The story of the South War, making movies with real guns and real bullets, classic lines abound

In recent years, we often see some of the production level is not high war theme film and television drama, part of which we have been spit on the god drama series, the other part is not anti-Japanese god drama war film, a variety of violations of the military common sense of the picture is also constantly appearing, which makes a lot of viewers greatly disappointed.

In this article, we would like to introduce a war movie that reflects the most realistic battlefield in our country's film and television field, which is not only known as the "old three wars" together with "Tunnel War" and "Landmine War", but also the first military feature film in our country, which is the classic movie "South to North".

First, the "South War" shooting background, marshals, generals as advisers

In the spring of 1951, the Central Film Bureau and the Shanghai Film Studio and other departments decided to shoot a movie reflecting the idea of the great man's campaign war, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the August 1 Nanchang Uprising.

Cheng Yin from the Northeast Film Studio was determined to be the director, due to the lack of talent, and the Shanghai Film Studio's famous director Tang Xiaodan recalled by the two of them *** together as the director of the film.

The earliest screenplay blueprint for "South to North" came from a play called "Battle Line", which was written by Shen Simon, a veteran of the New Fourth Army and the head of the Third Field Literary Troupe, and depicted the story before and after the Laiwu Battle in the East China Theater of Operations. Using this play as a blueprint, Shen Simon, Shen Mojun, and Gu Baozhang collaborated to finalize the script of South to North.

During the creation of the script for South March, Chen Yi, then mayor of Shanghai, was so concerned about the movie that he personally participated in the revision of the script, and even helped the screenwriter revise some of the lines. He also suggested adding the role of a shaky-minded desertion leader, which was later modified to the beginning of the movie to whine about going to work in the local soldier Wang Chun.

Su Yu, then Chief of the General Staff of the PLA, also invited the director and screenwriter to Beijing, where he personally recounted the events before and after the Battle of Laiwu and guided their filming. In this way, in accordance with the later awarding of the standard, the creative team of the "South War" is equivalent to a marshal and a general as a consultant, which is really not a low standard.

From the point of view of the plot of "South to North", the script is still very strong, although it is a war movie, but the plot is not simply focused on fighting, but will focus on reflecting the ideology of campaign warfare. Especially through the soldiers' emotional changes to reflect the movie's intention, it seems that the plot is real and full.

What's more, Chen Yi has also authorized the filming expenses of 1 million yuan, and can be reimbursed in accordance with the costs of military exercises.

Second, the real gun real bullets, real guns real explosives

With the support of the higher-ups, the "South War" crew got the treatment that other movies would not dare to think about, that is, shooting with real guns real bullets, real guns real explosives.

In order to successfully complete the shooting, the higher authorities to the "South War" crew transferred to a field division, one of the regiments or just back from the front line of the anti-American aid to North Korea, they also brought the real weapons.

From armored vehicles to tanks, from the U.S. 105 howitzers to jeeps, from Maxim heavy machine guns to Thompson sub-machine guns, from the Czech Bren light machine guns to Springfield rifles, can be described as everything, completely reproduced the original appearance of the liberation war.

Many of the war films we have seen since then have used detonators or gasoline packets to create explosive points, but South to North used real TNT explosives, and because the explosives were so powerful, the crew was careful when they were filming, and in the end, the soldiers were fine, and the director, Chengyin, got himself blown up.

What's more, it doesn't matter if you have a real gun, the actors and actresses in the movie are playing real bullets, according to the movie, playing the machine gunner Liu Yonggui's Zhong Xinghuo recalled that he played a scene of four hundred real bullets, of course, there is no one on the other side of the street.

Not only are the props real, but a lot of the military footage filmed in "South to North" is also very real, from the posture of the soldiers carrying their guns to the shooting gestures, all of which are standard.

The author cites two examples, in the film, whether it is a light machine gun or heavy machine gun, in position to use is equipped with a deputy shooter, which is now many military-themed film and television dramas simply do not care.

In the gap between the enemy attack, the soldiers are not lying down in the trenches and waiting, but hiding in the hillside anti-slope place to prevent artillery, the position only left observation post, and now many film and television drama, the soldiers from beginning to end are hiding in the trenches waiting to be bombed.

So, Chen Laojun will be the crew shooting expenses as a drill fee reimbursement is not considered care, the shooting site is indeed like a drill.

Three, the real experience of life actors

"South War" director is two, they have divided labor, from the liberation of Cheng Yin is responsible for filming the liberation of the army scenes, from the Shanghai Tang Xiaodan filming the nationalist party scenes, the big scene by the two **** the same responsible.

The director of the division of labor is a good solution, but the acting skills of the actors and with a difficult problem, "South to North" in the many actors, but also from different regions, before the habits and work experience are not the same, how to work with a good, the actors acted like a problem.

The solution to this problem is to let the actors experience life in depth, like Zhong Xinghuo, Tie Niu, such as the army from the civilian troupe of the actors is okay, like Feng Zhe, Zhang Ruifang, Xiang Koon, Yang Hua, these actors from the big city in the experience of life up and down the hard work.

Feng Che, a handsome young man who plays the role of the commander of the first battalion, goes to a military camp where he experiences life. Every day, he goes out to drill and train like an ordinary soldier, and tries to make himself look like a soldier.

But honestly, Feng Zhe's modeling and temperament in the film how to look at how to look like an instructor, no way, face value temperament this piece is really not good to change.

As the first female village head Zhao Yumin, Zhang Ruifang, she was one of the four famous Chongqing drama, but you can't see any big-city atmosphere on her from the "South War", no matter from the disguise or temperament, this is a Shandong elder sister ah. This is the result of Zhang Ruifang going to the Yimeng mountainous area for a few months to experience life.

As for Xiang Koon and Yang Hua, who play the villains Zhang and Li, the place where they both experienced life is a bit special, the war criminal management center where the senior officers of the Kuomintang are prisoners of war.

So, the excellent tradition of experiencing life is an essential part of an actor's role, like Yao Chen, who couldn't find the feeling of a rural girl at the beginning of her role in "Subterranean", and she went to the rural areas of the Taihang Mountains for a month to experience life before she found the shadow of Cuiping. It's a shame that such a tradition is actually fading away in the movie and TV industry at the moment.

Four, "South to North" shooting highlights

Above said, "South to North" crew got a field division support, and even a regiment just returned from North Korea, but unexpectedly, these PLA soldiers are not willing to star in the film.

Why?

Why? Because a lot of soldiers heard that they want to play the KMT soldiers, immediately produced a confrontation, I fought to defeat them, and at the end of the process to play they were defeated, do not do.

After all, the shooting time of the "South War" is early, just two or three years after the liberation, the soldiers have such a mood is normal, but after the superiors to do the work, the soldiers still accept this different revolutionary task.

The filming of "South March, North War" took place in Linyi and Qingzhou, Shandong Province, which is an old revolutionary area with a good mass base. In order to cooperate with the crew in filming the mass support of the front line, the local people took out the energy of the year again and gave the movie as a group performance.

But the townspeople are still a little confused about making movies, and when they see those "Kuomintang soldiers", they actually pick up stones and earth blocks and smash them, and it's no wonder that the soldiers are in a mood to be misunderstood and beaten up as actors.

The first draft of the script of the "South War" involves a very ambitious content, almost encompassing most of the battles of the three years of the Huano, and finally, after focusing and modification, the plot will be concentrated on the battle of Laiwu this piece, because there are some emotions in the troops before the battle of Laiwu, such as Xu Commander had complained: "You when the officer on the map of the one card card, when soldiers only have two legs," he said. When the soldiers only have two legs."

The movie is a great movie because of the conflict, so it is commendable that the movie was adapted from this part of history, and it better reflects the great man's idea of campaign warfare.

Interestingly, although the plot is simplified, there is one character that is instead complicated, and that character is Army Commander Zhang.

Although the film does not mention the number of Zhang's unit or his name, his headstrong personality and ambitious look are adapted from Zhang Lingfu.

The Zhang commander, who was captured in an armored car while escaping, was supposedly based on Huang Wei.

Finally, when Zhang was captured, the soldiers reported that he had taken a small stone and smashed it on his head, and the source of this allusion was Du Yuming.

It seems that Xiang Koon has also earned his keep, playing the three major generals of the National Army all by himself.

Fifth, the classic lines of "Southern Campaign" abound

Because "Southern Campaign" was filmed early, released early, released a long period of time and frequently, so it is good to say that the film influenced several generations of Chinese viewers is not an exaggeration.

So, many of the lines in the movie have been quoted and spread by future generations, and finally became classic lines, in which we also have to thank Ge You and others for their contributions.

I'll give you a few examples:

Ge You learned in "See No Evil," a quote from a high battalion commander who was doing ideological work for the soldiers: "Comrade, I would like to fight the charge tonight, and wipe out all of Chiang Kai-shek's millions of troops in the morning. But I can't, comrade, we have to eat our food one bite at a time, and we have to fight one battle at a time.

The soldiers are discussing when Phoenix Hill hit: there is no movement, is fast.

Liu Yonggui returned to the Dasha River, got down and drank a mouthful of water: finally drank the water of his hometown again.

Zhang military commander shouted to Phoenix Hill: please insist on the last five minutes, insist on the last five minutes.

Li army chief's last plea for help: Zhang army chief, please for the sake of the party and the country, quickly reach out and pull the brother a hand.

The chief of staff lamented: it is not that we are incompetent, but the **** army is too cunning.

Of course, there is also Ge You had reproduced in the "A Fang B Fang": I have made a merit for the leader.

In addition, there are a couple of other images that are particularly classic:

One is the battle for the Ferris wheel, where the two sides simultaneously attack the summit prongs from different directions, a process that was shot in montage with tense music, making it one of the most thrilling parts of the movie.

The other is the end of the film, the PLA finally launched a general attack of the shot, and after that we will even see these shots in many documentaries, many people thought that it was a live action, but in fact, it is from the "South War".

This is the story of the movie "Southern Campaign", of course, there is another version of this movie, the remake of "Southern Campaign" in the 1970s, which starred Ge You's father, Ge Cunzhuang, so it's no wonder that Ge You is so familiar with the lines.