Zhu Xijuan's name is always stacked with the stubborn and brave female warrior Wu Qionghua in "The Red Detachment of Women". For more than half a century, this classic film has influenced and educated generations, and zhu Xijuan's name has forever remained in the annals of Chinese cinema: she became famous at a young age, becoming the first popular film Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress since the founding of the People's Republic of China; she bravely advanced from a movie star to a pioneer of the SAR television station; even at the age of 80, she is still full of enthusiasm for acting.
Wish Xi Juan
Birth date: January 17, 1938
Birthplace: Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province
Work unit: Shanghai Theater Academy Experimental Drama Troupe
Out of his own pocket, regardless of film remuneration, 80-year-old starring to pick the beam
Last year, Zhu Xijuan, who had just passed her 80th birthday, rushed to Beijing to participate in the premiere of the movie "Snowy Winter Solstice" starring her, she "paid for it herself", her wife was her assistant, and even director Jiang Ping could not help but sigh, "Such people who love movies are too few today." ”
The film is the debut of young director Xing Xiao, telling the living conditions of the empty nest old man, Zhu Xijuan on the one hand thought that she could do something for the empty nest old man, on the other hand, she thought that she could also live a drama addiction, "From the age of 45 to Shenzhen, I basically did not star in any movie, and it is also a rare opportunity to act in movies at this age." I won the prize at the age of 24, and now I want to see if I can find a way to get another prize at the age of 80 (laughs). ”
Movie "Snowy Winter Solstice"
Extremely serious about the play, the performance is the attitude that Zhu Xijuan has adhered to since she entered the industry, in "Snow Winter Solstice", she single-handedly picked the beams, 107 of the 110 scenes had her part, regardless of remuneration, no film remuneration for more than a month, working in the studio without heating for more than ten hours every day. In the face of high-intensity work, Zhu Xijuan also joked with Xing Xiao, "The old filmmakers at this age are in good health, and others may not be able to shoot it." Recalling at that time, she said that the entire crew was in a difficult condition, encountering unprecedented low costs, "Now there are young people who do not take the box office as a standard and are willing to pay attention to the elderly group, I am very happy, as long as someone remembers to call their parents after watching the movie, I am worth it." ”
Without that fight, there was no Wu Qionghua who was recorded in film history
Zhu Xijuan was born in Ganzhou in 1938, during the War of Resistance, the family moved to Shanghai, she liked literature and art since childhood, as early as junior high school in the film "Blessings for the Children" directed by Zhao Dan ran the dragon set; in high school, she was a member of the school drama team, and later admitted to the acting department of the Shanghai Theater Academy, when she got the admission notice, she heard her father's sneering sarcasm, saying that there was a drama in the family, at that moment, Zhu Xijuan made up her mind to prove to her father that the actors of new China and the old society were different.
But at the beginning of enrollment, she was slow to enter the performance state, no performance experience, the sketches assigned to her by the teacher were basically not good, she even wanted to retreat, and slowly touched the doorway of the performance under the point of the teacher Hu Weimin. When filming "Red Detachment of Women", Zhu Xijuan was still a third-year student in the Department of Acting, the heroine of the film needed to have a pair of hot, hateful eyes, director Xie Jin chose four actors for this role named Wu Qionghua but was not satisfied, just happened to be walking around in the play, saw Zhu Xijuan and a tall boy acting in "In a Peaceful Day", when the two were arguing about how to shoot the scene. After noticing these eyes, Xie Jin did not hesitate to choose Zhu Xijuan to play this role, and still remembers that Zhu Xijuan did not forget to ridicule, "If I had not quarreled at that time, I would not have been where I am today." ”
Movie "Red Detachment of Women"
But in fact, Xie Jin is not zhu Xijuan who chose only because of his eyes, "He secretly observed me for a long time, went to school to see me in class, play the piano, act in drama, he said that I have the potential to act well, so I ushered in the most important turning point in my life." "I heard that Xie Jin chose Zhu Xijuan, many people feel strange, do not know what this tomboy has to look at," I remember going to the film factory to report, when eating everyone looked around me, saying that this girl is not beautiful and rustic. Although it is not beautiful, director Xie Jin insists that he wants these big eyes.
However, Xie Jin was not eager to let the actors go directly to act, but let them go south to Qionghai, Hainan to experience the real life of the Girl Scouts. Feng Zengmin, company commander of the "Red Women's Army", took all the actors to feel life in full accordance with the schedule of the Girl Scout Army, practiced for a whole month, gave lectures, went out to exercise, and watched the revolutionary base areas, and all the actors' noses were sunburned. To this day, she sometimes closes her eyes and remembers that on the mud wall is written "Long live the Chinese Soviet."
Dance with the Prime Minister to get the proverb, go south to the special zone to be a pioneer
Zhu Xijuan did not expect that because of the movie "Red Detachment of Women", she became the best actress of the first popular film Hundred Flowers Award, and she was very clear that it was not how much talent she had, but the credit of the entire crew, and she was even more proud that this film won four awards at the award ceremony. "Out of the old cage, the east wind on Hainan Island, the blood of heroes, a qionghua is extraordinarily red." This is Guo Moruo's handwritten inscription to Zhu Xijuan, who won the best actress at the first Popular Film Hundred Flowers Awards.
At the celebration party on the night of the award ceremony, Premier Zhou Enlai also attended the ball, and everyone rushed to invite the premier to dance. The prime minister said, "Today my first dance was to dance with the award-winning actress, and as a result I danced the first dance with the prime minister, and I have never seen such a big scene." "Zhu Xijuan, who has always had the character of a tomboy, always stepped on the feet of the prime minister when she danced, and Chen Yi comforted her to relax and compared dancing to a musical walk." When dancing, Premier Zhou said to me that youth is to lay the foundation, and you must continue to absorb all kinds of knowledge like a sponge, which I have remembered for a lifetime. ”
As one of the 22 movie stars, he is also the youngest one. Thinking that the 21 predecessors are all from the film studio, only she is from the drama troupe, Zhu Xijuan is sincerely afraid, "Later I learned that Premier Zhou said that I was listed among the eight people in the film studio, so the film studio needed to quit one person, Teacher Liu Qiong did not say a word to let go, I am really grateful, this is the old actor's love and support for young actors." After graduating from university, Zhu Xijuan entered the Shanghai Youth Repertory Theatre and became the pillar of the troupe.
Later, after the reform and opening up, she learned that Shenzhen was recruiting, one was the section chief of the Personnel Bureau, and the other was a member of the preparatory group of the Shenzhen Television Station.
In September 2019, Zhu Xijuan participated in the award ceremony of the 17th Academy of Film Performing Arts Awards ("Golden Phoenix" Award).
"Art is young, you can't always dominate this stage, you have to leave the opportunity to young people, I have been an actor for 45 years, it is time to support the construction of the special zone." 」
After arriving in Shenzhen, Zhu Xijuan spent two months preparing for the TV station, and on January 1, 1984, Shenzhen TV officially launched, and later Hong Kong TV wanted to cooperate with Shenzhen TV, which was Zhu Xijuan's proudest thing. "In my life, two times south has changed my destiny, and I am very happy, although I am 80 years old, I still want to act, because I love acting, I don't want to stop yet."
Beijing News reporter Zhou Huixiaowan
Edited by Wu Dongni Proofreader Xue Jingning