My mother was in her twenties when she was acting in this movie.
Today, the film can be repaired so clearly with high-definition technology, the human face fills the entire screen, and the picture is delicate.
It's very, very good to be able to fix old film like this!
Wei Ran, the son of the famous Chinese actor Shangguan Yunzhu, after watching the high-definition restored version of the old movie "The Crow and the Sparrow", issued a heartfelt sigh.
The screening of "The Centenary of shangguan yunzhu's birth" held in Shanghai on December 19 is an important event in the "Treasures: Chinese Classics Film Screening".
△ On December 19, the "100th Anniversary of The Birth of Shangguan Yunzhu" "Crows and Sparrows" HD restoration screening event was held
Sit quietly in the cinema, immerse yourself in the classic old Chinese film classics that have been restored in high definition, and lament the charm of light and shadow that has been precipitated by time
——This is the exclusive warmth brought by the National Art Film Screening Alliance to fans in the winter of 2020.
"Treasures: Chinese Classics Film Screening" is an important part of the "2020 Rekindling the Light of Art" excellent domestic art film screening program.
The screening will be held in 11 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Jinan, Changsha, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Zunyi and Anxi.
During this period, 10 classic old films collected and restored by the China Film Archive will reappear in front of us with a new look.
The four themes of the film festival and four pieces of Chinese memory
2020 is a very special year for us: the 70th anniversary of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the decisive year of China's poverty alleviation, the centenary of the birth of several important filmmakers...
The HIGH-definition restoration films participating in the "Treasures: Chinese Classics Film Screening" are also divided into four themes accordingly:
"New China New Countryside", "Defending the Family and Defending the Country", "Masterpieces of Famous Artists" and "Commemoration of the Centenary of shangguan Yunzhu's birth".
Shangguan Yunzhu Centenary Birthday Commemoration Theme
The Crow and the Sparrow, Early Spring in February
"Shangguan Yunzhu" is a name that shines in the history of Chinese cinema, and it is a big-screen memory engraved in the hearts of a generation.
This year marks the centenary of Shangguan Yunzhu's birth, and at this screening, we will see high-definition digital restoration versions of her most artistic and ornamental classic masterpieces, "The Crow and the Sparrow" and "Early Spring february".
The film "The Crow and the Sparrow", released in 1949, brought together the top cast at that time: Shangguan Yunzhu, Zhao Dan, Sun Daolin, Li Tianji, Huang Zongying, Wu Yin, Wei Heling, Wang Bei...
Their excellent acting skills, smiles, delicate eyes and movements, are all "traveling through time and space" in an excellent state after restoration, and are presented to the fans.
The predecessors of Chinese cinema were reborn on the big screen!
△ The Crow and the Sparrow (1949)
The film shows the changes of the times with the life of the small citizens of Shanghai Lane in the turbulent times.
Yesterday, Wei Ran, son of Shangguan Yunzhu, Zhao Zuo, son of Zhao Dan Huang Zongying, and Wei Jia, son of Wei Heling, jointly attended the screening of "Crows and Sparrows" at the Shanghai Station of the Treasure Film Festival, which added a sense of grand ceremony.
△ Left to right: Wei Jia (son of Wei Heling), Wei Ran (son of Shangguan Yunzhu), Ishikawa, Zhao Zuo (son of Huang Zongying of Zhao Dan)
They saw their parents' clear and exquisite voice and smile on the big screen, and they were deeply moved, and they were sincerely impressed by the restoration technology of the old film.
The post-screening salon was hosted by Professor Ishikawa of the Shanghai Theater Academy, and the filmmakers' descendants not only revealed the anecdotes behind the shooting of "The Crow and the Sparrow" on the spot, but also recalled the past of the deceased and the Chinese films of that year.
△ The screening of "The Crow and the Sparrow" was a warm post-screening exchange
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the theme of new rural areas in New China</h1>
"Dead Wood in Spring", "Five Golden Flowers", "Li Shuangshuang", "Icing on the Cake"
The exhibition film "Dead Wood and Spring" under this theme tells the story of after the founding of New China, under the command of Chairman Mao, the Party and the people's government led medical workers to help farmers in schistosomiasis areas to "send plague gods" and defeat schistosomiasis.
This is in delicate line with the theme of the times off the screen and in our current reality that the whole country is united in unity and winning the people's war on epidemic prevention and control.
Shangguan Yunzhu also gave a wonderful performance in "Dead Wood and Spring".
△ Stills of "Dead Wood in Spring"
This year is the decisive year of China's fight against poverty and the key year for building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and the theme exhibition of "New China New Countryside" selects the classic masterpieces that reflect the new spiritual outlook of the countryside in the great changes of the times, and gives fans encouragement and confidence with the power of the screen across time and space.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the theme of defending the country</h1>
"Shangganling", "Heroes and Children"
In order to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Volunteer Army's going abroad to fight in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the All-China Federation of Arts specially selected the classic films "Shangganling" and "Heroic Children" that reflect the history of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea to repair and screen, so as to pay tribute to the heroic Chinese People's Volunteer Army and the great spirit of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
"A big river with wide waves", in "Shangganling", nurse Wang Lan depicts the beautiful motherland with optimistic songs in the smoke-filled tunnels, inspiring the volunteer soldiers;
And in "Heroes and Children", the male protagonist Wang Cheng shouted at the enemy, "For the sake of victory, shoot at me"... These have become immortal moments in the hearts of movie fans.
What is remarkable is that this screening is the latest digital restoration version of 4K that was just completed by the China Film Archive on October 19, and it is also the best quality version that audiences can see at present.
△ 4K restored "Shangganling" Source: China Film Archive
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > masterpiece theme</h1>
"Blessing", "Dragon's Whisker Ditch"
The 1956 movie "Blessing", adapted from the works of Mr. Lu Xun, a literary giant, and the 1952 movie "Longsugou", which was adapted from Mr. Lao She's drama of the same name, are the must-see films that you should not miss this time.
Especially "Blessings" directed by Sang Arc, as it is the latest 4K restoration that the Chinese Film Archive has just completed during the outbreak of the new crown epidemic;
This film was shortlisted for the "Classic Unit" in Cannes in 2020, marking that China's film restoration technology has reached the world's advanced level.
The restoration of old films has the spirit of craftsmanship, and it must have feelings
The 10 high-definition restoration films of "Treasures: Chinese Classics Film Screening", "Blessings" and "Shangganling" are 4K restorations, and the rest are 2K restorations.
"Film restoration" is the use of technology to transfer old film copies of film to new films, and now more digital media.
The restored old film seems to have a super clear visual sense of "wiping clean myopic glasses", and the picture quality, color and overall audiovisual experience of the film will be greatly improved.
The final effect of "HD Restoration of Old Films" is very amazing:
Decades-old film films, after physical, digital and artistic restoration, can be presented in a high-definition way that meets the director's intentions and adapts to the aesthetic standards of modern audiences;
The image in front of us seems to be happening all around us, and history becomes within reach.
△ Comparison before and after the restoration of "Dead Wood in Spring"
△ Comparison between before and after the restoration of "Blessing"
"Old film restoration" is not only a "technical work", but also needs to be able to withstand loneliness and have love for movies.
In the past, the shooting and preservation medium of old films were all films of nitric acid sheet base, acetate sheet base and other materials; temperature, humidity, etc. had a very large impact on film preservation, not to mention the loss caused by multiple handling and projection use.
The film conservator at the China Film Archive told us that the film restoration process is cumbersome, but the core can be divided into three steps - physical restoration, digital restoration and artistic restoration.
Physical repair refers to the work of patching and cleaning old film.
Digital repair is mainly to convert the images on the film into digital files through fine scanning, and then use software to deal with scratches, noise mold, jitter, flicker, fading and other issues step by step.
Some of the images that have been missing due to their age can now be repaired through artificial intelligence technology.
The "highest state" of film restoration is artistic restoration:
In order to restore the history or the intention of the creator as much as possible, the restorer will consult the historical materials, communicate directly with the film's creator or related personnel, or simply invite them to the restoration site for guidance, so that the visual effects and sound of the film should look as it should be.
Film restoration also requires the cooperation of a whole team:
There are not only traditional printing teams, but also digital restoration teams, which require close cooperation between scanning personnel, restorers, colorists, sound and picture compositors and output personnel;
It is also a time-consuming and labor-intensive task:
A 90-minute film has about 120,000 to 140,000 frames, and usually the restorer can repair an average of 5,000 frames a day; many complex pictures may only repair 1 frame a day.
This allowed this well-known "Shangganling" fragment to be reborn, and composed a "melodious melody" for this heroic battle with ingenuity.
Classic re-screening is a trend and a kind of inheritance
The history of China, the good memories of Chinese, the classics of Chinese films, are all in the old movies...
Through the high-definition restoration of classic images, we can return to that era again, recall the power of the times, and not forget the original intention, and the driving force for our progress comes from here.
Large-scale restoration and re-screening of classic old films is also a trend, there is actually a huge market behind the feelings, and fans' "lifelong favorite" classic movies are waiting to be restored and re-screened.
"Treasures: Chinese Classic Films Screening" is the first full restoration of classic films launched by the All-China Federation of the Arts, and is the prelude to the full re-screening of restored classic films;
In the last month of 2020, invite your parents, or bring your relatives and friends, to the theater to see restored Chinese classic movies and relive childhood memories
-- "Inheriting the cultural memory of Chinese" begins here.
*Some of the information in this article is from
China Film Archive Public Account /
National Art Film Screening Alliance Weibo /
China News Network Interview information