On March 25, 1986, in the ancient canal town of Taierzhuang, a war was being "waged" at this moment.
Although the war is not a real war, to a certain extent, it profoundly restores the determination of the Chinese people to resist in the face of invaders.
Time goes back 48 years, that is, in this placeLi Zongren, commander of the Fifth Theater Command, commanded the squadron and fought a bloody battle with the Japanese for more than a month, killing and wounding 11,984 Japanese soldiers, capturing 719 prisoners, capturing 31 cannons, 11 armored vehicles, 8 large and small combat vehicles, more than 1,000 light and heavy machine guns, and more than 10,000 rifles.
Since the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, there has never been such a great victory, and the victory of Taierzhuang has also greatly boosted the enthusiasm of the people across the country to resist Japan.
** Later, he also wrote in "On Protracted War":
"Fighting a big victory every month, such as Pingxingguan and Taierzhuang, can greatly discourage the enemy's spirit, boost the morale of our army, and call for the solidarity of the world. ”It is also called the great victory of Taierzhuang:
"Although this battle is in one place, its significance is affecting the overall situation of the battle, affecting the whole country, affecting the enemy, and affecting the world! ”In July 1965, Li Zongren returned from overseas, and as soon as the news came out, it immediately caused a sensation. Not only personally greeted at the airport, but also held a grand welcome ceremony in the Great Hall of the People
"Today, Mr. Li has come back from overseas, and I think he has two things to do in the future. One is the victory of Taierzhuang in the Battle of Xuzhou under the command of Mr. Li under the command of Mr. Li in 1938, and the other is that Mr. Li has returned to his roots today. ”However, for a long time afterward, the plan was shelved.
Despite this, director Cheng Yin, who was entrusted by *** back then, always remembered this incident in his heart, in 1982, Cheng Yin said to Chen Dunde, who came to Beijing Film Academy for further study:
"Mr. Li Zongren is a native of Guangxi, and he was the commander of the Fifth Theater during the Battle of Taierzhuang. ”Unfortunately, director Sung Yin passed away in 1984 and was unable to fully fulfill his wish.
In 1981, by chance, Tian Junli, head of the Communist Youth League organization of the Ministry of Culture, happened to see a copy of "Li Zongren's Memoirs" dictated by Li Zongren and written by Tang Degang
Tang Degang is a well-known historical writer in the field of oral history, and the memoirs of celebrities he created not only pay attention to the oral accounts of the experiencers, but also pay attention to the investigation of real historical materials, and sometimes correct the mistakes in the oral accounts of the experience.
When Tian Junli read "Li Zongren's Memoirs", he was deeply shocked by the scene of the bloody battle of Taierzhuang described in the book, especially in the battle of Taierzhuang, the indomitable and singing scene of the Chinese people, which made Tian Junli move his mind:
"If this story can be put on the screen, it will also have great significance for the education of young people. ”In line with the idea of doing what he said, Tian Junli found an old friend, Fei Linjun, then the director of the TV and video studio of the Ministry of Electronics Industry, and discussed, and the two hit it off and thought it was a good idea.
But in the creation, both of them, intentionally or unintentionally, ignored Li Zongren, the commander of the Fifth Theater who commanded the Battle of Taierzhuang, and instead focused on another key figure, Zhang Zizhong.
In the early 80s, people's thinking and concepts changed a lot from previous years, but they still inevitably tended to be conservative when talking about the past.
From Tian Junli's point of view, Zhang Zizhong's character has a very strong dramatic conflict, and there are too many stories to tell, and the most important thing is that Zhang Zizhong, as a general of the Kuomintang army, has not participated in the civil war.
The Communist Party of China also spoke highly of Zhang Zizhong in the past, and after his death, he also wrote a special inscription "Serve the country with loyalty".
Although Tian Junli and Fei Linjun considered Zhang Zizhong as the center when they wrote the script, in order to restore the real battlefield, they still referred to a large number of relevant historical materials and interviewed people who experienced the Battle of Taierzhuang.
After several drafts, the script of "Blood Battle in Taierzhuang" was finalized in 1982 and published in the fourth issue of "Bayi Movie" in 1983.
The script was created, but for a long time, no one cared about it.
By chance, the famous director Yang Guangyuan of Bayi Factory happened to see the script in the magazine, Yang Guangyuan had directed and filmed "Tunnel War" in the past, and he was no stranger to war-themed films.
Although in 1985, in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang Army's frontal resistance against Japanese aggression had been promoted, and the article "Taierzhuang Illuminates the World" was also published in the People's **, but the Bayi Factory still did not make a decision.
Despite this, Yang Guangyuan still has a firm idea in his heart and actively promotes the story of Taierzhuang to be brought to the screen:
"I want to shoot "Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang" because I also want to show the epic major historical events of our Chinese nation through the movie screen, which is the need for national self-improvement and the development of the times. ”At the same time, Chen Dunde, then director of the Literature Department of Guangxi Film Studio, also discovered the script of "Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang", he always remembered the entrustment of director Cheng Yin, and at the end of 1984, he recommended the script to Yang Shaoyi, then the first deputy director of Guangxi Film Studio and composer.
After reading the script, Yang Shaoyi and Chen Dunde were very excited, and they both thought:
"The line adhered to by the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is not only a new starting point for the change of the country's destiny, but also a new starting point for the development and change of the film industry. A very important one is that you can't just do "small bridges and flowing water", or only those police and bandit movies that punch and kick, kung fu movies, but you need to make some works of "going to the east of the river". ”In March 1985, Chen Dunde traveled thousands of miles from Guangxi to Beijing and spent 3,000 yuan ** to buy the copyright of the script from Tian Junli and Fei Linjun.
In view of the concerns of Bayi Factory at that time, Chen Dunde took the initiative to propose to Bayi Factory that director Yang Guangyuan be seconded to Guangxi to shoot a film on this theme.
Not only that, when Chen Dunde read the movie script, he considered that Zhang Zizhong was the protagonist of the movie, which was actually not in line with historical facts, so after discussing with Yang Guangyuan, he asked Tian Junli and other two screenwriters to rewrite the script, requiring Li Zongren to be the main story line, and strive to restore the historical facts in depth.
The script of "Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang" was finally revised and finalized 17 times, and finally successfully filmed.
What touched the chief director Yang Guangyuan the most was:
"To restore the original appearance of history, there is still a mass foundation. ”During the filming of the ancient battlefield in Taierzhuang, the local people gave great support to the filming of the film. During the filming, hundreds of local extras were still talking and laughing before changing clothes, but as soon as they changed their clothes, the temperament of the whole person was different, and they were solemn and solemn, as if they had returned to the battlefield of the year.
In order to reproduce the operation of the defending troops in the city to destroy the canal pontoon bridge, the film crew used small iron boats and wooden boats to build pontoon bridges and bury bombing points underwater.
What I didn't expect was that during the filming, the original plan was to wait for a team of wounded soldiers to rush across the pontoon bridge, and then lead the first point, but I didn't expect a careless operation, the explosion point was detonated in advance, and some of the group actors who played the wounded soldiers couldn't dodge, and they were immediately overturned into the water, and many people were accidentally scratched by the flying sawdust, and the scene was suddenly in chaos.
Despite the filming accident, none of the group performers complained of being tired, and after they climbed out of the water, they stood quietly aside, waiting for the pontoon bridge to be re-erected and the ...... of the bombing point was laid
The filming of the film "Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang" was the first time for China at that time. After all, in order to show the exploits of the Kuomintang army in the frontal resistance of the war, some voices of incomprehension are inevitable.
At the beginning of the shooting, someone said:
"How can the Communist Party show that the Kuomintang is anti-Japanese? And won the battle? ”There are also concerns about:
"Making such a film is not only economically risky, but also politically difficult. ”Not only these people, but even some senior generals of the former Kuomintang Army shook their heads again and again when they first heard about the filming of the Battle of Taierzhuang. When Yang Guangyuan went to Zheng Dongguo to understand the situation, Zheng Dongguo was not willing to be interviewed at all
"When you shoot the Kuomintang, you are wearing a hat crookedly and squinting your eyes, and you are all negative characters. ”In order to move Zheng Dongguo's support, Yang Guangyuan patiently and meticulously explained to him:
"I face history head-on, I seek truth from facts, and you can rest assured that I will not distort this history. ”Zheng Dongguo heard Yang Guangyuan say this, so he agreed.
For the filming of the film, Yang Guangyuan also found a heavyweight, Li Xianzhou, the former commander of the 93rd Army of the Kuomintang Army who defended the Zaozhuang area during the Battle of Taierzhuang.
When Yang Guangyuan explained his intentions, Li Xianzhou, who was already in his 90s, looked at him in disbelief and said:
"The Communist Party wants to shoot the Battle of Taierzhuang, and I really can't turn this corner. ”Yang Guangyuan repeatedly said to Li Xianzhou:"I must shoot the Battle of Taierzhuang well. ”Li Xianzhou saw Yang Guangyuan's sincerity, so he told him what he knew, and Li Xianzhou, who was 90 years old when he left, personally sent Yang Guangyuan to the door and gave a standard military salute.
On November 1, 1985, Shi Fangyu, director of the Film Bureau, presided over a symposium on the script of "Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang" at the Jingxi Hotel in Beijing
"In the future, this film will show the image of two characters: one is to shoot the image of the Kuomintang officers and soldiers on the screen; The other is the image of the Chinese Communists behind the screen who are broad-minded, far-sighted, and seeking truth from facts. ”During the filming of the film, the image of the main characters in the play, director Yang Guangyuan also made a special request that it must be compared with the prototype and selected one by one.
Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Mingzhang, Zhang Zizhong, Sun Lianzhong, these historical figures, are vividly displayed in front of us.
is the only actor of Li Zongren, who has not been sure.
Li Zongren is the protagonist of "Blood Battle Taierzhuang", if he can't be sure, then the film as a whole will also be affected.
When Yang Guangyuan was having a headache, he received a self-recommendation letter from actor Shao Honglai from Qingdao Repertory Theatre, asking to play Li Zongren.
When Yang Guangyuan saw him, he couldn't help but be taken aback, Shao Honglai's image is indeed the best choice to play Li Zongren, although after many years, Shao Honglai's teacher still remembers the role of Li Zongren when he auditioned.
At that time, the makeup artist set his makeup according to Li Zongren's image when he was a deputy **, and the effect was not good.
"I have a heavier literati temperament, and this shape is a military image, which doesn't match my temperament. ”The makeup artist later found a photo of Li Zongren and Bai Chongxi and others on the front line of the Battle of Taierzhuang
"Don't look for it, it's him. ”Although Mr. Shao Honglai is very suitable in all aspects, he is a literati after all, and he can't play the characteristics of Li Zongren's military general at the beginning, and Mr. Shao Honglai himself is also a little nervous, so he can't get into the state. Yang Guangyuan encouraged Shao Honglai:
"Your temperament is very close to this character, and you don't need any embellishment. ”
At the same time of encouragement, Director Yang Guangyuan also thought of a way, after he let Shao Hong join the crew, everyone called him "Chief Li", so that he could experience the feeling of a theater commander who is "under one person and above ten thousand people".
Over time, every time Shao Honglai started filming, he could naturally enter the role quickly.
After the film was filmed, Cheng Siyuan, who had served as Li Zongren's secretary and vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was immediately shocked when he saw Li Zongren played by Shao Honglai
"Degong (Li Zongren's character Delin) has returned his soul. ”The role of Li Zongren played by teacher Shao Honglai made him nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actor. Not only that, the role of Li Zongren played by Mr. Shao Honglai was also approved by Mr. Li Zongren's only son, Li Youling.
In June 1986, after the filming of "Blood Battle in Taierzhuang" was completed, it entered intense post-production.
After Li Youling heard about this incident in the United States, he rushed back to China thousands of miles away, and as soon as the plane landed, Li Youling proposed:"Let's not go to the hotel first, and now take me to see "Bloody Battle Taierzhuang". ”
Chen Dunde told him:"The film is in the final stages of production, ** has not yet been finalized. ”
Li Youling couldn't wait and repeatedly asked:"It's okay, I want to see the film right away. ”
After obtaining the consent of the Film Bureau, Li Youling **did not edit** the sample film that was synthesized by the editor.
Even so, after watching it for more than ten minutes, Li Youling's tears flowed down the ground, and when he saw Shao Honglai again, Li Youling excitedly held his hand and said
"It's too much like my father, too much like my father. ”"Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang" itself is to show the glorious image of the Kuomintang army's frontal resistance to the war, so there are many plots in the play, all of which are the first.
For example, when Chifeng City was defending Taierzhuang, the front-line officers once brought silver dollars and sent them to the soldiers, but the soldiers didn't want them.
"I don't want my life, what do I need money for? “General Wang Mingzhang stubbornly guarded Teng County, and at the last moment there was a scene of oral telegrams:
"100,000 urgent, Xuzhou Chief Li and Chairman Chiang: At present, the Japanese army has broken through the defense of Tengxian County, and there has been no news of our reinforcements so far. ”Such a scene, reading it so far, makes people not feel teary-eyed.
There is also such a scene in the play.
After General Wang Mingzhang was martyred, Chiang Kai-shek personally presided over the memorial service, and Japanese planes suddenly flew into the sky, shooting and bombing the ground frantically.
Chen Dunde later said that it was based on real historical archives.
Despite this, this scene was still a little difficult for many people at the time to accept, especially the positive image of Chiang Kai-shek, and many people suggested that this clip be deleted. But after some discussion, the clip was eventually retained.
On June 11, 1988, "Blood Battle in Taierzhuang" was screened in Hong Kong and caused a sensation.
At that time, after Taiwan's "** Society" Xie Zhong waited for the Hong Kong ** film, he felt that this matter was not trivial, and he called Chiang Ching-kuo **:
"I just watched an anti-Japanese war film released by the CCP in Hong Kong, which is about the victory of the ** Anti-Japanese War, called "Bloody Battle of Taierzhuang", in which the image of Ling Zun appears, which is different from their previous film images, this time the image is positive. ”When Chiang Ching-kuo heard about it, he was also very shocked and immediately asked Xie Zhonghou:
"Get me a copy right away. ”Xie Zhonghou found the Hong Kong branch of the Xinhua News Agency and asked for a copy of the film, and after the Xinhua News Agency reported to the CCP, taking into account the actual situation, the CCP** finally agreed to this request.
After getting a copy of the film, Xie Zhonghou immediately returned to Taipei with the film, Chiang Ching-kuo and Soong Meiling both ** film, and also invited all the members of the Standing Committee of the Kuomintang **, and afterwards Chiang Ching-kuo expressed his views on this matter:
"Judging from this film, the mainland has recognized our war of resistance. The video didn't smear my father's face. It seems that the mainland's policy toward Taiwan has been adjusted, and we should make some adjustments accordingly. ”It didn't take long for Chiang Ching-kuo to agree to allow veterans of the Kuomintang troops to return to the mainland to visit relatives, which also opened up exchanges and interactions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait for the first time in decades. After Cheng Siyuan learned of this, he also highly praised the contribution made by Guangxi Film Studio, and also wrote an inscription for it:
"Well-planned, promoting unity. ”In fact, in the past films, in line with the Chinese's feelings for reunion, the last scene of the film "Blood Battle Taierzhuang" was originally intended to use the scene of "the people of the whole country beating gongs and drums to celebrate victory", director Yang Guangyuan felt that this arrangement made the film not far-reaching, and after several thoughts, the film was finally changed to an open ending:
"At the head of the city, by the water, next to the ironclad tanks abandoned by the Japanese army, hundreds of corpses were paved into a bloody road, and the gray uniforms of the squadron and the yellow uniforms of the Japanese army invading China were almost mottled and indistinguishable; The embers were still burning, the smoke was still filling, and an incomplete blue sky and white sun flag fluttered ...... the highest point of the city wall”Words are endless, and meanings are endless......