Wu Yigong was 40 years old when he actually directed the barrel.
Therefore, he was not a prolific director, leaving no more than ten works.
However, it is these few works that not only tell us what kind of film can become a classic, but also leave behind the most moving screen moments in the history of Chinese film performance.
"Bashan Night Rain"
Release date: 1980
Main cast: Li Zhiyu, Zhang Yu, Lin Bin, Mao Weihui, Ouyang Ruqiu
In the late 1970s, on a river ship from Chongqing to Wuhan, several people with different concerns were in the same room: qiu shi (Li Zhixing), a poet who had been imprisoned for six years on trumped-up charges, was secretly escorted by special case officers Liu Wenying (Zhang Yu) and Li Yan (Qiang Ming), and the road ahead was murderous; the only son of the old lady (Ouyang Ruqiu) was killed in a martial battle, and she boarded the ship to hang her son's dead; the rural girl Xinghua was forced to "sell herself to pay off debts", and tears flowed to her heart There is also a little girl who sneaks on the boat to find her father when no one is ready... And so the story unfolds.
The film's general director was Wu Yonggang, who was 75 years old at the time, and Wu Yigong was the executive director. The film won the Best Feature Film Award at the 1st Golden Rooster Awards of Chinese Cinema, except for Li Zhiyu and Zhang Yu, who were nominated for Best Actor and Actress respectively, all other actors won the Supporting Role Award (Collective).
At that time, Zhang Yu had just finished filming "Ah! Cradle", Wu Yonggang is precisely because this film sees the childishness of her body, and thinks that it is very suitable for the temperament of Liu Wenying, who has not lost his conscience in "Bashan Night Rain".
At that time, Mao Weihui (the granddaughter of bridge master Mao Yisheng) played a little girl Xiao Juanzi who was looking for her father in the film. At a young age, she very accurately grasped xiao Juanzi's precocious but innocent temperament. The song "I am a dandelion seed" sung by her in the film was spread throughout the country at that time with the screening of the film.
I am a dandelion seed
No one knows my joys and sorrows
Dad, Mom gave me a little umbrella
Let me drift and float in the vast world
The little umbrella took me flying, flying, flying
Later, Mao Weihui became an accomplished pianist.
"Seongnam Old Story"
Main cast: Shen Jie, Zhang Fengyi, Zhang Min, Zheng Zhenyao, Yan Xiang, Yuan Jiayi
The film won the Best Director Award and the Best Supporting Actress Award (Zheng Zhenyao) at the 3rd Golden Rooster Awards of Chinese Film. In fact, many of the film's characters are wonderful.
"At one point, I didn't know if I still had a chance to make a movie, I just kept reading." Wu Yigong once said so. Yet Heaven will not fail those who are prepared. In 1982, at the age of 42, Wu Yigong ushered in his first opportunity to direct independently. This is the "Old Things in Seongnam", which was later included in the classic cases of Chinese film history.
Shen Jie, who plays Xiao Yingzi, was ten years old at the time. At that time, she and her classmates went to another movie in the studio to audition for a group play, and the result was that Wu Yigong took a look at it. The joys and sorrows of the adult world were reflected in her big eyes full of aura, and the parting slowly consumed her most innocent smile in the world. Shen Jie not only became the YingZi in the minds of Wu Yigong and the audience, but also received the recognition of the original author Lin Haiying.
However, although she became a well-known child star in China because of "Seongnam Old Things", Shen Jie did not embark on the road of acting, but went to Japan to study law after graduating from high school, and returned to China to open a cultural communication company after completing her studies. An interesting episode is that, according to a report titled "Shen Jie: From "Seongnam Old Things" "Little Yingzi" to today's Big Boss", when she was studying in Japan, she once passed a classroom in the university where she was studying, and suddenly heard her own voice in "Seongnam Old Things", as well as the song of "Outside the Long Pavilion, Beside the Ancient Road". Later, she learned that there was a Chinese class there, and "Old Things in Seongnam" was the content of the textbook.
"Seongnam Old Story" is a story about parting. Xiao Yingzi's world is very small, and people enter her world one by one and leave one by one. For example, "crazy woman" Xiuzhen. Xiuzhen is a bitter woman who has lost her child, and her inner pain can only be told to Xiao Yingzi.
The clever and kind little Ying Zi helped her find her daughter. Xiuzhen wants to take her daughter to her father, but both die tragically on the tracks.
Zhang Min, who played Xiuzhen, had just been assigned to the Shangying Actors Troupe at that time. Previously, Zhang Min had already cooperated with Wu Yigong, and the rural girl Xinghua who wanted to throw herself into the river in "Bashan Night Rain" was played by her. Among the Chinese actresses at that time, Zhang Min's appearance was not beautiful but very distinctive. Moreover, because she comes from an acting family, she has heard about it since she was a child, so that her performance is full of spirit. Unfortunately, her acting path lasted only a decade, ending as she studied abroad.
In addition to Xiuzhen, played by Zhang Min, Xiao Yingzi also has a friend, a thief, a thief without a name. Playing this thief is Zhang Fengyi, who has just graduated from the Beijing Film Academy and was assigned to Emei Film Studio, and has become popular with "Camel Xiangzi".
He became a thief to provide for his brother's education. Although there are not many scenes, Zhang Fengyi interprets the helplessness of the characters to the fullest.
"The Young Master's Ordeal"
Main actors: Chen Peisi, Zhao Jialing, Li Wei
Adapted from Jules Verne's novel The Tribulation of a Chinese Gentleman, "The Ordeal of a Chinese Gentleman" is a relatively special film on Wu Yigong's list, or rather, a film that is not so Wu Yigong. In fact, from the film's directorial setting, we can see Wu Yigong's idea: he himself is the general director, and Zhang Jianya is the director - Zhang Jianya is the director who was the earliest producer of the same generation and has always implemented the consciousness of commercial films. At that time, Wu Yigong had already served as the director of the Shanghai Film Studio, and he was keenly aware of the impact of the market economy on the Chinese film industry. After the release of "The Young Master's Tribulation", it really brought a lot of income to the Shanghai Film Studio, which was on the verge of loss at that time.
Chen Peisi, who played the young master, had accumulated a wealth of experience in comedy films through movies such as "Look at this family", "Xizhao Street", and "Second Son Open Shop" at that time, and at the same time became a well-known comedian in the country because of the Spring Festival Gala. But the filming of "The Young Master's Ordeal" still taught him a lesson.
In a report in the Beijing Youth Daily titled "Chen Peisidang Teacher Opens a "Former Shop and Rear Factory" Business Model", he has this self-statement:
In 1986, when I was filming "The Ordeal of the Young Master", I ran barefoot on the dirt road in the countryside of Henan, full of dirt and dirt, which made me grin my teeth, but the tens of thousands of people who watched the liveliness were amused by my embarrassing image, and at that time I felt very uncomfortable, but it was from this detail that I understood that laughter is to trigger your sense of superiority with my low posture.
"Que Li Ren Ren Ren Ren
Main cast: Zhu Xu, Zhao Erkang, Zhang Wenrong, Wei Zongwan
Confucius's hometown of Qufu, the Spring Festival is approaching, the Kong Dexian family of the five generations of Queli Street is particularly lively, and the family is busy making the 90th birthday of Grandpa Kong Xiangbi. However, a conflict is also brewing... The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor at the 1993 Golden Rooster Awards for Chinese Cinema.
This is the return of Wu Yigong. The so-called return refers to the return to the style of "Seongnam Old Things" after "The Ordeal of the Young Master". Critics spoke highly of the film, with the famous film critic Meadow once writing about the film as "oriented to real life, with a unique historical entry point for artists". But Wu Yigong himself has regrets about this film, because it has not brought economic returns to the studio.
From Wu Yigong's regrets, we can feel the contradiction and struggle between an artist and a company leader between artistic pursuit and corporate responsibility.
But the film is still a classic when viewed today. Many performing artists contributed their own wonderful performances in the film.
Zhu Xu, who was 62 years old at the time and played his grandfather Kong Lingtan——
This outstanding actor of Beijing Renyi has been active on the stage before, and just won the Golden Lion Award for Actor in the second session of Chinese Drama the previous year. He once said: "People" who can act, "plays" who can't act. And he himself is undoubtedly the one who can act the most. Although he was only "electrocuted" for the first time at the age of 54 and has always played the role of his father and grandfather, he has managed to make every role never the same. On September 15 last year, Zhu Xu, 88, died of illness.
Playing Dad Kong Dexian is Zhao Erkang. Many people may be unfamiliar with this name, he has a very famous masterpiece, that is, "Returning to the Heart Like an Arrow" with Szczygova -
This film, like "Little Flower", shows the tenderness of the war period very rarely, and also gave birth to a very classic film interlude "Flying South"——
Geese fly south, geese fly south,
The cry of the geese is heartbroken,
Don't wait for today,
Looking forward to the return of spring,
I am looking forward to the return of spring.
Go today,
May spring come and go,
Hope to return,
Don't crush your heart,
And wait for the spring to return.
Now, Wu Yi bowed and drove the crane west. We can only relive his prose poems written on the screen over and over again, and the most sincere performance moments that are frozen by his lens.
Life is rare to have a happy gathering, but there is no separation.
Author: Shao Ling
Edit: Shao Ling