Who is Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson, domestic readers probably don't know it well, and it seems that not many books have been translated. She is a well-known American thriller novelist, who has influenced a large number of people including Stephen King. But just as Hitchcock's movie is not exciting enough for many people now, Shirley Jackson also faces the same problem. The threshold for people to be stimulated has greatly increased. Many of Shirley's works that caused turmoil in the 1940s and 1950s seem a bit too flat for readers today. This may be one of the reasons why she failed to succeed overseas, such as China.
But Shirley Jackson is still a patriarchal star in the thriller world, and the movie is the biography of such a writer.
The film tells the story of a young couple Rose and Fred Namsell were invited to visit professor Stanley Hyman's home. Stanley and Shirley are a pair of condor heroes in the literary world. Stanley usually teaches at Bennington College, while Shirley writes at home without leaving home.
Although this film is a biographical film, some plots of the characters are fictitious. For example, the Namsells. But this kind of fiction adds to the story of the film. Rose, as a nail wedged into Shirley's family, allows movie viewers to better appreciate Shirley's spiritual world.
Those ordinary women
A female college student in the town is missing.
When Shirley told Stanley that she was going to write a story about that female university, Stanley said, "The missing female college student sounds a bit lousy", but Shirley must write this story
At the end, Stanley questioned Shirley's writing again. Shirley yelled at him, "There are a lot of girls like this outside, there are schools all over the country, all alone, unable to let the world notice them, don't tell me I don't understand!"
Shirley is also one of these girls. She projected her experience onto the image of Paula, and the phantom of Paula was specifically introduced into the lens by the director in the image of Rose. Shirley, Rose, and the missing Paula are mirror images of each other, the latter two are projections of the former's spiritual world.
Rose does not have a diploma, and her husband’s marriage drew opposition from her in-laws, and she had to elope with her husband. She wanted to prove to the outside world that she was "worthy", so she kept reading. He followed her husband to Stanley's house and worked as a nanny for Stanley for a year for the sake of her husband's career. In exchange, his husband cheated. He also got the true biography of Stanley and slept with female students all day long.
Shirley is also in a more depressive environment. Although she has agreed with her open sex relationship, she has always been troubled by her husband's love affairs. The neighbors in the town also regard her as a mad woman who is utterly nagging.
"The Hanged Man" that Shirley is about to write is not a simple horror story, but more like a biography for ordinary women who are neglected in the family and society. In the United States in the 1950s, inequality between men and women was still very serious. During World War II, because of the lack of male labor, women briefly took to the center of the social arena, and a large number of women went to the factory for employment, which pushed up the status of women. But after the war, after the men came back, the women became lost again and returned to the role of docile housewives, which made many women feel depressed.
Based on this understanding of "The Hanged Man", this film highlights the theme of "feminism" in the film.
"The Hanged Man" reminds me of another recent news. South Korean female stars are also called Shirley. She really hanged herself in the blooming season. Countless people have scolded her as a "slut". Countless people expected her to be a beautiful doll. During her lifetime, she used various extreme behaviors to arouse people's attention. Pay attention, but no one can hear her cry for help.
Rose talked to Shirley about her speculation about Paula's death. She said, "Maybe disappearance is the only way for anyone to notice her."
Seeing this, connected with the death of Cui Xueli, made me shudder. Coincidence, or fate?
Of course, it is still narrow to use "feminism" to understand Shirley and the film. The director is also committed to constructing a psychedelic and unique Shirley-like world, showing us the life of female writers. The deterioration of Shirley's physical condition and the darkness of the spiritual world are all considered to be restored well. Whether the two characters in the film are selected, the image is restored and the temperament is also compatible.
It's just that many people watch the film, probably with the gimmick of a "thriller". These audiences will definitely be disappointed. This is not a declassified and exciting film. It is more of a "biography", and Shirley’s life is not like many celebrities with magnificent lives. His life story alone can intoxicate strangers. Up. So if you don't understand some background of American culture, this film may seem boring. The dislocation of the times may also make many viewers and readers unable to empathize. They have difficulty understanding the situation of American women at that time.
Which ones are true? Which ones are fake?
The film took place at the time when Shirley wrote "Hangsaman." Prior to this, she had become famous with "The lottery" (The lottery). In the first act of the movie, Rose was watching "Luck A Lottery" on the train. When Rose came to Shirley's house, her friends gathered around Shirley, and it was this famous short story that was discussed.
"Luck" was originally published on "The New Yorker", and once published, it quickly caused a sensation, but the sensation was all negative. A large number of letters from readers flooded into the editorial department of "The New Yorker", making this novel the most reverberating novel in the history of publication. Therefore, there is a scene in the movie, Shirley tells everyone that this is "the most infamous novel ever published by the New Yorker."
There are also a large number of letters sent to Shirley. Of the more than 300 letters, only 13 are friendly, and the others are questioning and scolding mothers. I wrote a special analysis for this fable novel. Not detailed here.
The year of writing "The Hanged Man" was 1951. At this time, she and Stanley Hyman had been married for 11 years. Hyman often engages with female students, and Shirley knows this relationship well. The only thing she asks him to do is that he must report every affair to her. At the same time, the affair cannot disturb family life.
This kind of open relationship agreement is often used by men, but it makes women feel depressed. Sartre and Beauvoir are also in this way of getting along. Beauvoir is not as comfortable as Sartre, and jealousy is often secretive. The relationship between Shirley and Stanley is a bit more deformed. Shirley has agoraphobia. She feels the rejection of the residents of Bennington and rarely goes out. After working at home for a long time, Shirley's figure gradually lost shape, she was in a trance, and had severe anxiety in her later years. At the age of 48, she fell asleep in her sleep.
In the movie, Rose finally had a secret relationship with Shirley, and wanted to link the missing girl with Stanley, so she made a false loan record, hoping to separate the two. Unexpectedly, Shirley tore off the library card lightly. Because of the open relationship between her and her husband, although they are not happy, they do trust each other. As a well-known literary critic and a music critic, Stanley has always supported Shirley's creative life.
The material for "The Hanged Man" is indeed derived from a female college student who is missing in reality-Paula Wilden. If you have seen the relevant photos, you will find that Rose's actor looks very similar to Paula back then. I won't let go, cripple. Paula, a student at Bennington College, went out to hike in a small forest in Bennington one afternoon in 1946. Since then, no one has found her.
Inspired by this incident, Shirley wrote "The Hanged Man", which describes a lonely, unrecognized, spiritual world of female college students who are constantly oppressed by her native family. The missing persons notices used in the film are all in reality.
The least restored part of the film is the Namsells, which are two fictional characters. At the same time, Shirley already had 3 children when she was writing "The Hanged Man." Perhaps it was to create an atmosphere and express the mentality of confusion, horror, and depression. The director deliberately failed to truthfully reflect the composition of the family. With children, it might seem more noisy.
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