After breakfast, life goes on. At that time, the pearl of Europe, Paris, the capital of art. After World War II, it quickly regained its vitality. Although it is still poor, the French people's longing and love for art in their bones make this place full of vigor and hope. Various art schools and ideas collide here. This may not be a good thing for street painters like Marigan. But on this sunny morning, Lady Luck suddenly gave Marigan a mysterious smile. Lady Milo Roberts, daughter of Suntai Oil, is very interested in the works (or people) of this street artist. Immediately bought two works, Marigan was also moved by the generosity of the lady. The lady brought the male lead to the hotel where she was staying on the grounds that she did not bring enough cash. I thought there would be a French romance right away, but I didn't expect the poor boy to be ignorant of praise. Holding on to his little artist pride.
The lady used her luxury car to send Marigan back to the slum where she lived, which caused quite a stir. The male protagonist is still a child king in the local area, leading the children to learn English, and it is another song and dance. The film's description of this passage is used to show that young Europeans at that time, even those young French with their own culture, began to learn American culture. This kind of cultural invasion followed the economic invasion after World War II. Imperceptibly, the Americans gradually led the cultural trend of Europe and even the world. The lady's routine is still quite deep, and she invited the male protagonist to dinner. Marigan is also a smart person. Now that he has made money, he is naturally a gentleman who invites the lady to go out for a meal. French-style bars, all kinds of people, all kinds of music. Under the influence of alcohol, the two talked about the past with each other, especially the failed marriage that the lady only lasted for 2 years. The lady boasted to the young man about his paintings, his artistic talents, and even prepared to hold an exhibition of his paintings. Inadvertently, he showed his high-end social circle. Thought the story would go down the usual route, Marigan met Lisa, the girlfriend of the decent man Henry Poirot. The love here makes people feel very abrupt, but this does not affect him starting to pursue Lisa frantically. Although Lisa already had a boyfriend, it didn't affect her, and she got closer and closer to Marigan.
Marigan was in love, at least he thought so. Back at the residence and with Adam, we danced again. Musical films, I just like the kind of dance when we disagree with each other. Starring here is a very infectious dance, to express their inner joy. The amazing thing is that in this story that happened in France, the original French traditional dance did not appear at all, and some of it was American modern dance. This setting obviously also expresses the suppression of the arrogant French people in the United States at that time. Lisa is conflicted because her fiancé not only loves her very much, but is also a star who can give her a decent life. It is this contradiction that makes Marigan very melancholy, always worrying about gains and losses. At this time, the lady gave Marigan as much support as possible in her artistic creation. Marigan has no gratitude for this, but only spends her time pursuing Lisa. The most dramatic part of the whole film happened here, Marigan and Poirot beat Adam at the same time, because they fell in love with the same girl. Borrower tells Adam that he is marrying Lisa. And use his own love story to encourage Marigan. Let him express love boldly (to express love to his fiancée?), poor Adam knows all the truth, which makes him very embarrassed, although the performance is a bit exaggerated, but this scene does have an unexpected hilarious effect. Looking at two men who were addicted to love and gradually became sympathetic to each other, Adam wanted to die.
At this point, the film has also come to an end, and the contradictions of the whole film have begun to explode one after another. The final big makeup engagement ball was filled with beauties, alcohol and a carnival crowd. Two pairs of embarrassed men and women pushed the film to its final climax. Last up to 15 minutes of dancing. The dance during this time is a typical American carnival. It seems that the director wants to use this grand ball to express the American dominance of Europe, especially the European continent. When the German Third Reich was divided into two, Hitler was beaten by victory and defeat. Free France, once the first hegemon in Western Europe, had to crawl at the feet of the United States because of economic problems. At this time, the bald eagle, except for the red power with different ideology, can no longer find an opponent. And this is the ultimate meaning of the film.
The film was released in the final year of the famous Marshall Plan after World War II. The United States began to take full control of the economic and political structure of Western Europe, and this plan eventually led to the recovery and integration of the economies of Western European countries. From the overall context of the film, it is not difficult to see that France, the former hegemon of Western Europe, the proud Gallic rooster, is the main birthplace of modern democratic thought. At that time, he was under the all-round impact of American culture. A little-known veteran in the United States turned into a painter when he arrived in Paris. He also received the support and favor of the lady. Isn't this a mockery of the group of Europeans who thought they were arty after the war? Another French girl Lisa, in order to get together with a poor and white American. To even give up his big French star boyfriend, this kind of setting does not conform to the Hollywood-style spirit of talent and beauty. Some people may say that it is a celebration of true love. Before the appearance of American soldiers, did the French singer force Lisa? Thinking about it carefully, the director did not express the setting that the Americans are a head taller than the French through this logical setting. This can also be understood as setting American culture at a higher level than European culture. It also seems to convey a kind of concept that European girls are particularly easy to deceive, and it is okay to find a wife in the United States. Of course this is a joke. However, on the whole, it can be seen that the harmony between Europe and the United States at that time, especially between the United States and France, was not as harmonious as imagined. Back in China, we seem to have been lacking the foundation of this musical film. Although this was the best Oscar 60 years ago, it is still worth our study on the use of music, dance and color in this film.
View more about An American in Paris reviews
