Director: Robert Benton
Screenwriters: Avery Corman, Robert Benton
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep Win
the Best of the 52nd Academy Awards Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay
In 1980, at the Oscars, a big star and a small production "Mrs. Kramer" won a complete victory, with five heavyweight titles The golden statuette left behind Francis Coppola, who was in full swing, and Coppola's famous Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now" ended with only two technical awards for photography and sound. In fact, no matter what aspect, "Apocalypse Now" is not inferior to "Mrs. Kramer", the theme depth and atmosphere even exceed all the films of the same period, but why is it not favored by Oscar? Pull did not take into account the psychological state of the American people at this time.
When the Vietnam War ended in 1976, the United States paid a heavy price. For the American people, the scars of the Vietnam War were always revealed, and there were times when they couldn't bear it and had to escape. In 1978, the Vietnam War films represented by "The Deer Hunter" and "Good Morning Vietnam" were very popular. The American people have been depressed for a long time and need some other types of films to adjust. Therefore, the release of "Apocalypse Now" in 1979 only increased the psychological burden of the people, and the films that were more in line with the lives of ordinary people in the United States were more well-received. At this time, "The Kramers", based on the novel of the same name by the best-selling author Avery Coleman, appeared in line with the voice of the people.
"Mrs. Kramer" reflects the life of the American middle class and the feminism that swept the United States in the 1970s. The story is fleshy, sensational, and easy to resonate. The happy ending makes the mainstream values manifest, and the audience obtains psychological comfort from it. Smoother than watching the heavy Apocalypse Now. So this low-budget film became a dark horse, one of the wonders of Oscar history. Some people say that a movie is a dream, its function is to give the audience comfort and hope, but the movie is also a mirror, it should record the real life of the moment, it can be sublimated, but it is indispensable to reflect the voice of the world.
Lenovo's current Chinese movies are either ridiculously funny, or evasive, or unreachable love, or joke about history and non-history, but there are only a handful of movies that really fit the lives of Chinese people.
1. The biggest change to the novel about the adaptation
of the script is undoubtedly Joanna. In the novel, Joanna is a highly criticized character. It is understandable that she runs away from home to pursue her dreams and realize her self-worth. On the day when the custody lawsuit was about to pick up her son, she cried and said, "There are so many things to do, so many responsibilities" and "I can't summon the courage". In the end, Joanna in the novel gave up custody because she did not dare to bear the impact of raising children on her career, which was very different from Joanna in the movie who voluntarily gave up custody from the perspective of children.
In the film, Ted stated in court that women can be more enterprising than men, and men can also take care of their children. This idea comes from the feminist trend of thought that was surging in the 1970s. Statistics show that in 1980, the admission rate of female college students in the United States surpassed that of men for the first time, and women's rights to education have been greatly improved. The proportion of employed women has also increased from 38% in the 1960s to 53% in 1984, and 60% of children in 1991. Young mothers under the age of 6 go out to work. In addition to the right to education and the right to work, women are becoming more and more active in the relationship between men and women. In the novel, Joanna and Ted had an emotional relationship with a married man before they met. The inquiries from 3 to 33 boyfriends in the movie also It is in line with the casualness of new American women in terms of feelings under the background of sexual openness at that time. Feminism has refreshed the division of labor mode in which men provide financial support to women, husbands and children. The film promotes mainstream values by resetting the role of Joanna (especially the feminist Margaret who took the initiative to propose to Charlie), because in feminism Under the impact of the film, the problem that the United States encountered at the time was the disintegration of a large number of families. This common social phenomenon found a solution in the film: should men shift their attention from career to family, and whether they can listen to the truth of the other half ideas, and whether women are confident and no longer rely on men, and whether they can enjoy more space for the realization of personal ideals while taking care of the family.
2. About the structure
The film is a single-clue structure, and runs through the whole film from Ted's point of view (except for Joanna's departure at the beginning), according to Joanna's departure, taking care of Billy in a hurry, tension with Billy, repairing the relationship successfully, Billy is injured, Joe It was organized by Anna's request for custody, job hunting for one day, court case against Bo, and Joanna voluntarily giving up custody after the lawsuit failed. As the central plot, the change in the relationship between Ted and Billy is actually based on the accumulation of many details, and proper handling of these details requires work on the structure.
The whole film is 105 minutes long and can be divided into three paragraphs. The first stage is the origin of the story. Joanna left, and Ted began to raise Billy independently. Of course, Ted could not take care of the children at this time. Billy challenged his father's authority to push this paragraph to a climax. The second stage is the development of the story, which begins at about 40 minutes of the father-son relationship. The father no longer regards his son as a 7-year-old child, but explains the reason for Joanna's departure like an adult. The episodes of Halloween, biking, and stitches in the hospital gradually make the son develop a deep attachment to Ted. Finding a job in one day can be the climax of this segment. The third stage is the climax and ending of the story. It begins with the battle for custody at around 72 minutes. Joanna and Ted reveal their true feelings, understand each other's changes and their deep love for Billy. Although Ted lost the case, he won Joanna's understanding and the right to live with Billy.
3. About the theme and others
The key word in "Mrs. Kramers" I think is "transformation", whether Ted or Joanna, even Billy and Margaret have transformations. Ted becomes a good dad, Joanna becomes a confident new woman, Billy is more sensible, and Margaret finally takes a step forward from psychological death (to Charlie). Everything changes for the better, even if the broken family can't be restored. This transformation is actually achieved by repeating such a method. The obvious example is Ted making toast in the kitchen twice. In addition, there are some repetitions that cannot be ignored. For example, Joanna cried in the elevator and said goodbye to Ted outside the elevator when she left, and Joanna was still crying in the elevator and talking to Ted outside the elevator at the end, but the same scene was already completely different. Another example is Joanna saying "don't let the bugs bite" when she left her son. The same words were later told to Ted by her son. This is a transmission and expression of love. There is also Ted chatting with his boss, the conversation changes from trivia to interesting things about his son; Ted is on his way to take his son to school. The son asks who will pick him up from school if Ted is dead, and Ted later tells Margery after his son is injured. Tetogu and more, many of the episodes are back-to-back to highlight changing themes.
Because it is a realist family drama, long shots and natural lighting effects are commonly used, and there are not many plots that come together, but it is like a gentle and sincere prose that moves people. Hoffman and Streep's performances are a big part of the performance, and the subtlety of their lines is also greatly enhanced. If Ted was chatting with the vice president, and a colleague came in to say goodbye, Ted looked at the watch and said, "Oh my God, I'm leaving." Then he sat up straight, "Okay, let me finish." On the one hand, the setting here reflects Ted's previous situation. Even if he doesn't go home after chatting with his boss for some innocuous gossip, it shows that he doesn't care about his family. On the other hand, it also reflects the unique humor in the line design of foreign films. The lines arranged according to the logic are often biased, and if they do not follow the logic, it is easy to produce nonsensical effects. Another example is the first time Ted went to the kitchen and said to his son with a smile, "I don't remember, when was the last time I was so happy". Then burn yourself. This kind of language that pretends to have everything under his control in front of his son, combined with the dilemma of reality, fully expresses the image of a father who does not want to lose face and has to stand firm.
Of course, this film also has some piercing shots and technical problems. For example, at 37 minutes and 55 seconds, Billy skipped dinner and ate ice cream. An angry Todd picked him up from the kitchen to the living room, and the spoon in Billy's hand was gone. Another example is Todd's interview at four in the afternoon, but Manhattan Island outside the interview office is bathed in the noon sun. Of course, the wedding ring on Ted's left hand was even more impressive. As for the technical problem, it is more obvious that when Ted and Joanna were eating at the restaurant, Ted's single close-up shot seemed to be covered with a layer of soft light, which had a clear contrast with the sharpness of other lenses. It is also reflected in Joanna in the elevator at the end. There are some hiccups, but the solid details still give the whole story a great charm.
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