Original link Official account: Informal Literature and Art Miscellaneous Notes [ Shadow/"The Story of the Rainy Moon": Nanke Yimeng, I have more pain and regret ]
"Rainbow Story" is a black and white film from the 1950s with a very Japanese visual style. If you like kimonos, geisha, and Noh dramas, these very "symbolic" Japanese elements, you should be able to get some satisfaction from this drama.
The background of the story is the outbreak of war. The protagonists are two brothers and their respective wives. The main plot is that the husbands "abandoned their wives and children" in pursuit of their desires, and finally repented and returned to their hometowns. However, with the passage of time, everything has changed.
Sounds pretty cliché. Come to think of it, the stories told in many drama films may indeed be similar. Human nature, after all, has countless things in common. The charm of the so-called "good" movie is that it can always use some novel or bizarre methods to describe those seemingly innocuous existences.
From the very beginning of the film, the two brothers' deep inner desires are directly confessed. The older brother is bent on making money, the younger brother is bent on becoming a samurai. This just reflects the world's attachment to profit and fame.
There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his brother's motives for making money. Live a comfortable life, buy delicious food for the children, and buy nice clothes for the wife. The danger, however, is this: dissatisfaction. When he made his first buck, his wife said, it was enough, and the war was coming. But he was adamant that war was a great time to make a fortune. Therefore, even when the soldiers invaded, they were still desperate to protect the burning kiln. The director is really kind, the porcelain from this kiln was fired very successfully, and all of it has been preserved.
If it is said that the elder brother is still conscientiously pursuing his goals, then the younger brother seems to be too idle. He has no possessions, no equipment, and no skills, but he relishes the glory of a samurai. If he did something for his dream, it was to accompany his brother to town to sell china, so that he could get close to the samurai.
The next river crossing changed everyone's fate.
This scene of the movie was shot very well. A rickety and steady boat, carrying two couples, a child, and a pile of cargo. The people on the boat sang and sang, drinking sake, talking about the ongoing war and their luck at the moment, and looking forward to a bright future. A faint mist shrouded all around, as if to herald an unannounced, but destined unhappy ending.
Then they came across another boat, and the dying man on the boat told them, before dying, that there were thieves ahead. The brother's wife said, this is a bad sign, so let's go back. The two brothers just decided to send their wife and children back, and they still have to cross the river to sell goods. In the end, the five people on the boat were divided into two groups. The elder brother's wife stayed in their hometown with their children, and the remaining three continued on their way. Here, the director once again showed his kindness, and the crossing of the river went smoothly without any casualties.
However, the cruelty of fate also began to slowly unfold since then.
While selling porcelain, my brother met a rich lady. The rich lady introduced him into her own home, so gentle and graceful, and finally let him indulge in the land of sensuality. He felt that he was simply in heaven.
The younger brother ignored his wife's obstruction, took the money from selling porcelain, bought armor and spears, and resolutely rushed to the battlefield. Later, he even had "shit luck", made military exploits, was rewarded with horses and attendants, and proudly embarked on the road of returning home.
However, these are all "dreams".
When my brother was buying new clothes for his new love, he was in a trance, only to learn that the rich girl turned out to be a ghost.
When the younger brother was parked in Fengyue Pavilion, he was so excited that he bumped into his wife, who was forced to become a prostitute.
At the end of the film, the three people who crossed the river all returned home.
The elder brother saw his wife who ignored the past, didn't ask about the past, and was as gentle as before, as well as the sleeping child. However, after dawn, he realized that his wife had already died.
The younger brother and his wife continued their ordinary lives, and the wife told him to cheer up and work hard.
The 1950s can be said to be the golden age of Japanese cinema. Directors such as Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu and their masterpieces are emerging one after another. The director of the film, Kenji Mizoguchi, is also a veritable master in film history. In particular, the use of his camera lens has even influenced the approach to film aesthetics since then.
Needless to say, the film's artistic attainments have already received too much professional analysis. As for the feelings and reflections that the story itself brings to the audience, it naturally varies from person to person. Some people see the destruction of society by war, some people see the destruction of human nature by desire, and some people see women's complacency to patriarchy.
Overall, this is a tragedy. But the director is still full of kindness after all. Although the two brothers have gone astray, they finally found their way back.
Perhaps, the true background of the film lies in this "homecoming". After all, "home" is everything. It is the deepest warmth and the ultimate blessing.
The older I get, the more I can appreciate and appreciate the breadth of women. In this film, the role of "home" is assumed by women. Especially my brother's wife. She was neither beautiful nor wise. She does not desire glory, nor does she long for wealth. Her most simple wish is to have her husband and children by her side. She doesn't know much about her husband's business history, but she will give all the support she should give. When she has a hunch that there may be potential risks, she will persuade. If the persuasion is useless, she will continue to choose support, and then pray for peace. Such a woman is stupid, but this is home. There's no sense here, not even sanity. But here is where all the sustenance and final support can be provided. Therefore, even if her husband strayed into the affair, she still chose to wait at home.
This man is of course hateful, but he finally broke free from the nightmare and returned home, which is also considered a prodigal son.
When it comes to the prodigal son's return, men are always aware of it. Obviously, they didn't have to be prodigal sons at first, but they were stubborn and always wanted to give it a go. This may be the inherent "bad root" of human nature. The wife in the film, one deceased and the other sinking, can also be regarded as a kind of "retribution" and alertness deliberately arranged by the director.
In the vast world, there are many similar warning words. However, generation after generation, similar tragedies are always repeated in turn.
Woohoo.
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