My winter home is in Bangkok. It is a cultural desert. There are not so many theaters and other cultural facilities in Beijing. There are only a large number of bars. So a small group of boring foreigners set up a number of movie clubs and screened classic and artistic films. Wait.
It was against this background that I fell among a few old western men (the movie clubs in Bangkok usually have only a few seats) and watched this old Italian film.
I think it’s necessary to introduce my movie-watching background first. Based on my Asian thinking, this is a story of a young man who wants to integrate into fascist society. Leaving gays and marrying a wife is to look normal and integrate into society. Joining fascism is to gain power normally. Yes, in our culture, you should live a "normal" life step by step.
However, Europeans have a completely different view of this film from me. I asked Pat to explain this film to me. In his eyes, this is a very Italian, very clever, Catholic society film. So all the choices of the protagonist are based on the moral torture of Catholics. A blind Asian may not realize that the gay man in white at the end of the film is the driver shot by the protagonist when he was a child! The protagonist thinks that he has killed someone. This is a catholic crime. Usually in Asian culture, it is not a big deal that no one knows about crimes or violating public morals. What we need to ensure is personal morality and patience to live for the family. . However, for a person who grew up in a God environment, although no one knows his sins, God knows everything. So the protagonist always thought he was a sinner. Driven by a sense of guilt, it seems normal to try hard to integrate into society. In order to control one's life, strive to pursue power. It is a pity that Italy at this time is a fascist society, and the "normal" society at this time is rather fanatical. In order to fit into the normalcy of such fanaticism, he accepted the task of murdering the professor. And murder is naturally a new crime. So in the end, when he met the driver again, he found that his whole life was living in lies and unnecessary guilt, and everything he remembered and believed collapsed in an instant.
This is a film that is too Italian. The director is Bertolucci, who once directed "The Last Emperor". The light, shadow and lens are still beautiful, but the story may not be understood. It is stuffed in a strange and humorous tone. Lies, guilt, and fanaticism are normal.
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Announcement, next I will continue to update the official account, thank you readers who have tolerated my silence.
Murdenge
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