1. Background research on "Crazy Dating Beautiful City"
"Dating Crazy" is a French animated film directed by Sylvia Jomai. The film was released in France on June 11, 2003, and was nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the 76th Academy Awards . " STUDIO " film magazine once gave the film such an evaluation: melancholy but not negative, this cartoon brings us the simple and warm happiness like "Angel Emily". "Crazy Dating Beautiful City" is significantly different from the classic American Disney animated films, and has its own style characteristics. Fantasy and reality are intertwined, and the whole film is full of absurdity and humor, bringing a different aesthetic experience to the audience.
"Crazy Dating Beautiful City" mainly tells the story of the grandson Chapin, a lonely child, who lost his parents since childhood and lives with his mother-in-law Susha every day. The boy is a little autistic. He likes to talk to the dog Bruno and ride a bicycle. The songs of the three Mirador sisters accompany them to live a peaceful life. The mother-in-law saw Chapin's talent for cycling, and wanted to cultivate him into a talent, and accompany Chapin to practice rain or shine. Finally, the grown-up Chapin can participate in the Tour de France, but he was taken to Mirador by the mafia during the race. The whole story is very much in line with the narration of the animated film, the plot setting is simple and direct, without too many twists and turns. However, the details are handled very well, the plot is interlocking, and all the information conveyed to the audience is more or less related to the development of the story.
2. The connotation of French black humor style animation films
Unique artistic expression has always been one of the characteristics of French animation films, and it is precisely because of the creativity and practicality of French animation films that it has become the leader of European animation films. In the context of consumerism, commercial films are flooding the film market, and films produced in the programmatic pipeline production model often lack artistry. Although it can meet the entertainment needs of the audience to a certain extent, it can be loved by the audience, and it can quickly obtain high box office and high income. However, due to the lack of humanistic connotation, it cannot make it a classic, and it loses its attention if it is a flash in the pan. The emergence of black humor movies, with its unique perspective and way of thinking, brings novel viewing experience to the audience. At the same time, it can reflect real life to a certain extent, allowing the audience to dig the realistic meaning of the story in a humorous atmosphere.
Black humor movies developed from the aesthetic concept of "black humor" in black humor novels. Black humor was first introduced into the public eye in France as a specific concept of literary criticism. In 1965, American writer Friedman compiled the works of 12 writers with black humor style published in American newspapers and periodicals since the 1960s into a book. Named "Black Humor," black humor flourished in the United States as a literary genre. Although the works of black humor style are increasing, scholars do not have a definite conclusion on the specific connotation interpretation of black humor. The concept of black humor has been developing in research and practice, and it shows a trend of deepening.
The audience of black humor animated films is often adults, and many plots designed in the film cannot be understood by children. They do not have many years of life experience and rich life experience, and often do not understand the special emotions that the director wants to express. In the complex adult world, animated movies full of absurdity and funny can not only bring pleasant feelings to the audience and satisfy the most enjoyable entertainment requirements of the audience, but also resonate with the audience, so as to have a new understanding of reality and examine themselves.
3. The expression techniques and characteristics of black humor in "Crazy Dating Beautiful City"
Black humor can be regarded as black and humor in essence. Black refers to the exploration of cultural spirit, which is closer to real life, restores reality to a certain extent, and enables recipients to explore and think about the status quo of survival. Humor, on the other hand, focuses on expression techniques, using absurd, bizarre, weird, ironic, funny and other methods to assist the theme, so that the audience can better understand the film. Below we will analyze the dark humorous animated film "Crazy Dating Beautiful City".
(1) Character image that subverts aesthetics
The character design of the animated film "Crazy Date in the Beautiful City" is very unique. Each character has its own very distinctive characteristics, but it does not conform to the public's aesthetic taste and breaks through the audience's aesthetic expectations. The first is the image of the protagonist Chapin. The whole character in childhood is very in line with the image design of children, with chubby cheeks, pink cheeks, big eyes, and the French's iconic pointed nose. The overall look is cute. However, the image of Chapin has changed a lot in adulthood. It looks weird and exaggerated, with uncoordinated body proportions, a thin waist and muscular legs. Although the design is very in line with his identity as a bicycle racer, it is for the audience. There is a lot of conflict in the senses. Chapin's mother-in-law, Susha, has a cute image, with wrinkles on her face and glasses, and her whole body is rounder, giving people a kind feeling. But she was given a physical defect, her feet were different from ordinary people, of course, the movie was not given a pessimistic plot design, and finally her feet helped them get rid of the opponent's pursuit. There is also a dog named Bruno, this dog has a very strong body, four slender legs, a relatively prominent nose, and a pair of large ears hanging on the sides, which is very in line with the image of a dog and shows the characteristics of a dog , run fast, and have a sensitive nose. But the whole body looks hilarious, and the proportions are seriously out of balance. There are also three sisters. The images on the stage and off the stage are very different. On the stage, they try to maintain a fashionable, high-profile, exquisite and luxurious appearance, wearing expensive animal clothes and painting thick and beautiful makeup. Off stage, their clothes are simple, their faces are ugly, and they are vulgar, forming a strong contrast. The image of the bad guys in the film is very interesting, each bad guy looks exactly the same, wears sunglasses, has a beard, wears a black suit and tie, the most special thing is that their bodies are all square-shaped, the audience can't tell the difference at all. It shows their differences and has no individuality of their own. A unified image is a sign of a bad guy, which fully reflects the characteristics of indifference, emotionlessness, and evil.
The detailed depiction of weird and exaggerated characters brings us the feeling of judging ugliness. The intervention of judging ugliness makes the audience subvert their understanding of traditional aesthetics and form a conscious and active judgment. Judgment of ugliness is not an affirmation of the phenomenon of ugliness, but through the reproduction of ugliness, people have new discoveries and new views on beauty and ugliness. This is actually a pursuit of the composition of diverse discourses in artistic expression, breaking through traditional aesthetic stereotypes and creating art with a more open and inclusive attitude.
(2) Expression of the silent emotional world
Film is the most basic audio-visual language. In many animated films we usually see, monologue and action are indispensable, occupying a considerable proportion. It can even be said that the entire film is constructed by dialogue and action. The biggest difference in "Crazy Dates in Beautiful City" is that there is almost no dialogue in the film. In fact, due to the limitation of dialogue in a work, many action designs will be cut, and the design of actions cannot be arbitrary. In the end, the temporary creative elements in this work will be much less, and the whole plan will also be hindered. Quiet scenes are more interesting and can express the subtle relationship between characters more vividly. In this way, people do not communicate their thoughts through their mouths. When they really need to communicate, they mainly use their eyes, eyes, and micro expressions. , not by hearing, sound, music. In this case, the audience can play a more active role in visual perception and understand the emotional changes in the relationship between the characters. For this film, the sound is not important, because what you want to see on the screen, not what you want to hear, so even if the film is a pantomime, it is normal, and the movements and gestures are enough for the audience to understand.
(3) Dramatic plot setting
In "Crazy Dating Beautiful City", there are many unbelievable storylines, and the problems that are difficult to solve in daily life are properly handled in the film with absurd behaviors. While the audience is watching, they constantly break through their expectations and psychological demands. But these seemingly strange and funny plot settings can also reflect social reality to a certain extent, which is the performance of black humor.
For example, at the beginning of the film, a feasting nightclub appeared on TV, a place where people from the upper class gathered, dancers performed on the stage, and the content of the performance did not shy away from minors, women with bare breasts, wrapped in bananas Skirts swayed on the stage, monkeys took to the stage to snatch bananas, and a man in a suit took to the stage to perform, his feet were nimble, his shoes were thrown off, and an animal full of sharp teeth devoured his feet. These are unconventional performances, grandstanding, and uniquely showcasing the extravagant atmosphere of Mirador. The content of the picture is incredible, full of drama and irony. For another example, during the Tour de France, the bad guy used nails to destroy the car that the mother-in-law Susha was riding, and she was anxious to whistle and cheer for Chapin, but the tires were not repaired after the driver's efforts, and the mother-in-law took advantage of Bruno's corruption. The nature of eating, let the dog's mouth bite the axle, the head acts as a tire, so that the car can run normally. The plot design is very exaggerated and hilarious. And mother-in-law Susha didn't have enough money to buy a boat ticket, but in order to save her grandson, she rented a small boat and hung a piece of candy in front of the boat. beautiful city. When the audience sees these pictures, they will find it very interesting. In real life, such behavior is impossible to achieve, but in animated films, the director can use his rich imagination, open his mind, and design a variety of unusual Action, break the audience's thinking, let the audience get an unexpected satisfaction. However, in these episodes, we can also see some shadows in real life. Because the mother-in-law is not enough money, the conductor is not at all humane. She does not give help and sympathy, but strictly enforces the rules of work.
At the end of the film, the mother-in-law Susha and the three sisters Meidu broke into the mafia to rescue Chapin, and the plot setting was also impressive. This is a typical chase and escape scene. The Mafia is driving a car, holding a pistol and chasing it. Robin and his party are running in front of a boat-shaped car powered by a bicycle. The turns are all manual. Pull the street light. There is a huge gap in strength between the two groups. In the audience's perception, it is difficult for Robin and his party to escape the fate of being captured. However, it is very interesting that the director uses the obstacles step by step to get Robin and them out of danger. Every time when the Mafia is about to approach, there will be an accident, such as the stroller on the road, the pots and hats carried by the three sisters of Mirador, the small wrench on Susha, the oncoming train, Very vertical slopes, etc., use these tiny tools to surprise and lighten the audience in tension. When the audience thought it was finally over, the boss of the mafia appeared, and in the crisis, the mother-in-law tripped over the car with her special shoes, which was very funny and absurd. The setting of these plots deviates from the audience's life and aesthetic experience, tension and humor are intertwined, and reality and fantasy are combined, allowing the audience to get pleasure in an immersive experience.
(4) The strong conflict between good and evil
"Crazy Dates in Beautiful City" is an animated film that thematically presents audiences with good and evil. The images and personalities of the characters in the film are very distinct, and there is a strong contrast between good and evil in human nature. When a character appears, the audience can have a prediction in their hearts, the character's good and evil. When the men in black show up, the spectators feel that something bad is about to happen, and unsurprisingly, they hijack the cyclists in the race, put them in their cars, and lock them up. The Mafia uses their cycling stamina to their advantage, without giving them any time to rest, cyclists need to keep pedalling, giving them blood transfusions until they die. There is a very ironic scene in the movie, that is, the boss of the mafia gargles with expensive red wine, while the cyclist is riding a blood transfusion, showing the evil nature of the mafia. There is also the waiter of the burger shop. At the beginning, he was relatively kind and smiled. When he knew that his mother-in-law Susha was penniless, he changed his face and brought the burger back, and directly stated that there is no burger without money. Shows the evil side of life. However, this work is not meant to show complete despair. There are also many tender stories in it. After Robin was captured, her mother-in-law Susha tried her best to rescue her, showing strong affection and love. When Susha was on the street, she played music on the wheels of her bicycle, which attracted the three Mirador sisters, who took in her mother-in-law and Bruno and provided them with dinner despite their own embarrassment. These show the goodness of human nature. Even if you are not satisfied, you will still lend a helping hand when you see people who need help more. It is also living in the same city, but the characters in the movie have obvious differences in temperament, and there is a strong contrast between good and evil.
In this film, the irony of black humor eschews sharp ridicule or ridicule, it builds the creator's cognition and will in a humorous style. The movie shows the audience the good and evil in human nature, which is not determined by status, not by money and reputation. The ideas are serious and strong, but the footage of the film is steeped in game-like wit.
4. Summary
"Crazy Dating Beautiful City" is an animated film for adults, and the content of the film will be easier for adults to understand and even resonate with. The film exposes the reality in a humorous and witty way. The audience follows the director into the story in a relaxed atmosphere, and tries to figure out the psychological process of the characters, thus reminiscent of some phenomena in the real world.
In fact, in addition to the exploration of human nature in the film, there are also reflections on the modernization process and the relationship between man and nature. With the development of the industrial age, machines have brought convenience to people, but also brought disadvantages. For example, Robin's home was destroyed by the crossing railway, the warm home became a house that was about to tilt, and he had to endure the noise pollution of the trains every day. For example, the daily diet of the three Mirador sisters is frogs in the pond. If a grenade is thrown into the pond, they can get a dinner, and the dessert is tadpoles. The number of frogs is gradually decreasing and the natural ecological environment is being destroyed, which is also very worrying.
All in all, this movie shows us the stark reality of life under the cloak of humor. Humor is only its means of expression, and black is its spiritual core. This movie is not simple darkness and despair, the warmth in human nature will bring comfort and warmth to the audience. The audience can not only enjoy the audio-visual enjoyment, the satisfaction of breaking the psychological presupposition, but also trigger the perception and thinking of the real world. This is the beauty of black humor.
View more about The Triplets of Belleville reviews
