——Analysis of the image of Annie in "The Horse Whisperer"
Abstract:
"The Horse Whisperer" is a film that shows people's ultimate concern for life. The director uses the communication between man and man, man and horse, and man and nature to express the lack and return of modern urbanites. By soothing and saving an extremely spiritual animal, he gradually exposes and resolves sensitive contradictions. This article attempts to interpret "The Horse Whisperer" through the analysis of the image of Annie in the film, and to understand the concern for life and the pursuit of freedom expressed by the creator and director.
Keywords: Spiritual Pilgrimage, Free Care and Responsibility
1.
"The Horse Whisperer" won the Golden Globe Award. The director uses a warm and romantic sentiment and lingering and long lens language to tell us the beautiful scenery of nature, the warmth of human nature, the kind and obedient horse , And implicit and graceful love. However, in the romantic picture, there are ubiquitous disclosures of the contradictions between man and man, man and horse, man and nature, as well as the director's unique thinking about these.
The film is narrated by an accident. Grace not only lost her friend but also had her right leg amputated because of an accident on horseback. Her horse "pilgrim" was also seriously injured, and became a crazy horse with extreme fear of her surroundings. In order to rejuvenate her depressed daughter, mother Annie found Tom, known as the "horse whisperer", not far away. In that small western village far away from the hustle and bustle, Tom found the key to communicating with the soul for the "pilgrim", Grace and Annie, and Annie was also moved by Tom’s actions...
Second,
throughout the film, Annie has always appeared in the image of a strong woman, or the typical image characteristics represent such a class of urbanites, and her forbearance and strong personality can even make people ignore their gender. The "pilgrim" and Grace seem to be a clue, which can be seen as a metaphor for Anne to interrogate her soul and find the meaning of life, and to embody Anne's hard heart. When people's hearts are in fierce competition, only numbness is left, they are indeed more hideous and terrifying than real wounds. At the same time, this is also a reflection and embodiment of the director's concern for life.
At the beginning of the film, Grace’s dreams are described in a smooth editing. A beautiful horse galloping on the boundless snow field, the dawn reflects its graceful lines and galloping posture, this is a kind of vitality beauty, symbolizing the unrestrained, free and unrestrained life form, implying that this is Anne's later Pilgrimage all the way to the west, trying to find the ideal state. It is also the realm that many people dream of.
At the same time, in real life scenes, the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, the high-pressure life, the fast pace, followed by Grace’s disaster, the warmth and coldness of the hospitals and newspapers, all of which made Annie feel terrified and forced her. To self-discover, to explore the meaning of life. So she arbitrarily started a journey west with her daughter and horses.
When they embarked on a journey in search of Tom and traversed the United States, the director’s narration changed from cold to warm, showing us a completely different picture from before: the blue sky, the mountains covered by white snow, the business grassland. , Quiet and beautiful, far away from the crowds, even the radio is full of leisurely trivialities. But Annie in the car was anxious, with a solemn expression. The anger, quarrels, and leaving her daughter to leave alone are all because of the pressure from the city. The ancient battlefield on the way became a small climax of contradiction. With the approach of the pasture, the picture brightened up, the two people's mood gradually calmed down, and the film also brought together lively music. The ranch is a world completely different from the city, open, harmonious, friendly, peaceful and warm. From the city to the ranch, it is the beginning of Anne's spiritual pilgrimage, and it also reflects the urbanites' desire and pursuit of spiritual home.
3. In the
following, several conversations between Anne and Grace and Tom in the film became proof of Anne's search for herself and her pilgrimage. In other words, it is an indispensable process for Annie to relax herself little by little and move towards the ideal state of life.
Tom is the incarnation of ideals, "helping horses solve problems related to people", dismissing the city as "too small" and "fleeing" to the ranch. The vast pastures, the docile horses, and the contented life made him passionate, and sparks of life burst out everywhere. His kindness and peace, his love for family, his interpretation of love, his interpretation of horses, and his understanding of nature all had a huge impact on Annie from the city. He taught Grace to drive so that she could relax with her eyes closed in the car of a little girl with no driving experience. He invited Annie to ride a horse, told her about the past, and helped her to let go of her tight nerves and open her heart. He saw Annie shaking her feet twice and asked her if she could sit quietly for even one minute. Annie replied: If you want to sit quietly for so long in New York, you will be eliminated. This is a man's world, and women must be like this. He found the reason for the real anxiety and fear in Annie, she was not a stubborn strong woman. Nor is she a woman who was born to say no coldly. She often went to see historical sites when she was 13 years old. When she was 12 years old, her father left her, almost desperate. Her heart is just spontaneously covered with a protective shell in the hustle and bustle of the city.
The two conversations between Anne and Grace about the meaning of life interspersed in the film can also clearly see the changes in Anne's mood. At home in New York, when Grace told Annie that she wanted to end the "pilgrim" and herself, Annie just felt suffocated, so she dignifiedly ran to open the window to breathe. When the mother and daughter again talked about the topic of "meaning" on the farm, she already knew how to hug her daughter and tell her that when I was your age, when my father died, I felt that I had lost everything and I would I have been lonely, but I have you... But one day, someone will find out what a wonderful woman you have become, and they all understand. At this moment, she is no longer the unsmiling mother, she is the closest person to her daughter. Two long-lost hearts finally leaned together again.
Fourth,
Annie found a free herself, and her relationship with her daughter became harmonious. Although the journey of the soul is very hard, it seems to be very complete. The story should end here. But the contradiction between Annie and Tom faintly appeared.
Loneliness is a terrible thing, loneliness is a shameful thing, but it happens to hit you like a storm at some point. Annie who found herself fell in love with a free life and also fell in love with a free Tom.
At this time, should I listen to my inner voice, or should I exercise restraint rationally? The end of the movie. Annie drove off quickly while Tom was going to prepare the saddle. Tom rode a horse on the top of the hill, watching the beautiful lady gallop away. Perhaps because of Western philosophical thinking, it seems that reason is perfect, so the ending of the film is very peaceful, reason and responsibility finally defeated the temporary disorder of hormone secretion. Elise smiled, the family returned to Jimu, and the pasture was calm again.
Since then, Annie has completed her spiritual pilgrimage and finally found her long-lost self.
Concluding remarks The
director helped to shape the theme character Anne through the dark lines of "pilgrim" and Grace, and metaphors Anne's spiritual pilgrimage by comforting the spiritual damage of "pilgrim" and Grace, thereby further expressing the care and meaning of life. , To achieve the unity of soul and body, gentle and peaceful, without losing tension.
References:
1. "The "Mental Journey" of Returning to Nature : An Eco-criticism Interpretation of "The Horse Whisperer"" Cheng Suhong
2. "The Criticism of the Reality Behind the True Feelings-Another Cultural Interpretation of "The Horse Whisperer"" Yang Hui
3. "Implicit Connotation, Meaningful——Evans's "The Horse Whisperer"'s Cultural Interpretation" Li Man
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