In 1989 of the last century, the feature film "The Last Aristocrat" directed by Xie Jin was released and achieved a good response. This film tells the story of the ups and downs of the fate of four "noble" ladies who left their motherland for the United States in a period of major historical change in China.
It is worth mentioning that before the filming of the movie started, the heroine in director Xie Jin's heart was not Pan Hong, but Lin Qingxia.
Due to the *** reason at that time, Xie Jin made an appointment with Lin Qingxia to secretly contact in the United States, and Lin Qingxia immediately agreed to act after reading the script.
In 1988, the crew of "The Last Aristocrat" began to prepare for filming in Shanghai, and they secretly took Lin Qingxia to the crew and made a very thorough plan for film shooting. But at the beginning of the filming, Lin Qingxia was recognized by customs officers when she was traveling back and forth from Shanghai to the United States, which immediately caused quite a stir. Under pressure from the authorities, Lin Qingxia could only reluctantly give up the filming of "The Last Aristocrat" in the future.
This can make Xie Jin worried! You must know that the heroine in his heart is only Lin Qingxia, and she didn't think about others at all. But seeing that the movie is about to start filming, what if there is no actress? Just when everyone was anxious, Xie Jin thought of someone: Pan Hong!
That's right, Pan Hong! It can only be her! ”
As a result, Pan Hong, who originally played the second female lead, suddenly became the heroine.
In 1988, Pan Hong, Xie Jin and his film crew of "The Last Aristocrat" arrived in New York, which was the most solemn holiday in the United States - Christmas Night. Local residents are full of joy, the Christmas tree is full of colorful "stars" and various gifts, and the whole family gathers for Christmas dishes. But Pan Hong had no intention of going on vacation at all, she had to politely decline the warm invitation of her friends, because she had to try on the costume for her role Li Tong that night. Xie Jin and the film crew also didn't care about appreciating the exotic scenery, and immediately put into intense preparations for filming.
How can every second count? You must know that with such a huge film crew going to the United States to make films, "The Last Aristocrat" can be regarded as setting a precedent in the history of Chinese films, and how rare it is to get such an opportunity to shoot abroad!
"The Last Aristocrat" went through several hardships in the preparation stage: first, the heroine changed, the Taiwanese movie star Lin Qingxia, who was originally scheduled to star, came to naught for various reasons, and Pan Hong, who was originally scheduled to lead the second star, had to rescue Xie Jin from danger and play the first heroine. Then the script had twists and turns, and later the foreign exchange for filming abroad encountered problems. Until all the domestic shots were filmed, the whole group waited for half a year, and the passport had not been approved, so Xie Jin was so anxious that Xie Jin had to let the actresses Pan Hong, Xiao Xiong, Li Kechun, and Lu Ling, who played the four "last nobles", change to skits and make some money to maintain the livelihood of the film crew.
Passports were issued, foreign exchange was gathered, and they hurried to New York. According to Pan Hong's words: "Just because of the limited capital, one dollar can only be used as ten dollars." Therefore, we arrived in the magical land of the United States, not so much that we had no time to play, but that we did not have the capital to play. ”
So, she and several other female stars didn't dare to slack off, and before they settled down, they entered the dressing room to try on clothing styling.
Pan Hong wears a red cheongsam, a butterfly hairpin on her long wavy hair, a white snakeskin bag on her shoulders, and white high heels on her feet. The other actresses also changed into cheongsams of various colors, and their temperament and demeanor entered their respective roles. Xie Jin put a gold bracelet on Pan Hong's white wrist again, and then nodded in satisfaction.
The four actresses looked in the mirror, and the noise of Christmas night came from outside, Pan Hong had an idea, why not take the opportunity to go out for a walk, not only to experience the prescribed scene of the role, but also not to treat this beautiful Christmas Eve.
So, the four daughters dressed in costumes came to the streets of New York hand in arm, looking at the buildings and brightly lit shops, and their hearts were so happy.
The presence of women in cheongsam, which is unique in the United States, immediately attracted passers-by on the road, and several American students said to Pan Hong in English: "You are a Chinese princess from a myth, right?" ”
The first scene of filming is in the "Recording Garden" bar, and the first shot is the sentimental mood of Li Tong and her boyfriend Chen Yin when they meet in a foreign country. Originally the most prestigious restaurant in New York in the 40s, "Lu Yuan" is located in a high-end residential area, and it is still thriving today. Pan Hong went to patronize the next day with Xie Jin, and saw that it was an idyllic scene, with rows of carved wooden corridors dotted with various candles, round tables and round chairs rich in the style of British aristocracy, and towering trees all with colorful lamps and spoons, which was spectacular. This quaint and dignified atmosphere is very suitable for the prescribed situation of the people in the play. But when you ask the price, you can rent it for five or six thousand dollars a day! Pan Hong stuck out his tongue, and Xie Jin could only look at the "garden" and sigh.
So, they had to find another bar to replace the "recording garden".
At that time, New York City was full of bars, almost every street, many of them, but none of them were up to the mark. With their neon lights and trendy décor, these bars have an 80s vibe and a 40's vibe. Eventually, they found a "peculiar restaurant" in Chinatown. The boss of this restaurant Zhou is Taiwanese, enthusiastic and hearty, and when he saw Xie Jin and Pan Hong arrive, he was hospitalized.
Interestingly, this boss not only has a passion for foreign encounters, but is also a movie fan. He has watched "Garland Under the Mountain" and "Furong Town" directed by Xie Jin, and has also watched "The Last Queen" and "Well" starring Pan Hong, and appreciates the talents of these two artists very much, so the two sides hit it off at first sight, and the conversation was extraordinarily speculative.
The decoration here is not luxurious, but it is more than quaint, the red sandalwood bar table, the decorative candle lamp, only need a little processing by the artist, will definitely show the sense of the times in the play.
Pan Hong was also deeply satisfied with this bar, Xie Jin also agreed, and when Boss Zhou heard that the first scene of "The Last Aristocrat" was going to be filmed here with him, he was overjoyed, and immediately said that on the first day of filming, he would not take a penny for renting a store; After that, the daily rent is discounted, only $600.
The camera started shooting, the "peculiar restaurant" was full of noise, the camera lens turned, and with Xie Jin's "start", the scene was immediately quiet. I saw Li Tong, who was dressed in a white dress, and Chen Yin, who was dressed in a black suit, sitting down on a high stool in front of the bar cabinet, expressing their hearts to each other with their eyes and gestures, and pouring out their ups and downs after five years of separation.
In the music with a strong rural atmosphere, Pan Hong's delicate and moving posture and sad and sad expression deeply attracted everyone present. Taiwanese actor Lin Qingxia, who studied in the United States and came to meet Pan Hong and Xie Jin, mainland stars Zhang Yu, Gong Xue, Gaike, and the Chinese consul general in New York who was specially invited to watch the filming, and of course, the owner of the "peculiar restaurant", were all moved to tears.
After filming almost every scene, Pan Hong had to flash those big eyes and say sincerely: "American extras, awesome!" ”
No, the bar girl at the "Luyuan" restaurant has a very standardized posture, movements, and even standing positions; The "prostitutes" who played with Pan Hong, the costumes and shapes were designed by them, and when soliciting customers, they threw their feet and raised their heads, holding cigarettes in their hands, even if they flew a wink at pedestrians, they were also vivid; The customers who are in the back of the store, some look at the window, some talk about love, and their performances are in line with the prescribed scenes; and the black bartender and the white Russian violinist, as a supporting role in the whole film, there are not many scenes, but they play an important role as a foil to Li Tong. Their play was vivid and vivid, which amazed Xie Jin. Once, Xie Jin also joked to Zhang Yu: "The United States even has such a level of extras, you stars still have to squeeze to the United States, how can you have food?" ”
However, it took a lot of twists and turns to choose these extras. The film crew just arrived in New York, and Pan Hong's most anxious thing was not her performance, but the choice of extras. There are extras in every scene in New York, and there are a variety of professions and images. Where to find so much talent? Even if you choose, the language is not understood, how can you match the play?
In the face of these new topics that have never been encountered, everyone is at a loss, or Pan Hong has thought of a clever plan and open recruitment. As a result, major newspapers in New York published advertisements for Pan Hong to lead the new film "The Last Aristocrat" to recruit extras. In a vast sea of advertising, although it is not eye-catching, it is surprising that more than 2,000 people applied on the first day. The applicants came from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., and they were all professional actors, each with their own strengths. Some of them are stuntmen who specialize in thrilling actions such as diving and driving, and they are really full of talents, and they are up to their choice.
Pan Hong asked them, why are they so interested? They replied: "It has been our wish for many years to make films for China, and it is also a pleasure to be able to show our faces on Chinese screens." It turns out that Americans are curious and want to do things freshly, even if the pay is low (50 US dollars a day for extras, and only 100 US dollars for special actors, which is not even enough for the round-trip carriage and horse fare in the United States), they do not care, because it is an honor in itself to be able to do their best for the first Chinese film shot in the United States, and it is also a rare capital for an actor.
Although things are beautiful, but Xie Jin and Pan Hong are bitter, not to mention anything else, how much time does it take to interview more than 2,000 people alone? And these actors are versatile, everyone wants to show their acting skills, and they will never stop without half an hour. For the quality of the film, they have to work overtime day and night to select the actors they want. As a result, the more than 20 supporting actors in the film completed their tasks excellently.
Li Tong, starring Pan Hong, is a woman with rich connotations, complex personalities, and bumpy fate, Xie Jin called her "a fluttering cloud", and the screenwriter of the film called her "Angel of Lost Heaven". Pan Hong called her "the darling of the family and the outcast of the times". As the daughter of a high-ranking Kuomintang diplomat, the guns of the Liberation War shook her quiet paradise, her parents were killed in a shipwreck in Taiwan, and she and three other "last nobles" went to the United States to study. Others have become all living beings in self-liberation, but she is the only one who drifts into a foreign country like a lonely goose, from sadness to despair, from decadence to decadence, to despair, and finally to her birthplace Italy, where she committed suicide in the cold waters of Venice.
Four-fifths of Pan Hong's scenes were filmed in New York, and they mainly depict the heroine's life journey to despair. She has frequent interactions with wind and dust dancers, and mingles with prostitutes and **, and there are a lot of scenes of alcoholism, smoking and dancing in these scenes.
She drank the strongest Manhattan liquor, smoked Turkish cigarettes, and danced the most popular dances of the 40s: rumba, tango, cha cha, fast three steps, slow three steps, wild waves, soothing, all with a hand. This is bitter for Pan Hong, because she usually not only doesn't smoke or drink, but also can't even dance a single step in ballroom dancing. When she arrived in New York, she was still dance blind, choking on alcohol and coughing when she smoked.
Filming is about to start, which can make director Xie Jin anxious. So he sent two bottles of "Manhattan" and two packs of "Sword Cards" to Pan Hong's room every morning, and strictly stipulated that she should finish drinking and smoking, even if she ate them as meals. Pan Hong disagreed, she felt that it was enough to pretend to be filming, so why suffer this crime. But Xie Jin resolutely refused, he felt that actors must have an accurate sense of self when entering the play, and if they don't taste enough of tobacco and alcohol, they can't enter the inner world of the characters just by pretending. So Pan Hong had to accept it, but after a few puffs of cigarettes and a few sips of "Manhattan", she was so dizzy that she couldn't stand it, so she quietly gave it all to the little brother of the film crew to enjoy. Xie Jin learned that he had to go out in person, drinking and smoking with Pan Hong every day, teaching by word and deed, and talking about allusions and legends of tobacco and alcohol. Finally, under Xie Jin's continuous narration, Pan Hong gradually developed a good impression of tobacco and alcohol. Start smoking and drinking small amounts. A few days later, she also tasted it and became addicted. Since then, every time she is filming, she will naturally pick up a cigarette, swallow the clouds and spit out the fog, raise the wine glass, drink three glasses, and act like a depressed lost person.
When it comes to learning to dance, Pan Hong has more effort than learning to smoke and drink. The film crew specially invited dance experts from the Broadway Song and Dance Theater to teach her. She worked overtime day and night to learn and practice all kinds of dances, assaulting for half a month, the teachers and students were inseparable, and the dormitory, rehearsal hall and even the playground aisle became a place for them to practice dance. For a period of time, Pan Hong was fascinated by learning to dance, going to the street to buy things and stepping on dance steps, even eating and going to restaurants, Xie Jin joked with her: "The movie queen has become a dance fan." ”
In "The Last Aristocrat", Pan Hong plays the aristocratic lady, who spends all day drinking in the play and lives a life of drunkenness. But in filming, she suffered enough.
In the United States, for a big star like her, the treatment of filming is to live in a suite and eat a small stove. But Pan Hong lives in a shop in New York, eats popular dishes, and often nibbles bread and cooks instant noodles.
When filming on location, the New York Film Market has a heating car rented for celebrities, with sofas, beds, dressing tables, freezers, fruits, drinks, but how many dollars does it cost? As soon as she thought of this, Pan Hong had no extravagant hopes.
In fact, before going to the United States to film, Pan Hong was also in the limelight in the studio. Due to the needs of the role, she had to change more than 40 sets of costumes in the play: Li Tong when she was a student, dressed in a blue slanted collar dress, simple and unpretentious; Li Tong at the 20th birthday banquet, the white dress decorated with pearl flowers, elegant and free; Li Tong before bidding farewell to the motherland, dressed in a red cheongsam with a border, full of beautiful visions for the future; With the death of her parents, her fate took a huge turn, and her clothes began to change significantly. When Li Tong was a courtesan, the exquisite and elegant pink dress became the last flash in the halo of her life, and the pink mask decorated with pearls did not cover the joy of the force; And Li Tong before committing suicide, the black cloak, black hat and black veil, lined with dark purple long skirt, became the heroine's last costume in the Venetian river that "connects with the mountains and rivers of the motherland", there is a solemn mood, and there is a holy beauty that shakes people's hearts.
These high-quality, well-crafted garments are all designed by senior Hong Kong dressers. And in the face of these "jeweled" costumes, Pan Hong was at a loss. It's no wonder that she doesn't like pink in her usual life, and she loves to appear in her true colors, and she has never experienced this kind of life of "aristocratic daughter". Even on the screen, the roles she plays Lu Wenting ("People to Middle Age"), Xu Lihe ("The Well"), female reporters ("Distressed Laughter"), and self-employed ("The Stubborn Master") are all ordinary people, all living beings, and the clothes they wear are all old clothes and old clothes in the warehouse, unrestrained and quite comfortable. This time she played the "aristocracy", she really spent a lot of effort to make herself "noble" and "luxurious", and entered the role step by step.
What she never expected was that these large boxes of gorgeous clothes made her suffer enough in New York. The script stipulates that Li Tong's autumn drama in New York, due to the visa extension, the film crew arrived in New York It was already a cold winter and Christmas, the outdoor temperature was more than ten degrees Celsius, and sometimes there were snowflakes. But Pan Hong has to wear a tulle-like short-sleeved cheongsam or a light-colored autumn dress to capture the feeling of "autumn air" in the cold winter, which requires the actor's rich imagination and expressiveness!
What makes Pan Hong even more distressed is that whenever Li Tong is filmed with his chest and arms exposed, the weather is always extremely cold, and the filming location is often in the windy outlet.
Li Tong and a wealthy businessman came out of the opera house late at night, and she wore a silk dress with a slanted chest; Li Tong and *** took a ride in a convertible car on the beach, wearing a three-point swimsuit; Li Tong watched the night view from the 16th floor of a luxury apartment, wearing black gauze pajamas; These shots were all taken in the context of dripping water into ice. The people outside the camera were still shaking in down coats, and Pan Hong had to perform cool comfort. Although Xie Jin prepared ginger soup, wine and chocolate, and asked Pan Hong to wrap himself in a coat as soon as the camera stopped, at the end of the day, Pan Hong still froze like a "purple popsicle". Later, after a shooting, Pan Hong couldn't help but vent her emotions and yelled: "Are we still human?" ”
The Last Aristocrat" immediately achieved a sensational effect after its test screening, and this film as a gift for the 40th anniversary of the National Day has been widely praised by people and can be called a new masterpiece of Xie Jin's new concept of "image is greater than thought".
The film depicts four female images of the last nobles who are full of vicissitudes and a sense of loss with a cold artistic technique and profound ideological connotation, among which Li Tong starring Pan Hong is the most outstanding and moving. And Xie Jin also aimed at the "Oscar" of "The Last Aristocrat", and Pan Hong also became the star with the highest call to win the championship.