Today's push of "New Fengxia Remembers Wu Zuguang's Shooting< Mei Lanfang's Stage Art >" is recorded from "Forty Years with Wu Zuguang", by Xin Fengxia. Wu Zuguang is a native of Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, a famous scholar, dramatist, calligrapher and social activist. His main representative works include the drama "Zhengqi Song", "Returning to the People on the Night of Wind and Snow", the commentary drama "Flowers as a Medium", the Peking Opera "Three Dozen Tao Sanchun" and the director's film "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", "Cheng Yanqiu's Stage Art", and "Wu Zuguang Anthology" in six volumes.
In 1951, Zu Guang accepted the film "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", when he returned from Hong Kong and worked as a choreographer at the Beijing Film Studio. At that time, I knew that he accepted this task, the difficulty was quite large, Mr. Mei Lanfang's troupe has many old actors, and some have been in the troupe for many years, not actors, but to shoot Mr. Mei's films, everyone must have a proper arrangement, get paid, and how to use the funds, zu Guang must study and solve problems with Mr. Mei and relevant parties. In addition, at that time, it was the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China to shoot the film "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", and the leaders attached great importance to it, and invited experts in Soviet art, sound recording, photography and so on. Role arrangement is also a big difficulty, Zu Guang this person is not used to doing organizational work, he is loyal, very considerate, as soon as people say difficulties, he sympathizes, he also said a few words to me when he went home for this matter, I said: "The drama class is the most difficult thing to handle." It is often said: 'If you want to find anger, you have to put on a stage play'. ”
Wu Zuguang and Mei Lanfang
Mr. Mei is thoughtful and nostalgic, and his lifelong team has been in all directions, and his old friends have asked to be filmed in the film. However, for the sake of quality, not every character may be on camera when making a movie. For example: "Broken Bridge" this folding play, the troupe has a small ginger Miaoxiang, and Mr. Mei's wife Mei grandmother Fu Zhifang, also worked as an actor, and later stopped singing, specifically for Mr. Mei to take care of the family, Jiang and Fu are also very concerned about Mr. Mei's filmmaking, and make some ideas. There is also Mr. Xu Jichuan, who has been with Mr. Mei for many years, etc., although these people do not act, they are also important people in Mr. Mei's staff group. So we have to arrange for these people to do some work. Some people said: "Wu Zuguang is very suitable for making Mei Lanfang's films, and he is also a kind and patient person." "Mr. Mei and Grandma Mei proposed the folding play of "Broken Bridge", and asked Mr. Yu Zhenfei to play Xu Xian, which also had the opinion of the staff committee, but this matter is difficult to handle!
Zu Guang was very careful about this. At that time, Mr. Yu Zhenfei was not in the mainland, he was in Hong Kong, the situation was not very good, Zu Guang in order to invite Mr. Yu Zhenfei to come back to film, personally looked for The Vice Mayor of Shanghai Pan Hannian, because Mr. Yu Zhenfei was very unfavorable in Hong Kong, Zu Guang was very sympathetic. Mr. Yu still has debt problems in Hong Kong and must pay off Hong Kong's debts. Zu Guang said to me: We must bring Yu Zhenfei back... Pan Hannian personally approved the money and repaid Mr. Yu's debts in Hong Kong before he could bring Mr. Yu to Beijing.
Mei Lanfang, Yu Zhenfei, Mei Baojiu's "Broken Bridge"
Zu Guang ran around, usually he would not ask for someone to do things, but for Mr. Yu Zhenfei, he had to find people everywhere. I remember mr. Yu returning to Beijing and accompanying his wife to my house to thank Zu Guang in person. The lady gave me a still of their husband and wife. She doesn't sing, how can there be stills? She is a celebrity ticket. Later, the lady was gone, and Mr. Yu married Sister Yan Huizhu. When Yan Huizhu married Mr. Yu and later in Beijing, she often came to my house. Mr. Yu is also very affectionate, he always said: "At the beginning of the liberation, I returned to Beijing from Hong Kong, thanks to Zu Guang..."
Although Mr. Yu Zhenfei returned, Zu Guang really took a lot of effort. But Mr. Mei Troupe, there is a famous little ginger Miaoxiang ah! Again, this is a conundrum. Mr. Jiang is an honest and loyal person, everything is his wife came forward, Mrs. Jiang came to my house to find Zu Guang, in order to shoot the problem of who played the role of Xiaosheng in "Broken Bridge". Zu Guang went to Mr. Jiang's house to tell Mr. Jiang about several folding scenes planned to be made in the movie, "Cosmic Front" and "Broken Bridge" in the Xiaosheng drama, the plan is to ask two actors, Mr. Jiang Miaoxiang played the emperor Xiaosheng in "Cosmic Front", and Mr. Yu Zhenfei played Xu Xian Xiaosheng in "Broken Bridge". It is not easy to persuade people to work in a theater group, but the good ones are old actors, cultivated, and everyone is calm. They were all in their sixties by then.
Sister Yan Huizhu is a student of Mr. Mei, and she lives in Mr. Mei's house in Beijing, which is Mr. Mei's aunt and grandmother. In order to assign roles, Zu Guang is also very nerve-wracking, because Yan Huizhu came to my house and proposed to Zu Guang: "I play Qing'er in "Broken Bridge"..." She studied drama with Mr. Mei for many years, and her art was really good, but Mrs. Mei proposed to Zu Guang: "Let Mei Baojiu play Qing'er, father and son on the same stage..." At that time, Mei Baojiu had not officially played the main role, and he liked to play with electrical appliances and was not interested in acting.
Mei Lanfang and Yan Huizhu's "Dream of Visiting the Garden"
Therefore, acting or not acting, Bao Jiu has no opinion. But Yan Huizhu wants to act is very positive and urgent, she has asked Zu Guang many times to ask for permission, she believes that she learns Mr. Mei's art, she is accomplished, at the same time, her performance, but also by insiders and outsiders praise, if you can make a movie with Mr. Mei Lanfang, this is the greatest honor of her life. She has asked many times that if she can shoot Qing'er in the compromise of "Broken Bridge", she will do everything she can to serve Mr. Mei, and she can also rehearse for Mr. Mei... Zu Guang was soft and kind to people, he saw Yan Huizhu so earnestly requested, he first talked to Grandma Mei, and then personally talked to Mr. Mei, but the result was that Grandma Mei was very happy and resolute to say that Miss Yan played Qing'er was not appropriate, and Mei Baojiu acted for the sake of father-son co-performance, which was for a very commemorative cooperation, which had been decided and could not be overturned.
In Zu Guang's filming of "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", each character consulted with Mr. Mei, and also consulted with Grandma Mei and several elderly people in charge of the Mei Opera Troupe, and they all consulted them one by one.
There are roles in the Mei troupe, Zu Guang is very fond of them, but did not arrange them to participate in the acting, such as the famous martial arts student Sun Yukun, he came to zu guang, Mr. Mei filmed "Overlord Farewell", Sun Yukun came to Zu Guang to fight for the role of the overlord, Zu Guang also thought it was very suitable, but he had to consult with Mr. Mei. He said to Mr. Mei: "Sun Yukun is the most suitable overlord, tall, Yang Xiaolou and Mr. Mei co-starred in this role, Sun Yukun is also very willing to play this role with Mr. Mei." Mr May began to say that it was possible to consider it. However, after Zu Guang consulted with the old people in charge of the troupe, Mr. Mei proposed that it was inappropriate to ask Sun Yukun to play the overlord, because the Mei Troupe has always been Liu Lianrong playing the overlord, if the film is changed to Sun Yukun, I am sorry for Liu Lianrong.
Zu Guang did not agree with Liu Lianrong in his heart, because Liu Lianrong's appearance and voice were also older, and there were other deficiencies, and the comrades of the film crew also hoped that Sun Yukun would act, but Zu Guang thought that Mr. Mei made movies, considering that he had to take care of some of his old partners, which was right. Zu Guang finally decided to agree to Liu Lianrong's role as overlord. But Zu Guang said: "If Sun Yukun plays the overlord, he is definitely better than Liu Lianrong, because Liu Lianrong's appearance is not as good as Sun Yukun, and the temperament of the overlord is more powerful played by Wusheng." However, this is a film for Mei Lanfang, and respecting Mr. Mei's opinion is the first thing in the unity work, and it is a pity in the overall artistic quality! ”
Liu Lianrong's "Farewell to the Overlord"
During the "Cultural Revolution", the name of director Zu Guang on the film "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art" was removed, and it has not been added since then, which is contrary to the facts. Xiao Changhua is a famous clown actor in the Peking Opera circle, who has acted with Mr. Mei Lanfang for most of his life, he is the oldest respectable old man in this film crew, and he is the most sincere and modest. When Zu Guang returned home, he often talked to me about the difficult situation that the film crew encountered in terms of economic accounting. The money of the drama class, how big the class is, is also a very troublesome thing. In the process of filming, the old actors of the whole group did not arrive late, sometimes everyone put on makeup, the whole film crew was ready, in order to wait for an actor to wait for an hour or two, everyone complained, and Mr. Xiao Changhua, no matter how much drama or less, always dressed up very early to do all the preparations. Zu Guang in order to make a good mr. Mei film, know Mr. Mei in this group of four beams and eight pillars are all prestigious old actors, his family visit greetings, to understand the situation, Mr. Xiao Changhua in Zuguang to see him the next day, accompanied by his son Xiao Shengxuan back to visit Zu Guang, Mr. Xiao Changhua said: "This is a courtesy exchange, respect for the director ..." Mr. Xiao Changhua did not mention how much money it cost to make a movie; second, did not require special care; third, filmed seriously on the spot, and did the same as ordinary actors. He did not once delay the start of filming, and he was the only actor in the full film crew who did not mistakenly start shooting. He dressed up very early to wait for the filming, Zu Guangdu asked Mr. Xiao if he was tired, and Mr. Xiao said: "You don't think of me as someone to take care of, you are my director, I am your actor, listen to your command." "Mr. Xiao Changhua's working attitude left a good impression on the whole film crew.
In 1967, during the "Cultural Revolution", I went to the May Seventh Cadre School in Daxing County with the Beijing Opera Group, and during the break from work, two old comrades came to introduce themselves to me: "Comrade Fengxia, we are actors of the Mei Opera Troupe, playing small roles, we have received the favor of Director Wu, we never forget, he is a good director, on the scene of filming "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art", in life, Director Wu always does not forget our small roles, cares about us, and spends time with us during the break. The old gentleman said and handed me forty yuan and said, "This is director Wu making a movie at that time, I know that my family has difficulties for me, I will give it back to Comrade Fengxia..." Of course, I can't accept it. The old man worked with me in the dry school, it was very difficult for them to beat rice, I was in a group with them, I rushed to do it for them, and every day when I was resting, they told me about the scene of working with Zu Guang. Therefore, when criticizing me on the spot, these two old people never participated, they always waited for the end of work, walked back to the village with me, and talked about the cooperation with Zu Guang in "Mei Lanfang's Stage Art" along the way, which was also the greatest comfort and encouragement for me. It's not easy to do something that makes people say "good" behind their backs!
("Forty Years with Wu Zuguang")