Throughout May, Zhang Guoli, who is 70 years old, was busy.
is the "Iron Triangle" in the theater world. He collaborated with Wang Gang, and Zhang Tielin on the urban emotional drama " Old Guy ", which just started airing on the 14th. On the 17th, the movie " Chaoyun" directed by him "Mu Yu " is officially released. And just on the 17th and 18th, the Chinese version of the drama "The Shawshank Redemption" directed by him, with all foreign actors and all Chinese dialogue, is kicking off its second round of tour in Chengdu.
Actor, director, producer, producer, and host of large-scale evening parties, Zhang Guoli has been active in the public eye since the 1980s. It is difficult for Zhang Guoli to use a single job title to define his role and identity. Just talking about movies, it has been nearly 50 years since he first appeared in the movie "The Man Who Founded the Mountain" (1975). As an actor, he once won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actor, and in 2012, with his wonderful performance in the movie "1942", he won the highest honor of Chinese movies, the Best Actor at the 29th China Golden Rooster Award.
"Chaoyun Muyu" poster
The movie "Chaoyun Muyu" focuses on the bottom of society, telling the story of Lao Qin ( Fan Wei) who was released from prison after serving 27 years. He just wanted to marry a wife and have children to make up for his unfulfilled filial piety and start a new life. , but unexpectedly met Chang Juan ( Zhou Dongyu ), a girl who had also just been released from prison. He asked for a child, she asked for wealth, and the two people, who were both "reduced from the world", began a profit marriage with their own purposes.
There is a classic line in "The Shawshank Redemption", "Life can be boiled down to a simple choice: either be busy surviving or rush to die." This vividly depicts the behavior and characteristics of Lao Qin and Chang Juan in the film. "Morning Cloud and Mud Rain" not only presents the darkness and evil of human nature, but also triggers the audience's "poignant" thinking on many social issues such as marriage fraud, childbirth, and sexual consent.
Looking at Zhang Guoli's artistic life, it seems that the reason why he directed "Chaoyunmuyu" can be found out through the roles he played on the big screen. That is that he is good at portraying the image of "little people". An academic paper once combed through the major movie roles he has participated in, totaling 26, of which 14 were "little people", accounting for more than half, and they showed the characteristics of classic realism and de-facialization.
At the premiere of "Chaoyunmuyu", my old friend Wang Gang's words are enough to support this point of view. "This is a film by two people (Lao Qin and Chang Juan). In fact, there is one person acting from beginning to end, that is director Zhang Guoli, and there are many shadows of him in it. You see, you and Fan Wei don't look alike. But there are similarities in temperament... There is one word in their bones, which is axis. If you set a goal, you must pursue it to the end. "
Director Zhang Guoli
Recently, Zhang Guoli accepted an exclusive interview with The Paper reporter in Beijing. In his opinion, the reason why he wanted to put this work adapted from a non-fiction writing competition on the big screen was that the title of the article "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress" attracted him first. "At first glance, it looks like a crime." However, after reading it carefully, I found that this story is much more vivid and profound than the original title suggests. "
[Dialogue]
"I do not define myself as a film director."
The Paper. : As a senior practitioner in the film and television industry, it is actually difficult to use a certain job title to define your identity. As far as film directors go, the 2006 film "Call 601" was your directorial debut. I really want to know why I picked up the director again after nearly 20 years, when I was nearly 70 years old, and directed this film "Morning Clouds and Mud Rains"?
Zhang Guoli: I don’t have any preconceived notions about myself. I’m almost 70 years old and I don’t do much maintenance. Busy work is my lifestyle. This time I was filming "Morning Clouds and Muyu Rain" and I only slept four or five times a day on the set. Hours. When you mention it like that, I really have to do the math. It's been almost 20 years since "Call 601". In the meantime, I also directed other films. In fact, I don’t define myself as a film director. I also do plays, TV series, and web series.I am a person who is driven by things. I do whatever I catch up with. When I come across such a book, it is suitable to be made into a movie and presented in the art form of movies. Then I will be the director.
The Paper: We know that the movie is adapted from the true story "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress". You started making movies in the 1980s. At that time, directors liked to find stories from literary publications. For example, the movie "The Stubborn Master" in which you starred was adapted from Wang Shuo's novel of the same name. Talk about your feelings now about directing a movie whose script is adapted from a true story published on an online platform.
Zhang Guoli: In the 1980s and 1990s, as soon as every issue of "Harvest" magazine and "Novel Monthly" came out, everyone rushed to read it and even ordered it. Just to be able to read good novels and discover good stories that can be adapted for film and television as soon as possible. Nowadays, online literature is not a new thing. The style of literature has undergone fundamental changes from the system of publishing, reading to evaluation. If you are not connected to the Internet, you will be out of touch with the times. When Internet literature first emerged, we said that there might not be large-scale, serious literary works appearing on it. When it comes to Internet literature, it still seems to be lower than literary magazines. But now there are also endless good works on these online platforms. Personally, It feels like the difference between the two is getting smaller and smaller, and there is almost no difference at all.
The film "Morning Clouds and Muyu" is adapted from the non-fiction novel "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress"
The Paper News: Let's talk specifically about the story "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress". How did it move you?
Zhang Guoli: It stood out in the "True Story Project" non-fiction writing competition. When I saw this story, the first thing that attracted me was the title "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress". At first glance, it seemed like a crime-themed drama. After carefully reading the novel, I found that the story is far more vivid and profound than the original title suggests.
What touched me the most about this story was the fate of Lao Qin and Chang Juan. From the moment they met to their marriage, it was like a "conspiracy" that was publicized in advance. They had planned their futures in advance. One is to "have a baby". Lao Qin has not lived a good life in his life. He has wasted almost half of his life in prison. After he was released from prison, he received demolition fees. He wanted to have a child, reported his debt to his parents, and also wanted to live a good life; Chang Juan was different. She wanted to die. She wanted to die in prison. The guards saw that she didn't die. After she was released from prison, she actually didn't have any nostalgia for the world. She didn't have any nostalgia at all. She just rushed to die. There was just one thing that worried her. She had to pay off the money she owed first. Where could she get the money? She can only lie. In this way, the two people lost control in the process of getting along, which accelerated Chang Juan's death. After she got the money, she gave Lao Qin a decisive smile in the hospital, then went to pay back the money, and then died after paying back the money. In general, it has a strong story and strong conflict - those who want to die cannot die, and those who want to live cannot live well. We often say that there are no major events in life except life and death, and the biggest events happen between these two. Personally, this is what attracts me most to wanting to photograph it.
The Paper: The title of the movie is "Morning Clouds and Mud Rain". This idiom reminds people of the love between men and women.
Zhang Guoli: I think if it is adapted into a movie and it is called "The Murderous Girl in a Wedding Dress", although it may be more commercial, I don't want the audience to feel misled after watching the movie, so I just use a commercial title. Come and get attention.
When we say "clouds and rain", people think of love between men and women, but "clouds in the morning and rain in the evening" actually refers to impermanence. Sunrise and sunset are permanent, "clouds in the morning and rain in the evening" are impermanent, and life is also impermanent. When the crew was filming in Huangshan, God was like a god assisting. It rained for a while, and the sun came out for a while, which made people feel a sense of uncertainty. The relationship between Chang Juan and Lao Qin is also explained in the film. Chang Juan split her name, "The changeable Chang, Juan is the quiet and beautiful Juan"; Lao Qin's full name is Qin Guiheng, "The most important thing is to have perseverance." But it can't "stay".
The title "Morning Clouds and Muyu" is very accurate and simple.This time I wanted to film this story very calmly. The story itself contains real power in life, so don’t sensationalize it. The creators and I also said the same thing. There is no need to beautify it or develop it. There is no need to deliberately show that these two people are worthy of sympathy or need to be criticized. We do not make these value judgments and have no such presuppositions. . It is to let the audience experience it for themselves when watching the movie. Everyone can come to their own opinions. We do not impose any opinions on the audience.
During the entire filming, I think the two actors understood the characters thoroughly. How could Lao Qin not understand that such a young girl would follow you without clicking a picture? The same goes for Chang Juan. Will she follow Lao Qin if she doesn't want anything? These two characters are so clearly alive, so clearly alive, and the interaction between the two is a clear sign.
Stills of "Morning Clouds and Muyu"
The Paper News: Why was the movie chosen to be filmed in Huangshan, Anhui, a place with ancient Huizhou cultural heritage?
Zhang Guoli: This movie started shooting at the beginning of 2021. We shot in Anhui for three months. I think Huizhou's architecture has its own inner rhythm. It's all white or all gray. It has its own style. This style is what I want. In fact, we all live in many standards. It's just that You may not realize it. And when the environment where the characters are located and the surrounding buildings are unified, this forms a rhythm that reflects each other.
At the same time, there are differences in this "standard" environment. Just like when we say that the word "Juan" in Chang Juan means "Juan is so quiet and beautiful", although there are such buildings here, they are so majestic. mountain, but when you climb to the top of the mountain, you can see a different world. We added a scene on the top of Huangshan Mountain. We went up there the night before and stayed there all night, just to wait for the sea of clouds that erupted at sunrise in the morning. Later we saw a cloud, which was also interesting. Every cloud is like a cloud. mean.
"We want a good realistic movie to appear"
The Paper News: How did you and the two actors Fan Wei and Zhou Dongyu describe the characteristics of Lao Qin and Chang Juan?
Zhang Guoli: As a director, I feel very happy to be able to bring together two actors, Fan Wei and Zhou Dongyu, in a movie. You can think about it and find that it would be inappropriate to find anyone else to play the role. The script this time is not long, and we had plenty of time to discuss the characters on the set. Basically, we talked in depth about every scene.
For example, Teacher Fan Wei, when interpreting the character, he also understood that the concepts of Lao Qin are different from the thoughts of young people today, but the background of this character is that of a filial son, and carrying on the family line is his obsession and his limitation. . But his performance still showed the changes in the character, especially after Chang Juan became a vegetative state, Lao Qin was still willing to take good care of her. By taking care of Chang Juan, he found the feeling of being needed that he lacked most in his life. Being able to be needed makes him feel better. He feels happy, and he has found this psychological motivation very accurately. Dong Yu herself said that Chang Juan was the most difficult character for her to grasp since she started acting in movies. I think she performed the extreme nature of Chang Juan very well. Why is this character like this? The reason is that she did not experience a complete and normal social growth.
Stills of "Chaoyun Muyu"
The Paper News: Fan Wei won the "Tiantan Award" for Best Actor at this year's Beijing Film Festival for his role as Lao Qin. His performance has reached a certain level, such as walking after being released from prison gait, as well as smashing the used rice bowls in prison on the ground and crushing them. Can you share your observations and comments on these details?
Zhang Guoli: An actor like Fan Wei will not make you feel that you need to use a flash of inspiration to make people shine on the set. I think from the day he came into contact with the script, the seed of this character had already taken root in him. When you plant this seed, you let it take root and sprout.Until one day, you feel that it is really rooted into the ground, and you have a firm understanding in your heart, and you completely know what this person should be like.
Teacher Fan Wei figured out the state of Lao Qin in the film and the way he treated people and things. He avoided his most accustomed pouring, the joyful energy, this time he avoided all of it. Regarding Lao Qin, Fan Wei said that this character grew up in prison. He has lived in prison for so many years, so everything about him is regulated. I think it is special that he has found this state. allow. I can tell you something. Originally, in order to play the character of Lao Qin well, Mr. Fan Wei himself proposed to go to prison to experience life. Due to the epidemic, this did not happen. However, he mobilized his rich life experience and added a lot of unintentional touches to the character. It's a small act, but this time he won the "Tiantan Award". His performance is well deserved.
Fan Wei plays Lao Qin
The Paper: Let’s talk about Zhou Dongyu’s performance this time, especially after Chang Juan became a vegetative state, her performance was impressive.
Zhang Guoli: After got the script, our assistant director accompanied Dong Yu to the hospital in Beijing (to observe vegetative patients). After arriving in Huangshan, she went to the hospital to observe, including visiting the families of vegetative patients. I attach great importance to how Chang Juan will act in the state after becoming a vegetative state. We say that there are many external states of vegetative people, some always have only one movement, some can only move their eyeballs, and some have twitching. This time Dong Yu tilts his head in the film, continuing the character of Chang Juan who has always had no A feeling of security.
In addition, we sometimes define vegetative people, especially the patient's family members generally think that he is conscious, but he cannot control his body and cannot express, but his consciousness is still there. Dong Yu chose to shape Chang Juan consciously this time. I think Dongyu chose the most complicated and difficult method. Even this method did not happen to a specific person. She was not imitating a person, but she "created" a vegetative person. This time she acted Very good.
Zhou Dongyu plays Chang Juan
The Paper News: Let’s talk about the scene with the most intense conflict between Lao Qin and Chang Juan, which ended with Chang Juan piercing her neck with broken glass.
Zhang Guoli: The two of them filmed this scene for three days. Chang Juan got the gift and wanted to run away. Lao Qin had expected it. He said that you have to have a certain temper in cheating. At that time, he felt that Chang Juan was not only cheating, but also slandering his parents. Lao Qin's debt to his parents has always been a knot in his mind, and his two imprisonments were related to this. Lao Qin deliberately hid Chang Juan's ID card, which angered Chang Juan. This scene reflects some of the character problems of Lao Qin. I think this scene reflects the impermanence of life. If they could have a good conversation, the conflict would not have reached this level.
The Paper: During the movie screening and premiere, I noticed that when the audience was watching the movie, they were sometimes immersed in the plot and meditating, and sometimes they laughed because of the plot setting or the actors' performances. As a director, how do you control the sense of joy and harmony? What kind of temperament should this drama have?
Zhang Guoli: The word joy is used a lot now. Whether it is a movie, a TV series, or a stage play, everyone will tell you where the joy is. I think this is a kind of brought by the times. of changes. In the past, when I was young and filming, no one would tell me how to discover the joy of this film. Life is life, life is impermanent, and everything is sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, etc. Of course there is joy, but no one would preset this joy. The joy in "Morning Clouds and Mu Yu", if there is joy at all, is natural. Isn't it still joyful? Isn't it sad? Isn’t it true that in absurdity there is joy, anger, sorrow, and joy?
Stills from "Morning Clouds and Muyu"
The Paper: In the past, you have participated in commercial films, literary films, and also appeared in large-scale productions. You once said that a movie like "Morning Cloud and Mud Rain" has not been seen for a long time in the current film market.How do you evaluate and look forward to the current film market?
Zhang Guoli: The story of this movie is about people. This aspect seems to have been ignored for a long time. "Chaoyun Muyu" is not a crime film. Lao Qin and Chang Juan once committed crimes, but they both received the punishment they deserved, and they both paid the price. When they came out of prison and lived like this as human beings, I think there are very few movies with similar themes now. Of course, there are many problems in it, and these themes themselves are relatively niche and difficult to film.
Today's realistic movies can have such a theme - everyone who makes movies knows that this is a good theme, but everyone faces a market problem. So when I say this, I actually want to thank the producer of this movie. In these two different dimensions, whether it can make a good movie and whether it can make a hit, and whether it can make a lot of money, In terms of measurement, we tend to want a good realistic movie.
