According to media reports, Ma Rulong, a veteran Artist from Taiwan, died on June 9 at the age of 80. <<< "golden supporting role" Ma Rulong died.
Mention the name Ma Rulong, many people may have the first impression of Jackie Chan's role in the classic movie "Plan A", but it is possible that the name comes from this Ma Rulong, who collaborated in the movie "One Move and a Half To Break into the River" in 1978. Ma Rulong debuted in the late 1960s and starred in a large number of Taiwanese martial arts dramas, and his first Taiwanese martial arts drama "Yan Shuangfei" was a collaboration with the red star Feng Feifei at that time, so the producer gave him the stage name Ma Rulong, which was intended to match the dragon and phoenix.
In addition to a 50-year-long acting career, Ma Rulong and his wife Pei Xiaolan's 38-year married life is also a role model among artists. At that time, Pei Xiaolan was only 17 years old and became fascinated by Ma Rulong's voice through radio drama programs. Later, Pei Xiaolan had the opportunity to visit the famous TV station Huashi at that time, met Ma Rulong, and fell in love with him at first sight, but because the two had a 15-year-old age gap, Ma Rulong also had children left over from the previous marriage, so he did not let this relationship take root.
Ma Rulong and his wife Pei Xiaolan. Photo/Visual China
But Pei Xiaolan did not give up, because she did not know how to see Ma Rulong again, she participated in the singing competition, also entered the show business circle, and even sang the theme song of the TV series starring Ma Rulong. It is precisely because of this opportunity that the two were able to meet again on the variety show. But Ma Rulong had a marriage at that time, so Pei Xiaolan just stood silently on the sidelines, waiting until his marriage was over, and then stood up and bravely pursued love. Ma Rulong's two marriages, coupled with the orphan of his deceased brother, there are a total of 7 children in the family, but Pei Xiaolan never felt that this was a problem. After getting married, Pei Xiaolan quit the show business circle and gave him 2 more children, taking care of this huge family obediently.
Ma Rulong's real popular era sounds very far away from mainland audiences. Taiwanese singers, movies, TV dramas, and variety shows only began to enter the mainland in large numbers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, such as Fei Xiang's spring festival gala, the release of "Mama Loves Me Again", and the popularity of Qiong Yao dramas, all of which caused phenomenal hot discussions. This was a golden period for Taiwanese entertainment culture to integrate into the mainland market, but before that, they experienced decades of evolution and self-innovation. Unfortunately, this golden period was very short, and after entering 2000, Taiwan's entertainment culture gradually went into decline, especially in the creation of film and television dramas.
Ma Rulong played an important role in "Cape Seven" Hong Guorong.
After 1998, Ma Rulong entered a semi-retired state, occasionally came out to make cameos in movies, but no longer played the main role. Until 2008, Wei Desheng San Gu Maolu asked him to come out of the mountain again and play an important role in "Cape Seven" Hong Guorong. First through Ma Rulong's sister-in-law invited him to perform was rejected, and then through his wife Pei Xiaolan handed him the script, Ma Rulong did not sleep all night to read the script, decided to participate in this movie.
After the release of "Cape Seven", it received a box office performance of NT$400 million, and after its release in the mainland, it also received 20 million yuan at the box office, which is regarded as a rescue work of Taiwanese films. Since "Cape Seven", there have been a large number of films with the theme of Taiwan's local culture and regional characteristics, which have achieved good box office results, such as "Chicken Steak Hero" of night market culture, "Grandma's Dream Lover" in Taiwanese film history, "General Shop Master" in food culture, "Cold Single" and so on. Cape Seven sends a positive signal to the sluggish Taiwanese film market that they can find a way to save themselves.
Also contributing here are the artists of the golden age of Taiwanese entertainment, who have returned to the trend, appearing as the father characters in the film, which is a blessing for young creators. Ma Rulong and his "Cape Seven" were the first shots, and then Taiwan's veteran legendary artist Pig Geliang also made a comeback in 2011, starting from "Chicken Steak Hero", to "Big Tail Perch" series, "Dadaocheng" and other films, Pig Geliang has become a representative symbol of Taiwan's local cultural films. With his appearance, it can not only reassure the creator, but also absorb the audience at all levels to a certain extent.
Brother Pig played a role in "Dadaocheng".
It is a pity that this kind of film with strong Taiwanese locality, although it can get box office and word-of-mouth results in Taiwan, but after entering the mainland, it seems that the audience does not buy it.
Pig Brother Liang died in 2017, another variety show big brother He Yihang also died of illness a few days ago, and another Taiwanese representative figure in the 70s Gao Lingfeng passed away a few years ago. Like Ma Rulong, they represent the goldenest era of Taiwan's entertainment culture, and they have also personally created a brief rejuvenation of Taiwan's entertainment culture. But the times are merciless, the older generation is gradually gone, and the new generation is still struggling to find a real way to continue the glory. The blessings of the predecessors cannot take effect forever, and only by finding a new way out can we create the future.
□ Ears (Film Critic)
Beijing News Editor Wu Longzhen Proofreader Lu Qian