1934, transferred to "Shengsheng Ranch" belonging to "Sanyou Industrial Co., Ltd." as a clerk, selling "Shengsheng" milk and collecting accounts. The ranch gave me a bike for collection and sale. I will use this bike to picket the anti-Japanese demonstrations. When the parade passes Nanjing Road, I often go to see if there is a patrol to stop it. After knowing my whereabouts, the boss of Shengsheng Ranch called me to the manager's office and told me what I had been doing recently like a prisoner. I argued with my boss in the manager's office that anti-Japanese demonstrations are something everyone in China should do. The boss is a bully is always a coward, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Get out!" " "So I left the milk company and put all my energy into the drama movement. 1936 ant troupe rehearsed one-act dramas such as Smuggling, Poison and Horn created by Xia Yan and Tian Han. I acted in two plays, but on the first day of the premiere of Ant Society, many policemen came and ordered it to be banned. Sha is an executive member of the Ant Society and a professional lawyer, so he went out to protest against the British concession authorities.
1937 August 13 War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression outbreak. Amid the rumble and fierce gunfire, I rode my bike to the 19th Route Army Disabled Hospital. Li Bolong, one of the hospital directors, and the attending doctor Guo warmly shook hands with me and called me "a bold and enthusiastic young man". At this time, many Shanghai drama and film workers went to the mainland to join the national salvation drama team. Comrade Yu Ling organized some of the repertoires left in Lonely Island into "Jade Bird Drama Club" and performed such repertoires as Thunderstorm, Women's Apartment and Sunrise in Guangxin Theatre. Directors are: Xu Xingzhi, Wu, Zhu Duanjun, etc. The actors are Lan Lan, Lin Xia, Li Bai and Zhang Kehe Shu Tong. I also became a professional dramatist, participated in the performances of Thunderstorm and Women's Apartment, and changed my name to Gu Yelu.
During the period of 1943, China Co-production Company organized two drama performances, and the repertoire was Jiangzhou Blood and Tears. This is based on the anti-Anglo-American imperialist drama Roar, China, which was originally written by the Soviet playwright Serge mikhailov. The story tells that the British gunboat "Golden Beetle" came to China with a group of American and British businessmen in the 1920s, and the gunboat was anchored in the Yangtze River. People on board went ashore to ferry the China civilian ship, and an American businessman accidentally fell into the water and drowned. The British captain suggested hanging two China boatmen as punishment, or razing the city by the river. This aroused the boatmen's struggle against violence.
I played a student translator in the play. He hates imperialism and sympathizes with the boatman. Because Guan Dao Yin doesn't know English, he protested to the captain on behalf of Guan Dao. Rehearsal at the Daguangming Cinema that night, the so-called audience were mostly Japanese officers who came to review. My role appeared twice, the first time was to negotiate with the captain of Great Britain with China officials; On my second appearance, I stood on the side of the boatman and shouted, "Down with British and American imperialism!" "The boatmen will follow me to shout slogans. But I blurted out, "Down with Japanese imperialism! "Ming Jiang, Xu Li and Lv Yu, who plays the boatman? Then they shouted, "Down with Japan ..." and suddenly realized that something was wrong, but the actors were so immersed in the passionate emotions of the characters in the play that they didn't even make clear the slogan. Some are called "Down with Japan" ... British imperialism, while others are called "Down with Japan" ... American imperialism, and British and American imperialism are also pointed out in the noise. The word "Japan" is specious, intentionally or unintentionally. All the actors on the stage know that I call the slogan "wrong". The film company managers and producers under the stage are also watching the rehearsal and listening clearly.
After the play, the director Pingqian Li ran backstage and panted me aside and said, "You are afraid of a leopard!" Actually, I subconsciously called it out. When the scene was changed on the stage, all the Japanese watching the rehearsal went to the bar to smoke and drink coffee. The director and the actor said in unison: if the Japanese ask, no one will admit to shouting the wrong slogan. After that, some of our actors are always afraid that one day the old and new accounts will be counted together.
At that time, we also wanted to set up a trade union, so that when there were difficulties, we could have a place to discuss. At that time, all walks of life had their own trade unions, except drama and film actors. Comfortable and strict in those days, Lv Yu? And I are both warm-blooded youths. When we lobbied our colleagues on this matter, we were told that Japan was paying attention to our actions and suggested that we should not form any trade unions. So we think, as sworn brothers, we can always do it. We gathered eleven people, Jin Lan, in chronological order: Xu Xinyuan, Zhanfei Gao, Ming Jiang, Dai Yanwan, Liang Xu, Comfortable, Xu Li, Yan Hua, Huang He, Lv Yu? . After becoming sworn brothers, we often get together in the name of birthdays, sometimes in restaurants and sometimes in cafes, helping each other to exchange life and work. Whoever is in trouble will help him.
1948 "Yonghua's Soul of China" started shooting, bringing together old friends from Shanghai such as Liu Qiong, Zhanfei Gao, Wang Yuanlong, Qiao Qi and Sun Jinglu, as well as big stars such as Chongqing, Gu Eryi and Tao Jin. It's just that we are both surnamed Gu and get along very well. He said to me, "Hong Kong is not under the rule of the Kuomintang. Zhanfei Gao and I want to set up a company. " They want me to join them because I have studied finance and know about independent production. I was overjoyed and promised to give up Yonghua's superior treatment as long as there was food here.
On this day, Gu Eryi and I went to Qu Baiyin's home to listen to Mr. Xia Yan's report. This is a small talk with Ye Yiqun, Zhou, Han Beiping, Tao Jin and others. Gu Eryi reported to Xia Yan about the preparations for the "Great Bright Film Company" and warmly invited the screenwriter to write more plays to help. Ye Yiqun agreed. Soon, he took out the script, titled "Spring Breeze of Wildfire" directed by Ou Yangyuqian. Set in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the story describes the tragic experience and awakening of a female artist. The film started shooting in Hongkong, and Shu Xiuwen played the heroines Fang Hua, Li Luling, Zhanfei Gao and I participated in the performance. Soon, we plan to shoot the second film of Daguangming Company-the house and boat conceived by Gu Eryi and Qu Baiyin, and the funds will be managed by me.
Just as the filming of "House Boat" started, prices in Shanghai soared and life was really difficult. My wife bought a plane ticket, took two children to Hong Kong, and the whole family settled in Kowloon. I'm thinking about taking the "Nanyang Studio" for location shooting, and the daily rent is 1000 yuan, so I negotiated with the director to focus on location, and 70% of the location of the whole film is shot at the seaside, fishing port and hillside. So we rented two shacks at Cheung Chau Fishing Port in Hong Kong, slept on the ground floor and ate the same pot. Before dawn, the director and producer went out to sea by fishing boat, braving the strong wind and heavy rain, splitting in the turbulent tide and setting the shooting scene. Gu Eryi said excitedly, "This wonderful shot can't be shot in the studio! It's really worth dying. "However, the major investors saw that the scenes they filmed were shabby and miserable scenes, and they were afraid that the audience would not like them, so they withdrew from the investment halfway. Without the money for post-production, we cut samples in the room and borrow money for post-production. After the screening of House and Boat, Hong Kong progressive newspapers praised and encouraged it. Many viewers sent letters, hoping that "Great Light" would make persistent efforts to make more films with practical significance.
What is the theme of the third film "Great Light"? At that time, Gu Eryi's younger brother Gu Erkun went to Hongkong to visit his brother. He is a playwright, and I just asked him to write a play about crossing the river when the PLA is visiting relatives. Gu Erkun immediately conceived and prepared to describe the touching story of villagers fighting by the river when the People's Liberation Army crossed the river, and named it "Yangtze River". But how can you film the PLA's mighty battle in Hong Kong? So Gu Erkun suggested: "If you want to shoot short and capable works, you can consider Zhao Shuli's" Little Black Marriage "in Li Youcai."
Xiao erhei's marriage describes Liujiaxia in the old district of Shanxi. There are two well-known "living immortals" in the local area: one is Liu of Qianzhuang, who talks about the yin and yang of all things and takes a look at the underworld of the ecliptic, known as the two Zhuge; The other is the wife of Hou Zhuang Yufu, who calls herself the Three Immortals. Xiao erhei, the son of Zhuge Liang, is a famous beautiful boy in Liujiaxia. He is a good young man who is praised by everyone. He killed two devils in the anti-mopping-up, and was rewarded by the special forces shooter. Qin Xiao, the daughter of the Third Fairy, is smart and beautiful, loves labor and is deeply loved by the young people in the village. Xiao erhei and Xiao Qin, two young people, fell in love for three years. However, they encountered a lot of troubles. They were opposed by diehard feudal two Zhuge and three fairies, and the evil forces in the village, on behalf of the Wang Jin brothers, destroyed and obstructed them. Finally, Xiao erhei and Xiao Qin, two good young people, finally got married happily after many twists and turns.
"good!" Gu Eryi made up his mind after reading the novel. He directed the third film. In order to get Zhao Shuli's consent, he quickly asked Ou Yangyuqian, who had returned to Beijing, to find Zhao Shuli and let Qu Baiyin adapt the script. As a result, they all agreed, and the main actors also decided that I would play Xiao Erhei, Chen Juanjuan as Qin Xiao, Sun Jinglu as Sanxian Gu and Zheng Min as Zhuge Liang. But money is a big problem. House and Boat was not published at that time.
At this time, the life of each of our families is already in dire straits. Zhanfei Gao went back to Shanghai to make a film, hoping to earn some money to adjust his life; It's just that I made "Hate in Qionglou" for the Great Wall Film Company, and I got a little pay, in order to get through this stage. The owner of Great Wall knows that Gu Eryi's "Big Bright" leather bag company is going to shoot "Marriage of Little Two Blacks". He has talents but no funds, so he is willing to invest 50%, with the studio and staff of Great Wall as the capital. Preliminary negotiations, as a "Great Bright" product, are issued by "Great Wall" abroad and "Great Bright" at home. I went to Dong Haoyun, the manager of Jinshan Shipping Company (now the father of Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa) to invest. Dong Haoyun and I joined the progressive group together in 1930s. We are old friends of the Ant Troupe. After listening to the progressive film, he generously agreed to support it, but asked not to invest and not to be named, because his "Jinshan Shipping Company" has business dealings with all countries in the world and Taiwan Province Province under the occupation of the Kuomintang, fearing that it would be bad for the company's business. But for the lack of funds, he will try his best to help solve it.
Everyone is happy that the production funds are guaranteed. At this time, the manager of Kodak Company in Hong Kong came to inform: The Hong Kong government has a regulation that "no matter which film company shoots the story of the liberated areas, it is not allowed to sell films." This sudden rule is simply a butcher's knife that kills progressive films. No film, not no rice! There are also studios (studios) in Hong Kong, which cannot be rented to film companies that shoot stories about the liberated areas. Without a movie and a studio, what else can I shoot? At this difficult juncture, the owner of Great Wall thinks that the story of Little Black Marries has box office value, and Great Bright is talented and can make excellent movies. He said that he was still willing to invest in cash and came up with an idea: "You can rent a studio to shoot Cantonese films because they are not so strict."
So I went to the Daguan Studio, which specializes in Cantonese films, to find the director Li Hua. Li Hua is the brother of Li Lilian, the wife of dramatist Ouyang Shanzun. I said to Li Hua, "The marriage of the little nigger is a love story. We made a Mandarin film." Turning a blind eye, Li Hua agreed to rent the studio to "Da Guangming" in the name of shooting Cantonese films. Kodak stopped asking whether to shoot the story of the liberated area, so the film problem was solved. But in the film, Xiao erhei and Xiao Qin were falsely accused by bad guys and taken to the district government to shoot a scene. The mayor's office wanted to hang a portrait of Chairman Mao. Li Hua saw the portrait of Chairman Mao and touched his nerves. He didn't agree to hang up for fear that spies would make trouble. Director Gu Eryi said: "How can we say that it is the district government of the liberated areas without hanging the portrait of Chairman Mao?" The more Li Hua listens, the more wrong he is. So you are shooting the story of the liberated area! But it's hard to ride a tiger now. He can only stand guard at the door. If a spy comes, stop shooting immediately. So we decided to shoot this scene in the dead of night.
The filming of "Little Black Marriage" is full of thorns and bumps. After the film was finished, someone came to "Great Light" to find me, took out his spy ID card and asked me to hand over Zhao Shuli. I am in distress situation. Where does he know that Zhao Shuli has never been to Hong Kong? He paused and demonstrated to me viciously: "You pat the little black boy, little heart!" " "He is right. Soon after, we moved the whole "Great Bright" back to Shanghai.