The film "The Legend of Tianyun Mountain" was filmed in 1980 and officially released on November 14, 1981. The years flies, time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it will be the winter of 2020, and next year, the film will be officially released nationwide for a full 20 years.
For a film shot in the 80s, today's young people have basically not seen it, but most people who are older should remember it, and even remember it very deeply.
In the early 1980s, the situation of reform and opening up had just begun, and in the late 1980s, the prosperity of Chinese culture and art had not yet been formed, people's cultural life was relatively poor, and a literary and artistic work with a slight artistic standard, whether it was a novel or a movie, often became an enduring topic for people of that era after tea and dinner. Seen, said to have not seen, not seen, after hearing will immediately find appreciation, this relatively concentrated a work of art extension effect, in the current "bustling and charming eyes" cultural and artistic environment, has long been yesterday's yellow flower, it can only be a common feeling of the generation that grew up in that special era.
The film "The Legend of Tianyun Mountain" can be said to be extremely influential in the history of the development of Chinese cinema, whether from its historical perspective or its academic status in film and television literature, and has the weight and thickness in the history of Chinese cinema. For director Xie Jin personally, it is also a significant milestone in his film career, which marks the official entry of Chinese cinema into the Xie Jin era.
Over the years, various evaluations and studies of this film have appeared in various mass culture media, celebrity reviews, and film and television seminars. From the script review and pressure of the crew in the early stages of the filming of this film, to the various controversies caused by the release, to the countless applause and flowers it received, it can reflect the courage and fighting spirit of the director, producer, actor and all the staff who braved the pressure in that year. Behind the production of an excellent movie is the hardship and sweat of countless people. The writers, directors, actors, producers, photographers and all the staff of the photography team can unite as one, withstand the ultra-leftist remnants of the cultural and artistic field and the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, and dare to use the artistic expression that is closest to the real status quo to truly interpret the inner feelings, which is an excellent realist film in the history of Chinese cinema.
Today, the older generation of filmmakers such as director Xie Jin and production director Bi Likui have passed away, but their dedication to the cause of film art, their dedication to excellence, and their own huayu flowing, unconcealed academic cultivation and personality charm still have strong educational significance today.
At that time, I worked in the Propaganda Department of the Qingyang County Party Committee in Anhui Province, and due to the needs of the work, I had the honor to do a lot of peripheral preparation and support for the shooting of this film, from the selection of the location in the early stage, to the arrival of the film crew, to the completion and departure of the shooting, almost participated in all the reception and assistance work. Nowadays, although the times have changed, the sideburns are stained with frost and snow, but in my leisure time, I recall those days, even some small past events, I can still come to mind and never forget.
In 1980, it was almost the summer season, the Propaganda Department of the county party committee officially received a notice from the superiors, and the film crew of the Shanghai Film Studio 'Legend of Tianyun Mountain' decided to come to our county for location selection and shooting. The film crew was very planned in terms of timing, and the crew arrived in batches.
I remember that in late March, more than 20 people from the vanguard of the film crew arrived in Qingyang. In early April, a large army arrived, but they had to live in Nanyang Commune (today's Nanyang Township), and in mid-May, all the men and horses moved from Nanyang to the temple. According to the shooting schedule, the film crew will complete the shooting work by mid-July. The work plan is well organized.
The photography team was assigned to live in the county government guest house, not a few steps away from the county party committee compound of my work unit (my home also lived in the courtyard), and communication was easy, and I had to go to them almost every day. In addition to helping the film crew to solve life problems such as daily food, housing and other arrangements, it is also necessary to solve some very specific work that needs to be implemented during the filming process, such as: communicating with relevant grass-roots units, arranging crew check-in, local weather, vehicle problems and so on. In short, the work involves all aspects and has a lot of ideas. Fortunately, due to the strong support of the local government and the people of the township, all the cumbersome problems have been solved one by one, and the whole shooting process is relatively smooth.
When I first met director Xie Jin, my first feeling was that my body was relatively strong, and then I came into contact with him many times, and his simple character and serious work attitude left a deep impression on me.
There was a small thing that impressed me particularly. After each dinner, he always had to put a large bowl of rice on top of it, and then press the rest of the dishes on the table on it. Because I often see this situation, once I asked him," why? He laughed and said: I am afraid that I will be hungry at night, so that I can eat again, and I will not bother the logistics staff to make another supper. I learned later that he often worked into the middle of the night.
Now think about it, at that time, the conditions in all aspects were far inferior to now, and director Xie Jin did not waste it, reflecting his simple attitude towards life.
Another thing, I was also impressed, is that he was very bold when it came to casting actors. I remember that there was a time to select some extras, the location was placed on the side of Gaoyang Bridge near the guest house, the staff and the masses formed a large circle, the crowd was very excited, very novel, and many people enthusiastically signed up. There was an old lady in the crowd, who was still a little famous in the local area, because she usually loved Chairman Mao's portrait seal, her clothes were full of portrait seals, and she walked around the street with great interest, and the elephant chapters collided with each other, clanging, which was very eye-catching. Many people booed and said that she was more suitable, and director Xie Jin took a look at the old lady and actually agreed to let her be a mass actor.
Xie Jin usually manages the work of the film crew very strictly, and the crew knows that late arrivals are absolutely not tolerated, and it is difficult to even take leave to go out.
Production director Bi Likui and director Xie Jin are very cooperative in their work. Before the film crew came to Qingyang, we had letters exchanged. After coming to Qingyang, he was not only responsible for the production work in the film crew, but also responsible for the daily life arrangements of the entire crew, and he had to care about the weather conditions of the shooting spots he went to every day, and even inquire about what time, where there would be thick snow scenes, where there were large bamboo forests, etc., and knew the basic situation of the shooting environment very well. These things are all his contact with me, and I will go to the grass-roots units according to the requirements of the film crew to inquire and implement them. Bi Likui is more careful, doing things very carefully, methodically, for a long time, we have established mutual trust between us, and the work communication is very smooth. I remember once, I went home for lunch, but he came to communicate some work, and he didn't sit down, because he was very tall, standing in the sitting area and landing a table, like a pole standing there, when my lover wanted to leave him after eating and then left, he said it was too late, and he rushed back. Until the end of the filming, he often wrote to him.
I'm from Tianjin. At that time, in the mountainous area of southern Anhui, the population was not much, and it was simply impossible to find a few Tianjin people, and the few Tianjin compatriots who rarely knew each other were basically the soldiers who changed jobs and stayed in Anhui, and then they went up to the mountains and went to the countryside to join the team and settle down here. These fellow villagers are very warm to each other, often walking around each other, if anyone returns to their hometown, they will make a sound, and by the way, they will bring a little souvenir to their relatives in the distance. At that time, the information was very closed, unlike now, all relying on the Internet to know the outside news, fast and convenient.
The actress Wang Fuli of the film crew was very young at that time, and her temperament was peaceful and close. Coincidentally, there is a female staff member of our county drama troupe, who is an alumnus of Wang Fuli, and I am also very familiar, considering that Wang Fuli is a classmate after all, she is very enthusiastic, specially bought some local souvenirs and some small snacks, and wanted to invite Wang Fuli to sit at home. Wang Fuli was very happy to come, but her sense of organizational discipline was very strong, saying that she could not violate the discipline of the film crew, and she could only take a short vacation. Everyone was very happy to meet, everything was chatted, probably because everyone came from the south of the sea, the four seas as home, no one mentioned their respective places of origin, until recent years, I heard that Wang Fuli was also a Tianjin native! At that time, if I knew that a fellow countryman had come, I would have been very happy. I still remember that the film crew was still rushing to Nanyang Commune that day, and we found an old car arranged by the Cultural Affairs Bureau to send the film crew over. At that time, the countryside was full of dirt roads, bumpy and dusty all the way, but I didn't hear any complaints from them, including several actresses including Wang Fuli. Later, when the filming work was completed and the film crew left Qingyang, Wang Fuli also came to my door, saying that she was going back, and said that she would contact us more in the future, and kept smiling at us and waving goodbye. Later, she became a household name and a famous film actress, and we are all very proud of her.
It is these very ordinary little things that make people unforgettable.
In November 1981, since its release, this film has won four awards in the first Chinese Film Golden Rooster Awards for Best Feature Film, Director Award, Photography Award and Fine Arts Award, the Best Feature Film Award of the Fourth Popular Film Hundred Flowers Award, and the 1980 Excellent Film Award of the Ministry of Culture.
This film is a film with a powerful moral force, but at the same time it is based on a courageous exploration and profound depiction of real life. It was the first film after the end of the Cultural Revolution to show on the screen the 20 years of China's deep ups and downs and full of ups and downs, and it was also the first time that it was judged fairly on the screen. Director Xie Jin fully grasped the characteristics of the original novel as a legend in life, and it was also his first work of reflection on history.
At that time, the initial tide of reform and opening up was still in motion, social resistance was heavy, the dark tide was surging, and although the Cultural Revolution had ended, the aftermath of the catastrophe could not disappear overnight, which caused intellectuals to seem to be in a state of high mental tension but at a loss. Director Xie Jin once said that the film was shot "with a little trepidation."
Director Xie Jin once talked about his motivation for directing "The Legend of Tianyun Mountain": "Our future films should tell people what is true, good and beautiful. Literary and artistic works should give play to the power of their art, so that they can play a role in raising the ideological, cultural, and moral level of the whole country; and play a role in raising the ideological realm of everyone. Like 'Friends of Tribulation', this has been sung for thousands of years. It has husband and wife, sisterhood, comradeship, and friendship. The combination of Luo and Feng we prepared a big book to reverse the upside-down moral standards. This is the spark of the script, and it is it that arouses our creative impulse to make us willing to accept this book. ”
In that year, the film crew broke through many difficulties, dared to break the ice, and collectively dedicated themselves to create this classic film. Over the years, as many film art critics and art theorists highly evaluate from the perspective of history and the height of realist film art, from all aspects of art and life, the status and influence of this film in the history of Chinese cinema will become greater and greater. (This article is dictated by Wang Wenzhao and compiled by Wang Qiao.) If reprinted, please indicate the source! Thank you! ）