free time. I watched Yasujiro Ozu's nine films one after another. "Good morning". "Tokyo Story". "The Flower of the Other Shore". "The Taste of Saury". "Autumn and Peace". "early spring". "Autumn in the Kobayakawa Family". "Twilight in Tokyo". "Floating Grass". I still have several films, such as "The Story of Floating Grass", "Where is the Dream of Youth", and "Daughter of the Very Line", and they are all silent films. After checking, it turns out that it is all the last works of Yasujiro Ozu. All of them are swallowed whole, but it is estimated that the overall style should not be able to get rid of these. I don't have the energy to go into detail, and put them together to make a summary, but it's a worry.
——Foreword does not match with the
following
words. For the history of film, in each era, some names will settle down and gradually become part of the myth. Yasujiro Ozu is undoubtedly such a name. For Ozu and his works, it is not an exaggeration to bear such an honor. There is nothing to criticize in the "Ozu Myth" itself. But from what I have seen, it is not only Ozu's works and Ozu's style that have been mythed, but to some extent even his character has been mythed. From the depth of the work to see the creator and see the creator's thoughts, this is a very in-depth reading, but if you want to correspond one by one, I believe that most people do not have this ability, especially in Relevant information is extremely scarce. Therefore, simply equating works with the recognition of character has become one of the side effects of myths (the most common example is undoubtedly the selective avoidance of the fact that Ozu is an aggressor, especially when this fact has gradually become clear today. See Ozu as a great film artist, and please face up to the fact that he is an aggressor, especially a Chinese. I believe that this seemingly contradictory thing is the meaning of dialectics, and cannot be explained by the word "narrow" . In Ozu's films, nostalgia for war or revulsion or reflection is often seen, but there is no unified point of view. At this point, he is obviously skeptical about whether he is "also" a victim of war. manner).
Another topic worth considering is also quite controversial. In this tide of mythology, what kind of impression do the various sayings about Ozu give to audiences who are not familiar with him, such as people like me who have never been exposed to Ozu's films before? Is he understandable or obscure? That is to say, how many people emphasized the approachability of his work, that is, the highly entertaining aspect of his work, at the same time as mythology? From this point of view, we can see the biased interpretation of the so-called pseudo-elite interpretation of the so-called incompatibility between artistry and entertainment, which is a larger aspect of Ozu's mythology. Some people emphasize the unique art of Ozu and enshrine him in the hall, but inadvertently forget the Ozu who can entertain the widest public, the Ozu who said that the movie is "the prostitute standing on the bridge" and this sentence. The truth in.
Second,
unexpectedly, under Ozu's lens, there is no Tokyo, especially "Ozu's Tokyo".
Yes, there may be a corner, a corner, a mountain, a water or a scene in Tokyo under Ozu's lens, but these existent things can appear in any city, with the same connotation and the same allegory. But why did they become symbols of Tokyo under Ozu's lens? The only explanation is that this is the way outsiders look at Japan. They use Tokyo to refer to Japan, and they refer to Tokyo with a glimpse of the scene, and finally it comes down to Ozu's lens. In this way, Ozu and his works have become the evidence of "the most Japanese". Similar to this kind of evidence are the so-called "Poetic Shots of Ozu" that have been repeatedly praised, the dresser where her daughter is married, the crow screaming in the wild, etc. Behind these tiny elements, there is actually a materialized or symbolic image. Ozu.
For Ozu, I think this is a kind of sadness. When he turned his camera on those who lived in the environment (not just Tokyo people, obviously), when he took the trouble to turn his camera on those who only left behind in each story, when he used the three When the ruler's lens was aimed at a person's face and conveyed a sense of reverence, he probably never imagined that some anthropomorphic objects would be mentioned the most after a few years, and life itself, those "worldly objects". The most engrossing and exciting thing - the human face" is treated as one of the inanimate elements of the narrative. And the most fatal thing is that when all things are derived from poetry, poetry itself becomes insignificant.
three
Yasujiro Ozu has been tirelessly telling the stories that happened in the family. In these stories, although the characters seem familiar and even the names are similar, the intensity and nature of the conflicts vary widely. In "Good Morning", starting from the act of watching TV, a contradiction that is not too small but full of entanglements is triggered. In the end, the TV is bought and brought home, and a comedy story permeating the world's customs and human feelings is lightly told; " In Tokyo Twilight, the youngest daughter was abandoned by her lover and finally died unexpectedly in a trance. The dark tones set off a truly tragic story; in "Early Spring", a couple went through emotional ups and downs and finally returned to the ethical standard. It is a social drama that is neither sad nor happy... In these stories with different values, we can clearly experience the ambiguous, complex, and diverse emotions and thoughts, which reflects a complex and changeable inner world. In a sense, this is the real Yasujiro Ozu.
The real Yasujiro Ozu is not, as is commonly said, "never exaggerating and distorting the situation of the characters", on the contrary, he is a director who pursues drama very much. In this respect, he is not qualitatively different from Akira Kurosawa, but he is just at the two poles of narrative, one pursues the grand epic style, and the other pursues the inner drama of daily life. Even aside from the typical comedy of "Good Morning", the common plots of death, marriage, love, blood recognition, etc. in Yasujiro Ozu's stories are typical dramatic events. The difference lies in the handling of Yasujiro Ozu, who weakens the role of the dramatic plot in the overall structure and focuses more on the process.
Yasujiro Yotsuozu
uses the same technique almost invariably: a slightly elevated point of view, a fixed lens, in a sense, this is his way of observing the world and characters, or in a pure and reverent way Mentality treats the joys, sorrows and sorrows of life, and tells them in a minimalist and calm tone. But all of this does not fully summarize his style, with the exception of "Early Spring", which obviously uses moving shots; another more important technique, closely integrated with fixed shots, is his extensive use of front and back shots and fast shooting. cut. If this single angle and stable point of view bring a bit of stagnation to the story, then this kind of front and back and cut and connect brings a bit of dynamism to the story, which effectively neutralizes the dullness brought by the former. The dialectical unity of these techniques is the key reason why Ozu is simple and not obscure.
One is static and the other is dynamic. How can these seemingly contradictory methods be effectively unified? How can form and content be perfectly integrated? This requires us to go deep into the world of the story. First of all, in terms of the type of story, Ozu's story mainly relies on dialogue scenes, and the construction and emotion are all hidden in these scenes. Therefore, to construct a rhythm and construct a narrative rhythm that is not objectionable, it must be within the Speed up the progress, and that's enough reason for frequent fore-and-aft hits and cuts. But what makes the two become one is the real world within the story, the subtle thrust of Ozu's world.
Now let's focus on the language and ontology of the film, in which we can find that this contradiction actually reflects a certain mentality of Yasujiro Ozu. In the process of the development of Japanese film, having experienced important development from silent to sound, from black and white to color, Ozu Yasujiro happened to meet. As a very important and perhaps even the most important director at that time, Yasujiro Ozu did not show an attitude of keeping pace with the times. According to records, on the development of this technology, Yasujiro Ozu's transformation was slow. , or delayed. Similarly, on the use of film language and the development of film language, Ozu Yasujiro has a similar mentality, which makes him more retain the film language he mastered in the initial stage, and lasts for his entire film career. . This kind of innovation and change and conservative are also a set of contradictions, but this contradiction is not irreconcilable, and the final result also proves this.
The
world in Yasujiro Goozu's story is also contradictory.
In "The Flower of the Other Side", the parents worry about their daughter's marriage, but the daughter has to pursue her own happiness. In the end, the parents, especially the father, made a compromise and acquiesced to this state. From this result, we can think that Yasujiro Ozu chose the latter between maintaining the tradition and the new ideas of the new era. At least he thinks that there is nothing wrong with pursuing his own happiness. But in "Twilight of Tokyo", the young daughter who was dedicated to her own pursuit of her own happiness died unexpectedly in the end. Before she died, she regretted the path she chose. This bleak ending exposed Yasujiro Ozu's pessimism about the young man's pursuit of his own happiness. But looking at the two films, it is a contradictory idea that is expressed inside.
In "Tokyo Story", elderly parents long to get together with their children, but the children have their own concerns. Everyone longs for family affection, but the reality cannot make this kind of affection go smoothly. This is a contradiction; it is better to behave differently. It is also a contradiction whether the sons and daughters of the times are heartless or ruthless; the daughter is eager to put the blame on the parents, but the daughter-in-law does her best, whether they are close or not. This is also a contradiction. In "The Taste of Saury", the father insists on getting his daughter to marry, but the daughter serves the widowed father wholeheartedly. Getting married is a good thing, and a filial daughter is also a good thing, but you can't have both, which is also a contradiction. In "Floating Grass", the disbanding of the troupe is a bad thing, but it gives the family a chance to reunite, which is a good thing, but the father and son cannot coexist, which is another contradiction. In "Twilight of Tokyo", the father wants his daughter to be happy, but he cannot control her life, which is still a contradiction.
...
This kind of criss-crossing contradictions and conflicts constitute the entire world of Yasujiro Ozu. And Yasujiro Ozu himself did not show any kind of prejudice against this kind of contradiction. Sometimes the contradiction develops into tragedy, sometimes it develops into comedy, sometimes neither sadness nor joy permeates detachment, and sometimes there is something that cannot be resolved. lonely. In Ozu's story, there are both gains and losses, corresponding to his own life, and the same is true. He did not have the love of a man and a woman, but he had the kinship of mother and son. If this kind of thinking is raised to life, then even if the contradictions and conflicts cannot get a perfect ending, he obviously believes that this is not a pure tragedy.
Sixth
, facing this kind of life squarely, when you experience the joy of life, you must experience the pain of old age, sickness, and death; when you experience the sadness of parting, you must experience the joy of reunion; when you experience the joy, you must experience the troubles that you cannot get. These things do not exist alone in Yasujiro Ozu's world, but the two are interdependent. Recognizing this fullness of life, one must have awe and face the good and the bad with awe. From this, returning to Yasujiro Ozu's film language, the slightly elevated viewpoint naturally conveys the heart of innocence and devotion, that is to say, the form of this viewpoint and the content conveyed in the viewpoint is the perfect combination.
On top of the content of the story, now we also simply divide it into form and content. The form is the connection method mentioned above, and the content is the contradictions and conflicts contained in the plot. The state of this conflict must be developing and moving, so to express this state of movement with a quick connection is conflict, and the form and content are also one. Now we can understand that the contradictory methods of skills do not really constitute contradictions. Although they contain different subjects, they are unified under the main theme, which is the two sides of Ozu Yasujiro's full life philosophy, that is, the state of life includes Still and moving. Specifically, Yasujiro Ozu narrates the rhythmic life story with a reverent attitude. "Stillness" is the ferry boat reaching the other side, and the other side is "movement".
Seven
Now we are close to Ozu Yasujiro's true thoughts. We say that in his world, "stillness" is the ferry to the other side, and the other side is "movement", that is to say, "stillness" is the method of pursuit, and "movement" is the goal and the embodiment of eternal value. What is "moving"? Let's take a look at Ozu's world: the so-called life includes life and death, including joys, sorrows and sorrows; the so-called marriage includes the transition from acquaintance to marriage or breakup; the so-called parents and children include the encounter from encounter to farewell... These two poles are Static, but moving from one pole to the other, which is life. This kind of moving life is contained within time, which proves that time is also moving, and within this moving time, everything in the universe is moving. Ozu's world is a "moving" world, and the existence of life is entirely based on this "moving", and the "moving" world is also the "living" world. This idea of "birth" is what Yasujiro Ozu expresses through his works.
In this state of "birth", things are bound to have multiple aspects of good and bad. Sometimes the ending of all stories is a tragedy, sometimes a comedy, sometimes neither sad nor happy; so people are sometimes bad, Sometimes there is a good side; and neither good nor bad, there is much to blame, because that is the way of nature. In this way of nature, everything has infinite possibilities, so loneliness is not just lonely. In this state of "birth", nothing is immutable, and all things move and change all the time. Therefore, "Ozu's Tokyo" is the ever-changing Tokyo, and "Ozu's Tokyo is gone" is naturally absurd, because the Tokyo you see every moment can be called "Ozu's Tokyo". And everything, everything that exists in Ozu's films, represents the awe and praise of "sheng", so there is no such thing as mirrors, crows or the poetry they represent, because in this world of life, "everything is together" .
Eight
, this way of life, this complete affirmation of life, is probably Ozu Yasujiro's thought. It is necessary to point out the inaccuracy of a broad statement, the so-called Zen or Buddhist thought contained in Ozu's works. Simply put, Zen developed from the basic teachings of Buddhism is still a philosophy of negation. In this kind of thinking, life is the root of all suffering, and "quietness" is the ultimate goal of pursuit, which is completely contrary to Yasujiro Ozu's idea of praising the way of life. If I had to give it a definition, I think his point of view is more realistic and closer to the "Tao" thought of Lao Zhuang's lineage.
Under the thought of "Tao", we can completely extract the so-called eternity in Ozu's works. In "Floating Grass", the troupe was disbanded, and Komajuro thought he could rest his mind and reunite with his family; when he returned home, he found that there had been a rift between him and his son because of Kadai's relationship; when he returned to the road , but encountered a lover who was driven away by himself, and then resumed his former relationship... We carefully observe what is in it: Kojuuro's career failed, from the head of the troupe to the dissolution of the troupe, he changed from a successful person to a A loser; he started a family reunion life as a loser, in a sense, a change from a loser to a winner; but when he entered the family life, he found that the reality was different from what he imagined, so he experienced the transition from success again. A change of mind from a loser to a loser; when he takes on the road again as a loser in family relationships and reunites with his old lover, the loser in family relationships becomes an emotional winner again...
Be aware of the joys and sorrows involved in these transitions, and the conflicts, big and small, in each transition. In the event of the disbandment of the troupe, we can see a changing era. Under this change, when the troupe cannot keep up with this change, it will inevitably come to an end, although Kojuro tries his best to avoid this. This situation, but still can not rewrite this ending; above the family, when Kojuro gave up wandering and entered the family, he faced the family structure that was about to change with a self-changing mentality, but the family structure had already changed because of Kayo’s entry. , At this time, although Kojuro has changed, his changes have not kept up with the new changes in the family; emotionally, he abandoned his lover and left a warm family, and he thought he was a complete loser , but the appearance of his old lover and her unforgettable old love made him face a conflict in his heart. This conflict actually stemmed from his family view at this time, but once he adapted to the change in time, things turned sadness into joy.
In this series of changes, we have seen that the times are changing, things are changing, families are changing, and people’s hearts are changing. This change is not based on human will. This is the eternal contradiction in Ozu's work. In the context of change, once the person or thing in the foreground cannot adapt to the change, a conflict arises. The so-called contradiction lies between the rapidity of change and the relative slowness of change. This leads to the most common family conflict in Ozu's stories. In fact, in terms of blood relationship, there is no eternal and irreconcilable conflict, but once it is unable to adjust itself to adapt to changing relationships, environments, and times, conflicts will arise. Just as his narration does not depend on dramatic plots, Ozu's value does not depend on the results of conflict, because what he shows is "Tao", the uninterrupted development of things. Under "Tao", life and death, movement and Tranquility, misfortune, good fortune, favoritism, these contradictory things can be transformed, and the changing values in the plot of "Floating Grass" effectively reflect this. So in Ozu's story world, no matter the sadness or joy of the ending, it always expresses the same meaning, that is, the incomparable beauty of life.
Nine
The practical significance of Ozu's works lies in the "Tao" contained in them. Knowing the eternal place of this "Tao" and letting everything take its own course, you will be able to discover the beauty of life with a quiet mind, and face the turbulence of life with a quiet mind. This kind of spirit is especially valuable to us today. This is an era where changes are especially fast compared to the past. Under the wave of so-called fashion waves, how many people can still discover the beauty of life and the beauty of life with a quiet mind. Is the heart to be kind to the beauty of life? Especially when Ozu itself has become a myth.
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