|
1 原文
|
|
--------------
DOSSIER --------------
|
|
Ennio
Morricone and China
|
|
Part
I
|
|
by
Wenguang Han
|
| Ennio
Morricone became famous in the 1960s to 1980s. Unfortunately,
before and after the cultural revolution, China is in the
period of self-imposed isolation, thus he almost missed
that generation of Chinese, and formed a special history
and culture, art vacuum in mainland China. But the relation
between countries and the people is not possible to completely
cut off. We review several films that composed by Moriicone,
so that we can exactly see these relations. Following 5
films screenshots demonstrated that Morricone and his relevant
works with China's relation. |
|
Chinese
aspects in the films composed by Morricone period 1960s-1980s
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
”La
Cina è vicina” (00:18:02) - Leftist students
late at
night to brush out the slogan "China is near"
|
”Giù
la Testa "(00:00:47) - Mao Ze-Dong's
quotation at
the start of the film subtitles
|
|
|
Ennio
Morricone’s speech in Beijing in 2009 referred
to ”La Cina è vicina” and ”Marco Polo”, mentioned
his impressions when he visited China
in 1982 because of shooting the "Marco Polo".
This is Morricone first time in close contact
with China.
|
”Marco
Polo” (02:17:28) - Chinese famous artist Ying
Recheng plays Yuan emperor Kublai Khan
|
|
|
Chinese
people contact Ennio Morricone masterpieces at the late
20th century
|
| First
some translated films were spread to the mainland
from Hong Kong, Taiwan. Many spaghetti westerns passed
there shortly after being released in America and
Europe. For example “A Fistful of dollars”, “For a
few dollars more”, “The good, The bad, The ugly”,
”The Mercenary” and “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage”
and so on. The minority of persons who had opportunity
of going abroad brought back some Morricone musical
works. The author is one of these lucky persons. In
1979 I heard “Once upon a time in the west” in Paris
for the first time, And since then started a quest
of the road. After 15 years, I finally knew the composer
is Ennio Morricone! In the late 1970s, Chinese translation
studio dubbed a few films that were released by France
or Italy. For example the 1973 film “Le serpent”,
1965 “Agent 505: Todesfalle Beirut”, 1975 “Fear Over
the City”, 1981 “The Professional” and so on. Especially
the famous “Chi mai” melody, was memorable for many
people. We still repeatedly can see persons who are
seeking its source 10-20 years later in our BBS. They
actively joined the ranks of Morricone fans once they
relaized that this is Ennio Morricone’s work. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A
1973 film “Le Serpent“dubbed in Chinese in 1976
|
A
1981 film “Le Professionnel“dubbed in Chinese
in 1991
|
|
| Late
1980s, CD’s began to appear。It opened up a new channel for
spreading the Morricone works. The author accidentally bought
a music CD in 1994 in Beijing (Below image), It may be the
earliest officially published Morricone musical works in
mainland China. Its number is “ISRC CN-C07-94-323-12/A.J6”,
the title is “FILM, MUSIC & LOVE TO ENNIO MORRICONE”.
It may be an imported version from Taiwan or Hong Kong.
Its amazingly high-priced: 85 yuan (RMB), is about equal
my half month salary in that time! I hesitated over and
over, still bought it down. But it’s really good value for
money. It is where I started to know Ennio Morricone, and
became his life-long fan. Enter the 1990s and the 21st century,
the CD technology rapidly spread, looking for a disc of
Morricone was already not too difficult. |
|
|
|
New
century, new atmosphere
|
| In
the 1990s, CCTV once had broadcast the film “Cinema Paradiso”
directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Since 1999, Beijing Music
Radio launched a music appreciation program “The sound of
music in the screen world”, introduced Ennio Morricone’s
famous works by China renowned film music critics Mr.
Dalin Yang and Ms.Dong Yang, successively introducing
the famous music of “Cinema Paradiso”,”The legend of 1900”,”Once
upon a time in the west”,”Once up a time in America” and
so on. It led many young listeners to become Morricone Fans
and our website backbone member afterwards. |
|
|
|
Mr.
Dalin Yang and Ms. Dong Yang（General advisers
of “MorriUnion”）preside over a Morricone theme
lecture
|
|
|
| 2003
China CCTV began to play the famous Italian super-long TV
series “La Piovra”, the broadcast caused great interest
of the audience. May 3, 2004, CCTV-6 played “Once Upon a
Time in America”, its magnificent complex America theme
and Its music with past feelings like a dream, like a shadow,
attracted a large number of the younger generation. Many
people found Ennio Morricone, this not familiar name, when
they were looking for the source of this music, and had
an enormous interest in him. Then on July 24, 2004, also
broadcast the film “The legend of 1900”，and then by way
of network, VCD and DVD etc. Channel, provided “Malena”,
“Once upon a time in the west”, “A fistful of dollars” and
Bounty Trilogy, “The Mission” and so on, many people are
no longer strangers to Ennio Morricone. |
|
|
|
CCTV
plays the famous Italian super-long TV series
“La
Piovra”
|
In
2004, CCTV-6 play film “Once Upon a Time in America”（See
here）
|
|
| Into
the 21st century, the government strengthened the management
of copyright, and many publishers obtained the authorization
to issue the CD with Ennio Morricone works. Their prices
generally around 30- 40 Yuan RMB, but as a result of the
rapid elevation of people wage level, a CD price is only
equal to about 1% of the person’s average monthly salary.
So at this time, it has been very easy to obtain Morricone
works. |
|
|
|
|
The
maestro’s musical works released by China International
Cultural Exchange Audio and Video Press in 2005
and authorized by EMI Corp.
|
The
maestro’s musical works “Richard Clayderman—The
movie Love Talk” released by China Inner Mongolia
Cultural Audiovisual Press in 2007 and authorized
by Rock Records Corp.
|
|
| On
August 8,2003. Our
web site “I Love Ennio Morricone” ../20G/ns-images/nsnotes/007/ENPDF/website.pdf
(Renamed in 2006 as “Morricone Fans”) was established by
the author. It is the public benefit of a personal web site
with Chinese and English languages and about Ennio Morricone.
From the site construction, it was warmly welcomed by Chinese
and friends around the world. The website launched soon,
won the friends warm response, only eight months from 2003-2004,
the numbers of registered reached 1373 persons. Many friends
at home and abroad sent messages, e-mails and other means
to express their support and joy. Since 2010 visits have
stabilized at 300-400 IP / day. January 12, 2009 total visits
reached 1,000,000 (IP), 65% visitors from China, and 35%
from 198 countries and regions around the world. Many people
became the
member of the edit team or volunteer for subtitle’s
translation, formed an backbone troop of Morricone fans
in China. |
|
|
During
the period 2003-2010, the focus of the site is to widely
spread Morricone outstanding works. In 2007-2010, during
4 years, in order to meet the fans’ needs, the site provided
the OST music resources to reach 306 sets, the movie resources
reached 108 films, daily download traffic up to 10G. and
provided many sheet music and subtitles for friends who
like playing musical instruments, impelled the popularity
and spread of Morricone works at home and abroad. From 2011,
The website work focus started to shift, from providing
general download of resources to providing the depth of
knowledge about Morricone works. Therefore a VIP Member
area (../index-eng.htm)
was created for this, Its aim being to gather genuine fans
for depth
development and research to Ennio Morricone works and hoping
to achieve better results in next new decade. Since the
site construction 10 years ago, it also attempts to provide
the interactive function in a variety of ways: A
Chinese forum (BBS) (http://qilingren80.150.zitian.net.cn/emf)
is opened for 4 years, registered membership reached 800
persons, the members posted total reaches 8406 times. For
commemorating the website’s 4th anniversary, a prize-winning
quiz activity was carried out, and obtained a good effect.
For commemorating the website’s 7th anniversary, 9 sets
of film DVD with OST and Chinese-English subtitles were
specially edited and released, and 150 presents were given
to the fans, enabling the Morricone works to obtain a wider
spread. |
|
|
|
Set
off a new upsurge from Morricone Oscar-winning and China
Concert
|
| Ennio
Morricone is not well known to the Chinese because he has
never won an Oscar. Although his fans were angry and scorned
the Academy, many people did not want that Morricone would
obtain this prize when he eventually won this award. But
in many average persons eyes, this is actually a very important
corona. February 25, 2007, when he finally held this late
statuette for “the lifelong achievement award” the highest
honor to 79-year-old Morricone, very many Chinese started
to hear this Italian name: “Ennio Morricone”. Therefore
everywhere they inquired who was this old person. Our website
traffic data clearly records such a moment in history: |
|
|
|
February
26,2007, the site's traffic increased sharply
to more than double
|
|
| After
long-term expectations, Ennio
Morricone China Concert was finally held in Beijing
on May 23,2009. This is really an oversized happy mega-event
for Chinese fans. Because it was first held in mainland
China, regardless both the organizer and the audience had
many new problems: The organizers worried about listeners
too little, and listeners worried about not getting tickets.
Many fans wanted a close contact with the maestro…. In this
case, our site naturally was pushed to the front. We mobilized
the backbone of the editorial team and earnestly organized
this activity in order to serve the fans all over the country.
From the notification, booking, taking the tickets, to organizing
relevant activities and to offering a gift to the Maestro...
After the successful completion of this task, fans gained
more trust and expressed high praises. |
|
|
|
|
Ennio
Morricone holds a press conference in Beijing
on May 22,2009 morning. Maestro answers the reporter’s
questions
|
Ennio
Morricone at the lecture of film music in Beijing
Central Conservatory of Music. He plays on piano
to explain the “Once upon a time in the west”
music conception
|
|
|
|
|
The
editor hands a tribute to the Maestro on behalf
of the Chinese fans
|
The
Maestro enumerates one by one his old friends
in the painting
|
|
|
|
|
The
fans had the honor to converse with the Maestro
|
The
Beijing Great Hall of the People before performance
on May 23,2009
|
|
|
|
|
The
ticket-holders enter the hall full of expectation
for the concert
|
The
fans place the hard-won ticket in front of the
seat
|
|
| Morricone
concert brought an upsurge in the media of China, except
the network, the newspapers made many reports. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009.5.23.
Beijing Morning News: “Morricone Tonight recollects
the movie past events”
|
2009.5.24
The Beijing News and JINGWAH Times: “Morricone
wonders changes of Beijing”; and “Morricone concert
test fans’ loyalty”
|
|
| After
merely one year, during Shanghai EXPO, Morricone’s
second China concert is held in Shanghai on June 2,2010.
It once again raises an upsurge among the Chinese fans.
As far as we are concerned, it was different for two reasons:
Firstly, we have had the experience of Beijing concert;
Secondly, and more importantly, the "MorriUnion"
had been established, the fans had their own organization.
Although there were many new difficulties, this booking
work went extremely well. “MorriUnion“’s president, secretary
general, member of the councils all positively participated
this time in the organization work, 150 fans from all over
the country had their wish come true and could attend the
concert, and cordial conversation exchanges with the Maestro.
The prestige of “MorriUnion” also obtained a great improvement. |
|
|
|
|
The
Fans happily and orderly got the ticket and looked
forward to the concert for a long time
|
The
member of council Mr. Kai Huang is talking with
pianist Ms. Gilda Buttà
|
|
|
|
|
Fans
and soprano Ms.Susanna group photo
|
Fans
of the Maestro present gifts
|
|
| CCTV
first time introduced Ennio Morricone to the national audiences.
In national broadcast prime-time, it made more average Chinese
people know the name of Ennio Morricone! |
|
|
| Morricone
concert brings a rich audio-visual enjoyment to Chinese
fans. But apart from the excitement, they more or less regretted
that the programmes of both concerts lacked China or Orient-related
musical elements （See
here and here).
In fact, Moricone's music does not lack such work, for example
1982 "Marco Polo"'s many famous pieces, 1983 "Le
marginal"'s theme music....They all are outstanding
melodies and carry a strong Oriental color. We hope that
at the next concert, we will be able to hear them. To be
continued... |
| |
| |
|
|
