Throughout the ages, in a complex and ever-changing society, there are always some things that contain authenticity that have settled and remained. Among them is the timeless art of opera, which continues to bring brilliance and surprises to people. Under the contemporary literary and artistic trend of "telling Chinese stories well", the opera film "Guoding Soul" produced by Suzhou Su Opera Troupe Co., Ltd. and Suzhou Su Opera Tradition and Protection Center has been adapted after many rounds of stage performances. It has been made into a movie and will be released in theaters this year.
"The Soul of the National Tripod" tells the true story of Mr. Pan Dayu's protection of the national treasure that happened in history. From history to opera, from opera to the screen, this authentic "Suzhou story" can be so vivid and touching, which is inseparable from the attentive performances of actor Wang Fang and teacher Zhang Tangbing. The two actors are well-known in the "theater circle". Teacher Wang Fang has won the "Second Plum Blossom Award" at the 12th and 22nd Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Awards, the 12th "Wenhua Performance Award", the 24th He won the "Shanghai Magnolia Drama Performance Protagonist Award" and many other domestic and foreign honors; Teacher Zhang Tangbing won the first place in the 24th "Shanghai Magnolia Drama Performance·Supporting Actor Award", the 5th China Kun Opera Art Festival Outstanding Performance Award, Outstanding Performance Award at the 1st, 3rd and 5th China Jiangsu Provincial Drama Festival. "Guoding Soul" is fortunate to have two experienced Soviet opera artists. The story of protecting treasure and patriotism can travel through time and maintain an immortal soul.
The changes in art forms are like waves washing away the sand, but truly valuable works will always be remembered and needed. People's call and expectation for high-quality culture can be reflected and confirmed during the road show of "Guoding Soul". Since September 7, "Guoding Soul" has traveled to five cities with its film and creative staff: Xi'an, Nanjing, Hefei, Hangzhou and Shanghai. During the screenings and post-screening exchanges, it is not difficult to see two kinds of atmosphere prevailing: As sons and daughters of China, the audience can relate to the values and character experiences conveyed in the story; as theater fans and movie fans, everyone respects and appreciates the film's performance and overall artistic presentation. A virtuous cycle of opera movies is quietly emerging, which also makes it possible for the art of opera to radiate to more people.
The road show tour of "Guoding Soul" follows the real movement trajectory of the tripod. It was unearthed in Shaanxi and is now stored in the National Museum of China and the Shanghai Museum for the world to admire. The screenings in five cities allowed local audiences to appreciate the charm of Soviet opera films, and the post-screening exchanges became a window for everyone to understand traditional art and the front and backstage of the film.
During the post-screening session, teacher Wang Fang first introduced the development origins of Su Opera and Kun Opera to the audience. Although they have similar roots, Su Opera and Kun Opera have different articulations, sentence fragments, and accents. However, both have a long history, and their inheritance has encountered bumps in the road. In the last century, the development of Su Opera and Kun Opera was sluggish, but the indelible and powerful artistic core of the two still allowed them to move forward; after the new century, Kun Opera was awarded the title of "Intangible Cultural Heritage" by the United Nations, and has since This Su Kun drama is ushering in a revival. In 2017, the Suzhou Opera Troupe was officially established, and then began rehearsing "Guoding Soul" in full swing. From being obscured in history to the "Guoding Soul" stage play winning the "Wenhua Grand Prize" of the 16th China Culture and Art Government Award, it is not difficult to see that Su Opera, as an excellent traditional culture, has great potential.
The difference between opera performance and film performance is the key to the artistic presentation of the film "Guoding Soul". Many viewers were curious about how the two teachers adapted to the changes in art forms, and they responded one by one. Different from the more fixed angles of stage performances, movie lenses capture the characters' expressions from multiple angles, so the actors adjusted the way their faces and bodies perform. It was unbearably hot at the filming site. In order to present the most exquisite appearance and picture effect, Teacher Wang Fang spent nine hours on heavy makeup, just to get closer to Mr. Pan Dayu’s demeanor and mood at that time; Teacher Zhang Tangbing was equally serious He was so rigorous that his clothes were soaked with sweat during the shooting.
In addition to their extremely professional attitude towards performance, the two leading actors have a particularly deep understanding of the character's mentality and spiritual world, which allowed them to capture the soul of the story.Some viewers asked, why did Pan Zunian give the priceless treasure to his daughter-in-law, who is not related to him by blood? Why was Mr. Pan Dayu able to stick to his heart and spend his whole life guarding the national treasure after experiencing the loss of his family? Teacher Zhang Tangbing believes that the core of his grasp of the role lies in thoroughly understanding the family motto of "Gui Pan" - "A pair of precious tripods is worth more than life; when a person is in the tripod, heaven and earth will bear witness." The Pan family is well aware of the importance of the tripod. It has become an indelible belief of the whole family that it is better to live in pieces than in ruins, and this belief was naturally passed on to Pan Dayu. For Pan Zunian, it was really difficult to entrust cultural relics to Pan Dayu, but whether this lifelong entrustment was correct, history has given a clear answer.
In addition to the artistry of the film, the producer of "Guoding Soul" Chen Qihao also shared from the perspective of the market and audience. In recent years, more and more excellent opera movies have been released and received good market feedback. In this wave, there are also policies that strongly support traditional culture. The emergence of "Guoding Soul" will definitely drive more The audience walks into the theater and "gets closer" to the art of opera. Judging from the road show, several screenings of the film have attracted audiences of different age groups, including old and middle-aged people, as well as young opera lovers. The hard work of the main creators in front of and behind the scenes has subtly enriched the appreciation angle and level of understanding of "Guoding Soul".
As a drama movie, post-screening exchanges are always indispensable with the actors’ “amazing voice acting”. The teachers picked up classic arias such as "When Will the Bright Moon Come" and "Thinking of the World" at their fingertips, and their gentle and delicate singing instantly won over the audience. At the Hefei station, teacher Wang Fang "performed" on the same stage with the fans. Such close interaction was warm, sincere and touching, and the significance of the entire roadshow was sublimated. Perhaps because they have been influenced by Chinese classical art for many years, the artists were modest and approachable, which made the fans in attendance feel like a spring breeze and made everyone sincerely feel their love and pursuit of art itself. With legendary stories and excellent actors, "Guoding Soul" is no less than a baptism of traditional culture, cleansing the hurried worldly mind.
As the Shanghai screening of "Guoding Soul" has come to an end, the film's five roadshows have come to a successful end, but the story of "Guoding Soul" continues. The film will be released in theaters this year. It is urgent for more Chinese people to understand this true history of loving family, patriotism, and protecting national treasures, and experience the feelings of family and country in the story of valuing etiquette, respecting literature, and protecting cultural heritage. "Guoding Soul" successfully demonstrated the artistic combination of opera and film. I believe that in the near future, more excellent traditional culture will be presented in a more understandable way, so that the charm of traditional culture can reach more people and let The connotation of "Chinese Story" has entered more people's hearts.
