Li Xuejian reunited with the cast of ＂Born Out＂. How was the 9.4-point masterpiece born？

"Was born, mang kunlun, read all the human spring scenery.

Like three million white jade dragons in flight, You have chilled the sky through. “

Special feature of 1905 film network Twenty-three years ago, in the movie, the general Feng Shi and the scientist Lu Guangda sang Chairman Mao’s "Niannujiao Kunlun" emotionally, and the overflowing patriotism and revolutionary heroism touched countless audiences.

The film tells the story of several generations of national defense researchers and soldiers who took root in the northwest desert and overcame countless difficulties, and finally completed the first atomic bomb explosion in China. They won seven awards, including best film and best director, at the 20th Golden Rooster Award of China Film.

Although the box office performance of "Born Out" in that year was not ideal, it became a classic in the history of film in the precipitation of time, and became the highest-rated main melody movie with a score of 9.4, and many classic lines were talked about by the audience.

After a lapse of 23 years, at the 12th Beijing International Film Festival Li Xuejian Master Class, the cast of "Born Out" was pleasantly reunited.

Starring Li Xuejian and Li Youbin, together with the film director, screenwriter, photographer, artist Lin Chaoxiang and editor, chatted about the past filming and felt the great Malan spirit of "doing earth-shattering things and being anonymous" again.

Before the activity began, there was another detail that was particularly touching. Li Xuejian was the first to come to the scene early, gave a military salute to all the audience and media reporters, and kept bowing. As always, his modesty and sincerity won warm applause from the audience.

Starting from life

Play the "unsung hero"

Chen Guoxing, the director, first shared the origin of the film’s creation: Born Out of the Sky is a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the founding of New China, shouldering both political and artistic missions.

The film is adapted from Malanchao, an award-winning work of Xia Yan Film Literature Award. The story mainly revolves around two generations of the atomic bomb test base. After receiving the novel, Chen Guoxing, through a lot of data collection and in-depth interviews, decided to expand the perspective and pattern of the film, adding descriptions of the international background, national level and intellectuals at that time, and presenting the arduous struggle behind the first atomic bomb explosion in China in a panoramic way.

How to show such a grand movie theme? In the final analysis, it lies in the shaping of characters. Feng Shi and Lu Guangda, two leading men with distinct personalities and full colors, are the key to the success of the film, and the superb performances of Li Xuejian and Li Youbin also inject souls into the characters.

Chen Guoxing still remembers that he sent an invitation to Li Xuejian before there was a script. When he heard that it was this theme, Li Xuejian agreed without saying anything, and devoted himself to the creation of characters.

Li Xuejian said with emotion: "The workers involved in the nuclear test, whether they are famous or unknown, are all national heroes. It is my honor to participate in such a film."

Li Xuejian and director Chen Guoxing.

In order to interpret this group of "national heroes" well, the starring actors did a lot of "life under the sun" interviews before starting, communicated with the prototype characters, and collected many delicate and vivid life details.

Because the state of nuclear physicist is far away from life, Li Youbin was very uneasy at one time, "I still feel that I can’t play in the middle", and he also specially read a large number of biographies of nuclear physicists, looking for characters’ feelings.

Li Youbin

But what impressed Li Youbin the most was that when interviewing Academician Cheng Kaijia, he just asked: "Why did you choose to return to China at that time?" Academician Cheng couldn’t help crying.

"They have experienced the humiliating history of old China, and it is the spirit of patriotism that supports them. We all had a strong sense of mission when filming this movie, and this movie also changed my outlook on life, "Li Youbin said.

Li Xuejian said that in recent years, he has often seen young viewers relive the clips of the film on the online platform, which is very touching. "I think it is worthwhile for us to make this play!"

risen to challenges

Make the best theme movie

Born Out shows the arduous struggle of a group of "unsung heroes", and the film creation process is also not easy.

Because a lot of content involves confidentiality, Chen Guoxing and the screenwriter team can only try their best to collect information. For example, the "abacus" fragment that impressed many audiences is only described in a few words in the book, but the founders fully explored and used the contrast between the advanced technology of atomic bombs and the traditional abacus calculation to design this shocking bridge.

When shooting, I borrowed the reading room of Tsinghua University Library as the shooting location, found dozens of accountants as actors, and hung eight Chinese characters on the wall — — Do it yourself and start from scratch.

Lin Chaoxiang, an artist, revealed that he planned to shoot near Beijing at first, but he never found the desired image feeling until he came to the Malan Military Region in person and saw the vast and boundless sky before he found the real "born" temperament. In this way, from scratch, on the Gobi Desert, the engineers and soldiers of the Malan Military Region and the crew used 92 tons of steel to rebuild the scenery and completed the "impossible task".

Photographer Zhang Li interprets the image style of the film in this way. The khaki of the Gobi Desert echoes the golden color of Beijing, showing the vitality and nostalgia belonging to that era.

But what impressed him the most was the mental state of every actor when shooting a big scene: "When Li Youbin and Li Xuejian came out, there were often thousands of soldiers in the background. Those young voices and faces were warm, and every subject was very vivid. “

The on-the-spot shooting in the Gobi Desert brought magnificent images to "Out of the Sky", but the hard conditions were also a big challenge for the main creator. Chen Guoxing recalled that the conditions of eating and living on the set were poor, and there were no vegetables, and all the fruits were canned. "When shooting, the Gobi Desert was full of sandstorms, and Li Xuejian took the team, led the camels to face the wind, and the airplane heads blew against it, and suffered too much, but the actors never complained."

Due to the accumulation of a large number of wonderful materials in the early shooting, it has become a big problem for editor Zhou Xinxia, and has been unable to sort out narrative clues.

At this time, the photographer Zhang Li’s words woke her up, "Be bold and clean up carefully". "Chinese’s backbone and backbone shown in the roles played by Li Xuejian, Li Youbin and three people are the most touching to the audience, and my editing is also closely around these three people."

Chen Guoxing also recalled a detail. In the process of creation, the American bombing of China’s embassy in Yugoslavia happened. Li Xuejian was very angry when he learned about it, and the inspiring lines in the film also had practical significance:

"It should be said that the United States is a beautiful country, but he should not bully you as he is now, making you want to yell at him, NO, fuck you! I just can’t swallow this tone! "

Recalling the shooting more than 20 years ago, many details have been blurred, but the "Malan spirit" that I personally felt in the creative process is always in the hearts of every master.

"Born Out" is a film that truly shows Chinese’s "backbone" and Chinese’s spiritual essence. There are not many such films. Now there are some works with high cost and gorgeous production, but there are too few works that truly express the essence of national spirit, "said Zhang Li.

Li Xuejian said forcefully: "Malan spirit is summed up in two sentences: do earth-shattering things and be anonymous.". They did what no one in the world believed that Chinese could do. They really gave their youth and their children and grandchildren for the country and the people. Young people can go to Malan base to have a look, and they will definitely feel the same way with me, and tears can’t stop flowing. "

Finally, when asked how to create an excellent theme film, Li Xuejian said: "There is no need to conceptualize the theme film, carry forward the truth, goodness and beauty, lash out the false and the ugly, and carry forward the story of China, which is a good theme film."