In the 1980s, there was a color mythological feature film "The Legend of the Eight Immortals" shot by the Shanghai Film Studio, and I believe that older friends definitely saw it. This film is also the first domestic comedy mythical film after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and it has also been broadcast many times on TELEVISION and is deeply loved by the audience.
This film takes the enlightenment of Cao Guo's uncle Chengxian as the main line, connects a number of eight immortals small stories, and finally ends with the plot of the eight immortals crossing the sea. The film has many scenes, beautiful, and the characters have masters and times. An hour and a half of the film, the plot is very full, the Seven Immortals wisdom to collect Cao Guo's uncle, the ugly woman chooses the concubine to recognize the turtle, the dog bites Lü Dongbin and does not recognize the allusions of the good heart, Zhang Guo's old man rides a donkey to sing people... Interesting stories one after another, which is not boring to watch. Especially in the plot of the last golden stick, everything will turn into gold, I believe many people have an impression.
At that time, whether it was the plot or special effects, including costumes, styling, and art, this "Legend of the Eight Immortals" was the best in domestic movies, and even if it was put today, it still did not feel outdated and outdated. It is lamentable that the special effects of this film are even better than the 86 version of "Journey to the West" of the same era. Lotus flowers, immortals ascending to heaven, golden rods, cranes dancing on the screen... The special effects are very natural.
It is no exaggeration to say that "The Legend of the Eight Immortals" is better than similar Hong Kong films of the same period.
So, how did the film come to the screen? What are some interesting stories behind the creation? And please come, please.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="22" > screenwriter and director stay up late and change the good script for more than 20 nights</h1>
When it comes to the filming of "The Legend of the Eight Immortals", we have to start with Xiao Wen, the screenwriter of the film.
Xiao Wen, born in 1929, is a native of Huangcheng Ji Village, Shiliang Town, Longkou City, Shandong Province. After graduating in 1952, he was assigned to the Shanghai Film Studio as an actor, and in 1979 he was appointed as a screenwriter at the Shanghai Film Studio. Because he is from Shandong, his hometown is close to Penglai Pavilion, and since he was a child, he has heard many myths and stories related to Penglai Pavilion, especially the well-known Eight Immortals story. When I was a child, I often listened to street storytellers tell the story of the Eight Immortals. At that time, a piece of corn cake could be exchanged for a passage of Lü Dongbin selling calligraphy and paintings that were difficult to become immortals, Zhang Guolao passing by the first bridge in the world, or the iron abduction of Li Opera to tease the Yamen Mansion, Han Xiangzi Luoyang Mansion blowing pipes and leading phoenixes and other legends.
The story of the Eight Immortals heard in his childhood left a deep impression on Xiao Wen. After the reform and opening up, Xiao Wen, as a screenwriter at the Long Film Studio, thought of writing the story of the Eight Immortals that people like to hear into a movie script.
Since these stories are based on folk oral literature and have the characteristics of rich imagination and exaggerated techniques, Shawwin considered using the form of popular comedy to express them. Although Shawwin had never been in comedy before, he risked possible "smashing the pot" and finally decided to give it a try.
Since "The Legend of the Eight Immortals" is the first large-scale popular comedy mythological feature film after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the leaders of the Studio heard about Xiao Wen's creative idea, paid great attention to and attached importance to it, repeatedly encouraged Xiao Wen to try his best to write it well, and put forward creative suggestions in a timely manner. Then he told the director Zhao Huanzhang about this matter and asked him to help him see the book. Zhao Huanzhang is a famous film director, and his "rural trilogy", "Xiyingmen", "Our Cow Hundred Years Old", and "Our Veterans" are deeply loved by the audience.
Famous director Zhao Huanzhang
According to Xiao Wen's recollection, Zhao Huanzhang consulted with him on the same night that he finished reading the book, and he must put the script on the screen! This story is so wonderful. At that time, Zhao Huanzhang was attending the people's congress in the district, and the time was quite tight, so he used his lunch break to ask everyone for their opinions on the script, and then went to the literature department of the film factory in the evening to discuss it. In this way, the script lasted for more than 20 nights, often until late at night.
One night, Xiao Wen went to the communication room to answer the phone, and when he returned, Zhao Huanzhang fell asleep in a chair. Xiao Wen was a little too reluctant to go and advised him to go back to rest. Qi Huanzhang waved his hand and said that he would sleep for five minutes, and then he re-brewed a cup of strong tea and continued to talk about the script with Xiao Wen until late at night...
When Zhao Huanzhang and the film's photographer Peng Enli went abroad, the travel bag was filled with materials from the Eight Immortals. Originally, Zhao Zhang felt that the time for studying the data was too small, so he wanted to see the stitches and take a look at the plane. After the book was finalized, in the process of the director's sub-shot, Zhao Huanzhang thought that the places that needed to be changed also consulted with the screenwriter Xiao Wen.
You can see how dedicated the film directors and screenwriters were at that time!
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="22" > the film crew lineup is strong, and each position is the top level in the country</h1>
In 1984, director Zhao Huanzhang personally led a film crew of more than 20 people to Penglai Pavilion to choose the location. The filming sister lineup is very strong, the composer is Xiao Heng, he has composed music for nearly thirty films such as "Bitter Cauliflower", "The Young Generation", "Zhang Heng", "The Happy Affair of Troubles", "Our Cow Hundred Years Old", "Our Veterans"; the photography is Peng Enli, who is the photographer of the film "Xiyingmen"; the artist Li Jinggui, the artist of "Our Cow Hundred Years Old".
It is worth mentioning the stunt design Jiang Yisu, who is a first-class stuntman at the Shanghai Film Studio, who has studied with Japanese and Soviet experts, and "The Legend of the White Snake" in which he is the stunt designer was awarded the National Hundred Flowers Award for Outstanding Opera Film.
In addition, the film also invited the famous artist Ding Chen, who was 68 years old at the time, as an art consultant, ding Chen had designed sets for more than 80 films, and the color feature film "Legend of Tianyun Mountain" in which he was the artist won the "Golden Rooster Award" for best artist.
It can be said that no matter from which position, the members of the photography team are the top level in the country.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="22" > starring Wang Futang once played the Bull Devil King in the 86th edition of "Journey to the West"</h1>
In terms of actors, the main actor of "The Legend of the Eight Immortals", who is played by Cao Guo's uncle, is the famous performance artist Wang Futang, who was 52 years old at the time.
In his artistic career of more than 40 years, Wang Futang has created more than 100 distinct characters. For example, he once played the Cow Devil King who changed Sun Wukong twice in the 86 version of "Journey to the West", once to deceive the red child to rescue Tang Monk, and once to trick the Iron Fan Princess into asking for a banana fan. Audiences who have watched "Journey to the West" have the impression that Wang Futang plays Sun Wukong's changing bull demon king, thief eyebrows, mouse eyes, flashing eyes, every move as if Sun Wukong is on the upper body, and the acting skills are really amazing.
In addition to "The Legend of the Eight Immortals" and "Journey to the West", Wang Futang also played Gao Liuye in the movie "Su Xiaosan", manager Pan in "Sunrise" (nominated for the Best Supporting Actor of the Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award), He Long in the TV series "A Tuan", and the public security bureau chief in "Tears of the Southern Star", and also played an important role in "Where Dreams Begin", "Ice Sugar Gourd", "Divorce" and other plays.
After leaving retirement, Wang Futang did not live at home for a long time, but silently walked to the front of family planning. In order to cooperate with the publicity of population and family planning, he proposed the concept of "population culture" with the support of relevant leaders and experts and founded the Chinese Culture Promotion Association in 1993. So when we watched the first part of "Rural Love", the title of the film was written by the consultant "Wang Futang", because the first part of "Rural Love" was filmed by the State Family Planning Commission and the Population culture promotion association.
In "The Legend of the Eight Immortals", Wang Futang gave full play to his acting skills and vividly interpreted the personality characteristics of a person who is upright and not afraid of power.
In 2005, Wang Futang died of illness at the age of 73.
He Xiangu, played by Tian Xiaomei, and Han Zhongli, played by Iron Bull
In the film, another familiar actor is the iron bull who plays Han Zhongli. He played Maitreya Buddha in the 86th edition of Journey to the West, and also played a fat warrior "Little Fat Man" in the black-and-white movie "Southern Expedition and Northern War". In 2015, Iron Bull died at the age of 93.
Shi Weijian played Luo Qun in "The Legend of Tianyun Mountain"
Playing Lü Dongbin is the famous film and drama actor Shi Weijian, who was the director of the China Youth Art Theatre. Shi Weijian successfully played Luo Qun in the movie "The Legend of Tianyun Mountain", which profoundly reflected the unfortunate experience of intellectuals at that time and caused great social repercussions; he also starred in many film and television dramas such as "Taiping Mission", "Cao Xueqin's Dream of Breaking the Western Mountain", "Bear Traces", "Tang Minghuang" and so on. Shi Weijian was admitted to the Shanghai Renyi Academy when he was young, so he had the opportunity to play Lü Dongbin in the movie "The Legend of the Eight Immortals".
In "The Legend of the Eight Immortals", Shi Weijian plays Lü Dongbin (second from the left)
In "The Legend of the Eight Immortals", Shi Weijian has successively made up and played the images of Lü Dongbin, Twister, Poor Xiucai, Rich Old Man, Fortune Teller and so on. That is to say, in this film, Lu Dongbin has six appearances. One person playing multiple roles is a great test for the actor, but Shi Weijian acted handily, completed the task well, and showed superb acting skills.
The beautiful actress who plays He Xiangu is called Tian Xiaomei, born in 1960, who played the big sister of the thief gang "Black Mary" in the movie "Amateur Police" starring Feng Gong, and also acted in a movie "The Adventures of the Clown", but later disappeared.
Tian Xiaomei
Although this old movie is more than 30 years away, we still feel wonderful when we re-watch this film now. Whether it is the script, or the costume, or the special effects, it even exceeds most of the costume fantasy movies now. This can not but be worth pondering, why technology has advanced, there are more funds, but can not make a good movie with taste?