A
"revolutionary past" touched "revolution" grand narrative theme, is to meet the 1960's and 1970's worldwide revolutionary thought and numerous social events which caused such turmoil in France in May, the Japanese left-wing The student movement, etc., of which the most powerful is of course the Cultural Revolution, and the representative of the film field is the New Wave Movement. Leone chose to shoot "Revolutionary Past" in 1973, which was inevitably influenced by the outside world and meant to re-examine the frenzied revolutionaryism of the time.
Revolution is not a dinner party, an essay, or painting or embroidery. It cannot be so elegant, unhurried, gentle, gentle and courteous. A revolution is a riot, a violent action by a class to overthrow a class...Leone started with this familiar Mao quotation, which seems to be the essence of the revolution and the gist of the film, but from the narrative behind the film , we find that this also leads to an allegory and critique of the revolution.
Juan, a Mexican traveler, and Sean, an Irish revolutionary, have their fates intertwined due to the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. Juan only wanted money and wanted to rob a bank, and the revolution had nothing to do with him; Sean was betrayed by his close friend in the Irish Revolution and moved to Mexico, and the revolutionary will was depressed. A revolutionary bystander, a revolutionary skeptic, became the protagonist of revolutionary action. Juan accidentally freed the political prisoners held in the underground vault and killed the consul of the authorities, which made him a hero of the revolution, but he lost all his relatives. And Sean, the blasting master who was willing to hide behind him, showed his skills in two ambush battles, punished the traitor who commanded the action, and killed himself by detonating explosives after being injured. There are several layers of "hidden flavors" in it: those who completed the revolution were ignorant of the revolution, those who planned the revolution betrayed the revolution, and those who insisted on the revolution finally chose death.
From this we can see that Leone distrusts the revolution, which not only causes great harm to reality, but also brings alienation of human nature. Loyalty and betrayal, justice and evil, are tossing and turning under the guise of revolution, and the ultimate vested interests will never be the suffering majority. Such is the cruel nature of revolution. As for whether human beings can escape the revolution (violence, war), Leone gave a pessimistic response through Sean's suicide; and what will happen to the fate of Juan who survived, this is what Leone left to the viewers doubt.
two
Leone's signature close-ups, long takes, flashbacks, slow motion, and Morricone's soundtrack are all superbly presented in Once Upon a Revolution. The flashbacks, in particular, aren't as dazzling as Once Upon a Time in America, but I think it's the most perfect and expressive of the film's ideas that Leone has done. There are three most important flashbacks. The first is Sean driving on the road with his two best friends, a man and a woman. Sean kisses his girlfriend sweetly. "The ambiguous relationship between two men and one woman. The second paragraph is a friend who betrays the revolution and identifies Sean. In the end, we see that Sean shoots and kills him, and his friend calmly agrees. This passage explains Sean's later ambivalence in punishing the doctor, who, at the last moment, seemed to hope that the doctor would escape, but the doctor chose to die. The third segment was placed before the end of the film. The three were chasing each other in the woods. Sean, who caught up first, kissed his girlfriend passionately, and then his girlfriend kissed with his best friend. The camera turned to Sean, and Sean showed a brilliant expression. smiley. This is a charming scene, an emotional "spectacle" that the movie brings to us - what is the secret of the emotion between the three? What does the betrayal of a best friend and Sean's revenge mean? After all, what is the entanglement between revolution and human nature? The film ends abruptly, leaving the myth to us.
Morricone's score for Leone's films has long been recognized as a classic, but I still think "Once Upon a Time" is one of the best. Although I don't know how to appreciate the soundtrack, but from a feeling point of view, the soundtrack of the Red Dead trilogy escapes the classic Western movie mode. It is not only amazing, but also can clearly feel the experimental nature, including the attempt to various forms of pioneering soundtrack. , which culminates in the opening part of Once Upon a Time in the West, where various subtle but amplified sounds make the music the protagonist of this passage. In "Revolutionary Past", Morricone's theme music for Sean and Juan fits well with the characters, experiences and destiny of the two protagonists, especially the commendable Sean's theme music , accompanied by the deserted vocals of "Sean, Sean, Sean", foreshadowing the inevitable tragic ending of a revolutionist who is disillusioned with ideals.
three
Leone is a zoomed-in director, just as he favors close-ups. There are not many of his works, but each one is an unconventional and wonderful work. He has both wanton dazzling splendor and extremely cautious ingenuity in the subversion and hybridization of genres. It might have something to do with his character. When filming "Revolutionary Past", at first Leone was just a producer and hired Peter Bogdanovich to be the director, but the two did not agree with each other, and it was difficult to have a tacit understanding.
For this story, please refer to the book "Leone's Past" (Guangxi Normal University Press, 2010 edition). The book not only describes the matter in detail from Leone's point of view, but also appends an article by Peter Berger. Danovich commented on Leone's article. The two sides have completely different views, which seems to make people smile. Leone commented that Peter was a mediocre boy who had not grown up and needed the care of his sister, while Peter said that Leone was a bigoted, bravado diehard. From Leone's subjective narrative in the book and the positive comments of other directors on Leone after the book, we can all feel Leone's contradictory character, which is both extravagant and cautious, both a master and a master. The meticulousness of the film can be said to be unique in the director world.
Returning to "Revolutionary Past", this film also inherits the unique temperament of Leone's films, but the skills are more harmonious and the emotions are fuller. I personally think that it represents the real achievement of Leone's film. Although it was rushed before shooting, Leone's comprehensive thinking on the film before, and the ingenuity that has been omitted from excessive finesse, has actually fulfilled it, and "Once Upon a Time in America" In fact, there is already a sound that escapes the characteristics of Leone's films.
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