compare the two films because the two films have similarities in the setting and intention of the characters. In terms of character setting, Duan Xiaolou and Cheng Dieyi, as opera actors, were the stars of that era, and the audience's pursuit of them is no less than the modern audience's enthusiasm for the Hollywood hero movies that Birdman alludes to. They have also had brilliance, but they all face a close to tragic ending in the end. Xiaolou degenerates from a mighty overlord to a lingering and lingering mediocrity. What he gains is a more relaxed life, but what he loses is the domineering share of responsibility; Dieyi’s hard perseverance finally achieved Ji’s tragic and vigorous life, with the death of his life. I kept my persistence in love, my stubbornness to idealism, my loyalty to skills, and my dignity.
Keane, who had been on fire before, also had the past of Birdman, that was his most glorious day. When he one day pursued his dreams willfully or simply because he lost the opportunity to continue his glory after becoming famous, he was also forgotten by most people, and what was left was only on the Broadway stage that symbolized the pursuit of art. Wandering and struggling, and the most tragic thing is that the audience's memory of him still says that he was once a "bird man." Although Keane is down and down, he pursues art. The reason why he did not add "persistence" is because Keane in the movie is more likely to bind his honor and dignity to the actor status, which is to obtain. A tool of recognition. The stage performance succeeded in an almost absurd form, but we saw Keane finally walk out the window and then "fly".
As for the setting of intention, I think it is an anti-hero setting. And this is why I see both films as tragedies. If you are remembered because your face once wore an impressive mask that has nothing to do with your own nature, it is undoubtedly the biggest irony for a person who pursues self-achievement. Such a setting is also a seemingly An absurd but familiar tragedy. Duan Xiaolou has fallen from the hero on the stage to the mediocrity in the countryside, and his heroic personality gradually fades over time. "Birdman" is similar to the story core of "Wrestler", and the heroes on the table have also reached middle age or old age. This is what I understand that they have in common. This is also the reason for comparing the two films together. I also hope that the reason for Farewell My Concubine is because of their differences, which also caused the film’s realm. gap.
The difference in the film's realm is also concentrated in the difference in the personality of the character in the process of setting the role. There is a detached existence in Farewell My Concubine-Yu Ji as Dieyi, and in "Birdman", in sharp contrast with real life, is his second personality, which is the heroic image of the "Birdman" in the past. Such a theme of the story, such a conception, can basically be sure to find emotional catharsis and resonance in the hero's tragic encounter. When we see that once heroes or heroes on holsters are finally reduced to mediocrity, the hero's gap is our psychological gap. If we can see again, the people under the hero holster are struggling to continue the hero’s personality. That casts another layer of tragedy that is not inspirational.
There is no doubt that in Farewell My Concubine, Yu Ji is the biggest bright spot. Xiaolou, Xiaolou's wife, and Dieyi can be understood as three abstract personalities, heroic personality, secular personality, and ideal personality beyond hero and secular. If there are such three personalities, Xiaolou is different from the outside, and Xiaolou's wife and Dieyi are the same. The difference is that Dieyi’s personality setting is more idealistic, far beyond the secular Xiaolou. Lou's wife.
Birdman’s personality settings are twofold, one is secular, and the other is ideal. The secular is very easy to understand, but this ideal personality has a major difference with Farewell My Concubine. The specifics are also in the front. I mentioned: The ideal personality in Birdman actually lacks a level of realm compared with the setting of Butterfly Yi in Farewell My Concubine. Birdman’s ideal personality includes desire for destruction, self-esteem, and heroism, which is very similar to Pete’s role in the fight club. The butterfly clothes represents an artistic pursuit that fits with life, the persistence of love that fits with life, the persistence of dignity that fits with life, and the philosophy of survival that fits with life. Therefore, we see that Birdman’s flight is out of despair of reality, Keen and Birdman’s heroic personality have a tendency to separate; and the passing of Dieyi implies a break with the world on the one hand, and opposition to the world on the other. The continuation of one's ideal personality. Seeing the birdman fly away, I feel that he has realized his wish, but he is desperate for the way this wish is achieved, because this complete despair has made him relax a lot. It was a kind of detachment that gave up the vanity of heroic personality, and was a return to humanity. But the departure of Dieyi is a continuation of artistic life. It is the smashing of beauty in front of you, the beautiful color dust that swings up, the emptiness and clarity of conscience that is washed with tears, and it is witnessed by life. Love, about dignity, about the most perfect expression of art. Here Farewell My Concubine has already won.
This is the difference and realm gap between "Birdman" and "Farewell My Concubine" as I understand from the role setting. We can further explore the differences and gaps between the two from the cause of the tragedy. The audience's pursuit of Keane is because of the leather case he used to wear, and Keane's helpless and almost paranoid artistic pursuit was only remembered after he smashed his nose. When Keane gained a lot of fans again, he walked to the window and flew into the sky. At that time, he should feel that he was recognized again, but in the face of such an audience, he really had nothing to talk about. It’s because the performance technique that the audience considers a breakthrough is not acting at all. It’s the despair of the world, the accusation against the world, and the last time a world like this may not be dignified, or it may be a dignified rebellion. , He flew, who knows what is going on? We all feel that it is a tragedy to gain recognition and human dignity with a distorted body or the disappearance of life.
The film ends here. What doesn't stop is our thinking. According to the narrative volume of Birdman, we should be able to attribute the tragedy of the birdman flying away to several reasons:
First, the abduction of people by the employment relationship under capitalist private ownership is not only the abduction of the body, but also the abduction of people. The limitation of human self-development and the alienation of personality. The tragedy of Birdman is that the logic of capital operation causes people to live in such an era only with masks. The responsibility of Birdman flying away should be attributed to the evil capitalist system
. Under the consumerist market logic, all artistic presentations rely on market inspections, and the public’s perception of art has become the driving force or restrictive force for the development of art. The taste of the people determines the level of art. But we only see the vulgar taste of entertainment and curiosity here, and those tasteful critics can guide the people's viewing trend with just a few simple labels. The people gave up their rational thinking and only pursued the satisfaction of the senses. This kind of taste caused the tragedy of the bird man with elite consciousness. So the mediocre should also be responsible for the birdman flying away.
Third, Birdman himself should be responsible for me. No matter how much Keane has for his daughter or how much regret he has for the family, what still cannot conceal is the erosion of his life. When he took off his headgear, You can see his premature aging, his sensitivity to marijuana in his hair, and his ex-wife said that you are still drinking. No matter how word it is, you will know his past life. As for the girl on the crew, she is pregnant. Is it your own to know how messy your circle is, and the erosive life of young actors is not Keane’s own past? I don't intend to ask him to become a moral saint here, but there must be some restraint in the chaotic circle. As for why we should resign the Birdman sequel, I won't make any debate here. People are affected by the environment, but as a subject of action in social relations, as long as they have not lost their ability to act, they should have rational judgment and autonomy. Therefore, the tragedy of Birdman should also have his own reasons.
It is undoubtedly a kind of lazy behavior if only the various factors are given and the degree of their influence is no matter how large or small, but the explanations related to the degree lack corresponding information. What can be done is to make a ranking of these factors. The dominant ideology under capitalist private ownership is liberalism, while its core is individualism. According to this judgment, as a person with independent behavior ability, Birdman should be responsible for himself. We like heroes, but when the heroes faded away, we also fell into deep thought. If we do not torture the fate of the stage caused by the taste of the public, then we seem to be a kind-hearted audience. If it is assumed that the audience is kind, then the theoretical perspective based on the critical theory of socialism will talk about the impact of structure on people, although the tragedy of Birdman involves personal choices and personal actions. However, the capitalist production model based on private ownership undoubtedly determines the career trend of Birdman, and this trend determines the tension between his career and individual identity. The tension between the two roles has caused inner entanglement and also led to For the final tragedy, if you go back to the root cause, the capitalist system should be responsible for the tragedy of "Birdman".
According to this method of imputation, let's take a look at how the tragedy of "Farewell My Concubine" was caused. First of all, whether it is Xiaolou, Xiaolou's wife, or Dieyi can not be divided into the ranks of bad guys. In the film, we can't see their own depravity (does Xiaolou drink flower wine count?).
Secondly, what we can see is that ordinary audiences fully recognize Xiaolou and Dieyi before the founding of New China, except of course the uncles of the National Army and the students who marched. It was only after the founding of the country that it slowly became the target of being hit. The executioner is the audience and the children of that era.
At this point, we can already see the object of blame in the film. The fate of the three people in Farewell My Concubine is innocent in terms of personality setting. The audience is also positive at the beginning. So what has changed? system! It is the system. Many people think that this film is about the fate of the characters Xiaomo caused by history. But everyone knows that the time span of the film is very large. What period of history caused the tragic fate of the three characters? Dieyi is a tragic fate that began in the early years of the Republic of China and finally passed away in New China. Xiaolou, even selling watermelons to survive during the Liberation War, completely changed her personality after the founding of New China; Xiaolou daughter-in-law, did not explain when Entered the business, but died after the founding of New China. In this case, it is clear that their tragic fate can be judged in this way. First, the great era determines their fate, and the price of breaking with the era is life. Second, they were born in troubled times. The era is characterized by turmoil and change. Wars and politics make people no longer humans. The era should be responsible for their tragedies. Third, even in the war years, they did not come to an end, but after the founding of New China, two people died abnormally, and one person might fall into endless regrets. As for the sixth master, the old eunuch, and the little four, that master either died or lived unsatisfactorily. If the vertical dimension of the times can be ignored and the horizontal comparison between systems can basically be judged as a bloody and tearful accusation of the powerful means of social transformation when New China was first established. This is also the consistent attitude of screenwriter Li Bihua towards the Cultural Revolution. Therefore, such a film reflects the entire era with characters, has the depth of humanity exploration, has the attitude to history and politics, and has a transcendent state that transcends individual stories. Compared with "Birdman", in addition to the reflection on the system, there is another layer of historical weight. This is another reason why I prefer "Farewell My Concubine".
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