In order to express this classic emphasis, Bergman abandoned many narrative techniques that had been developed at that time and turned to classical perfect structure. The film begins with a feast, which has already revealed traces of death, which is attributed to another banquet, celebrating reunion and rebirth. In the middle is the five-act structure of the drama, and each scene is controlled in a limited scene as much as possible.
Bergman also deliberately limited his perspective to the interior of aristocratic society. We can't see poverty, chaos, workers' roars and revolution. But the poor people who appear in front of the window and lie down on the street from time to time, the fear of the future looming in everyone's heart, has become the keynote of this film. The changes of the times are not through specific events, but into the air between everyone's breath.
This panoramic picture scroll is composed of three worlds. The foundation is the small world of this group of nobles. Above, there are ideals, nightmares, ghosts, roads to eternity, and heaven. The following is a changing society. The maid is no longer satisfied with the incapable hope of being a master to find a way out. The nobles have lost the ability to manage money, the theater cannot be operated, the bishop is facing bankruptcy...
and all this is maintained only by a hypocritical, empty morality only as a vocabulary.
What's interesting is that Bergman sees this complexity from the naive perspective of two children. Fanny and Alexander, some people will ask why there are two children as the topic, the focus should be only Alexander. In fact, they represent two different perspectives. Alexander is destructive, Fanny is stable. As Hamlet, the former is melancholy but fearless; the latter has actually experienced the same things as Alexander, but he has been submissive and has almost no resistance (except for refusing to say good night). So Alexander was prominent and Fanny was hidden, but in fact she accepted everything from a female perspective. Shouted when his father was about to smash the "most precious" chair, and said goodnight to his stepfather when Alexander was silent. When Alexander was afraid to face his dying father, he took the last words alone...
These two children represent two aspects of the nobility, in the same reality in which they lived (Fanny discovered the father’s dead soul for the first time) One yearns for the future, the other just endures everything silently. But they all have their own shortcomings. The former bears too many old dreams belonging to the past, while the latter also has endless fantasies about the future (the poor people on the streets in this film also see through her eyes).
Contrast is the most basic and most important technique in this film. Children and grandmothers, and different generations with spirituality are the most important comparisons. At the same time, the dense dialogue is full of details that have nothing to do with the main axis in this film. The furnishings and performances with a sense of ritual occupy a very important part in this film.
The director presents the full picture of the nobleman at the time through several different characters in this film.
Mother, she is the most perfect character in the film (and the only person in the film who looks good in every outfit), symbolizing the benevolent, open-minded, elegant and coordinated attitude of the aristocratic society, with the ability to examine oneself and a sense of humor, and more There is a pursuit of eternity and perfection. Standing on the road to eternity, apart from the two children in this film, the only one who has seen the Oscar soul.
At the same time, she has a strong sense of reality. In order to make this character full, the author gives her some funny or universal emotions, such as her funny extramarital love with the old man, and the helplessness and loss of help from the servant. tears. But overall, she is the support of the family. Master wealth, see through the problems of every member of the family (after the banquet at the beginning of this film, she has a frequent dialogue, analyzing everyone in the family), and become their spiritual power, actually participating in solving their problems problem.
Therefore, she said, “There are many people in this world playing roles. Some people don’t care, but I am cautious.” However, when talking about her true view of life, she made no secret of “I am a great actor, and also a great actor. Mother, I enjoy being a mother, but this is just a role, just as I played Margaret." She thinks that "life is devouring her." "Although I can control it, reality seems to have been crushed by emotion, and I have no intention of repairing it."
Oscar is the ghost in this film. The true inheritor of the aristocratic spirit in this film (this spirit can only be inherited by men, because the essence of aristocracy is still patriarchal). There are many temperaments of that era in him, he has lost his vitality (sexual incompetence), and he knows that he has no talents but still sticks to it. He said, "The theater we are in provides a place for us to leave reality temporarily." However, he has to admit that "even this theater is the epitome of this great era."
He exists soberly and sadly, seeing everything. The collapse, but powerless to change, can only comfort oneself. To some extent, the two brothers are his two silhouettes. Adolf represents a part of his contentment and enjoyment. Carl wants to change his life, but he can't do anything. Painful and depressed.
The three brothers were ultimately weak in nature, and they were crucified on the tombstones of the crosses of the past.
Emily can be regarded as the successor to the romantic fantasies of aristocratic society. Consistent, superior and mediocre life turned her energy into crazy fantasies (the desire to see the truth from your face and other nonsense) but at the same time, once the disillusionment of her life was disillusioned, it turned into complete utilitarianism (in the end, she was hypocritical) He took away the theater and claimed to be the head of the family). In fact, this is the only way for a poor-minded woman; the other two concubines are also her silhouettes, one is happy and completely practical, and the other is committed to great love.
In fact, the essence of their lives is emptiness.
The most noble people in this family are overwhelmed by the burden of eternity. They have already understood, "The source of the water, the clouds that cover the mountains, are just the fear, desire and hope in everyone's hearts." "Just In order to understand thirst and succumb to the body." "We walk only to deceive ourselves and others, and the destination is just a void." The wise are seeking personal gain for themselves, giving up the will to love and maintain the whole. The bankrupt priest chants the Tao Te Ching to cover up his incompetence with despotism. Magicians and homosexuals invade the hearts of young children. Tradition is just pressure and sin for the next generation... The others are mediocre and empty. How can we not go into destruction.
Finally record a few lines: "The evil has broken free, but let us stay in this small world and have fun."
This is the conclusion of the film. However, the next sentence is the beginning of the future "Everything can happen, time and space do not exist, imagination is like spinning thread, intertwined with new patterns." (Existentialism, Calvino...)
PS. Because this film is Bergman's last work, it can be seen that a lot of effort was spent in the production plant. So the content is bloated (similar to Tolstoy's structure), and every part has been produced with great effort. The passage about the Jewish Revelation and homosexuality can be read again and again.
There is also the banquet at the beginning, because when the filming was not familiar with the characters, it would be interesting to turn around after watching this film to see everyone's performance in that banquet.
I deliberately didn't mention the Hamlet myth in this film. The drama performed in the play, because I couldn't tell anything, so I'll talk about it after I watch it more.
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