the director said

This is a historical film that explores and evaluates the French Revolution from a new perspective, revealing the contradictions and struggles in policies and lines between the National Convention, the National Salvation Committee and the Public Security Committee within the revolutionary camp. After the mountain faction replaced the Girondists in power, a public security committee headed by Robespierre was established. The terrorist policy implemented in order to suppress the counter-revolutionary riots and crack down on speculators caused everyone to be in danger because of the wide range of attacks. The Tolerance faction headed by Dandong was split within the Jacobin faction. They advocated an immediate end to the terrorist policy so that the people could rest and recuperate, which won the hearts of the people.

The film directed by Polish director Wajda successfully reproduced the reality that the economy was severely damaged and the people were living in poverty when the French Revolution entered its fourth year. , running rampant in the countryside, the blood under the guillotine flows into rivers, and the people who are tired of all this are full of complaints. People can't help but ask: Although the dynasty was overthrown, what actual benefits did the masses of people who gave their blood and lives in the struggle gained? ? This is exactly the question that director Wajda asks every audience. It is true that he thinks more about his country, Poland. In the early 1980s, the era of revolution seemed to be a long time ago, but all industries were in recession, and citizens still queued to buy bread every day. After the promulgation of the state of emergency law, the people had What is democratic freedom? Who doesn't yearn for a Dandong to end this situation as soon as possible?

In the face of the boiling National Convention, Dandong, who wanted to save the people from water and fire, risked the death of the iron-fisted leader, took the world as his responsibility, and fought Robespierre head-on. French movie star Depardieu showed the audience Danton's inner world through ups and downs at the dinner table for Robespierre: At first, at the suggestion of a friend, he wanted to have a relationship with Robespierre. An understanding was reached, so he pretended to be very enthusiastic, and served Roche with wine and dishes attentively. But Robespierre was unimpressed at all and refused to have dinner with him. The irritable Dandong was furious and slammed into the office, recounting the serious consequences of Robespierre and his government's tyranny, and vented his anger incisively and vividly. Yet Robespierre remained silent. Danton felt that it was impossible to persuade Robespierre with words, and it was imperative to fight against him in other ways. However, in the face of this powerful and hard-hearted opponent, he felt that his power was weak, and he felt like he was hitting a stone with an egg, so he calmed down and lamented his fate in a sad tone: "Maybe I will be sent to the guillotine. The end." He said this, watching Robespierre's reaction nervously. In the confrontation, Robespierre responded to all changes without change, closed his lips tightly, and pretended to think, leaving Dandong like a five-mile fog. In desperation, Dandong had to pretend to be drunk and lethargic, snoring like thunder, trying to confuse Robespierre. Robespierre told him not to wake up and had to leave. There is a detail in this scene: when Danton was furious, he rudely messed up Robespierre's wig, Robespierre was shocked, but suppressed his temper, and smoothed the wig without saying a word, while Danton But he was at a loss. He wanted to reach out to help Roche to tidy up his wig, but he felt that it would be a shame to say an apology. Danton both hated Robespierre and feared him from the bottom of his heart. He wanted to petition for the people, but also wanted to overthrow Robespierre without violence.

After Robespierre left, Dandong returned home, and the upright reporter De Mulan came to visit. He asked Dandong: "Since all the people support you, why don't you defend yourself?" Dandong, who was sitting in front of the fireplace, slowly lit the charcoal fire, his eyes were confused, and he seemed helpless about his fate of failure.

After being arrested, Dandong had no choice but to fight back. When he entered the courtroom, he frequently shook hands with the crowd and greeted them with a smile. He told everyone: "The court is a liar. Only you - the people - have the right to judge me." "I have dedicated my life to the struggle for peace, happiness, justice and civil rights." "The people have only one enemy, and that is The present government." "I died without regret, because I gave my life to the people." After he finished speaking, he sat in the middle of the crowd. His fearlessness was fully demonstrated when he was guillotined, saying, "Give my head to the people!"

The Dandong created by Depardieu has flesh and blood, he is loyal to the people, has revolutionary ideals, and also suffers and sorrows. The film makes the audience feel that this is an amiable and respectable man through the description of many details. Robespierre, played by Polish movie star Bozonjak, also left a deep impression. Because he is exactly the same as Robespierre's image in people's minds, he was immediately recognized by the audience. He is stern, arrogant, and never shows his emotions. This film exposed the weak side of his character, showing Robespierre's extremely suspicious and panic-stricken mentality. , the more restless he became. At the end of the film, when Dandong stepped onto the guillotine, Robespierre seemed to have a premonition that his doom was at hand. His nervous expression, sweaty face, and terrified eyes all revealed the extreme unease in his heart.

In the film, the image of De Mulan is also very successful: the literati revolutionary is emotional, loves life, but has a fragile personality. He is loyal to his friendship, to his faith, and never to take his life away. He has always supported Dandong's policy of tolerance, and firmly wants to fight for democracy and freedom for the people. When Robespierre came to persuade him privately, he also hesitated, because he loved his wife and children, but in the end, faith prevailed and Robespierre was thrown out of the house. De Mulan had the weakness of ordinary literati. He was afraid of death. While waiting for the trial, he fidgeted and even cried nervously. Before going to the guillotine, the jailer cut off his long hair. Before the scissors fell, he jumped with nervousness. , as if the guillotine had been slashed towards his neck. The performance of this literati's universal character is genuine and credible, but it does not affect people's appreciation and reverence for his high-spiritedness in the slightest.

Regarding the death of Dandong, as early as 1835, the German writer Bichner wrote a famous play, the title of which is "The Death of Dandong". The gist of the plot is: Although Dandong heroically saved the newly born republic in 1792, he was proud of his credit and became a drunkard, indulging in the pleasures of life and death. Disengaged from the people, he declared openly: "The revolution should cease. In our founding principles, rights must be replaced by duties, a comfortable life must be replaced by virtue, and self-defense replaced by punishment, and everyone should enjoy it in his own way." He had a disagreement with Robespierre over terror policy, and was eventually sent to the Revolutionary Court he founded a year earlier. Danton was charged with treason in collusion with the Gironde, the French aristocracy, and Mirabeau. However, Dandong, with his eloquent eloquence, counted his achievements in the revolutionary process, pleaded his innocence, and accused the Jacobin dictatorship of not improving the people's lives, and still left them hungry and naked. In court, he sought the sympathy of the masses for him. He said: "You ask for bread, but they throw heads at you. You are thirsty, but they tell you to lick the blood on the steps of the guillotine." His speech immediately won applause from many people. But Robespierre exposed the crime that Danton committed today with unquestionable evidence. He said: "Dandong has beautiful clothes, a beautiful house, and a beautiful wife. He bathes in burgundy, eats game on silver plates, and when he is drunk, he spends time with your wives. , daughter sleeping... Dandong used to be as poor as you guys, where did he get all this now?" Hearing all this, the crowd all fell to Robespierre's side, and their sympathy for Dandong immediately vanished. Before Dandong was put to death, his wife Juliet committed suicide, and Dandong and his followers showed the spirit of dying at home on the guillotine.

In 1921, the German director Dimitri Busovitzky put the whole process from the fall of Louis XVI to the execution of Dandong on the screen with the impressionist photography method, the film title "Dandong".

In 1932, French director André Huber still used the title "Dandong" to describe Dandong's extraordinary life from the political perspective of the era of the Third Republic.

The above two films are based on the corruption and degeneration of life in Dandong after the successful revolution, which led to political differences between him and Robespierre. In Busowitzky's film, he portrays Dandong as Don Juan and Cassanno. A tile-like figure, even suggesting that De Mulan's wife, Luqian, was also having an affair with him. However, "Dandong", shot by Polish director Wajda in 1982, can be said to be a film that reconciles Dandong's name from the point of view of modern people. People can't help but ask, why did the world-renowned film director want to overturn the verdict of a historical figure? In this regard, we must make a brief review of Wajda's filmmaking path.

Born in 1926 to a Polish army officer family, Vajda studied at the Lodz Film Academy after graduating from the Fine Arts Department of the Krakow Academy of Arts. When he graduated in 1952, he filmed "While You Were Sleeping", and in 1957 his second film "They Loved Life" received great attention from the critics when he participated in the Cannes Film Festival. This is the first stage of his creation, in which his aesthetic point of view is "new realism" beyond socialist realism, he said: "During this period, I was deeply influenced by film critics and audiences. Creation is largely catering to their standards and tastes." From "Post-War Scenery" shot in 1970, Wajda entered the second stage of his creation, when Poland began to "thaw", and he shot He published "Wedding" (1973) and "Hope Land" (1975), several films about the fate and future of the Polish nation. Some people call his second stage "humanistic poetic realism". In 1978, The Marble Man, which won the Critics' Award at the Cannes Film Festival, marked Vajda's third stage of creation. He said: "The law of creation must go through a period of spiritual loneliness before we can say goodbye to the past and enter the stage of 'individualism' that is not influenced by any trend." In "Marble Man", it is not difficult to find the Polish Solidarity trade union's commitment to traditional The direct influence of the questioning of the values, Wajda's point of view that transcends reality may not be true.

The intention of filming "Dandong" is obvious. After the successful revolution of the Polish people, not only their life has not been improved, but they have not been freed politically. The masses were dissatisfied with the government authorities, and strikes and uprisings occurred from time to time. People of insight within the leadership have proposed economic reforms, but they have been ostracized by those in power. In Wajda's view, Poland's current reality is very similar to the society after the French Revolution, Nel. Shooting this film can cause the world to have a profound reflection on reality. Dandong, a historical figure, may have one or another shortcomings, but he pleaded for the people and was executed for demanding an end to tyranny, coercion, and dictatorship, so he is a revolutionary hero. In today's society, there are not too many but too few such people who disregard their personal safety and dare to fight to the death of the dictatorship. Therefore, they must be well-known.