rebuild the Majestic
During the American Red Terror, the screenwriter Peter was accused of being a Communist, he accidentally fell into a river while fleeing in a rush, and drifted to the small town of Lawson (meaningful name), and when he woke up, he lost his memory and was treated as a young man named Luke (director or star) War fans), the Luke family used to run a movie theater. In the "World War II", nearly 60 young people in the town rushed to the battlefield and died. Luke was injured to rescue his comrades, and later disappeared due to the mission. Luke's return made his father Harry decide to reopen the cinema...I think, this is not just an anti-war film, although there are many details about the brutal war hidden in the film, even more embarrassing than the camera directly on the battlefield .
In my impression, the United States actually entered the war later than Europe, and when a small town sends away a large number of young people in their 20s, what is left? Why was Luke treated as a "group pet" when he returned to town, or even watched, just because he was a war hero? No, because most of the young people died when they would have had endless possibilities. From the details revealed in the film, imagine what if Luke is still alive, he should be a cheerful gentleman, can play classical piano skillfully, like movies, and even an idealist with smooth and moving writing (maybe he will also become a screenwriter) . This is still the case in the United States, not to mention Europe, where an entire generation of such lives has been sacrificed by the war, among which I don’t know how many future scientists, musicians, writers, directors…
Other than that, I see more about "losing" and "rebuilding":
1. The reconstruction of values. Peter was originally a frivolous young man with no serious political stance, even some cynical stance. After experiencing and experiencing the various cares of the town residents and constantly being reminded of what his return means to the town, including Adele and Under the infection and influence of the idealistic feelings of Luke's letter, he reconstructed his cognition of the fair value of justice, and finally was able to express those words in court:
"If he were standing here now, I think he might tell you that the America that's shown in this room is not the America that he's defending to the death. I think he'd say that your America is more painful, cruel, and narrow-minded. I know he thinks America is great, bigger than you can imagine. With a big mind, everyone has a voice, even if you don't like what the other person has to say. If he's here, I'm curious what you would How to respond, what happened to the great America in his mind?"
2. The lost and found "son". Peter was taken home by Harry after losing his memory. At first, he didn't fully accept this strange environment and the residents of the small town. He couldn't remember who he was, and the lack of self-identity troubled him until Bob beat him up. Fist, he was calling Harry Dad for the first time, and the strangeness began to melt away. Despite the fact that he was not Luke, he and Harry finally established an emotional connection, and his father's emotions were supported until Harry passed away.
3. After "World War II", what people need to rebuild is not only buildings and life, but also confidence in the future. Even if the main battlefield is not in the United States, the residents of the small town have experienced the trauma of "losing a loved one." The "reconstruction" of the cinema allows them to temporarily forget the pain of "loss" and seek solace in a spiritual refuge. I don't know if it's because of the epidemic. It was very touching to see people queuing up at the entrance of the movie theater. My father's rant about TV was also very interesting. The "ceremony" of watching a movie echoed "The Majestic".
4. The name of the movie theater "The Majestic" is also the name of the film. The prevalence of McCarthyism has caused the United States to lose the spirit of democracy and freedom that young people once fought for, and this is almost recorded as the glory of American history and reflected in the Constitution. Democracy is not perfect, but democracy has the ability to correct itself. The reconstruction of "The Majestic", by the residents of the town of Lawson (yes, they crowdfunded), is not only a reconstruction of the theater, but also a reconstruction of the nobility of the US Constitution, a reconstruction of the former glory, and this It takes the strength of every American citizen, son of the Law. Perhaps, this is the most important theme the film wants to convey. (I don't know why I suddenly think of Make America Great Again, it's ironic) Knowledge of the status of the US Constitution can be enjoyed with Mr. Yang Zhao's book.
The whole film has a very delicate structure and just the right lines, "lost" and "reconstruction" are intertwined with each other, full of details, full of warmth, and almost every actor performs well. In the end, the title of this film on Youku is not "Life in Movies" but "Forget Who I Am", I think the latter can better reflect the theme of the film than the former. It seems to say "forget", but in fact, the whole film is reminding "don't forget, don't forget". The black man said he had a medal of courage, and then he was in the hospital during World War I; Bob initially refused Mable's invitation to dance... The courage "forgotten" because of the war was finally lost, and only by relying on such courage , it is possible to make America great again.
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