[People need such writers and artists⑫]Xie Fang: Youth is not old and passion is forever_Guangming.com

　　【The people need such writers and artists⑫】

Guangming Daily reporter Liu Jiangwei

In a TV interview, the host asked Xie Fang to leave his calligraphy and summarize his acting career. Xie Fang picked up the pen, and without thinking, wrote five words—selfless and fearless.

Xie Fang’s recent photos bright pictures

Selfless, dedicate all your thoughts to the movie, the drama is bigger than the sky, and the art is like climbing. Even if there is a back, a line, a tear, you must be full of enthusiasm and dedication, “Immersed in the character at all times, and can’t have the slightest distraction”;

Fearless, the characters are not puppets, the performance needs to be created. “I don’t have any rules and regulations in my performance.”

This is Xie Fang’s performance philosophy and her true confession to the movie she loves.

Today, “Youth” spokesperson Xie Fang is 87 years old. Old age, the original intention remains. Those screen images, those heroic characters, those filming events, and those groping performances are still engraved in the films she remembers, plain and clear, meaningful and profound.

Talking about the movie “Song of Youth”, the floodgates of memory and emotion opened instantly. “Song of Youth” is Xie Fang’s famous work and her debut. At the beginning of 1959, in order to present the 10th anniversary of the founding of New China, the Beijing Film Studio planned to make the novel “Song of Youth” into a film, and recruited and selected actors to play Lin Daojing from all over the country. At that time, Xie Fang was still singing operas at the Central South People’s Art Theater, the predecessor of Wuhan Song and Dance Theater. Director Cui Wei once served as the dean. He had an impression of her and recommended her to try the show.

“Like every time I take on a new assignment, I’m not timid. Since it’s an audition, there are two possibilities: I’ll try and I won’t. If I can, I’ll act, and if I can’t, I’ll come back to play the opera.” She was very calm. , I never thought that making a movie would bring about any changes.

Xie Fang still remembers that scene clearly: in early spring in March, Beijing was still very cold. She was wearing a white short-sleeved cheongsam, sitting under a mercury lamp, surrounded by darkness, and the studio that had not yet set up the set looked particularly quiet. She tried her best to restrain the trembling caused by the cold weather and nervousness, and acted according to her own understanding…

The waiting process is long and painful. Whether it is to use old actors or to let new ones play, all parties are also competing. When the director finally announced the use of newcomers, the stone in Xie Fang’s heart fell. It was also the first movie show that gave her a profound experience: how a good movie is made, how a good character is cultivated, and how a good actor is forged.

The wind on the sea howled, and the raging waves crashed against the coast. A thin figure faced the wind and turned towards the sea, leaping from the dangerous reef and submerging into the sea. This is Lin Daojing at the beginning of the film, and it is also the highlight of Xie Fang’s earliest filming. She had to wade through waist-deep water from shallow water to a reef. In order to film this set of shots, she soaked in sea water for several hours. When the camera was over and she changed her clothes and walked back, she suddenly became weak in her legs and fell to the ground.

Xie Fang realized that the actors are not errands, chatter, play, easy, easy to get, but coolies.

Whether it’s wearing a cotton-padded jacket and roasting under several kilowatt lights in summer, or walking in the rain in a light shirt in late autumn and early winter, Xie Fang did it without any refusal, and did it in person, never using a substitute. “Not only that, but the actors must eliminate all interference, focus their emotions on the situation, and follow the script prompts to achieve the highest peak of true feelings.”

Crying is the basic skill of an actor. As soon as the camera is pushed, tears immediately flow, easier said than done. Xie Fang redoubled her efforts, a tearful scene, “Emotional preparation is too early, not too late. Too early, it is easy to be exhausted, it is better to do it once; if it is too late, the staff will wait for a long time, the actors will be burdened, and their emotions will be easily distracted. “.

In the movie, after Lin Daojing and her husband Yu Yongze broke up, her husband slammed the door and left, leaving Lin Daojing standing alone in front of the window, stunned and weeping. When shooting, the director turned on all the lights and waited for her emotions. Xie Fang thought to herself, if her lover ignored her and left her, what would happen to her? Thinking about it, the tears stayed. This has also become one of the classic shots of the movie.

On October 1, 1959, “Song of Youth” was released in Beijing, and the response was extremely sensational. The cinemas were all full, and many cinemas were showing 24 hours a day and night, and the audience even lined up all night to buy movie tickets.

Since then, Xie Fang has successively starred in “Early Spring in February” directed by Xie Tieli and “Sisters on the Stage” directed by Xie Jin, together with “Song of Youth”, which are called “Youth Trilogy”, “Youth” and “Intellectual Women” by the audience. , has become synonymous with Xie Fang’s performance.

The work is the life of the actor. Xie Fang remembered that Director Xie Jin said that making a movie is like holding a pool of water in your hand, and you have to keep it watertight from beginning to end. Xie Fang takes it as his motto, and every performance is like lifting water from a high altitude, being careful and striving for perfection.

In 1961, Premier Zhou Enlai proposed to select “New Chinese Actors” in the film industry, and finally selected 22, commonly known as “Twenty-Two Movie Stars”, among which Xie Fang was listed.

Xie Fang loves movies, loves acting, and has created many classic roles, but she is not a professional, and has not undergone any professional training. “The role I play comes from life, and it is also in life to measure the character’s words and deeds.”

After getting the script, Xie Fang will carefully try to figure out the lines and actions and compare them with daily life. The good ones will be rendered, the good ones will be embellished, and the unreasonable ones will be discussed with the director and revised. “The lines should come from the hearts of the characters, and the side branches and remaining branches should be removed, and the words should be cherished as much as possible, and the bullets should not be missed.”

From life, but also to life. When filming “Sisters on the Stage”, the main creative team specially consulted Yuan Xuefen and other Yue Opera performing artists. Xie Fang found that opera actors had undergone rigorous training, spoke politely, and walked and sat down with grace. In order to find the feeling of the character, she also imitated many times when she took the bus…

Xie Fang has her own creative methodology. In her autobiography, she recorded a lot of thoughts, explorations, insights, all the performance rules from life——

“The actors review the script at all times during the filming process, so that they know what they know. Just like the conductor of the band is very familiar with his score, he knows which movement can be touched by the water, and which movement must go all out.”

“When an actor receives a script, it’s like getting a piece of fabric. First, he drapes it over his shoulders to see if the colors are pleasing to the eye and whether it matches the wearer’s identity, age, and hobbies. Then, he uses knives and scissors to tailor the clothes.”

“The lack of experience and performance is called formalism, and the experience without performance, I call it naturalism. How to seamlessly combine experience and performance is what our actors have to work hard for all their lives.”

In life, Xie Fang is low-key and simple, enthusiastic and open-minded, and never hides anything.

Director Jiang Ping and Xie Fang are friends. One day many years ago, he went to the small restaurant in front of the film laboratory to buy bento, and suddenly found that Xie Fang and Zhang Mu were sitting by the window, a bowl of fried noodles, a plate of braised vegetables, a plate of peanuts, your words, my words , the setting sun slanted westward, and through the glass window, the old couple shone brightly. It was Xie Fang’s birthday that day.

The famous film critic Zhong Liandi once wrote an article saying: “Xie Fang should write a book “Lin Daojing, Tao Lan, Zhu Chunhua”, focusing on the creation of these three characters, there is no first-hand detailed work, China It is difficult to go deep into the study of film aesthetics.”

Xie Fang wondered after reading it: “Can I make the study of film aesthetics a little deeper?” She turned around and asked her wife, “What is aesthetics?”

“I’ll check “Ci Hai” for you.” My wife got up and looked for the book.

“Oh, aesthetics is the science that studies the general laws and principles of beauty in nature, society, and art,” said my wife, pointing to the book.

Xie Fang thought about it: “What is the principle of actor beauty?”

A moment of silence. “I have found the answer. It used to be called “red and special”, but now it is both virtue and art, and virtue precedes art. That is to say, no matter what happens, first of all, it depends on whether it is good or bad, and whether it is beneficial to the people.” Xie Fang was satisfied smiled.

　　【Short comment】

Always keep in mind the great truth of Lide’s career in art

Author: Prince Mo

Xie Fang’s artistic career has won almost countless awards, and many of the participating works have become classics in Chinese film history. Some people may be curious, why can an old artist who is not a professional student achieve such brilliant achievements?

The answer is not difficult to find – because she is deeply rooted in the people and in life. Her personal life is very simple, and she is simple and humble, but she devotes all her artistic life to touching the pulse of development, listening to the voice of the people, and feeling the details of life. The majestic era and the boundless land provide endless sustenance for her creation. In this way, how can literary and artistic scenery not be infinite, and how can literary and artistic creation not climb to a peak?

Such writers and artists always make people feel: their heavy achievements are never obtained from traffic, hype, and personalities. What they believe in is a few words that seem simple but all-encompassing— ——Shuangxin of virtue and art, virtue is in front of art. There are no secrets or secrets in their art career. They love the people wholeheartedly, keep their feet on the ground, and ponder their whole life. This is their “secret”.

Xie Fang understands the general principle of Lide’s career in art, and understands that this is the most critical and most important starting point and foundation for literary and artistic creation. Today, the literary and artistic work in the new era presents a thriving situation. We must learn from the older generation of literary and artistic artists, and we must keep in mind the great principle of morality and art. Only in this way, our literary and artistic creation can always grasp the correct general direction and sing the “Song of Youth” full of vigor and vitality forever!

Scan the QR code to watch Xie Fang’s movie life

“Guangming Daily” (August 21, 2022 Edition 01)

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责编：孙满桃 ]