Introduction to the Birth of the Red Child

Among the children's films shot in New China that reflect the war years, the film "Red Children" left a deep impression on people with its clear, vivid, simple and natural style. The young protagonists Su Bao and Xi Mei in the film have also become classic images of heroic teenagers of that era. In 1957, Su Li, the director of Changchun Film Studio, found his friend Qiao Yu, the famous playwright and composer. He said, "I want to make a movie for children. Can you write a script for me?" Qiao Yu He readily replied: "Okay, what kind of film do you want to make?" "It would be best to reflect the story of the little red devil during the war years." Before that, Suri had filmed the children's film "Brother and Sister". This time he wanted to make another film about the "Red Kid". Qiao Yu readily agreed to Su Li's proposal. In fact, both Qiao Yu and Su Li have a strong affection for children. They were both red brats, and they have unusual nostalgia and enthusiasm for the children in the war years. After Qiao Yu accepted the task, after some serious thinking, he settled the content of the script on a group of red children in the Central Soviet Area after the Red Army moved north in the 1930s. It was the most difficult period of the Chinese revolution, and it best reflected the brave and resourceful revolutionary heroism of the children of that special era. In order to explore creative materials, Qiao Yu crossed the Yangtze River for the first time in his life and came to the Soviet Area to experience life. He went from house to house and listened to the stories of the "red little devils" about their arduous struggle after the Red Army went north. Gradually, a story about the "Red Little Ghost" was born in Qiao Yu's writing. In 1934, after the Red Army went north to fight against Japan, the Red Guards in Lijia'ao, Jiangxi Soviet Area, under the leadership of Soviet Chairman Li, went up to the mountains to fight guerrillas. Chairman Li's son Su Bao and a group of friends such as Xi Mei and Dong Yazi begged adults to take them up the mountain. After failing, they formed a juvenile guerrilla group in a cave and fought with the White Army and reactionary forces entrenched in Lijia'ao. The forces started fighting. They bravely and tactfully seized guns, posted slogans, and under the leadership of "Eunuch Li", The reactionary armed Jingwei regiment of Zhuo people cleverly rescued the arrested Chairman Li and killed Huang Jingbo, the enemy leader who was chasing them. In the face of harsh struggle, the red children thrived in the baptism of blood and fire. After the script is written. Qiao Yu also wrote the theme song "Japanese Children's Group Song" that was widely sung in the future for this film. Suri was very satisfied after reading the script and immediately started selecting young actors. Soon, all the young actors from various schools reported to the crew, but little Su Bao, the protagonist of the film, was nowhere to be found. Just when he was troubled by this, Chen Keran, a young actor who played a role in the film "Flowers of the Motherland" many years ago, suddenly appeared in front of him. Chen Keran is very cute. He joined the Repertory Troupe of Liaoning People's Art Theater when he was just ten years old. His performance in the film was outstanding. Why not let him give it a try? However, how many years have passed, is the young Keran capable of the job? What about the role of "Red Boy"? Su Li was unsure, so he rushed to Harbin to find out. Although many years have passed and little Keran has grown from a child to an older child, his cleverness and liveliness have not changed at all. This made Su Li very excited and specially invited little Keran to be there. We had a delicious meal of steamed mandarin fish and braised pork in the restaurant, which was quite a luxury in this era of scarcity. Perhaps out of caution, Su Li did not explain the purpose of his trip to Xiao Keran. Xiao Keran also thought that Su Li's treat was purely because of the filming that year. It was not until two months later, when Su Li sent the assistant director of "Red Boy" to pick him up on the set that he understood the reason. After "Little Su Bao" returned to the team, in order to allow the young actors to fully appreciate the heroic spirit displayed by the "Red Children" in their struggle against the White Army, Su Li led the film crew to visit revolutionary base areas such as Jinggangshan and Ruijin, and also I have been to Maoping where Chairman Mao and Zhu De met. In order to let the children experience the hardships of the revolutionary struggle, he also specially let the children wear the clothes and shoes of local children and climbed up the Lingbei Mountain at the junction of Jiangxi and Guangdong. Although the children suffered a lot during the march, they also received a vivid education on revolutionary history and patriotism, and thus had a good grasp of their roles in the play. Facts have proved that Su Li's "hand" is very effective, and the children who have been trained are very comfortable in filming. The filming process seems tense and happy. However, the most unforgettable thing for the children was that they saw Chairman Mao for the first time in their lives during the filming.

On February 14, 1958, although it was freezing cold outside, the studio was full of autumn scenery: there was a winding path inside the studio, lined with trees, green grass on the ground, dewdrops dripping, and the sound of insects chirping... ...It turns out that Suri was taking the children to film the last scene of "Red Boy", "The Gun in the Dark." Just as everyone was concentrating on filming, the factory suddenly sent someone to inform them: An important leader will come to inspect shortly, and then you will re-shoot a scene to show the leader. Since there are usually many leaders who come to Changying for inspections, everyone is accustomed to this, so they seem very calm. At about 11 noon, the studio door suddenly opened wide, and a tall man in a gray coat walked in, accompanied by Wu De, the first secretary of the Jilin Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Yama, the director of the factory, " Isn’t this the great leader Chairman Mao?” The unexpected surprise made the entire studio burst into joy. Chairman Mao waved to everyone as he walked. After introducing director Su Li, director Yama pointed at the young actors and said to Chairman Mao: "These are our red children's troupe members. Chairman, please see if they look like Ruijin's." Red children?" Chairman Mao looked at the children with makeup and said with a smile: "They look very much like the children in the Soviet area back then!" He then pointed at the actor who played the role of the White Army and said, "The White Army also looks quite similar." Everyone couldn't help but be happy after hearing this. Chairman Mao then asked the young actors with a smile: "Are you from Changchun?" Everyone replied: "We are from Beijing." Chairman Mao then asked: "Which theater troupe are you from?" The children replied: " We are all students." Seeing the touching scene of the children snuggling up to Chairman Mao's side and answering questions, the people present felt warm in their hearts. When Mao Zedong walked to a forest and stopped to ask some questions to the young actress playing the younger sister, the photographers raised their cameras one after another. Upon seeing this, Chairman Mao smiled and said: "You have treated me as a movie." His kind and humorous words caused another round of cheerful laughter. Mao Zedong walked into the scenic spot along the winding path, pointed to the leaves made of oil paper and the grass made of hemp and asked: "Can it really be used?" Yama, the director of the factory, replied: "It can be used." Mao Zedong asked again: "Then this Why don't you shoot the scene in a real location?" Su Li said, "Due to the season, we can only shoot in a studio." Mao Zedong said humorously: "Fake things are allowed in filmmaking." Chairman Mao. The arrival of the film gave the film crew a huge encouragement and they were determined to film the drama well. Su Li also took advantage of the situation and taught the children to express what they learned while experiencing life in the film. The children were also very motivated and devoted themselves to their roles. Xiao Keran came later than other young actors and had to film as soon as he arrived on the set. However, he was open-minded and studious, worked hard to read the script, carefully figured out the psychology of the characters in the play, and designed the characters' actions. Su Li also guided him very much and patiently told him the story. Fortunately, he had several years of stage performance experience and with his hard work, he finally got through this. Due to his outstanding performance in the drama "Red Boy", Xiao Keran was transferred to Changying just after the filming of "Red Boy", and has successively appeared in "The Man in the Painting", "Ode to the Qiang Flute", "We Are a Generation", and "Peacock Guts" , played multiple roles in "Red Flag Book". After the efforts of the film crew, in 1958, the movie "Red Boy" finally met the general audience. After the film was released, it was well received by all parties. The theme song of the film, "Japanese Children's Group Song", was also widely sung and has remained popular for a long time.