We are all bystanders

Myrna 2022-01-01 08:02:11

Human beings have a very abominable problem, that is, curiosity. The misery that belongs to others, no matter how serious it is, as long as it has some interesting parts, such as sex and violence, people will flock to it. From the abuse of prisoners in Iraq to the spread of videos of girls fighting in high school in Guangdong, they are all like that, as Susan Sontag said, just for fun.
There are many heavy themes of movies that have been destroyed in this way, "Red River Valley" and "Red Cherry". Many people want to see naked girls-including Titanic. People don't care about the pain of others, as long as they can get pleasure. good. But make no mistake, it is not the viewer who destroys them, but the director. When facing this subject matter, the director must be able to tell stories and play a guiding role behind the scenes. Where the audience's attention should be, and how to make the audience produce appropriate emotions, they must have a good heart. A mediocre director, the story is neither salty nor indifferent, nor can he express his emotions, and even basically takes the wrong attitude to film the film (for example, in the name of evoking painful memories to entertain), then the viewers have to look forward to hunting for strangeness. . From this point of view, it is more difficult to control pain than to control happiness.
Before this "Black Book" came out on the street, there were already glamorous gimmicks, and the director was a Hollywood genre. From instinct to iron armor, there was no shortage of sex and violence. Ellis was in the back seat of a bicycle with a poster with his thighs tilted up. , Making people full of doubts.
Fortunately, this film, which claims to have been in preparation for twenty years, is far from simple. Gerard Soeteman's script gave the film an epic reputation, of course, this is a woman's war epic. In addition to the old-fashioned "man's war, woman's sacrifice", the second half of the transition is even more unexpected. The war is over, but it is far from over. It turns out that the seemingly just war that a woman sacrificed for it was also a blending. There is no simple division between the two sides. Some are just the good and evil of human nature, and what makes people ugly is war. The story of a girl who grew up overnight is undoubtedly more exciting than the contest of pure men.
Thanks to Paul Verhoeven’s years of experience in Hollywood, the plot of the movie has moved extremely fast. From the sacrifice of Rachel to the joy of love, the triumphant victory and suspicion, betrayal, and revenge and pacification, the complex story comes together without any chaos. , The suspense setting combined with the excellent performance of the actors is more exciting than "Scoop". Rachel's pseudonym Ellis is close to Müntze for a while, and the latter's unpredictable expression has already made people squeeze a cold sweat. In addition, Paul Verhoeven's detachment from Hollywood lies in the fact that despite the pain, the atmosphere of the movie is heavy and light, and there is a sadness that feels like a world away.
When it comes to freely controlling pain, the best example of this year is undoubtedly this "Black Book". Following Rachel's hurried footsteps, no one can just watch.
We all like to watch World War II movies, putting aside the justice and passion, more often, we like to appreciate the war itself-to jump far and appreciate it. Whether it’s Ryan, Enemy at the Gates, or even brothers, justice and passion are provided by the director, and we just like to be on the sidelines so much.
In fact, everyone hates war, except bystanders.

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Extended Reading

Black Book quotes

  • Rachel Stein aka Ellis de Vries: I never knew this would happen. To fear the liberation...

  • Gerben Kuipers: We will kill that girl! However, wherever, whenever.