2020 is the 70th anniversary of to resist US aggression and aid Korea. In this year, a large number of film and television works about the Korean War emerged. Whether it is " King Kong Chuan ", which is highly expected by everyone, or " Changjin Lake ", an epic masterpiece blessed by three famous directors, it has aroused everyone's discussion.
Unfortunately, 70 years later, my country has made great progress in many fields, and even stood on the top of the world. Only in the field of film and television culture,
has not only been standing still, but has even experienced serious setbacks in many aspects. The reputation of several tribute works is completely incomparable with the classic movies, and many aspects are still inferior.
Whether it is the familiar " Shangganling ", " Heroes and Sons " or the slightly less popular "Surprise", it is still "Dugu seeking defeat" in such films.
, especially "Shangganling", has become a memory of the times for countless people. Among them, the glimpsed episode " My Motherland " has been widely praised and dubbed "the third national anthem" by netizens. How did an epoch-making classic movie like
come into being? What is the current situation of the actors who acted in it?
stills
filming background
took place in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea from 1950 to 1953, which can be called the battle for the founding of new China.
On this battlefield, countless volunteer army soldiers shed their blood, and defeated the United Nations army led by the United States with their high military literacy and heroic battlefield performance.
After this war, the attitudes of countries around the world towards the New China have completely changed. In the eyes of various dignitaries, it is no longer the impoverished and weak semi-colonial and semi-feudal country in the Western impression. It is an emerging power that has re-emerged and stands in the East of Asia. In the three years of
's resistance to U.S. aggression and aid Korea, there have been countless battles that shocked future generations, including those who meet in a narrow path and fight for the first place, and there are also clever and clever strategies.
The " Shangganling Battle " that took place from October 14th to November 25th, 1952 was definitely a turning point in this war, and it was the beginning of the Volunteer Army's transition from defense to attack.
Shangganling Battle
The strategic importance of the "Shangganling Battle" is self-evident, and countless heroic warriors emerged in this battle, which deserve to be remembered by everyone.
Chairman Mao was deeply moved after learning about the deeds of the fighting heroes Huang Jiguang, Hu Xiudao, Sun Zhanyuan and others, and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he personally ordered that this significant battle be made into a film and preserved forever.
For this glorious and arduous task, major film studios in China at that time actively signed up, hoping to participate in it.
Finally, Changchun Film Studio , which is good at shooting war movies, stood out and took over the filming of the movie.
In order not to disappoint the chairman and the people of the whole country, Changchun Film Studio sent a luxurious lineup, with Shamon , Lin Shan as the director, Lin Shan, Cao Xin, Sha Meng and Xiao Mao as the screenwriters.
Chairman Mao
After many internal discussions, the main creative team agreed that in order to make a good movie, we must truly understand the fighting situation at that time.
Therefore, Sha Meng, who is both the director and the screenwriter, took the initiative to invite Ying to the scene of the Shangganling Battle on the spot. Although
was mentally prepared, after seeing the flattened hilltops and the tragic state of the bare battlefield, Shamon was still greatly touched. Even after the war was over, the devastated land remained barren as it was all covered in thick bullets and shrapnel. After
completed the field inspection, the main creative team went to all parts of the country to interview soldiers who had experienced the battlefield. They provided very detailed first-hand information for Shamon and others, and the content of hundreds of thousands of words was compiled from these people's dictation alone.
has the experience of being on the battlefield and the detailed information provided by the soldiers. The movie "Shangganling" gives a nearly 100% battlefield restoration. The content of the story makes countless people empathize with . Many volunteer soldiers were deeply moved when they watched it, and praised it after watching it.
z0After z"Shangganling"
strives for real actors to choose
to write an excellent to almost perfect script, the film "Shangganling" officially entered the preparation stage. As China's first film to describe the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the main creative team is all stubborn, trying to provide the audience with the most realistic battlefield restoration. In order to achieve better results, the crew of
strictly demanded every detail, from the selection of real scenes, the selection of actors, to every inconspicuous prop.
made a bold attempt in the selection of actors. Except for a few roles with relatively heavy roles, they chose professional actors, and others tried their best to choose people who have been on the battlefield and have combat experience.
Although the latter lack of shooting experience, they can perfectly restore the volunteer soldiers in terms of body, temperament and movement without performing interpretation.
"Shangganling"
and the professional actors of the crew also got along with the veterans who participated in the battle of Shangganling for a long time before filming, and made a very careful observation of the latter. After
has a full understanding, their acting talents have injected soul into the shaping of the characters.
"Shangganling" is an excellent group movie, not only the protagonist is shining, but every supporting role is also shaped with flesh and blood. Even for some small roles with few roles, the crew also equipped him with 8 sets of equipment, and the rich details gave the audience a strong sense of substitution.
Of course, the unprecedented success of this movie has a lot to do with the two excellent protagonists.
Gao Baocheng (former)
is first of all Gao Baocheng who plays the male Zhang Zhongfa.
His performance is perfect, not only has a full understanding of the characters, but also every detail of the performance is accurate.
In fact, Gao Baocheng had a lot of ups and downs before joining the group. The male protagonist in the script of "Shangganling" was only in his 20s, and Gao Baocheng was over 30 at the time, which was obviously inappropriate in this regard, so he was criticized by many people. be opposed to.
But Shamon insists on using Gao Baocheng, on the one hand because he has participated in the Eighth Route Army, has a military temperament, and interprets this role appropriately; The performance is superb.
At the insistence of Shamon, Gao Baocheng was finally selected, and he also handed in a perfect answer.
As for the choice of the heroine Wang Lan, there is a natural taste. In fact, in the first version of the script, Shamon did not set such a female character. But after the script was completed, he always felt that something was wrong, as if something was missing.
Liu Yuru
Until a chat with a veteran, he learned that there were also many brave and fearless female soldiers who made great contributions on the battlefield to resist US aggression and aid Korea.
Therefore, he decided to add a heroine to the script, and the whole story suddenly became yin and yang, with both hardness and softness.
And the selection of actresses is also very dramatic, the main creator originally formulated a complete set of plans. But after a graduate of Lu Xun Academy of Arts came to Changchun Film Factory to report, her clear and pure temperament instantly conquered everyone, and she successfully became the heroine of the movie "Shangganling".
And this lucky girl was Liu Yuru, who was unknown at the time.
Liu Yuru
The current situation of the old actors
After the release of "Shangganling", it quickly became popular all over the country and became the best war movie in the hearts of countless people. In particular, the clip of the heroine Wang Lan singing "My Motherland" in the dim tunnel has become an eternal classic in Chinese film history. The film
was officially released in 1956, 66 years have passed since then, how are the actors in the original film doing now?
The answer to this question may be a little regrettable, 66 years is too far away, and most of the actors in the movie have passed away.
It is understood that only 5 actors are still alive today, namely Zhang Jianyou who plays the walking crew, Zhang Liang who plays Yang Decai, Liu Lei who plays Chen Dehou, and Liu Lei who plays the third battalion commander. Wang Feng and Liu Yuru who plays Wang Lan.
Liu Yuru in his later years
Among these characters, the most familiar movie to the audience is the heroine Wang Lan.
And her actor Liu Yuru chose to quit after filming "Shangganling". Now that she is 85 years old, she chose to immigrate to the United States at a very early age and enjoy her old age in the company of her family.
In the movie "Shangganling", the walking crew played by Zhang Jianyou and also left a deep impression on the audience. In 1949, he served as an actor of Dongying Actors. In addition to this film, he also participated in " Private Deng Zhigao ", "Beacon Train" and other films. Currently retired at home, living a happy life of four generations.
Yang Decai is Zhang Zhongfa's correspondent in the movie, and the scene where he takes the blaster and perishes with the enemy is also a screen classic. And his actor Zhang Liang is a professional actor who graduated from Shanghai Film Academy , and was assigned to Beijing Film Studio after graduation. In addition to "Shangganling",
also participated in classic movies such as " Song of Youth ", " Revolutionary Family " and "Xiyingmen".
"Shangganling"
After retiring, Zhang Liang is still very concerned about China's film career, and he also participated in the premiere of the film "The Actor" in 2021.
Chen Dehou is the platoon leader of eight companies and one platoon. He is Zhang Zhongfa's old comrade-in-arms. He also has a highlight moment in the movie "Shangganling". His actor Liu Lei is an actor of Bayi Film Studio . He has played various supporting roles and starred in film and television works such as "Jiangshan Duojiao", " Crossing the River Adventure ", " Red Eagle Spreading its Wings ", etc. Currently alive. The third battalion commander in the
movie is played by Wang Feng, a soldier who once participated in the Kaifeng campaign and the Huaihai campaign . After the founding of New China, Wang Feng was transferred from the army to the Dongying Actors Section as an actor and played a number of classic military roles.
Although he has been retired for many years, he still cares about the construction of our army and the development of the film industry.
"Shangganling"
Why the heroine Xiying
For the audience who likes the movie "Shangganling", the heroine Wang Lan is definitely a bright color in everyone's memory that will never retreat. But Liu Yuru, who played her, has never appeared since then. Why did she choose Xiying in her good years?
With classic works like "Shangganling", Liu Yuru would have had a very high starting point on the road of acting, and the future was limitless.
It's a pity that the second year after the film was released, Liu Yuru's husband was assigned to a farm on the outskirts of Harbin to do manual labor, and she went with her to accompany her lover.
As an outstanding student who graduated from Lu Xun Academy of Arts, Liu Yuru had hardly done any heavy manual labor before. After arriving on the farm, she was very uncomfortable for a while. The temperature in Harbin is extremely low in winter. During the few years of working in the fields, Liu Yuru has never been used to the weather here.
Liu Yuru
In the biting cold wind, she suffered from pulmonary bronchitis. In severe cases, she couldn't even walk on the ground.
Fortunately, this period didn't last long, and after a few years, her husband left the farm and returned to the city.
But the best years have been wasted in the work of the farm, and she herself has lost her mind as an actor, so she has stayed away from the big screen.
After the 1980s, the relationship between China and the United States was on the honeymoon. Liu Yuru's husband and family went to the United States to exchange and study. After a while, they all chose to stay in the United States. And Liu Yuru has a strong local complex and lives alone in the country.
At the beginning of 2000, under the repeated pleas of her husband, children and family members, Liu Yuru gave up her persistence and chose to go to the United States to enjoy the joy of her family.
"Shangganling"
Conclusion
66 years may not be worth mentioning in the historical changes, but for many people, it is enough to cover their life.
Although most of the actors in "Shangganling" have passed away, the classic screen images they created are still shining.Brilliant.
The passing of real life may be unstoppable, but the continuation of artistic life will continue. The vivid faces and superb interpretations in the film have long been imprinted in the hearts of countless people and have become a vivid memory of the times.
In the singing of "My Motherland", the bond between this film and the audience will be like a surging river.
References
"The movie "Shangganling" completed 4K exquisite restoration" - People's Daily
"<我的祖国>'s creation of the past" - Xinhuanet
