Although the film sets the story as a battle between orangutans, its plot setting can easily be understood as a brutal struggle between different peoples and races of human beings. If such a connection is made, then the human beings in the film can be understood as a nation with a strong civilization, but its civilization has encountered a major crisis, while the apes point to a nation whose civilization has always been in a weak position, but has seen a clear turn for the better. The former can point to the Western colonizers since the Age of Navigation, while the latter can be equated with the enslaved peoples in the vast regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America. The battle between the two is not only a battle of civilizations, but also a battle of resources and living space, just as a history of global colonization by Western countries is a history of slaughter and enslavement. If you have a basic understanding of the historical process of globalization, you should be familiar with the historical and realistic orientation of the film.
Just as in the process of Western colonial history, there will always be traitors in enslaved nations, in the film, there are also traitors represented by donkeys among the apes. Such traitors often acted as the vanguard during colonial wars, but they could not gain real trust and the same status as the colonists. The leader of the ape traitor is called "donkey". This kind of appellation, which is not one's own race, is inherently discriminatory and insulting. Just like in the war of Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty, the Han people who served as the vanguard always surrendered to the army. However, these generals who surrendered to the army were also classified as "two ministers" during the Qianlong period when the Qing Dynasty's rule had been stabilized. Such a "second-class citizen" status is an important psychological basis for the donkey's final awakening and a counterattack.
On the other hand, among the colonists, there will also be people who reject and resist the colonial war from the perspective of human nature because they are dissatisfied with the bloody and injustice of the colonial war. The little girl in the film, although her relatives were killed by apes, but as she spends a long time with apes, she also develops more and more identification and sympathy for the enslaved apes. In the film, the old ape planted flowers for the little girl, and after the old ape sacrificed, the little girl put flowers on the old ape's head, I believe every audience will be deeply moved. This brilliance of humanity that transcends the struggle between nations and races is an important foundation for the continuous advancement of human civilization.
The most basic plot setting of the film is that humans are infected with a virus and are about to lose their ability to create civilization, while apes become more and more intelligent, thus triggering a struggle. The moment when the balance of power between peoples and races changes dramatically is when war is most likely to break out. The outbreak of the two world wars is directly related to the rising Germany's dissatisfaction with the existing international power distribution order. Therefore, the logic of such a story is in line with the historical and realistic process.
The most intriguing thing is that although the film expresses reflection on the clash of civilizations between different races and ethnic groups through the battle of the apes, many details of the film still reflect the logic of the so-called "Western-centrism". The name of the leader of the ape is "Caesar", and this name is the name of an important leader in the history of ancient Rome. As we all know, the ancient Greek and Roman civilization is the source and foundation of today's Western civilization. The hallmark of apes becoming smart and having a culture is that their core characters can speak English and communicate with humans. The underlying logic behind such a story setting is still that American civilization, represented by English culture, is the highest form of human civilization. This kind of subconsciousness is worth pondering and reflecting on.
Going back to this film, although the plot in the middle part of the 140-minute film is somewhat lengthy and blunt, the wonderful soundtrack that goes well with the plot effectively alleviates the relative boredom brought about by the plot itself, allowing the film to maintain a relatively good performance. drama tension. The film ends with apes finding a new continent and starting a new home. Such a story setting is naturally similar to the origin story of Western civilization—Moses led hundreds of thousands of Jews out of Egypt and opened up new homes. . From this, the film's attempt and ambition to construct a fable of human civilization with ultimate meaning are completely visible.
Stop writing here.
On the morning of September 21, 2017, at Suzhou Home Inn Hotel
(This article will be published in the "Cultural Viewpoint" column of "Jianghai Evening News".)
(attached) "Rise of the Planet of the Apes 3" Movie Notes: Swords, Guns
and Hammers, Ape's Traitor , the grand details of the war scene, the depth of the camera, the majesty of Caesar, the nature and living environment, the tribal leader-style portrayal, the fear of the leader, the loyalty of his subordinates, the dialogue between apes and children, apes are slaves to humans, Apes’ dreams of incompetence, watching children, thinking about their own children, sacrificing for leaders, arranging flowers for each other, the common humanity between humans and apes, important battle moments in human history, ape traitors win Caesar, leader Isolation after being captured, frenzied slaughter, charisma of leaders, history of colonialism, using apes to start another war, virus destroying civilization, colonel's cruelty and sacrificial spirit, human jihad, Caesar's Nightmare, little girl's water feeding, clenched fists, girl's simianization, the noble virtue of saving the child first, infected with virus and unable to speak, the awakening of the donkey, the mushroom cloud caused by the violent explosion, another war of mankind, the book of Exodus , Caesar returns.
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