1. The stunning masterpieces of half a century ago are now as rare as the morning star
Standing in 2024, the wave of the era of rapid technological change, we can't help but feel that those popular movie masterpieces of the 60s, such as "Children of Heroes", seem to have become a treasure of history.
It has been 50 years since the release of this film by the talented director Wu Zhaodi, but its charm is still undiminished, and people never get tired of watching it, not only the storyline is fascinating, but also the superb acting skills of the leading actors.
In the film, the image of a very individual "Wang Political Commissar" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and this role is played by the famous actor Tian Fang. Tian Fang, who was 63 years old at the time, was already ready to enjoy his old age, but he was deeply moved by the director's sincere invitation, so he decided to appear on the screen one last time to interpret this heroic and fearless senior commander of the Volunteer Army.
Tian Fang's portrayal of this role can be described as the pinnacle, and his affectionate acting skills brought this symbol of patriotism to life, leaving an unforgettable impression on the audience.
However, who would have expected that just when this film, which was hailed as a classic, had just been completed, Tian Fang was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Faced with the cruel reality that his life is about to end, this old man who loves acting still can't let go of the worries in his heart.
According to his wife Yu Lan's recollection, the day before he died, Tian Fang specially called her to the bedside, pointed to his diary, and told her that his heartfelt words were recorded there, and at the same time asked her to hand over all the 200 yuan left in the cabinet to her.
2. The beautiful marriage of love at first sight has gone through 34 years of ups and downs
This touching story of Tian Fang and Yu Lan knowing each other began in that special year of 1940. That year, Yu Lan, who was only 19 years old, chose to marry Tian Fang, who was 10 years older than him, without hesitation, and became the mother of his two children.
Although the initial married life was not all smooth sailing, they always supported each other and spent 34 spring, summer, autumn and winter ups and downs together.
In fact, Yu Lan's feelings for Tian Fang can be traced back to her youth when she was only 15 years old, when she was deeply fascinated by Tian Fang's wonderful eye play in the movie "Top Gun", and she was full of reverence for the actor.
However, she never dreamed that the person she secretly had a crush on in her heart would become her lifelong partner one day in the future.
I still remember that in 1938, Yu Lan, who was only 17 years old, embarked on a journey to Yan'an, where he reunited with Tian Fang. Faced with this man who had already experienced a marriage and was already a father, Yu Lan did not hesitate to choose to marry him bravely, becoming one of the few women in that era who entered the marriage hall at the age of 19.
Life after marriage is not all smooth sailing, Tian Fang is too busy with work, and often can't give Yu Lan enough care and care. Finally one day, Yu Lan couldn't bear such indifference anymore, and confided in her husband the pain in her heart with tears in her eyes.
Tian Fang suddenly realized his mistakes, and vowed to correct his mistakes and cherish this hard-won love.
3. The sad confession on the day before her death, the wife was widowed all her life
In the process of filming the movie "Heroes' Children", although he is 63 years old, Tian Fang originally planned to quit the entertainment industry and enjoy the leisure time of his old age. However, director Wu Zhaodi repeatedly implored him to play the crucial role of "Political Commissar Wang".
Director Wu's praise and affirmation of Tian Fang's superb acting skills finally moved the veteran actor, making him decide to return to the screen for the last time to give fresh vitality to this tenacious and brave senior commander of the Volunteer Army.
Who would have expected that just when this film, which was hailed as a classic, had just been completed, Tian Fang received the most cruel notice - he was suffering from terminal cancer, and doctors predicted that his life was coming to an end.
In the face of the imminent death, even an elderly person who has experienced vicissitudes of life is inevitably full of fear. On the day before he died, Tian Fang called his wife Yu Lan to the bedside, pointed to his diary, and told her that his heartfelt words were recorded here, and at the same time left all the only 200 yuan of property in the family to Yu Lan.
At that time, Yu Lan did not understand the deep meaning of her husband's words, and simply responded, but she never thought that at 10 o'clock in the morning the next day, Tian Yi closed his eyes forever and left this world.
Yu Lan hugged grief and grief, closed her eyelids for her husband Tian Fang with her own hands, and watched the figure that she once deeply admired and proud gradually leave, and she couldn't help herself in pain in her heart.
From then on, she embarked on a long and lonely journey of waiting, shouldering the responsibility of the whole family and raising her three children.
Fourth, the fate of the three sons is very different, and Zhuang Zhuang has been banned from filming for ten years and still sticks to his original intention
After her husband Tian Fang left, Yu Lan bravely took up the burden, independently supported the whole family, and raised the three children with her own hard work and sweat. Each of these three brothers has achieved great success, but the most striking is the second son, Tian Zhuangzhuang.
He is an outstanding representative of the fifth generation of Chinese directors, and he is a close friend with Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and other colleagues. However, just when Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige won awards at the Cannes Film Festival in France, Tian Zhuangzhuang's first debut film "Blue Kite" suffered the misfortune of being banned, and he himself was forced to stop his 10-year directing career and could not direct new films.
For a young and promising director, this is undoubtedly a heavy blow. Looking back on why he chose to embark on this thorny film road, Tian Zhuangzhuang admitted in an interview that it was a complete accident.
In fact, his parents Tian Fang and Yu Lan did not expect him to devote themselves to this industry, but the torrent of life finally pushed him to the position of director.
After being banned from directing for 10 years, Tian Zhuangzhuang resolutely decided to try a new field of actor and participated in many film and television dramas. Until 2023, he finally won the Best Supporting Actor award for the play "The Light of the White Tower" at the Beijing International Film Festival, regaining the glory of "actor" for himself.
After Christmas in the same year, the new film "Twinkle Star" directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang himself was also officially released in China, which marked another solid step in his directing career.
Despite the setbacks, he never gave up and always pursued his ideals and dreams with determination.
The achievements of the second son, Tian Shinxin, are also remarkable, he is an excellent sound recordist, and has recorded many film and television works, especially "The Fence Woman and the Dog".
As for the eldest son, he lived a plain and ordinary life.
Fifth, the idol complex has emerged, and he is willing to sacrifice a son for love
When we look back at Yu Lan's deep admiration and yearning for Tian Fang, we have to go back to the bright and charming era of the twenties of the 20th century. At that time, Yu Lan was just a young and lovely woman with a little thin life experience.
However, it was that simple and passionate love that made her have a deep fascination and yearning for Tian Fang in her youth.
She first met Tian Fang from a movie called "Top Gun". In this film, Tian Fang successfully portrayed the role of Tian Dehou with his superb acting skills, especially his deep and emotional eyes, which left an indelible impression on Yu Lan.
At that time, Yu Lan may never have thought that the idol in her heart would become her husband in the future. In 1938, 17-year-old Yu Lan came to Yan'an, the holy land of revolution, and reunited with Tian Fang.
Faced with this man who has already started a family and is 10 years older than herself, Yu Lan did not hesitate to choose to bravely enter the marriage hall and became one of the few women who entered married life at the age of 19 and also played the role of stepmother.
Life after marriage is not as good as people think. Due to his busy work, Tian Fang often can't give Yu Lan enough care and companionship. Yu Lan's heart was full of bitterness and helplessness, and finally one day, she could no longer bear the pain in her heart, and confided her grievances to her husband with tears in her eyes.
After learning the truth, Tian Fang suddenly realized his mistake, and from then on he made up his mind to cherish this precious relationship and pay more attention to Lan's feelings. Yu Lan's great contribution to the family is something that even Tian Fang himself cannot fully understand and estimate.
The most touching thing is that in order to be able to better take care of her two stepsons, Yu Lan even sacrificed her first biological flesh and blood and took the initiative to choose an abortion.
At first, she didn't tell Tian Fang about this, but it wasn't until Tian Fang found out by chance that she was deeply shocked and understood more deeply what her wife had done for the family.