In the film, director Ridley Scott added an expressionist approach, using animal metaphors for the character characteristics of the characters in different periods, which makes people embarrassed.
The first to appear was the robin. At the beginning of the film, General Maxim's gazing at the bird in the silent forest is his inner portrayal. For Maxim, all glory and wealth are clouds. It can be seen that Maxim, who is not greedy, lives much simpler than Caesar, who is old and enlightened. For him, life is short, and going home to reunite with relatives is the most meaningful. The cruel means of conquering war will not last long. But the bird flew away. Then came a familiar slaughter show.
In the Germanic battle, the gray wolfdog was actually a portrayal of Maxim. Maxim was as loyal to his king as a dog, and as ferocious as a wolf in battle. It is a pity that the wolf dog is just a dog after all, and cannot become a lion like Caesar.
When Maxim became a slave, he was imprisoned by slave traders. Coyotes and some wild cats appeared in the cage. These beasts are both symbols of Maxim. The trapped beast that entered the cage grinned, and its wildness was untamable. Maybe this is really his nature, the wolf dog returns to the wild again, fighting for revenge!
When the fighters passed through the downtown area of Rome, the red wool hanging around the market and the red blood on the white bulls heralded the coming of a great war. Red, bull, blood, everything is so savage and bloody. This scene gave a transition to the subsequent killings. In fact, Ridley also used strong colors in other scenes. For example, the dark execution of Maxim used a blue hue. As he died, Maxim's dream home was dark blue. These colors have extended meanings.
While in Rome, the tiger in the Roman arena was a threat to Maxim, but at the same time, the tiger that was out of order was also a symbol of Maxim. Maxim wholeheartedly hopes to return to freedom, but at this moment, he is just a beast for entertainment in the arena. Although he is as fierce as a tiger, he is not cruel. At the last moment, the Tiger died, and Maxim returned to his sanity. He won the audience and forced the vicious Comodos to the corner.
Finally, in the hallucinations that appeared when Maxim was dead, in addition to his wife and children, there was a white horse. This white horse, which has never appeared before in reality, symbolizes holiness and heralds the death of Maxim. In "Blade Runner", Ridley has joined a white unicorn that has nothing to do with the plot. The white horse that appeared this time is similar to the unicorn.
From this point of view, Maxim is extremely kind. Even though he has lived in the military camp for so many years, his heart still belongs to the soft wheat field, the fertile black soil and the beautiful indisputable life, but in my opinion His kindness is too petty. When Caesar was about to pass on him, he hesitated between the country and the little family. He didn't understand that the true meaning of war lies in a more stable peace (which reminds me of "Heroes", Although not very good, what Qin Shihuang said is reasonable), here is the difference between Chinese and Western cultures. Westerners pay more attention to individualism. We can often see in movies that they stand up whenever a critical moment comes. Often super heroes. It is the same here. The power of Commods and the decline of the country caused by Maxim’s pursuit of a free and peaceful life are finally ended by Maxim. The life and death confrontation between the two in the arena is a positive image. The sharp contrast with the negative image, the obvious contrast between good and evil, fully interprets individualism (and Maxim's final standing in front of Commods was actually for personal grievances, if Maxim's wife and children had not suffered Killing, the beautiful dream has not been broken, it is hard to guarantee that he will stand up last)!
Ever since, I can’t help but apply our Oriental thinking in this story, and let us start again. If at the beginning, Maxim agreed to the old emperor’s request and put on the crown for the sake of the world and the republic. With his prestige and dominance in the army, coupled with the cooperation with the Senate, the old emperor’s dream can come true, the little emperor has no hope of usurping the throne, and the country will continue to develop prosperously, and then he can also be passed on to a virtuous person. Home farming. But before that, the director also conveyed to us his understanding of Maxim’s character—a wolf dog, fierce but loyal, but always a dog. Even if he can fight well, he will not be able to become a lion after ascending to the throne. Dominate the Quartet, and is likely to be replaced in the future. Therefore, he is destined to become a beast full of revenge desire, biting or even killing his enemy in forbearance, and this is also in line with the story’s archetype-Max Aurelius’s life thinking: everything has its own. Reasonable destination, don’t impose your own power to influence them.
However, Maxim is tragic. What he dreams of is just a plain and quiet country life, but he is always out of reach. He can only caress the heavy in his dreams. Ears of wheat. His tragedy is not personal. As a typical representative, his dream is dragged forward by the times, powerless and far away. All he can choose is to do himself well and keep that beautiful dream from being polluted by the world.
At the end of the film, I think it is the director’s helpless mourning for those unfulfilled dreams. Passing through the wooden door and caressing the familiar ears of wheat, isn't it the nostalgia for unfulfilled dreams after we grow old. So if you have a dream, go and pursue it bravely.
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