Akira Kurosawa. It is a name that cannot be avoided in film history. It is difficult to truly appreciate his status and influence in terms of greatness and mountain. Well, for example, the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award has only been given to two Japanese people, one is Akira Kurosawa in 1990, and the other is Hayao Miyazaki in 2014. What Saki Hayao showed to Akira Kurosawa was the humility of the younger generation towards the master. Even the fans are masters. "National Teacher" Zhang Yimou is a loyal fan of Akira Kurosawa, so that many of Zhang's works pay tribute to idols. Many of Zhang's classic scenes will find the shadow of Akira Kurosawa. While many people are amazed at Zhang's works, they do not know that someone created this visual feast twenty or thirty years ago. Like appreciating calligraphy. Depending on the creator's focus, movies are enjoyed in different ways. Watching partial plots and reasoning is like reading a novel, watching the aesthetics of the picture is like reading a painting, watching Hayao Miyazaki, you will even think that you are enjoying a concert by Hisaishi, and watching Akira Kurosawa is appreciating calligraphy. , look at his brush skills, look at his kung fu strength, look at his momentum.
Shadow Shadow Warrior (or Shadow Warrior) is about power struggles, about war, about what it means to be alive. Plot summary: The story takes place in the most lively Warring States period in Japanese history (it is said that this Warring States period was also introduced by Takeda Shingen to China's Warring States period). Takeda Shingen, the "first warlord of the Warring States period", along with Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, in order to protect themselves, they are looking for their own frontline stand-ins - shadow warriors. The film unfolds from the perspective of a shadow warrior, witnessing the fall of the Takeda family.
Guess how many characters are there in the picture above? The answer is 1 shadow, 2 actors, 3 characters, 4 characters in total. As for why the shadow is added separately, this is the most powerful part of the master. The original scene with three people did not require additional lighting, but a candlestick appeared on the right side of the screen, projecting the "shadow" of the fourth character. Therefore, the characters from left to right in the picture are: Takeda Shinlian (Takeda Shingen's younger brother, former Shadow Warrior), Shadow, Takeda Shingen (the deity) and the thief stand-in (successor of Shadow Warrior). Xinlian found the most annoying person in the execution ground who had a similar appearance to his brother, so he introduced him to Xinxuan. Let's call this opening scene an interview. Mr. Nakadai Tatsuya's one person is divided into two roles. Needless to say, Xinxuan's is as stable as Mount Tai, and his substitute is like sitting on pins and needles. Although the clothes and appearance are exactly the same, the difference between the two characters is clearly portrayed only by their demeanor. From the perspective of picture composition, it is obvious that the thief at first was repelled by the two high-ranking characters on the left, which is the distrust in the early stage of the relationship between the characters. And the only one who can coexist with the two big men is the real shadow behind Xin Xuan. After watching the whole film, you will find that the stand-in has given everything, but still has not won the recognition and trust of the "big men". No matter how hard he tried, he could never become the real shadow behind the protagonist.
At the end of the first act, Lord Xinxuan stood up gracefully. Under the shadow of candlelight, the shadow behind the figure is enlarged and emphasized. The small stand-in kneeling on the ground is in sharp contrast with the figure of the stalwart. This difference also makes a good preparation for the subsequent tragic ending.
I am afraid that this shadow is not shrouded in a person, but an era. descendants. For his son Takeda Katsuyuki, the huge shadow behind his father, the insurmountable mountain, has always shrouded him. When his father was alive, he was unable to perform his fists; even after his father passed away, the "shadow" left behind became an obstacle for him. No matter how successful he was, he would always be regarded as his father's residual power. Father himself has become the biggest shadow in Shenglai's heart. But when he really gets rid of his father's shadow, what is the ending he will face? It is the fate of the entire Takeda family that is buried in his own hands. Maybe at this time he can understand that his father's shadow is not to hide his light, but more like a blessing. It's a pity that the person who enjoys the shade under the tree is still thinking about the fruit on the tree.
As for Xinxuan's grandson Zhumaru, he still doesn't know the country that his grandfather left him, nor the mission he shoulders. All he needed was a grandfather who could play with him and give him family love, and the Shadow Warrior did it for Xinxuan. So for Takemaru, the shadow of grandfather is a kind of transmission of love.
opponent. As for Tokugawa and Oda, after learning the news of the suspected Shingen's death, they did not gloat over the misfortune for the first time. Although their positions were different, almost everyone expressed their admiration for Shingen's strength. Even according to Xinxuan's will, the truth was hidden for three years before it was made public. Oda Nobunaga's first reaction when he got this news, let people see the spirit of the hero who is both an enemy and a friend. That dance should be like Kong Ming crying Gongjin's mood. The shadow of Xinxuan left the opponent with the fear and awe hidden in his heart.
history. In "Sun Tzu's Art of War", which runs through the whole film: "It is as fast as the wind, it is as gentle as a forest, its aggression is like fire, and it is as immobile as a mountain." It can be said that Shingen alone determined the situation in the Warring States Period, so that three years after his death, he did not mourn in secret, and he could still use his prestige to preserve the power of the Takeda family. A character has such a profound influence on an era, and the profile of this character is more powerful than the close-up of the fighting on the battlefield. Whether it is Shin Xuan's figure or his shadow warriors, as "shadows", they are only subordinates of the deity. They exist to better demonstrate the deity's worth and status. Survival and Destruction Some people are alive and he is dead; some people are dead and he is still alive. The survival and destruction discussed here can cover different levels, it can focus on a single individual, it can rise to the level of spiritual belief, and finally it is the survival and destruction of a country or even a period of history.
Live as a fulfilled other person, or as an empty self. The film went on for half an hour, and Takeda Shingen died of serious injuries after an assassination. Even after Shingen's death, he still affected many people in this era like an invisible shadow. After the death of the lord, the successor Shadow Warrior was ordered in danger, but because he could not stand the completely different way of life and the fighting belief that he could not understand, he chose to escape. At this stage, the substitute is confused. He wants to escape not because he wants to be himself (in fact, he may not even know how to get back to his original self), but because he does not know how to play the protagonist, nor does he know anything other than majestic Besides the brocade clothes and jade food, what else do I have to face? Because he has no faith to back it up. There is no way to inherit spiritually, so no matter how hard you struggle, you are just like a dead person. So, this is not a search for oneself, but an escape from being unwilling to be others
The ruined past, change the way of life. After returning to Takeda Shingen's shadow samurai, the audience saw a story about growing up, although the protagonist of the story is not young. From putting on airs and pretending on the battlefield, to the decisive power of the hero in the war meeting, and then to the happiness between grandparents and grandchildren. It can be said that the shadow warrior not only gradually learned to accept the role of the protagonist, but also incorporated some of his own life concepts into it. The original image of the dignified, cold and unattainable protagonist has become a little more tender. Everyone enjoys the protection of the protagonist when he is alive, and the shadow warrior finds the life he yearns for in this short-lived peace. The so-called "no breaking, no standing", the substitute has broken the past self and ushered in a new life.
The limit of fate is approaching, destroy the happiness in front of people, and then bring it back to its original shape. The Shadow Warrior fell from the Black Cloud Colt, and what fell was the fate of the entire Takeda family. Seeing that the three years in Xinxuan's suicide note have come, and Shenglai's strength has gradually grown, the shadow warrior is about to complete his historical mission and bid farewell to this stage, but the way of saying goodbye can't help but make people sigh. It turned out that what everyone admired was not himself as a stand-in, but the shadow of the protagonist. So what's the point of your existence for the past three years? His advice, his thoughts, and his emotions are of no value to the Takeda family, they just need him to be as valuable as a "shadow". And when the sun goes down and the shadow disappears, his previous existence is destroyed. This turn of nostalgia is very complicated. Compared with reluctance, his heart should be more regretful. He could have continued to play the protagonist and did more for the Takeda family, at least until his grandson grew up and could inherit according to his will. Homework is good. People inside the door treat each other with courtesy, and everyone outside the door shouts and beats. This kind of gap occurs in a person who is willing to do something for the master, which is very unpleasant. Although the identity of the shadow was destroyed, the substitute gained the belief that supported his progress, so this was considered a rebirth.
The art of the battlefield, kill one's life. The specific scene of the last stop, we will talk about it separately later. Only the choice of shadow warriors is mentioned here. To explain with a very superficial sentence: "Life is the master's person, death is the master's ghost." When the shadow warrior has relieved his responsibilities and there is no pressure from the outside world, the choice he makes is truly from the heart. No regrets. And what drives him is the belief in Takeda Shingen that he established before. This also explains why he still chose to fight alone when the Takeda family was dying. This is the way he wants to die. Just after the shadow warrior fell, the camera immediately cut to the empty spot. The lord who was supposed to be sitting there - even the shadow, is the spiritual support of everyone, and has become an old man who is helpless and tired of resisting. This layer is the bleakness of fate. Another layer is the contrast between warm and cold human feelings. In this battle, Takeda Katsurai was sitting on the chair. Seeing that the situation is over, Sheng Lai, the son of the lord, fled, but a stand-in from humble backgrounds was able to fight to the death. At the end of the film, the shadow warrior died next to the banner of the lord, which should be his most perfect curtain call.
battlefield aesthetics
The trajectory perspective of the signal soldier, see the big from the small. If you have seen movies such as "The Lord of the Rings" and "Troy", which are famous for their big scenes, you will definitely be amazed by the magnificent special effects technology (red flags fluttering, crowds of people). But in 1980 (as early as three years ago when the "Star Wars" movie came out, the visual effects were climaxing, so the technical difficulty of filming at that time was evident, and there would be no cutout...) , the battlefield presented by Akira Kurosawa is purely by training the group to hold up the whole scene. The signal soldier trotted along the way, and wherever he passed, the soldiers all stood up. It can be seen that this lying in a mess, it should be just after a bad battle. There is no crowd like Lao Mouzi's filming of "Heroes", but the fatigue brought by the war and the alertness of the soldiers to the war are all shown from this dynamic shot, using a lot of ingenuity.
Is there a big battle? Of course. After Xinxuan was wounded and retired, the one-minute backlit shot is such a beauty. The picture level of the far and near scenes, the mentality of the characters is seen from the near, and the background of the march is explained in the distance, setting off a mighty army. The setting sun, although warm in tone, also symbolizes the waning west of the Takeda family, the beginning of Xin Xuan's injury. Many people have ridiculed that Japan's self-proclaimed Warring States period is nothing more than a strife between several villages, and it is not comparable to our Warring States period. And Akira Kurosawa incorporated his understanding of Japan's Warring States Period into the film.
The beauty of the marching array. In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Zhang Yimou used his own method of opening and closing to present the heritage of a great country (yes, that is the smashing fou). In "Heroes", Qin Jun's "Wind, Gale, Gale", Wuming and Feixue's written test in the airtight human wall, and the thousands of arrows that Wuming faced when he died... and even "The City is full of gold" In "A", Prince Jie single-handedly pursued this kind of beauty. Therefore, Zhang Yimou has played the shadow of Akira Kurosawa again. It seems simple, the more people win, but really wanting to control the scene requires not only the professionalism of the group performance, but also the director's ability to control. Presumably all the students who have participated in military training know the taste. If you want the majesty of the visual effects, you must naturally have skills.
When people get tired of patting, they pat the horse out of the skin. In a big scene, the horse is more difficult to control than a human. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand the difficulty of animal films such as "War Horse", "Bull Fighting" and "Hachiko". On the battlefield where the Takeda family was utterly defeated, in addition to the wounded and remnants of the generals, the tumbling struggle of the horse was also a highlight. If, like most movies, the battlefield is dead, and the group performers only need to lie down and pass through the scene, this is too unprofessional. What makes people suffocating, it is the dying before death, and the struggle to swallow that makes people worry. To sum up, whether it was the march before the war, the charge during the war, or the misery after the war, Akira Kurosawa was able to control it effectively and had to be amazed. The "Feng Lin Huo" in Sun Tzu's Art of War has been rotten by a lot of advertising copy. Whether it is buying a computer (BenQ) or doing a variety show (Hip-hop), you have to find out such a little gimmick and spend it too much. "It is as swift as the wind, as quiet as a forest, as aggressive as fire, and as immobile as a mountain." I wonder if the Japanese watching this film will be like the Chinese watching "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", but I have found some commonalities, strategy, courage, The sympathy between heroes and the presentation of the battlefield.
It seems that apart from the fire attack won by Shenglai, which looks a little fake, the other treatments are also good so far.
The dream of the shadow warrior is a more representative Kurosawa Akira's aesthetic.
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