.
Hope you enjoy! Do share your experience with me.
P.S. This was my first ever review in MDL. So it might not be satisfactory. But I'll try to improve.
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This review may contain spoilers
A family story of love and compassion a little taste of revolution
At first, I'd like to start with a short historical reference. Years before Chinese Communist revolution, Communism was a popular party in my country and one of the most organized parties in our history, most of the elites modern people and majority of university students were either a member or a sympathizer. Even one of the top 5 Marxist Theorists in the world was from our Mars. But now, several decades later it's just a fading memory. While watching this drama I was thinking about how if our Communists could take tips from Chinese ones or Chinese Agents could take tip from ours, history could've been changed. maybe then it would be Chinese poets writing heartful laments about our red glorious revolution!! I guess it's what they call Subjunctive History....:: ( Not that I's a fan of Communism or any associated theories by any means!)OK, Enough history lesson. Let's talk the drama. First I must say that "Lost in 1949" isn't a cheap or badly-done drama. Cinematography, customs. set design, etc are done tastefully and beautiful. From this perceptive it's a 9/10 drama, my problems mostly lies with writing.
Story: It's supposed to be a mystery, spy thriller drama but it's almost neither. It has a pretty decent twist in the last 10 or so episodes. first part of this twist, I was sure of but the second part although not very surprising reality vise, I didn't see it coming. Our FL is under suspicion from 2nd episode and remains so until the very last episode. If it was a 16 or 24 eps long it would be fine, but you have to sit through 46 episodes watching a cat and mouse game which no matter how much dangerous and risky it gets, you're sure that ML/ FL are going to get away by telling some lies and self-victimizing. As saying goes: " You may fool some of the people sometimes but not all the people all the time!" This was exactly what they did all through the show.
Writing is solid with little plot holes and inconsistency but the very core of the story that it's this never ending boring game of SS people putting traps and ML plays smarta** and saves the day is the bane of this drama and killer of all the exciting scenes because you feel no real tension. The focus of the drama is more on how members of a family can take one of their own for granted and only in difficult time or special circumstances find out his/her real value, I have more to say on plot but stop here.
Cast: I've been a fan of Chen Kun for years but not having the patience to sit through a drama specially the long ones, LI49 is the first drama I've watched with him. He is truly the star of this show. His portrayal of twins brothers, so different in style and personality yet so alike is top-notch. and I think the lack of the same quality in his partner's performance make his acting even bolder. His Zhi Cai was a selfless person who all the time sacrificed his own life, happiness and comfort for the other people and his last sacrifice for his family was really touching!
Li Jie was so intelligent yet so ignorant and he managed to depict his kind of lost personality very well.
I didn't know Regina Wan before this and looking up her profile and seeing she's a rather known star with a bunch of awards made me wonder about her . Here she had only 3 damsel in distress, judgmental and poker face expressions. Her Li Wen was a pragmatist who used Zhi Cai as best as she could to reach her goals. I rooted for their friendship but when it started to get romantic, they lost their charm. Not to mention that in my eyes it remained an unrequited love till the end and I just couldn't see Li Wen's romantic love for him. Her feelings for Zhi Cai at the highest seemed to be just friendship and gratitude.
Of course a woman who'd ran away from home and her husband had been her everything for more than a decade falling in love with another man just a short while after his death would be a bit OOC.
Supporting actors were more or less good and carries out their rules very well. I specially like Zhi Cai and Li Na's easy friendship.
Music: I didn't pay much attention to the score but ending title was good.
Rewatch: I think it's one of those one-time-is-more-than-enough dramas.
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A very befitting title...
Chen Kun...my all-time favorite Chinese artistThe main reason I watched this serial is because of Chen Kun and he truly delivered. As always, he is the pivot of the drama and it is such a pleasure to watch him embody these characters and making us really fall again and again in love with him and his characters.
I am usually a strong supporter of female characters in any drama but I must say that this is the first time that I was actively routing for Qiao Zhicai...
The only time the FL was able to evoke any sympathy from me was when she was trying to save Qiao Zhicai towards the second quarter of the drama. After that, she fell flat again in her acting and even the end could not convince me at all. Her character itself actually was very bland.
Otherwise, the drama itself is not so remarkable except for its dark humor during the first half of the drama which I enjoyed really a lot.
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A Republic Era C-Drama
LOST IN 1949 is a Chinese Historical Drama featuring Communist spy rings, espionage, familial bonds, brotherhood, romance, and slice of life in the Chinese Republican Era, year 1948-1949, building up to the day of reckoning for the country's corrupt elite class.I should first give a warning here, as the topic of Communism can be generally inflammatory subject here in the West. So be warned that this is a very PRO-Communist drama and obviously going to be biased to that end. Hopefully negative reviews won't be written because of that fact alone. However, I personally feel that regardless of your political stance on the topic of Communism as an effective form of governance or not, the series was a completely engrossing and compelling watch and offers reasonable and understandable causes for the drive of the people's movement towards Communism in those days. This drama portrays a highly romanticized, dramatic and somewhat nationalistic take on political tensions, war and Communism in China in the year of 1949.
"On New Year's Day in 1949, female accountant Huang Liwen returns to her hometown Shanghai in order to commemorate her husband and comrade's death. As a newly turned Communist agent, she is ordered to obtain valuable information for the Communist Party and aid them in their quest for liberation. During her mission, Liwen is reunited with her family members, and becomes acquainted with the savy streetwise Qiao Zhicai(Chen Kun) and his younger twin brother Qiao Lijie, who turns out to be a key player in Huang Liwen's mission."
This series contains two of my favorite Chinese Stars, the infinately captivating Chen Kun (Qiao Zhi Cai & Qiao Li Jie) and the wonderful Regina Wan / Wan Qian (Huang Li Wen), both of whom shine here, though the former really steals the show. Chen Kun is a sheer genius and master of his craft and an absolute joy to watch. And per his usual, he was phenomenal. This review will possibly become a rant now...
This series was highly engrossing after a few episodes it really picked up. There is certainly a lot of world and character building, political intrigue and dialogue, family and romantic tensions and relationship conflicts, misunderstandings, etc, but it still kept me hooked, mainly in part by Chen Kun's ever dynamic presence. It's definitely more of a slow burn drama, rather than a thriller as I had been somewhat expecting based on the description and subject matter. The costumes and production were stunning and really capture the Era well, for what one might expect. The entire cast were excellent really.
I've now watched so many of Chen Kun's projects and am ALWAYS, ALWAYS blown away by his performances. He is an absolute force to reckoned with, a literal genius in my personal and humble opinion. He is on a whole next level than many performing actors these days (compared to many actors both in the East and in the West), and never fails to impress, and not simply because of his gorgeous features, dashing charisma and intense presence. He can make a viewer go from laughing to crying easily within seconds, offering up very effective and memorable performances. I honestly can't praise him enough, as this review probably shows...whoops.
Anyways. In LOST IN 1949, Chen Kun plays two characters, the twin brothers Qiao Zhi Cai and Qiao Li Jie, with absolute skill and genius. His vast range as an actor was really put to the test when the two brothers frequently interact with each other and the world around them. You get to see two really different characters played by a single man and honestly it did feel like watching two separate men in their respective parts. Hmmm...Does he have a real life twin? Or a clone? The point being, he's incredibly believable and deliciously entertaining to watch. And did I mention hilarious? While this isn't listed as a comedy, he is incredibly hilarious here, playing both the quirky and lovable, streetwise Qiao Zhi Cai, as well as the cool and awkward physicist, Qiao Li Jie. Many comedic coincidences ensue.
While the first few episodes might move a bit slowly, this series is a rather short drama in the grand scheme of C-Drama's, lasing only 46 episodes. Typical dramas could range around 80-100 eps. And these 46 episodes blew past me in no time and left me wishing for more.
As for qualms, I have very little for this series. One issue would be the writing / handling of Regina Wan's character, Huang Li Wen, towards the later part of the series. She started off very well balanced. Strong and yet hinting at deeper vulnerability and pain. In the later part, she seemed to become very bland and distant and consumed by her vulnerabilities, loosing some of her previously earned wit and strength of character. I have no doubt that has nothing to do with Regina's acting skill, as she is very talented actress indeed, but rather the writing direction chosen for her character. While her circumstances were understandably difficult, I wish she'd been given a bit more time to shine again before the series had ended. Perhaps this series could have been longer? Or perhaps it has been previously edited down and thus some of her character arc was missing.
Overall, finding this gem was a huge win for me. While not perfect, I can't bear to dock it any points. 10 stars because I was kept highly entertained throughout. When not engrossed in the espionage plots and communist tasks, I was kept amused with wonderful characters developing and interacting. Both Romance and Family were key central elements. Hence, I greatly enjoyed almost everything about this series, the story, the portrayal of the Era, the costumes and settings, the atmosphere, the chemistry between characters, all the cast was excellent, even the main theme song was pretty catchy and likeable. Most of all the masterful Chen Kun and intelligent Regina Wan were a sheer delight to watch onscreen with great chemistry. Really loved this drama and super glad I had stumbled across it free and subbed on Youtube.
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