“Grand Festival” is a film directed by Xie Jin in 1976, commissioned by the Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai Film Studio. However, due to the rebellious coup d’état at Huairen Hall launched by the capitalist-roaders within the Party, which led to the restoration of capitalism in China, this film was never completed. It was listed as a “conspiratorial film” along with another film reflecting the appearance of Chinese revolutionary cadres and masses during the Cultural Revolution, “Counterattack,” which was scheduled for release the same year during the National Day. It is very unfortunate. Recently, I read the script of this film on Zhihu and found that because the film directly depicts how the rebels fight against the capitalist-roaders within the Party while handling various complex internal contradictions among the people and contradictions between enemies and us, and because the entire plot involves multiple aspects of social life, the script content is quite rich. To some extent, it can serve as a reference for understanding the situation during the Cultural Revolution. With the help of ChatGPT, I have roughly organized the script content and shared it.
Film Literature Script: “The Grand Festival”
Characters that Leave an Impression on the Audience in the Film
Tiegen: Train driver, convenor of the Service Group of the “Revolutionary Command of the Railway Workers” in a certain city along the Southern Railway.
Jingfeng: Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Railway Bureau, veteran revolutionary cadre.
Jiang Xiu: Train crew worker, former China’s first female train driver, member of the “Revolutionary Command of the Railway Workers,” wife of Ding Zhiliang.
Jiang Huolong: Maintenance veteran, staff officer of the “Revolutionary Command of the Railway Workers.” Li Dacheng: Assistant train driver, member of the “Revolutionary Command of the Railway Workers.”
Fang Ying: Branch secretary of the supply section, member of the “Revolutionary Command of the Railway Workers.”
Qin Miaomiao: Red Guard youth, with two topknots, though she is under twenty, she is already the convenor of the Red Guards at the railway school.
Jiang Lan: Graduate student at a university in Shanghai, once a carefree person, helped by her fiancé Tiegen, also swept into the revolutionary wave.
Ding Zhiliang: Chief train driver, a well-known model worker, deceived by capitalist roaders, became the leader of the “Railway Workers Defense Corps.”
Shi Lu: Director of the railway bureau, a good person who made mistakes of the capitalist roaders.
Zheng Hua: Medical worker, lover of Director Shi, supports the rebels who burn her husband.
Wei Diyu: Deputy director of the office of the Party Committee of the railway bureau, daughter of a reactionary capitalist, her experience will leave the audience some things to think about.
Gao You: Proud to be an “old revolutionary,” but as he says, Liu Shaoqi promoted him to be the first secretary of this city.
Yan Han: Member of the Municipal Committee, also secretary of the railway bureau Party Committee, Gao You’s old subordinate, a relentless suppressor of mass movements.
Qiao Zhishen: Deputy secretary of the railway bureau Party Committee, traitor who betrayed the workers’ movement, a double-dealer.
Bian Xixiong: Qiao Zhishen’s driver, a newly emerged counter-revolutionary.
Bus ticket seller couple, playwright couple. Father of Wei Dihua.
These five unnamed people, perhaps the audience will remember them.
“Revolution is a grand festival, the grand festival has arrived!” This voice was like a thunderbolt, shaking the mountains, water, grass, and trees of the earth. At the same time, a majestic steam locomotive train rushes into the frame, a young man in his thirties standing on the footboard outside the train head, the hot summer wind blowing up his blue work uniform, lifting the white towel around his neck. His appearance is like a soaring eagle fighting the wind and rain.
A warm light illuminates the red railway badge on his chest, making this young man look commanding and radiant.
The steam whistle suddenly sounds, deafening. Amid the thunderous whistle, white smoke billows on the screen, and instantly, five blood-red large characters appear — “The Grand Festival.”
Chapter One
One
Long siren —
The white smoke billowing from the locomotive drags a long line of cars rushing across the straight Yellow River iron bridge. The roaring Yellow River water, steam rising to the sky. The train cars flash past one after another, with subtitles overlaying the scene: In the summer of 1966, train 667, fully loaded with Red Guards heading south from Beijing, is speeding at ninety kilometers per hour toward a certain city along the southern railway line.
Two
Suburban area of a certain city along the Southern Railway.
Radio antennas reach into the clouds, surrounded by walls covered with electrified barbed wire.
Inside the compound, some greenery, and a not very wide pedestrian path where a black GIM limousine from the Soviet Union is parked. Behind it, there are two Vologda cars, and two burly men stand beside the cars. In the engine room, the sending and receiving signals click and clack, unusually busy. The camera moves to a corner of the engine room, where a telegraph operator quickly removes his headset and hands a telegram to a cadre-like person standing next to him. This person, dressed like a cadre, takes the telegram, strides out of the engine room.
Outside the engine room, smoke curls, making this poorly lit small room even darker. At the center of a long rectangular table, a slightly overweight man in his fifties sits with his back to the camera, a pair of popular high-collar celluloid glasses from the 1960s on the table. Although the audience cannot see his face, his attire and posture clearly indicate he is a high-ranking official. His surname is Gao, given name You, the first secretary of this large city.
The cadre-like person is a secretary, who respectfully presents the telegram to Gao You and whispers, “Secretary Gao, Beijing’s secret telegram!” Gao You quickly extends his right hand, picks up the high-collar glasses on the table, and puts them on. In just a few seconds, he finishes reading the telegram, then hurriedly stands and tells the secretary, “Go to the railway bureau.”
Three
“Beijing Suburban Station, Beijing Suburban Station, this is the railway bureau, general dispatch order 701, train 667 refuses to accept the train at this station, please notify the previous station!” The dispatcher on duty at the city railway dispatch room, sweating profusely, is transmitting the refusal order to the previous station.
Countless telephone lines extend from outside the dispatch room to the roadside electric poles. The electric poles rotate in the scene.
The dispatcher’s shouts echo over a row of telephone lines along the railway line……
Amid the sound of the steam whistle, train 667 departs from the mountain valley, enters the plains, with golden rice ears and green millet, people and horses making noise.
“Daoxiang Village, Daoxiang Village, this is Beijiao Station, general dispatch order 701, train 667 refuses to accept the train at this station, please notify the previous station!” The female dispatcher at Beijiao Station transmits the general refusal order to the previous station. Outside the Beijiao dispatch room, countless telephone lines extend to the roadside electric poles. The poles rotate in the scene.
The female dispatcher’s shouts echo over two rows of telephone lines along the railway……
Amid the sound of the steam whistle, train 667 enters Jiangnan water town, distant mountains layered with green, near water arched bridges, boats and sails coming and going. The dispatcher at Daoxiang Village station transmits the general refusal order to the previous station: “Lingjiao Pond, Lingjiao Pond, this is Daoxiang Village, general dispatch order 701, train 667 refuses to accept the train at this station…”
The link shared by the principal is not very convenient, so I found an electronic PDF on zlib and am sharing it
Grand Festival (Movie “Grand Festival” Collective Creation Group) (Z-Library).pdf (6.4 MB)