Liu Zifeng became popular by starring in Zhao Shuxin in the movie "Black Cannon Incident". In the "World Film Appreciation Dictionary" compiled by Zheng Shelley, the "Black Cannon Incident" is evaluated as follows: "The Black Cannon Incident" for the first time has deeply reflected on the cultural mentality of intellectuals on the Chinese screen. It not only pays attention to the influence of external social and political factors on the fate of intellectuals, but also penetrates the lens into the inner philosophical and cultural level of forming the specific character of Chinese intellectuals, and integrates philosophical thinking about the fate of intellectuals... The film successfully shaped the 'Character of Zhao Shuxin'. It pays attention to the excavation of the external political factors that form character, and also pays more attention to the discovery of the internal cultural genes that form character.
In Liu Zifeng's Zhao Shuxin, people can not only see the excellent side of the traditional culture inherited by Chinese intellectuals, such as the spirit of patriotism and national integrity, but also let people see the so-called inferior roots of Chinese intellectuals, especially small intellectuals, such as the mental state of being nothing and being obedient. The former should be Yang's, and the latter should be abandoned.
Liu Zifeng's performance in this film is successful because his treatment of Zhao Shuxin is not technical or "expressive", but natural, and the audience can even feel that Liu Zifeng himself is a member of the Chinese traditional knowledge molecules. Zhao Shu, played by Liu Zifeng, does not have the kind of externalization, boldness and boldness of Lu Yanzhi, played by Chen Daoming, he seems to be like a pond of spring water, but in the face of cold, he is alive when he is warm, although he is alive but quiet, although quiet and contained. If you use a sentence or a word to describe Liu Zifeng's handling of Zhao Shuxin, the most appropriate thing is "a scholar".
From Liu Zifeng's body, we can see the shadows of a series of Chinese traditional intellectuals such as Deen in "Peach Blossom Weeping Blood", Dai Liyan in "Spring in a Small Town", JueXin in "Home", Xiao Jianqiu in "Early Spring and February"; we can even feel the image of intellectuals in traditional Chinese opera and their spiritual connotations, such as Zhu Maichen in "Rotten Keshan" and so on.
Unfortunately, it is difficult for us to see the image and living conditions of real Chinese intellectuals in today's Chinese films, not to mention the humanistic thinking brought about by this. Our display and presentation of this changing world is more external, simple, superficial, whether it is the director's thinking or the actor's temperament and performance, it is difficult to give the audience a rational thinking.
What is really missing in Chinese cinema and even in today's Chinese literature and art is actually the "Zhao Shuxin character"—the thing that was taken away by Teacher Liu Zifeng.
Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Man Yi
Editor/Ying Qiao