2018.04.25 The American perspective has been updated. The bean friends who have seen it before can be directly pulled to the following section of the past in the United States.
I failed to see the UK premiere, and took a two-hour train ride to see the additional screening the next day. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Spoilers involved ahead! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Wes still handed over a full score of photography and music works this time, but the ending felt like an anticlimax. The villain finally regretted wanting to abandon the plan after the boy gave a speech. All the previous efforts to control the regime seemed absurd. Therefore, I tried to express my thoughts on the ending by interpreting the possible political metaphors in the film. The following may be excessive political and historical interpretations: 1. The shape of the hall where the election speeches were held not long ago resembled the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Hiroshima City, and put a comparison chart (the picture above is from the screenshot of the trailer)
2. The little boy fell on the desolate Dog Island, and a "mushroom cloud" rose up. Reminiscent of the first atomic bomb dropped by the US military on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945, it was called a "little boy." 3. The first place the male lead and his party crossed on Dog Island, Five Fingers Island. It is very interesting to put a 1930 map of Hiroshima. The whole connection looks like a hand on the left side of the screen grabbing the dog on the right, Wes's cold humor.
4. The names of the five dogs are Duke Chief Boss Rex King, both of which mean chief and leader. They correspond to the five nobles classified by the Chinese Order of 1884: Gonghou Bozinan, which was left behind for the movie Footnotes of old Japanese society. After the crash (nuclear explosion), the male protagonist, with the help of five loyal dogs (Chinese in the old society), rushed into the parliament hall to deliver a speech (announced reform). 5. The student movement may be a tribute to Kurosawa Akira's "I Have No Regrets for Youth". The fact that Tracy and his students resisted the government's dictatorship in the name of banning dogs is reminiscent of the heroic struggle of Takigawa and his disciples. 6. The international students who grabbed the potion and initiated the revolution came from the United States, which may correspond to the internal social reforms that General MacArthur made to Japan after World War II. This reform did not completely eliminate the remnants of feudalism in Japanese society, but instead made it a political monster in the cloak of Western democracy. And this echoes with the mayor stepping down and his adopted son taking office: an immature whole is like an impulsive teenager. 7. The mayor competes with the butler on the podium for the final resolution button, possibly alluding to the different views of the Japanese cabinet and the military on the "final decisive battle" after the Potsdam announcement. The cabinet headed by Suzuki Kantaro advocates surrendering to the allies, Japan The military department advocated the "Jade Breaking War" and vowed to fight the Allied forces to the end. Even after the emperor decided to surrender, some young and strong army officers still decided to coup to avoid surrendering to the allies, although the final coup failed, known as the "Miyagi Incident" in history. 8. After the mayor stepped down due to corruption, it was stated on the TV that the adopted son (that is, the male lead) was elected as the new mayor according to the provisions of the Electoral Law, and in the subsequent pictures of each family, it can be seen that each family has a portrait of the new mayor. . People can't help but think of Japan's long-standing family politics and hereditary politics. For example, after the war, Prime Minister Kishisuke was the grandfather of the current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Kishisuke's younger brother Eisaku Sato was also the prime minister of Japan. 9. Doggo’s laboratory is very likely to allude to the concentration camps during World War II: using modern industrial means to organize and plan to destroy the enemy on a large scale
10. In the interview, the director stated that the inspiration for Tracy, a foreign student, was the Janet Frame from 1990's "An angel at my table" (source: IMDB). Janet is a hard-won female writer in the film. Although the publication of her works once rekindled her hope in life, her ultimate destiny is to return to her hometown to write alone. Janet in "Angels at the same table with me" is like an "outsider", and Wes apparently rearranged Tracy's destiny for the development of the plot.
Wes mentioned at the Berlin Film Festival that this story may be more about fantasy about Japanese politics, and some materials from reality may have an impact on the political ideas in the film. But at the same time wes also mentioned that such a story can happen anywhere, not just Japan. Therefore, personal interpretation of the above political and historical aspects is also based on the director's own interpretation, rather than completely groundless. It is undeniable that these interpretations may still be forcibly supplemented by individuals, and you are welcome to correct and communicate where there are errors. In the end, if most of the above speculations are fulfilled, the ending of the film will seem more reasonable, and it will also be the most politically significant work by us so far. However, we can also see that the friendship between brothers, the naughty humor, the symmetrical composition, and the spiritual tones. These wes elements are still in front of the audience. Even if the above political metaphors are removed, the film is still the same. A qualified wes movie. Perhaps since "The Great Fox Daddy", wes is no longer satisfied with the smaller theme of love and growth, but hides its historical and humanistic thinking behind the absurd plot and exquisite pictures, the so-called "Laughing and scolding, all become articles." All we have to do is to look forward to what kind of surprise wes will bring us next time. Attached is a video explaining the creative intentions of Isle of Dogs at the Berlin Film Festival media conference (starting at 4:00 is the focus) Isle of Dogs | Press Conference Highlights | Berlinale 2018
2018.04.22
Update 1: Add five fingers island stills; add the 10th detail Update 2 trailer: After three brushes, it is found that the metaphor of the movie is completely pointing in another direction. Wes is really cold and humorous. After the detailed logic is improved, he will release it to discuss and exchange with you
********Update the dividing line********
American past under exquisite kimono
The little boy overcomes all difficulties and leads the dogs expelled by the government from the Isle of Dogs to the deep sea to return to the mainland, defeating the conspiracy of the totalitarian government, and the dogs and human beings live happily together again. A simple fairy tale, unlike Wes Anderson, who filmed "The Great Fox Papa" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel", may the director hide his thoughts in those exquisite pictures and hilarious cold humor Be behind. Katsushika Hokusai, Kurosawa Akira, Haiku, Weiss used a large number of Japanese elements to customize a delicate kimono for "Island of Dogs". His art and photography skills are impressive. If this gorgeous kimono is removed, the history of Japanese Americans being imprisoned during World War II will come to light.
As the opening film of the Berlin Film Festival with the strongest political color among the three major film festivals, the interpretation of "Canis Island" is difficult to expand from the political level, and the animation with political color may not simply regard people as people. People think of dogs as dogs. People and dogs in the film are not two species, but point to two different ethnic groups. This analogy also appeared in "The Great Fox Papa".
In the early stages of the film, the Mayor Kobayashi’s government used strong political propaganda to convince the public that dogs are dangerous (infected with the dog flu designed by the government) and need to be quarantined immediately.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, American society developed fierce anti-Japanese sentiment. There were even rumors that American Japanese helped the Japanese army launch an attack. President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. Delimiting parts of the country as a theater of operations, the military has the right to restrict residents in the theater of operations and even move residents out of the theater of operations. Due to wartime tensions and President Roosevelt’s extremely high prestige, his government has great powers rarely seen in American history. The chief of the Western Defense District, John L. DeWitt, issued a series of military orders based on Executive Order 9066 to forcibly detain 110,000 Japanese-Americans on the West Coast of the United States into concentration camps set up in the mountains and deserts.
General DeWitt, who led the military relocation operations, drafted in his 1942 final report ("Final Report: Japanese Evacuation from the West Coast, 1942") against Japanese Americans on the West Coast. Racial characteristics are destined to make it impossible for us to judge whether he is loyal to the United States. DeWitt ignores the American citizenship of a large number of Japanese Americans, and the centralized detention and imprisonment of this group based on ethnic characteristics is not only a violation of the legal system, but also a suppression of the spirit of freedom.
In the middle of the film, the dogs are looking for food in the trash mountain. The four dogs besides cheif feel the good life in the past and express that they can no longer bear it. Cheif was rebellious and shouted, "Don't lick the wound anymore, you are rex, you are duke... We have to cheer up, we are the invincible Alpha dog" (to the effect). The cheif here reveals his yearning for freedom and his optimism in facing the current difficulties. This coincides with the reality of group living in Japanese-American concentration camps. The Japanese-Americans in the concentration camps still raise the American flag every day, learn knowledge, exercise diligently, and prepare for a free life in the future.
After the dogs were exiled, the Science Party still worked hard to make potions, hoping to reverse the situation and rectify the dogs' names. However, after the successful preparation of the potion, the Science Party was suppressed. The Science Party mirrored the U.S. Department of Justice at the time. They opposed the detention of Japanese Americans because it did not comply with laws and regulations. However, the opinions of the Department of Justice did not attract attention due to wartime tensions and government propaganda. Therefore, the failure of the Ministry of Justice is a realistic reflection of the fall of freedom and the rule of law.
Talking about Tracy again, Tracy ran around trying to prove that both exile and imprisonment were government conspiracies. Until the little boy rushed into the city hall, Tracy's activities could be regarded as a failure. Therefore, as an English-speaking person, Tracy can be regarded as a Japanese-American (dog dog) who appealed and protested (Korematsu v. US Government, lost in 1944). After World War II, the war-time centralized government was replaced by a government that respected the rule of law and freedom (relatively speaking). This series of anti-custodial lawsuits were successfully overturned. President Carter initiated an investigation into the incident. In the end, the U.S. government apologized. Compensation of up to 1.6 billion U.S. dollars was given to Japanese Americans who were persecuted.
In the later stage of the film, Cheif and other dogs are ready to go in the concentration camp, traveling across oceans and returning to China. It may reflect the 422 Corps composed mainly of Japanese Americans in World War II. This Corps was the most commended regiment in American history. They were originally assembled by Japanese-American soldiers in Hawaii, and later entered Europe to fight bravely against the German and Italian fascists. Interestingly, Hawaii is also an archipelago with volcanoes, earthquakes, Japanese concentration camps (although the number of prisoners is relatively small compared to the continental United States) and is far from the continental United States. The 442 Corps rescued more than 200 besieged Texas Corps soldiers at the expense of nearly 800 people, demonstrating its loyalty to the United States and ultimately winning the trust of the American people. For these Japanese Americans, although their relatives are still detained in concentration camps, they still proved their loyalty through battles, fighting against racially discriminatory authorities in another way, and fighting for the freedom of themselves and the group. .
In the city hall, Tracy used the blue potion to cure the infected dog. The blue potion comes from the unsupported Science Party Lab (Ministry of Justice) during the campaign. From being covered up at first (losing the lawsuit, the judicial power was inferior to the power of the wartime administrative power), and then the little boy led the dogs to return to the mainland (the 442 Corps returned to China to accept the commendation) and then occupied the high ground of public opinion, successfully implemented and cured the dogs (restored the Japanese descent) The identity and legitimate rights of Americans). The blue potion alludes to the power of law that really eliminates rumors and discrimination.
At the end of the film, Mayor Kobayashi repented after the little boy’s affectionate speech, but the butler was so obsessed that he still wanted to activate the final button to slaughter the dog. This paragraph coincides with President Roosevelt's hasty decision (without holding a special meeting to discuss) to act against Japanese Americans, but the action was actually carried out by John J. McCloy. McAvoy was an assistant to the then Secretary of War and participated in and led the forced relocation and detention of Japanese Americans. Pulitzer Prize winner Kai Bird pointed out that McAvoy is more responsible than anyone for the establishment of Japanese-American concentration camps. McAvoy once stated that "the Constitution is just a scrap of paper to me" ("the Constitution is just a scrap of paper to me"). In congressional testimony in 1981, McAvoy still defended the Japanese concentration camps, declaring that "the actions of the Japanese concentration camps were reasonable, thoughtfully and humanely conducted" ("reasonably undertaken and thoughtfully and humanely conducted").
It is worth mentioning that the phrase "who are we, and who do we want to be" ("who are we, and who do we want to be") in the city hall is not only for the little boys for the dogs (Japanese-American The confusion and thinking about identity sent by people are more of the conscience torture of the speaker to the audience in the audience.
Maybe the director wants to use Atari's mouth to ask the audience what would you do if it were you.
Uncovering the exquisite kimono, what Wes wants to show is not only a sad mark about Japanese Americans, but also the heroes who have fought for freedom and the rule of law. Bow your head. From Daddy Fox's "Wolf Howling" to Gustav's generous speech at the gunpoint, to Cheif's "I bite", Wes has never stopped his desire for freedom and his pursuit of civilization. And these are the reasons why we love him so much-that beautiful world carefully built up.
Postscript: It is true that the two perspectives only explain part of the plot of the film separately. The connection between the two is that they both oppose dictatorship and conceal the call for freedom and civilization. They are just a cold irony of hereditary dictatorship, and a mockery of strongman politics; they cannot be used. Please forgive me for the explanations of these two perspectives. Please communicate and correct me. Mr. Jin Min wrote in the explanation of "The House of Unma" that his views on the arrangement of images that can be seen everywhere in the film are his personal views, not the only answer to the film. So I think that the key to interpreting Weiss’s feature-length animated film may not lie in the red-haired disputes among the audience, but in giving every serious idea an inch of space to grow so that we can approach the mystery in communication and discussion.
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