Chapter 1815: Choose one thing for the rest of your life
Li Yi paid great attention to the movie "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog".
It also took a lot more thought than other previous films. In fact, the main reason is that this is a period drama.
Moreover, Li Yi himself did not understand many things that deeply.
When a director makes a movie, he must first know what he wants to express. Although making a movie is about telling a story, if you tell a story well, it will probably be a good movie.
But obviously, some movies are more than just telling stories.
In this movie, Li Yi also specially invited Chen Wen and other old friends to discuss and communicate with each other. The main reason is that compared to Li Yi, Chen Wen, Lin Yunbin, Zhou Guo, Tang Lu and others are actually better than Li Yi.
Understand more deeply.
Especially Tang Lu, it can be said that he is a person who has come from that era, and Tang Lu’s fathers were workers. Although they did not work in the postal system, they had the same purpose.
After reading the first draft of Li Yi's "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog".
Chen Wen was the most surprised: "I remember Li Yi, you were born in Hong Kong Island. You shouldn't have experienced anything like this, right? How come you suddenly thought of filming such a story?"
No wonder Chen Wen asked this, because in Li Yi's memory, the movie "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" was originally a novel and was later adapted into a movie.
It can be said that although it is a work with a unique stamp of the times, it is very realistic.
Many realistic works are based on prototypes.
In fact, there were still big differences between the mainland and Hong Kong Island at that time.
Moreover, Li Yi had just been born at that time, let alone had any experience in this area.
"During this period, I fell in love with the works of that era. After watching them more, I wanted to make a story about that era, so I got some inspiration, because the 1980s was an era of great changes...
..." Li Yi said slowly.
At the same time, Tang Lu put down the script, but there were tears in the corners of his eyes.
"Huh! It's so well written!" Tang Lu said with emotion.
"By the way, Director Tang, I remember your father used to be a projectionist, right?" Chen Wen suddenly remembered.
"Yes!" Tang Lu nodded.
In fact, when Li Yi was filming "Cinema Paradiso", he had learned from Tang Lu.
"Speaking of which, when I was a child, projectionists were still very popular at that time and were one of the eight major members. When I was a child, I was very proud of my father's work. Sometimes I would go to the countryside with my father to show movies.
At that time, movie screening was different from now. It was not so convenient. The projector was very bulky, and the film was a big and big reel of film. My father had to ride a bicycle every time to carry the heavy projector film reel.
.
It was actually very hard work, but no matter which village the projectionist went to show movies, he was particularly respected, because in those days, people had very few entertainment options, even fewer in the countryside.
So, when I was a child, when I was in school, the teacher asked us what we wanted to do when we grew up. Without even thinking about it, I said that I wanted to be a projectionist. I still remember that when I was standing on the podium, the teacher asked me why, and I was extremely proud.
Say, because my dad is a projectionist!
Not to mention how envious the other classmates were at that time." Tang Lu said with a smile on his face.
"At that time, my father went to the countryside to show a movie, and I begged him to take me there. When a movie was shown in the countryside, almost every household would move chairs and stools in advance to wait, and the children were as happy as if it was the Chinese New Year.
At that time, projectionists were not only responsible for showing movies, but also explaining movies. My dad was sitting there, showing movies and explaining movies to the folks at the same time. It was really cool!
It was also from that time that I had the idea that I would be a projectionist like my father in the future."
"But as I grew up, and as society underwent huge changes, and then I went to college, I gradually changed from wanting to be a projectionist to wanting to make movies! To a certain extent, it was also another level.
Let’s inherit the father’s legacy from the seed, so I can especially understand the persistence of the postman’s father in the story you wrote, Director Li!
In fact, to put it bluntly, postmen and projectionists were often similar in those days!
They are all proud of their jobs. The postman travels across mountains and rivers to deliver letters to people, while the projectionist also travels across mountains and rivers to bring spiritual entertainment to the folks.
But just like me back then, although I admired my father very much, I was not afraid of your jokes. When I grew up, the most unbearable thing was that being a projectionist was actually very hard. Yes, I felt that I couldn't bear the hardship.
My father actually hopes that I will take over his class..." Tang Lu said, he couldn't help but take out his cigarettes, handed one to everyone, and then lit it.
"Hey! In fact, they are almost the same!" Chen Wen couldn't help but sigh.
"To be honest, Li Yi, if you want to film this story, maybe you can talk to the post office. Although the postman and the projectionist are similar to a certain extent, in fact, they are still very different!"
Tang Lu continued.
Li Yi nodded!
Soon, Li Yi began to prepare for "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog"!
This time, Li Yi plans to take pictures slowly and walk slowly!
As for the casting, it was decided quickly.
Li Yi is of course very familiar with road movies, but "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" is different from the so-called road movies that are popular nowadays.
Because, in the era in which the movie is set, and in the background where the story takes place, the road is no longer a spacious highway, and cars cannot run on it, but a rugged mountain road.
When the filming of the movie started, Li Yi did not do much publicity.
However, making this movie was an extremely comfortable process for Li Yi. Although there was a shooting task, the beautiful scenery of nature and the simple and enthusiastic villagers in the mountain village made Li Yi feel as if he was not making a movie, but traveling.
Everywhere he went, Li Yi would sit down with the cast and crew and chat with fellow villagers about the past and their stories.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Let’s talk about the former postman here.
During this period, Li Yi and the others also met an outdated mountain village postman.
The postman's name was Dong Jun. Through chatting, Li Yi learned his story.
He has been doing delivery work in the mountainous area since he was 17 years old. He has been walking silently on the rural postal road for 38 years, paving a mountain village postal road without regrets with his own feet!
He also inherited his father's business. His father was also a postman. Later, he took over his father's work and embarked on the path of postman.
It is not an exaggeration to say that Dong Jun is the prototype character of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog".
Li Yi was so happy to see Lie Xin that he deliberately left the crew and took the leading actor to follow Dong Jun to deliver the letter.
Through chatting with Dong Jun, Li Yi and others also learned that Dong Jun is now the only postman in this large mountain. He is responsible for more than 200 delivery points by himself, and he needs to carry nearly 100 kilograms of mail packages every day.
, over a dozen mountains
Delivering to villagers, I have measured more than one million kilometers of mountain roads in 38 years, and have broken down more than a dozen bicycles, but I have never delayed the delivery of any mail due to weather or my own negligence, achieving 38 years of non-stop service.
error.
In fact, the children in his family are very promising. His son works in a listed company, his daughter and son-in-law run a small business, and the family's financial situation is quite good.
The children tried to persuade him more than once to quit this hard job, but he couldn't let it go.
"Some things have to be done by someone, right? And I've been doing it for so many years, so there has to be a beginning and an end, right?" Dong Jun said with a smile.
Through communication, Li Yi discovered that compared to the postman in the past, Dong Jun now has more to do.
Because in the past, most of the things sent were letters, and there were more letters at that time. Now, there are actually fewer letters, but the things sent are more and heavier. Of course, he also changed from a bicycle to a motorcycle.
car!
Since there are no postal services in the mountains, he often handles mailing, remittance and other services on-site at the doorsteps of villagers' homes. He also buys medicines or supplies for the elderly who are unable to travel out of the mountains, bringing every bit of warmth to the people in the mountain villages.
In fact, as a rural postman, Dong Jun's salary is not high, but he himself said: "In the early years, the income from this job was actually quite good, but now, although the income is not much, the children at home are also successful.
But I’m not doing it for money now.”
If anyone else had said this, they might have been considered hypocritical, but Li Yi and the others could see that Dong Jun was serious.
Because it is really painful!
But he has become an unchanging scenery on this postal route, and the villagers in the mountains cannot do without him. He said: "I love my delivery job very much, and I can't bear to leave the people in the mountains. I will always follow this postal route."
Go down the mail road."
"In fact, although there are fewer postmen in mountain villages now, it is only compared to the past. There are actually many rural postmen like me."
After having some contact with Dong Jun and listening to his stories, Li Yi gained a more profound understanding of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog".
Although times are changing, and although technology has changed many things, some things will never change.
Li Yi and others admired Dong Jun very much. They left their youth and sweat on this rural postal road, bringing hope, laughter and warmth to people.
To be honest, if it were him, Li Yi felt that he really couldn't do it.
So this made him admire these people even more.
Just like Dong Jun said, some things, although bitter, can bring sweetness to people, and there is always someone who has to do it, so why can't it be him?
While following Dong Jun to deliver the mail, Li Yi and the others discovered that Dong Jun was really popular and respected here.
Li Yi suddenly understood what was said in the movie: "Carrying a postal parcel is a lifelong responsibility." "What the rural postman carries on his shoulders is the hope of the entire mountain." "You can't give up your life, but you can't lose the parcel."
This is the persistence of the older generation of postmen!
There is a reason why the original version of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" performed mediocrely when it was released in China, but instead became popular inside and outside.
On the one hand, this is because the biggest feature of this movie is its "pureness".
Different from the artificiality of commercial movies, there is no special plot with ups and downs, but only poetic realism.
The original work was a novel, and that novel relied on poetic language to conquer readers. However, when its prose images with weak plots were adapted into a movie, there would certainly be no bizarre plot twists, which raised the threshold for movie viewing.
Of course, I have to say that the time when this movie was born also has a lot to do with it.
At that time, Chinese films were in their infancy, and people were not watching enough movies. A major feature of literary and artistic films was that they did not rely on plot to win, so they seemed a bit tepid at first glance, but such films must be savored carefully to gain flavor.
Of course, another point is that China in that era was actually not that impetuous, and the human society was not so indifferent.
In contrast, in this island country, it can be said that indifference is a major pain point of this country.
In fact, this kind of choice, like choosing one thing for the rest of your life, is exactly the portrayal of many people in the island country. Their companies have lifelong employees, which is the same as many workers in the country in the past.
The "Yan Guo Wuhen" emotional processing of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" just caters to the psychological needs of the islanders. What they lack is this kind of wonderful communication skills.
Of course, there is one more thing to talk about: literary theaters!
There is no such thing as an art theater chain in China, and even today there is still no real art theater chain.
But in the island country, art theaters have been around twenty years ago. Art theaters are different from traditional theaters. Its characteristics are: small audience, small quantity, and long cycle. A city may only have one or two art theaters, and one art theater has one
There may only be one or two films screened a year.
It is precisely because of the good output environment and ample and luxurious output time that "Nashan, Naren, and Dog" was able to sell like crazy in the island country.
However, Li Yi is now confident that this movie can also conquer the audience in China.
The reason is simple, because times have changed.
This movie appeared in an era, as mentioned above, at that time, human relations were not so indifferent, society was not so impetuous, and the distance between that era was not particularly far away, so, in other words, there was no shortage of this era.
A kind of emotion. In other words, it is not so urgent.
But now, as technology becomes more and more developed, the emotions between people are becoming more and more indifferent, and society is becoming more and more impetuous.
The more something is lacking, the more something is desired.
Why have period novels suddenly become so popular in recent years?
It is because in this impetuous era, people need this kind of thing too much, or they are too short of it.
Furthermore, it can be said that the current audience is not comparable to what it was back then. The film viewing threshold of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" is really nothing to today's audience.
Closer to home, the movie quickly returned to shooting. There were stops and starts along the way. Li Yi was indeed not in a hurry, but kept filming and occasionally stopped to enjoy the natural scenery and listen to the stories here.