From 65438 to 0988, producer Feng Hsu approached director Chen Kaige with Li Bihua's novel Farewell My Concubine, hoping that he would adapt it into a movie. Chen Kaige invited the then famous screenwriter Reid to discuss the script.

After reading the novel, Reid bluntly told Chen Kaige that Farewell My Concubine was a second-rate novel. The content is nothing more than the love between men and women, with little connotation. Chen Kaige listened, but thought that the evaluation of reed was high; In his view, Farewell My Concubine is a third-rate novel.

reed

199 1 Chen Kaige's new work "Walking and Singing" is adapted from Shi Tiesheng's novel "Life is Like a String", and Reed and Li Bihua went to see it.

After the movie, Reid said to Li Bihua privately, I watched it and thought, What story does this movie tell? I didn't understand it until the end of the film. Li Bihua smiled and replied, "I sleep while watching." .

From then on, Reid came to a conclusion about Chen Kaige: It is ok to be a director, but don't let him be a screenwriter.

The director and screenwriter are confirmed, and the casting of the film is difficult again. Chen Kaige wants Leslie Cheung to play Cheng Dieyi. However, as the top coffee maker in Hong Kong, is Leslie Cheung so easy to please?

By appointment, Chen Kaige and Leslie Cheung meet in the coffee shop of Mandarin Hotel. Holding the unfinished first draft, Chen Kaige didn't know how much Leslie Cheung could understand, and talked for hours.

After listening, Leslie Cheung was completely infected by Chen Kaige's enthusiasm, stood up and held Chen Kaige's hand and said, "Thank you for telling me a story, I'm Cheng Dieyi".

Since then, Gong Li, Ge You and others have been invited to support the film, and Gu Changwei has also taken photos. The film production process is quite smooth.

At that time, a group of the best people in China film industry gathered together in the best condition, which meant that the film was destined to be a peak from the moment it was established.

There is no need to elaborate on how excellent Farewell My Concubine is. After nearly 30 years of precipitation, it has become a banner of China film circle, and Chen Kaige has become an instant hit with it.

Sadly, however, after that, the films directed by Chen Kaige began to decline. From "The Promise" to "The Taoist Down the Mountain" and "The Legend of the Demon Cat", word of mouth plummeted. What happened to Director Chen?

Second, the film is too far away and the poetry is too close.

Chen Kaige didn't even think about taking the North Film exam.

1977, the college entrance examination was officially resumed, and Chen Kaige entered the Chinese Department of Peking University. The reason is simple-Chen Kaige thinks his composition is good.

The college entrance examination was not as good as it is now. That is a wooden bridge with thousands of troops. As expected, Chen Kaige was not admitted.

In the second year, a classmate and Chen Kaige said, "Your composition is good, so it's better to take an examination of Beiying." . There is no need for math and physics. Chen Kaige gladly returned. Because he knows his math and physics level.

Before the college entrance examination resumed, he had no books to read. First, I worked as a soldier for five years, and then I returned to Beijing to do printing in a film factory. How much knowledge do you remember after so many years?

However, the ideal is full, but the reality is very skinny. Chen Kaige failed in the college entrance examination this year. But Chen Kaige left a deep impression on the examiner-he was so eloquent.

At that time, as soon as the examiner came up, he asked Chen Kaige a difficult question: What is the movie rhythm?

Chen Kaige doesn't know, but it doesn't matter, he can pull. So even though there was speculation, Hu Kan, who lived far apart, ate a meal, but in the end, as expected, he was brushed off.

Perhaps, somehow, this is an act of God, but Chen Kaige's dream of university has not been shattered here.

At that time, Huang Zhen, Minister of Culture, issued an order to the Film Academy to expand enrollment and to revitalize the film industry. Chen Kaige, who failed the list, was mistakenly admitted to the Beijing Film Academy.

A young man with a literati dream has an indissoluble bond with movies.

1978 is destined to be a year in the film history of China. That year, the Northern Film Academy gathered outstanding directors and actors from all over China in the future:

Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Gu Changwei, ZhangFeng yi, Jianjun Ge ... For forty years, China's films have been pushed to new heights in one fell swoop.

Unlike Zhang Yimou's passion for movies, Chen Kaige once had no affection for movies and even resented them. And the source of this emotion is Chen Kaige's father: Chen Huaiai.

As the third generation director of China, Chen Huaiai traveled around shooting movies when he was young in Chen Kaige. In Chen Kaige's memory, the most common way of communication between him and his father Chen Huaiai is letters.

In fact, in that era of underdeveloped communication, letters were not a big deal, but what made Chen Kaige feel at a loss most was that every time he sent a long message, he received only a few words in reply.

Even one year when Chen Kaige sent his father a report card with joy, Chen's father wrote only four words in his reply: "You have to be better".

Even though some plays were shot in Beijing, Chen Kaige rushed to the yard to wait for his father, but he didn't get his love.

Chen Huaiai

Because the preparation process of shooting is very long, it often takes two or three hours to get ready. As a director, Chen Huaiai must put his work first.

Chen Kaige, who is disappointed every time on a whim, really can't stand this ink, and loses his last affection for the film.

Adler once said, "Happy people use their childhood to cure their whole lives, while unfortunate people use their whole lives to cure their childhood". Compared with his father's indifference, in Chen Kaige's memory, the existence of his mother is the biggest driving force for Chen Kaige's progress.

In Chen Kaige's autobiography Song of Youth, there is a long description of Mu Chen:

Mother often wears an elegant fruity green silk pajamas and holds a roll of Poems of a Thousand Families in her hand. I leaned lightly on the rattan chair in the yard, chanting "in the pure morning, near the ancient temple, where the early sunshine points to the treetops"; At dusk, he faced the "double-tile sparrow book case, and the small flowers were put into the inkstone pool."

For Chen Kaige, movies are too far away and poems are too close.

Third, the brightest star in the night sky.

After graduating from North Film, Chen Kaige began to make films. 1985, the first film "Yellow Land" directed by Chen Kaige was released, officially announcing that Director Chen began his directing career.

At this time, the spring breeze of reform and opening up has spread all over China, and the closed country has gradually opened. The eastern and western cultures began a fierce collision.

Chen Kaige, who is good at poetic artistic conception, has made his mark on the international film stage with his works with China cultural artistic conception, such as Yellow Land, king of the children and Walking and Singing. He was nominated for the Yin Bao Prize in the 38th Locarno International Film Festival and the Palme d 'Or Award in the main competition unit of the 4th/kloc-0 Cannes Film Festival.

Stills of "Yellow Land"

If the hero is sad about Beauty Pass, then from 1986, Chen Dao's life has ushered in a new turning point.

1984 I met Hong Huang when I was shooting yellow land in Chen Kaige.

Who's Hong Huang? Many friends may not know. But when it comes to her family background, it is definitely one of the best in China.

Grandfather Zhang, former Beiyang Justice and Chief Education Officer; Father Hong Junyan, deputy director of American Studies Center in Peking University; Mother "the last celebrity" Zhang is a famous English teacher; Joe Crown, stepfather, is a famous Joe in the diplomatic circle.

Hung Hong

After that, the golden wind and the jade dew met, netting countless people.

However, after the wedding, how can daily necessities be an ideal hometown for romantic creators in Chen Kaige's bones?

It was because of Chen Kaige's own excellence that she attracted countless women at that time. Soon, a national goddess entered Chen Kaige's life-Ni Ping.

According to Ni Ping herself, when filming Farewell My Concubine, she had already started to live with Chen Kaige.

1994 When Chen Huaiai died, Ni Ping presided over the funeral. At that time, Chen Jiaji had acquiesced in Ni Ping's prospective daughter-in-law. However, after Chen Kaige divorced Hong Huang, he did not choose Ni Ping, but turned his attention to another person-Chen Hong.

Ni Ping's five-year cohabitation didn't end well, so it's hard for us outsiders to guess what kind of mentality Chen Kaige was at that time.

But there is no doubt that Ni Ping lost, lost to Chen Hong, who can better grasp Chen Kaige's inner world.

Unlike success in love, director Chen's career as a director gradually declined after that.

Fourth, when the time comes, heaven and earth will cooperate, and transporting heroes is not free.

After Farewell My Concubine, Chen Kaige and he continued to cooperate and directed Feng Yue, which was adapted from Ye's novel Flower Shadow.

In the film, Du Kefeng's photography is extremely beautiful; Excellent artistic atmosphere shaping and profound characterization of characters' hearts are inseparable from the painstaking efforts of director Chen Kaige.

But compared with Farewell My Concubine, the story of this film is much less, but it still won many awards at home and abroad.

After that, Jing Ke stabbed the king of Qin and Sui You both inherited this trait, that is, the artistic conception is beautiful and the plot is weak.

If we say that in the 20th century, film, as an elegant literary activity that pursues artistry, can tolerate this shortcoming; However, in the 2 1 century, in the era of all-people entertainment with information explosion, the high and low music will eventually be abandoned by the people.

The outbreak of this conflict was the release of the Promise directed by Chen in 2005.

In 2005, China has entered the Internet era. In the past, even if the audience thought a movie was not good, there were not many channels for voice. At most, I can only spit a few words between my family and friends, so I have to endure it.

However, in the Internet age, people are clamoring and everyone can speak. At this time, a young man named Hugh filmed a short film "A Bloody Case Caused by a Steamed Bread" on the Internet.

Just like a fuse, it instantly detonated the emotions of netizens. The overwhelming criticism on the Internet accused Chen Kaige and director Chen of having a heart explosion and threatening to take Hugh to court.

However, the eyes of the masses are discerning, and it is an indisputable fact that the plot of Promise is badly hurt. Most netizens expressed their support for Hugh.

Some even joked that director Chen won an Hugo Award for his 300 million blockbuster. For a time, "The Promise" became the laughingstock of the people all over the country, and Chen Kaige was labeled as a "bad film director" from then on.

After that, we can see the pain of Chen Kaige's transition period, and strive to combine the commercialization and artistry of the story. However, the result is often to draw a tiger instead of a dog.

From The Orphan of Zhao to The Taoist Down the Mountain and The Legend of the Demon Cat, they are all highly controversial works.

Promised stills

Five, different choices, different endings

In the final analysis, it is the conflict between Chen Dao's own value and practical interests.

Chen Kaige was born in a scholarly film family, and his growth was characterized by elitism. The people at the bottom lack basic knowledge, but they like to drive ducks to the shelves.

In last year's National Day tribute film "Our Country", Chen Kaige personally directed "White Meteor" to show the above characteristics incisively and vividly.

What if two young people come out of juvie with long hair? Not a buzz cut? This is not in line with basic social common sense. In the subsequent plot setting, there is a typical sense of alienation and nothingness divorced from reality.

Photographs of meteors during the day

With Chen Kaige's director level, this is by no means a BUG caused by carelessness. Only when there is a serious disconnect between the superior and the subordinate, I don't know, understand or even care, will I shoot such a work.

Zhang Yimou, who is also a graduate of the class of 78 and is famous for his visual effects, has gone further than Chen Kaige.

The theme of Hero is similar to that of Jing Ke's Stabbing the King of Qin by Chen, which pays more attention to the core of national significance than artistic attainments;

Home country and the world, ordinary people and traditional culture-often only these people-friendly things can be more attractive and arouse the audience's psychology.

World War I, the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, established the name of "National Teacher".

Scene photos of the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

If Zhang Yimou is a positive reference for Chen Kaige, then Jiang Wen is his opposite.

In Jiang Wen's films, although it is difficult for us to understand, it is not incomprehensible. It can even be said that once you know them, you can find everyone in the vast sea of people.

The characterization of Zhang Mazi, Huang Shirang and even the people in Goose City in Let Bullets Fly represents a certain kind of people, each of whom has his own characteristics and purposes. With the long whistle of the carriage, many people's dreams were awakened.

This is anti-elitism, the best spiritual gift for the audience.

Stills of "Let Bullets Fly"

After all, times make heroes. Undeniably, the fifth generation of directors, including Chen Kaige, began to fade in the overall environment.

Even The Great Wall, which was released in Zhang Yimou on 20 16, was criticized. Even the transformation of variety shows has been put on the agenda.

However, in terms of national reputation, Chen Kaige has found a new way. He is gentle and has a high professional quality. He knows how to deal with actors. From behind the scenes to in front of the stage, Chen Kaige completed the most successful transformation on 20 19.

6. Where is the way out for China movies?

The dislocation between Chen Kaige and the fifth-generation directors in the face of the tide of commercialization is actually an embarrassment they both face together.

It's not that China can't make good movies.

In 20 19, a fire in The Wandering Earth detonated the cinema market in China. The audience voted with their feet, pointing out the direction of China's film-industrialization, a popular film with China's cultural cognition.

"Hollywood" used to be a derogatory term in China film industry. At the end of the 20th century, in the eyes of director China, Hollywood was a pure commercial film with no connotation.

However, the wheel of the times is moving slowly. With the rise of Hollywood movies in China market, director China was forced to accept the fact that Hollywood is really powerful and can make money.

The key point of Hollywood film production lies in its industrialized production.

From casting and script to planning, shooting, packaging and publicity, they all have detailed industrialization processes, which are different from the small workshop production of China films.

Every step and process is carried out in strict accordance with the pipeline mode. All-round industrial support ensures that the lower quality limit of the film will not be particularly low.

However, the film under the Hollywood system has the characteristics of rigid form. In recent years, there have been many bad films. Independence Day 2, marked by the box office slump in China, represents the urgent need to change the Hollywood model.

This is a crisis-the "danger" of the United States and the "opportunity" of China.

The conventional plot, the story that you can guess the ending with your eyes closed, the rapid development of China society and the remarkable improvement of people's cognition all make you less interested in American "personal heroism".

What China audience urgently needs is to tell China's own story and spread China's own values with Hollywood's advanced model.

The Wandering Earth combines the two well, and has made many achievements and reputations.

As the seventh largest art of mankind, film has been carved for a hundred years since the birth of France in 1895.

Countless filmmakers took advantage of the dongfeng station of the times to climb the spire of the art palace, but they retreated in dismay.

Because what is truly remembered by history is not a certain work of a certain person, only the creators who keep pace with the times and are close to the people can be called real "masters of art".

After all, people are the creators of history.