Chinese opera culture is broad and profound. The birth of cinema is also inseparable from opera: China's first film, Dingjun Mountain, is a Peking opera film (out of print, only one still and written material).
"Dingjun Mountain"
As the film industry has grown bigger and stronger, opera has gradually declined (gradually recovering in recent years), but it is still an inexhaustible treasure trove for film. Many traditional repertoire has been adapted into films; the stage expressions of opera are widely used in films; and many filmmakers are also born in drama classes.
Movie posters
There are also many films depicting the opera stage and the life of the drama class. For example, "Stage Sisters", "Changing Faces", "Overlord Farewell", "Seven Little Blessings", "Dao Ma Dan" and so on are the best of them, but today I want to introduce "Stage Sisters" from Hong Kong.
Poster of "Stage Sisters"
"Stage Sisters" is a film with completely female protagonists, Starring Chen Yulian, Mei Aifang, Li Yanshan, Wang Yuhuan, Hui Yinghong, directed and starring Noon Ma, and other powerful actors such as Lin Zhengying, Liu Zhaoming, and Li Zixiong.
The film was produced by Jackie Chan's film company "Weihe", Jackie Chan served as the supervising producer, many members of the Chengjia class participated in the film, and Li Junjie, Mars, and Lu Huiguang also played important roles.
Jackie Chan's hanging commander seriously affected the overall style of the film. It is undeniable that the action design of the family class is solid and hot, but the play scenes in this film are many and redundant, and many paragraphs are completely like fighting for the sake of fighting, cutting the original full literary drama into pieces. In particular, the big scuffle at the end, which seems tragic, is actually very deliberate and blunt.
Putting aside all the fight scenes, the literary and drama part of this film is still remarkable.
Chen Yulian, Mei Aifang, Li Yanshan, Wang Yuhuan
Chen Yulian and other five actresses have their own characteristics. Several sisters from tit-for-tat to unity, although the plot is old-fashioned, but the filming is warm, and several male actors have also played a very good role in setting off.
Chen Yulian
Chen Yulian, Lu Huiguang
Chen Yulian plays the eldest sister Qin Qing, calm and calm, and is quite noble. When she and Guo Zhenglan (Lu Huiguang) are in the same room, there is a close-up of her feet, reflecting the shyness and throbbing of the little girl hidden under her mature appearance. The two people had almost zero communication except for politeness, and the undercurrent of feelings intensified, and only one confession was left.
Mei Aifang
Mars, Mei Aifang
Mei Aifang plays Shen Yanqiu in Qingyi. This is a bitter woman who is widowed prematurely, her inner world seems to be fortified layer by layer, cold and mean to people, but in fact, she is fierce and introverted. Her relationship with the rickshaw driver (Mars) is equally depressing.
Portraits of Mei Aifang and Mei Yanfang
There are two more words to say about Mei Aifang. She is the older sister of Mei Yanfang, and the two debuted in the singing competition in 1982. In 2000, Mei Aifang died of cervical cancer at the age of 41. Shortly after her death, Mei Yanfang was also diagnosed with cervical cancer. In 2003, Mei Yanfang died at the age of forty. The sisters are red-faced and short-lived, which is lamentable.
Li Yanshan
Li Zixiong, Li Yanshan
Lin Zhengying
Li Yanshan plays the anti-string Xiaosheng Sai Xiaoxue. Sai Boss is a simple and kind girl who takes the initiative to take care of the musician Liu Ye (Lin Zhengying), who is suffering from tuberculosis, but is politely rejected. Later, the leader of the empathy gang, Lu Dongtang (played by Li Zixiong). Poor Willow Ye a deep affection, hidden seamlessly. On that night when Sai Xiaoxue didn't return all night, he was alone in the fence, and a thousand words were only paid to Mingyue.
Wang Yuhuan
Li Junjie, Wang Yuhuan
Wang Yuhuan plays the flower-faced little perfume. She is emotionally lively and lively, but she falls in love with a small (played by Li Junjie), and the result is that her personal wealth is empty. In the end, he repented and returned after a brief absence from the drama class.
Hui Yinghong
Hui Yinghong plays Dao Ma Dan Cui Yanxia. As soon as she appeared, she was abandoned by a certain prince and the bead fetus was secretly knotted. After going south to Shanghai, she, an outsider, was ostracized a lot, and finally she beat her face with her fist. Hui Yinghong is the best look and figure among the five actresses, which is also the result of her long-term training in Liu Jiaban.
Liu Yuting, Liu Qianti
The actors of this film, regardless of the protagonist's supporting roles, their acting skills are all online, and a group of small apprentices are also lively and cute. Liu Zhaoming, Wu Ma, Lin Zhengying and Li Zixiong all gave wonderful performances, especially Lin Zhengying, who played Liu Ye, who played Liu Ye, and played a lonely and depressed student who was independent of the world. The sentence "The rivers and lakes are not exhausted, and it is difficult for others to travel in the world" is even more evocative.
Li Yanshan, Mei Aifang, Hui Yinghong, Chen Yulian, Wang Yuhuan
The costumes, soundtrack and shots of "Stage Sisters" are extremely exquisite, and the old Shanghai flavor is full of flavor. With the blessing of Jackie Chan and Lin Zhengying, several actresses have obviously received training in opera, singing and playing with boards and eyes. Unfortunately, probably because of the similar style of "Dao Ma Dan" Pearl Jade in front, "Stage Sisters" did not receive enough attention, and the box office of that year was even more miserable.
Mei Aifang, Mei Yanfang
Li Yanshan, Liu Yong
Chen Yulian, Andy Lau
Wang Yuhuan, Noon Horse
Prosperity is over, and life will continue. The heroines of this film are accustomed to watching clutches and joys on the stage, and their personal lives are not bumpy all the way? In addition to Mei Aifang, who died early, Li Yanshan divorced due to domestic violence; Chen Yulian has been divorced twice and has no heirs; Wang Yuhuan and the director of this film, NoonMa, have been in love for fifteen years and broke up and retired from the circle; Hui Yinghong has struggled for many years to finally become a film, and is still single.
Whoever dresses up is like who, and whoever comes to play who must be who; seeing oneself is not oneself, seeing oneself, oneself is not oneself.
End