Chapter 1,182 War is not even important, it is the story of ordinary people
Human emotions are simple and complex, but they do not prevent us from empathizing with each other at some point.
"Eight Hundred" is like this to many people.
People born in this era often find it difficult to understand the thoughts of people of that era.
But that doesn’t stop everyone from trying to understand.
"Eight Hundred" has delivered a good report card both commercially and in terms of reputation.
Of course, publicity is definitely essential.
Unlike other actors in "The Eight Hundred" who had to travel all over the country for road shows, Li Yi was a little more relaxed, but it was impossible to do nothing.
Therefore, he still accepted an exclusive interview with the reporter from Six Princess Channel.
The topic of the exclusive interview is about the creative process of the movie "Eight Hundred".
"Director Li, hello!"
"Hello Chen Wei!"
After greeting each other, Chen Wei, a reporter from the Six Princess Channel, began to take out the prepared question book and chat with Li Yi.
"Why did you want to film "Eight Hundred"? I mean, there are many more tragic battles in the history of the Anti-Japanese War than "Eight Hundred", so why did you choose this battle in the end?"
The first question is also a more snake oil question.
In fact, Li Yi has answered this question before, of course, in a relatively simple way.
"How should I put it? I remember seeing a documentary about this battle on TV, and I was immediately surprised by the most unique and special battle. It was a live war, and the citizens went from watching to being involved.
Among them, this kind of battle is very special.
After that, I deliberately collected a lot of information about this battle. The more I read, the more I felt that I should take pictures of this period of history. Many people may have heard of the Sihang Warehouse Defense War and Commander Xie’s
Great name, but few people know that when these lone soldiers fought to defend the Sihang Warehouse, it may not have been as tragic as shown in the movie, but after crossing the bridge, the real tragedy began."
"Furthermore, from a creative perspective, the history of "Eight Hundred Heroes" is particularly suitable to be shown in the art form of film. It is a bit like today's live broadcast. The live broadcast back then was for various political observers and reporters.
, the people on the south bank watched the war with live ammunition from dozens of meters away."
"Captain Xie is the top leader among the Eight Hundred Heroes, but there are not many scenes about him in the entire film. Why?" Chen Wei asked again.
"How should I put it? If this period of history is told from the perspective of Commander Xie, then it is actually no different from many hero movies in the past. When investigating the data, I learned that the composition of the original Eight Hundred Warriors was very different.
It's complicated. They include veterans of hundreds of battles, elite German armorers, deserters, and defeated troops. They come from different numbers and different places. The composition is very complicated.
The movie is not named after Captain Xie, but named after "Eight Hundred", so I hope it will be shot as a whole.
In order to be closer to the perspective of ordinary people and allow the audience to have a deeper understanding of the cruelty of war, a special group - deserters - was chosen as the clue to the story in "Eight Hundred Heroes".
Because it was a big rout at the time, all the ministries were dispersed. From the perspective of a deserter, I think it is more like what we want, which is to get close to the most ordinary people and give the audience the best possible experience...
For example, why did a deserter become a deserter? How did a deserter take off the hat of "deserter"? How did a deserter become a member of the "Eight Hundred Heroes"? I think it may help the audience understand that period of history more than simply telling heroic deeds.
Of course, they are not all deserters. For example, Zhu Shengzhong is a squad leader of the 88th Division. This character is not a deserter, and can even be said to be "unafraid of death." In his view, "fear" may be what most of us
People's true reactions to war.
Now is a relatively peaceful era. When everyone wants to go to war, I must not be a deserter. I will definitely not be a coward. But when you really face a war, you will definitely be afraid. Everyone will have the desire to survive.
This is what attracts me the most about this movie. It’s completely different from the passionate story I originally imagined.
Especially the more I know about it, the more I feel that my thinking is too simplistic."
"Some netizens said that the scene in the warehouse during the Battle of Sihang Warehouse was inconsistent with history. So were the stories in the warehouse all created?" Chen Wei asked a relatively sensitive question.
Li Yi pondered for a moment and said: "I also want to truly present the true content of the original defense battle of Sihang Warehouse, but I have consulted a lot of information, but I have not found the exact historical record of what happened in the warehouse.
.In fact, including the warehouse we see now, it has also undergone changes over the years. Even regarding the original battle, how many people were there in the Eight Hundred? How many enemies were annihilated? How many were sacrificed? None of these can be called
Completely clear information records.
What remains are some photos, but it’s hard to tell you the real situation with just one photo. So what should you do? You can only create.
For example, whether there is an incoming plane in the small life, for this plot, I also consulted a lot of information, but unfortunately, I did not come to a definite conclusion. Therefore, out of the need of film creation, I created that
A scene."
"Some people say that the battle to defend the Sihang Warehouse is actually of little significance, because the battle damage is not large, not many enemies are wiped out, and it has no significance to the overall situation. What do you think?" Chen Wei continued to ask.
"I have thought about this issue carefully, and my final personal opinion is that although this battle is not large in scale and has few results, its significance is extraordinary!
First of all, it seems that Shang Hai is going to be occupied. Winning or losing this battle will not change the overall strategy. It seems that it is strategically meaningless. It is just a bunch of cannon fodder and a few people standing there. What is the meaning of this? It is a show to
Do foreigners watch it?
Perhaps the background at the time and the reason for this battle were indeed such a purpose, but the result was not.
We must know what the situation was like at that time. At that time, hundreds of thousands of Guo troops were repulsed at the Battle of Songhu, and the entire Shanghai fell.
This made many people think that we had given up resistance, especially the refugees and citizens of Shanghai at that time. I believe many people thought so.
After all, so many troops have all evacuated, and there is not even a flag belonging to us in the entire Shanghai. This is definitely a huge blow to the confidence in the war of resistance...
Although the Sihang Warehouse Defense Battle was not large in scale, this place was very special, allowing everyone to witness the cruelty of war with their own eyes.
Seeing that the soldiers are still resisting, we have not given up. This is very important!
Those four days of fighting were also very important in terms of public opinion. A small four-line warehouse made it difficult for Xiaoli to move forward and blocked them for so long. The other party's arrogant statement of ending the war in three months was naturally untenable.
Already.
From the perspective of soldiers, many of us take it for granted that soldiers should be aware, but the fact is that in those days, many soldiers did not receive much education.
He doesn't know every soldier. He only knows that I am protecting my homeland and fighting bravely. But Commander Xie knows that at the Nine-Nation Convention Meeting, they have to see that the Chinese are still standing here and are still holding on.
They are hesitant to support the Hua Kingdom and condemn Xiaozhi. Without the Hua people, Shanghai is completely occupied, so they basically do not support it. Commander Xie will know, but the soldiers do not know. What do the soldiers know? Only
Knowing that if we step back any further, our family will be killed.
This is the simplest and most innocent idea of an ordinary soldier.
They will not consider why this battle is being fought. That is something that the officers need to consider. They only know that they are protecting their homeland and their country.
And they will also let the common people see that we have hope!"
"There are many characters in the film. Is it to take into account the perspectives of all walks of life?" Chen Wei asked again.
"How should I put it? It is impossible for a movie to completely take care of all classes. We are also based on history. In fact, the non-combatants in the movie can indeed be found in the historical data of the Sihang Warehouse Defense War.
prototype.
So our original intention was not to specifically adopt any perspective, but the story
The size and realism require the creation of a social class and social structure. In those days, from traffickers and footmen to casino owners, rich people and intellectuals, different social classes formed such a large time and space.
They are all witnesses, so they naturally have their own reactions and performances, what they did during this battle, what kind of reactions they made, etc., etc.
The battle to defend the Sihang Warehouse was a battlefield for eight hundred warriors, but in fact they were not the only participants. The relationship between the army and the people was not isolated.
Without Shang Hai's assistance, they would not have been able to persist for so long due to lack of food and clothing.
Therefore, they are also indirect participants in this battle.
We hope that each class has someone who is relatively memorable to the audience. This actually requires a little effort, but coupled with the warehouses on the North Shore, the whole world is formed, and it is condensed around this small four-row warehouse.
Already.
It is actually a big Chinese story. I made it into such a small summary mainly to tell everyone that if there is no such volume and no classes, then this battle is really meaningless."
"So, the characters created in the movie place special emphasis on authenticity?" Chen Wei asked following the previous question.
Li Yi shook his head and said: "Actually, the authenticity of many things that happened to these people in history cannot be determined. For example, many of us know Captain Xie, but few people know about the other members of the Eight Hundred Heroes.
When it comes to individuals, very few people can be called out at once...
Not to mention the people on the other side of the river at that time.
When I was writing the script, I actually followed the reality of an ordinary person more. The word "shaping" doesn't seem to apply in this play. Shaping is trying to arrange something, my idea
Yes, when it comes to a specific person, what kind of reaction will he have at such a time? It is based on the reality of human nature, and I think this reality should also be respected.
First of all, it is impossible to wake up 100% of all people...
There is no such thing in the world. Some people are slightly moved, and some people move forward bravely. Everyone has different changes, from numbness to today.
And during this process, everyone's mentality is changing.
For example, those deserters were full of the shortcomings of people at that time, such as cowardice, greed for life, and greed. Because of the special environment of this warehouse and the four days of desperate purgatory-like experience, all these shortcomings disappeared in that moment, and they were already dusty in their bones.
Some things have been forced out for a long time."
"Many fans said that the filming of "Eight Hundred" was not passionate, but rather humiliating. Yes, many netizens used this word. What do you think?" Chen Wei continued to ask.
"How to say? Lan
When I first wanted to shoot this story, it was actually more about the passion of youth, the heroic dream, the boy's desire to fight, and the spirit of defending the home and country that attracted me. Now it is more about the calm, rational and critical attitude. Those of us
We were bullied so much when we were young, what is our own problem? We must have the courage to face some of our shortcomings. There are many people in our ethnic group who seek advantages and avoid disadvantages, and are greedy for life, and we must admit it.
Moreover, the battle to defend the Sihang Warehouse was never a hearty victory, because from a strategic level, this battle did not have much impact on the overall situation of the occupation of Shanghai.
At the same time, it is also because these heroes in history did not receive the treatment that a hero should have. On the contrary, they were aggrieved and disarmed and imprisoned even though they did not defeat the battle. They were able to break through, but because of the so-called overall situation, they were
The picture is a prison, but in fact it was even more humiliating and even more unsatisfactory if it was not filmed.
In fact, in this play, I personally think that the war is not important. It is the story of ordinary people. It is about how this person changes, how the citizens change from spectators to being involved in it; how the timid soldiers become us.
The hero in the mouth.
Of course, there is also Lao Abacus. Although we know that many viewers may not like such a character, we must admit that such a person exists. From beginning to end, he may have changed a little and been a little moved, but
That’s all!”
"Many people say that the ending of the movie
The layout is a bit sloppy, and there are still many things that have not been photographed, why?" Chen Wei looked at Li Yi and asked curiously.
This is a problem that many people will discover after the movie is released.
For example, in the follow-up to Gu Jun, Li Yi also did not give much space.
"At the beginning, the content of the defense battle of Sihang Warehouse actually only accounted for less than one-third of the proportion. What I wanted to shoot more was what happened after crossing the bridge. But first, I asked myself, should I shoot this
What was the original intention of the movie?
On the one hand, I hope that through the movie, I can let people know that there is such a period of history, there is such a group of people, and such things have happened. However, from the perspective of the movie, the subsequent plots are too depressing. If it really
If it had been filmed according to the first version of the script, maybe not as many people would have gone to see the movie now.
So it became a contradiction. I wanted to restore it, but I also wanted to be known and seen by more people, so I finally chose the latter. Audiences who are interested in historical data can check it out privately, and if
If the movie is not attractive enough, then it will be difficult for them to be interested in it, and naturally they will not spontaneously look for these things.”
