This year marks the 70th anniversary of China's War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. This war of extraordinary historical significance carried forward the strong strength and revolutionary spirit of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. Over the past 70 years, we have never forgotten the heroic martyrs who died in the war, and we have paid tribute to them through many literary and artistic works.
Recently, there are many movies about the theme of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea are rushing to be released, such as #King Kong Chuan#, "The Cutest Man", "Hero Company", "Defending the Family and Defending the Country" and so on. Before that, we also have many classic images about this history in our memory.
Regarding the films of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the most classic ones are the following two:
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Shangganling</h1>
Shangganling was released in 1956 and produced by Changchun Film Studio. Directed by Sha Meng and Lin Shan, starring Gao Baocheng, Xu Linge, Liu Yuru and so on. This film tells the story of the Eight Companies of a certain volunteer army in the Battle of Shangganling to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, fight bloodily against the enemy, and finally win the victory (adapted from the film literary script "Twenty-Four Days").
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Heroes and Children</h1>
"Heroes and Children" was released in 1964, also produced by Changchun Film Studio. The film is based on Ba Jin's novel "Reunion", directed by Wu Zhaodi, starring Liu Shilong, Liu Shangxian, Tian Fang and so on. It tells the story of the volunteer soldier Wang Cheng's sacrifice during the Period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and his sister Wang Fang insisted on fighting under the encouragement of political commissar Wang Wenqing, and finally after her adoptive father Wang Fubiao told the story, she learned that Wang Wenqing was her and Wang Cheng's biological father and achieved a reunion on the battlefield.
Among all the war films of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, these two films are undoubtedly the most widely influential; even in all the films with revolutionary themes, their classics are beyond doubt. From the 50s to the 80s, it is estimated that few people did not see these two movies at that time.
But what is more widespread and long-lasting than these two films are the two interludes in these two films:
One is the interlude "My Motherland" in "Shangganling";
The other is the episode "Heroes' Hymns" from "Heroes and Children".
These two songs believe there is no need to say more. A few days ago, I also made a small "TOP3 red song chart" on the Internet, and I put "My Motherland" in the top 1 position of red songs. Judging from the feedback from netizens, the vast majority of people are recognized. In addition, the theme song sung by Tan Weiwei in the new movie "King Kong Chuan" is exactly the same as the interlude "Hero Hymn" of "Heroes and Children", which is also a classic song that is full of excitement.
The authors of these two songs are from the same great composer, Liu Chi.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > My Motherland</h1>
At the end of the movie "Shangganling", before the sacrifice, the company instructor recalled the film wheat field in his hometown, and he asked the female hygienist Wang Lan to sing a song "My Motherland" to himself. It is this song that pushes the whole film to the climax of emotion, and it is also the essence of the whole film.
A large river with wide waves
The wind blows the aroma of rice and flowers on both sides of the strait
My family lives on the shore
I am used to listening to the trumpet of Gong Gong
Get used to seeing the white sails on the ship
Wang Lan's clear singing voice vividly showed the longing of all the volunteer soldiers for the motherland and their hometown, as well as their enthusiasm for defending their families and defending the country. In this affectionate and cheerful singing, the instructor closed his eyes happily.
About songwriting
In order to create this interlude, the film's creators such as Salmon and Lin Yi first wrote a version of the lyrics:
O Motherland, my mother!
Your children, leaving your warm embrace,
Fighting on the Korean battlefield.
Behind us, there is a powerful motherland...
Then they took the song "My Motherland" and asked the composer Liu Chi to compose the music. But Liu Chi watched it for a long time and said that he couldn't write it, and the lyrics had no sense of melody. He recommended the lyricist Qiao Yu to Shamen.
Therefore, Sha Meng sent an invitation to Qiao Yu. At that time, the movie was almost finished, so I waited for the rice to go down and shoot the last few minutes of singing.
Qiao Yu was ordered to break through the path of similar songs in the past and write something different. One day, the impression of seeing the Yangtze River for the first time came to his mind, triggered the inspiration, and wrote "A Big River" in one go. Shamen asked him why he didn't write "Ten Thousand Miles of the Yangtze River" directly? Qiao Yu said that everyone who hears the song has a big river in their hearts, not necessarily the Yangtze River, so there is no need to explain which river it is.
Liu Chi was very impressed with Qiao Yu's lyrics. In order to compose the music, he shut himself in the room, stayed at home, and posted a note on the door that read "Liu Blaze is dead", refusing all visits and concentrating on creating behind closed doors. He repeatedly listened to and studied the 10 favorite songs of the people in the previous 10 years, and finally inspired by a "Lugou Q&A", he wrote the first melody of the song, and then smoothly completed the composition of the entire work.
"My Motherland" was released and widely sung with the film, and the strong feelings of home and country and the beautiful and beautiful tune in the song made everyone fall in love with it. For more than 60 years, the song has been sung to this day and is highly respected. Both the lyrics and the melody are perfect, far more artistic and more infectious than ordinary red songs.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > "Hero Hymn"</h1>
After the film "Heroes and Children" was filmed, the film's creators found the lyricist Gongmu, showed him the film clips, and invited him to write a "Hero Hymn". Gongmu had written a poem called "Martyrs' Praise" before, which was more in line with the requirements. So he completed the lyrics on the basis of this poem overnight.
Because of the success of "My Motherland", the film's main creators once again invited Liu Chi to compose music for "Hero Praise". After Liu Chi read gongmu's lyrics, he did not write it, but casually played poker with others. Halfway through the fight, Liu Chi suddenly shouted, threw away the cards, ran home, closed the door, and began to compose "Hero Hymn". After a period of closed-door creation, the score of "Hero Hymn" was perfectly handed over.
Like writing "My Motherland", it seems that behind every great work, Liu Chi has an almost "weird" creative process.
"Hero Hymn" is an ode to the thousands of revolutionary heroes represented by Wang Cheng, and the whole song is soaked with a magnificent beauty in the graceful melody of steady stretching. The chorus is majestic, with a distinct undulation with the folk-style tunes of the previous part of the main song, and pushes the song to its climax.
Why is the battle flag so picturesque?
The hero's blood stained it red;
Why is spring always there?
The life of a hero blossoms...
The two sentences in the form of a question and answer highly summarize and powerfully sublimate the theme and melody of the song, which makes people can't help but boil with blood, and also tears for those heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives.
The above two classic red songs on the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea record those stories about gun smoke and blood for the younger generations with musical notes, which are passed down from generation to generation and convey the immortal revolutionary spirit. This is the power of music.
Liu Chi, who composed the music for these two songs, is the most representative composer in contemporary China, who graduated from Yan'an Luyi Academy when he was young and was a student of musician Xian Xinghai. In his lifetime, Liu Chi created more than 70 large-scale works and thousands of songs, in addition to the two songs described in this article, there are many popular works, such as "Let's Swing the Double Oar" (in cooperation with Qiao Yu), "Xinjiang Is Good", the chorus "Ode to the Motherland", "Ode to the Earth", "Workers' Chorus", the opera "Ashima", "The White-Haired Girl" and so on. The sheer volume, quality and longevity of his works are rare among contemporary musicians.
Liu Chi's creation is deeply rooted in the soil of national music, with the motherland, the people, the hometown and the nation as the theme of eternal creation, forming a distinct artistic characteristics, its melody is timeless and beautiful, magnificent, simple and affectionate, deeply loved by the people, is a great artist worthy of respect and remembrance.