Except for "Yellow River Cantata", how much do you know about Xian Xinghai?

I believe that when most netizens encounter this problem, the only things they can recall are Xian Xinghai's title of "People's Musician" and the old picture in the history textbook that is familiar because it appeared many times in his student days. photo. Beyond that, very little is known about him, he is a legend in our hearts but we don’t know his legend.

There are many great men like Xian Xinghai who inspired a generation during the war years, but have been gradually forgotten by modern people who are accustomed to the fast pace, and have slowly become inherent "nouns" in history textbooks. But the editor has always felt that they should not be forgotten. In an era when film and television works are deeply embedded in public life, there should be legends belonging to them.

Thankfully, in 2019, a movie "The Musician" adapted from Xian Xinghai's real experience was released, giving us the opportunity to have an in-depth understanding of this legendary musician in modern China.

This film is co-produced by China and Kazakhstan, starring Hu Jun, Yuan Quan and many local Kazakhstani actors***. The actors’ acting skills, ideological transmission and delicate expression of the characters’ emotions are all perfect. It is a highly completed drama and a tearjerker that will make the audience cry from beginning to end.

The perspective of "Musician" is very unique. It neither chooses the peak period when Xian Xinghai created the classic "Yellow River Cantata" during the Yan'an period, nor does it show his development as a child from a poor family. The difficult history of the famous musician's growth, but the time was spent on the last journey of his life: Almaty.

This experience seems "ordinary" in Xian Xinghai's legendary life, which can be summarized simply:

"In 1940, he went to the Soviet Union to conduct research for the large-scale documentary "Yan'an and the Eighth Route Army" Post-production and soundtrack, he was forced to be detained in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1941 due to the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, and died in Moscow in 1945."

This experience does not account for a high proportion in Xian Xinghai's life information. , but dying in a foreign land has revealed the strong sadness in it, which is the hurt of the country and the family. "Musician" depicts to us Xian Xinghai's longing for his motherland and family in the last few years of his life, allowing us to see the immortal soul of a great musician in the war years.

The cruelty of the war, the legendary musician left in such a "scrabble"

Even if you don't know the life of Xian Xinghai, you can still imagine the life of this musician. What a legend. A brilliant musical creation, his works encouraged the Chinese people to fight passionately in the face of the enemy. His life should be brilliant. But in our fantasy, he deserves every happy ending.

However, in the second year after Xian Xinghai went to the Soviet Union to perform his mission, he was forced to move to Almaty due to the outbreak of local war. He originally planned to transfer back to China from Xinjiang, but in a foreign country and the continuous war, , expired documents forced him to be detained locally.

The war years and his status as a foreigner made his life difficult. Fortunately, he was taken care of by the local musician Bykamov and got a job in the theater orchestra, and arranged for him to live temporarily at his sister's house. But the life of the local people is also very difficult. In order to survive, Xian Xinghaidian sells clothes and works hard, living hard and waiting for the day when he returns to his country. But the war years were too cruel to people, and a happy ending did not appear. He was unable to return to his motherland until he died of illness in Moscow in 1945.

Before leaving, he said to his wife Qian Yunling: I will be back in half a year.

But this six months has turned into a lifetime. War years are never kind. It is really a pity that a great musician left sadly.

The director of this film depicts the devastation of war very appropriately, and there is a "touchy" plot at the beginning of the film. Xian Xinghai, who had just arrived in Almaty, encountered the local train station being attacked by enemy troops. The little boy he had communicated with on the train was helplessly waiting for his mother's rescue in the chaotic crowd. Besides my mother, there is also Xian Xinghai.

But in the end, the screenwriter did not create an "action hero". The little boy was blown to death a few steps away from the star wash. The young body and the mother's wailing deeply impacted his sight. He knows how cruel the war is, and the audience also knows it, but when this cruelty happens nakedly in front of us, it is the pain that hits the bone marrow.

The screenwriter did not choose to let Xian Xinghai show his "heroic qualities" to save the little boy, but let him die in front of Xian Xinghai, because this was the war era. It was also this scene that started the tear-jerking moment. The audience knew that this story was true.

In a foreign country, what cannot be left behind is the longing for the motherland and family, and what is left behind is the immortal soul of music

During his years in Almaty, Xian Xinghai missed him all the time. Motherland, I miss my wife and daughter. But during the war years, it was too difficult to return home. He could only express his nostalgia for home through music in a distant foreign country. Xian Xinghai's spirit of family and country is expressed through three words in "Musician": country, family and roots.

Leaving the motherland is like a tree without roots. The whole person is full of longing for his homeland, not to mention that the country needs him. At that time, China was also in the midst of war. He originally wanted to use his musical talent to let the people of the world see the Chinese people's anti-war spirit, instead of living a dull life in a foreign country.

A local asked him, "Did you come to Almaty because China is at war?" He was surprised and quickly denied this speculation, because he was so eager to contribute to helping the Chinese people escape the war. It is precisely because of this desire that he wants to quickly return to the motherland that needs him, but reality does not give him the chance.

"My country is at war, but I am trapped here." For the first time, he was despairing because he could not return to his country. That kind of patriotic feeling is something that we in peacetime cannot understand, but we can still Being infected by the spirit of our ancestors inspired strong feelings.

With the encouragement of local musicians, he composed the music "Amangyalda" based on the local Kazakh heroes, which inspired the local people. In the last days of his life, he did not give up creating because he firmly believed that his music would be heard in the motherland.

In addition to expressing Xian Xinghai’s patriotic spirit, it also focuses on portraying his longing for his wife Qian Yunling and daughter Xian Nina. When we parted in Yan'an, we didn't expect that this would be an eternal farewell. When our daughter asked her mother over and over again, "When will daddy come back?", everyone was full of hope. When the Kazakh girl Alia asked Xian Xinghai if he missed his daughter, he was still looking forward to meeting again.

But in the end, everyone's wish was not realized, which is cruel and sad. The encounter between Xi Xinghai and his wife and daughter is the epitome of an ordinary family during the war years. I believe that this is also the director's use of this great man's story to analyze the damage caused by war to ordinary families and let us cherish the beauty of peace.

Excellent actors make "The Musician" even more perfect

"The Musician" is excellent in terms of story material and spiritual expression, but it is a pity that the screenwriter did not focus on him Compared with the "concert"-style listening enjoyment of "Bohemian Rhapsody", "The Musician" has too few explosive music clips.

There are only two strong music scenes in the whole film, one is the performance of "Amengilda" at the Almaty Theater and the other is the high-octane "Yellow River Cantata" performed by Xian Xinghai in his last concert. This choice may be related to the screenwriter's desire to express the character's experience more, but it may be a bit regrettable for the audience who is looking forward to music.

But Hu Jun and Yuan Quan filled this regret and even made the audience regret their expectations for the music. Their performances were too delicate.

In fact, before watching the movie, the editor was actually a little worried about Hu Jun's portrayal of Xian Xinghai, because his appearance as a tough guy is really far from the image of Xian Xinghai in history textbooks. But when Xian Xinghai, played by Hu Jun, appeared, he immediately brought the audience into the character. His expression through his eyes and control of details vividly displayed the image of the musician on the screen, without any sense of disobedience.

He is also very attentive, and the Xian Xinghai he interprets is very different from the "artist" in modern people's concept, and is closer to ordinary people, but this is more in line with Xian Xinghai's life image. You must know that Xian Xinghai came from a poor family, and during his music studies, he had many experiences such as work-study and working part-time to support his studies. He is not a musician pursuing a "literary style", but a real musician.

The last three scenes were even more shocking. So thin that he loses his appearance. The dedication involved in this can be imagined, and the efforts of powerful actors are very admirable.

Yuan Quan, who plays Xian Xinghai’s wife, also contributed her own magical acting skills. She has very few lines, and most of the scenes require eye contact to express the character’s heart. From the worry when parting, to the anticipation when teaching his daughter to sing, to the determination when finally interacting with her daughter, it is almost impossible to cry when Yuan Quan's eyes meet the audience.

When the audience was about to forget Xian Xinghai’s highlight moments as a musician because of the plot and acting skills, the director cleverly chose the most familiar “Yellow River Cantata” as the ending, using this performance to illuminate Xian Xinghai’s life. Put a full stop. When this music played, the editor only had one thought in his mind:

Xian Xinghai will never be forgotten.

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