"High Red Lanterns" is undoubtedly a masterpiece of director Zhang Yimou's photography aesthetics. Whether it is the sharp color contrast formed by the red lanterns and white walls and black tiles, or the symmetrical composition of the enclosed house, it adds to the film. The repressed breath was praised. At the same time, the use of close-up and long-range scenes in the film is also worth pondering.
(1) The use of vision
In the movie, long-range lenses are used many times to explain the story. For example, when the master found out that Song Lian was a fake pregnancy:
Another example is the dialogue between the two old ladies after the death of Yan'er:
The most well-known is the scene when Song Lian witnessed the killing of her third wife, Mei Shan, and personally opened the door of the dead room to find out:
The common feature of these long-range shots is that there is no close-up of the parties, and we can't see their reactions, and we can't get the details: how angry the master is, the expressions of the women when they gossip, how Mei Shan struggled and was killed, Song Lian how scared...
This lens is more ruthless, but also more objective. It dilutes the emotions between the characters, but expresses the tragedy of an era. At the moment, the audience seems to be someone who reads history, looking at it all without a hint of likes and dislikes. This is most evident in the last picture. We stand by the handrail from a distance and watch, watching the tragedy of Mei Shan, the tragedy of Song Lian, and the tragedy of the whole old society.
In addition, another long-range shot that frequently appears in the film is the overhead shot of the house, even spanning the cycle of the seasons throughout the year, showing several important nodes in Songlian's life
for example:
In a sense, this shows a kind of reincarnation. Under the eaves of the house, there is a tragedy of intrigue. The real tragedy is undoubtedly that as long as the feudal ethics of killing people are not eliminated, such a tragedy will continue indefinitely.
The last scene, the fifth wife's marriage into the Chen residence, is also shown through the perspective:
Looking at it from a distance, it is easy to feel the kind of compassion the director wants to express.
(2) The use of close-up
The close-up shots in the film mainly appear on the character Songlian, such as:
In this shot, the mother did not appear as an important role in forcing Songlian to marry, and only Songlian was coping with her ruthless stepmother in the shot. Let the audience fully feel her helplessness and helplessness.
Similarly, in this group of shots, the master did not appear as the dominant player, and the lamp mentioned did not appear in the picture, only Song Lian's overwhelm was visible to us.
The same goes for a few shots
At these times, there are almost always the words, actions, and demeanor of other characters outside the camera, but only Songlian's reaction is focused on the camera. This allows the audience to better assume the role, understand her various moods, and enhance the tragic color of the story.
Through the combination of close-up and long-sighted views, the film "High Red Lanterns" not only allows the audience to enter the character's emotions, but also broadens the depth of the work and achieves the effect of attacking the entire feudal society. It can not only reflect the tragedy of character, but also reflect the tragedy of society. The film's flexible use of the language of the lens can be said to have contributed.
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