The first major Chinese film to be released since the country's theaters reopened just over a month ago, director Guan Hu's war epic The Eight Hundredis widely expected to boost the sluggish market in the wake of COVID-19.
国内影院已复工一个多月，大银幕终于盼来了第一部华语大片。管虎的战争巨制《八佰》被寄予厚望，以一己之力托起“后疫情时代”的电影市场。
As of Sunday, the 147-minute film has earned 700 million yuan combined box office of advanced and official screenings, propelling it to the top of China's box office charts for a week.
截至周日，这部147分钟的影片的票房已超过7亿，成为这一周的内地票房冠军。
Guan first heard the story about 800 heroes' defense of the Sihang Warehouse in Shanghai from his father, a former soldier with the Eighth Route Army. Over a decade, he has been trying to bring the legend to the big screen.
淞沪会战时上海四行仓库的 “八百壮士”，是管虎最初从当过八路军的父亲那里听闻。十年里，他都渴望将这个故事搬上大银幕。
It's worth revisiting the history behind The Eight Hundred.
这段电影背后的历史，值得我们重温。
Near the end of the Battle of Shanghai during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Xie Jinyuan — deputy chief of the 524th Regiment, 88th Division of the Chinese army — was entrusted with the mission to lead more than 420 soldiers to stay in Zhabei district, in order to cover the major forces' retreat to the west. To mislead the Japanese enemy, Xie claimed he had 800 soldiers, thus making The Eight Hundreda respectable title kept for over eight decades to mark the war heroes.
1937年淞沪会战末期，为掩护中国主力部队西撤，时任第八十八师第524团副团长的谢晋元临危受命，率官兵420余人留守闸北。为迷惑敌人，对外称八百人，也因此被后世敬为“八百壮士”。
If you look back the history with an old map of Shanghai in 1930s, you will understand why director Guan is so fascinated by it. Due to the particular location and timing, the battle has enough elements to be adapted into a dramatic work.
如果翻开地图，重温这段历史，或许会明白，为什么管虎会对这个题材如此痴迷。这场保卫战，因其地点和时机的特殊性，有着天然的戏剧张力。
A six-story reinforced concrete building, the Sihang Warehouse is located on the north bank of Suzhou River. Across the Suzhou River stretches the Xizang Road bridge, once called "Garbage Bridge". On the other side of the bridge, or on the south bank of the Suzhou River, were foreign concessions that remained neutral in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and protected many Shanghai civilians.
四行仓库位于苏州河北岸，是一栋钢筋混凝土结构的六层大楼。横跨于苏州河之上的是西藏路桥，曾叫“垃圾桥”。桥的另一端、即苏州河南岸是公共租界，在战争中保持中立，因此也成了上海平民潮水般涌入的避难区。
When Xie's troop entered the warehouse, the soldiers could look through the bullet-ridden windows and see the southern bank shrouded in bright lights. The contrast creates a strong dramatic effect.
当谢晋元率领的孤军进驻四行仓库后，透过那遍布弹痕的仓库窗户，能看到河对案的灯火辉煌，一种强烈的对比感油然而生。
Just as it is said by a character in the movie, one side is the heaven and the other side is the hell.
正如电影里所说：一边是天堂，一边是地狱。
What makes The Eight Hundredexcel most domestic war films is that it doesn't merely praise the heroes who sacrifice their lives to protect Chinese people, but also focuses on the transformation of ordinary people. The movie depicts how the glory of humanity emerges when grassroots soldiers are forced into extreme situations.
《八佰》的高级之处在于，它并不是一味地歌颂英雄如何保家卫国，而是将镜头对准被命运裹挟入这场浩劫的普通人，发掘他们如何在被逼入绝境之时，升华出人性之光辉。
In the film, some soldier characters are not heroes at the beginning. For instance, Wang Qianyuan-starring Yangguan is a hooligan-like veteran; Jiang Wu-starring Laotie is a coward who didn't dare to shoot Japanese; Zhang Yi-starring Lao Suanpan is a shrewd deserter; and Ou Hao's character Duanwu is a rural boy who is curious about Shanghai's metropolis life.
在这支四行孤军中，从一开始，并不是人人都视死如归，并不是所有的人从一开始就是英雄。王千源演的羊拐是个兵油子，姜武演的老铁胆小到不敢杀敌，张译演的老算盘满心算计，欧豪演的端午起初不过是个想来大上海“开开眼”的乡下青年。
From being pulled into the war to volunteering to join the suicide battles, all these characters fulfill their redemption at the end of the film. I believe everyone will be moved and appreciate the peace earned by the martyrs.
从最初的身不由己，到最后的舍身忘己，以一腔热血守护吾土吾民，他们完成了对自我的救赎。我相信，每个在场的观众，都会忍不住热泪盈眶，觉得此时此刻的岁月静好，是如此难能可贵。
One of the most touching moments for me is when the Japanese soldiers driving a tank approach the Sihang Warehosue, Zheng Kai-starring soldier Chen Chusheng attaches explosives onto his body. After saying his last words — "It's my glory to sacrifice my life for the justice" — the character jumps out off the sixth floor to stop the Japanese attack.
《八佰》最让我感动的，是当日军驱动坦克进攻时，四行仓库危在旦夕，郑恺饰演的陈树生全身绑满炸药，在破旧的白汗衫上留下八字遗书“舍生取义，儿所愿也”，纵身从六层跳下，以极其悲壮的方式挡住了日军的进攻。
The film's shooting procedure was touching and enduring for director Guan.
这部片，管虎拍得很艰难。
Within 18 months, the crew built a replica of the warehouse, over 60 buildings, and dug a trench to introduce water from nearby Yangcheng Lake, turning it into a 200-meter-long "river", which is shown in the movie as a section of the Suzhou River.
用了一年半的时间，剧组在阳澄湖附近的一块地上建了“四行仓库”，60多栋建筑，还从湖里引水过来，生生挖出一条200米长的“苏州河”。
Entirely filmed with state-of-the-art IMAX cameras, the first time in China, the film was shot over 230 days in a location covering an area of more than 130,000 square meters in suburban Suzhou, Jiangsu province, between September 2017 and April 2018.
从2017年9月到2018年4月，这部影片在江苏苏州郊区的这块200亩的地上，拍摄了230多天。因为全程使用昂贵的IMAX相机，也让这部影片成为中国第一部以这种方式拍摄的工业巨制。
At a later stage, capital markets also saw the film's brilliance. There are more than 20 companies on the list of producers. In addition to Huayi and Guan Hu's Sevens, the Internet giants' film companies Tencent Pictures and Alibaba Pictures have also been involved in the investment.
在后期，资本市场也看到了这部影片的出色。在出品方的名单上，有20多个公司的名字。除华谊和管虎的7印象外，互联网巨头的电影公司——腾讯影业和阿里影业也纷纷参投。
Most insiders have high praise for the film.
业内对这部电影的认可度很高。
Director Feng Xiaogang called the film a path-breaker amid the COVID-19 impact, and said it will revive the market and lift the morale of all Chinese filmmakers.
冯小刚称这部影片是“后疫情时代”中国电影市场的开路先锋，并相信这部影片会提振中国电影人的士气。
Cheng Wu, CEO of Tencent Pictures, recalled that when he received the script, he read it in one breath and cried several times. "It's sort of a milestone in the Chinese war film genre. It's bound to leave an important mark in the Chinese film history."
腾讯影业CEO程武回忆说当初收到剧本时，曾一口气读完，落泪数次。他的评价是：“它可以说是中国战争类型片的里程碑级作品。这部电影注定会在中国影史上留下重要的一笔。”
Although the online reviews have been polarized and the film is not a perfect work, the history behind the film is worth remembering.
目前，网上对《八佰》的评价趋于两极化。无论如何，《八佰》虽然并不完美，其背后的历史却值得我们永远铭记。
记者：徐帆
来源：CHINADAILY
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