In 1933, Sang Arc, who was still working as an ordinary employee in the Industrial Bank of China, saw Mao Dun's novel "Midnight" from the "Novel Monthly" and admired it very much.
The picture of China's national industry struggling to survive in the gap between comprador capital and feudal autocracy depicted in the book, as well as the profound analysis of the social reality of old China, as well as the detailed description of characters from all walks of life, all resonated deeply with Sang Arc.
Sang Arc later engaged in film creation, accumulated a lot of experience in practice, and successfully directed excellent films such as "No Love", "Long Live the Wife", "Sorrowful Middle Age", "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" (Yue Opera), "Blessing" and other excellent films, becoming a film director who is proficient in film language and loved by the majority of fans.
But he has always had a soft spot for the work "Midnight" and has always had a strong desire to bring it to the screen.
In 1961, Sang Arc, who had already formed a unique creative style, thought that the time was ripe, so he proposed the idea of adapting "Midnight" into a movie, and when he asked for Mr. Mao Dun's opinion, he also received an affirmative answer. Sang Arc thus began to adapt the script and brewed a list of candidate actors in his mind. Sun Daolin, who played a national capitalist in "The City That Never Sleeps", was first considered the best candidate for the actor Wu Sunfu.
In fact, if this version of "Midnight" can be filmed smoothly and starring Sun Daolin, the probability of success may be greater.
However, it was an "eventful autumn" at that time, and many filming plans of Shanghai Film Studio, such as "Lu Xun Biography" starring Zhao Dan, Yu Lan, Sun Daolin, "July Flowing Fire" starring Zhang Ruifang, Comfort, Shangguan Yunzhu, "Thunderstorm" starring Wang Danfeng, "Li Bai and Du Fu" starring Zhao Dan and Xie Tian, etc., were stranded halfway for various reasons. Sang Arc's "Midnight" was also interrupted because it did not meet the hard requirement of "thirteen years of capitalization".
This regret was not finally made up until 1979.
This year, Sang Arc put the plan to adapt "Midnight" back on the agenda. It can be seen that for so many years, he has always been obsessed with "Midnight". After enlisting the support of all parties, Sang Arc completed the concept of the script in 1980. But he didn't jump right into filming. Because he is a rigorous film creator, in order to restore the background of the era in the real film, he spent several months consulting a large number of materials and gaining a more comprehensive understanding and grasp of what happened in Shanghai in the 30s.
In order to focus on the essence of the original work in the 151-minute film space, and in order to be more adapted to the characteristics of the film, Sang Arc and another director, Fu Jinggong, made reasonable cuts to the original novel. The more than 80 characters who appeared in the original work were reduced to 42. The main line of the story is concentrated on the contradiction and struggle between Wu Sunfu and Zhao Botao, making the main contradiction more prominent and the theme idea clearer.
In August 1980, Sang Arc brought the first draft of the script to Beijing to visit Mao Dun. After Mao Dun read the script, he first affirmed it, and also gave suggestions for revision. In November of the same year, Sang Arc sent the revised script to Mr. Mao Dun for review, and Mao Dun wrote back after reading it to express his agreement to shoot.
After the script is completed, it is the selection of actors. This is almost the most important factor in determining the success of a film. Sang Arc also considered Sun Daolin as Wu Sunfu. But for two reasons, it didn't work. First, Sun Daolin was too busy at that time and lacked skills. The other is that Sun Daolin was nearly 60 years old at the time, which is quite different from the age of Wu Sunfu described in the original work. Therefore, I had to choose someone else. This also made Sun Daolin very regretfully pass by the role of Wu Sunfu.
And there is a reason why Li Rentang was chosen to play Wu Sunfu. One is that the movie "Tears" starring Li Rentang has just been released, and his performance has been widely recognized by industry experts and fans, and he also won the Best Actor Award at the 3rd Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards, which has attracted much attention and has a certain star appeal. Another reason is that Mr. Mao Dun appreciates Li Rentang more, and after watching the movies such as "Tears" and "The Death of the Marshal" starring him, he fully affirmed his acting skills and thought that he was qualified for the role of Wu Sunfu.
But unexpectedly, after the movie was released, Li Rentang's performance was not recognized by all audiences, and the spit continued. This is a big pity.
Another regret is that Mr. Mao Dun attached great importance to the movie "Midnight" being put on the screen before his death, and gave Sang Arc and other main creators careful guidance. But before the movie was finished, Mr. Mao Dun died of illness and did not see the birth of this movie.
In 1981, after the movie "Midnight" was filmed and released, it attracted countless fans into the theater because it was adapted from Mr. Mao Dun's masterpiece and because it had a strong star cast. After watching this film, everyone was amazed by Sang Arc's accurate depiction of the old Shanghai Ten Mile Ocean Field, and was surprised by his mastery of traditional aesthetics and film language. The costumes, props, art, etc. in the film can all be described by the word "amazing". The structure of the script, the clear context, and the clear primary and secondary have undoubtedly become the basis for the success of this film.
The cast of actors is indeed jaw-dropping, bringing together many stars such as the Hundred Flowers Award actor, the old drama bones of Shanghai Film Studio, the pillars of Shanghai Qingyi Tai, and the rising stars of Beijing Film Academy, which is dizzying.
Although after the release of the movie, everyone received mixed reviews for their performances, the characters they created are still deeply preserved in our memory.
At that time, we all said that the "righteous" Li Rentang was not suitable for playing a capitalist, and Gong Xue, who had a pure temperament, was not like a "gold worship girl". However, when we revisit the film 42 years later, there are many different experiences.
The biggest feeling is that such a strong star lineup, after that, will never be again.
Can't help but sigh: only "lost" is the best?
So 42 years later, do you remember this version of "Midnight"? Which of these roles impressed him the most? And 42 years later, what changes and developments have the actors who caught a glimpse in the film come after?
Today, after revisiting this classic old film, Yaqing wants to relive and review these actors through the form of comparing the past and the present.
Let's take a look at "revealing the secret" together.
First, the eight old drama bones that appeared in "Midnight" have all passed away
The movie "Midnight", released in 1981, brought together many old drama bones of Shanghai Film Studio.
Their appearance adds too much color to this film. They all rely on their superb acting skills to make the characters in Mr. Mao Dun's book jump on the screen one by one, with different shapes.
The first thing that catches our eyes is the old lady Wu played by Zhang Va, who is very consistent with the feudal old lady in the original work who believes in "Taishang Induction Chapter" from his character appearance to his performance state. He has very few roles in the film, only a few shots with a line of "ten thousand evil and lewd", but it makes us unforgettable.
Zhang Fa was 61 years old when he starred in "Midnight", and since then he has appeared in many films such as "The Last Choice", "The Last Sun", "T Province's 84, 85" and so on, and died of illness on March 29, 2001.
Han Fei and Cheng Zhi, in "Midnight", play a pair of "difficult brothers and brothers", one is Feng Yunqing, a rich man who earns his family business by collecting rent and rice, and the other is He Shenan, a speculator broker who is frustrated in the officialdom and wants to make a vote in the sale and sale of public bonds. They are all "small fish and shrimp" in the stock market, and they are played by big players. Feng Yunqing eventually not only accompanied her daughter's happiness, but also took her own life.
The performances of the two actors are really vivid, and every move is unique.
It's just that the two old artists died relatively early, especially Han Fei, after performing "Midnight", he only played a role in "The Great Demon of the East", and then died on January 4, 1985, at the age of 66.
Cheng Zhi's health was not very good in his later years, but he always insisted on being on the front line of acting, in addition to starring in film and television dramas such as "Pen in Love", "Shoot, Send Him Off", and the 86th version of "Journey to the West", he also hosted the "Shanghai Beach" program on Shanghai TV. On February 14, 1995, Cheng Zhi suddenly fell on the stage of the performance and has not been up since. When he died, he was only 69 years old.
Gu Yelu, who plays Wu Sunfu's brother-in-law Du Zhuzhai, is also an old actor of Shanghai Film Studio, who appeared on the screen very early and has rich acting experience, what to act like. In the movie "Midnight", he delicately portrayed the image of a "wallhead" like a financial capitalist through accurate demeanor and physical movements.
Since then, he has starred in works such as "Siege of the City", "Famous Tang Dynasty", "Happy Family", "Legend of Luzhen" and so on. He left this world on December 23, 2009, at the age of 93.
There is also Han Mengxiang, a stock exchange broker starring Liu Guanxiong, which is also unforgettable for us. This beautiful man who is well-dressed and has a three-inch tongue is vividly interpreted by Liu Guanxiong. The actor, who was well known to the audience for playing the third elder Yu Hongkui in the movie "Big Waves and Sands", also passed away on January 29, 2018 at the age of 85.
I think everyone must remember the image of Zhou Zhongwei, the owner of the Everbright Match Factory nicknamed "Red Headed Matches" in "Midnight", right? Do you feel that the actor has both gods and shapes? His actor is named Zhou Baichun, who was originally a burlesque actor. He was chosen by Sang Arc because of his image temperament close to the role. However, I think his performance is the biggest reason why everyone remembers Zhou Zhongwei's supporting role.
Zhou Baichun served as the head of the Shanghai Renyi Burlesque Troupe, creating various funny characters on stage and performing witty and humorous performances. On March 25, 2008, 86-year-old Zhou Baichun also left this world.
And the "unlucky" boss Zhu Yinqiu, who is often with Zhou Zhongwei, is played by Yuan Yue, an old actor of Shanghai Film Studio who is very familiar to everyone. His role as Zhao Da in the movie "Sentinel in Neon Lights" left us with very unforgettable memories. Yuan Yue has since starred in films such as "Blue Shield Safe", "Meet Again in Twenty Years", "84·85 Years of T Province", and died of illness on October 15, 2018.
In addition, Zhao Liyin, a veteran actor who starred in films such as "Li Shuangshuang" and "Today I Rest" in the fifties and sixties, also played roles in "Midnight", playing the mother of Zhu Guiying, a female worker of Yuhuasi Factory, with only two scenes, and both in a hospital bed, but she was still recognized by sharp-eyed audiences at a glance.
Zhao Liyin also starred in many movies in the 80s, such as "Deep in the Heart", "Special Family", "Hua Tuo and Cao Cao", "Apartment", etc., playing the image of a mother. He died on October 8, 2002, at the age of 79.
Second, where are the seven powerful actors who appeared in "Midnight" now?
In addition to the old drama bones, in this version of "Midnight", many powerful actors have also gathered. Seven of them, unforgettable.
First of all, Zhang Xianheng, who comes from Shanghai Qingyi, is recognized by fans as one of the actors with the best acting skills in "Midnight". Although Tu Weiyue, who he plays, is a supporting role, whenever he appears, his style can firmly attract the attention of the audience. I think he is full of drama, and all of them are in line with Tu Weiyue's identity as the director of Yuhua Silk Factory, as well as his character of not humble and scheming.
Since then, Zhang Xianheng has also starred in films such as "The Legend of Liyuan", "Troubled World", "Daughter's Sutra" and other movies, and also served as the head of the Shanghai Youth Dialect Troupe. Now 87 years old, he is still on the stage.
And Du Zhuzhai's wife Wu Fufang, the sister of the actor of "Midnight" Wu Sunfu, is played by Zhang Xianheng's colleague Zheng Yuzhi. This is an old artist who "gets older and redder", and in recent years, he has been a fish in the film and television industry, and has appeared as the "Queen Mother" in dramas such as "Langya List" and "Qing Yu Nian", so he has the reputation of "Queen Mother's Professional House". He is also 87 years old this year.
Shi Jiufeng and Shi Shugui are an actor couple in Shanghai Film Studio, and they both joined the performance team of "Midnight". One plays Wang Hefu, the general manager of Daxing Coal Mining Company, and the other plays the mother of Jin Monk, a young worker at the Everbright Match Factory. The two did not play each other, but their respective performances were outstanding.
It's just that they both chose to go abroad shortly after performing "Midnight", and have since faded out of the audience's sight. Everyone regrets it, because Shi Jiufeng is obviously an actor with profound acting skills, but he has not fully developed his talents.
In the old movie "Midnight", we also saw the figure of the old artist Wang Suya. She was filming in Shanghai at the time and played roles in several films shot at Shanghai Film Studio. In "Midnight", she played Feng Yunqing's aunt Lao Jiu, with only one scene, but she played the role vividly and vividly.
Wang Suya is 85 years old this year. She has served as the director of Yunnan Film Studio and has also played roles in many film and television dramas. However, what left the deepest impression on the audience was the ironworks golden flower she played in "Five Golden Flower" and the "contemporary Mulan" Gao Shan in "Youth in War".
In addition, Shanghai Film Studio's "golden green leaves" Zhu Yuwen and Wu Yunfang also played roles in this version of "Midnight". Zhu Yuwen plays Yao Jinfeng, the female foreman of Yuhua Silk Factory's fox fake tiger power, and Wu Yunfang plays Zhou Zhongwei's sick wife.
Both of them present the state that the role should have, and now Zhu Yuwen is 80 years old and Wu Yunfang is 88 years old.
Third, the seven beauties who appeared in "Midnight" are now all old
When I watched "Midnight", I also had a big feeling that there were too many beautiful actresses in it. They are both rising stars in the 80s film industry, and later they all have the ability to be independent, and together in the hundred gardens of movies, they bloomed their own beauty. It's a pity that now except for Liu Jia, most of them have disappeared.
Among them, Cheng Xiaoying, who played the female number one Lin Peiyao, was 33 years old at the time, but she had outstanding appearance and graceful temperament, which was very much in line with the character of Mrs. Lin Peiyaokuo. She is mostly in the film with inner drama, but she plays it really touching. Its gorgeous image is unforgettable.
At that time, Cheng Xiaoying was a young teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, and later starred in works such as "Dance Love", "I, You, He", "Hot Spring" and other works, and then she went abroad to Japan, and now she is 76 years old, the beauty is still the same, elegant as ever.
Liu Jia and Li Xiaoli from the 78-level acting class of the Beijing Film Academy played the images of Lin Peiyao's sister Lin Peishan and courtesan Xu Manli in "Midnight" respectively. In contrast, Li Xiaoli's performance seems to be more colorful. But Liu Jia's youthful and dignified image is also fresh in our minds.
Since then, after graduating from the Beijing Film Academy, they have gained a firm foothold in the film and television industry with their strength. But I didn't expect that although the two were in the same class, their development was quite different. Li Xiaoli has superb acting skills, but after acting in several movies such as "Life" and "Rolling Red Dust", she chose to stop filming. Liu Jia, on the other hand, has always insisted on filming, and now he is an out-and-out old drama bone.
At that time, the three new female Hua Dan of Shanghai Film Studio - Gong Xue, Zhang Min and Gu Yuqin also participated in the performance of "Midnight". Gong Xue plays the beautiful and brainless courtesan Feng Meiqing, while Zhang Min and Gu Yuqin play Zhu Guiying and Chen Yue'e, female workers of Yuhua Silk Factory. They were all beautiful women on the screen like flowers. Later, they also became the object of Shanghai Film Studio's popularity.
Gong Xue starred in movies such as "Pomegranate Flower", "Happy Bachelor", "Under the Bridge" and won the title of double film queen of the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Award. Zhang Min has starred in many classic films such as "Old Things in the South of the City", "Long Live Youth", "Two O'Clock at Midnight" and other classic films, and the roles he plays are also lifelike. Gu Yuqin played the heroine in movies such as "The Laughter of Moon Bay" and "The Storm of Moon Bay".
Now all three of them have also grown old, although they have all disappeared, but they all have their own happy lives.
In "Midnight", we also saw Ma Xiaoqing's figure. She should have just finished filming "Ah! Cradle "Not long after, it has already shown its performance aura. She has almost no lines in Midnight, but she still performs well in several close-up shots.
Since then, she has also sought development in the entertainment industry and starred in many movies, but unfortunately she stopped filming too early. Now 55 years old, she has not updated her social platform for a long time.
Fourth, the four handsome guys who appeared in "Midnight" are now really changing
This version of "Midnight" is not only beautiful like a cloud, but also handsome and full of handsome guys. Among them, four handsome male stars are particularly eye-catching.
First of all, as soon as Liang Polo appeared, he attracted everyone's attention.
He wore a military uniform and looked tall. Although he was 42 years old at the time, his handsome face, dashing demeanor, and straight figure all reminded people of his appearance when he played "Little Boss" in "No. 51 Troop Station". It's just that he appeared in "Midnight", and he has more of the charm of a mature man.
In the film, he plays Lei Ming, a corrupt and degenerate national army officer who lives between Lin Peiyao and Xu Manli. He vividly showed Lei Ming's affection in front of Lin Peiyao and his frivolous appearance in front of Xu Manli.
Polo Liang is still a male god. Although he was 85 years old and had silver hair, he was ruddy, calm and elegant, and showed the demeanor of a humble gentleman.
Guo Kaimin played the role of Fan Bowen in the film. Fan Bowen is a representative of progressive youth, radical in thought, fond of poetry, and deeply in love with his cousin Lin Peishan. Guo Kaimin's performance is decent. But he was in a red-to-purple state at the time, and became the top male star in the 80s because he played the leading actor in films such as "Good Things and Many Grinds" and "Lushan Love".
Since then, Guo Kaimin's life trajectory has undergone tremendous changes. He went to the Beijing Film Academy for further study when he was popular, and then in order to realize his dream of directing, he went south to Hainan Island alone, and he ran into a wall one after another. It was not until 2000 that it gradually came out of the trough. But never to return to its glory in the early 80s. Now 65 years old, he is still filming, but compared with the male stars who debuted at the same time, he is obviously not well known by more young audiences.
Mao Yongming was a "screen student" with the same name as Guo Kaimin in Shanghai Film Studio. However, Guo Kaimin acted in more dramas or tragedies, while Mao Yongming mainly developed according to the path of comedians. He has performed well in films such as "They and the Two of Them", "Little Deyue Lou", "Xiyingmen" and so on. In "Midnight", he played the young worker Jin Monk of the Everbright Match Factory, who walked in front of the team during the strike, but later unfortunately fell into the water and died.
Mao Yongming probably chose Xiying after 2005 and then started doing business. Later, he chose to settle abroad. It wasn't until the first two years that it returned to the audience's attention, but its face has changed dramatically. The handsome little student on the screen in the past has now become a fat uncle.
The name Wang Weiping may not be familiar to everyone, and even many fans think that he and Wang Weiping are one person. It's not. After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1979, he entered Shanghai Film Studio as an actor, but mainly played supporting roles. In my memory, he played Gong Xue's ex-boyfriend in two movies shot by Shanghai Film Studio, one is "Midnight" and the other is "Under the Bridge".
His role in "Under the Bridge" is very rare, which belongs to a fleeting dragon set. But his high appearance still left an impression on some audiences. Since then, Wang Weiping has also acted in films such as "Lakeside", "Years Like Songs", "Before and After Marriage" and so on. Now there are also great changes, and the once angular face has become more rounded and fuller with age, but more elegant.
Fifth, the two leading actors of "Midnight" are now in another world
Li Rentang and Qiao Qi are the two leading actors in this version of "Midnight". But in contrast, Qiao Qi's performance was generally recognized, while Li Rentang was spit on by many audiences.
I think the biggest reason is that Qiao Qi, whether it is demeanor or aura, is very much in line with the character of Zhao Botao, a comprador capitalist. Coupled with his explosive acting skills, it makes a rich, sinister and cunning villain image jump in front of the audience.
On the contrary, Li Rentang is accustomed to playing "workers, peasants and soldiers" on the screen, and everyone is too familiar with his roles such as Uncle Wan Shan in "Green Pine Ridge" and Zhu Keshi in "Tears", so when he put on a tie, put on a suit, and appeared in "Midnight" to play the capitalist Wu Sunfu, it was difficult for everyone to accept the changes on his theatrical path.
Coupled with his simple temperament, no matter how superb his acting skills are, the Wu Sunfu he plays still has the taste of "dirt". However, Li Rentang's performance in "Midnight" is not without merit. It's just that the Wu Sunfu he played is more than solemn, but cunning is insufficient.
Li Rentang probably also realized this, so after taking over the play, he still mainly played the image of a worker, peasant or cadre. In 1991, he once again presented superb acting skills in the movie "The Defendant Mountain Bar Master", shaping the image of an old farmer Shan Bar Master extremely successfully, and he once again won the title of Double Film Star of the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Award.
And Joach's drama seems to be wider. He has starred in various characters in film and television works such as "Wisdom Solving Odd Case", "Feng Shen List", "Today I Leave" and so on.
However, both have left this world prematurely. Li Rentang died on June 24, 2002 due to a sudden heart attack at the age of 73. Five years later, on June 29, 2007, Shanghai Renyi veteran actor Qiao Qi also died of illness at the age of 86.
42 years ago, a "Midnight" brought us mixed feelings. Happily, Mr. Mao Dun's famous book "Midnight" was finally put on the screen after several twists and turns, and the stars gathered, which was dizzying. The worry is that although the film is rigorous in script and well-made, it leaves a lot of regrets because some actors are not in place.
But now that I look at it, another taste comes to mind. Although this version of "Midnight" has shortcomings, it also has many advantages that are difficult to replace. For example, it highlights the struggle between national capitalists and comprador capitalists in the original work, and does not stick to the original work. When showing that old Shanghai is "a paradise for exploiters and a hell for laborers", the creators used a lot of contrasting techniques, which played a shocking effect.
In terms of actors, the roles played by the famous Li Rentang and Gong Xue are indeed not full, but Qiao Qi, Zhang Va, Cheng Zhi, Han Fei, Gu Yelu, Zhang Xianheng, Zhou Baichun, Liu Guanxiong and other old drama bones really present superb acting skills. Such a strong lineup has basically not appeared since.
So 42 years later, do you remember this version of "Midnight"? How did you feel when you watched this film? Welcome to communicate and communicate with more netizens and fans through the message area.