The famous French film director Eric Rohmer (originally Maurice Shelley) was born in 1920, and in the late 1940s became the backbone of the film club and film critic. He served as editor of Cahiers du Cinéma when it first appeared in 1951, and then as editor-in-chief from 1957 until 1963. In 1959, following several attempts in the field of short films, he directed his first feature film, The Lion's Mark, and with this film he entered the ranks of "new wave" directors. Since then, he has devoted himself to creating a series of several interconnected films. The first was "Six Moral Stories", which was filmed from 1962 to 1972 and consisted of two short films and four feature films. Then came the "Comedy and Aphorism" series that began in 1981, and "Green Light" was the fifth film in the series. In these two series, Eric Rohmer focuses on all kinds of subtle love. The first series focuses mainly on the psychological aspects, the second is more about placing the characters in the context of social life. What the two have in common is the meticulous expression technique, the sophisticated language, the seamless integration of the dialogue and the picture, and they belong to the category of art films.
As far as "Green Light" is concerned, it can be said that this film combines the characteristics of the above two series to some extent. The plot of the film is quite simple and linear, and records the vacation experience of Delphine, an ordinary female secretary in Paris, almost day by day. This experience is neither tortuous nor ups and downs. The intention of the choreographer is not here, but only as a carrier to show the unique psychological state of the heroine, and to express her hopes, confusions, troubles and pursuits. In other words, it is more appropriate to regard this film as a psychological film than a melodrama. However, the film does not explore Delphine's journey in isolation, but keeps her on a journey, from Paris to the provinces, from the interior to the seaside, from the north to the south, exposing her to a wide range of the mid-1980s French society, thus depicting a contemporary French style. From this point of view, the director of the film can be described as ingenious, choosing a simple and direct entry point that can produce dual effects, which not only highlights the protagonist, but also integrates it into the background of the times and society. This is undoubtedly superior to some French psychological films that are completely divorced from the atmosphere and social environment of the times and depict characters in a closed world.
However, this film is also significantly different from Eric Rohmer's other films. As anyone familiar with Eric Rohmer's films knows, language plays an extremely important role in his work, and the dialogues in his films are some of the most well-thought-out and charming in French cinema. He keeps this element of the film under strict control throughout, focusing on highlighting the different languages used by various social groups. In Green Light, however, Eric Rohmer has loosened his grip on the field as never before, giving the actors a lot of freedom and asking them to express what the rather abbreviated script dictates, according to their personality and language. situation. The emergence of this fundamental change is not a whim of Eric Rohmer, but the need for the film's plot, characters, and style. In shooting methods such as light equipment (16mm camera), a small crew, using long lenses, or even using one lens per sequence. His camera is deliberately inconspicuous, as if to function only as a 'record', 'taken as much as possible from reality', while striving to leave nothing out. In addition, in this film, for the first time, Eric Rohmer places all characters, or almost all characters, in a lower social status, and they are engaged in trivial work. Obviously, in this case, the gorgeous words and exquisite dialogues are no longer applicable, and the relatively poor language can give people a sense of reality, can touch people's hearts with its simplicity, and achieve the unity of the whole film style.
To sum up, the following conclusion can be drawn, that is, while Eric Rohmer continues to maintain his consistent style, he is also striving to change and break through himself, which is exactly the pursuit of a real artist.
In "Green Light", one can also clearly see Eric Rohmer's clever way of portraying Delphine's character and character—contrast. First, it's her contrast to her surroundings. During the holidays, wherever she went, whether it was the city, the countryside, the seaside or the mountain, there was a joyful atmosphere. But this atmosphere is in stark contrast to Delphine's loneliness, depression, and at a loss, making her feel out of place everywhere. I burst into tears from time to time, feeling the desolation of my situation. Secondly, it is the comparison of the personality and life attitude of the French girl Delphine and the Swedish girl Lena. Delphine not only has hope in life, but also abides by her life creed. She has a certain sense of fear for all unknown or uncertain things in life, so she always closes herself and hesitates in life. Depressed and depressed for not being able to find happiness. Lena, on the other hand, holds an open view of life, taking it for granted to enjoy life to the fullest, and to pursue the joys of life boldly and proactively. For her, there is no need for hesitation and scruples in life, so she never has the same state of mind as Delphine. She appears in the film as a contrast to Delphine, which further highlights Delphine's character. Finally, there is the contrast between red and green and the different meanings they have. In Delphine's view, red represents blood and violence, while green is a symbol of hope and vitality. Therefore, she does not eat meat; therefore, she likes green. This unique feeling of her is very consistent with her character, and it also makes her special love and eager anticipation for the green light become the inevitable development of her character.
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