1. Eight hundred words

The Eight Hundred's original name was Eight Hundred Apocalypses, and it was also called eight hundred heroes of the War Apocalypse. The original intention may be to pay tribute to the anti-war classic Apocalypse Now directed by the great director Coppola.

Later, it was changed to The Eight Hundred. The word "hundred" is actually meaningful and has three meanings: First, it refers to the establishment of the ancient army. What are ten people for, and a hundred people are hundred; Second, in ancient times, it specifically referred to the length of 1 people in the army; Three is the capitalization of the commonly used word "hundred". Therefore, it is used here to tell the story of people, and to praise these "8" soldiers, each of whom is a warrior of a hundred people.

2. No.8 in 219

The Eight Hundred's Dragon Label is actually very interesting, which happens to be No.8 in 219. I don't know whether it is a coincidence or the SARFT has customized a Dragon Label for this film.

3. The opening caption "When I am dust, you will see my smile"

There is a sentence in the opening caption of the movie: "When I am dust, you will see my smile". This sentence comes from Lu Xun's prose poem "Tomb Story" written in 1925.

The article is very short, only a few hundred words. With a dream, it describes the emptiness and gloom of the people in the tomb and the anxiety and pain that can't get rid of this state of mind.

"When I am dust, you will see my smile" is put in the film to say that even if I die for justice, I will smile.

The revolutionary spirit will continue to spread in the form of dust, affecting more people, just like the awakening process of the patriotic consciousness of the characters in the film.

4. Disciples from green gang send wires

In the movie, a group of young people braved their lives to run across the bridge to send telephone lines to the defenders of the four-row warehouse. In the end, they succeeded with a punk knife in the casino.

These people are probably green gang, and if I guess correctly, the one sitting with almost no face is probably Du Yuesheng, a big shot in green gang.

green gang has always been one of the main financial sources of the Kuomintang. In the history, Du Yuesheng did contribute to the defense of Sihou Warehouse. There is a saying that he secretly sent 2, light cakes to Sihou Warehouse in one day.

5. Shanghai Gongxiang Concession

Because of the special location of the four-row warehouse, the Japanese army occupied the west and north sides of the warehouse, while the east and south sides were the then Anglo-American Gongxiang Concession. At that time, Japan, which had not declared war on Britain and the United States, did not use excessive heavy weapons in its attack for fear of damaging the concession.

Shanghai Concession has a long history. After the defeat of the Opium War, the Qing government signed the treaty of nanking with Britain, which opened Shanghai as a trading port, and then divided the Shanghai Concession.

there are two major concessions in Shanghai, the French concession and the Anglo-American concession. It is the Anglo-American Concession on the edge of the four-row warehouse, so the British flag has appeared many times in the film.

6. Gas Tank in Concession

The film not only mentioned the special position of Sihou Warehouse, but also emphasized that the Japanese army did not dare to attack with heavy artillery because of the gas tank. These two gas tanks do exist in history and have a long history.

As early as 1865, Shanghai established the "British spontaneous fire house", which was later renamed "Shanghai Yingshang Gas Company", making Shanghai the first city in Asia to use gas. At that time, gas was mainly used for gas lamps as lighting. Later, after the popularity of electric lamps, it gradually turned to cooking and heating.

The existence of these two gas tanks provides a natural "protective barrier" for the defenders of Sihe Warehouse. During the Battle of Songhu, perhaps to show the morale of the people, gas tanks rarely appeared in old photos. But because gas was a symbol of civilization at that time, these two gas tanks were once painted in landscape postcards.

7. Billboards on the banks of Suzhou

The battle of defending the four-row warehouse is unique in history and is watched by the people. The banks of Suzhou Creek are separated by only one river, which is only 5 meters. On the one hand, it is a cruel battlefield full of gunfire, which is a hell, while on the other hand, it is a colorful British and French concession, which is a paradise.

the cross-strait contrast is even more cruel. Therefore, the film also specially arranged many scenes in which people on both sides of the strait looked at each other. Looking at the opposite side from the garrison, we can see countless billboards, which shows the intention of the crew on the set.

faintly visible are: SIEMENS, Siemens Electric; Camel, the famous Camel brand cigarettes and so on, and many fictional billboards in bars and restaurants.

8. Movie Eggs

The most special thing is that there are two movies hidden in the neon lights.

One is 42ND STREET, translated in Chinese as 42nd Street, an American musical film released in 1933, which was quite in line with the taste of watching movies in Shanghai Concession at that time.

the other is the famous "SPELLBOUND", Dr. Edward directed by Hitchcock. This is a 1945 film, and it should be an egg that the director or production designer prefers to add.

9. Coca-Cola billboard

Speaking of the advertisements in the film, the most conspicuous one is of course the giant Coca-Cola advertisement on the west wall of the four-row warehouse, which reads "Please drink, Coca-Cola, Watsons soda".

This wall is also the main direction of the Japanese attack. The siege equipment, steel plate array bombing wall and mortar heavy artillery attack in the film, and Shusheng Chen jumped down the building with a bomb tied to it and died with the Japanese. In reality, this wall is also the top priority of the four-row warehouse exhibition hall. The whole wall is completely preserved, even with bullet holes and gun holes.

Although it looks like a romantic fiction in a movie, it is not impossible. Coca-Cola entered China as early as 1927, and set up a factory in Shanghai for production, and Watsons Mineral Water Company was responsible for bottling. By 1933, the Shanghai factory was already the largest bottling factory of Coca-Cola outside the United States.

In the old photos of the Battle of Songhu, you can really see the position set up by the Japanese army under the Coca-Cola billboard.

1. The ending song "Suzhou Creek"

The ending song Suzhou Creek is adapted from "Londonderry Air" and sung by singer Na Ying and Italian blind tenor andrea bocelli.

Delhi Minor in London is an Irish ballad with a long history. It was written in 16 and has been circulated for more than 4 years. Its melody is beautiful, simple and gentle.

One of its most famous lyrics is called Danny Boy, which is also a song about war and father-son farewell, which is similar to Suzhou River in the movie.

11. Chinese and Japanese military uniforms and all kinds of weapons

As a war movie, The Eight Hundred has certainly made great efforts in weapons and equipment.

Among them, the Showa Five-style Army uniform worn by the Japanese army. This uniform has been used from 3 years to 38 years, and its iconic feature is the stand-up collar design, and the rank badges are on both sides of the shoulders.

At that time, it was the Third Division of the Japanese Shanghai Dispatching Army that attacked the four-row warehouse. It was the most elite unit in the Japanese Imperial Army, so it was reasonable to wear this uniform.

And the military uniforms of China defenders are equally reasonable. As one of the three instructors of the Central Army, the 88th Division is a well-known armorer, fully armed with German equipment, and its military uniform is also a light green armorer's uniform.

Czech light machine gun, Suluotong 2mm cannon and so on also appeared in the film, all of which were in line with the historical details at that time. Among them, the defenders also used a hundred-style flame thrower, which actually belonged to the Japanese army. At that time, the national army did not have it, which can be understood as a captured trophy.

12. The mouse and the white horse

The first scene of the film is the mouse, and the last scene is the white horse. The mouse and the white horse also appear repeatedly in the middle of the film. For The Eight Hundred's film "Time is money", I wish I could compress it a little longer. It is obviously meaningful to spend so much ink to show these two animals.

it's easy to understand. Rats, instinct is to survive, not to hide. At first, in the "miscellaneous army" gathered by the warehouse defenders along the road, many people just want to live and don't want to fight, which obviously corresponds to them.

Some of them are farmers who can only farm, some are clerical workers who can only calculate abacus, and some are even teenagers. As soon as the battle started, all they could think of was hiding or running away.

as for the white horse, it is hope and the future. The pure white horse revolves around Xiao July and Xiao Hubei from beginning to end, which should represent "hope belongs to teenagers and the future belongs to teenagers".

13. Zhao Zilong in Changbanpo, Huang Zhongding Dingjun Mountain and Walking to Maicheng

The elements of Romance of the Three Kingdoms have appeared more than once in the movies.

Shangguan Zhibiao said that the defeat of the national army in the Battle of Songhu was like "going all the way to Maicheng", which was the story of Guan Yunchang's defeat in Maicheng.

The drama sung by the troupe opposite is "Zhao Zilong in Changbanpo, and then kill him seven times in and seven times out". Jerry Lee plays the role of Shandong soldier with a set of Zhao Yun's shadow play, because he thinks: "Master Guan is talking about brotherhood, but Zhao Zilong is different. He is protecting the country."

After the death of the Dragon Boat Festival, Shandong soldiers picked up a shadow play and played Zhao Zilong. When they sang the last sentence, they shed tears. The lyrics were "waiting for future generations in the Han Dynasty", which echoed the fact that Shandong soldiers usually called the Dragon Boat Festival "children". And Zhao Zilong, imagined by small Hubei Province, also became the appearance of the Dragon Boat Festival after its sacrifice.

The role of Zhao Yun just corresponds to the lonely army in the four-row warehouse. He is "single and alone", facing thousands of troops, seven in and seven out, without fear.

In the end, Jiang Wu's role, Lao Tie, plays a broadsword on the top of the building, which is also the bridge section of "Huang Zhong Dingjun Mountain". This drama tells the story of veteran Huang Zhongli's beheading of Xia Houyuan. It is a portrayal of the old horse's long-term ambition, and it is also the time when the four defenders are at the end of the road, and they still have the ambition to serve the country.

14. peace preservation corps, Hubei

At the beginning of the whole film, there is a line: "We are the faces of peace preservation corps, Hubei", and we also speak Hubei dialect. In the picture, an army wearing a hemp fiber hat is marching in the reeds of Pudong. Obviously, this army is from peace preservation corps, Hubei.

During the Battle of Songhu, the National Army lost a large number of soldiers who had been trained in Germany, and basically they had to be replenished once every 2 days. On the eve of guarding the four-row warehouse, the 88th Division just made the fifth supplement, which came from peace preservation corps, Hubei Province, especially the soldiers from Tongcheng Security Brigade. Therefore, the vast majority of the four-line warehouse defense wars in history are also Hubei soldiers.

15. Boy Scouts Send Flags in Yang Huimin

In the movie, a girl scout sent flags to the defenders of the four-row warehouse. The female student's name is Yang Huimin, and she does exist in history.

There is a story in history that she wrapped a 12-foot-long flag of the Republic of China under the children's uniform she was wearing and swam across the Suzhou River at the risk of war. This is what is used in movies.

The incident of Yang Huimin sending flags to the defenders greatly inspired the morale of the defenders and the people watching the war from the other side, and won the praise of the media from all over the world stationed in the concession at that time.

16. The Japanese army executed prisoners in the year

There is a scene in the movie in which the Japanese army publicly executed a number of prisoners in the year, including the old gourd played by Huang Zhizhong, in order to force the defenders in the four-row warehouse to surrender as soon as possible. This has also happened in history.

In the battle of defending the four-row warehouse, the squad leader Jiang Jing led nine soldiers to be on guard in the area of Ganqiao on Mongolian Road. Unfortunately, they were all captured because they failed to evacuate in time. Subsequently, they were taken to the Suzhou River and stabbed to death by the Japanese army with bayonets.

17. Letter from Xie Jinyuan.

In the movie, after Xiao Hubei became an orderly in Xie Jinyuan, he saw a letter in the reception room with the name "Zhang Pingzhou" written on it. This is also true in history. This letter is a letter from Xie Jinyuan to his brother-in-law Zhang Pingzhou.

The letter reads: "I have long known the teachings of Mount Tai's great feather, so I am often in danger and my mind feels peaceful." -enough to see Xie Jinyuan as cool as a cucumber and will to serve the country.

Because of Xie Jinyuan's heroic deeds of leading a solitary army to defend the four-row warehouse, the Shanghai Municipal Government renamed Manchuria Road next to the four-row warehouse as Jinyuan Road, and even renamed Jiaozhou Park, which is separated from the solitary military camp, as Jinyuan Park, and established Jinyuan Middle School as a memorial.

18. Song Xilian, the general of Eagle Dog

The role of Yang Guai played by Wang Qianyuan, though also in the deserter group, looks like a well-trained veteran in battle. The only thing he cares about in the movie is his old mother. When he was injured, he unbuttoned his clothes and dropped a lot of money. It can be seen that he has been saving money to send it to his mother.

in the latter part of the movie, he only announced that he belonged to the 33rd Division instead of the 36th Division. Zhu Shengzhong said a sentence, "The Song Chief's soldiers are not unintelligent." This Song Chief refers to Song Xilian, the commander of the 36th Division.

Song Xilian Whampoa Military Academy, born in the first phase, is brave and good at fighting. In the battles of Songhu, Wuhan and preventing the Japanese invaders from attacking western Yunnan, it dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army. It was awarded the "Medal of Freedom of Palm Leaf" by the US government, and it was known as "the light of Whampoa" and "the general of eagle dog".

19. Asia's first film with IMAX cameras

There are also many places worth mentioning behind the scenes in The Eight Hundred, such as the four-row warehouse and the Suzhou River night scene, which cost a lot of effort in setting.

Among them, the most powerful film is the first one in Asia that uses IMAX cameras all the time, and there are only two precedents in the world: Avengers 3 and Avengers 4.

IMAX camera is known for its wide dynamic range and extremely delicate lens capture, which has played an extremely important role in the telepresence of war scenes and the performance of Shanghai Shili Ocean Field.

2. The tragic ending of being alone

At the end of the movie, the defenders of the four lines of warehouses retreated into the concession, leaving only one death squad to attract Japanese fire. The film does not describe the ending of the death squads in detail, but their tragic ending seems to be everyone's guess. At this time, there is no need for big scenes, but leaving blank can make people sad.

In the real history, the lonely soldiers who retreated into the concession were equally miserable. As soon as they entered the concession, they were immediately disarmed and put into a shelter. Three hundred and fifty-eight people were banned from Jiaozhou Road, known as the "solitary military camp". Xie Jinyuan, the head of the regiment, was assassinated to death by a mutinous soldier. Subsequently, the Japanese invaded the concession, became prisoners of war alone, were distributed to concentration camps around the country, and even were transported to Papua New Guinea south of the equator as laborers.

As the song "My Cousin Left in Papua New Guinea" sang: My head fell down beside the playground in the concession/My cousin stayed in Papua New Guinea/He and his violin never returned to their hometown.

The soldiers buried their bones in other places, and The Eight Hundred brought their spirits back.