The new book "A Family's Film History" premieres, commemorating the birthday of director Huang Shuqin
September 9th is the 84th birthday of renowned director Huang Shuqin. On that day, "A Family Film History" planned and published by Beiye Book was first released at Film Time Bookstore. The book focuses on the film and theatrical art creations of the three generations of Huang Zuolin, Danny, Huang Shuqin, Zheng Changfu, Zheng Dasheng, and Shen Yili's family, providing a unique observation sample for Chinese drama and film over the past century.
At the premiere event, the main author of the book, Xu Jinjing, along with the protagonist and director Zheng Dasheng, as well as Shanghai Film Critics Association Vice President Tang Weijie and Associate Professor Tao Fuwen of the School of Film and Television Media at Shanghai Normal University, shared and exchanged stories behind the compilation and thoughts on artistic inheritance with readers, expressing nostalgia and nostalgia to Huang Shuqin.
The premiere event of the new book "A Family's Film History"
"A Family's Film History" is divided into two parts: "Interviews" and "Selections". Through oral interviews with Xu Jinjing and Zheng Dasheng, the family's artistic inheritance history is gradually unfolded, and the words created by representatives of the Huang Zuolin, Huang Shuqin, Zheng Dasheng and other families reveal a sincere and sensitive observation of the times, a warm concern for life, and a pursuit of artistic excellence.
The premiere event of the new book "A Family's Film History"
Xu Jinjing met Zheng Dasheng through an interview more than ten years ago. The first sentence in the report was that he found out online, "He comes from a family of drama and film.". During her work from home period in 2020, Xu Jinjing watched a large amount of old movie materials and suddenly realized what kind of family inheritance and personal life history were hidden behind a sentence she had inadvertently referred to back then.
Therefore, he had the idea of writing this book. After chatting with Zheng Dasheng about this idea, "One day I received a package and upon opening it, I found that he had sent all the first-hand literature and discs he could find, which was my most wonderful and warm memory in the past three years." Xu Jinjing repeatedly compared and viewed the materials with her works, forming over 10000 words of viewing notes. He took the high-speed train to Shanghai and had his first interview with Zheng Dasheng. We talked from morning until three or four in the afternoon, and we only talked halfway through the outline.
The premiere event of the new book "A Family's Film History"
Using interviews and selected texts to explore the internal clues of family inheritance, what impressed Zheng Dasheng was also the academic attitude and sociological significance behind the topic selection. Zheng Dasheng told Xu Jinjing that on the day of Huang Shuqin's death in 2022, many media outlets approached him for an interview, but he politely declined. He said that everything he wanted to talk about was condensed into the 30000 word interview at the beginning of this book. This moved Xu Jinjing, "As a movie enthusiast, I have to trust him and their family."
The premiere event of the new book "A Family's Film History"
In Tang Weijie's view, there are very few families like Huang Zuolin who have been engaged in the film and television industry for three generations in China. However, as Harold Bloom said in his book "Anxiety of Influence", the inheritance of a powerful art family is not as natural as we imagine. "Artists who have expectations for their own creations will have inner anxiety. When they work in a field with profound traditions, how can they showcase their personality? Having a strong father may be a good thing for outsiders, but for creators who have requirements for themselves, it may become anxiety."
"There must be some influence, but it is very unconscious," Zheng Dasheng admitted. The influence of his father's generation is changing at every stage. When he was young, his parents worked at the Shanghai Film Studio, and he was ignorant and indifferent to movies at home. After going to the theater to study, the works that his family did not want to watch or care about the most were the early works of distant and foreign film history. "When I finally have the opportunity to become a director, with a series of works, many lessons learned, and a small amount of experience, I will reflect on their words and understand the weight behind those words."
The premiere event of the new book "A Family's Film History"
Recalling Huang Shuqin, Zheng Dasheng's wife and a national first-class actress from Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, Shen Yili, said, "Mom doesn't talk much. To outsiders, she may seem like a mysterious Buddha. But in fact, her emotions are delicate and rich. What she wants to express, her thoughts, feelings, can be communicated with by the audience in every of her works."
The premiere event of the new book "A Family's Film History"
"The most important thing we should avoid at home is discussing each other's movies. We never hold deliberate seminars, but rather have ordinary conversations." Zheng Dasheng recalled that his mother truly talked to him about his experience in film making, and there was only one thing: don't have dinner too late every day. Sometimes when the director is in the mood for creation, they often have to shoot this before putting it on for dinner. "When the director finally captured a satisfactory shot, in winter, the food may have already been cold, and in summer, it may spoil," my mother told me, 'It's better to shoot one less than to let everyone eat hot and fresh food.' "
