孫國(guó)維
祝希娟是我人生中特別欽佩和羨慕的偶像。我與她同一年投考上海戲劇學(xué)院并都被錄取了。但后來(lái)我被新華社“挖”走,成了一名國(guó)際新聞戰(zhàn)線的記者,從此與上戲失之交臂。而祝希娟一直在文藝領(lǐng)域耕耘,成績(jī)斐然。我始終關(guān)注著祝希娟的前途命運(yùn),寫(xiě)這篇文章也是出于對(duì)她的敬重和愛(ài)護(hù)。
尋找“火辣辣的大眼睛”
上世紀(jì)60年代的某一天,導(dǎo)演謝晉來(lái)到上海戲劇學(xué)院出差,其實(shí)他醉翁之意不在酒,而在于“挖人”。他受梁信編劇之托,前來(lái)尋找一雙“火辣辣的大眼睛”。當(dāng)他路過(guò)學(xué)院的一間排練場(chǎng)時(shí),無(wú)意間看到里面有一對(duì)青年男女正在大聲爭(zhēng)吵。一瞬間,他突然捕捉到一個(gè)理想的鏡頭:女的表情是那么潑辣.強(qiáng)勢(shì),怒氣中略帶激動(dòng)。那雙眼睛確實(shí)有點(diǎn)兒“火辣辣”。這不正是梁信在《紅色娘子軍》劇本中所寫(xiě)的那個(gè)吳瓊花嗎?他暗暗慶幸,感到這回終于可以交差了。于是他沒(méi)有和上戲院方直接打招呼,只是輕描淡寫(xiě)地向這位女生詢問(wèn)了姓名和聯(lián)系方式。等到梁信本人親自驗(yàn)收并征得院方同意后才正式通知本人。當(dāng)梁信看到祝希娟時(shí),他一下愣住了,簡(jiǎn)直不敢相信自己的眼睛:面前竟站著一個(gè)活脫脫的吳瓊花,從她的身材、膚色、長(zhǎng)相和氣質(zhì),尤其是那雙忽閃忽閃的大眼睛,會(huì)說(shuō)話、火辣辣,一看就是那劇本里所描寫(xiě)的那個(gè)苦大仇深的吳瓊花。導(dǎo)演和編劇拍板讓祝希娟進(jìn)入《紅色娘子軍》劇組,小祝高興得一整夜合不攏眼。
劇組不久就來(lái)到海南島。這個(gè)當(dāng)年蘇東坡流放過(guò)的天涯海角,環(huán)境十分艱苦。好在劇組中有不少好搭檔,最使她好感的莫過(guò)于陳強(qiáng)老師,他手把手地教她入戲。尤其是用火辣辣的憤怒眼神仇視南霸天的那場(chǎng)戲,反反復(fù)復(fù)練了又練。為了真正進(jìn)入角色,祝希娟做足了功課。她同吳瓊花的原型馮增敏結(jié)伴深入連隊(duì)體驗(yàn)生活,在萬(wàn)泉河一帶軍訓(xùn),體驗(yàn)1930年成立的“紅色娘子軍”的生活。兩個(gè)“連長(zhǎng)”同吃、同住、同學(xué)習(xí),在一起打靶、露營(yíng)、急行軍,直至日落西山。晚上還要挑燈夜讀,翻閱歷史資料,琢磨吳瓊花的性格特點(diǎn)。她們情同姐妹,不分彼此。一個(gè)好的劇本,加上稱職的演員和優(yōu)秀的導(dǎo)演,當(dāng)然會(huì)拍出一部成功的電影。祝希娟果然一舉成名,憑《紅色娘子軍》中飾演的吳瓊花一角而獲得中國(guó)首屆電影百花獎(jiǎng)最佳女演員獎(jiǎng),成為中國(guó)第一位“百花影后”,是年24歲。從此奠定了她在中國(guó)影壇的地位,成為被周恩來(lái)總理提名的22名中國(guó)電影明星之一。
深圳電視的拓荒者
祝希娟在上初中時(shí)就在趙丹導(dǎo)演的《為孩子們祝?!返挠捌信苓^(guò)“龍?zhí)住保兴齼H留下一個(gè)背影,但“觸電的感覺(jué)”卻讓她插上了翅膀,飛向了藝術(shù)人生。1957年她如愿地考上了上海戲劇學(xué)院表演系,而《紅色娘子軍》使她一舉成名,在文藝舞臺(tái)上大顯身手。1960年上戲畢業(yè)后,她先后在上戲?qū)嶒?yàn)話劇團(tuán)和上海青年話劇團(tuán)當(dāng)演員,參演過(guò)莎士比亞的《無(wú)事生非》、莫里哀的《吝嗇鬼》以及《南海長(zhǎng)城》和《劉胡蘭》等劇目而成為實(shí)力派演員,并因此片約不斷。她不僅在《燎原》、《??!搖籃》等影片中飾演角色,而且還自導(dǎo)自演了《為明天祝?!泛汀督厦髦椤返扔捌?。
20世紀(jì)80年代,祝希娟隨中國(guó)電影代表團(tuán)出訪日本東京,曾路過(guò)深圳。那時(shí)深圳只是一個(gè)名不見(jiàn)經(jīng)傳的漁村小鎮(zhèn)。而她卻萌生了想投身深圳開(kāi)發(fā)和建設(shè)電視臺(tái)的初衷。1983年8月,她離開(kāi)上海,舉家南遷,去打拼、開(kāi)辟另一片新天地,這對(duì)于一個(gè)步入中年的演員來(lái)說(shuō),究竟要付出多大的勇氣和毅力呀!第二年,深圳特區(qū)的電視臺(tái)應(yīng)運(yùn)而生,這位年已46歲的電影明星,居然成了電視臺(tái)的副臺(tái)長(zhǎng),并親自擔(dān)任節(jié)目主持人。作為電視臺(tái)的領(lǐng)軍人物,她事必躬親,各部門(mén)有事都來(lái)找她,她則來(lái)者不拒,于是被稱作“公關(guān)臺(tái)長(zhǎng)”。1989年,她又兼職電視臺(tái)的電視藝術(shù)中心主任,負(fù)責(zé)和推動(dòng)電視劇的創(chuàng)作和制作。在她的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下,五年內(nèi)一口氣完成了20多部電視連續(xù)劇的拍攝。其中,《特區(qū)少年》、《超越生命》和《大風(fēng)警報(bào)》三部連續(xù)劇一舉拿下了“飛天獎(jiǎng)”的三個(gè)大獎(jiǎng)。2007年從美國(guó)學(xué)成歸來(lái)的兒子侯量用高清電視拍攝了《滑向未來(lái)》的故事片,反映深圳兩代滑板青年的生活和愛(ài)情。祝希娟笑稱:起初有朋友說(shuō),你這個(gè)歲數(shù)還拍“小鮮肉”的戲,豈不讓人笑掉大牙。但我的座右銘就是“向前進(jìn),向前進(jìn),永遠(yuǎn)向前進(jìn)!”這就是“紅色娘子軍”的本色。因此,我要永遠(yuǎn)接受新事物,接受新挑戰(zhàn)。
為中國(guó)影壇早期明星立傳
祝希娟作為老演員,從來(lái)不斤斤計(jì)較名位和報(bào)酬。拍攝騎馬不用替身。拍攝《大雪冬至》時(shí),她心悅誠(chéng)服地接受年輕導(dǎo)演的指導(dǎo)和擺布。她知道拍片成本很少,就表示,片酬先放到一邊不談,給多少都行,沒(méi)有特殊要求。她對(duì)自己要求很苛刻,對(duì)于公益事業(yè)十分熱心。
祝希娟對(duì)于周總理當(dāng)年的囑咐不敢有忘。上世紀(jì)60年代初,周總理提出,我們要把電影院里掛的蘇聯(lián)22大明星拿下來(lái),掛上我們自己的22大電影明星。而且還親自擬定了中國(guó)的22位大明星。本來(lái)名單中有劉瓊的名字,但周總理親自打電話對(duì)他說(shuō):“讓年輕演員上。”于是由祝希娟頂了上去。當(dāng)年祝希娟剛剛24歲,而且是其中唯一的話劇演員。22位電影明星還包括:上影廠的趙丹、白楊、張瑞芳、上官云珠、孫道臨、王丹鳳;北影的謝添、崔嵬、陳強(qiáng)、張平、于蘭、于洋、謝芳;長(zhǎng)影的李亞林、張園、龐學(xué)勤、金迪;八一制片廠的田華、王心剛、王曉棠等。當(dāng)年在各大影院掛起這些熠熠生輝的中國(guó)明星照片之時(shí),民間掀起了一場(chǎng)空前的追星浪潮!它曾經(jīng)是一個(gè)時(shí)代的象征和記憶。
盡管上述明星們?nèi)缃裼械囊呀?jīng)年邁,有的早已謝世,僅有10人健在。但祝希娟決心要把這些德藝雙馨的老藝術(shù)家的音容笑貌、精湛演技和代表作品以專輯的形式傳給后世。她的壯舉得到深圳市委宣傳部門(mén)的大力扶持,撥款250萬(wàn)元,其余由祝希娟憑借自己的關(guān)系和影響努力籌措。經(jīng)過(guò)4年辛勞拼搏,已經(jīng)制作出了23集《新中國(guó)22大電影明星》電視專題片,不久就可與觀眾見(jiàn)面。這是祝希娟為中國(guó)影視事業(yè)作出的不可磨滅的貢獻(xiàn)。endprint
進(jìn)軍好萊塢,致力中美文化交流
1996年8月祝希娟率領(lǐng)深圳藝術(shù)中心攝制組赴洛杉磯與美國(guó)上海-洛杉磯藝術(shù)公司合作拍攝電視連續(xù)集《百老匯100號(hào)》。這部反映華人新移民的故事,在大陸和美國(guó)華人中引起了不小的轟動(dòng),祝希娟被稱之為“深圳電視劇的拓荒者”真是名至實(shí)歸。
1998年,退休后的祝希娟和丈夫侯烽民一起來(lái)到美國(guó)洛杉磯定居。在一個(gè)陌生的國(guó)度里開(kāi)始嶄新的生活,這是她人生的一個(gè)大轉(zhuǎn)折。在陌生人看來(lái),這無(wú)疑是一種不著邊際的冒險(xiǎn),但了解她的人認(rèn)為這是她的又一次華麗轉(zhuǎn)身,就像她往日的抉擇。
祝希娟的丈夫侯烽民原來(lái)是上戲的美術(shù)系主任,他在美術(shù)方面有手“絕活”:能在宣紙上畫(huà)油畫(huà)。2002年,時(shí)任美國(guó)總統(tǒng)布什選用的白宮圣誕卡片就是由侯烽民的學(xué)生呂震環(huán)創(chuàng)作的。
為了在美國(guó)開(kāi)展中美文化交流,祝希娟與好友聯(lián)手創(chuàng)辦美國(guó)瓊花影視藝術(shù)公司。她在處理公司業(yè)務(wù)之余,每天還去語(yǔ)言學(xué)校學(xué)習(xí)英語(yǔ),忙得不亦樂(lè)乎。如今她的英語(yǔ)水平日漸進(jìn)步。65歲時(shí)還考取了駕駛執(zhí)照。現(xiàn)在,為了中美兩國(guó)的文化交流,她不得不在兩國(guó)間來(lái)回奔波。盡管她身在美國(guó)電影城,但一直以“深圳人”自居,凡是由她主導(dǎo)拍攝的電視片,她不是以深圳為背景,就是以深圳為主題,因?yàn)樗男睦镅b著濃郁的深圳情結(jié)。無(wú)怪一位深圳有名的的開(kāi)拓者袁庚在評(píng)價(jià)祝希娟時(shí),非常形象地把她比作“深圳文化沙漠中的一棵帶刺的仙人掌”。
2017年6月,憑借《大雪冬至》,祝希娟獲得第20屆上海國(guó)際電影節(jié)電影頻道傳媒大獎(jiǎng)評(píng)委會(huì)特別榮譽(yù)獎(jiǎng)。
Zhu Xijuan is my lifetime icon. We enrolled in the Shanghai Theatre Academy in the same year, but parted ways after I joined the Xinhua News Agency as a journalist.
One day in the 1960s of China, famous film director Xie Jin walked into the campus of the Shanghai Theatre Academy. He was there to look for “two burning eyes” for Liang Xin, who was working on the screenplay for , Xies new film. A boy and a girl engaged in a fierce quarrel in a rehearsal room caught his eye. The moment he saw the girls glaring eyes and aggressive face, he knew he had found the ideal actress to play the role of Wu Qionghua.
Most of the scenes of the film were set in Hainan Island, where extreme living conditions posed as a big challenge to everyone in the cast. Set in the stormy years of 1930s, the 1961 Chinese film tells the story of two peasant women who go into warfare, thirsty for revenge after going through much suffering and humiliation.
The sensational success of the film brought Zhu Xijuan into the countrys first tier movie star legion. At the age of only 24, she won the Best Actress Award from the first China Hundred Flowers Film Award.
In her junior middle school years, Zhu Xijuan played a walk-on role in a Zhao Dan film, in which the viewers could only saw her back. The experience, however, sowed the seed of dreaming to be an actress in the girls heart. She shot to fame after playing the role of Wu Qionghua in the Xie Jin film when she was a student at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. After graduation from STA in 1960, she joined the STA Modern Drama Troupe and honed performing skills in various plays such as Shakespeares and . She not only played the leading role in a good many films but also proved her directing talent in and .endprint
In the 1980s, Zhu Xijuan joined a delegation of Chinese movie stars for a visit to Tokyo, Japan. When passing Shenzhen, she felt the urge of breaking new grounds in what was then still a little known fishing village. She and her family moved to Shenzhen from Shanghai in 1983. At the age of 46, she joined the Shenzhen TV as Vice Director. Over the years, she became the steering wheel of Shenzhen TV. In 2007, her son joined her ‘TV dream after finishing his study in the US.
Zhu Xijuan is the only drama actress of the 22 ‘Chinese film superstars selected by Premier Zhou Enlai in the 1960s to replace the 22 Soviet Union film stars posted on the walls in cinemas across the country. The others included such big names as Zhao Dan, Bai Yang, Yu Yang, Xie Fang and Tian Hua. Today, only 10 of the 22 in the ‘hall of fame are still alive. Using her own connections and resources, Zhu Xijuan raised 2.5 million for the production of a 23-episode TV documentary that serves as a special summary of a brilliant chapter in the film history of China written by the 22 performing art masters. The production took four years to complete.
In August, 1996, the filming of Broadway No. 100 started in Los Angeles. Telling the story of the new generations of Chinese immigrants in the US, the TV series created quite a stir in the Chinese mainland and among the Chinese community of the US, making Zhu Xijuan the ‘trailblazer of Shenzhen teleplay in the true sense of the word.
Zhu Xijuan and her husband Hou Fengmin, formerly Director of the Art Department of Shanghai Theatre Academy, settled down in Los Angeles in 1998 to start a new life. The couple has since been actively involved in China-US cultural exchange. Reaching 60, she went to the local language school every day to practice English. At the age of 65, she got the drivers license in the US.
In June, 2017, Zhu Xijuan won the Special Honorary Award from the 20th Shanghai International Film Festival for her performance in , a Xing Xiao film telling the loving story of Wei Daxue, an old woman in Beijing, and her dog Dongzi.endprint