Some netizens once said that watching the movie "Red Sun" is so much like "Fighting with the North".
Yes, the historical periods and events of these two films are roughly the same, so there are similarities in many plots.
However, there is still a very different place between the two films, that is, Red Sun is realistic about historical events and historical figures, and many place names, people and fighting processes in the film are real in history, and the adaptation range is not large.
Therefore, "Red Sun" can be regarded as a film with a detailed and true description of the war of liberation in the old movies, with high ornamental value and historical reference value, but some realism has also brought trouble to this film.
This article will review the film "The Red Sun" from its creation background, shooting process, roles and actors.
1. The classic novel was created by the commander of the Sixth Vertical
The film Red Sun was adapted from the novel of the same name, and the creator of the novel was the witness of Meng Lianggu's campaign, Wu Qiang, Minister of the Sixth Vertical Mission Department of Hua Ye.
Hua Ye Sixth Battalion and the seventy-fourth reorganization division are a pair of old enemies. As early as the war of Lianshui in northern Jiangsu, the two sides fought fiercely, and Lianshui was flooded in World War II. At that time, Liuzong, also known as the Sixth Division, suffered heavy losses and lost Lianshui City. Wang Bicheng, the commander, was almost dismissed, but at the same time, they also hurt the seventy-four Division, laying the groundwork for the fall of Meng Lianggu.
After retreating from Lianshui to the battle of Laiwu, and then fighting in Meng Lianggu, Liuzong finally got revenge. After the battle, Wu Qiang, the minister of the Sixth Longitudinal Mission Department, saw the body of Zhang Lingfu lying on the door panel. He was deeply moved and made up his mind to write a novel about the process of Lianshui going to Meng Lianggu.
In p>1957, after hard writing, Red Sun was published. This novel was helped by commanders such as Su Yu, Wang Bicheng and Jiang Weiqing who witnessed the battles of Lianshui, Laiwu and Menglianggu. In addition, Wu Qiang's understanding of the participating troops and interviews with captured officers and men of the Kuomintang made it extremely valuable in history and literature.
In p>219, Red Sun was selected into the collection of 7 novels in 7 years in New China.
Second, the filming of "Red Sun" was not smooth
The screenplay of "Red Sun" began to be prepared in February 196, but there were many setbacks in the creation process, and the relevant departments disagreed on the details of the script, characters and so on, which led to the crew's creation of several drafts. Finally, it was more than a year before the fifth draft was officially passed.
Shanghai Film Studio immediately organized the actors to experience life. The actors of our army went to Chongming Island Garrison just like the crew of "Fighting in the South and Fighting in the North", while the actors who played Zhang Lingfu and Chief of Staff went to a special place, Nanjing Military Academy. Because Wei Zhenyu, the chief of staff of the 74th Division, was working as a military teacher there at that time, he gave a comprehensive introduction to the two leading actors about the downfall of the 74th Division and Zhang Lingfu's performance in this process.
When the crew went to shoot on location in Shandong, it happened to catch up with three years of natural disasters. Everyone didn't have enough to eat well, which caused many people to get sick in the stomach. Li Po, who plays the head of Liu Sheng, used his agricultural expertise to plant radish seeds and eggplant seedlings next to the crew's station. Although there was no oil and water, at least part of the problem that the crew didn't have enough to eat was solved.
Yu Fei, who plays the brigade commander of the 74th Division, eats rudely in the film and doesn't look like a senior general. Apart from the need of characterization, it may also be related to the crew's lack of food.
"Red Sun" caught up with summer when it was filmed intensively, but there were many winter scenes in the film, and the actors had to wear cotton-padded jackets to act, especially the indoor scenes were more difficult. Shuhuang Zhong, who played the chief of staff of our army, even fainted from heatstroke.
After the filming, the film was successfully released under the questioning of Marshal Chen Yi, but there were some difficulties in the trial before, mainly focusing on some characters, especially about "beautifying" Zhang Lingfu and "uglifying" our soldiers.
Third, the actors and characters in Red Sun
There is a difference between Red Sun and Fighting in the North, that is, the division of troops in this film is very clear, from commanders, teachers, heads, battalion commanders, company commanders, platoon leaders and squad leaders to soldiers, among which only the division level and battalion level are portrayed less, and all other levels have representative roles.
Shen Zhenxin, the commander, is played by Zhang Fa.
The prototype of the role of Shen Zhenxin is obviously Wang Bicheng, then commander of the Sixth Vertical, but Wang Bicheng's nickname is Wang Tiger, which is somewhat different from Shen Zhenxin's temperament. Shen Zhenxin played by Zhang Fa is obviously more elegant and wise.
In fact, the author believes that Shen Zhenxin's prototype is Wang Bicheng, but it is not necessary to completely copy Wang Bicheng's temperament. There is no higher leader of our army in the film (only voice), so Shen Zhenxin may also incorporate some temperament characteristics of higher commanders such as Su Yu.
Zhang Fa is a famous handsome young man. It seems that he is not good at playing the role of a soldier. As far as Shen Zhenxin is concerned, he is quite well shaped, and his emotions are invisible. He can perfectly interpret emotional changes with his eyebrows and eyes. Therefore, you can't say that Zhang Fa plays Wang Bicheng differently, but that he plays Shen Zhenxin very well.
Liu Sheng, the head of the regiment, plays Li Po.
Liu Sheng's prototype should be Liu Shengqi, a general in the Six Longitudinal Wars. He led the troops in the battle to seize Duozhuang and capture the main peak of Meng Lianggu, but he did not die like Liu Sheng in the film.
Liu Sheng, played by Li Po, is very aggressive in the war, which conforms to the image of a middle-level commander in that era, but he is a little older.
Shi Donggen, the company commander, is played by Yang Zaibao.
Some people say that there is a prototype, while others don't. I think this character should have no concrete prototype, because Shi Donggen's image conforms to the appearance of many grass-roots commanders.
Shi Donggen is a reckless and lovely company commander in the film. He screams when he fights and gets carried away when he wins. The scene of him riding a horse with an enemy hat after drinking is a classic scene in this film.
But it was this scene that caused a lot of criticism later. Many people thought that Shi Donggen was vilifying PLA soldiers in this way.
However, Wu Qiang, the author of The Red Sun, doesn't think so, nor do many soldiers who have really fought. According to Yang Zaibao's memory, many people in the army at that time inquired about the unit this boy belonged to and acted like a soldier.
When Yang Zaibao appeared in the film, he was still a school student, and his natural image was rough. Although he was a college student, he played a somewhat grumpy Shi Donggen vividly. Until a few decades later, even though Yang Zaibao played so many roles, someone would still hold him in the street: You must be the company commander in Red Sun.
interestingly, the TV series "Red Sun" started shooting several decades later. The actors Geng Le and Yang Zaibao who played Shi Donggen were almost the same when they were young. It was a magical casting.
In terms of the Kuomintang, Red Sun does not play many roles, and the scenes are mainly concentrated on Zhang Lingfu, the division commander of the 74th Division, and Wei Zhenyu, the chief of staff, among which Zhang Lingfu is the most important.
There are many legends about Zhang Lingfu, and the more facelift image is arrogance, which is mainly shown by Xiang Kun in "Fighting in the South".
Readers who are familiar with history know that Zhang Lingfu's image is actually multifaceted. For example, he is a history major and can write good calligraphy, so although he is good at fighting, he actually has a Confucian side.
In addition, Zhang Lingfu in history was not panic-stricken in Meng Lianggu because of his fever. In fact, he was one of the Kuomintang front-line generals who was sensitive and correct in battlefield perception, just like his old superior, Wang Yaowu. His ingenious tactics made Liuzong suffer heavy losses when he fought for two times. It was his idol and Tang Enbo who really put Zhang Lingfu to the wall.
Therefore, the cast of "Red Sun" strives to be true when portraying Zhang Lingfu, and the actors chosen are handsome and comfortable.
Look at this comfortable young photo. The face value is by no means lower than that of Zhang Lingfu, and there are many similarities between them.
Zhang Lingfu in the film shows arrogance, wisdom, and even calmness in the current critical moment of the enemy. Except for the scene of trying to fake surrender, he is an excellent senior general from beginning to end.
Even the crew was very measured in the final shooting of Zhang Lingfu. It was finished with one hand and one gun, which was obviously more artistic and kept Zhang Lingfu's image.
According to the author's understanding of history, Zhang Lingfu in Red Sun can be regarded as one of the most close to the real characters in all kinds of film and television dramas, whether in terms of face value, temperament or performance.
However, the design of the crew has also attracted criticism, that is, it is suspected of beautifying Zhang Lingfu, but the actor who plays Zhang Lingfu comfortably believes that shaping the enemy smarter can better demonstrate the greatness of our victory.
Chief of Staff, played by Cheng Zhi
The prototype of this chief of staff is Wei Zhenyu, the chief of staff of the 74th Division. He provided a lot of information for the crew. In addition, he was an instructor of Nanjing Military College at that time, so the image of this chief of staff is as wise as that of Zhang Lingfu.
Cheng Zhi was one of the "four bad guys" in Shanghai Film Studio at that time. His acting skills were superb and his voice was very distinctive, but what impressed everyone most about him was the "baby cassock".
Tell me one more thing. Besides the main actors, I am deeply impressed by Zhang Guilan, who plays Aju. There is no other reason, mainly because her image is too prominent, so she can be regarded as the goddess of that era.
Fourth, the true portrayal of details in Red Sun
The location of the film Red Sun is in Shandong, so a mountain, a water and a village can basically reproduce the scene.
"Red Sun" is also excellent in shaping the details. The author gives several examples:
The watch of company commander Shi Donggen, at the beginning of the movie, Shi Donggen used a big alarm clock to tell the time, which was usually carried by the correspondent.
During the battle of Laiwu, Shi Donggen seized a watch and put it directly on his wrist. Later, he realized that it was wrong and asked the correspondent to turn it in.
When Meng Lianggu fought, Liu Sheng, the head of the regiment, gave the watch to Shi Donggen for use.
a watch is a classic prop, which connects three campaigns and involves three major disciplines of the army.
Several cannons started with the Battle of Lianshui. These cannons were used by the 74th Division to shell Lianshui City.
By the end of the film, several cannons of the same paragraph appeared again, which were used by the People's Liberation Army to shell the main peak of Meng Lianggu. Although the film did not directly explain with lines, it was enough to explain the problem.
Another great detail in The Red Sun is about the "Liberation Warrior". During the battle of Laiwu, the People's Liberation Army captured Ma Busheng and he joined the People's Liberation Army. However, before the battle of Meng Lianggu began, the veteran Youzi was afraid of the 74th Division and was refuted by the soldiers.
At the critical moment of the Battle of Meng Lianggu, inspired and encouraged by his comrades-in-arms, the liberation soldier rushed to the main peak and made great achievements.
This characterization of liberation soldiers is rare in other TV dramas, especially the image of veteran Youzi, which is a very real representation.
Finally, let's talk about a touching detail. In "Red Sun", when the machine gunner charged, he actually followed a sub-shooter carrying ammunition boxes and watched so many military film and television dramas. This is really an ordinary and rare scene.
To sum up, although the film Red Sun still has some shortcomings in describing the intensity of Meng Lianggu's battle, its portrayal of the detailed characters is very real and successful, so its artistic value and historical value are quite high, and it belongs to the masterpiece of old movies.