looking to the sea

Tomas 2022-11-01 00:48:25

The film version of "The French Lieutenant's Woman" (hereinafter referred to as "Law"), brought by British playwright Harold Pinter and Czech director Karel Reisz, is a reference to the American novelist John Barth's "Law" published in 1969. a successful adaptation. The postmodern narrative method and the theme of existential freedom and choice presented in the novel "Fa" have been carefully analyzed by Fang's family, so I won't repeat them in this article. This article expresses some thoughts on the relationship between audiovisual language and the structure and theme of the film. Obviously, structurally, it can be considered that the film's narrative has two threads. A bright line, a story set in the Victorian era, exists in the state of a film being made. A dark line is the emotional entanglement between modern actors and actresses outside the movie, which is a foreshadowing in the front and middle of the movie. Through this "play within a play" structure, the two eras take care of each other. Through the differences in the characters' costumes, the film's composition, scenes, lighting, etc., the two eras are clearly contrasted with each other. However, the film is brilliant. It is also reflected in the fact that through the actual emotional experience of the two actors and the life experience of the characters they play, while making the two eras contrasted, the boundaries between inside and outside the play are blurred, for example, on the balcony of Wintermere. , the actor shouted to the departed actress, "Wolf!", it can be seen that the roles they played had an impact on them. Using the structure of "play within a play", the two clues are interspersed in the narrative and influence each other, making the two eras interconnected, which is not difficult to understand. There is a connection for ease of comparison. The costumes of the characters, the film's composition, scene, lighting, etc. are the main and external means for the film to highlight the difference between the two eras. The first is the costumes and behaviors of the characters. The off-screen actress Anna has neat short hair, and her clothes are brighter and brighter. She smiles and speaks lightly in conversation. In the Victorian era, she, Woolf, was dressed in black, her words and deeds were depressed, and it was difficult to smile. For example, in the famous lone long embankment, looking back at the sea through wind and rain, and looking back at the movie clips, black clothes are mysterious and oppressive to Charles, played by actor Mike, while for Woolf himself, it is isolation from secular oppression. Looking at the sea in the wind and rain shows another kind of melancholy and struggle that is different from Lin Daiyu's funeral flowers. Another example, in the woods under the cliff, Woolf's monologue has a resistance to dogma. Throughout the whole film, Woolf shows that her sensitive nerves seem to be overwhelmed by external suppression, and her inner desire is still tenacious, while Anna, despite her bright clothes and brisk language, finally chooses to deceive and avoid her lover Mike in the emotional wandering. The scenes and the use of light in the film are also powerful means to highlight the differences of the times and smudge the atmosphere of the film. When actors enter Victorian stories, most scenes tend to have a somber, solemn, oppressive tone, with dim light and heavy color. As mentioned above, the wind is high, the rain is raging, and the legendary woman in black walks slowly on the long embankment. Rain, wind and waves are dynamic, while cloudy days, the long embankment and the figures standing on the embankment are static. Another example is the description of the scene of the Victorian factory. Following Charles's line of sight, we can see the tall factory and the building at work through the window of the office of his "father-in-law" (because Charles finally repented because of Woolf). Although the facility seems to be in full swing, it is also a gloomy depression. If the natural environment is shocked by the violent rain, the wild wolf and the wind, the middle and tall factories will be oppressed by the social environment. At the end of the Victorian story, although there is a bright scenery, it actually reflects the depression and depression of the first half of the story, which is also related to the purpose of highlighting the theme. When the two actors return to real life, it can be said that the choice of color tone of the picture tends to be bright when the film is shot, with bright light and bright colors. For example, the actress took her boyfriend David to the actor Mike's family dinner. After arriving, the camera showed the beautiful scenery of Mike's garden: grass, green woods, beautiful women, happy children and pets, etc. The tones are all Brighter. Although the back garden of Charles' fiancee's house was also beautiful in the Victorian era, it was only to set off the beauty of his fiancee and pave the way for Charles' repentance, not the tone of the entire Victorian story. At the same time, it can be considered that the film "Fa" can reflect certain characteristics of post-modern aesthetics, such as the use of sound and images to create a huge impact and vertigo. The environmental rendering of the long dike look back mentioned above can be reflected. When Woolf's employer learned that Woolf insisted on going to the cliff place she forbade, the scene of sending someone to call Woolf is also reflected. Woolf sits alone in a dimly lit room, painting a self-portrait in the mirror, there is a sharp knock on the door, accompanied by cold words, and finally the shot ends with the savage and harsh voice of Woolf's employer. The visual dimness and auditory unease make people worry about Woolf's situation. Regardless of the structure of the film and the audiovisual language used, the main task is to express the theme of the film. In the field of modern literary reception, literary works can be regarded as co-created by the author and the reader, because the reader's interpretation is the "secondary creation" of the literary work, and the interpretation of the literary work is the same as the interpretation of the film. Is it not the oppression of the pursuit of freedom in many eras represented by the Victorian era, and the siege and suppression of the rebels by ideological shackles and dogma? The long embankment is solid, just like the rational will to pursue freedom, and the waves are turbulent, just like the desire for freedom and the gushing emotions under the rational will. Rationality, human beings add bricks and repairs from generation to generation; emotion, a person is still alive. Of course, some researchers have long believed that the film inherits the theme of "existentialism" in the novel (that is, it fully reflects the subjective initiative of individuals, proves their own value with practical actions, and encourages people to choose the life they want), which is also very reasonable. , which can be seen from Woolf's struggle against the secular, and Charles, who was charmed and infected by Woolf's struggle, opposed secular comments on Woolf, repented of marriage, and sought Woolf. However, in the age of long live freedom, Mike Xu was influenced by Woolf and Charles. After making a bold statement to Anna, Anna pushed Mike into the emotional abyss with an ambiguous response and a final escape. This may also be meant to express the unpredictability of human affairs. Both are looking at the sea, what Woolf is looking for is the yearning in his heart, and what he looks for is courage and desire. What Charles is looking for is the trace of Woolf, and what he is looking for is memories and anxiety in the wasted heart. Mike, however, may have become the "French lieutenant's woman" who knew that the "lieutenant" would not return but still kept watch in his memories. We might as well think of Victorian stories as past lives of actors and actresses, but they don't know. Or the artistic ideas in their hearts, they just think about it, the actors are intoxicated, and the actresses are discouraged. There will be someone, after you meet him, you will hit it off right away, and even have the same mind, and there will be people who will be reunited in the past life and this life, but the final union and division are unpredictable. Multiple endings, self-interpretation inside and outside the play, how can the viewers have no one in the film? At the end of the film is the scene of Charles and Woolf rafting. Numerous memories hold up the light boat of life, the red dust rippling through the dark bridges and holes, unfolding a broad picture head-on, reflecting the beautiful past dreams in the distance. I reserve my opinion on the means by which the characters' pursuit of freedom is shown by the occurrence and persistence of extramarital affairs in "Law".

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The French Lieutenant's Woman quotes

  • Ernestina: Where is Mr Charles?

    Mary: Dunno, Miss. Didn't ask him.

    Ernestina: Ask who?

    Mary: His servin' man, Miss.

    Ernestina: But I heard you speak with him.

    Mary: Yes, Miss.

    Ernestina: What about?

    Mary: Oh, it was just the time of day, Miss.

    Ernestina: You will kindly remember that he comes from *London*.

    Mary: Yes, Miss.

    Ernestina: If he makes advances, I wish to be told at once. Now bring me some barley water.

  • Charles Henry Smithson: It's really not necessary to hide.

    Sarah: No gentleman who cares for his good name can be seen with the scarlet woman of Lyme.