Is it necessary to learn the language of which country to watch the film of which country? "Shame" (Skammen; 1968) the most important line of dialogue, whether Chinese or English subtitle translation has different versions. The heroine Eva and her husband Jan live in seclusion on a small island to escape the war, which still destroys their home. They couldn't help themselves. One day they were forced to shoot a promotional video by one party, and the other day they were questioned by the other party for suspected collaborating with the enemy. Eva said while waiting anxiously that what she experienced was just in another person's dream, but I wonder what will happen when this person wakes up and feels ashamed?
Different translations appear in the last half of the sentence: "I wonder if the dreamer wakes up feeling ashamed?" and "Why does the dreamer feel ashamed when he wakes up?"
Actually, first of all we have to ask: whose dream are Eva and Jan living in? Who is the dreamer? Isn't this movie director Ingmar Bergman's dream?
Was Bergman ashamed? If so, why are you ashamed?
Shame is different from guilt, according to scholar Jesse Kalin in The Films of Ingmar Bergman . Guilt is a mistake, shame is not being good enough, the frustration of not acting as desired. But when an individual is placed in a shameful situation before the eyes of others, it is humiliation.
Bergman has always been in the struggle of faith, whether it is for God, for others or for himself, the close relationship is often accompanied by mutual friction. He can't let go, seeks earnestly, refuses to give up, refuses to become cynic or plunge into darkness, even when it hurts. Sometimes he casts a light in the gloom, and sometimes makes the light seem indifferent, and in the icy coldness makes people cuddle with each other. "Shame" is a relatively gloomy work. The change of political winds is unpredictable and unavoidable; the acquaintance Jacobi is indistinguishable from friend and foe; the two husband and wife are far and near, sometimes sweet as a rose, but instantly stinged. Neither this nor that, who threw them into this helpless misery? Is it yourself? Or the creator?
At the beginning of the film, Jan recalls the good old days when he and Eva were still in the orchestra, but the good memories that can't go back are the nightmares of now, just like the hope that will eventually be disillusioned - Eva just thought about having a baby and strengthening her Her marriage to Jan and the children who died in the war made her give up the idea.
In the ending, Eva and Jan are trapped in a lonely boat, with no food and water, and she talks about her dream again, and she remembers something in the dream, but she forgets it. When the beautiful hope for the future has been shattered, even the memories of the dream will leave them. Even if you can live, you can only live shamefully. But isn't the one who should be ashamed of the one who put them in shame? Such as those who wage war; such as Jacobi who lured Eva to sacrifice himself with money in front of Jan; such as Inma Bergman; such as, Oh God?
However, shame is also linked to a person's moral heart. Shameless people have no conscience; when weak Jan has repeatedly exposed his incompetence in front of his wife and others, when he has been humiliated by Jacobi and gunmen on all sides, infuriated, crosses that red line and kills Jacobi . His heart became hard and cruel, he didn't hesitate to kill someone, and he didn't move when he saw others commit suicide.
Eva, who has always been strong, has become vulnerable instead, because she feels guilty for her infidelity, and then ashamed, but because of her shame, she retains her humanity. But how long can this man last? Bergman didn't know either, so he left a gap in his movie like Eva's last dream.
Bergman is probably also ashamed of "Shame". He admitted that the first half of the filming of the war was poorly filmed, and the second half of the film turned to personal exploration and gradually improved.
Interlude: Bergman and his lover, Liv Ullmann, who plays Eva, had a feud while filming Shame on Faroe Island, leaving her to endure the cold wind on the boat Standby and not allowed to go ashore; and calling her during the shooting of the fire scene near fire. At the time, Ullmann and Bergman's daughter, Linn Ullmann, was a baby. Two years after the release of "Shame", Ullmann left Bergman, a man who was amorous but like an island.
[For more commentary articles, please see "I'm not a cat" ]
View more about Shame reviews
