He produced the first feature film Footprints by Bayi Film Studio and the first film using electronic music. He made an unforgettable film "Die Hard Rowen" and put 12 actors in prison for "Land of Rebirth". In the constant pursuit, exploration and innovation of film art, Yan Jizhou wrote his legendary director life. -criticized footprints
From 65438 to 0953, 36-year-old Yan Jizhou was transferred from the Southwest Military Region Combat Art Troupe to Bayi Film Studio as a director. During this period, Bayi Factory was the only military education studio in China People's Liberation Army that could produce documentaries, military education films and translate Soviet films. Yan Jizhou, who has almost no film experience, is determined to be the "first person" to shoot a feature film in Bayi Film Studio. He seized the material that the border patrol found footprints on the boundary river when he went to Yunnan to experience life, wrote his own script and served as the director, and finally gave birth to the first feature film Footprints for Bayi Film Studio.
Footprints, with few characters and simple plot, only lasted for more than 30 minutes. It can only be shown with news and cartoons, but it still caused quite a stir. It was also criticized by some colleagues. They sarcastically said: Tom, Dick and Harry can make movies, but they don't even understand the movie ABC. Yan Jizhou didn't care, he only said one sentence: I have stepped into the door of the movie. Later, He Long's words made Yan Jizhou still fresh in his mind.
Soon after, Comrade He Long met Yan Jizhou and said to him: I have seen your film, which is not good, and there is no art at all. You should learn from Comrade Yin Cheng. Yan Jizhou, who knows Mr. He's temper, knows that this is an outspoken criticism, but it is Mr. He's concern and expectation. Yin Cheng, the director of the North Film Factory, once worked as a drama teacher in the 1204 unit in He Long with Yan Jizhou, and has already made the famous films "Iron Soldiers" and "Fighting in the South". Yan Jizhou remembers He Laoshi's encouragement and is determined to learn from him and make a good film. Grow up in battle
As a director for many years, Yan Jizhou has a constant working habit, which is well-known among filmmakers. That is, every time he finishes making a movie, he has to go to three different cinemas to be an audience and listen to the real reactions of different audiences to his movies. He said: making a movie is like selling things in a store. People like to buy good goods, and people like to watch movies. Therefore, only by going to the cinema in person can we know whether people like your movies or not.
1957, the then shenyang military area command Repertory Theatre performed a drama "Growing Up in Battle", which was well received by the audience. Yan Jizhou watched it several times in a row and decided to make it into a movie. He believes that the audience will like it. Growing Up in Battle was warmly welcomed by the audience after its release. This is the first battle feature film directed by Yan Jizhou with complete plot and independent screening, and it is also the first battle feature film of Bayi Film Studio. During the film screening, Yan Jizhou came to Beijing Capital Cinema, Dongsi Cinema and Tianqiao Cinema as an audience. He said that he didn't think of anything that made him feel good about the film, but the audience didn't respond; It feels like a general story, but the audience seems to like it. This touched Yan Jizhou very much, so after growing up in the battle, it became his job to be an audience in three theaters after each film was finished, and it has never changed for many years, which has also become the driving force for his continuous progress in directing.
In Yan Jizhou's words, making a movie should think of the audience. This film should be made so that everyone can understand and appreciate it. Chen Bo, former director of Bayi Film Studio, once praised Yan Jizhou: His films never lose money. Good brothers and sisters Hua
1962, Yan Jizhou, who spent nine months as a private soldier in the counter-insurgency troops on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, directed a comedy feature film "Two Brothers Are Good" with great enthusiasm for the company soldiers. This comedy film showing the life of the army immediately caught the audience and was especially loved by the officers and men of the company. Some colleagues spoke highly of Yan Jizhou's bold use of comedy. When there were few comedies in China at that time, Yan Jizhou's brave exploration was successful. This film, which invested hundreds of thousands in that year, earned millions for Bayi Factory.
Talking about the very successful comedy "Good Brothers", Yan Jizhou said that the success of this film was mainly due to a book he was very optimistic about at that time. Before he decided to shoot, he changed it into a drama according to the movie script, mainly to see the audience's reaction. As a result, the effect of the drama performance is very good. Not only was the venue full, but the audience rushed to shake hands with the actors after the performance. Yan Jizhou had a bottom in his heart, and he began to prepare, but he didn't expect difficulties. First, there was no money in the factory, and finally he approved the money, so there was something wrong with the choice of actors. Many people questioned Sean, a hero who was activated by Yan Jizhou, but Yan Jizhou didn't change his attitude because he had taken a fancy to Sean's performance in Dong Cunrui.
In the movie "Brothers Are Good", actor Sean also plays soldier Chen He. Although they are similar in appearance, they have different personalities and distinct images, and they have received very good artistic effects. This is another achievement of Yan Jizhou's exploration in film art. He said that in old Shanghai, he had seen the film Sister Flowers, and the butterfly played the scene of two sisters. Although the technology was poor, it was still very attractive in that year and left a deep impression on myself. So in "Good Brothers", they still played two people with one person and made a bold breakthrough in technology.
In the sisters' flower, when they meet and talk, they can't really be together, only through the window and the table. In "Good Brothers", when Hu Da and Erhu are together, they can stand shoulder to shoulder, hold hands or hug, and there is no gap between them, thus achieving the effect of "confusing the real with the fake".
China's first film using electronic music made a unique "fashion lead" for China films in 1970s. 1978, when Yan Jizhou's "Hunting Word No.99" was released, it once again firmly grasped the audience. Whether it is a novel big screen or a collection of many new and old stars, it has become a point to attract the audience. But when people sit in the cinema and watch it, they find that the most attractive thing about Hunting Word 99 is the movie music in the film. This is electronic music that is different from Chinese folk music and symphony. Yan Jizhou finally succeeded in putting electronic music on the screen, thus giving birth to China's first film "Hunting Word No.99", which made a chic "leading fashion" for China films in the 1970s.
According to Yan Jizhou's recollection, before the filming of "Hunting Word 99", it was in the late period of the "Cultural Revolution" that smashed the Gang of Four. At that time, there were almost no movies to watch. The way most people watch movies is to watch reference films internally, mainly showing American films, and the level is also divided into good, medium and poor. But it is still a big hit, and almost every screening is a break. At that time, he had a strong desire in his heart: I can definitely make such a movie myself. He finally decided on a novel called The War Is Still Going on, and found the author Zhou, and changed the novel into a script with the title of Hunting Word No.99..
Inspired by foreign films, Yan Jizhou thought that "Hunting Word 99" must be innovative, so in addition to the big screen and big-name cast, he decided to use electronic music. But at that time, China only heard that a Japanese friend gave Shanghai an electronic organ. So Yan Jizhou immediately found Chen Chuanxi, the conductor of the Shanghai Film Orchestra, who had cooperated with him many times successfully, and realized that the electronic organ was not in the Shanghai Film Orchestra at all. After many twists and turns, I finally found my whereabouts in Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Maybe the electronic piano was too foreign in China at that time, and no one dared to use it, so it was stored in the warehouse of the Conservatory of Music. Yan Jizhou immediately invited the electronic organ that made him "catch up with thousands of miles" into the recording studio. At the end of the recording day, conductor Chen Chuanxi found Yan Jizhou again. It turned out that he wanted to record it again with a symphony, so that if the electronic music failed to pass the examination, it could be replaced. However, Yan Jizhou insisted on not changing. He said, just like this, the symphony is also foreign. What's the problem? This is my own ... place of rebirth.
1983, the film Land of Regeneration directed by Yan Jizhou won the Golden Rooster Award in one fell swoop. This film has also caused great repercussions in the world. Not only was he welcomed by Japanese anti-war activists, Yan Jizhou was also invited to attend the World Peace Conference in Morocco as the head of the delegation, and won the "humanitarian" excellent film award.
After more than 20 years, Yan Jizhou still clearly remembers the scene of filming "The Land of Regeneration". He said that the film was made according to the real theme of the China administration's reform of Japanese senior war criminals. When shooting, my requirements for actors and costumes were almost harsh, and the crew paid a lot for it. After the film was finished, many people said to him: Director Yan, we are particularly willing to cooperate with you, but we are too tired.
The first thing he arranged for the actor was a special "experience life". Because it is impossible to experience the life of reforming war criminals, he first led the actors to visit Fushun prison. He prepared the male and female policemen in prison in advance, and after the visit, he put 12 actors and actresses in prison for three days respectively. Later, because the temperature was too low, the prison authorities worried that the actor's health could not stand it. After a long discussion, Yan Jizhou was "merciful" and was released after being detained for a long time. But he stipulated that you should not go the next day, and everyone should hand in a review. So the number one "war criminal" Hu Hao wrote: I am a soldier, but I was ordered to fight, so how did I become the number one war criminal ... and the female "war criminal" Gaowa Siqin wrote: How many years will I stay in this environment? I really miss my daughter now ... Yan Jeju also put forward strict requirements for actors' clothes: all 1000 war criminals should wear Showa 15 clothes. To this end, the crew transferred all the costumes of Chang Ying and Beiying. He also asked actors who didn't wear fake beards to make up, and all actors who had long beards were selected. During filming in Fushun, he also took time to find a Korean who made snacks for the Japanese. After watching the movie, the real people in the film said that the snacks in the film were exactly the same as those they ate in those years.
The film was also shown in Japan, and the shocked Japanese spoke highly of it as "true and touching". They said that Yan Jizhou's actors were all Japanese, and they distinguished between those from Tokyo and those from Hokkaido. They even invited Yan Jizhou, Hu Hao and Gaowa Siqin to perform in Japan, because they wanted to continue filming the lives of war criminals who came out of China prison that year. ...
In the nearly three-hour interview, 90-year-old Yan Jizhou has been talking about Kan Kan without any tiredness. Asked about the secret, Yan Dao said: This is also the way of keeping in good health, and it is also a compulsory "speech therapy" every day. I can't help feeling that the "speech therapy" that is strictly guided and urged every day can be described as another "lead" on the road of health care for the elderly.
20 12 On September 29th, 2 1 China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival and 3 1 Hundred Flowers Award Award Ceremony were held in Shaoxing, and Wang Weiyi won the Golden Rooster Lifetime Achievement Award.