About Shaw Brothers
There was once a film company that created countless brilliance in Hong Kong film history: Shaw Brothers. The company is characterized by a strong cultural sensibility, and its establishment and growth coincided with the period of Hong Kong films that focused on the presentation of culture.
Most of Shaw Brothers' early works were based on traditional Chinese folklore and culture, which has also become its unique cultural symbol in the Hong Kong film and television industry.
Generally speaking, Shaw Brothers is the company that can maintain the balance between business and culture among many film and television companies. It is very unique and maintains a considerable degree of artistic value on the premise of maintaining ornamental in its works.
In the later period of Shaw Brothers Pictures, cooperation with the film and television industry in mainland China was launched. Some particularly traditional works were produced at this stage, the most important of which was the severely neglected "Changing Faces".
"Changing Face" was released in the 1990s when Shaw Brothers was in a downturn, but this film is undoubtedly the most important cultural gift left by Shaw Brothers. It combines the specific folk culture of China - "Sichuan Opera" and the inheritance of certain artistic techniques inherent in Shaw Brothers.
About Sichuan Opera
vulgar cloud:
There is excellent art in Sichuan, one song can be transformed into ten sides. Changes to welcome all directions, face masks and true chapters.
If you ponder the history, it is easy to find that most of the crafts were originally created in the folk, and later entered the temple. The craftsmanship was originally a rough handle style, and it was not intended to be beautiful; it became a faction when it was appreciated by the refined and popular in the circulation. And it is necessary to experience some years of ups and downs, otherwise it will not exude its heritage.
The so-called one skill is close to one's body, and one can travel the world peacefully. The old man known as the face-changing king, has the true inheritance of the folk stunt face-changing. Like all folk artists, craftsmanship has become his greatest wealth and livelihood. Because of the difficult times, he wandered around to show off, and he said, "I drive a flat piān boat by myself and go to both sides of the Sichuan River to eat together."
The Chuanjiang River is a freeway for commerce and trade. Wanzhou became more and more prosperous after the opening of the port. Many refugees fled here, and it also attracted people who make a living with such skills as the face-changing king. He is a Chinese gypsy, living in a boat, living along the river, from the tributary of the Minjiang River in southern Sichuan, and finally moored in Leshan.
On the Lantern Festival night, the crowd gathered, and the face-changing king also took advantage of the situation to show off his craftsmanship on the street. He tells folk anecdotes for everyone, walks monkeys and changes faces. However, this solution failed to arouse the enthusiasm of the audience, the crowd gradually dispersed, and the face-changing king fell into embarrassment.
At the same time, a troupe was ushered in the market, the protagonist of which was Liang Sulan who appeared as a living Guanyin.
Liang Sulan, who plays the living Guanyin, is a celebrity in the drama world and her reputation is on the rise. He also came out to discuss the lottery. He noticed the face-changing king who was performing, and deeply admired his performance. He immediately cheered on the old artist, and the two artists greeted him to show respect.
Liang Sulan respected the art of changing faces. Although he went his own way, he invited the face-changing king to join Liyuan with the heart of a contract. Unexpectedly, the face-changing king told him that his skills were passed on from inside to outside, from male to female; he cared about Liang Sulan as the half-daughter of Xiaodan, and Liang Sulan also had the character of an artist. Keep your craft.
Offspring and Popular Worship
The face-changing king, who was moved by Liang Sulan's words, began to think about his skill inheritance. But as a lonely person who has been wandering all the year round, he has no future. In order to obtain a successor, he can only focus on the human trafficking market.
The human trafficking center is the epitome of the humanitarian disaster in society. This dark place condenses the misery of the entire era:
Here the human trade is open and free, and parents who have no means of raising them sell their children. Vend's parents are powerless to care about their children's future livelihood: they are either slaves or concubines, tired or hungry; as long as they don't die now, they may find a chance of life.
In this place, the children have less to do, and even learn to recommend themselves to make a living. Hunger and sickness force them to compete with each other for a way out and a future family.
Since ancient times, heirs have a certain obsession in China, and they are often used in business beliefs. Liang Sulan appeared as a goddess of mercy, and was sought after by the public.
The only reason is that heir is the most ardent expectation of the public, and Guanyin is the official who fulfills this desire. Especially when the world is dying and idols are popular, people often let go of their bodies and not stick to their wrists. Liang Sulan recruited the directors of various schools, and his team was able to play multiple chords on one string, making money by pretending to be Guanyin on and off the stage.
The so-called art has a different path, but the face-changing king, who is also a pear gardener, follows his old path and is in trouble. But even so, he is not stingy with the entrustment of ghosts and gods. In order to seek heirs, he placed his thoughts on the clay statue of Guanyin; even if he was poor, he would be relieved by the rhetoric of the temple nuns.
The lack of a child made him buy a boy in disguise in a hurry. In order to facilitate the child's survival, her parents gave her a humble name: dog baby.
For the face-changing king, this was an accidental event. The old man, who was already discouraged in the population market, suddenly saw such a beautiful child, that he thought that the god had complied with his request, so he took the child to kneel to the god.
Artistic brushwork of "Changing Face"
On the whole, "Face Change" is a story of coincidence: coincidence of chance, coincidence of situation, coincidence of ending. Just like a drama, it accommodates all kinds of life and turns it into a book.
But "Changing Face" rooted all the plot clues in its deep background of the times, which established the rationality of the plot: the relationship between the characters and the cause and effect between them were derived from the background of the times.
Importantly, the director orchestrates the entire story with incredible control, which is what makes "Face Changes" a masterpiece. From the various elements of the show, whether it is characterization, plot scheduling, or camera skills, it is almost impeccable, and it is difficult to find flaws.
1. The tone and character of the film
This story is characterized by a polyphonic way of telling, and its structure does not rely on a single character, but makes a global character characterization. Therefore, the plot of the whole play is separate and prominent, and the characters have the same important position.
Protagonist ① The face-changing king
This character has lived his whole life, and is lonely and helpless. His biggest pain was the loss of his son at an early age, so when the dog fell ill, it caused him panic. He didn't want to repeat the same mistakes, so he gave everything for her. But this all stems from his belief that the dog is a boy, because he sees male sexuality as very meaningful.
Although he does not live in a fixed place, he regards himself as a person in the world, and in this identity he holds self-deception and arrogance. He once told Gouwa in an experienced tone: If you have the ability, you can travel all over the world. However, he, who has never thought about his own skills, has no place to live all year round, and he is still worried about his livelihood when he is approaching the end of the year.
The face-changing Wang Yan speaks eloquently, and often pretends to be a brother, and speaks out of the rivers and lakes; the experience in society has made him develop a neat and smooth, but it has not prevented him from being calculated; he is deceived by human traffickers, drinking wine mixed with water, doing The game was plotted against, blackmailed by the soldiers, framed by the yamen, and moved to the end only to be put to death.
The face-changing king is a sophisticated person. He believes that he is familiar with the rules of the rivers and lakes, and he must pay tribute to various powers wherever he goes. But no force has ever sheltered this humble man, including the Guanyin whom he trusted.
When his career was getting shorter, the face-changing king wanted to ask for a child, because having no descendants meant that his craftsmanship would end because of him. After being wrongfully imprisoned, he believed at one point that it was a continuation of the tragedy of his life.
In prison, since he knew there was no way out, he tore off the face of making a living, but finally expressed his understanding to the dog. At this moment, he felt transparent, thinking that he and she were repayment for each other in reincarnation.
Protagonist ② Doll
As an outcast, she moved around in the population market, starving and suffering all day long. In order to be adopted, she was trained under the brokers to look at others while discreetly concealing her daughter.
Buyers treated her like a livestock due to sexism. In the face-changing king, she hopes to achieve self-worth through craftsmanship. However, after the face-changing king learned her gender, he completely ignored the child's aptitude: tough and flexible, neat (stealing wine for him); and a rare focus on drama, especially Liang Sulan's drama.
Her experience made her see the contradiction in this society: people devalue women, while Guanyin, who is also a woman, is regarded as a folk idol and a savior. This made her question the face-changing king.
She loves and hates clearly, and she is happy and angry. In order to protect the face-changing king, she reprimanded the soldiers on the street. During her wandering, she ran away with the kidnapped child, and imitated the third princess to repay her kindness with her life.
The face-changing king made her experience caring, because the two of them had suffered the same loneliness. She saw that there was no viciousness in the stubborn female discrimination of the face-changing king. Perhaps because of repeated abandonment, even when the face-changing king was in distress, she was reluctant to let the face-changing king experience the betrayal of her relatives.
It was a mistake made by the face-changing king that allowed him to reap the rewards in the evening scene of his life, and finally found the deepest sustenance in a girl.
Protagonist ③ Liang Sulan
As far as a horn is concerned, it is inevitable to need the femininity that is born with it. Liang Sulan and his old servant are also feminine people, which makes them more sensitive and warm-hearted in the turbid world.
Liang Sulan was a successful businessman, but she did not give up her due virtue. He felt the lowliness of the actor in troubled times, but he still used his only influence to run for the face-changing king who was in trouble, and was willing to give up the popular pier to avenge him.
And if they imagined to replace their situation, if Liang Sulan was trapped, with the sophistication and cowardice of the face-changing king, it was almost impossible to help. Compared with the face-changing king who works in rhetoric, Liang Sulan, a young Dan, is more charismatic.
The social experience did not make Liang Sulan a snobby businessman, and he has always had a deep passion for drama. He admired the skill of the face-changing king, but when he showed this kind of intention, he was subconsciously thought by the other party that he planned to steal the teacher. In the end, when the face-changing king showed his gratitude to him, he refused to take advantage of others' danger.
From any point of view, Liang Sulan is more likely to become a communicator of skills than the face-changing king. If he really keeps the door as strict as the face-changing king, all kinds of craftsmanship have already declined.
In addition, in terms of character creation, the most striking is the performance of Liang Sulan's old servant. At the time of the demise of the Qing Dynasty, the current situation was turbulent, and the words, deeds, and background of the old servant were easily reminiscent of the eunuchs who were exiled in the previous dynasty. It is very likely that Liang Sulan took in this person who also has the body of a daughter. (This is the unspoken undercurrent of the film's clues, but it most subtly reflects the director's attention to detail)
2. Composition and Shot Scheduling
Shot ①: Meeting on the Lantern Festival Night
Liang Sulan first met the face-changing king, and saw him under the mask, holding a lantern; the camera slowly focused, coincided with the Lantern Festival fireworks, and the smoke rose around, and the slow motion created the effect of a one-man show. This shot was changed to Liang Sulan's perspective, which showed his focus on the performance.
Lens ②: Population market
The face-changing king did not meet the child he liked, and when he was about to leave, he heard a call. He turned around and saw a strange boy facing him.
At this time, an extra beam of light fell on the child's shoulders, like a small spotlight, reflecting the peacefulness of her face. ——This beam of light comes from a patio, and such an environment arrangement avoids the conflict of lighting. At this moment, from the panoramic view to the close-up, the appearance of the child is like a gift from Guanyin, and this light is like a blessing to the two.
In both shots, the background is blurred, and a horizontal line of sight is used at key points. The director manipulates the effect contrast of smoke, light with a nuanced scrutiny and creates the effect largely with the natural elements in the background. This technique further controls the stability of the entire picture and the strength of its performance.
3. Element and Lead Processing
For a director, the skill that really shines through is plot planning. Because this reflects the creator's mastery of rhythm, which is the most nuanced ability in artistic techniques.
Works with a high degree of plot scheduling in film history will undoubtedly jump to the level of textbooks. In the long-term works such as "The Big Sleep", in the modern works such as "Langya Bang". These works are all characterized by an unusual refinement and depth of plot scheduling. In the same way, "Changing Face" is undoubtedly a superb work to demonstrate this skill.
Scene ①: Lantern Festival
The crowd watching the performance at the Lantern Festival left the face-changing king and turned to surround the living Guanyin. The two artists entered the same scene, and their appearances and handover methods showed their respective patterns:
On the one hand, the face-changing king cares about the lost audience, on the other hand, Liang Sulan concentrates on his skills. As a businessman, Liang Sulan is experienced, but she is straightforward when it comes to art. - This scene is the peak of the plot scheduling in the whole film.
Scene ②: Avalokitesvara preaching
Gouwa accompanied the face-changing king to watch Liang Sulan's show of Guanyin's enlightenment, and the plot inspired her to follow her example to save lives. Also in this scene, the young child Tianci, who was watching the play with his family, was lost. This accident foreshadowed the later disaster of the face-changing king, and the name of this child also catered to his sense of fate.
There are numerous commendable scenes throughout the film, and the director has done his best to interweave elements and clues as much as possible. This enhances the overall sense and relevance of the story, and leaves little to no fuss about paragraph selection.
In addition, in terms of conveying meaning, the director adopts realistic methods, aiming to elicit impressions through interpretation, rather than direct and deliberate dissection.
Works as teaching materials for film and television
"Changing Face" is a story built on a tragic background, and finally achieved redemption by the brilliance of human nature. But despite this ending, the tone of the film remains grim and gloomy; even the emotional overtones don't offer much consolation.
In this context, wars and chaos occurred everywhere, famines continued, superstition prevailed, and Bashan and Shushui declined. The face-changing king represents the people who live in the world. Even if it is unbearable, it is still pedantic.
The creativity of the film is manifested in the blending of the times and traditional culture. First, the whole drama's depiction of regional features and slang expressions are self-contained; secondly, under the background of the special situation, it can still be seen that opera culture permeates China. cultural life.
In order to deepen the depiction of the background, the entire film is almost rigorously devoted to detail carving, in order to present a more realistic interpretation in the lens. These details mainly focus on the opera performance, especially Liang Sulan's stage style and the technical effect of changing face.
It can be said that the stage performance in the film is no less than any realistic drama scene. In order to achieve this effect, the actors in the play also selected real drama artists; including Gouwa, they are all childhood actors who are engaged in opera work.
It is based on such efforts, as well as the creative ideal and artistic evaluation shared by the director and Shaw Brothers, that "Face Change" has become the most outstanding traditional cultural work of Shaw Brothers since the Huangmei Diao series. At the same time, it is also a pearl in the works of Shaw Brothers, and even in the works of Chinese film history.
View more about The King of Masks reviews
