More than a hundred years after the film was born, there have been many masters and famous directors. A rough estimate is that there are no less than one hundred. If you have to compress it to ten, I think this is difficult to define. There has always been "the literature is not the first." The argument. But I think there must be Karl Theodore Delaire among these ten. Because I like all his movies, especially the incredible "Promise" (also translated "Faith" and "Words"). And his "Day of Wrath" and "Gateld" are timeless classics.
I think that, in general terms, literary and artistic movies or author movies are vegetarian, and commercial movies are meat and meat, which is a combination of meat and vegetable, and watching movies is not tiring. Of course, it is fine to be completely vegetarian, but not to eat meat completely. It will definitely have the "three highs" and will die. It is more appropriate to match meat and vegetables, or it is more reasonable to say that there are more and less meat.
In the first two decades of the movie, in addition to the pioneering movies, in the next hundred years, summarizing those good movies, there must be at least three levels: general and wonderful narrative movies, showing the magical charm of movies, and Continuing the linear thinking of "beginning, contradiction and resolution". Such as some classic gangster movies, western movies, suspense movies and some blockbuster movies, such movies are undoubtedly very good-looking, such as "Little Caesar", "Searcher", "Wild Wild" and "Once Upon a Time in America".
Then there are movies that not only have wonderful narratives, but can also express people's inner happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy in a very delicate way, that is, a masterpiece that perfectly interprets the human nature of the complex society of reality, such as "Flying Guanshan", "Noon", "Jul and Jim", "Blue", "Postman", "American Beauty" and "Uzac" and so on.
The highest-level film mobilizes and uses all the means of film expression and devotes itself to the thoughts and themes expressed by the author. It perfectly integrates narrative, inner interpretation and human expression in order to achieve the sublimation of the soul shared by all mankind. The spiritual height is undoubtedly a great film, and it is also the highest state of the author's film. Its philosophical depth, literary literacy, and its own sense of mission have made such author movies very rare. Such as "Angry Grapes", "Bicycle Thief", "Tokyo Story", "Promise", "Pickpocket", "Wild Strawberry", "Mirror", "The Godfather", "Taxi Driver", "Tin Drum" , "Apocalypse Now", "Landscape in the Fog" and "A Storm Is Coming" are all such great movies.
Capra, Liu Bieqian, Bunuel, Ozu Yasuji, Bresson, David Ryan, Antonioni, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Kubrick, Martin Scorsese Masters such as Angelopoulos and Angelopoulos have such great works. What I say here is inevitably biased. In other words, if these three levels of movies are put together, they sometimes feel that they are indistinguishable, and such a list of movies feels improper. And only as a simple expression. According to these three levels, we can have a general clear understanding of the works of various masters and famous directors. We will not blindly follow or despise, and we will not underestimate some unknown directors. What about the work itself, such as "Fossil Forest" filmed in 1936 is a masterpiece that can stand the temper of time.
Of course, these three levels of movies are not a criterion for determining who is good and who is bad, but a simple classification in terms of artistry, ideology, and appreciation. In short, movies that can enter these three levels are undoubtedly rare. The classics, or in other words, there is no best, only personal preference and better possibilities.
Of course, the biggest function of a movie is a kind of entertainment, but it is far from that, or at least it has an eye-opening, emotional and pleasing effect.
When I watch "The Promise" again, I will still be speechless and sigh for a long time. Dreyer only made 23 films in his life. He was a journalist and even encountered a wall in filming in France in the 1930s. After staying in a mental hospital for three months, he returned to Denmark and still worked as a journalist. Fortunately, he raised the camera again and shot "Days of Wrath". ".
Such directors have never bowed their heads to fate or succumbed to the producers. They would rather not shoot than profane their inherent expressions. If you want to shoot, you can shoot what you really want to shoot.
Dreyer did it. Under his peaceful appearance is always a quiet, revolving and open heart. Such a person is hard to beat. Please let us remember him forever-the great Dreyer: Danish, born in 1889 and died in 1968. Its exquisite narrative, concise imagery, atmospheric layout and religious atmosphere were deeply admired by the later Bresson, Bergman and Angelopoulos.
When I thought of the psychic John’s soothing babble in "The Promise", I wondered whether it was a portrayal of Dreyer’s experience, because John used supernatural power for a promise made by his niece. He just saved the virtuous Inge from death. This incredible ending may be a true portrayal of Dreyer's own destiny. So afterwards, Angelopoulos was excited for three days after watching "The Promise" and determined to make such a movie.
Delaier's use of the film's images has reached the level of "hysteria", and every second must be carefully designed in advance, and it is just this way that we can see such a beautiful, simple and shocking film. The most valuable thing is that no matter how angry or joyful the character is, Dreyer’s movies always give people a particularly calm and soothing feeling. This kind of skill is beyond the reach of ordinary directors, and it can’t help but be amazing: how he did it .
Whenever I’m sleepy, I often think of Dreyer’s movies, as if there is a kind of super-energy magic, which tightly grasps my thoughts, and reproduces the delicate images that are expressed in my heart, so that I can’t bear it. Goodbye but can't stop. Sometimes a great movie will affect our ordinary life for a long time, and it makes us unbearable. Fortunately, such greatness is rare. Just like a winter supplement, only a little supplement is enough, and more is useless.
And most of the time, we are immersed in ordinary good movies, just like a common meal, which is not only a need for nourishment, but also a measure of comparison and reference. In this way, there is nothing worth lingering again and again, after all, our ordinary life still has to be nourished by more good-looking movies. Let the great movie be left to the long river of history to confirm it.
2012, 12, 24 selected from the film review collection "Invisible Movies" published by Haitian Publishing House
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