/ Organized by Fan Daming /
Time: 10:34-11:07 am, November 7, 2015 (Saturday)
Venue: Lecture Hall on the ground floor of Henglu Art Museum, No. 202, Nanshan Road, Hangzhou
(The scene after the viewing of Fassbender's "Four Seasons Merchant" at
Henglu Art Cinema) Participants: (Preface) Fan Daming, Jin Aiwu, Yang Yuehui, Ma Yile, Du Sumei, Li Hua, Tang Furong, Zhang Lingli, Fang Min, Jin Huixin, Zhuang Pingping, Chen Hua, Cai Daiqi, Fu Peiying, Zhao Lingling, Liu Haiqing, Wu Wanqin, Zhang Xiaoping, Xu Yong (Viewers: Ji Boqing, Wang Xiling, Fan Dayin, Weng Xiliang, Zhang Zhenghui, Ding Yunzhen, Zhu Ming, Zhang Yusu, Yao Xiaofeng, Tian Ying, Yu Han, Sun Jijun, Ni Yunxia, Ren Tongan, Jiang Tianhong, Wan Bangyan, Liu Weijie, Zhu Jianyun, Wang Wenren, Zhu Songfa, Zhou Hongze, Cai Ling, etc.)
Moderator: Fan Daming
Records:
Although Liu Haiqing's protagonist Hans has a wife and children, the actual He seems to have no home, he is always a wanderer
Van Damien: This month, we enter the second month of the "New German Film Season". Last month we have seen four works by three directors of the "Four Greats" of the new German film movement; from today onwards, we will enjoy the films of the fourth director, Fassbender, who is also one of the "Four Greats" one of the most influential. Both November and December are scheduled for his films, a total of eight. My own collection of his films is even more, these eight are the most worth watching in my collection. Fassbender's place in New German cinema is similar to Truffaut's place in French New Wave cinema. He was born in 1945, the year of the victory of World War II. This year happens to be his 70th birthday, so it can be said to be a commemorative screening for such a world-class director. However, he did not live to this day. He died in 1982, only 37 years old. In the late 1960s, he was in Germany - then in West Germany, and he rose rapidly, integrating director, screenwriter, actor, producer, theater manager, arranger, design, editing and photography. 14 years of film career , a total of 41 films were made, an average of three films per year. Today's "Four Seasons Merchant" is not necessarily his best film. The film is only 85 minutes long, but it is his earliest film that is well-known in the film industry. I watched the movie again today. Although the protagonist Hans seems to have a home, a wife and children, he actually does not seem to have a home. He has always been a wanderer of the soul. There are many reasons for this, and he eventually became a victim of the combined force of these reasons. For example, the relationship with the wife and daughter is likely to be a de facto marriage, that is, a concubinage relationship, while the daughter may be born by the wife and the ex-husband, brought by the so-called "oil bottle". His wife was older, and he was half a head taller than him. He was living with his little husband with a girl. He was obviously not satisfied, and he also had a good relationship outside. And although the wife said she loved him on the surface and shed tears for him, in fact, there were a lot of small actions behind her. She was a woman with a deep sense of city and a very strange woman. Let me briefly say this first. Let's talk together.
In fact, everyone will always have their own destination, which is actually their own choice.
Jin Aiwu: The film is about ordinary people, people from the bottom society. It is a very ordinary story. The film fits the reality of life and expresses human feelings. In fact, everyone will always have their own destination, which is actually their own choice. Of course, the relationship between them is intricate and there are very delicate things. I think a really good movie is one that makes you feel real and touching. The hero Hans actually likes the girl the most, the one who came to see him with flowers after his death. Regardless of whether they are having extramarital affairs or cheating, the inner love and true expression of his and her are very touching. The film is to reflect the state of ordinary and real people.
Many situations arise by accident. Don't care too much about being too
real , don't think too far or look too seriously, you should cherish Yang Yuehui in front of you: watching the film makes people a little tangled. People are complex. Hans's wife had an affair with others after being beaten by Hans. Later, the man became a fruit seller at home, but Hans threw him away after discovering the problem. The heroine is between two men, and she is very contradictory. Hans actually liked the woman who started the fruit delivery, but her parents didn't accept him at all. He used to be a policeman, but because he saw a prostitute, he lost his job and became a fruit seller. His own family looked down on him and thought he should find a good job. Only his sister spoke for him. My general feeling is that many times, people's thoughts will be inconsistent, and their mentality will be different in different occasions. As far as the protagonist is concerned, it doesn't matter whether it is a tragedy or fate. This reminds me of a movie I watched before. It said that the boss worked hard to earn money, but he was exhausted, so the boss's driver was with his wife. So, no matter what you want, if you hiccups or yawns, your fate will be completely different. Many situations may arise by accident. Don't take it too seriously, don't take it too seriously, don't think too far or take it too seriously. To cherish the present, to be able to live in the moment, that's it.
Live a little sloppy, tolerant, and confused, and you will be happier. People are too smart, they are too tired to live
Marcel: Hans is a conceited man. When I was a police officer, I did whatever I wanted and neglected my duty, so I lost my job. Later, he was cynical again, knowing that he was not in good health, but still drinking. He hired someone to sell fruit, collected money to be a small boss himself, and later saw the relationship behind his wife and his buddy. In fact, if he could live a little more careless, tolerant, and confused, he would be a little happier. People are too shrewd, and they are too tired to live their lives.
Hans's last drink is to see him off, which echoes the tragic scenes of his previous battlefields. About the title of
Du Sumei: I think this film is very profound. There is a saying that there are two things in the world that cannot be looked at directly, one is sunlight, and the other is human nature. The sentence in the film that impressed me most was "If he wants to live, he can live." Hans finally drank to see him off. He thought of a tragic scene he used to be on the battlefield and echoed it very well. Well, in fact, he shouted at that time: "Why don't you let me die?" Also, I think the title of "The Merchant of Four Seasons" is very good. businessman.
Fan Daming: The title "Four Seasons Merchant" literally means, I think it refers to fruit merchants, because fruits are available all year round, and our fruit advertisements often say "Four Seasons Fresh Fruits", etc., although the varieties may vary. Therefore, the fruit business can be done in all seasons. A key to fruit merchants' business is how to keep fresh. This is also a troublesome and unavoidable problem. In the film, when Harry settles with Hans's wife, he also mentions that there are 4 boxes of rotten ones. If you want to think further, each person can also have their own interpretations of the title of the film.
The film expresses the hero's heart very real, pays attention to expressing human nature, and pays attention to the things in people's hearts.
Li Hua: I heard Sister Jin speak very well just now. The film expresses the true heart of the hero. This movie is very early, in the early 1970s. It can be seen that Western countries have long been concerned with expressing human nature and paying attention to what is in people's hearts.
The hero's inner world is very complicated. The film actually shows how he gradually moved towards death.
Tang Furong: The inner world of the hero is very complicated. He came from a fairly well-to-do family and worked as a police officer. Because of his mistakes, his life changed. Not only is the spirit decadent, but the work done is not decent. His mother also despised him, always felt that he was so unsatisfactory. Of course, he also wanted to work hard, but he couldn't find any way, and finally had to accept the reality. Later, he met his comrade-in-arms Harry, and the two embraced happily and sunshine. But then life was not good, and I didn't feel the same way about my wife as before. Or maybe he worked hard, but he couldn't do what he wanted, so he had to endure it, and if he couldn't bear it, he collapsed - the film actually shows how he gradually walked towards death.
Hans is a pessimist. The film reflected a hopeless outlook on life and pessimism among the German people at that time,
Yang Yuehui: It should be said that Hans was a pessimist.
Fan Daming: Germany was a defeated country after World War II. The film reflects a relatively desperate outlook on life and a pessimistic feeling of helplessness for survival that a considerable part of the German people had at that time.
The film is heart-wrenching. The protagonist's delicate mental journey is well
expressed. Zhang Lingli: The film shocks people's hearts. The protagonist's delicate mental journey is well presented. In the end, he gave up his life because he was not optimistic enough and thought too much. The protagonist Hans is actually not stupid, or he is too smart. As said in "A Dream of Red Mansions", "the organs are exhausted, and Qingqing's life is lost." In fact, there is a lot of fun in life. If it is too sharp, it is definitely not good.
Fang Min: Although this film was shot relatively early, there is a similar situation now. For example, drunk driving, if a civil servant is found, everything will be wiped out. Some people might be able to bounce back in this situation, and some people won't.
Kim Hye-shin: This is my first time here. I think the film is very real, and the teachers are very good.
The role of daughter Renate seems to be more important, her several appearances and the significance of Hans going out several times
Fan Daming: I noticed that the little girl in the film often appears at a critical time in the plot, such as asking her father a math problem. This role seems to be more important, but she is basically not on the side of her father, but in line with her mother's position, so she opened the door and saw her mother and a wild man having sex, she didn't seem surprised, she seemed very calm, maybe this is not the case See it for the first time. And when she saw her father hitting her mother, she didn't pull the two sides, but helped her mother and punched her father.
Zhuang Pingping: I've seen Fassbender's movie before, but I haven't seen this one. I really think it's very intuitive to express human nature, but I don't understand it a bit. For example, what Teacher Fan said just now, what does it mean when the little girl comes out at a critical time, asks arithmetic questions, etc.?
Fan Daming: In the film, the several appearances of the little girl actually provide an opportunity or a way to investigate, to see if Hans, who was supposed to play the role of father and parent in the family, can still play a qualified father and parent now. effect. If the daughter Renate pushed the door for the first time and asked the cow to graze arithmetic (how long would a cart of 20 palms of hay feed 62 cows, if each cow ate 1/8 palm of hay per day), or It's difficult. It may not be solved with the addition and subtraction that Hans is good at. It has to be calculated by multiplication and division. The film is also cut off here, and it does not tell us how he answered (I calculated the answer: 20 dan divided by 62/8 dan, about 2.58 days) - this is just a foreshadowing for the later plot. When the daughter came in for the second time and asked another question, Hans was lying on the side windowsill, but Harry and his wife were at the table with his wife to settle the accounts of the fruit business, and Harry was sitting in the middle of the table that symbolized the status of the parent. (the seat he used to take when checking out with the first buddy). Hans is either distracted, or entangled in the circle of personal gains and losses, unable to extricate himself. He no longer pays attention to the fruit business, and he completely ignores and ignores his daughter's homework. We saw that Hans didn't say a word, pushed away his daughter who was standing by the door, and went out alone. In this way, he was obviously willing to lose the position of the head of the family that he could have had at home. His voluntary giving up was equivalent to fulfilling his buddy Harry, and gradually made Harry a third party to replace his father and parent status. When the daughter appeared for the third time, she had written the composition and read it to Harry while sitting at the table. At this time, we saw that Hans was still lying on the side windowsill, and Harry asked Hans about the composition written by his daughter. Well, Hans said he wasn't listening. In fact, by this point, Hans's place in the family has been completely usurped by Harry (in conjunction with his wife), intentionally or unintentionally. We saw Hans rushing out of the door again. Perhaps we should say more essentially that Hans himself was fully aware of his power and status at home at this time, and his behavior when he went out was exactly that A silent vent of resentment, a form of revolt suited to his own character, even if it was a useless revolt that could no longer reverse the situation.
Two sentences about the little girl's inner thoughts
Zhang Lingli: The little girl has been thinking about what her aunt said to her father: if he wants to live, he can live. But the little girl didn't say she particularly wanted her dad to survive. We are also not sure if she was the biological child of her father Hans.
Fan Daming: The little girl still thinks in her heart: People can't be with their father forever. I think that she had such an idea that she really had a biological father before, and that biological father had either died, or had deserted her and her mother and ran away.
Jin Aiwu: Actually, the father and the stepfather do not need to be held accountable. If he does not kiss his daughter, it is a personality problem. For example, in the end, her mother told her comrade Harry that he could get along with the child and help her talk about topics, so it would be good for the child if they were together.
We might look at it the other way around and look at it the other way around: Renate's mom as the protagonist
Van Damien: We might be able to look at the film in a different way and look at it the other way around: Reinart's mom as the protagonist - obviously , she is smarter and more experienced than the hero Hans. She's been looking for a man, one man at a time. For example, at the beginning, it was a man we didn't know, the biological father of his daughter Renate; after the accident, Hans was next, during which he hooked up with Hans's first buddy, and later dealt with Hans. Harry's comrade-in-arms, the second guy in their family. When she found Hans, a policeman who was younger than her, she felt that he looked good and had a good family, so she was satisfied; of course, she later learned that he was an alcoholic, had a good relationship with him, had heart problems and other drawbacks, and even had a relationship with him. Difficult to have sex (this also proves that Renate will not be Hans's own). Neighbors also said that there must be some kind of story there. When Hans gradually showed in front of her that he was a lost, downcast, and the only strength was to beat her wife, she of course had to be on guard everywhere for the benefit of herself and her daughter Renate. Some calculations or behind-the-scenes actions have taken place against Hans' interests. In the end, after Hans died of a heart attack, she did successfully turn herself and her daughter to the more savvy and capable Harry side, hoping to find a new ideal home for their mother and daughter from this new man.
Hans is too pessimistic, he is not positive energy but negative energy; Hans's heart disease is fatal, he failed to overcome himself
Yang Yuehui: The hero Hans is too pessimistic, he is not positive energy but negative energy. He also held grudges, and finally said that Harry was also a badass - the scene he recalled before his death was to blame Harry for not saving him earlier, and Harry saved him after all, but he didn't thank him, maybe he felt that Harry had replaced him. location in this home.
Jin Aiwu: Actually, the director didn't say anything, but the important point is that Hans's heart disease made him unable to have sex, which is fatal to men, so he was also very affected.
Chen Hua: Hans' sister Anna said to Hans' daughter, "If your father wants to live, he can survive." Hans didn't survive because he failed to conquer himself. Lost at work, no status at home, friends came to replace him, he might as well leave. In fact, we will encounter many setbacks in life, we must learn to overcome ourselves.
Fu Peiying: The male protagonist is down and out after being fired. He is not recognized by society for selling fruit, has no dignity, and has no status. He really didn't beat himself.
Wife and true love in Hans' eyes, Hans's character traits or weaknesses
Fan Daming: Another point is that he neither loves nor respects this wife at home, and of course this wife is not good either. She came to the bar to call him for dinner, but he threw the chair. It seemed that he was very rough and short-tempered. His true love was the girl upstairs, but she was also married and had a husband.
Chen Hua: My wife is tolerant, she informed the lover when she died. There is also a scene where he was drinking while bragging about being a cop when he was doing business. This is more true, and many men have this characteristic. Later, things went bad, and it was a bit broken.
Fan Daming: The male protagonist has a big heart, but his actual ability is not that strong. In addition to all kinds of experiences, he failed to achieve his desired life goals.
Zhao Lingling: Mom despised him, he said, "Mom, I hate you." We really don't see positive energy from the protagonist, which fits the German background in the 1950s.
Yang Yuehui: His eyes are high and his hands are low. Many disabled people also live a sunny and active life. If you have healthy limbs, why can't you live? I think it's a matter of his mentality. They can earn 5,000 marks per month selling fruit, which is very good. Judging from family conversations, it doesn't really matter what kind of work you do, and you can start a company even if you are successful. In fact, he has many opportunities, can do well, can be successful.
About Hans's surrounding people's attitude towards Hans, their inaction and the difference of national culture
Liu Haiqing: I feel that there are obvious cultural differences. For example, although my sister Anna could see that everyone looked down on him, she didn't do anything to help him. She just watched every scene calmly. Hans had a heart attack. She called an ambulance or told his daughter. He can survive if he wants to, which is a kind of buffer warmth. But in the end Hans went to see her to actually say goodbye, and she didn't feel wrong and wanted to do something. There is also the scene of Hans drinking and committing suicide. If it is on our side, it is incomprehensible. Everyone must stop him, but they did nothing, and the wife just cried and watched. It seems to be their culture. man's own choice.
Yang Yuehui: Anna is also quite aloof, and she is not married either. The location is right in the middle when eating at home. However, the film should be satirizing the hero, feeling indisputable.
The film also hints at the indifference of those around him towards Hans, which is also the critique of Fassbender's film
Fan Daming: In Hans' character, he is introverted, closed, not good at communicating with people in a cheerful manner, and he has a tendency to be violent towards his family, so at first he went to his mother's house to find his wife who was hiding there. At that time, everyone was afraid, especially his wife, who even thought he was going to kill her and would call the police immediately. This shows that Hans had experienced similar cruelty and violence to his wife before. It can be said that his character and life have never been bright. It seemed a little hopeful for a while, but the guy had an affair with his wife again, and he had to sneakily check the guy's fruit sales, which also reflected the dark side of his character. If his wife was satisfied that he had found a little policeman, then it should be said that he was never satisfied with his marriage. He does build a home, but he prefers drinking and chatting with a group of his friends in a similar situation at a bar, pouring out his heart and finding solace. As I have said before, Hans has always been a wanderer of the mind, with no real sense of belonging. When Hans was in the fruit business and his buddy Harry's close cooperation with his wife had virtually replaced his patriarchal position in career and family, his sense of loss finally left him cornered, feeling that there was no way for him to live in the world. The film goes on to show him coming to the house of his beloved girlfriend and then to his mother's sister--of course he didn't come to have sex with his girlfriend, nor to chat with his closest sister--in fact When he was sending them a final spiritual cry for help, but the other party didn't really know what he needed (his sister was correcting the papers, and was not available for a while, only took a cup of coffee from him), he In the end, they all withdrew without success-here, he left his house regardless of his daughter's request for advice, left the door of his girlfriend who was willing to sleep with him, left the door of his mother's house where his sister was, and had dinner at home. The four shots rushing out of the house again at the time are the symbolic portrayal of this spiritual wanderer who is unable to find his true home. It can be said that in addition to accurately writing Hans's character traits or weaknesses in this film, the director also hinted at the indifference of those around him towards him. This is not so much an expression of national cultural differences, but rather a criticism of the helplessness of the defeated German nation at that time and the low level of human concern. Hans's final outcome or his death, it should be said that his family, his relatives and other people around him, and even the whole society in which he lived, also bears certain responsibilities. This is also the critique of Fassbender's film.
Shading of film tones. The film's dramatic shooting style and the director's cameo scene
Daiqi Cai: Everyone has said a lot about the theme of the film, and I want to say a little about the tone of the film. Most of the scenes shot in director Fassbender's film are dark, that is, the colors are very bright in Hans's mother's house, because the basic conflict of the film is in the mother's house.
Fan Daming: As far as the shooting style of the film is concerned, what we see in this film is often scene after scene. There are not many characters and the scene is simple, which is a bit like a small drama performed on the stage. I think this has something to do with Fassbender's short filming cycle, fast shooting and relatively low cost. Although the protagonist of the film is gray or dark, the color of the film is still relatively bright. There is a scene where Hans and his uncle Zucker are eating together in a small restaurant (it was at this time that he met Harry, an old comrade-in-arms with dishes), which was also shot brightly-the uncle in the bright red shirt is Directed by Fassbender. The protagonist likes to drink, and the director himself likes to drink, and his private life is a bit messy.
November 2015 8-9
Trimmer Note: This is a summary of Hangzhou Heng Lu video art since it pioneered the first 103 minutes of the discussion documented.
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