Author: Cen Fan
Interview: Teacher Cen, would you please tell us about the specific situation of the two opera films "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art" and "Roselle" at that time?
Cen: Since 1954, I have been making Beijing's first opera film, Mei Lanfang's Stage Art, and "Roselle". At that time, Beiying had just built a factory, did not have its own factory and studio, although it was a film from the Beijing Film Factory, we shot it in two studios in the Central News Documentary Film Studio on Xinjiekou North Avenue in Beijing. At that time, we had not yet made a color opera film (Shanghai made a "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" is a color film), and at that time, the Cultural Film Bureau attached great importance to making this film, and specially invited photography experts and recording experts from the former Soviet Union to assist us and participate in the work of our film crew, one named Yakovlev and the other named Golden.
Mei Lanfang's "Roselle"
There are two foreign experts in the film crew, it is difficult to talk and communicate, and there are many contradictions in living habits and work habits, but we still get along very well. Also, we didn't have the conditions to print color films at that time, and the film had to be sent to the Moscow Film Studio to be processed and printed with working samples. It was delivered by plane and wouldn't be able to see it until several days apart. At that time, there was no monitor for filming, just a camera, and the director was standing next to it, and I couldn't see it when shooting. Only when the assistant pushes and pulls the lens during the audition, I control the machine to see it myself, and when I shoot, the photographer masters it. So what happened after the shooting, I won't know until I sent it back from Moscow a few days later.
In terms of recording, the sound recordist proposed to record in several channels, which is different from our past. In the past, we were in a recording studio, singing and separating the band. But when filming "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", we specially built a cabin for Mr. Mei, with a glass window to see outside, and the band was outside. When making opera films, the singing segments are generally recorded in advance, Mr. Mei wears headphones to sing in the cabin, and the band also wears headphones to hear the sound in the cabin.
Another point that I deeply felt was that when we were filming and implementing some of the film shooting methods of the former Soviet Union, the director-centered system. The film crew is a collective, the goals are the same, everyone is completing a glorious shooting task, very united, very serious work. Moreover, Mei Lanfang, Liu Lianrong, Xiao Changhua, Jiang Miaoxiang, these masters, they all have a sense of honor, that is, the literary and art units led by the party make movies for them, which is very glorious, and they can pass on their art to future generations and let more audiences appreciate it, so they are very serious and cooperate with each other. When I was thirty years old, I independently directed "Heroes of the Crowd" and "Borrowing the East Wind", because the era at that time was the central system of directors, so I filmed Xiao Changhua, Ma Lianliang, Tan Fuying, Ye Shenglan and other famous characters.
Mei Lanfang, Yu Zhenfei, Mei Baojiu's "Broken Bridge"
Interview: In the process of cooperation with foreign experts, are there also creative contradictions?
Cen: The main problem is that the filming progress is too slow. The most nerve-wracking thing is that the photography expert Yakofrev does not understand opera. For example, in "Broken Bridge", Xu Xian ran in front, Bai Niangzi and Xiaoqing followed behind, and the three ran round field, and he asked what it meant. We explained that Xu Xian was on the run, and they were chasing after him. He said why don't you keep running, so that you can turn in a circle and catch it? So we're going to explain it to him for half a day.
The other is my personality, which is unconvinced in front of foreigners. Especially in artistic creation, photography experts must listen to the director in their work, of course, as long as his opinion is correct, I will definitely respect him. I remember this kind of problem when filming: we drew a picture in advance, made a model to talk to him, and the camera was also divided to show him, and as a result, there was a temporary change when shooting, but he did not give us any advice in advance. For example, I usually shoot a close-up shot, and the lens is divided into photographers and lighting engineers to study, and they can decide the order of shot shooting. Everything is ready, after shooting, the lens car should be pushed into a close-up shot I can pick up, the result of the photographer pulled away, he said that the push was not pulled well. The photographer can do nothing after shooting, but I have to edit in the later stage, so I can't take the shooting. Close-up jumping a medium shot or a long shot can be picked up, but now that he pulls it open, it is also a mid-shot, and the mid-shot jump in the same place cannot be picked up, so I disagree, because there are not many mirror positions for shooting opera films. So I pushed up, he pulled back, I pushed again and didn't let go, looked at him, and now I still remember his expression at that time, shrugged his shoulders, did not dare to argue with me anymore, because he did not pay attention. (Laughs) As an assistant director, it is very difficult to think about everything, but if you really want to learn things and hone yourself, you still have to be an assistant director.
Mei Lanfang and Liu Lianrong's "Farewell to the Overlord"
Interview: What was the situation with Mr. Mei Lanfang when filming at that time?
Cen: At that time, we were filming, and the personnel of the film crew such as choreographers, directors, and acting crews were all for the sake of revolutionary literature and art, and they all had a sense of responsibility, and Mr. Mei was the same. Mr. Mei used to go to bed until after twelve o'clock in the morning and not get up until after midnight. Filming Mr. Mei's scene disrupted his habits. Mr. Mei was very bitter at that time, and photography experts spent most of their time arranging lights, shooting more than a dozen shots a day. Mr. Mei sang the drama Dan horn to strangle the head, he can not remove makeup after dressing up, from eight o'clock in the morning to more than six o'clock in the afternoon, at noon to rest for a while can only take off the outside clothes, can not remove the whole makeup rest, he has never complained, so insisted on it, it is not simple. When filming, Mr. Mei encountered one thing, when filming was using charcoal fine lamps, quite large, there were ten thousand watts, patting and suddenly exploded, although there was a protective cover in front, but everyone was also frightened, but Mr. Mei did not move when filming, he did not dodge, and still stood firmly in place. This is the amazing place about Mr. May, very calm.
Before filming "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", we also specially invited the Beijing folk artist "Noodle Soup", and Mr. Tang Zibo kneaded the characters in the play into noodles as a character model. At the same time, they also made set models, sub-shots, drawings, and making lens cards, which was very cumbersome. There is also the filming of "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art" and "Roselle" when we also specially invited the painter Hu Ruosi to paint the background, and attached great importance to the shooting of opera, and the painter was a disciple of Master Zhang Daqian.
A model of the lens made during filming
Interviewer: During the filming of these opera films, can you tell us about the places that made you particularly touched?
Cen: After making these films, I want to talk about whether it is to ensure the quality of art or to pay attention to human friendship. When filming "Farewell to the Overlord", Mr. Liu Lianrong played the overlord very well, and the person was very good, but because of his relatively short stature, standing with Mr. Mei, the overlord and Yu Ji were almost tall, less domineering. At the beginning, I had discussed with Zu Guang whether I could change a taller overlord. At that time, there was an actor named Sun Yukun, who was Yang Pai Wusheng, (later played Zhao Yun in "Borrowing the East Wind"). Zu Guang and I have seen him play the overlord, and we all think it is very good, so we discussed with Mr. Mei and said that we had higher requirements for shooting this scene and replaced it with a taller actor. Mr. Mei said no, he said that he has been cooperating with Liu Lianrong for decades, filming a movie to change him, the old man will not be able to stand it, acting in a play temporarily changing an actor can also, the film is a work passed down from generation to generation, it is absolutely not okay to change him when filming. So we still shot, but in the processing of the shot used some remedies, try to let the overlord stand in front of the camera, let Yu Ji stand behind the camera; when the two are together, the camera is as low as possible, so that the overlord looks taller. After filming, we still felt that the overlord was not ideal, but as Mr. Mei, he would not abandon the actors he worked with at any time. But art is still lost. When filming "Roselle", I also encountered the same problem, when Yu Zhenfei had just played Xu Xian in "Broken Bridge", his age was right, and the play was also very good, I told Zu Guang that it would be good if he let him play Cao Zijian. Of course, it is not that Jiang Miaoxiang is not good, but that Jiang Miaoxiang is twelve years older than him. As a result, we talked to Mr. Mei, or the same reason as Liu Lianrong, Mr. Mei said that he could not change.
Jiang Miaoxiang's "Roselle"
Interviewer: In the process of creating these opera films, from the stage to the screen, what changes have you made?
Cen: When filming "Farewell to the Overlord", I proposed to have a counter-attack shot, because Yu Ji danced the sword for the Overlord to see, and if the Yu Ji was filmed facing the audience, the Overlord would be very awkward to sit behind and look at the back. Stage performances are for the audience, so they have to be in front of the audience, but making a movie is different.
Therefore, in the film, Yu Ji is a person dancing the sword, and there is no overlord in the back, but a virtual vision, and this change makes the movie look more comfortable. This section is different from the stage performance, although it is a small place, but it is also very important. It can be seen that opera films are different from stage performances.
Interview: At the beginning of the film "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", there is a short film introducing the life of Mr. Mei Lanfang, can you introduce the shooting of this short film?
Cen: The short film is called "Mei Lanfang's Life and Life", which is a feature film. At that time, Qi Baishi and Chen Banding came, and Mr. Mei danced swords and pigeons at his home in the Huguo Temple, and also filmed him performing for workers, peasants, and soldiers at the Shijingshan Iron and Steel Factory. In the factory, there was also a special open-air stage, workers and their families went to see the play together, there were thousands of spectators, a big scene, everyone was very happy, because Mr. Mei was sending the play to the door.
(Between the Stage and the Screen)