Reporter Wan Guodong
Around the New Year's Day in 2024, my colleague recommended reporters to watch the movie "Bloody Breakthrough 1942", which is being broadcast on iQiyi** and produced by Comrade Wang Qingji, the editor-in-chief of our Chinese media, as the director, saying that it is a very good-looking movie, and they all cried after watching it.
The reporter thought to himself that it was not an online movie with the theme of the Anti-Japanese War, where can it be seen, the reporter took a look at the cast, except for Zhang Guangbei, Laixi is a little well-known, and the other actors basically can't be named, and checked the information of the director Chen Guanlong, who is also a director who mainly shoots TV series and online dramas, and the movies he participated in the shooting of two "Cooks, Plays, Ruffians" (Group B director), and the film "Bullfighting", which was nominated for the Taiwan Golden Horse Award, is still an action director.
Can such a director and team make a good movie?The reporter was really skeptical, but saw that iQiyi's on-site rating reached 9.0 points. It seems that this movie still has merit, and with the mentality of giving it a try, the reporter watched this movie.
The reporter believes that the movie has a bright rhythm, a clear narrative, twists and turns in the plot, and thrilling action scenes, which accurately interprets the tragedy of the War of Resistance Against Japan!Although the actors are all unknown, they all have acting skills!There are no celebrities, no traffic actors, but their performances are real and simple, which makes the reporter, an iron-clad tough guy, choke up and cry several times, I remember the last time I watched a movie and cried, I still watched the American blockbuster "Titanic". It doesn't feel like a movie that a TV director or action director can make. The reporter carefully looked at the opening and ending credits, director Chen Guanlong is also the screenwriter of the film, and is the lyricist of the two songs in the movie. Such a talented director should not be buried, and the reporter decided to do an exclusive interview with director Chen Guanlong.
The reporter met director Chen Guanlong in Beijing, which was completely different from what he imagined, he was not tall, dressed casually, looked like he was in his forties, spoke softly and humorously, and always had a smile on the corner of his mouth. Director Chen was also interviewed by Mr. Sui Chengjun, the film's producer. Mr. Sui is a native of Northeast China, and he speaks sonorously and quickly.
Journalists: Director Chen, why did you make such a theme based on real historical events, and how did you make such a film about the Anti-Japanese War so touching?
ChenCrested DragonTo tell you the truth, at the beginning of 2022, I happened to have a schedule, and one of my little photographers said that they have a movie about the Anti-Japanese War here, which is very suitable for me to direct. I took it, I came to the place where this story took place, Hengshui Gucheng County, Hebei Province, and also visited the martyr cemetery in their county, many real stories in the martyr cemetery are very moving, in fact, more cruel and touching than our movie. In fact, only a small part of our film is shown. I think all Chinese should know that the Anti-Japanese War was cruel and hard, and heroes should not be forgotten, not how touching I filmed, but that the real events were ten times more touching than the movie.
Journalists: What was the biggest difficulty in making this film?
Chen Guanlong:Of course, it is funding, finding money is the most difficult part of film shooting, and the investor who invited me to make a movie suddenly broke the capital chain and withdrew his investment. It made it difficult for me to ride a tiger, many friends who participated in the filming were called by me, I wrote the script for seven days and seven nights, and I was a little unwilling to be so yellow, and I am sorry for the friends who came to help, so we had to raise our own funds, fortunately, there were nobles to help at the critical moment, Ms. Hu Baohua of Weihai Film and Television Company and Mr. Fu Xiaojie, the famous action director, all helped each other, and in the end, Gucheng County ** also gave a lot of financial support, and the film was finally able to meet the audience.
Journalists: Director Chen, are you and Mr. Sui partners who have been working together for a long time?
Sui Chengjun:"Director Chen and I have been good friends for more than 20 years in our lives, and we have collaborated on many plays, but they are all in other people's plays, and we are actually working together for the first time in the real sense, but I believe it is not the last. (The two laugh).
JournalistsWhat touched you the most in this play?
Sui Chengjun:"There are a lot of things that move me, I won't talk about how hard the actors and crew are, I just want to take this opportunity to thank our staff and actors, under the premise that our funding chain is broken, and all the staff and actors don't get a penny, they still work diligently, without any complaints and doubts, fortunately I didn't disappoint them in the end, I thank them for their trust and love for me. Thanks again.
JournalistsWill Mr. Sui still invest in such anti-Japanese war movies in the future?
Sui Chengjun:Of course, as long as it is the main theme, I will consider investing in a movie with positive energy, and I will not make an anti-Japanese drama like tearing the devil and hiding thunder in the crotch to lower the national IQ, after all, we have the responsibility and obligation to make movies to educate our next generation. At the moment when money is supreme and traffic is king, we literary and art workers must be a model, don't be entertained to death, don't rob tombs every day, catch ghosts, fairy and monster dramas, Tanmei dramas, let the sissy and little fresh meat be in charge is not what I want to see, so that our next generation will be over. Who still remembers the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country, who still remembers the soldiers who shed blood and sacrificed, to say something unpleasant, if there is an invasion of foreign enemies if it continues, who will dare to be the first to rush forward?!
The more Mr. Sui spoke, the more excited he became, and Director Chen motioned to Mr. Sui to control his emotions and glanced at me apologetically.
Journalists"Director Chen, is there anything else you want to add?”
Chen Guanlong:"In fact, what Mr. Sui said is what I want to say but dare not say, after all, making movies, the most important thing is to entertain the public, followed by educating the public, I am against entertainment to death, and I am also against blindly preaching, the phenomenon of sissies and small fresh meat is reasonable, there is no need to be more serious, we can do our job well. In fact, entertainment and education are not in conflict, and we are also trying, so that the audience can not only watch the movie and feel entertainment, but also accept the baptism of the soul.
JournalistsThat's right, you did, and I did feel that way after watching the movie. The movie is very good, just like the "Titanic" of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War movie!At the same time, I also felt a baptism of the soul!I hope you will make more good movies like this in the future.
Chen Guanlong:We have won awards and awards, and we have to continue to work hard.
Sui Chengjun:I hope you can help us promote and let more people see this movie full of positive energy and hormones. Thank you!