's flying fingers and body, the clusters of eyebrows and facial features, for thousands of years, the wonderful art of opera has condensed the eternal truth about morality and justice in the hearts of the Chinese people. In recent years, opera has gradually been integrated with the relatively "young" film art, and classic opera stories have been expressed through lenses and screens, allowing the quintessence of the Chinese nation to regain its charm. Under the trend of "telling Chinese stories well" and the increasingly prosperous literary and artistic trend of opera films, the Soviet opera film "Guoding Soul" came into being and will be released within the year.
"Guoding Soul" is produced by Suzhou Su Opera Troupe Co., Ltd. and Suzhou Su Opera Tradition and Protection Center. It tells a historical story of loyalty and courage in protecting a national treasure. Before the film was produced, the stage version of the story had been polished many times and won awards including the 16th China Culture and Art Government Award "Wenhua Award" and the 11th Jiangsu Province "Five Ones" Project Award for Spiritual Civilization Construction. and many other awards. Since September 7, "Guoding Soul" has fully launched online and offline promotions, with road shows passing through five cities: Xi'an, Nanjing, Hefei, Hangzhou and Shanghai. The text and videos about the film have accurately reached an audience of over 70 million. Thanks to the excellence of the film itself, this roadshow has achieved good publicity effects and has preloaded more expectations for watching the film.
The road show of "Guoding Soul" started in Xi'an because the two tripods in the story were unearthed in Shaanxi; it ended in Shanghai because one of them was placed in the Shanghai Museum. Retracing the true trajectory of history, "Guoding Soul" returned to Suzhou, where the story originated, on September 27, and successfully held its premiere. As the spiritual hometown of Baoding, it is "Gui Pan"'s determination to protect it that adds to the aura of the national treasure.
Attending the premiere were Wang Mingzhu, member of the Propaganda Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee and deputy director of the Provincial Film Bureau, Jin Jie, member of the Standing Committee of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and director of the Propaganda Department, Yang Fang, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Suzhou Municipal Committee and director of the Municipal Civilization Office, Han Weibing, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism, Xu Chunhong, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism, Jiangsu Provincial Film Bureau, Propaganda Department of Suzhou Municipal Party Committee, Suzhou Cultural Investment Development Group, Suzhou Famous City Protection Group, and Suzhou Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department leadership guests. At the same time, the four main creators of the film also came to the scene. They are the leading actors of the film and have won the "Two Degrees of Plum" at the 12th and 22nd Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Awards and the 12th "Wenhua Performance Award". Mr. Wang Fang, a Soviet opera artist, Mr. Zhang Tangbing, who won the first place in the 24th "Shanghai Magnolia Drama Performance and Supporting Actor Award" and the 5th China Kun Opera Art Festival Outstanding Performance Award, as well as the screenwriter of the film, a national first-class Screenwriter and former director of Shanghai Yue Opera Theater Li Li and producer Chen Qihao. In addition, Mr. Pan Yuda, the grandson of Pan Dayu, the prototype of the film's story, also came to the scene to witness this rare moment. The premiere event was hosted by General Manager Chen Long of Suzhou Cultural Investment and Development Group.
Before the screening, Han Weibing, Secretary and Director of the Party Leadership Group of Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism, delivered a speech. He mentioned that the story of "Guoding Soul" from the opera stage to the screen and the audience is inseparable from the strong support of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department, Suzhou Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, Suzhou Famous City Protection Group, and Suzhou Cultural Investment and Development Group . After three years of joint production by many parties, the film version of "The Soul of the Kingdom" has finally been released to the audience. Judging from the results of the road shows in five cities, "Guoding Soul" has attracted audiences of different age groups both online and offline with its careful preparation and superb acting skills. In addition to the fascinating form, the connotation of the film cannot be ignored: Mr. Pan Dayu, with his noble character and lifelong behavior of guarding the tripod, makes this history and this story filled with the feelings of family and country that emphasize etiquette, worship literature, and protect cultural heritage. , worthy of admiration and learning by future generations of Chinese people. The early publicity of "Guoding Soul" has undoubtedly enhanced our cultural confidence. This traditional art originated in Suzhou will surely continue to regain its luster.
At this premiere, the audience was packed. The audience carefully watched the screening of the film and had a lively exchange with the creators and guests after the screening. First of all, the film's starring teachers Wang Fang and Zhang Tangbing shared their profound insights into character understanding.Teacher Wang Fang mentioned that the entire process of Mr. Pan Dayu's protection of the national treasure went through the most difficult period for the Chinese nation, and the moment when the treasure tripod was finally safe, he asked the question "Can it really be peaceful?" Teacher Wang Fang thought particularly of it. Poignancy and empathy. Teacher Zhang Tangbing focused on understanding Pan Zunian's desperate situation at the critical moment. The Pan family had no heirs, so he could only entrust the tripod, which was more important than his life, to his daughter-in-law who had just passed away. Underground, it cannot fall into the hands of others.
From opera to movies, the form of artistic expression has undergone many changes, and the two starring teachers have also made many adjustments in a timely manner. For Teacher Wang Fang, showing the process of a woman from youth to old age is both a challenge and an opportunity, so she worked hard to adapt to the film lens in terms of facial expressions, body movements, and lyrics. Outfits and costumes are very important for opera. Some key scenes require actors to spend a long time preparing and wear thick costumes in the hot summer. In order to pursue the best performance effect, teachers Wang Fang and Zhang Tangbing often worked and filmed key scenes repeatedly, striving to make the presentation of the shots more perfect.
In this exchange, screenwriter Li Li brought new perspectives and new excitement. The script is the soul of a play. During preparation, she and other expert leaders visited the locations related to the story many times, striving to achieve better artistic creation based on restoring the true story. Because Teacher Li is also from Suzhou, during the creative process, she became more and more able to empathize with the soft yet strong "Suzhou character" of Pan Dayu and other characters. This spiritual resonance undoubtedly gave the film a profound and broad connotation. An audience member asked about the different writing methods from drama to film adaptation, and teacher Li Li gave the answer. In an opera, Teacher Wang Fang may use 20 minutes to express a concentrated emotion, but this method is not suitable for movies, so some deletions can only be made in the script; in order to better express the passage of time and the character's mood For changes, in addition to adjustments to the script, art and props must also be used in conjunction, such as the clock and fallen leaves in the film, which well assist in the changes in tone.
The arrival of Mr. Pan Yuda, a descendant of Mr. Pan Dayu, made this event even better. He recalled every moment of getting along with Mr. Pan Dayu in his later years, making the character on the screen more flesh-and-blood, approachable and relatable. Like his ancestors, Mr. Pan Yuda also had a broad mind, and he gave great freedom and support to the artistic creation of "Guoding Soul".
As the post-screening talk comes to an end, the Suzhou premiere of "The Soul of the Kingdom" has come to a successful conclusion. Emerged from Shaanxi and placed in museums in Shanghai and Beijing, the two tripods in the story and the noble temperament of Mr. Pan Dayu have finally "returned" to their spiritual homeland today. "The Soul of the National Cauldron" will radiate more Chinese people to understand this true story of patriotism, love of family, and protection of national treasures, and encourage people to appreciate the feelings of family and country in the story of respecting etiquette, respecting culture, and protecting cultural heritage. We hope that the art of opera can enter thousands of households through the means of film communication, giving birth to more excellent and influential scarce film and production talents, and then better meet the new spiritual and cultural needs of the people, and contribute to the construction of the Chinese nation. contribution to modern civilization.
