[Laughter Facebook - France] Chanson, Nostalgia, French Humor - The Comedy of Jacques Land World
excerpt from Yang Yuanling's article in Movie Notes (the original text is hyperlinked here) 2004/7/21
(Character Design)
To analyze the style of Jacques Dadi's works, we must first mention his unique performance style, from the first work "Holiday" to "Mr. Hulot's Holiday". Holiday after a series of films starring Mr. Hulot, Jacques succeeded in creating yet another comedy screen hero, saying "hero" might be too strong for Mr. Hulot and not for him A gentle personality, but his place in the history of comedy development can definitely be compared with the classic little characters in Chaplin's works with a small top hat, big-toed shoes, and a long cane in hand. In terms of styling, Mr. Hu Luo also has a fixed appearance like Chaplin, with a pipe in his mouth, wearing cropped trousers and revealing a small length of socks (usually dark), and always wearing light-colored, The slightly old windbreaker, wearing a small hat, and carrying either a briefcase or a black umbrella, coincides with Chaplin's way of creating fun with character modeling. In terms of performance, Mr. Hu Luo's body and performance have developed a style that belongs to Jake's earth style. Hesitant footsteps and slightly hunched back first reveal the character's humble, introverted and peaceful character in the body posture. In the process of interacting with other people in the film, Mr. Hu Luo has repeatedly emphasized his gentle personality. Therefore, even though he is tall, his approachable temperament still makes him popular with children, puppies, and small animals. Still clearly visible in non-Mr. Hulo films. Watch Jacques Land in action... From the beginning of "Mr. Huluo's Vacation", slightly exaggerated and deliberately emphasized performances are prominent throughout the film, from prominent to harmoniously integrated with the film's interesting plot. And Jacques Dadi's performance in "Festival" also seems to be an experiment for the next performance, testing the possibility of comedy elements of such French modern country characters. Once determined, "Mr. Hulo's Holiday" The following films have appeared in the comedy classic character we often see. The style of character performance is arguably the most obvious in "Mr. Hu Luo's Vacation", and the comic tradition of early silent film characters can be seen everywhere. For example, in the film Mr. Hu Luo helps people carry luggage, but accidentally runs across the room. Go outside. As well as the occasional physical disaster such as a fall, a fall into the water, etc., are often used in traditional silent comedy. In "My Uncle", "Playtime" and other films, there are still some comic elements of such body movements, but the facial expressions are obviously reduced, making Jake Land's The style of performance gradually breaks away from the traditional gag performance and becomes its own style, and we can clearly see the similarities (styling, comical movement) and identify the differences (Jacques Land's humor is more similar to environment integration and correspondence), shuttle through the various events and paragraphs of the film, sometimes intervening and sometimes watching, leading the audience to experience a rich comedy journey.
(Text structure analysis)
According to the film theorist Bazin, there is no "plot" in Jake Dadi's works, because a story must have meaning, a time-driven direction from cause to effect, a beginning, a The ending, however, often indicates a concatenation of events that are interrelated in meaning and separate in drama. The laughing fruit caused by the opposition and contradiction of various elements in the scene, as well as the changes in visual shape and image, the configuration of the lens is the focus of Jake Dadi's film.
Various elements from the composition, the relationship between the background and the background, the contradictions between the elements in the frame and the audience's expectations, as well as the interest of the elements themselves, make Jake Dadi's comedy present a delicate and exquisite style, such as "My The place where Mr. Hu Luo lived and the odd-shaped house where his sister lived in "Uncle", and the apartment with a tic-tac-toe in "Game Time" all show the interestingness of the composition; the children's mischief in "My Uncle" makes passers-by bump into each other. On the telephone pole, the scene of the fight in the pub in "Game Time", and the scenes of the hotel guests playing poker in the fish hall in "Mr. Huluo's Holiday", they use the changes in the relationship between the background and the background to attract people's gimmicks, in addition to making jokes , but also accumulated the audience's understanding of the environment and the state of the drama.
(The use of sound media) The use of
sound has always been the most celebrated aspect of Jacques Land. In his films, the meaning of words is disintegrated and replaced by rich body language, and spoken words are transformed into another sound effect or instrument. The musical rhythm of the film is timely related to the actions and performances of the characters in the event, such as the whistle in "My Uncle", the sound of ping-pong in "Mr. Huluo's Vacation", and the different characters or High-frequency or murmured voices have become an important element to stimulate the audience to laugh. In addition, the theme repetition of music has always been the main method used by Jacques to compare situations. The most obvious example is that whenever the event progresses to a more humanized state or place, the theme melody of French chanson will sound in time. On the one hand, it points out the main idea, and on the other hand, it leads the audience into the situation. Once the characters return to the part of the city and modern civilization, they often focus on the music of a single tone, a regular format, and not a melody. Another tonality that is different from the country.
(How to start explaining how to explain)
In fact, the above-mentioned performance, sound, and the use of various visual elements, for Jake Dadi, only hope to present the theme he wants to express, that is, the ridicule of modern mechanical civilization, the ridicule of the rigid life form of the middle class , and the nostalgia for the human concern in traditional life. Films often begin with empty mirrors transitioning from rural and traditional architectural landscapes to modern urban landscapes, such as Mr. Huluo's Vacation, My Uncle, and Playtime, and such non-narrative images It has also continued to appear in the film, and with the use of the theme music, it has become a recurring motif. In addition, the development of the story also pays attention to the presentation of this theme at all times, from the opposition in a single shot (for example, the contrast between Mr. Hu Luo's trapped kitchen in "My Uncle" and the table manners of his sister's family in the background), to the juxtaposition of shots The antagonisms (the cut of the rural and urban empty mirrors), as well as the use of various elements (including the contrast of music and the difference in performance), are constantly echoing Jake Dadi’s protest against the inhumanity of modern civilization and the old times. Warm and humane care.
(A possibility of closing the loop at the beginning and end, but still being able to escape during the journey)
The special narrative technique of Jake Dadi (repetition of motifs, use of non-narrative elements) also makes the "" "Time" has a very special appearance - a permanent existence that is detached from causation and historical state, such as "Mr. Huluo's Holiday", even if the holiday is over, it seems that this time next year will still be the same cycle.
Conclusion: I am super lazy.
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