Speaking of Australian directors, there may be no more than three names that quickly come to mind, and Peter Will is one of them. Peter Weir was born in Sydney, Australia on August 21, 1944. After graduating from the University of Sydney, he first entered the TV station and then the Federal Film Association. He made several short films and documentaries. In 1971, he shot the first feature film "Huo "Mstal", along with "Paris Cannibal" in 1974, is a low-cost black comedy, basically laying the foundation for his style before going to Hollywood. "Paris Cannibal" is also the first time I have come into contact with Peter Weir's film. The metaphorical surreal style and the sharp route with horror elements are extremely impressive. These highly recognizable features will appear in his future works. All have clear marks, as is the most outstanding work of the Australian period-"A Picnic on the Cliff" in 1975. As for Peter Weir after going to Hollywood in the 1980s, the aura of various awards is another story.
"Picnic on the Cliff" is adapted from the 1967 novel of the same name by Joan Leslie. It is rumored that there is a true story based on misinformation, but this spreading method of falsehood also shows that this film is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. The film was shot in a place in Australia called "hanging stone slope". Because of the film, this place has also become a hot spot for travel. On Valentine’s Day in 1900, a group of female students from Appled Girls’ College went on an outing on the Haiyin Cliff near Mount Macedon in Victoria. During this period, three girls and a teacher disappeared for no reason. Later, a girl named Emma was found. Girl, and she and another teenager, Michael, who participated in the search, lost their memories inexplicably, so the clues were interrupted, and several other teachers and students were officially declared missing, and there was no news. As a result, the women's college lost its reputation and source of students, the teachers resigned, and the principal committed suicide at Haiyin Cliff.
Realistic interpretation of dreams
The beginning of the film is an excerpt from Allan Poe's "Dream in a Dream"-"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream." Gao The poem hanging at the beginning of the film can be regarded as one of the keynotes in the interpretation of the film-is the mysterious experience experienced by the characters in the film just Nan Ke Yimeng? Or from a more macro level, according to Borges’s theory, everything in the world is in God’s dream, and everything will happen again sooner or later, and all events in human history are nothing but dramas rehearsed by God. History is a repetitive sequence, and even time is a continuous circle. The interpretation of this concept in other versions also appeared in Peter Weir’s another masterpiece "The World of Truman". The so-called "True World" may not exist at all in the so-called "True", but a thorough understanding at the end of life, or The moment when God wakes up from his dream.
Life is not a dream, but it can be a dream. The verses that the girls slowly recite on Valentine's Day are both fantasy and desolate. Flower-like girls, of course, are inevitably full of thirst for love and freedom, and under the constraints of tights and strict school regulations, they can only imagine the beauty of love in beautiful and sad verses, and can only do it in beautiful dreams. The heroine of her own drama. Dreaming of myself dreaming, dreaming that someone is dreaming of myself, Sarah, a girl who failed to go on a picnic because of tuition arrears, originally had a younger brother, Potty, who thought that the sky was different, but they were close at hand, but their telepathy was dreaming. It is realized (the moment Potty dreams of Sarah, that is, Sarah commits suicide and bids farewell to her brother), which makes us who are in the perspective of God outside the frame feel very sad.
When the girls stepped into the mountains, the light began to become dreamlike and bright, the air was clear, the shadows of the trees were mottled, and the girls' golden cloud-like hair shone dreamy in the transparent sunlight, and the light was so soft that there was an inexplicable halo. Dizziness, everything is like being hypnotized and dazed. The mysterious core character-Miranda, from the very beginning, showed an expression of uneasy and relieved expression. Looking at the sky where the birds fluttered across the sky, she seemed to have foreseen something uncontrollable. .
The lunch on the grass is like an oil painting with a classicist charm. Above the hazy figures of the girls, a million-year-old rock seems to suddenly wake up from a drowsiness. The rock is steep and the wind can be heard. The audience seems to be able to smell the mountains through the camera. Breath. The girl looked at the wild valley and muttered to herself: "We may be the only living creatures in the entire world." At this time, space is isolated and isolated, and time has lost its meaning-clocks and clocks stopped together, everything fell into an ominous dream. inside. "One million years is to wait for us", just like the déjà vu that we often feel in reality-as if it is a sense of deja vu we have experienced in a dream. The girls who were asked to measure a few rocks went up the mountain and took off their shoes and socks and danced barefoot as if they were called. Then they fell asleep with their faces on the ground. The camera swept over them and moved down the mountain. The teacher, Miss Mike Law, appeared on her face. Even in retrospect, his strange expression is still difficult to interpret.
Among the four girls who left, Edith, who was in a dragging state, couldn't keep up with the others, so she could only witness the other three walking into the mountains, and her sudden scream tore through the illusion of peace in the valley. They collectively I was awakened from the dreams I was having. After waking up, I asked about the content of the dream. As usual, I couldn't remember it as usual. Edith had completely forgotten, but only when talking about the hurrying figure of Miss Mclaw when he went down the mountain, he wore a weird smile.
If the entire picnic is a collective dream of the women’s college, then there are two unexpected intruders in the dream—the upper-class boys Michael and the coachman Potty (ie Sara’s younger brother) under the fence, witnessing beautiful girls We passed by, and they unknowingly changed from bystanders to participants. After the tragedy, the two felt regretful and regretted that they were not able to stop the girls in time. The lawful morality and the enthusiasm of the teenager's natural enthusiasm urged them to enter the mountains again to find the girls, but they were as if they were stepping into the same dreamland, with the same amnesia. At a loss, only a small piece of lace in his hand proves that all this is not just a dream. It was through this little evidence that people discovered the only survivor, Emma, of course-Emma also woke up like a dream, with nothing to remember.
The entire missing passage reminds me of Nakata, the protagonist of the secondary line in Haruki Murakami’s "Kafka by the Sea". He experienced a mysterious coma in elementary school. He lost his memory and gained the ability to talk to cats. . If these mysterious phenomena are finally revealed, the film will become a mediocre suspense film, but Peter Weir’s preference for mysticism has never revealed the so-called "truth", allowing the highly realistic details and absurd plot to move forward. Melt into one, and always maintain the dreamy envelopment.
The gurgling flow of lust
The film has a beautiful picture and won the Best Photography Award at the British Academy of Film Awards in 1977. The soundtrack is not too much, especially the use of a large number of panpipes (Panpipes) to create an atmosphere that is both romantic and lyrical but nervous. The panpipe is one of the oldest musical instruments in the world, and is called "Pan's herding flute" in Greek mythology. Syrinx, the god of mountains and forests and waters, was transformed into a reed by the water in order to escape the pursuit of Pan. As we all know, Faun is a symbol of creativity, music, poetry and sex, but also a symbol of panic and nightmares. Therefore, Peter Weir's intention to adopt this instrument is obvious.
Between the two heroines of the film-Miranda and Sarah, there is an unknowingly ambiguous and same-sex love. Especially Sara, who is an orphan, has always been afraid of the memories of the orphanage. Being able to study in the women’s college is a benefactor, but for some unmentioned reason, the benefactor has not appeared for a long time, and the tuition has been delayed for a long time. He was repeatedly reprimanded by the principal of the college, suffering from cold eyes and pain, so he desperately yearned for warm love. And Miranda, who has a perfect family, is beautiful, intelligent, and sensible, and is a symbol of Sarah’s "Angel of Botticelli". It is natural to have love for angels, and Sarah did not clarify this kind of love. Specific ingredients. But there is no doubt that this kind of restrained ambiguity and yearning between the same sex, although a few strokes, reflects the body and soul that were imprisoned at that time, and they all shouted for freedom. Even with strict self-discipline like the principal, after hearing that Miss McLaw was missing, she fell into a gaffe and got drunk and said, "I rely on this woman." It is vaguely visible that the two rely on each other's intimacy; although the surviving Emma was Verification is still a virgin, but in the eyes of the world, there is also a veil of ominous and uncleanness. The principal used drunkenness to question Miss McLough, who was still unable to answer: "How can she let others abduct her, disappear, or be taken away? People raped, murdered like a stupid schoolgirl on the filthy Haiyin Cliff?" But what is the end result? This fierce old lady also committed suicide at Haiyin Cliff in the end. In addition to the fact that the academy is withered and unsustainable, isn't it also because of indulging in more painful elements to lose love?
If same-sex love only touches a little on the surface, then the depiction of heterosexual love is much bolder. In the gaze of the two teenagers, Michael and Potty, the graceful bodies of the girls were radiant, like the morning sun in spring, illuminating their eyes and making them follow suit involuntarily. This love is pure and beautiful. Even after confirming that Miranda had no possibility of surviving, Michael still could not dissipate his condemnation. Miranda turned into an elegant swan and appeared at the end of the night bed. This surreal brushstroke can be called a magical brush. He glanced back in the garden occasionally, as if seeing Miranda smiling like a flower, and there was no trace in the blink of an eye, only the swan slipping silently across the water in the pond, and the young man was lost.
Not only the young, but the shackled nature of the girls was also liberated in the valley. As early as when the carriage drove through the town, they received admiring eyes from many men. They laughed lowly and felt relieved when they were allowed to take off their gloves. In the age of tight-fitting chests, even the scale of smiles was established. It is not difficult to imagine the sense of release of the girls taking off their shoes and socks after going up the mountain alone, the ecstasy of dancing under the shining sun, the tightness of the body and the weight of the soul, were thrown away at that moment, and they returned to the true nature of human nature. need. They need love and eager to embrace. They put their youthful face on the rock, as if they have gained the rough and primitive vitality of the mountain, because there is nowhere to express the need of normal emotions, the rock with strong vitality provides a broad mind, and the valley opens to embrace and wait. They plunged into the unfettered expanse. All this is due to the blooming of the girls' sentiment and destiny. The girls have repeatedly talked about "doomed" (destined) before, so who can tell whether this missing dream is sad or happy?
The maid Minnie is a rare bright and warm character in the film. She has a close lover. While having her own happiness, she can also appreciate the warmth of the girls. When Sara was abandoned and expelled by the principal, it was Minnie who advised her to take care of her body. When lovers commented on the girls with common prejudices, Minnie sighed: "There are children who are orphans too!" What gave Minnie her tender temperament and precious sympathy in the academy that pursued material things as the biggest goal in the land of China? In addition to her good nature, it is because she has a skin-to-skin lovers. Only real kisses and hugs can nourish women’s affectionate and thoughtful temperament. Her lust is bright, genuine, vigorous, and warm. In the harsh Victorian period , She is lucky.
Silent lust flows through the details of the film, like casual pens, but the details are very meaningful. The only thing that the surviving Edith could recall was Miss McLaren, who was wearing only underwear (the underpants in the long skirt). After the surviving Emma was discovered, the principal was eager to know not where the injury was, but whether she was still there. She is a virgin, and the bra is suspiciously missing...These point-to-point handling techniques imply that no matter how imprisoned the Qing rules and regulations, it will not be able to restrain the desire of human nature. All the restraints in 1900 suddenly failed on this cliff. , The awakening of erotic desires, the liberation of nature, in the space where the time coordinate is missing, has been unusually publicized.
Savage strange power
The background of the film is Australia in 1900, just one year before joining the Commonwealth, and Australia's aboriginal culture has since merged into the British colonial territory. The voice of native civilization is naturally weak, but it is not non-existent. At the beginning of the film, the principal declared: "The nearby residents said that there are poisonous snakes and different kinds of poisonous ants." These native poisonous snakes, poisonous ants and later appeared Lizards and colorful flowers are the epitome of local civilization. There are two ants in the film, crawling on the cake and the girls’ ankles. They also have their own place. If there is an intrusion of foreign forces, they will fight back in their own way.
Dynamic creatures will fight back, and static plants will also. There is an experiment with mimosa in the film, which proves the ability of creatures to defend themselves under the influence of the environment. "Dynamic" quirky ability. There are many close-up shots of the cliff looking up at the cliff from a distance, looking like a human face from a distance, looking down at the human beings at the foot of the mountain, the perspective of the cliff is the same as that of the girls when they overlook the mountain. No wonder some girls sigh like this. : "We may be the only living creatures in the entire world." And "(humans) are performing some kind of ritual that they don't know themselves." In Australia's vast uncivilized land, the conflict between European civilization and indigenous culture has never been After disappearing, the cliff is a witness to history. Through the creation of hazy light and shadow, natural environment sound and flying clouds in the sky, Peter Weir gave the audience the illusion that "the mountain has life". The cliff that has stood for millions of years is awakened by these fresh life. The primordial vitality produces a certain magnetic field, or a certain dynamic fortune, which "swallows" the teachers and students who have embraced it. Can we boldly predict that these volcanic rocks seem to have been static for millions of years, but in fact they are dynamic inside, just like the popular science knowledge that Miss McLaren explained to the students before the picnic: "It is the squeeze that formed the steepness that we see now. Ridged mountains". It is precisely because the volcanic rock is always in dynamics, when the teachers and students walked into the deep mountain, the valley quietly closed, which can also explain why no missing people can be found.
Peter Weir never gave up his preference for mysticism. In "Death Poetry Society", students also read poems in a cave next to the school. There are also close-up shots of lizards, birds, and beetles on deserted islands. The "swallowing" of cliffs, like poisonous ants and lizards, is a symbol of primitive barbaric power. As the opposite of colonial culture that invades the native land, the cliffs confront each other at the intersection of darkness and light. This colossal "living creature" with a long history made time stagnate and lost the sense of space. Later, when they returned to school, it was already 10:30 in the evening, which was far more than the principal ordered to "come back before eight o'clock in the evening for a candlelight dinner." This mysterious and strange power is a regional cultural sign, and it is also the support of the beliefs of the indigenous races. Peter Weir described the contrast and collision of primitive and civilized in many works, such as "Mosquito Coast", "Dangerous Age", "The Last Big Wave" and so on are all focused on constructing a process of stalemate, bite, and break between Western civilization and the original totem culture.
In terms of specific individuals, the erosion and decline of Western colonial culture is also spreading in women's colleges. When the disappearance case became the focus of the world and the end of the college came, the principal's always neat bun became messy, and the glorious past on the wall was illuminated by candlelight, revealing a dark and decadent atmosphere. Mr. Cosgrove, who sponsored Sarah’s schooling for a long time, said that he would no longer provide tuition. This detail is worth pondering. The British colonial territory was still expanding in the early 20th century. Did Mr. Cosgrove also go abroad? It is very meaningful to choose the junction of two centuries, "Everything begins and ends at exactly the right time and place". The rise and fall of everything has its own specific time and place, and all of this is destined.
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