At the age of 76, Wei Lian, who once filmed classic war movies such as Armageddon, The Great Turn and The Great March, first focused on a special moment in Mao Zedong’s political career — — It has been more than two years since I left the military leadership position of the Red Army and made an investigation in Caixi.
In 1932, during the brutal political struggle at the Ningdu Conference, Mao Zedong was dismissed as the General Political Commissar of the Red Army and left the military leadership position of the Red Army for more than two years. This is the third and biggest ups and downs in his political career. However, despite the pain in his heart, Mao Zedong’s will was not depressed. In the face of adversity, he insisted on investigation and study, and stubbornly sought for it. The Survey of Caixi Township written by him played an important role in formulating correct policies for the China Revolution and promoting the growth of the Red Army and the development of the base areas.
The film "Mao Zedong in Caixi" is directed by Wei Lian, directed by Mao Zedong’s daughter Li Min, and written by Lin Guoliang and Wei Lian, starring Henry Hui Wang. Instead of pursuing grand military scenes, the film focuses on Mao Zedong’s inner world, reflecting the big picture with short stories, hoping to present a more civilian Mao Zedong.
Life accumulation
Enrich the film with "small things"
Wei Lian revealed that many touching "small things" in the film were carefully selected. "Lin Guoliang, the first screenwriter of the film, has accumulated rich life and created in western Fujian in the past 60 years. He found a piece of historical data telling that there are 24 surnames in Caixi Township, but three boys of Kongjia died in the Red Army, and Kong’s surname is gone. This is very sad, so the film shows Mao Zedong’s mourning for Kongjia. In the film, when Mao Zedong went to visit Ku Sun Ku, the mother of three martyrs in the Confucius family, he personally combed Ku Sun Ku’s hair and wept silently. Mao Zedong’s deep affection and compassion for the people of Caixi can be seen from this. "
There is also a scene about Mao Zedong eating at his hometown’s home. Facing a big bowl of dry rice, sweet potatoes and small fish, he didn’t eat it, but held the children who ate bran vegetables for them to eat. The child said, "Grandpa said that even a grain of rice should be left to the Red Army." Such a plot makes the film vivid and warm.
Wei Lian said that if major historical themes are completely copied from documents and exhibitions, I am sorry for the audience and there will be no market; But putting aside history, making things up and blindly pursuing sensory stimulation are also sorry for history and ancestors. Therefore, in Mao Zedong in Caixi, Wuyangzi, the head of children, asked to join the army. Mao Zedong changed the name of "Declining Pit Village" to "Fakeng Village" and other well-documented "small things" to enrich the film.
using language
Show Hunan Putonghua
Henry Hui Wang, the actor of Mao Zedong in the film, comes from the National Theatre, and has successfully created the image of Mao Zedong in the drama "San Wan, That Night". In "Mao Zedong in Caixi", he played an outstanding and intimate Mao Zedong.
As to whether the leader should speak Mandarin or dialect in the film, director Wei Lian has his own "theory" that it is necessary for Mao Zedong to speak Hunan Mandarin in the film. "Dialect is used here as an aesthetic language, which can not only make the audience understand, but also keep the original speech feeling of Mao Zedong, a Hunan native. Although Henry Hui Wang is a native of Shandong, he has played a strong role in speaking lines, and he is very sensitive to Mao Zedong’s ‘ Small treble ’ Hold it very accurately. "
Wei Lian said that Mao Zedong, played by Henry Hui Wang, pursues true boldness of vision, rather than deliberately posing as a leader. "In the film, ‘ Cai Xi San Lian ’ After the broadsword sister died to save Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong felt very sad. He sat with one foot up in the chair like that, and then suddenly strode out. This posture and angle can be said to be no ‘ Beauty ’ Feeling, but very vivid, is a kind of accurate capture. "
Wei Lian said that he never lost his temper on the set. "The director scolds the actor, which only proves that the director is stupid. The director wants the actor to build up his self-confidence. Cultivating an actor is to cultivate his self-confidence."
Creative feeling
"Be practical and artistic in life"
The Armageddon, the Great Turning Point and the Great March that Wei Lian participated in before are all war movies, among which The Great March: The Great Battle of Nanjing, Shanghai and Hangzhou mobilized an army’s engineering barracks to set off fireworks, and there were more than 500 ships and more than 8,000 people when filming the scene of crossing the river, creating a magnificent "spectacle of war". In contrast, "Mao Zedong in Caixi" is a low-cost film, and there is no big war scene, but Wei Lian still hopes to present its characteristics. "It is a war in Mao Zedong’s dream, which is a combination of reality and reality, and the explosion point is buried very close. The effect of the explosion is not the flames, but the mud splashing. It is a war scene that is different from reality but has a shocking effect."
In order to save costs, the 76-year-old director Wei Lian is very "desperate": he laughs that the filming training of Bayi Factory for many years is "to be practical and artistic". Before the filming of important scenes, he has to make detailed plans with the actors to improve efficiency; He also compressed his rest time and "worked overtime" to grab shots — — There is an important scene that takes five hours to arrive by car, and he left at two o’clock in the morning with the crew.
extend
Actor Henry Hui Wang: To perform a dynamic Mao Zedong.
As an actor of the National Theatre, Henry Hui Wang’s voice is so profound that when interviewing him, the Beijing Youth Daily reporter was a little confused: "Is it your own voice in Mao Zedong in Caixi?" Henry Hui Wang smiled, raised his voice and changed his range. He spoke a line in Hunan dialect and immediately became Mao Zedong on the screen. His skill is evident.
Before Mao Zedong in Caixi, Henry Hui Wang had played Mao Zedong in more than 20 films and dramas, such as San Wan, That Night, August 7th Conference, Loyalty and Betrayal, Channel Transfer, and Grand Master, but he said that he would always be a student when he played the role of Mao Zedong, and "I will always learn from him". Therefore, Henry Hui Wang has read all kinds of historical materials and works related to Mao Zedong, and has been thinking about how to present Mao Zedong in his mind.
In "Mao Zedong in Caixi", Henry Hui Wang captures Mao Zedong’s "dynamic". "Mao Zedong, who I play, wants to move. For example, Chairman Mao dreamed that all three boys in Caixi Kongjia were sacrificed, and he suddenly woke up and sat up; When he went to visit Ku Sun Ku, the mother of three martyrs in the Confucius family, he also stepped over the threshold and walked in. He said to the guards around him: ‘ Don’t cry ’ , but he combed his hair for bitter bamboo shoots and silently shed tears … …” Henry Hui Wang said that through the design of these movements, the audience can intuitively feel the rhythm of Mao Zedong’s heart, feel the affection between him and the people of Caixi, and also feel the different aspects of Mao Zedong.
Henry Hui Wang is not a special actor who plays Mao Zedong. He once played different roles in drama works such as Jujube Tree and Old Stubborn. These experiences will also make him more lively and grounded when he plays Mao Zedong.
Every time he plays in Mao Zedong, Henry Hui Wang likes to talk to local people about Mao Zedong and add it to the plot. In this way, Mao Zedong’s personal charm can often be displayed in more detail. This time, the cooperation with director Wei Lian in Mao Zedong in Caixi made Henry Hui Wang feel very enjoyable. "Director Wei Lian respects the opinions of actors very much, so that I can vividly show a different and breakthrough Mao Zedong."
This group/reporter Xiao Yang Co-ordination/Liu Jianghua
