In 1957, the film "Home", adapted from the novel of the same name by the famous writer Ba Jin, was released, which clearly showed the life picture of the big family in the old society surging in the torrent, and made people feel the process of decline and differentiation of the feudal family more intuitively through the movie.
As long as the audience has watched this film, it seems that every character can still remember it vividly, the cowardly but kind-hearted young master Juexin, the gentle and virtuous young grandmother Li Ruijue, the somewhat paranoid third young master of the Gao family Juehui, and even the maid Mingfeng who has the courage to fight for freedom and love.
It has been 67 years since the premiere of the movie, and in the past few decades, the actors who have participated in this film have passed away quietly one after another.
1, the eldest young master Gao Juexin (played by Sun Daolin)
As the grandson of the eldest house, Gao Juexin is loyal but cowardly, in many things, he has to make the so-called example, in terms of marriage, he followed his father's arrangement, knowing that it was not what he wanted, but he obeyed. Many times, he was sandwiched between the old forces represented by the elders in the family and the new forces represented by his younger brothers, and became a feudal tomb keeper with a two-sided and complex personality.
Sun Daolin, who plays Gao Juexin, joined the China Traveling Theater Troupe in 1943, and officially started his acting career, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he entered the Shanghai Film Studio and became a famous performing artist in the Shanghai film industry.
Sun Daolin once said, "Ba Lao's "Home" has played a very good enlightening role in my journey of literature and art. Before the filming of the movie, director Chen Xihe led some actors to visit Mr. Ba Jin, and during the filming of the film, Ba Jin personally went to the scene to guide Sun Daolin's performance, saying that he played Juexin very well.
Sun Daolin wrote, directed and acted in the films "Thunderstorm" and "Very Big President", and "Zhan Tianyou" was his last big-screen work, which won the Best Feature Film Award at the China Film Huabiao Awards and the "Five One Project" Award of the Central Propaganda Department. On December 28, 2007, Sun Daolin died of a heart attack at East China Hospital in Shanghai at the age of 86.
2, Mrs. Gao (Wei Heling)
In this old-fashioned big family, Mrs. Gao is a respected parent, the absolute supreme ruler, and the existence of the stars holding the moon, in order to maintain the stability and prosperity of the family, he has devoted almost all his life's energy. At the same time, he also represented the irresistible feudal power.
Wei Heling created a full and vivid image of the old lady through a calm and introverted performance, as well as an accurate grasp of the character's heart, and he perfectly interpreted the selfishness, viciousness, mediocrity, and cold-bloodedness in the character's personality, but he also attaches great importance to family affection and many other aspects.
Wei Heling has a dignified face and gives people the feeling of being honest and honest, so he is more handy when he plays an honest and responsible young man, a simple farmer, and a kind-hearted old man. Before this movie, Wei Heling had just participated in the movie "Blessing" and successfully portrayed the honest He Laoliu, which was also a shining screen image in his acting career.
In fact, he has created most of this type of characters, such as Lao Wang in "Angel on the Road", Zhao Lao Policeman in "My Life", Kong Youwen in "The Crow and the Sparrow", Tian Laogeng in "Visiting Relatives", etc.
Stills of "The People's Giant Palm" spy Zhang Rong
In fact, Wei Heling has also played villain roles, such as Zhang Rong, a latent spy he played in "The Giant Palm of the People", and the old lady Gao played in "Home", which is an artistic practice for him to boldly broaden his acting path.
Every screen image created by Wei Heling has its own appearance, both form and spirit, but in a special period, he was limited by various reasons and failed to play any role on the screen, which became his biggest regret in his later years. On October 2, 1979, Wei Heling died of illness in Shanghai at the age of 72.
3, young grandmother Li Ruijue (Zhang Ruifang)
Li Ruijue is Juexin's wife, as the eldest granddaughter-in-law of the Gao family, she is knowledgeable, empathetic, gentle and virtuous, tolerant and tenacious, kind and simple, and she can see almost all the virtues that are recognized by everyone as a traditional Chinese woman. In fact, there is still a certain difference between her and traditional women, because Ruijue has new ideas that keep pace with the times, and she has her own code of conduct.
Zhang Ruifang, who played Li Ruijue, was known as the famous "Four Famous Dans" on the drama stage together with Qin Yi, Bai Yang, and Shu Xiuwen in the 40s of the last century. Zhang Ruifang does not have an advantage in appearance, but her simple appearance and face shape add a lot of points to her, Zhang Ruifang's face is large and round, dignified and amiable, which is very suitable for the positive female image in the movie.
Zhang Ruifang has not starred in many films, but each one is a classic, in "Southern Expedition and Northern War", she played the village chief Zhao Yumin in the liberated area, and in the comedy movie "Li Shuangshuang", she created the heroine Li Shuangshuang, who has a straightforward personality, and also played the village girl in "On the Songhua River".
However, during the special period, she suffered unfair treatment, and after being incommunicado, she lived in prison for two years. When she returned to the art stage, Zhang Ruifang starred in works such as "The River Flows", "Spring Water Dingdong", "Roar! Yellow River" and so on.
In 2007, at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, Zhang Ruifang was awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award of the Chinese Film Golden Rooster Award". Also in this year, Zhang Ruifang won the "Outstanding Achievement Award for Chinese Film" at the 10th Shanghai International Film Festival. On June 28, 2012, Zhang Ruifang passed away in Shanghai due to illness at the age of 94.
4, the fourth old man Gao Ke'an (played by Cheng Zhi)
The fourth old man Gao Ke'an is the fourth son of the old lady Gao, and Cheng Zhi, who plays Gao Ke'an, will definitely not be unfamiliar to everyone, because he is widely known for playing the elder Jinchi in the episode "Journey to the West" "Disaster Guanyin Academy".
From joining Shanghai Film Studio in 1953 to that special period, Cheng Zhi has participated in the shooting of more than 20 films in more than ten years, during which he also dubbed a number of animation art works.
On the big screen, Cheng Zhiduo mainly plays villain roles, he has played the villain police chief Hu Li in "My Life", and played the spy chief Qi Section Chief in "Corrosion", he is also the enemy chief of staff in "Red Sun", the pseudo-inspector in "Sisters and Sisters Stand Up", and the crooked mouth in "Chicken Feather Letter".
In 1973, Cheng Zhi was listed as one of the first batch of people to return to the factory to work, and after resuming his acting work, he successively participated in "Unforgettable Battle", "Spring Miao", "Special Mission", "Sweet Career", "Journey to the West" and other works, and the role of Elder Jin Chi became his most well-known role.
In 1995, Cheng Zhi was invited to attend the Shanghai Lantern Festival Gala performance, but unfortunately, he died of a sudden myocardial infarction at the age of 69 after the performance.
5, the fifth master Gao Keding (Yang Hua)
The fifth master Gao Keding is played by Yang Hua, in fact, in terms of age, Yang Hua is nine years older than Cheng Zhi, but he plays his younger brother in this film. In terms of acting, Yang Hua has a wealth of stage acting experience, as he played important roles in dozens of dramas before becoming a movie star.
After the liberation, Yang Hua came to Shanghai Film Studio as an actor, played the speculative rich peasant Zhang Shunfa in "Falling Water", played the evil young Lan Musi who bullied men and women in "Master Qiao Gets on the Sedan Chair", and played the customs supervisor Yu Kun in "Lin Zexu", he is also the profiteer Ling Danian in "The City That Never Sleeps".
Yang Hua once played Commander Li in "Southern Expedition and Northern War", he performed the helplessness of being empty-eyed, unruly, full of self-confidence, and the complex mentality of not wanting to succumb.
Commander Li's classic line: Commander Zhang, for the sake of the party-state, quickly stretch out his hand to pull his brother! Can you still recall the look on his face when he said this? This line also made the audience feel the profound artistic attainments of the older generation of performing artists, and although he played a supporting role, he was unforgettable for a lifetime.
Yanghua has a deep artistic accomplishment, he is meticulous in his performance, while fully grasping the characteristics of the character, he accurately designs various actions and expressions, accurately grasps the proportions of the role, and performs all kinds of characters brilliantly.
Yanghua has also served as a dubbing voice in many dubbed films, and the role of the county order in the domestic art film "The Fisherman" was dubbed by him. On October 14, 1978, Yang Hua died of illness in Shanghai at the age of 63.
6, the third young master Gao Juehui (played by Zhang Hui)
Gao Juehui, the third young master of the Gao family, played by Zhang Hui, is a rebel with rudimentary democratic and humanitarian ideas, and he is regarded as a bold and naïve "traitor" in a feudal family. Because of his outstanding performance in the movie, Zhang Hui was also praised by the audience as a beautiful boy who came out of the book.
When he was young, Zhang Hui came to Shanghai with the help of his brother-in-law and became an intern at Yanhua Industrial Company. After arriving in Shanghai, this former cattle herder in the countryside saw the gap between himself and others, but he did not become arrogant because of this, on the contrary, he redoubled his efforts to enrich himself.
In his spare time, Zhang Hui would also follow his second brother to the Dumei Cinema to watch Soviet movies, and over time he found that he fell in love with movies, but his income was limited, so he had to cut back on food and clothing, and even saved money from the meal money to buy movie tickets. After learning the news that Changbai Drama and Film School was enrolling, Zhang Hui signed up, but he found that it was not a junior college.
Fortunately, the Shanghai Experimental Drama School later openly recruited students from the society, and he entered the real drama school as he wished, and finally fulfilled his dream of becoming an actor after graduation. Before starring in this film, Zhang Hui was already the master of the Jiangsu Provincial Drama Theater, and once played the role of Juehui on the drama stage.
Zhang Hui's wonderful performance gave Shanghai Film Studio a plan to transfer him to the actor's troupe in the factory, but the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture strongly opposed it. He has not participated in many films, and he also played Zhang Shaohua in "Iron Window Fire", and he gave more energy and enthusiasm to the drama stage.
It is worth mentioning that Zhang Hui's wife is Tian Ye, the daughter of the famous playwright Tian Han. In 1998, on the occasion of commemorating the 100th anniversary of Tian Han's birth, 70-year-old Zhang Hui and his wife went to Shanghai to participate in the commemorative activities, but suddenly suffered a heart attack due to overwork and died suddenly in the Shanghai subway at the age of 70.
7, the second young master Gao Juemin (played by Zhang Fei)
Zhang Fei plays the second young master of the Gao family, Juemin, in terms of personality, he is not as cowardly as the eldest brother, nor is he as strong as the third brother, although he seems to be polite, but he dares to break through the shackles of the feudal family, and also dares to pursue his love, and finally flies away with his beloved.
Zhang Fei is a drama actor at the Shanghai People's Art Theater and has been engaged in drama performances for half a century. In 1991, he was awarded the Certificate of Honor for 40 Years of Drama Work. In 1997, Zhang Fei was awarded the Medal of Honor and a Certificate of Honor for more than 50 years in the drama industry.
He has participated in several films, such as "Red and White", "Wave Butterfly", "The Last Sun" and so on. Among the many actors who participated in "Home", Zhang Fei is the longest-lived one, born in 1925, he died in Shanghai on January 26, 2024, at the age of 99.
8, Cousin Mei (Huang Zongying)
Although Cousin Mei, played by Huang Zongying, is truly in love with Juexin, their love is worthless in this big feudal family. In the end, Juexin married Ruijue, and Cousin Mei also married under the arrangement of her own family, but her husband died less than a year after she got married, and she herself died in grief.
Many people are deeply impressed by the character of Cousin Mei portrayed by Huang Zongying, especially her complaining eyes and her actions of wanting to speak and stopping, all of which reflect the forbearance and sadness of traditional ladies.
Huang Zongying has experienced four marriages and raised seven children in her life, and her legendary life of ups and downs and touching the world has been extremely admirable until now. In real life, Huang Zongying is a woman who longs for freedom and love, and she can't bear to be divorced from her husband in terms of life concept, so she boldly filed for divorce.
Among the four marriages, the most memorable for her is the third marriage with Zhao Dan, after which she gave birth to three children for Zhao Dan, and the two children born to Zhao Dan and his ex-wife are also regarded as her own, in addition, she also adopted Zhou Xuan's two children, so she raised a total of seven children.
It's just that she was busy with her career when she was young, and she didn't have much energy and time to take care of her family, which also made Zhao Dan complain, saying that it was better to marry a housewife as a wife, and when she went home, someone would bring tea and pour water, and ask for warmth. Until the special period, Huang Zongying's career plummeted, and he was forced to live in the countryside with his children, waiting for Zhao Dan to return home from prison.
A few years after Zhao Dan regained his freedom, he died of cancer in 1980. After that, Huang Zongying stopped filming and changed careers to become a writer. At the age of 68, Huang Zongying married the famous writer and translator Feng Yidai, and before they got married, the two of them had a vigorous twilight love.
Huang Zongying said with emotion, "Zhao Dan is a mountain, and Feng Yidai is the sea." After marrying the people of the mountains, I can only marry the sea. After marriage, they wrote together and accompanied each other, which filled their later years with light. On December 14, 2020, Huang Zongying passed away at the age of 95.
9, maid Mingfeng (Wang Danfeng)
Although the maid Mingfeng played by Wang Danfeng does not have many scenes, this character is deeply engraved in the minds of the audience. Because she is a servant, she is never treated as a person, and the old lady of the Gao family even wants to give her to Feng Leshan as a gift.
Only the third young master Juehui was really good to her, but this kind of love was destined to have no results, and in the end, Mingfeng, who was unwilling to marry Feng Leshan, committed suicide by jumping into the lake. Wang Danfeng played Mingfeng's performance before her death just right, and she deduced Mingfeng's helplessness and poignantness, which broke the hearts of countless audiences.
Since the age of 16, Wang Danfeng has started her acting career, and because of her outstanding performance in "New Yuguang Song", she is also called "Little Zhou Xuan" by the audience. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, she starred in films such as "Spring", "Autumn" and "Dream of Red Mansions".
In 1949, at the invitation of the Hong Kong Great Wall Film Production Company, Wang Danfeng went to Hong Kong to develop, and during her time in Hong Kong, she starred in films such as "Qiong Lou Hate", "Yaochi Mandarin Duck" and "Wang's Four Heroes".
In 1951, Wang Danfeng returned to Shanghai to continue her acting career. During the special period, she was criticized for starring in the movie "Peach Blossom Fan", and after the turmoil, she returned to the big screen and starred in the movie "The Man Who Lost His Memory".
After filming "Jade Butterfly", Wang Danfeng ended her acting career. On May 2, 2018, Wang Danfeng passed away at East China Hospital in Shanghai at the age of 94.
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