This is really a movie that is extremely elegant and exquisite. Looking at it roughly, the most jaw-dropping thing is the dream scene in the castle. This castle is full of surrealistic decoration. All the candlesticks are either held by lonely human arms, or statues of real people are placed on their heads. ——Wait, don't you think this scene is familiar? By the way, in the dreamland of "American Angels", such a castle scene was completely reproduced. ——The exterior scenery of the castle has a gothic atmosphere. The buildings are tall and gorgeous, and smoke is everywhere. There is always a sense of eerie and horror. In such a scene, after people retreat to the environment, they become a point of carrying the environment. Of course, it can also be said that the creation of images has a very strong expressionist style. The shadow is elongated and enlarged, expressing the loneliness and fear of the characters. Some unfounded passive light focuses more on the shaping of the characters' hearts. These are all expressionistic decorations.
I personally think that the important criterion for considering a film image is the skill in expressing the same scene. In this film, such a classic scene is the porch illuminated by the arm candlestick after entering the castle gate. This impressive scene first appeared when his father entered the castle by mistake. As the camera swept through, the candles lit up one by one, illuminating the original darkness, and the arms appeared vividly in the darkness. When we reached the end of the porch, the camera moved across the hall and fell to the other side of the corridor. The two candlesticks also appeared. This is a theme of "appearance", symbolizing that someone will walk into a dark, lonely and barren heart. Correspondingly, the scene when the father left in a hurry, the candles went out one by one, and the candlestick sank into the darkness again.
This foyer came into view for the second time, when the beauty entered the castle for the first time. This time, the camera was waiting for the beauty in the door, all the candles and candlesticks were on. The director used high-speed photography techniques (slow motion) that are difficult to master here. The clothes are folded, the candlelight is swaying, and the light and shadow are fascinating. This atmosphere continued until the beauty walked up the stairs, walked through the white gauze corridor, and entered her room. This is a theme of "exploration and discovery", and the beautiful slow motion guides us in depth.
Next, this scene enters the beautiful "communication" theme. Belle was fainted by the beast, and the beast gently hugged Belle. The camera stays above the candlestick on the left and waits for it. After the character opens the door and enters the painting, it moves in parallel with the character, forming a picture of a beast holding a beauty passing through the candlesticks on both sides, which is beautiful and unusual. (We can also clearly see that there are 6 groups of candlesticks on one side, ha ha.)
After that, this Cocteau was obviously very satisfied with the corridor, no longer playing important scenes, and several scenes were compressed on the plane. In the background scene of transformation, for example, the beauty has dinner and the beast proposes a marriage. The beast walked in from the category, and it was completely invisible to walk through the depth of field. Another example is that after the beauty came back from home, she ran out to see the debilitated beast, and the camera quickly gave a panoramic view. Perhaps it is because the depth of field is the time of the soul. A typical depth of field scene like a corridor just implies the exploration of the soul in a certain sense. After the exploration of the character's mind is completed, such a scene can fade out.
More importantly, I think the director Cocteau has finally found a suitable format and a suitable story this time to express the theme he has always wanted to express: artist and artistic creation.
In "Beauty and the Beast", the biggest contrast is not between beauty and beast, nor between good and evil in mind, but between the magical world in which beasts are located and the ordinary, mediocre and snobbery everyday world (in this world, even both There is no rose!) Belief in magic and the magical world has become a topic that has always been emphasized. For example, the title, such as the young man who admires the beauty before he prepares to attack the beast, such as the master's self-satisfaction after the beast becomes a prince. ...This can't help but make people wonder: what kind of world this magical world is.
The secrets of the magical world exist in five props: roses, horses, gloves, mirrors, and keys. As long as you have these five things, you can have a magical world. Obviously, these five things, including their functions, are not arranged randomly.
The rose is a symbol of beauty and goodness. Therefore, when the father enters the city to do errands, the beauty will say that she wants a rose. Therefore, the vulgar world will not have it. What can be achieved in the pursuit of beauty and goodness? Horse, faithful messenger, guide to know the road. This is the direction and belief. With it, where can we go? Gloves, an intermediary that travels through time and space (and should be carried on the right hand), what can miraculously change time and space? The mirror, seeing what you want to see, the treasure of the soul, the reflection of desire, belief, and soul, what is this? The key is the general rule of all magic. It is the magic of all magic. It will explode all golden things, so vulgar people dare not use it if they possess it. What can have such power?
Five question marks point to the same answer. The magical world is a world of art. The five props of the magical world are the means that artists can use. As long as you master these props, these pursuits of goodness and beauty, these clear directions and beliefs, such a way to change time and space, and face your desires and spiritual desires squarely, you will be able to enter the world of art.
The overly obvious metaphor in Offi’s trilogy has been replaced by the traditional story of beauty and the beast, but we can still see an artist’s self-referentiality in his own work. However, even if we abandon such an over-explanatory look and feel, just the beauty of the form is enough to make people feel grateful for such a work.
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