Pang Wanling

essential information

introduce

The following excerpts are excerpted from the article on pages 20 and 21 of popular film, No. 8, 1981

The "foreigner" who appears most frequently on the screen

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You see, he has a high nose, blue eyes, yellow hair, yellow eyebrows, body size, skin color, all like a genuine foreigner, right? As a matter of fact, he is Chinese and Han nationality.

His father is from Wuqing, Hebei Province, and his mother is Russian. So he looks like a white in many places, but it's different from the image on the screen. For example, his hair and eyebrows are black.

In 1928, Pang Wanling was born in the family of an acrobat. When his father was young, he went abroad to perform. After returning home, he changed his career to drive carriages in Hailaer, Heilongjiang Province. His mother raised cows. He just made a living. Pang Wanling became an apprentice after he finished junior high school, studying automobile repair. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1945. Soon, the railway bureau sent him to Harbin Institute of technology to study Russian, and a poor child became a foreign affairs translator.

Pang Wanling was fond of singing and performing since he was a child. During the land reform, he twisted Yangko and took part in the performances of blood and tears and white haired girl, but he never thought of making movies. In 1953, he worked as a translator in Zhongchang Railway Bureau. For several days, he found a man in a French cap following him secretly and watching him. He became alert and let the guard hold him. After a while, the director of the Political Department asked Pang Wanling to go. As soon as he entered the room, he found that the man in the cap was also present. The director introduced that this was the director Lu Ban. Pang Wanling went up to shake hands, but Lu Ban held on and said, "very good, and Mao Na!" Pang was very disgusted at that time and pulled his hand back. After hearing that, he was asked to make a movie and act as a Soviet expert in the hero driver. He was still angry and refused to do it. At last, the director gave an order and reluctantly went. I didn't expect that this trip made them good friends. Lu Ban was 20 years older than Pang Wanling!

What Pang Wanling didn't expect was that it was the man in Francois hat who changed the course of his life. Since then, Pang Wanling has become a professional film translator. Become the most frequent "foreigner" on the screen.

Maybe some audiences think that it's easier to play foreigners, as long as the appearance and action are similar, and at most they can master some Western European, Russian or foreigners of different classes. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. An actor who plays a foreigner can't be called a good actor if he can only play shoulder to shoulder, hand to hand, or learn English gentlemanly style. As with other roles, foreigners should perform "this one". This requires a deep understanding of the role, as well as life accumulation and desk work. Acting foreigners can only experience life indirectly, which requires long-term life and knowledge accumulation. In addition to reading more foreign novels and foreign history, it takes a lot of hard work to accept a role. If you look at the written materials, study them. Only with understanding can we shape the characters vividly and accurately.

Why many film crews invited Pang Wanling to take part in the shooting and why Lao Pang could play so many roles well is closely related to his mastery of various skills and qualities.

Lao Pang is a famous hunter in Beijing. Hunting, not only exercise his flexible, strong physique, but also cultivate his alertness, determination, endurance and fearless quality.

When he was young, he was a track and field athlete in the representative team of Zhongchang Railway Bureau. He won the 400, 800 and 1500 meter Championships in the Zhongchang system games. He is also a good swimmer. He is very skillful in all kinds of postures. This enabled him to perform several naval captains and foreign athletes more skillfully. He can not only drive a car, a motorcycle, but also a train, which is good for him to play hero driver and hero tank hand. In addition, he can ride a horse, skate, ski, dance, including court dance and tap dance. How necessary and beneficial it is for a film actor to have these skills and qualities!

Pang Wanling also likes music and Peking Opera. Can you imagine that this "foreigner" is a fan of Ma Lianliang, and he can hum a few old plays?

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