This movie is about to say the three words "American Dream" through the mouth of the characters (if it is a Chinese movie, 100% will explain this core theme). A vulgar and tiring story: A poor boy, through his wild imagination, created the "circus" as a form of performance and became a rich man. But when his career was booming, he lost himself and "abandoned" his wife and circus companions in order to become a member of "high society". But after that, he turned back to the shore, and finally reap the success of his career and the happiness of his family. In the process of watching the movie, the idea of "men become bad when they have money" kept popping out of my mind, and another movie came to mind - "The King of Comedy". I think the two films have similarities in story, and it is worth comparing them together.
The similarities between the two films are first reflected in the setting of the protagonists, who are both poor boys with dreams - one is to become an actor, and the other is to want his wife to live a good life; secondly, after their dreams are realized, they are both lost. He has hurt himself, and he has also hurt the "she" who has been with them without any regrets. In "The King of Comedy", Yin Tianqiu entered the "high society" with the help of Sister Cuckoo after his brilliant performance on the set. , Lost in it, he has long forgotten Piao Piao, and even has a faint "ambiguous" relationship with Sister Cuan. But Piao Piao endured all the hardships silently because of him; in "The King of the Circus", Barnum was recognized by "high society" with the help of Jenny Linde. He enjoyed the applause of those "dignified guests" so much that he "abandoned" his wife, daughter and circus partners, and went on a tour with Linde, and even had a crush on Linde. The directors of both films used cross-editing techniques in this plot - in "The King of Comedy", when Yin Tianqiu and Sister Juan danced at the ball, Piao Piao endured a night in a nightclub. The reason for being beaten by a "big boss" is: Piao Piao refused the boss's rude request for Yin Tianqiu; When flowers and applause, her wife Charlotte can only "depend on each other" with her two daughters at home: in the clip of her daughter's ballet performance, she first gave Charlotte a medium and close-up shot, and then pulled the shot to show the scene. There was an empty seat next to her. In the next close-up shot of a daughter, the daughter, who was originally smiling, felt depressed when she found out that only her mother was here. A panning shot reveals an empty chair in the foreground of the frame. The two empty chairs, which mirror Barnum's departure from the side, also suggest that the family has in fact "split". In the two films, the use of cross montage brought a strong impact to the audience, and also made the audience feel sympathy and pity for the "abandoned" weak party. However, this is also a method of "repression first if you want to promote it" - first show how deeply the actions of the two have caused the people who love them, and pave the way for their subsequent transformation.
However, there are many differences in the story between the two films. The first is on the growth track: Yin Tianqiu's dream pursuit process can be described as bumpy. He was swept out of the house many times by the crew, couldn't even eat a box lunch, and was bullied by various people. Such a design is Stephen Chow's iconic comedy style of "laughing with tears", and it is also a standard little person story; and Barnum's dream-seeking process cannot be described simply as smooth sailing, it is simply a dream come true ! Maybe this is a historical fact, just like the miracle created by Dawes in "Blood Battle Hacksaw Ridge", but if this is just a plot designed by the screenwriter, then it is too "fairy tale" style to take for granted. There is also the ending of the film. Yin Tianqiu realized his dream in another special way - setting up an actor training class for neighbors; and Barnum not only shined in circus performances, but also gained more A happy family can be said to be a bumper harvest for both career and family.
The film's story is lacking in storytelling, a standard musical version of the American Dream with the unmistakable stamp of Hollywood's assembly-line production. Combined with the background of the booming westward movement in the United States at that time-Barnum heard the propaganda on the construction of the railway to the West on the street. The film depicts the United States as a country with "gold everywhere". Anyone who has a dream and Work hard for it and you will succeed. As a "biography" type film, it is natural to show some deeds of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood. When introducing Barnum's childhood, the film uses only one song, supplemented by the use of repeated montages and cross-montages, to illustrate: Barnum's father died and he became a wandering orphan. But he still maintained close correspondence with Charlotte, and a spark of love was born between the two of them. Compared with the stinky and long foreshadowing of the characters in the "Justice League" filmed by Warner, "The King of the Circus" is undoubtedly better than the short and concise. However, although this method of handling shines brightly in the foreshadowing stage, it seems a bit random in the later stage of Barnum's struggle, which dominates the story. The main reason why I don't like Dapeng's works is because, whether it's "Pancake Man", "Father and Son Heroes" or "The Sewing Machine Band", Dapeng's way of solving problems is always drinking and having a meal. The point was resolved without causing any waves! The same is true of "The King of the Circus". It only needs one song and one dance, and the trouble is easily solved. (In fact, in a sense, the idea of Dapeng's film is the same as that of "The King of the Circus", and even the growth laws of the characters are almost the same). In particular, Barnum refused to allow the circus employees to enter the ballroom for "face" at the celebration after Lind's performance, and closed the door without hesitation. This kind of "ungrateful" cold-blooded behavior made me think that his employees would leave him because of this, especially when the circus crowd sang in the hall where the "VIPs" gathered and on the street where the demonstrators gathered. "This is Proceed to the next section. This is actually the same problem with "historical biography" movies, such as "The Great Cause of the People's Republic of China", "The Great Cause of the Founding of the Party", "The Revolution of 1911" and "Alive".
However, the use of audiovisual elements in the film is extremely good. The first is the lens movement. Because it is a musical film, the lens movement is extremely gorgeous: in the musical and dance clips, a wide range of panning, panning and other moving shots are often used. A peculiar sense of elegance, and there is even a long rotating lens that circles the actor twice! ("La La Land" is also used in the "flashback" song and dance segment at the end) In addition, in the group dance segment performed in the circus, the director used the perspective of God, accompanied by the complicated movement of the actors, showing the scene. A brilliant kaleidoscope effect. At that moment, I felt like I was back on the Broadway stage in the golden Hollywood period, watching a musical stage play! In fact, this kind of shooting method is very common. For example, Chen Kaige used this method in the feast of bliss in "The Legend of the Demon Cat"; Zhang Yimou used it even more in "The Golden Armor of the City". As a song and dance movie, in the song and dance segments, every move of the actors and even the rhythm of the movie are precisely in line with the music, especially the segment where Barnum invites Philip to join the circus in the tavern. , or the rhythm of the film editing, they all closely follow the rhythm of the music. The use of symmetrical composition for many times shows the delicate relationship between the two. The tension and intensity hidden under the gorgeous appearance makes me feel It's an illusion of a cowboy confrontation in a "western movie", which is a little funny and funny.
The transitions in the film are also varied. Although it did not give me an amazing look like "Love Van Gogh: The Mystery of the Starry Sky"-because as an oil painting film, its pictures are made up of various lines and colors. During the transition, those lines move, and the next scene emerges after they are intertwined and converged. This technique can be described as full of novelty, and it is really eye-catching; and in "The King of the Circus", the director is used to panning the shot. , through the window and other foreground obstructions to transition, which is similar to the extremely gorgeous "flashback" song and dance at the end of "La La Land". Both films like to use quick flip shots, using technical stitching to connect the two scenes. In addition, both films will use similar scenes to complete the transition. However, in the song and dance segments of "La La Land", the director also often uses the "overlay" technique pioneered by George Merriès in "Journey to the Moon", and the "Birth of a Nation" technique directed by Griffith in "The Birth of a Nation". "The circular zoom format pioneered in "Tom and Jerry" and the end of "The Pianist at Sea" use this technique, which is extremely retro.
In recent years, there may be only "Frozen", "Beauty and the Beast", "La La Land" and "The King of the Circus" that have been shown in Chinese theaters. (I haven't seen "The Voice of Joy", so I'm not sure.) I think it's possible to make a horizontal comparison between "La La Land" and "The King of the Circus". First of all, the two films gave me the most intuitive impression: "La La Land" tells a modern love story in a retro way, that is, "new wine in an old bottle"; "The King of the Circus" tells it in a modern way A historical story, "old wine in new bottle". "La La Land" director Damien Chazelle, like "The Grand Budapest Hotel" director Wes Anderson, is a fan of the classical aesthetics of Hollywood's golden age. In "La La Land", Damian used the old Sinimask-style wide screen. In addition, it was obviously shot in real scenes, but it showed an illusory and heavy studio shot. "THE" at the end of the swash
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