Time flies. Seeing the name Henry Skinner again, it was a death notice sent in France. As the closest relative of Uncle Henry, Max was identified as the first heir of Uncle Henry's vineyard without a will. At this time, Max is already a financier who is strategizing and acting alone in the financial city. Professional inertia made him think more about letting the vineyard sell for a good price. As for the death of his uncle... If he had to go to the vineyard to handle the asset appraisal, how could he be willing to leave London for half a step? !
Revisit the old place. Provence is still as beautiful as an oil painting, and Max finally has the opportunity to reminisce the little by little of his childhood: Under the encouragement of his uncle, he experienced diving, played tennis with his uncle, but was stubbornly uncomfortable... It just seemed too far away. Now he only likes to be in the icy stock index curve, even if he listens to other people's scolding, he is still happy. No matter how advanced the navigation system is, it can't help him recognize the path of his childhood home.
Until he stood on the springboard again, he fell into the already dry and silt-filled pool due to his unstable center of gravity. Fanny Chanel, who was hit by him and rolled down the hillside, happened to pass by at this time! This hot and hot French beauty will naturally not miss this rare opportunity for revenge-afterwards, after reminiscing about this "serious" "retaliation", I feel more and more that this is really a very cute turning point: Max, who is like a chicken, finally staggered and climbed. Coming up, but I have a strong feeling. It seems that the spewing water is not only washed by Max's sturdy suit full of mud; it is more like a kind of redemption and calling: redemption is swallowed by money behind this suit The imperfect snobbery summons the pure and fond memories of this snobbery after a long absence but urgently to be recovered.
The suit of armor called "profit-only" that had wrapped Max's heart tightly for a long time finally showed signs of loosening at this moment. So I began to realize that the theme of the story is return. The return of the mind to a simple life. A return to the true self that has been shrouded in armor for a long time.
If Fanny's revenge and the boss's accidental suspension are the objective conditions for Max's spiritual transformation, then staying away from outside disturbances for the next week is his true unreserved spiritual precipitation. He accepted the suit of armor heart of slowly shedding: the people and things around him has made him feel, perhaps his mind was indeed Vanity Fair shackles too long, which is breathing a little life ...... green the
long holiday, the first Once, without prejudice, Max was fully responsible for his life: the hearty tennis match with the gardener was the first time he really sweated for himself, and also the first time he enjoyed victory in the way of his uncle, not Celebrating victory just to satisfy one's eagerness to win (such as the celebration party after the successful manipulation of stocks in the Financial City at the beginning of the film, or the snobbish Winning is not everything, it's the ONLY thing!) confided to Fanny in the heavy rain , It was the first time that he faced up to the mental decline underneath his appearance over the years.
As another thread parallel to the return of the soul, Max’s memory gate for Uncle Henry is gradually opened as the country life deepens; the uncle’s philosophy of life is about life, happiness, and self... It seems that Max recalls. The more you get, the deeper the gratitude for your uncle-it is difficult to distinguish between Max's self-return and gratitude for his uncle. Or, the two books are a complementary process. To be sure, in the end, the two together contributed to and witnessed the reblooming of Max's beautiful heart.
This is really a romantic and warm movie. The French enthusiasm bursts out from time to time. Even the cultural "confrontation" between Britain and France also makes people laugh under the director's humorous treatment (the most typical scene is Max and the gardener playing tennis. In the first half of the game, he jokingly pointed to the British trademark Perry on his clothing, and the gardener pulled at his La Coste hat without showing any weakness. There was also the French ridicule of British fish and chips in the Fanny restaurant, Max and the gardener. After spitting and shaking hands with each other "solemnly", the two countries cursed, etc.); those unexpected details have repeatedly evoked the most sincere response in our hearts: when Max was used as a child, he was already a perfect imitation signature. The skill of forging the uncle’s will; when Max and Fanny’s love flashed back to the ignorant swimming pool encounter in childhood... These beautiful mysteries hidden in the warm plot, mixed with the golden sunshine of Provence and the red rose , We have already smoked us on the other side of the screen fascinated.
But stepping out of the film and returning to the fast-paced busy life, we as the audience can't help but feel sad. Unexpected suspension, the appearance of a cousin, and the "no fight or acquaintance" with beautiful women... Only through so many coincidences did Max finally find his way of returning to his soul, led by his childhood clues. But in reality, how many people can wait to be so lucky? Even if Max himself, who is admirable at this moment, is far away from the infernal business war on which his sense of accomplishment depends, how long can he persist? When the surprise and freshness of the reunion in the vineyard gradually degenerate into the ordinary and trivial of daily life, will he really become boring and bored as Charlie said? ……With the charm of one's own heart to counter the worldly snobbery, who can win? !
In the final analysis, Max's "Return to Garden" is just a spiritual fairy tale given to us by the director. In this era of faster and faster pace, more fierce competition, and ever-increasing pressure. In this age of spiritual life, the return to innocence has become more and more luxurious.
Without knowing it, I recalled the elegant yellow tone at the beginning of the film, and the vineyards like Cézanne's landscape paintings—the beautiful time of Provence left us, not just melancholy.
So after savoring time and time again, I found my own thoughts and gains in the end of the film: in a business where no holiday is allowed throughout the year, Max left for a week. Naturally, it caused great dissatisfaction from the boss; at the same time, from the boss's complaint about the company's declining performance, we can also feel the importance of Max to the company. So the boss gave two choices: to become a partner of the company, or to get a lump-sum liquidated damages and then leave. Stick to the broad career prospects or follow the call of the soul? Max must make a choice.
The ending is naturally as everyone sees. Max chose a quiet life and love. And what really impressed me was the reason he stated to the boss. He recognized the Van Gogh paintings in the owner's collection at a glance, but was told that there was an imitation hanging in the office. "Of course, even imitations can be sold at sky-high prices," the boss said, "I hid the genuine product in the storage room." Max asked, "When do you usually appreciate the genuine product? Is the purpose of collecting the genuine product just to put it on the shelf? , Just like a pilgrimage in the dead of night every night but secretly commenting on it?" —Of course the boss heard something in Max’s words. He asked knowingly. Max laughed and said nothing.
In the days to come, the hustle and bustle of the city was indeed gone, and Max also began to sit and watch the clouds rise suddenly. The former profiteer-style ablation was finally replaced by the long-lost innocence. Watching Max smiling and patiently listening to the gardener and his cousin quarreling, watching him enjoy Ludivine's delicious meals and Fanny's passionate kisses...We no longer have any doubts about Max's choice. Realizing the past is missing, knowing the coming can be chased. Life is choice. The so-called willingness and the courage to give up can pursue more.
Seeing this scene, the melancholy that had been accumulated before has long since disappeared. In Fanny's words, "not suitable for Provence" Max is just the past him, the him before returning to himself. At this moment, it is the vineyard owner Max instead of the aggressive financier Max that appears before our eyes. A Max who dared to face the doubts of his friends and calmly said We'll see about that-as evidenced by the beautiful scenery of the good time, Max practiced and cared for his ideal life with the simplest love.
It is true that life can be regarded as a work of art, but it should never be reduced to an offering in a shrine. "In the world of life, suddenly like a traveler", all the beautiful and warm things in life can't stand the wait. If we only hold it up as a god and don't experience it personally, then as the years go by, it will not only be the glory of the past, but also the life itself will be dusted and dying because of our shelving. It was only after passing through the vicissitudes of life that I remembered to live a wonderful life, and the rest was doomed to be the phrase "time is no longer".
Then I remembered the word Timing given to Max by Uncle Henry. Perhaps this is the most frequently seen concept in the film. At the same time, it is also the most interpreted concept: at first it was an important quality to be a comedian, and later it was transformed into a golden rule of business warfare by Max in the Financial City. This dialogue between Max and the boss gave me a third perspective to interpret timing. A perspective similar to the classic Carpe Diem, seize the day of Teacher Keating in "Death Poetry Society": the state is born from the heart. Most of the pursuit of an ideal life lies in one's own state of mind. Most foreign objects are just a foil. Once the heart moves forward courageously, nothing can stop us from grasping the beautiful opportunity to lead the way forward.
So, even if we don’t have Provence, Burgundy or Bandol, and all the elements Max experienced that led him to return to himself... so what? After all, they are only necessary conditions for the return of the mind to its true nature, not sufficient conditions. They cannot and should not be used as excuses to prevent us from removing the ideal life from the altar, wiping dust from it, and allowing it to accompany us.
The ideal life originally belongs to everyone. Its realization must be derived from a simple element. "Mind" is the answer we have been looking for. It's just that busy people walk in a hurry, passing by this treasure again and again. The peaceful state of mind that Max finally realized allows us to see that, more often, its nourishment comes only from a spiritual home full of memories and warmth, a life-long spiritual beacon-like affection, and a heart full of loyalty. A friendship like chicken soup, or a love that brings infinite wonder every day. That's it. As the saying goes, if you are in the swamp, your heart is in the swamp; if your heart is charming, the world is charming.
Peel off the coat of spiritual fairy tales, this is the spring blossom that every beautiful heart can experience. This is the sweet happiness that everyone who has the courage to pursue and is willing to give up can have.
Written in 2007 orz...
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