In the classic spy war drama "Cliff", the main characters such as Zhou Yi, Gu Qiuyan and Gao Bin have been analyzed in depth, and their acting skills and character depth have been widely praised. However, just as safflower needs green leaves, the success of a work cannot be achieved by just a few protagonists. On the contrary, the wonderful performance of all the supporting characters is also crucial. Today, we will delve into the role of Xiao Dong in the play, the depth and charm of this classic work.
Xiao Dong, whose real name is Dong Yugang, is a seemingly ordinary underground worker. His appearance is not outstanding, and he is even a little stuttering, but with his hard work and talent, he has managed to create a vivid and authentic character. In the play, he accepted the leadership of Zhou Yi's wife and was responsible for delivering a batch of medicines and radio stations to the Anti-Japanese Federation on the mountain. Although he doesn't have many scenes, he makes the audience unforgettable with his acting skills.
Xiao Dong's performance style is simple and natural, without too much embellishment and exaggeration. His lines are close to life, real and credible, without any traces of pompous performances. Unlike those actors who chew on words, Xiao Dong's performance pays more attention to the true expression of emotions, rather than mechanically following the script. Each of his lines is full of sincerity, which can deeply infect and attract the audience.
Xiao Dong's appearance left a deep impression on the audience. At the scene of picking up Sun Yuejian at the station, he was wearing a cotton coat, cotton gloves and a dogskin hat, looking like a typical Northeast man. He took the suitcase in Sun Yuejian's hand, his face was full of joy, as if he had seen a long-lost relative. This real expression of emotion suddenly shortens the distance between the characters and the audience.
When Sun Yuejian asked about the progress of the work, Xiao Dong's answer of "okay" made people feel his simplicity and sincerity. He expressed his work in the simplest of words, without any exaggeration or disguise. This sincere expression makes the audience trust and like the character even more.
Although Xiao Dong's role is only a supporting role in the play, his performance undoubtedly adds a lot of color to this classic spy war drama. His earthy, natural, and genuine performance style injects more realism and credibility into the whole work. At the same time, it also shows that the reason why "Cliff" has become a classic is inseparable from the wonderful interpretation of every character in the play. People are alive, and interpreting lines needs to be endowed with charm and spirituality, perfectly integrated with the identity of the character, which is the most basic but vital skill of an actor.
Whether the actor's performance is pretentious or naturally fits the character cannot be hidden, and his skills can be seen from his words and deeds. After Xiao Dong finished saying "It's okay", he didn't stop, but continued to ask: "Sister, where are we going?" Although this sentence does not conform to the habits of written language, it shows his role as a caring younger brother, without the formality of business, let alone the traces of performance. The director's guidance is important, but if the actor's skills are not enough, it is difficult to achieve this level.
Although the spy war drama is fictional, it must capture the hearts of the audience, first, the plot must be tense and exciting, and second, the actors' performances must be delicate. Although the tension and excitement are important, what can really penetrate the hearts of the people is the delicate performance of the actors. Xiao Dong's lines are just right and perfectly integrated into the character, which shows that the success of "Cliff" lies in the proper handling of details, and it also reflects Xiao Dong's deep understanding of the role and superb acting skills.
Let's talk about Xiao Dong's performance in the play. In the episode where he was intercepted by bandits to deliver medicine, although he was rescued by Zhou Yi, due to other reasons, the medicine and Xiao Dong were seized by the police station. At this stage, Xiao Dong performed two scenes very excitingly, one was the fake shooting scene on the execution ground, and the other was the joint scene in the snow. On the execution ground, Xiao Dong was tortured and interrogated by the enemy, but his identity was never revealed. When Gao Bin patted him on the shoulder and asked him if he felt that dying like this would leave regrets, Xiao Dong's performance made people deeply feel his firmness and bravery. In this scene, Xiao Dong's acting skills were brought into full play, allowing the audience to have a deeper knowledge and understanding of the role he played.
On this cold snow, Xiao Dong, a once resolute warrior, is now tied with his hands behind his back and faltering. The wounds on his body are the marks of struggle and the testimony of the atrocities of the enemy. His breathing was heavy, as if every breath required all his strength. Looking at him, you can almost feel his pain, his suffering, the helplessness and exhaustion that emanates from the depths of his heart.
However, even in such a predicament, Xiao Dong still stuck to his beliefs. In the face of Gao Bin's ** and threats, he did not waver in the slightest. He told Gao Bin in a weak but firm voice that indiscriminately killing innocent people would eventually be punished by God. That kind of dedication to justice can't help but be moved.
When the threat to his life really came, and the gun was pointed at his head, we saw Xiao Dong's real reaction - not the usual perseverance and determination, but deep pain and helplessness. This is true, and this is how each of us reacts in the face of life and death.
Fortunately, it was just a drill, and the gun did not go off. But Xiao Dong's body and mind have suffered a great torture. He was dragged across the snow, pain, cold, hunger, and fright intertwined and he could barely bear it. He began to foam at the foam, a deep pain and helplessness that seemed to overflow from his body.
Gao Bin stepped forward to question, but Xiao Dong couldn't answer, he could only breathe heavily, and the desire for survival and his dedication to life were revealed. Gao Bin told him that today was just a drill, and if he didn't, his life might be extended. Then he knelt in Xiao Dong's ear, whispered a few words, and then loudly ordered him to be taken away.
Such a plot is real and cruel, but it is also the persistence and persistence of each of us in life. Although Xiao Dong suffered such torture, he still adhered to his beliefs and principles. He didn't have impassioned slogans, no heroic feats, he just used his life to tell us: no matter when and where, we must stick to our beliefs and principles, and even if we are faced with a choice between life and death, we must go on bravely. On the stage of revolution, Xiao Dong is always willing to endure hardships and become a silent role. Although he doesn't have many lines, he conveys emotions and connotations deeply with his excellent acting skills in every scene. He succeeded in bringing to life the image of a revolutionary who was indomitable under the guns of the enemy and endured great pain.
In the open-air snow, Xiao Dong and Zhou Yi's performances are even more wonderful. Zhou Yi showed Xiao Dong the joint code, and then told him the real reason why he took him to the snow - to avoid the indoor listening equipment. Then, Zhou Yi told Xiao Dong that after investigation, he had proven to be a revolutionary soldier who had withstood the test. However, the next news shocked Xiao Dong - the medicine on the mountain had been poisoned by the Japanese, and Ren Changchun, who went up the mountain together, pretended to surrender. Zhou Yi asked Xiao Dong to only contact Political Commissar Zhou in the next operation, and informed him that there were spies in the team on the mountain, and took this opportunity to expose them.
In this scene, Xiao Dong does not have a single line, and relies on actions, eyes and expressions to convey emotions. He stood in the snow and ice, with only thin tattered clothes, handcuffs on his hands, shackles on his feet, and his face was covered in scars and blood. He could only keep stomping his feet to resist the cold. In this situation, the actor will let the play smash up if he is careless, but Xiao Dong performed flawlessly, making people seem to be able to feel his coldness and trembling. That's the beauty of an actor's performance – the ability to infect and move audiences. When an actor interacts with the audience, he has reached the highest level of performance.
In the days after going up the mountain, Xiao Dong had to fight wits and courage and skillfully deal with various situations. Ren Changchun's contact with the spy Lao Qiu further complicated the situation. Lao Qiu did not trust Ren Changchun, and was also worried that Xiao Dong would bring information that was unfavorable to him. So, he tried his best to prevent Ren Changchun from meeting with Political Commissar Zhou. At this critical moment, Xiao Dong showed extraordinary wisdom and calmness, and he expressed his emotions and attitudes with subtle movements and eyes, which made people deeply attracted to him. On this complex and changeable stage, Xiao Dong's performance will never disappoint everyone.
He always has the ability to make people fall for it in his way. I want to kill Ren Changchun and Xiao Dong together. During this period, Xiao Dong pretended to be stupid, dumb, and cute, and skillfully negotiated with Lao Qiu, and finally met Political Commissar Zhou. The most exciting plot is that after Xiao Dong and Political Commissar Zhou met, Xiao Dong, who was already hungry, took the baked potatoes handed by Political Commissar Zhou and chewed them heavily. Some viewers mentioned in my comment section that Xiao Dong's behavior of only eating potato cores and discarding potato skins seems inappropriate, although the potatoes are a little dirty when they are taken out of the brazier, but in the context at that time, he should not have had time to take care of these small details. However, I think that's exactly what makes the performance so good. Because Xiao Dong did not pick up food, but came to the base area, and Political Commissar Zhou had already prepared food for him. Potatoes are only used to satisfy hunger temporarily. In this case, there is no need to eat even the skin.
In a hurry to eat the potatoes, Xiao Dong was so choked that he couldn't speak. He could not let that affect the reporting of intelligence. The kind of emotion that you want to say but can't say is really difficult to deduce. This allows the audience to deeply understand his situation, which greatly enhances the audience's viewing experience. We often say that the success of theatre lies in the details. Without these delicate performances, simply getting straight to the point, the appeal of the drama is bound to suffer. Xiao Dong's wonderful performance did play the role of the finishing touch.
Xiao Dong was chewing on the potatoes and panting and said, "Old Wu......."I'm going to tell you ......There are three things ......First, the medicine I brought back had already been poisoned by the Japanese. Second, there is an enemy lurking in the mountains. Third, this police officer Ren is a spy. After returning to the team, Xiao Dong's role ended.
In the whole play of "Cliff", Xiao Dong is just a supporting role in the supporting role, and the supporting roles that are more important than him include Lao Wei, Sun Yuejian, Lu Ming, Liu Kui, Ren Changchun, Chen Jingyu and others. However, although Xiao Dong did not have many scenes, his superb acting skills still left a deep impression on the audience. The details of his other wonderful performances in the play will not be repeated here due to space reasons.
In general, through the role of Xiao Dong, we can draw a conclusion: even the smallest characters and the most subtle plots have the potential to play a huge role in the drama. A good work is not achieved by just a few main actors, and the contributions of the supporting actors are equally indispensable and crucial. It is the outstanding performance of the supporting characters that makes the whole play unforgettable and a true classic!