Niu Ben, Da Shichang, Xiang Mei, Liang Boluo, and Tong Ruixin have said that the Shanghai Film Academy is 70 years old
On September 4, 1953, the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe was established. With the support of Shanghai Film Group, the series of interview programs of "I and the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe" have been completed and will be updated daily on the troupe's official account from September 4 this year. Niu Ben, Xiang Mei, Da Shichang, Liang Boluo, Hongxia, Zhang Yunli, Zhang Wenrong, Zhu Manfang, Wang Shihuai, Zhao Jing, Ma Guanying, Cui Jie, Zhang Xiaolin, Yu Hui, Tong Ruixin, Li Zonghan, Chen Long, Tang Yan... During interviews, the three generations of actors from the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe elaborated on the history of the troupe and their reflections on performing arts, leaving precious memories for Chinese cinema.
The common "home" of actors
On October 29, 2018, the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe returned to their "home" on Wukang Road. On that day, many veteran artists from the troupe were extremely excited. Over the past 70 years, the theater troupe has undergone multiple changes in its location, from Nanjing West Road and Wuding Road to Ruijin 1st Road and Caoxi North Road. They have lived in garden villas on Yongfu Road and small houses like pigeon cages on Damuqiao Road, with Wukang Road having the longest "home" time. "It's not easy for us to have such an elegant and vibrant workplace, and it's still thriving today." Hong Xia, a member of the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe, was one of the first old artists to join the troupe in 1953. After living abroad for a long time, her first thing she did when she returned to China was to connect with the troupe. "I have been with the troupe all the way, and we have shared the ups and downs. Like those older teachers, I treat performance as my lifelong pursuit."
On September 30, 2022, the opening ceremony of "Me and the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe" was held, with the title written by Niu Ben.
When recording "Me and the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe", the old artist Niu Ben and the troupe leader Tong Ruixin walked along the old sites of the troupe. He still remembers clearly that he took a big group photo on the lawn of the former site of the Wuding Road Theater Troupe, with Feng Zhe and Ye Xiaozhu in the photo... The earliest actor troupe had a large number of people, many of whom temporarily had no movies to shoot, so they honed their actors through drama, and were directed by veteran actors from the troupe such as Bai Mu.
"My childhood was accompanied by the birth of the People's Republic of China, and I was educated at Shanghai Film Academy in college. Finally, I retired and graduated from the 'human university' of the Shanghai Film Actors' Troupe. The veteran artist of the troupe, Da Shichang, still remembers the care and cultivation of his predecessors, such as Bugari and Ling Zhihao.". Ling Zhihao and Sally are well-known model couples in the film industry. When they learned that the two elders wanted to celebrate their 50th anniversary but were unable to do so, students such as Da Shichang, Zhu Manfang, and Yan Yongxuan helped organize the event. On that day, the senior members of the theater troupe, including Zhang Ruifang, Liu Qiong, Qiao Qi, Comfortable, Phoenix, Ai Mingzhi, Shu Shu, Cen Fan, and others, all arrived. They were immersed in joy and happiness, like a warm big family.
On January 17, 2023, Niu Ben, Hong Xia, Tong Ruixin, Guo Kaimin, Zhao Jing, Yu Hui, Zhang Xiaolin, Yan Xiaopin, Chen Long, Huang Yi, Tang Yan, and others participated in the recording of the Spring Festival Gala on Oriental TV, paying tribute to Chinese movies.
With the help of senior members of the theater troupe such as Liu Qiong and Sun Daolin, Liang Boluo, who was in his twenties, stirred up a big beam in "Station 51" and is still affectionately referred to by the audience as the "little boss". "In 1992, I fell seriously ill. At the regular meeting of the theater troupe every Friday, I would first discuss the progress of my illness. The art world is boundless, and I am willing to always be a small screw on the giant ship of the Shanghai Film and Television Actors' Troupe."
The Shanghai Film Actors Troupe held the 2021 Chongyang Elderly Respecting Event.
Yan Yongxuan and Yan Xiaobin's aunt and nephew are both actors in the theater troupe. Yan Xiaobin still remembers graduating from Beijing Film Academy in 1986 and reporting to Wukang Road. Zhang Xiaolin and Zhang Kanger were also assigned to the same class. The doors of the two large rooms in the conference room downstairs are always open, and everyone gathers here once a week. Looking out the window, there is a lush garden, with a warm and cozy scene. "I usually shoot movies from all over the world, and when I return to the group, we all cherish the opportunity to sit and chat together." She still remembers one year when the Spring Festival was approaching, the old group leader Zhang Ruifang pointed at everyone and said, "I saw your faces one by one, why are you so excited!"
Senior, like a lighthouse, illuminating the way forward
"I have been thinking about how to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the theater troupe, and later made up my mind to face difficulties and shoot oral history." Tong Ruixin, the 10th head of the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe, introduced that in the 70 episode "Me and the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe," the history of the troupe was sorted out through dialogue, reviewing the tremendous contributions made by many theater troupe actors to the Chinese film industry. The "Me and the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe" and the 70th anniversary album of the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe, published by Xuelin Publishing House, will also be released soon. In addition to including interview content in written form, the book also includes articles by senior members of the troupe such as Zhao Dan, Liu Qiong, Zhang Ruifang, and Qin Yi. Not long ago, the film "Father in the Distance" adapted from the story of Jiang Wanfu, a national moral model and a Shanghai educated youth, was completed. Almost all Han Chinese characters in the film were played by actors from the Shanghai Film Academy. "A book, a picture album, a movie, and a 70 episode oral history program called" Me and the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe "are the most valuable gifts we offer to the troupe for its 70th anniversary," said Tong Ruixin.
Tong Ruixin found that in the interview, Hong Xia talked the most about the veteran of Shanghai Film Studio and the director and lead actor of "My Life", Shi Hua. Niu Ben talked the most about the senior of the theater troupe, Zhao Dan. Da Shichang and Liang Boluo talked the most about the senior, Sun Daolin. This also made him deeply understand: "To shape a character well, we need to take one step at a time. The senior are role models, like lighthouses illuminating our path forward."
On June 16, 2018, during the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Shanghai Film Actors Theater held a 65th anniversary commemoration event on "Shanghai Film Night".
In 1957, Xiang Mei, who was a sophomore in the Department of Architecture and Design at Tianjin University, was loaned to Shanghai Film Studio by a letter stuffed under her dormitory door to join the production team of "Women's Basketball No. 5". She still remembers the shock she had when she first saw the two lead actors Liu Qiong and Qin Yi on set. Many of the characters in the film, which only had one or two scenes, were played by veteran actors from the Shanghai Film Academy. Now revisiting "Women's Basketball No. 5", Xiang Mei couldn't help but marvel at those senior actors who "acted like nothing, without any exaggeration or affectation, worked hard and seriously, and did not seek fame and fortune.".
The Shanghai Film Academy produced its first TV drama "The Death of the Groom" in 1980, and expanded its TV department in 1984, directly under the Shanghai Film Studio. Qin Yi, Wu Yunfang, Xiang Mei, Zhao Jing, and others have all starred in TV dramas, while Zhang Xuecun and Niu Ben have taken on directing work. Their films, such as "The Girl Selling Big Pancakes" and "Under the Roof of Shanghai," are deeply loved by audiences. "If rehearsing plays is to exercise performance, then filming TV dramas is to cultivate creative talents," said Niu Ben.
In the 1980s, during her tenure as the head of the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe, Xiang Mei encountered a wave of reform and opening up. She accompanied the delegation on multiple trips abroad and realized that the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe also needed to change with the times. She broke the rule that actors were not allowed to "lend out" to foreign factories for filming, allowing everyone to have ample practical opportunities in the best time. At that time, the theater troupe also set up a simple recording studio on the small pavilion, allowing actors to participate in dubbing practice; And a simple practice room was set up downstairs, giving everyone a place to do physical training.
On June 19-20, 2021, the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe held a themed event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on July 1st. Party members of the branch visited the Memorial Hall of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, where they revisited their oath and paid tribute to the revolutionary martyrs of the past century in the form of filmmakers.
The troupe has always attached importance to the basic skills of actors' lines. Many people have been loaned to do dubbing work. Cao Lei, Sun Yufeng and other actors have been transferred to Shanghai Film Translation Factory, making outstanding artistic contributions to the dubbing cause. Last year, Da Shichang led the veteran, middle-aged, and young actors of the theater troupe to learn and improve their language skills. He spent a year producing a soundtrack play with the same name for the Chinese hardcover version of "The Gadfly" by China Youth Publishing House, which will be published soon.
Da Shichang and Tong Ruixin are recording "Gadfly".
"In the past, we often said, 'Carry on the past and open up the future.' This is a high expectation placed on young people. To Da Shichang's satisfaction, the actor troupe has successors, and many young and middle-aged actors have achieved remarkable success. He Lin won the International Emmy Award, becoming the first Asian actress to receive this honor."; Wang Jingchun has won the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Silver Bear Award for Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival
On November 25, 2018, the Shanghai Film Actors Troupe and Ba Jin's former residence jointly hosted the third season of "Sound and Shadow" - "Today is Your Birthday" Ba Jin and Xiao Shan's work recitation meeting. Liang Boluo, Da Shichang, Chen Xiyi, Xi Meijuan, Wang Shihuai, Zhao Jing, Tong Ruixin, Yu Hui, Yang Chen, He Genqier, and others participated in the recitation; Piano player Kong Xiangdong provided live accompaniment.
The "Sound and Shadow" recitation held at Song Qingling's former residence in 2021 was Li Zonghan's first time participating in a theater troupe activity. On that day, he specially wore a white Chinese style dress and said, "When entering the Shanghai Film Festival, whether it's acting or being a person, you must be clean and tidy." Tang Yan still remembers being a representative of young actors and participating in the "Light and Shadow Ode - Film People Always Follow the Party" film concert with the senior members of the theater troupe. "Through the inheritance of the Shanghai Film Festival actors and troupe from generation to generation, we can learn and draw valuable experience from their predecessors." Chen Long joined the troupe on the 60th anniversary of the troupe, and on the day the Sun Daolin bronze statue was completed in 2022, he stood in the troupe garden for a long time. "We must guard this golden signboard well, use our works to make it beautiful." Polish. "
On July 6, 2021, the actors of Shanghai Film Actors and Theaters Troupe, including Da Shichang, Liang Bolo, Tong Ruixin, Zhu Manfang, Wang Shihuai, Tong Ruixin, Zhao Jing, Yu Hui, Sun Qing, Wang Yanan, Chen Long, Tang Yan and others, will always follow the party to participate in the film concert of "Glory of Light and Shadow" - Shanghai Film Group Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the CPC.
In 2018, Niu Ben, 83, joined the CPC with honor. One of his introducers was Qin Yi, 96. Nowadays, Niu Ben, who is almost 90 years old, is still filming. He has always remembered what Zhao Dan, a senior member of the theater troupe, said: "Actors cannot create roles based on their level, and as actors, one should not have a desire for fame and fortune.". "Our theater troupe inherits this spirit, they have not forgotten the audience, and the audience will not forget them," said Niu Ben.
"Inheriting and promoting the dual virtues of morality and artistry, as well as creating outstanding artistic spirit, is the glorious mission of Shanghai Film Studio in the new era." Wang Jianer, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Shanghai Film Co., Ltd., said that Shanghai Film Studio has witnessed a magnificent chapter in the history of Chinese cinema and created glorious moments belonging to Shanghai Film Studio. "Whenever I communicate with the veteran artists of the theater troupe, I am always moved by their artistic sentiment and dedication. They always pay close attention to Chinese and Shanghai films, hoping that Shanghai Film Studio will continue to produce more outstanding works." Wang Jianer said.
