The war blockbuster "Chosin Lake" has now achieved a box office performance of 5 billion yuan, and the number of moviegoers of more than 100 million is a testament to its excellent quality.
This also proves that domestic war movies have a very good mass base in the mainland.
We made a huge number of war movies from the founding of the People's Republic of China to the 80s, leaving behind a lot of excellent film works.
Let's take stock of those domestic war movies that we loved in childhood.
1. In the Cloud Mist Mountains (1959), Douban scored 6.3 points
After the founding of New China in 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered a vigorous struggle against bandits, and after four years of nationwide struggle against bandits, the People's Liberation Army annihilated a total of 2.6 million bandits.
In the 1950s, many war movies with the theme of the struggle against bandits were also made, among which the more representative one was "In the Clouds and Misty Mountains".
Wu Jitian, a remnant bandit, was entrenched on the Cloud Mountain, and the PLA fighters came to Wujiazhai, the bandit's garrison, to fight with him, and finally the PLA led by Tian Dongsheng used clever tactics to completely annihilate the bandits and capture Wu Jitian alive.
This is a typical model play of that era, the tall protagonist, the villain with the squirrel's eye, and each character can distinguish its good and evil at a glance.
But "In the Clouds and Misty Mountains" carries the unique class struggle emotions of that era, and its characters have distinct personalities, simplicity and kindness, are extremely infectious, and are the best spiritual food of that era.
So we revisit the film now and still feel its unique charm.
2, long-air than wing (1958) Douban 6.9 points
Among the films on the theme of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the theme of the Air Force is rare, and "Long Sky And Wings" is the first air combat theme film in China, which is naturally a landmark work at that time.
Although the age is long, directors Wang Bing and Li Shutian can take advantage of the limited shooting conditions to shoot the air battlefield in the film very shockingly, which is much more exciting than the 1976 "Long Sky Eagle" with the same theme.
The main story line of the film is to tell the story of the hero pilot Zhang Lei's growth on the front line. Zhang Lei, who came from a peasant family, is known as a tiger and has good skills and determination to kill the enemy, but he has a high self-esteem and is unwilling to be a wingman.
It was not until after some setbacks that Zhang Lei realized the importance of obeying orders and eventually became a good soldier who took into account the overall situation and dared to sacrifice himself.
The most professional praise in the film is the appearance of a "dream" scene.
The protagonist Zhang Lei had a dream in the hospital, in order to use the camera to express that the character entered the dream, the director used the superposition of the negative and multiple exposure methods to let Zhang Lei, who was wearing a flight suit, sit up from the bed and separate from the body he was sleeping.
This method of shooting now seems very simple, but it was very rare in that era.
It can be seen that when the film was created, how to present high-quality shots was one of its directions, which also made this film one of the war films that were popular with the majority of audiences in that era.
3. Beacon Train (1960) Douban 6.6 points
On the battlefield of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, logistical supplies were the key to victory or defeat, and the railway line from the rear to the front line was naturally the biggest target of the enemy's attack.
In the 1960s, many war movies were set on the railway lines on the battlefield, of which "Beacon Train" was one of the more popular with the audience.
Since the U.S. army blew up the Cheongcheon River Bridge, which the volunteer army had to pass through to the south, Director Liu of the Railway Bureau ordered the 462 train to transport the bridge repair materials to the Cheongcheon River section within 3 days.
Liu Feng, the leader of the 462 train group, experienced life and death twists and turns, and with the help of the Korean people, overcame many difficulties and gloriously completed this arduous task.
As an educational war film, the film not only tells the deeds of the 462 train group, but also focuses on the military and civilian fish and water situation between the train crew and the Korean people.
For example, the North Korean bride, Kim Man-gi and his mother are all representatives of the Korean people with great personality, and these characters bring warmth to the film and enrich the story.
Because of these characteristics, "Beacon Train" also touched the national audience in the 60s and became a representative work in many films of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in that era.
4. Hero Tanker (1962) Douban 7.2 points
When it comes to tank warfare, fans first think of "Rage", "Hunt T34", "Wolf Warrior 2" and other cool films, in fact, as early as 1962, we have already made such a hardcore tank warfare movie as "Hero Tanker".
In that era, many heavy tanks that were retired from the battlefield could be found, so the tank battles presented in the movie were very shocking.
The film is actually based on the glorious deeds of the No. 215 tank of the 2nd Company of the 4th Tank Regiment of the 2nd Tank Division of the Volunteer Army during the Period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
The No. 215 tank once destroyed five enemy M46 heavy tanks in a battle at the north hill of Shih Da dong with flexible and changeable warfare methods, and made great achievements.
"Hero Tanker" is a bold creation and adaptation based on this example.
Added a lot of life-like plots, but also created the gun commander Yang Dechang, platoon leader Daniel Zhang, loader Wang Dagang, mechanical and electrical operator Liu Ping, these vivid characters, these make the film present vivid and lively images.
5. South China Sea Fengyun (1976) Douban 6.9 points
Released in 1976, South China Sea Tells the Story of our Navy's resistance to Enemy Ships in South Vietnam during the Battle of paracel in January 1974.
This is Tang Guoqiang's screen debut, although the performance is young but has a distinct personal style, but also stole the limelight of Daniel Zhang and Gao Baocheng, the two big brothers.
This is actually the story of a small naval soldier growing up in the army, and Yu Hualong, played by Tang Guoqiang, is the central character of the movie.
As a fisherman living in the Paracel Islands, Yu Hualong with a simple stage of emotion, after the murder of his parents, he decided to join the navy to defend the coastal defense of the motherland, and finally Yu Hualong grew into a captain, and with the ship defeated the Vietnamese ships.
Somewhat regrettably, it was difficult for film production at that time to restore the whole process of naval warfare, so a lot of ink could only be focused on the shaping of characters.
But as far as the story itself and character shaping are concerned, the completion of "South China Sea Storm" is still quite high.
6. The Battle of Changpai Mountain (1981) Douban 6.9 points
This military education film produced by Bayi Factory on the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam is already a work of the 80s, and its picture quality and shooting methods have reached a new level.
The self-defense counterattack against Vietnam began on February 17, 1979, and ended on March 16, during which our army won the victory in less than a month with lightning speed.
The whole counterattack process is as fast as lightning, and "The Battle of Changpai Mountain" is a very representative battle in this battle.
A certain four-unit was ordered to seize the long Pai Shan position heavily guarded by the Vietnamese army before dawn, and after experiencing various setbacks, the four companies successfully occupied the Long Pai Shan position after sacrificing a large number of fighters.
Some people say that "The Battle of Changpai Mountain" restores the cruelty of war. The completion of the whole film is very high, and it has also been affirmed by the audience.
In the 1980s, mainland war movies were not as popular as they used to be, but "The Battle of Changpai Mountain" still made its own characteristics and is still praised by audiences today.
7, young friends (1981) Douban 6.4 points
As early as 1981, we already had works similar to "Fanghua", directed by Li Jiamu and Zhang Xihe, "Young Friends", which tells the story of young people dedicating themselves to the defense of the motherland.
Zhou Lijing, Zhang Tielin, Ouyang Fenqiang, Wang Wei, Fang Shu, Su Guimin, this lineup was the most eye-catching handsome man and woman at that time.
The film explores the choice of life, in the face of personal happiness and the safety of the motherland, Zheng Bing and Zhao Lili have differences in life choices.
Zheng Bing went to the front line alone and witnessed the sacrifice of the female nurse Liu Xiaojia and the soldier He Jianwu, and her inner faith became firmer; and Zhao Lili read the letter sent back from the front line by her sister Zhao Zhenzhen, and her thinking also changed.
The film uses "contrasting lenses" to present both peaceful life and cruel war to the audience, so as to reflect the cruelty of war and interpret the theme of anti-war.
In the 1980s, the theme of war films has quietly changed, no longer blindly praising heroes, but gradually moving towards anti-war, which is also a manifestation of mainland films moving towards the freedom and maturity of the theme.
As a youth movie, several leading actors are in the most beautiful stage of their early 20s, and they all have their own chapters in the film, and the sacrifice of the characters is also shocking.
Therefore, "Young Friend" received a great response at that time, Zhou Lijing, Zhang Tielin, Wang Wei, Fang Shu and others all ushered in a breakthrough in their careers, and Ouyang Fenqiang later starred in "Dream of the Red Chamber", which does not need to be elaborated.
8. Operation Lightning (1987) Douban 8.0 points
In the 1980s, among the many film and television works with the theme of the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, "Garland Under the Mountain" and "Operation Lightning" were called "double bi" by netizens.
"Garland Under the Mountain" is based on a well-known novel and had a great influence before it was launched; "Lightning Operation" relies purely on the more mature commercial production brought by hong Kong-funded yindu institutions.
The story tells that the Vietnamese army has occupied a large area of territory in Mengjiang, Mengkang County, Yunnan Province, and its ace 6th Division has used Eagle's Mouth Peak as a natural barrier in an attempt to block our army's advance.
A certain division of our army organized a reconnaissance detachment to infiltrate behind the enemy lines of the Vietnamese army to destroy the artillery group of the 6th Division of the Luxe, and the code name of this operation mission was "Lightning.".
This is the hero team setting of the standard commercial action film, in which the characters of "military master" Jiang Yuan, cannon observation expert Fang Yongping, thunder-breaking soldier Lin Xiaoliang, Gao Tianhu, and Li Jiuming all have distinct image characteristics, making the audience unforgettable.
Its twists and turns were also greatly appreciated by the audience and are still repeatedly mentioned today.
The film clearly borrows from the "First Blood" series, which is a hollywood blockbuster, and the protagonists are portrayed as idealized Rambo-style personal heroes. Melee combat, firefights, explosions, artillery bombardments, and carpet bombing of tanks were all intense and exciting, and they were among the few entertaining war works of the time.
9. Snake Valley Raiders (1989) Douban 7.2 points
After Bayi Factory cooperated with Yindu Agency to launch "Lightning Action", it launched "Snake Valley Raiders" in 1989. The film is more "open" than Operation Lightning, and it seems more entertaining from its performance.
The background of the film story is still during the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam, telling the story of a tank penetration battalion of our army sneaking from Snake Valley to the vietnamese enemy and blocking the Vietnamese army.
In the film, a certain effort has also been made in the performance of the interspersed tactics of our tank troops, which is worthy of the work of the Bayi Factory, and the tactical details are very professional.
However, the roles of the Vietnamese Labor Force Cultural and Labor Corps, women's clothing killers, and secret agent spies appear in the film are obviously to increase the viewing point of the movie and enrich the entertainment of the movie.
This kind of operation is not to blame in an action movie, but it is not serious enough in a war movie.
But even so, Snake Valley Was a popular war movie of that era.
It is a pity that this movie currently only has a very unclear VCD version, and I hope to see a Blu-ray remake in the future.
10. Garland under the mountain (1984) Douban 9.4 points
More than 40,000 people on Douban scored 9.4 points in "Garland Under the Mountain", which is the highest score in mainland war movies and is also a rare masterpiece.
The film story is based on the novel of the same name by writer Li Cunbao, which was created in 1982 and caused great repercussions throughout the country, and has been adapted into dramas, dance dramas and TV series, while the films submitted by the Shanghai Film Studio are directed by director Xie Jin.
The film tells the story of a certain company going to the front line to fight against Vietnam.
In order to obey the order, the company commander Liang Sanxi gave up his vacation to visit his relatives; Zhao Mengsheng also gave up the opportunity to be transferred back to the city, and they fought bloody battles on the battlefield and withstood the baptism of war.
In the end, Liang Sanxi, Jin Kailai and others died, and Zhao Mengsheng grew into an incomparably strong SOLDIER in the People's Liberation Army.
In the details of the war, director Xie Jin has made the military fans satisfied, and the weapons and equipment, tactical details, and historical restorations that appear in the film have been rigorous and meticulous.
The scheduling of the large scene shows the atmosphere of the domestic investment film at that time, even if it is now taken out and put in the cinema, it can still feel the shock of its audio-visual.
After the film was released that year, it caused a huge sensation in the whole society, and later won eight awards, including the Best Feature Film Award and the Best Screenwriter Award, in the competition for the two major awards of the Golden Rooster Award and the Hundred Flowers Award in the mainland.
Tang Guoqiang also became the most popular male film star in the mainland at that time because of this film, and he also got the name of "Cream Boy".
Previous war films were not as well-produced as the current blockbusters due to technical reasons, but the creators' intentions were very obvious, so they could be generally recognized by the audience.
Jia Ge believes that as long as you create with your heart, you can produce good works, such as "Garland under the Mountain", "Lightning Action" and "Chosin Lake" such excellent works, in order to get the audience's affirmation.
(Rotten Tomatoes Movie Editorial Department: Blood Dan Heart)