The overall rhythm is not bad, the gradual progress is slightly ups and downs, and the somewhat flat and straightforward boring can be tolerated.
Frankly, it's a movie where the actors' performances saved the entire script. Because some modifications were made to the original work, the characters were severely injured.
If it wasn't for the performances of Tong Dawei, Bell, and Ni Ni, the film would have been completely out of control.
The Chief Li played by Tong Dawei is the most successful character in the whole film, and the character is also the most abundant, and Tong Dawei uses a restrained performance method that is almost non-acting to accurately face this character in the face of the overall situation. , but still have to make all kinds of efforts, it is perfectly displayed and convincing.
Bell and Ni Ni themselves acted extremely well, the problem lies in the own problems of these two characters.
There is no role of a fake priest like Bell in the original novel. Of course, we all know that Zhang Yimou's intention is to let this fake priest completely redeem himself to achieve a situation that is more recognized by Western society. However, isn't it true that only true priests can confidently protect female students, refuse prostitutes and soldiers to enter the church, know how to use international law to deal with the Japanese, and use religious peace to strengthen their hearts and protect the vulnerable around them group. After being replaced by a fake priest, all of the above collapsed. What caused a bastard to break his head and travel through a massacred city to do a funeral for a priest? In such a situation, no one should make fun of their own life in order to make money, right? Especially when he found out that the church had no money, as a normal person, shouldn't he immediately find his companions to go to the safe area with him? What reason does he have to stay in the church? Of course, I understand that Zhang Yimou must make this fake priest an object of self-redemption. The question is where does the motivation come from? When he hid in the cabinet, why did he decide to come out? out? Please give me a reason.
Later, when he was looking for the two fled prostitutes, he met his partners. At this time, why did he not follow the partners to the safe area? What made this false priest suddenly have such a sacred sense of responsibility? If the boring passion scene between him and Yumo happened before this, I might be able to understand where his sense of responsibility came from. The fact is that the scene is completely unreasonable. I'm afraid a normal man would not have the heart to make love in such a situation, right?
The role of Yumo is very abrupt in the Thirteen Hairpins. It is almost like Ling Ran in the whole group of prostitutes. Why is this? There are certain explanations in the book, but there is no detail supplement in the movie, so it seems a bit out of place. The feeling, although some character backgrounds are also added in the second half. But overall there is still a very indescribable feeling, in short, it is strange. Fortunately, Ni Ni herself has made this character as acceptable as possible.
The biggest problem with the movie is that the characters are all flat and pale, which is completely the result of conceptual awareness first, so it is difficult to impress people. For example, the relationship between cardamom and the little soldier has neither the previous foreshadowing nor the interaction of the little soldier, so in the end, cardamom goes out. Holding the strings makes no point at all, nor can it impress people. You can't blame the audience beside him for saying that the deaths of these two people were self-inflicted.
The character change of the fake priest is not shown in detail; Yumo's spirit of sacrifice seems to be innate and needs no explanation; the students are completely blank and all faces are blurred, including the translator's daughter who is the narrator. What is the meaning of the translator being the father of a schoolgirl? Just to shape this father's tangle? In fact, the role of the translator still feels deliberate. In addition, there was a bug when Cao Kefan entrusted Bell to save his daughter. Cao Kefan didn't even tell Bell what his daughter's name was or which student she was. Bell agreed immediately. You must know how difficult it is for a foreigner to remember the face of a Chinese. This kind of character setting even became a burden, so when the translator died, it was like a passerby, and he couldn't impress the audience at all; after watching the whole film, I suddenly found that almost all the characters in the whole film were pale and terrifying, except for the priest, Yu Mo and Little boys, almost all schoolgirls, and other prostitutes, including officers of Atsushi Watanabe, were all reduced to meat screens.
The only scene in the whole movie that strikes me is the discussion when the prostitutes rescue the schoolgirl who jumped off the building, and the other is when the church boy tries to cross-dress for the schoolgirl. Only these two paragraphs are well-written enough to convince people of the reasons for what they are doing. Also, do you remember who was who?
Such a pale and metaphysical film, I have a hard time believing that the Oscars will favor it. Maybe it can win a single award such as art stunt?
Master Zhang Yimou, if you are tired, you should wash and sleep.
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