I remember in the late '70s, we saw a lot of Hong Kong movies. Among them, "Qu Yuan" starring Bao Fang and his daughter Bao Qijing left a very deep impression on us. I remember that this movie was still a chartered school to watch at that time, and it provided a great help to us understand Qu Yuan's life.
At that time, people were small, and they didn't understand whether the actor's performance was good or not, in short, they passively followed the actor's emotions, crying for a while, laughing at the same time, and hating Zhu Hong's Nanhou to the bone. Of course, in the end, he was deeply shocked by Qu Yuan's lofty integrity.
At that time, I already liked literature and art, so I soon learned that Qu Yuan's actor was a Hong Kong actor named Bao Fang. Later, I watched a horror movie that terrified me, called "Painted Skin", and I didn't expect that he also directed it.
The two movies "Qu Yuan" and "Painted Skin" are the common memories of too many post-50s, post-60s and post-70s when they were young, right?
Today, I would like to talk to you about Bao Fang, the Hong Kong superstar of yesterday who was called "Uncle Fang" by Wang Mingquan and Liu Songren.
In 1922, Bao Fang was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi. But he is a native of Anhui and his ancestral home is Shexian County, Anhui. His father was a customs and tax collector in Jiangxi and came from a wealthy family. After graduating from Nanchang Baiyuanzhou Primary School at the age of 12, he entered the Provincial No. 1 Middle School, was admitted to the Law Department of Guangxi University in 1941, and entered the Guangxi Provincial Art Museum as an actor the following year, where he studied under the master of drama, Mr. Ouyang Yuqian.
At that time, he had just turned 20 years old, and he was enthusiastic. In the face of the Japanese invasion, he actively participated in the anti-Japanese team and carried out anti-Japanese propaganda through the form of dramas.
In 1948, Bao Fang moved to Hong Kong and became a professional film actor at Wing Wah Pictures. His first film was "National Soul", in which he played Zhang Qian. In this movie that brings together big stars such as Liu Qiong, Sun Jinglu, Yuan Meiyun, Tao Jin, etc., Bao Fang learned a lot of acting skills.
Subsequently, he played roles in films such as "The Secret History of the Qing Palace", "Tears of Mountains and Rivers", "Love on a Midsummer Night", "New West Chamber", "24 Hours of Marriage", "Tears of Little Stars", "Return" and other films, honing his acting skills.
Bao Fang became popular as an actor in the 50s. At that time, there were two handsome young students in the Hong Kong film industry who were quite eye-catching, one was Xie Xian, and the other was Bao Fang, who was equally famous as Xie Xian. And Bao Fang, whose handsome appearance is not inferior to Xie Xian, seems to have more affinity among the audience in comparison. Because he is not only tall and handsome, but also has a gentle temperament and is polite, in the words of Wang Mingquan, "Bao Fang is a small student among small students."
In 1954, Bao Fang resolutely moved from the Hong Kong "Yonghua" Film Company to the Great Wall Film Production Company and the Phoenix Film Company as an actor, which was quite a sensation at the time. At that time, he and hua dan xiameng, the master of the Great Wall, co-starred in many movies, such as "Spring Dream in the Old Garden", which was very popular. In addition, like his starring in "The House of the Rich", "New Widow", "Willow Dark Flowers", "Smile and Smile", "Three Phoenixes Seeking Phoenix", etc., are also well received.
Of course, when we saw him on the screen, he had already changed from a small student to an old student. And we should be more familiar with his performances in "Three Phoenixes Seeking Phoenix" and "Qu Yuan", right?
In "Three Phoenixes Seeking Phoenix", he played Yushi Lu Chaolong, and what impressed me the most was his thick voice, pure Mandarin, and extraordinary temperament. Later, when I watched "Qu Yuan", I was completely impressed by his profound acting skills. Qu Yuan, who he plays, is vivid and natural, relaxed, has both gods and forms, and his lines are particularly famous, which is very rare among Hong Kong actors.
Bao Fang has been involved in the film directorship since 1959, and the films he has directed have a wide variety of genres and are very popular, such as the martial arts film "I Come Again", the comedy film "Fake Son-in-law Riding the Dragon", "Random Mandarin Duck", etc., and the most memorable is the horror film "Painted Skin" filmed in 1966.
In fact, looking back now, of course, you will feel that the horror effect of "Painted Skin" is not very scary, but at that time, the atmosphere created by the film really made many viewers dare not walk alone at night, or even dare not sleep. Now that I talk about this movie, I think everyone can remember many scenes when I was a child, right?
In the eyes of many people, since Bao Fang is a superstar in the Hong Kong film industry, his life must be very rich, right? Not really. Although he has starred in and directed so many films, his life has always been poor and has never been half luxurious.
In 1944, when Bao Fang was still in Guangxi, he held a wedding with the famous drama actor Liu Su. He was 22 years old.
After marriage, the two were very affectionate and gave birth to two daughters and a son. The eldest daughter did not engage in artistic work when she grew up, but worked as a clerk at the Bank of China Hong Kong Branch, and the second daughter was the famous Hong Kong actress Bao Qijing, who is very familiar to everyone. Their only son, originally known as Bao Qiming and later renamed Bao Dexi, is a famous cinematographer in Hong Kong.
When Bao Dexi was first admitted to the San Francisco Art College in the United States, Bao Fang accepted a wireless high salary in order to earn tuition for his son, and continued to shoot dramas with his elderly body, before he and his daughter Bao Qijing and son-in-law Fang Ping completed Bao Dexi's 4-year studies. Fortunately, Bao Dexi did not live up to his father's expectations and soon became the best photographer in Hong Kong, not only winning the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times with "The Man Who Doesn't Take Off His Socks", "The 91st Condor Hero" and "The Legend of the White-Haired Witch". And for filming "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", it also won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography. When Bao Dexi told his father the good news, Bao Fangxing, who was already lying on the sickbed due to a stroke, was very happy, and he said: Good look, even the American prize has been taken!
Bao Fang has participated in many classic dramas and played many popular roles in the wireless. For example, we are familiar with Jin Peng in "Jinghua Spring Dream", Ruan Tao in "Ten Thousand Waters and Thousand Mountains Are Always Love", Zhang Sanfeng in "The Tale of the Dragon Slaughtering in the Heavens", Ziyang Daoist in "The Legend of the White-Haired Witch", Feng Qingyang in "Laughing proud of the Rivers and Lakes", the sweeping monk in "The Eight Parts of the Heavenly Dragon", Hong Antong in "Deer Ding", and the Master of No Anger in "Snow Mountain Flying Fox".
Bao Fang on the silver screen, Ji Yu Xuan Ang, comes with immortal qi, so he always plays the role of a grandmaster or a high-ranking person in the world. He didn't seem to have to act, and where he went, the aura was already strong enough.
In Hong Kong, Bao Fang has a deep experience in the performing arts industry, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he "witnessed the development history of the Hong Kong performing arts industry in the first half century". His serious attitude towards his work and his rigorous demeanor in dealing with the world have made him a role model for many younger generations to learn from. Wang Mingquan, who has cooperated with Bao Fang twice in "Jinghua Spring Dream" and "Thousands of Rivers and Thousand Mountains Always Love", has always called him Uncle Fang and said that he is really a generation of superstars and has made great contributions to the film and television industry in his life!
And Liu Songren, who played Jin Zhenxi in "Jinghua Spring Dream", praised him even more for being a good predecessor, willing to teach people, and kind.
In 1999, during the filming of "Tea is Hometown Strong" in Guangxi, Bao Fang was unfortunately admitted to the hospital after a stroke, and since then he has struggled with the disease on his sickbed for 8 years.
In 1993, Bao Fang won the "Special Honor Award" issued by the China Film Art Performance Association, and in 1995, he won the "China Film Star Honorary Award". In 2000, he won the 5th Hong Kong Film Golden Bauhinia Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2005, she was elected as one of the 100 Outstanding Hong Kong Actors in the 100th Year of Chinese Cinema.
On September 22, 2006, Bao Fang died of lung decline at the age of 84.
In his lifetime, he starred in more than 100 films, directed more than 30 films, and served as a screenwriter for more than ten films, which can be said to have made great contributions to the development of Hong Kong films.
Now speaking of Bao Fang, I think many viewers have not forgotten him, right? So in your memory, which character is the most memorable? What is the most memorable film he directed? Welcome to interact with more netizens and fans through the message area.
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I am Yaqing, thank you again for your attention, we will meet again tomorrow at the same time.
This article is original by DJ Yaqing, please do not copy without permission! Violators will be prosecuted!
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