Chapter 50 Part Four: Regrets in the Film Industry: A Glimpse of the Unfinished Films of Famous Actors

Li Tiejun was born and raised in Yantai, Shandong on April 28, 1951. In 1968, he was lucky enough to be recruited into the Qingdao Repertory Theater by virtue of his handsome appearance and expertise in theatrical performances. In that year, Li Tiejun graduated from high school and was just 17 years old. At that time, it was the time when the "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution" movement was coming fiercely. , but was born in a family that is proud of "the working class leads everything", Li Tiejun seems to be "insulated" from all the outside world. In addition, he has just entered the world at a young age. There is an irresistible youthful atmosphere everywhere, and it will rush to your face anytime, anywhere.The more favorable external conditions are his image and temperament that are quite in line with the popular "workers, peasants and soldiers" at that time. He has a standard body and a strong physique. He is a typical "beautiful boy".Therefore, he is highly valued and reused by the leaders of the troupe, and he is regarded as the "pillar" of the troupe. star".

It is said that Li Tiejun, who was in Yingwuzheng, was rehearsing and performing all the newly compiled current affairs dramas for political services and needs in the theater troupe in obscurity. His youth seemed so ignorant and fulfilling in the absurd and turbulent era, naive and true.In the blink of an eye, five or six years passed, and Li Tiejun spent his youthful artistic period at the beginning of his life. At present, the cultural and art circles dominated by Jiang Qing's dictatorship are completely silent, and only the "eight model operas" dominated by the "great standard-bearer of literature and art" dominate the world.As the "cradle of new Chinese film", Changchun Film Studio has not shot a new film for 5 years. Two Peking Opera art films "Shajiabang" and "Surprise Attack on the White Tiger Regiment" in "The Drama". After the "September 13" Lin Biao Incident broke out in 1971, in the Spring Festival of 1972, relevant ministries and commissions of the central government began to follow Premier Zhou Enlai's opinions, readjusted the guidelines for literature and art, and resumed shooting feature films aimed at the current situation and the theme of the revolutionary struggle. .At the beginning of 1973, Changying Film Factory took the lead in shooting the rural-themed feature film "Sunny Sky" adapted from Haoran's novel. It had already been filmed as early as the end of 1965, but failed to catch up with the "Cultural Revolution" storm. Jiang Qing also named and ordered the remakes of "Fighting the Flood" and "Pine Ridge", which were released. In addition, "The Iron Giant" and "Entrepreneurship" with industrial themes were launched. Then, children's films "The Story of Xiangyangyuan" and "The Story of Xiangyangyuan" were launched. The third "remake" in the factory - "Plain Guerrilla".

Li Tiejun, who knows nothing about the inside story of the Chinese film industry, is currently performing the troupe's new current affairs drama "Wharf Storm" about the life of the "Youth Commando" in Jinan, Shandong. Sitting in the auditorium below is an ordinary and special audience. He is Zhou Yu, the old director of Changying Studio.Li Tiejun's performance on stage gradually attracted Director Zhou's attention. When he was nearing the end of watching the whole drama, he solemnly drew a circle on Li Tiejun's name on the performance list.Director Zhou's intention is not directly related to "Plain Guerrilla" who is busy looking for actors everywhere. He just appreciates the actor's own meaning and intends to be a backup actor for his new film in the future. There is a serious shortage of young actors in the film studio, and it has reached the point where there are no young actors.

At that time, in order to reshoot "Plain Guerrilla", a "key film" named by Jiang Qing himself, the film crew who heard the news traveled all over China, and spared no effort to find a suitable candidate to play the leading actor Li Xiangyang.Obviously, "Li Xiangyang" Guo Zhenqing, who is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in the old version of "Plain Guerrilla", is definitely not suitable to play the same glamorous character again because of the age span and the relationship between ages.At that time, as a glorious and sacred political task, at the same time, it also took great political risks, except for Xinjiang and Hainan, because the appearance of the personnel in this area did not match the "plain" area in the play. The modeling requirements of the image of workers, peasants and soldiers.The relevant personnel of the film crew were divided into 5 groups, and they traveled all over every inch of land in the great rivers and mountains of the motherland. They spent a total of nearly 30,000 yuan in travel expenses, which was unprecedented at the time. , Dandong Art Troupe, Lanzhou Air Force Art Troupe and other professional art groups have selected as many as 96 candidates for "Li Xiangyang". Li Junhai, and Ye Zhikang, who has appeared in many films in the Changying Film Studio, and Lu Xiaohe and Shi Weijian, who have developed their own acting styles in the film and television industry after many years... 96 handsome guys, all of them are handsome and handsome, and everyone has an extraordinary personality. in it.Talking about how he was selected "by the wrong way" is full of absurd comedy.

It turned out that after Li Tiejun was drawn into a circle by Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu actively recommended it to Wu Zhaodi, the director of the "Plain Guerrilla" crew, and his new apprentice Chang Zhenhua, out of love for talent and kindness.At first, the two directors believed that their film crew had already been to Qingdao, and there was no good actor who fit the plot image there. Zhou Yu explained that the talent was discovered in Jinan, Shandong, and tried his best to persuade the director to take a look. draw conclusions.As a result, Zhang Puren, the deputy director of the crew, and actor Li Xida were ordered to go to the Qingdao Repertory Theater to find the "fish that slipped through the net" Li Tiejun.Of course, Li Tiejun didn't know about this matter at this time. He had just returned to Qingdao from Shanghai to participate in the commemorative performance of Mao Zedong's speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art on "5?23".When the troupe sent people to his home, he was buying firewood at the market. When he returned home, he put down the firewood for the fire and went to visit his colleagues. In the end, the troupe searched everywhere. Only then did Li Tiejun know the whole story. He looked dazed, because as early as when he first joined the group, his colleagues compared him with Tang Guoqiang, another "little student" who loves to pay attention, and thought that the carefree Li Tiejun was usually sloppy and the least photogenic, so, Now I ask him to "test the scene" to make a movie. Isn't this "what pot is not open and which pot is not to be lifted"?Li Tiejun really didn't want to go, but someone from the regiment said it was a "political mission" and he had to go to see him. As for whether he could try or not, that was another matter.Li Tiejun had no choice but to obey his orders.

When Li Tiejun came to the troupe's office, as soon as he entered the door, he saw Li Xida first, and he was happy. Isn't this the accountant Ma Liben in the movie "Sunny Sky" he just watched not long ago?Because as a drama actor, I still feel unattainable to the distant and sacred movie actor in my heart, not to mention that the actor on the screen appears in front of my eyes in real life!When Li Xida saw Li Tiejun, he couldn't help grinning, because when he saw Li Tiejun for the first time, he immediately had a very natural sense of identification, and the assistant director Zhang Puren, whom Li Tiejun was not familiar with, almost at the same time. Sensitivity of the sixth sense agrees.It’s just that when Zhang Pu saw Li Tiejun in casual clothes, he asked Li Tiejun’s opinion slowly and softly with his unique southern delicacy: “Can you shave your hair? Can you change your clothes?” Li Tiejun had to ask Li Tiejun again. Obeying the "order" subconsciously nodded.

In this way, one day in early June 1974, after Li Xida and Zhang Puren completed all loan procedures from the theater troupe, they brought the brand-new Li Tiejun to Beijing, and then transferred from Beijing to the destination of Changchun in Northeast China.After arriving in Beijing, the group of three first lived in "Fanba Hutong", and then contacted to buy train tickets.At that time, the two also half-truly and half-falsely imposed "three chapters" on Li Tiejun, such as not allowing unauthorized actions, etc., which were "almost inaccurate".At this time, although Li Tiejun was involuntarily led to the capital by the nose, he still had neither the slightest extravagant expectations nor any illusions about acting in movies, and he was always "retreating" in his heart.Because Beijing is close to Tianjin, Li Tiejun said to Li Xida and Zhang Puren: "I want to go to Tianjin and hurry up to experience the real life of dock workers." "Youth Striker" in the drama "On the Waterfront" for several months.Li Xida hastily interrupted Li Tiejun's words: "Since you are here, you will be safe." Then, the topic changed: "You haven't passed the customs yet? You haven't been to Shanhaiguan? Of course, you haven't been to the Northeast either? What if If you are not approved, you can just take a trip!"