Starting from the first frame of the title, John Ford seems to have deliberately separated "Two Tigers Slaying a Dragon" from the classic westerns. The cast list is still the typographic font used in westerns, but it is common with other films. The posters have different backgrounds. All the lists are overprinted on a cross wooden frame, which looks like a simple tombstone on a lone grave. This is a symbolic metaphor, which implies that "Two Tigers Slaying a Dragon" may not be a legend of a western cowboy, but more like an epitaph of an unknown cowboy who died in the wilderness. As a result, the film partially established the emotional sentimental tone, and subtly affected the plot and structure contained in the story.
When the story unfolds, the spatial background of the first scene we see is still the desolate Great West, but not the horses or carriages that are common in Western films, but the black-smoky train. The horse as a symbol of western films was replaced by a train as a symbol of industrialization. In addition to continuing to imply that the plot may deviate from the narrative track of classic western films, it also faintly marked the time background of the story. The following plot confirms our guess that most of the characters who enter the train station and come out one by one have begun to age. The only young man as the questioner first points the focus of the narrative to the MP Lanson played by James Stewart. If he is the western hero in the story, then its legend will exist in the past.
Looking back from the present tense to the past tense, the linear progression of narrative must include flashbacks or interludes. Under this structural form, the train has become the mark of the new era, and the closed town as the symbolic scene of Western films will inevitably give birth to more references. It exists in flashbacks, first becoming the connection point between the past and the present. With this connection, the meaning of the unchanging space in the changing time is in contrast, which constitutes the theme of the story of contrast expression. For classic westerns, flashbacks and contrasting expressions deviate from the typical narrative category of genre films, which makes "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons" a kind of "super-western film"-it uses the existing symbols of western films to pass The changed structure gives it new meaning.
Combining these known elements in a simple combination, flashbacks, contrast expression, emotional sentimental tone, and nostalgia contained in flashbacks, "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons" as a whole deviates from the heroic saga of Western films. Point to a possible low ending. However, the story first shows us a current political figure whose existence in the past necessarily means success, which contradicts the low ending. In terms of structure, if the two coexist reasonably, the low ending will be wrapped in the heroic story in the plot. Therefore, there will be more secret plots in the time and space of flashback; and this coexistence structure is projected on the contrast expression, the low story It is in opposition to the heroic story, and part of the contrast has reached an ironic effect.
This irony is first established with the help of characters. When James Stewart played the MP Lanson for the first time, our perception of the character was based on the first impression that he was serious and upright; but when he talked to young reporters, he immediately acted like a politician. The slick and slightly exaggerated response posture, and a little condescending sense of humor, this duality immediately reveals the attitude of the subsequent creators-for John Ford, this character is by no means a Western hero he identifies, at least It is not the kind of hero that is common in the Western movie genre. This also echoes our previous definition of "Super Western Film" for "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons."
Based on the above content, there is no need to understand the entire plot of the story. With these few scenes alone, we can sum up some of the main narrative techniques used by Ford in "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons": symbolic symbolism, ironic expression, and flashback-based layering. structure. These three are perfectly integrated under Ford's strong scheduling, relying on each other, and any one of them can achieve a richer expression with the help of the other two. From the perspective of symbols, in addition to the parts already discussed, the story also includes more symbols. For example, the Stars and Stripes have appeared several times in the film, but we found that it is very similar to the billboard used by the Fat Sheriff in restaurants. Similarity, which is a mixture of symbols, irony, and contrast, making it a subtle historical image; Valence was holding a deck of cards in his hand when he was gambling in a restaurant before he was killed. This comes from a legend in the West." "Deadman'shand" is an allusion to "Buffalo Bill"-Bill was shot to death from behind while holding such a deck of cards. Being quoted here has symbolic, ironic and other meanings, and it also means real history. Be included in the fictional narrative. The existence of these symbols gives the story a certain historicality.
Irony expression contains more content, especially the part related to structure. The English name of "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons" is "TheManWhoShotLibertyValance", which is translated as "the one who shot Valence", which contains a little suspense. Who is the one who shot Valence? In the progress of the plot, the story contains a progressive development of suspense. At the beginning it was who Lanson was, and then it developed into who Dun Tom was. Both are equally mysterious. Their progression forms a package in the flashback. That is to say, the layered structure, the progressive plot ended with a surprise—Deng Tom shot Valence—the core of the layered plot closed the previous mysterious development, corresponding to the initial suspense and asked questions. But in the time course of linear narrative, flashback means that we know the ending, which in part constitutes a dramatic irony. When the plot progresses to the central part of the layered structure, the tension of the story actually contains two tensions of mystery and dramatic irony, and the combination means "false suspense." When surprise is closed to mystery, it also denies our previous drama irony. This irony forms a true expression of irony and forms a certain echo with the duality of the characters.
The nesting structure is the most powerful part of the story. The core of the package is the plot of Dun Tom shooting Valence, which itself has a lot of typological significance. The famous western film director John Sturges summed up three indispensable elements for western films: one is the isolated space background, which is the town of Simpang in this story; the other is that the ending depends on Violence is a gun battle; the third is that a person or a group of people must take the standard of justice in their own hands, whether they want it or not, or die because of it. The combination of the latter two is the meaning of the usual Western movies. Heroes defeat the wicked in a gun battle, thereby declaring the establishment of order, and the transformation of wildness and civilization is born from this. From the perspective of classic westerns, Deng Tom seems to be the creator of this order-a symbol of civilization, but in "Two Tigers Slaying a Dragon", this meaning is directly given to Lanson played by Stewart; at the same time, in In the double flashbacks contained in the layered structure, the plot of Dun Tom’s shooting of Valence is stated from different perspectives, which means a multi-angle narrative, dislocation between the characters, and the symbolic meaning of defeating the wicked is duelly. Deng Tom, who shot from the side, was alienated into a wild symbol instead. The separation between action and result and meaning has undoubtedly achieved more ironic effects, which also includes a joke on the type of westerns-heroes will not sneak behind their opponents in duels.
In this deconstructed plot, Lanson actually pretended to take Deng Tom’s victory by substituting their respective symbols. In a sense, civilization (law) accidentally stole the fruits of the wild (violent) victory. , Which in turn contributed to the progress of society, and the effect of irony became stronger. But under the wrapper structure, the irony effect is obviously wrapped up, and the overall strength is weakened, which makes it impossible to achieve true criticism. Instead, it points to a positive positive meaning in a little joking and self-deprecating. . The times are always advancing. Whether or not Dun Toms will benefit the most from their heroic deeds, they will eventually be obliterated by the times. If the era is a train, no matter whether the direction is controlled by the Lansons or not, it will inevitably boom forward. Therefore, the town of Xinbang in the story is also symbolized as a small station through which the train of the era passes, and the Dun Toms become sleeper. Under the advancing of this era, the traditional western heroes gradually lost their place to hold themselves, and Deng Tom handed over his victory to Lanson. It was through sacrifice to fulfill his own meaning, that is, as an era in the western region. The symbol's final contribution to the advent of the new era gave the western cowboy-western film a realistic meaning.
In "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons", John Ford vaguely affirmed the significance of the progress of this era, and at the same time, with a sentimental tone, he cherished the memory of the dead Western heroes who became sleepers and affirmed their struggles and sacrifices. And the positive meaning generated in dedication. From the perspective of genre, Ford deconstructed the romantic heroism in the western movie genre created by him, placing the fictional characters under the big era, and through the negotiation and metaphor of signs, while endowing them with tragic character. It also gives it more historical significance, making its existence an important part of western history or American history. At this point, we can even say that Ford has "romanticized" the westerns in the highest sense. This is the highest praise that a western film director can give to his own creation and all western film creators. This is inevitable. Achieve a "super-western movie" instead of an "anti-western movie."
As one of Ford’s representative works, "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons" immediately follows "The Searcher". In addition to continuing the latter’s sense of reflection, it also reveals some more complex emotions. This is also based on the inheritance of symbolic elements. It can be visualized. In "The Searcher", there is a core visual theme, the image of door frames, with John Wayne leaving home and walking into the wilderness as a symbol of being isolated from the civilized society by his family; in "Two Tigers Slaying Dragons", This image of the door frame has been used more concealedly. When Deng Tom witnessed Halle throwing into Lanson’s arms, he went to the bar to drink his sorrows when he was lost. Two of Valence’s men were clamoring for revenge on Lanson, but they were thrown out by Deng Tom. The bar’s moving door was violent After opening and closing, the two gangsters were isolated. This symbolized the establishment of the western order for the first time. It was completed by Deng Tom’s hands. When Lanson was relieved after Deng Tom confided the truth about the gunfight, he resolutely returned. When it came to the hall to participate in the election, the movable door of the hall also opened and closed violently. At this time, Deng Tom was walking out. The image of the door here symbolizes the second time of the western order. The arrival of the new era and the creation of the previous order. The person is also isolated. The two images show a sense of powerlessness in the contrast, which is the eternal tragedy of fate relative to time.
With the help of the magnification of the layered structure, especially the magnification of the times, the various references contained in "Two Tigers Slaying the Dragon" can also be diffused as a whole. When "Two Tigers Slaying a Dragon" was released in 1962, John Ford was nearly 70 years old and his career was in his late twilight years; John Wayne was also nearly 60 years old, and the once tough western guy apparently no longer adapted to the immediate bumps. The two have cooperated more than 20 times, and they are almost the spokespersons of an era of Western films. However, after entering the 1960s, Western films have long been no longer glorious, and a new film era is about to come. If "Two Tigers Slaying a Dragon" is an epitaph for Dun Tom in the story, it must also be an epitaph for himself and John Wayne by John Ford. The historical significance of the heroes of the western world that John Ford gave to the heroes of the "Two Tigers Slaying the Dragon" will inevitably prompt us to reflect on the significance of western films to film history, and give more justice to the western films and even genres that have been rejected by film art for a long time. Positioning and evaluation.
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