This film of the same name, directed by Ty Garnett and starring Hollywood stars John Garfield and Lana Turner, was a smash hit. Although there were two adaptations before and one remake, they were far less than 46. The artistic achievements and influence of the version of "The Postman" in film noir. It is a product of the rapid development of American cinema, a solemn and profound sad song of the golden age, and a precursor to the awakening of feminist consciousness. It may not be as famous as Vertigo or Sunset Boulevard, but it was still ahead of its time.
The success of the film not only stimulated the sales of the novel, but also pushed Lana Turner to the throne of MGM's leading actress. I still remember the first time I was exposed to Hollywood black and white movies when I was in elementary school. The little kid who didn't have a general concept of aesthetics inexplicably liked the flaming red lips and bee waist and slender legs under the black and white film on the 21-inch big-head TV. I also remember Hepburn in "Roman Holiday", Vivien Leigh in "Gone with the Wind", Garbo in "The Camellia", and Lana in "Heartwarming". This actress, who is famous for her beauty, has been riddled with scandals and controversy all her life, but her acting skills are beyond reproach.
This year, I was at home for the National Day holiday, and when I was bored, I picked up "The Postman Always Rings the Bell Twice", which I had put on hold a few years ago. This book has been praised by a lot of compliments and one of the must-recommended books. I used to disdain it. After reading a few pages, I couldn't find it in the vernacular. I insisted on reading half of it. The good detective novels were completely different, and then shelved and never read them again. It wasn't until before the holiday that I accidentally flipped through a celebrity's recommended book list, and "The Postman" was ranked first, so I read it again under the drive of half boredom and half curiosity.
I didn't like it at first, but I read it patiently until I was slowly moved by the book's straightforward and cold, outsider-like narrative style. Although "I" is used as the first person in the book, there are few psychological descriptions, and readers can only rely on the protagonist's speech and behavior to figure out for themselves, which is a bit like Hemingway's "Iceberg Theory" (this sense of alienation is precisely what the film cannot show. ). The American literary critic Edmund Wilson once said that the style of the Hard Guys was "derived from Hemingway" (a statement that Kane dismissed as he did not belong to any genre). Camus himself admitted that without "The Postman" there would be no "The Outsider", which shows that this novel has really influenced a group of people.
-------------------The following begins with irresponsible spoilers-------------------
Forty or fifty of the last century In the 1990s, deeply influenced by American black literature, a large number of gloomy, cynical and pessimistic detective films emerged in Hollywood. As the foundational work of this type of literature, "The Postman" was remade by foreign directors twice before until 1946. It was officially brought to the American screen by Hollywood director Ty Garnett.
Cora in the film is no longer the petite black-haired and white-skinned woman, but the mysterious and glamorous Lana Turner is actually closer to the protagonist of the real murder in 1927 - with a "Scandinavian style". icy eyes", the blonde beauty Ruth. According to the tone of Hollywood movies in the 1940s, the appearance of the heroine must be stunning, so the gloomy young woman who should have stayed in the kitchen waiting to clear the cups and saucers, turned into a glamorous stunner in shorts with a half-exposed waist. Tube lipstick, a pair of beautiful legs, before anyone arrives, the provocative and sexy pose has already jumped out of the screen. In comparison, Frank's appearance was mediocre. The rambunctious, gambling-addicted tramp was all contained under the handsome shell of John Garfield, leaving only a little bit of romance and cunning.
Ty Garnett spends a lot of time dealing with Cora and Frank's several temptations and confrontations, trying to make sense of the novel's ill-informed "hooking up", first glimpses, dinner After the duet dance, the unexpected trip to the beach made Cora's stagnant life break a gap again, and the desire buried under the sand is just around the corner. Given the scale of the film at the time, the sex scene that made "The Postman" a banned book was not shown, but the relationship between the two did undergo a qualitative change after returning from the sea. Cora looked at Frank's eyes, bright and eager , as if the cold beauty finally gained popularity. She can't resist Frank, just as moths can't resist lights, the beauty pageant lady who ran out of Iowa at the beginning, like all the girls in the world who are in love, can't resist love.
So they fell in love uncontrollably, and decided to elope when Nick was away. The director made the biggest adaptation of the original work here, and put the elopement before the first murder, making the two sinners who did stupid things for love look less hideous. If the purpose of the original work is that nature is inherently evil, then Ty Garnett is a preacher of good nature, so Cora and Frank in the film first think of leaving Nick, not killing him. However, the process of elopement was not smooth. They could not get a car, so they could only walk to the station with their heavy suitcases. On the way, Cora fell, and the bright suits were filthy, and the minds heated by love gradually calmed down. After coming down, she loves Frank, but she can't survive on this love, so she compromises with reality, and the two return to the "Double Building" Hotel and continue their boring life like a graveyard. However, the seeds of restlessness have been planted, just like the voice of God. When the door of fate was knocked, it was discovered that the restless thoughts had already taken root and sprouted, and the branches were knotted. In the pain of not being able to ask for and parting from love, they made two murders madly and boldly, as if the hand of fate was pushing the flames in the dark, Nick always pushed himself to the brink of death again and again, and finally "got his wish". met God.
In this abyss full of sin, only the love of Cora and Frank is pure, and this purity is precious even in the hands of the executioner whose hands are stained with blood. They have truly owned each other, body and soul. However, when Frank slammed the wrench on Nick, they were already on the opposite side of God and in the company of the devil. Faced with the intimidation of the district attorney, the couple who had experienced twists and turns and suffered from self-confessed love betrayed each other almost instantly. The so-called true love was not even as good as a fantasy gallows. The sun that broke through the shadows was once again covered by the rolling clouds of lead, the god of death waved his scythe and laughed awkwardly, love was fragile and vulnerable, and there was nothing in the world that could defeat death. They became suspicious of each other, guarded against each other, couldn't sleep at night, Nick's death became the yoke of each other, Frank felt suffocated, and even thought about running away for a while, but eventually he had to come back.
They are mortal enemies in the world and the closest lovers in the world. They share the same secret, toss and turn for it, and die. When the light of the fireflies illuminates the way to the sky, people who yearn for redemption go one after another, overcoming obstacles, Cora and Frank climb the path to the sky with the hope of life, but they are finally ruthlessly pushed to hell by the rolling stones of fate, which becomes this absurd tragedy of the martyrs.
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