In 2017, there were a lot of war-themed movies. I occasionally chatted with people a few days ago. I remembered an article I wrote many years ago about "The British Patient". Favorite of a great movie.
TheEnglishPatientFrom Friday Literature 00 :0003:37
-You're wering the thimble, (you still wear that pendant I gave you?) -Of course, you idiot, (of course, fool) I always wear it , I've always worn it It, I'll always wear it) I've always love you... (I've always loved you)
To this day, these lines are still fresh in my memory. Whenever I think of the touching scene of the hero and heroine, I always forget time and space, and even the war. Because love is eternal, even in a barren desert, even in a dark cave. That's the beauty of The English Patient.
"The English Patient" is an epic film about World War II. However, there is no scene in the film story that depicts the war head-on. Instead, there are two touching love stories: "Emmasur and Catherine", "Hannah and Kip".
Many viewers complained about being a little dizzy after watching The English Patient, which I felt when I first saw the film. Naturally, the length of the movie, the messy nationalities of the characters in the movie, and the stream-of-consciousness-like flashbacks can really make people feel dizzy... However, when I rewatched the movie a few years later and watched it carefully, I realized that the director was well-intentioned. Below, we start with two loves and analyze them.
"Two Love Stories"
At the end of the Second World War, a historian named Emma Shu met Jeff and his beautiful wife Catherine while conducting research in the desert. After a series of coincidences, Jeff and Catherine fell in love with each other. The love, finally, an inevitable love happened...
In the turbulent years of war, the love between Emma and Catherine, who was a scientific researcher, was so precious, like an oasis in the desert, even if Catherine was married, even if the outside world was still full of smoke.
However, contrary to expectations, the oasis in the desert appeared short-lived: the plane carrying Catherine to pick up Amash in the desert crashed on landing, and Catherine was seriously injured. The "Oasis" did not appear in the desert again. When Emma Shu walked out of the desert by himself and even used the "road map" to exchange planes with the German Nazis to rescue his Katherine, the person who was in love with him in the turmoil He was already dying, and all that was left was a thick notebook with the lover's dying words...
Compared to the love story of "Emash and Katherine", the love story of "Hannah and Kip" is a little more straightforward in the film: Hannah is a beautiful field nurse who takes care of wounded soldiers of the Allied Forces in World War II. On the way to transport the wounded, Hannah resolutely decided to accompany a severely burned patient to stay and take care of him.
And it was this time of dying that made Hannah meet Kip, the "bomb disposal expert". Naturally, the two fell in love, and a few simple movie plots brought their love to the extreme of romance: "Hannah sent Kip to shampoo olive oil ";" flying the church to see the murals " .
Naturally, the love between Hannah and Kip was also short-lived. In the end, the two broke up because of their respective responsibilities in the war, leaving behind the classic dialogue when they parted:
—I'll always go back to that church , look at my paintings. So , one day we'll meet.
"Film Story Analysis"
It is difficult to find an unforgettable love in the midst of war and turmoil. Just as we wanted to distill the above two love stories in this movie.
The director completely broke up the two story lines and made them staggered. Thus, there is "Hannah's resolute stay"; there is the psychedelic memory of the "English patient" after being injected with morphine; there is the mysterious appearance of "Pickpocket David". With such a plot arrangement, what is the director's intention?
Careful scrutiny: We learned of her painful war experience through "Hannah's Remaining" : people who loved her always died one after another; we learned that dream love through the chaotic memories of "The English Patient";
We also learned about their complex war identities and conflicts through the "Appearance of David". All the information in the movie description is so chaotic and not direct, just like the human war that wiped out humanity half a century ago, no one can tell the truth of the war. Contrary to the opposing side, all human beings in that era were victims of war, regardless of nationality, race, or military service or position. This is also the reason why the director confused the audience by setting up British, American, French, Indian, etc. in the play.
Perhaps, in the film "The English Patient", love is only a means of war performance, but perhaps love is a purpose hidden in the context of war, which symbolizes a kind of conflict between the filmmakers and the audience. The display and yearning of beautiful things and peace, rather than telling two love stories in "The English Patient", it is better to say that it describes every level under the war through different story angles. Let's look at two scenes near the end of the movie:
First, when the "English Patient" (Emash) was about to die, we learned of Catherine's last words through Hannah's recitation:
"I want nothing but to walk with you in heaven. With our friends, to a paradise without a map, the lights are out, I am in the dark, silently writing..."
Second, when Hannah left the "castle" that took care of the English patients and the "manor" she fell in love with Kip, she sat in the back of the truck, tilted her head and looked at the passing rear. Turning to the front, until the eyes look at the "camera", then the camera reverses, and the little girl on the opposite side appears in the camera with a smile, and then cuts to Hannah: the expression is relaxed and leisurely.
This scene reminds me of the same scene in countless classic movies: the actor looks to the audience off-screen, she sees the future, and every person who died in the war sees peace for future generations Awakening of consciousness.
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