The legendary story of "Honghu Red Guards" ; the classic movie reveals the behind-the-scenes story of "Honghu Red Guards";
Wang Yuzhen , a famous opera artist in my country and a national first-class actor. She has been popular since then because she successfully played the heroine "Han Ying" in the opera of the same name and the movie "Red Guards of Honghu Lake". The heroine "Han Ying" she created has become one of the classic images in the memory of generations; she sang the theme song "Honghu Water, Waves Beat Waves" in "Honghu Red Guards", which has been sung in China for half of the year. For more than a century, it has become a red classic melody of the Chinese nation. And Wang Yuzhen's life journey has also been marked with a distinct "Honghu" brand everywhere.
After Wang Yuzhen's mother knew about it, she initially disagreed with Wang Yuzhen's taking the test, but in the end she could not resist her persistence, so she agreed. On the day Wang Yuzhen went from Hankou to Wuchang to take the exam, her mother took out a silver dollar from the bottom of the box and handed it to her, saying, "If you don't pass the exam, just come back." However, luck favored Wang Yuzhen again. Among the four people who took the exam with the singing class, she was the only one who was admitted, and her singing journey officially began. After
joined the art troupe, Wang Yuzhen can be described as "like a duck to water" , smiling all day. This girl who came out of a poor family feels that she has a career and has a strong sense of turning over. In the troupe, she is willing to do any chores, such as costumes, props, lighting, running the crowd, and any chores; singing, doing, reciting, playing in opera, Chu opera , Han opera, Sichuan opera , Henan Bangzi , she Learn everything.
At that time, it was very hard to practice qigong. Wang Yuzhen said: "When we practiced qigong, our legs were really painful. We practiced while shouting the names of heroes like Huang Jiguang and Qiu Shaoyun. I'm not afraid of sweating, so I can endure all kinds of hardships." It was also during this period that the learning and accumulation like a sponge absorbing water laid a solid foundation for Wang Yuzhen's future singing career.
During this period, in Wang Yuzhen's stage practice, the most representative ones were starring in the adapted Chu dramas "Autumn River" and "Liu Hai Cut the Woodcutter". Her performance is considered 's "solid singing skills, free and generous stage movements, and very charming in her gestures" . Wang Yuzhen, who is "the little lotus only shows sharp horns", is still working hard, waiting for the moment to bloom.
In 1959, the moment for Wang Yuzhen's artistic talent to shine came. This year, in order to present the 10th anniversary of the birth of of the People's Republic of China, the Hubei Provincial Opera House where Wang Yuzhen is located created the opera "Red Guards of Honghu Lake". Wang Yuzhen recalled that in order to better express the opera, the leaders, screenwriters and actors in the troupe went to the Honghu area to collect materials and experience life. There, they listened to a lot of epic hero stories. The prototype of 's protagonist "Han Ying" was originally a male, but at that time the crew felt that from an artistic point of view, it was not very good, so they changed the gender of the character to female. Some people once thought that the prototype of "Han Ying" was He Long's sister He Ying , and the reason why was actually named "Ying" is that the singing is louder, and the second is that he wants to learn from He Ying's spirit. At the time of , the group adopted an open campaign method for the main role-players, whoever played well was selected. As a result, Wang Yuzhen came out on top with her profound stage skills and bright and sweet timbre, serving as the role of "Han Ying" A.
Wang Yuzhen said that in the process of playing "Han Ying", she also experienced a transformation process. "I didn't like this drama at first, I thought the plot was too simple and there was no ups and downs." But when Wang Yuzhen went deep into the life of the Honghu Revolutionary Base, listened to the old revolutionaries and the old Red Army's stories about the current situationAfter the revolutionary stories and experiences of the time, when she re-read the script, she had a different feeling: "After heard the stories of these martyrs, I felt that every line, every sentence, was not a slogan or a kind of line. " Wang Yuzhen said, at that time they often came to the stage with tears in their disguise. Gradually, the image of "Han Ying" became more and more full in her heart, and she began to get close to her heart. this role.
The first performance of the opera "Honghu Red Guards" was arranged in the Honghu area and it was a great success. Honghu people said: This is our play, we sing our songs, and talk about our affairs. Since then, the crew has continued to improve while performing. In October 1959, "Honghu Red Guards" went to Beijing to perform, and the first performance in the Children's Theater was an instant hit. At the end of the performance, the audience hummed "Honghu water, waves, waves and waves" The melody left. The 100th performance at Huairentang in Zhongnanhai brought the opera "Red Guards of Honghu Lake" to its peak. Leaders such as Zhou Enlai, Dong Biwu, Li Xiannian and He Long came to watch and unanimously praised it. In order to make "Honghu Red Guards" available to the whole country, Marshal He Long proposed to put it on the screen and make it into a color movie . Beijing Film Studio and Wuhan Film Studio joined forces to take over the task, but the leaders of Hubei Province said: If you want to shoot, you should shoot the original cast. Therefore, except for director Xie Tian , the directors and actors of the film are basically the same people.
In 1961, the movie "Honghu Red Guards" was screened nationwide, and immediately set off a nationwide "Honghu Red Guards" craze. The success of the filming has in turn promoted the re-creation of the opera "Red Guards of Honghu Lake". According to statistics, before the outbreak of the "Cultural Revolution", the opera "Red Guards of Honghu Lake" has set a record of 800 consecutive performances and a full performance. So far, this opera has been performed more than a thousand times on the stage, which is rare in the history of contemporary drama.
The success of the opera and movie "Honghu Red Guards" made Wang Yuzhen famous and brought her singing career to a peak. Along with career success, a series of honors such as advanced workers also follow. Under the fame, Wang Yuzhen feels the pressure while enjoying the glory. In this regard, she said, only by working harder and not daring to slack off. In those years, she threw herself into performances, "At that time, we often went to factories, villages, stations, and wharves to perform. As long as the audience asked, we would sing songs they liked. Because we felt that, with the revolutionary martyrs Compared with our heroic deeds, all we can do are trivial things, and of course we should do it for the audience." , Premier Zhou, Mr. He and other leaders. To this day, she still clearly remembers those exciting moments and their care.
On the wall of Wang Yuzhen's house, there is a group photo of her with Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou and others: in the photo, the young Wang Yuzhen is holding Chairman Mao with a happy smile on her face. Wang Yuzhen recalled that it was the group photo facilitated by Premier Zhou when she was attending the Third National People's Congress. At that time, Premier Zhou also introduced to Chairman Mao, "This is Wang Yuzhen, who plays "Han Ying"." In the conversation with Chairman Mao, Wang Yuzhen was amused by his witty words, and the original tension was also swept away. .
mentioned Premier Zhou, Wang Yuzhen is always full of reverence and gratitude. After the performance of "Honghu Red Guards" at Huairentang , Premier Zhou spoke highly of "Honghu Water, Waves Beat Waves", he said: "I didn't find such a good revolutionary ballad song until I was 65 years old. ." This sentence inspired Wang Yuzhen. When
was preparing for the film "Honghu Red Guards", someone proposed to play"Han Ying" Wang Yuzhen was replaced because Wang Yuzhen was not beautiful. After this incident was reported to Premier Zhou, Premier Zhou was very angry. He said, "It's a real nonsense. Playing "Han Ying" is a hero, not a beauty." It was Premier Zhou's "final decision" that made Wang Yuzhen's career. From here to brilliance.
Wang Yuzhen remembered that in this group photo, the Prime Minister told her: "Wang Yuzhen, you have to study hard!" At that time, she was a little confused and could not fully understand the meaning of Premier Zhou's words. It was not until she experienced that special era that she suddenly realized the good intentions in the Prime Minister's words.
Because "Honghu Red Guards" is a story about Marshal He Long's revolutionary deeds, the crew once performed a special performance for him. Wang Yuzhen clearly remembered that when Marshal He Long talked about the role of "Han Ying", he kindly asked Wang Yuzhen: "Do you know Fengkouhe?" Wang Yuzhen nodded vigorously. Mr. He said: "At that time, the enemy cut off our comrades' heads and rolled them into the river. The river turned red, and the struggle was cruel!" Mr. He's words shocked Wang Yuzhen, and she tried to get close again." "Han Ying", pays more attention to revealing the inner world of "Han Ying" during the performance. In this regard, Wang Yuzhen once said with emotion: "If it weren't for Mr. He, I would never be able to play the role of Han Ying so well!" The character of fear of difficulties has also been fully reflected in her acting career. When the film "Red Guards of Honghu Lake" was filmed, it was a period of three years of natural disasters, and food was in short supply. The crew only had seven or two meals a day, and everyone was so hungry that their chests were pressed against their backs. Once, in the small restaurant where the crew made rice, they saw that there was still a pot of rice soup in the kitchen master's place.
Due to lack of food, the phenomenon of "men are thin and women are fat" among the actors at that time. Xia Kuibin, who played the captain "Liu Chuang", was so thin that his ribs were bulging and his cheeks were sunken. In order to make Liu Chuang appear full of energy on the screen, the director had to find a ball of cotton and stuff it into his mouth to make his cheeks bulge. And Wang Yuzhen, who played "Han Ying", suffered from "edema" due to lack of nutrition and became more and more "fat". In the scene where "Han Young" is stuck in a cell, her puffy face is caused by hunger. In order to make a good scene, Wang Yuzhen often has to face the double attack of hunger and cold. Once she was filming a horse-riding scene in the cold wind. In the winter in the north, she was constantly galloping and bumping. After a few hours, Wang Yuzhen insisted on her will. In order to prevent Wang Yuzhen from becoming "fat", the crew took special care of her and gave her a small plate of soybeans every day to supplement her nutrition. Wang Yuzhen still remembers eating soybeans for the first time, "28, no more, no less." She said with a smile.
Wang Yuzhen's persistent pursuit of art has allowed her to reap the brilliance of her life, and it has also allowed her to spend a lot of busy acting time. At that time, institutions, schools, villages, stations, docks, canteens... She was always there. There are often three performances in the morning, noon and evening. It's a few hours at a time. "The luckiest thing in my life is that I acted in a good play, played a heroic character, and the people all over the country remember me, but my biggest regret is that I only acted in such a play, I could have played for the people More dramas." Through Wang Yuzhen's words, it is not difficult to find the faint regret she harbors deeply.
Due to the delay of the "Cultural Revolution" and the blows suffered during the "Cultural Revolution", Wang Yuzhen's body has been left with sequelae, and Wang Yuzhen did not go further on the road of singing. In 1991, Wang Yuzhen was admitted to the hospital due to illness. "I am a hero, and I will defeat the disease with the will of a hero." Wang Yuzhen, who was in pain, was completely supported by her tenacious will. In order to maintain her body shape and throat, Wang Yuzhen refused to take hormone drugs and insisted on taking traditional Chinese medicine for more than a year, but the treatment effect was not good. Taking hormone drugs made her body fat, and the biggest blow was to damage her throat.
"Lark" lost her voice, but she didn't stop singing. In order to keep people's good image of "Han Ying" as a hero forever, after recovering, Wang Yuzhen bid farewell to the entertainment industry and became a professor at the China Conservatory of Music, engaged in theoretical research on national vocal music .
A "Red Guard of Honghu Lake", penetrates time and space, and recreates the revolutionary years of blood and fire. 's song "Honghu Water, Waves Beat the Waves" is timeless and arouses people's infinite nostalgia for their hometown. An opera, a movie, its brilliance has survived decades of vicissitudes of life and has influenced generations of people.
Time has passed for more than half a century. Wang Yuzhen, the actor of "Han Ying", the protagonist of "Red Guards of Honghu", lived a calm and fulfilling life in her later years. She still maintains that strong nostalgia for her hometown. Her chatty words, kind smile, simple clothes, slightly graceful posture, her gestures and gestures show her life like a song, revealing the elegance of a school of artists, she will always be a heroic heroine in our hearts.
