On the screen, a large number of long lenses and fixed lenses are used for shooting. The beginning of the film is a long shot, the dialogue between Songlian and her mother, and the mother's absence from the frame also shows the isolation of the relationship between Songlian and her mother. Subsequent shots also use a large number of long-range, medium-range, and large-range shots to highlight the oppression of buildings on characters, which is also an expression of hierarchy. Director Hou Hsiao-hsien likes to use long-range shooting very much, and he is the producer of this film. When Song Lian first entered the mansion, she used a lot of long-range shots to see the insignificance of women in this courtyard and their destined destiny to be oppressed. For example, the most classic butler is upstairs and Song Lian is downstairs. Alludes to the supremacy of male rights in this court. There are also many classic long-range shots in the film. For example, the scene where Song Lian is standing in the courtyard when she sees the third wife being pulled away. In the end, the scene where Song Lian goes to the house of the dead and sees the third wife being hanged and screaming is also a long-range shot. It is very good to use, and it is worth appreciating. Secondly, the film uses a lot of overhead shooting techniques, which will make the building appear more compact, the sense of depth will be enhanced, and the depressive atmosphere will be enhanced, and the layout of the film is mostly symmetrical. It will produce solemnity and a heavy sense of depression. The symmetrical and regular layout of the old house and the ritual sense of lighting the lamp and beating the feet are contrasted with each other. They are like a frame to imprison people inside. In this old house, everywhere is everywhere. The word "rule" is displayed, and at the same time, the master has not shown his face, which can also reflect that he is the maker of this rule and his supreme right in this old house. There is also the last shot at the end of the film, which also uses an overhead shot to shoot a square roof, and Song Lian just stands in the middle of the courtyard, showing that Song Lian is trapped and will never escape. The last point on the screen is the montage editing. The montage editing method was adopted for the scene when Song Lian was blocked, showing the movement of covering the lantern from different angles, emphasizing the supremacy of male power in this courtyard.
Color-wise, the film uses a lot of red, achromatic white, and blue. From the perspective of color alone, we know that red symbolizes joy or violence, bloody terror, or oppression by power. It can also represent resistance and struggle. So what kind of emotion is the red in this film? First of all, let's look at the beginning. On the wedding night of Song Lian and the master, when Song Lian entered the room, she saw the red lanterns all over the room. This time, it symbolized Song Lian's panic and fear of the unknown life in the future. The red lanterns hung in the courtyard are symbols of right and power. And the scene where Yan'er and Song Lian are fighting is the most dazzling red in the whole film. This is because the red contains the element of violent expression. At the same time, the dazzling red of the whole film can also deepen the distortion of the women in the compound under the oppression of patriarchy in the narrative, and can see the domination of women by the red lanterns. After the third wife died, Song Lian lit all the lamps in the third wife's courtyard and the lamp in her own courtyard. The bright red light could also be seen as Song Lian's silent struggle after realizing that she had accidentally killed the two people. Achromatic refers to colors such as black and gray. These two colors are also used a lot in the film. The black of the old man's clothes, the black of the lantern cover, and the black of the butler's clothes can all highlight the supremacy of men in the hospital. There is also the gray of the courtyard walls and the gray of the sky, all of which show a depressing atmosphere, and it feels like people are imprisoned and have nowhere to escape. At the same time, when the third wife was taken away by the servants, the scene of Song Lian standing in the pitch-black courtyard can also see her inner despair and the pain of being suppressed. At this time, there was a thick layer of snow on the ground, forming a strong contrast. It can also express the deep coolness in Songlian's heart. Blue symbolizes gloom. Yan'er was dismantled by Songlian. When she was kneeling in the courtyard in the heavy snow, the picture appeared blue, implying that Yan'er's ending was doomed to a tragic fate. At the same time, the application of color in the costumes of the characters is also very brilliant. Song Lian just wore white and black in the mansion, which symbolizes her simplicity. When Song Lian is also deeply involved in the intrigue of the mansion, the color of the clothes also follows the mentality of Song Lian. change with change. The third wife's clothes are mostly bright colors and red, which shows her fighting spirit. She knows that it is a scene to deceive others and deceive herself. The eldest wife's clothes are mostly gray and black, and it can be seen that she has I'm down on a lot of things and just want to protect myself. And the black color of the above-mentioned old man's clothes symbolizes status and power.
In terms of sound, first, the narrative function of the sound of the whole film is very strong. From the beginning, I heard the joy of the loudspeaker and then saw the welcoming procession, and then I heard the flute and then took out the flute. There is also a strong narrative in the words of the third wife every time she sings. The second is that every time a tragic thing happens, there will be cheerful music. For example, when Songlian goes to the house of the dead to check, the background music is very cheerful, and the two form a sharp contrast. The third is the sound of hammering feet. After watching the film twice, the sound of hammering feet is all in my mind. I feel that this voice is more like a household reminder, pushing every woman in the courtyard to the road of intrigue. The form of lighting the lamp, hammering the foot and ordering food is the survival system of the women in the courtyard. These things are constantly strengthening the supremacy of male power in the courtyard.
The first time I watched this film, I originally watched it with the analysis of audio-visual language, but I didn't expect that I would fall into the plot all of a sudden, I was really angry and didn't understand, I didn't understand their non-resistance and compromised assimilation, Angry at their stupidity and cannibalistic feudal patriarchy. I would also think if it were me, what kind of life would I choose to live in the compound, but I am glad that I live in a better era, which is great!!! Later, I started to watch this film for the second time, really Whether it is from painting, or sound, or the combination of sound and picture is a film that is very suitable for beginners to watch. Finally, let us rejoice that we are living in a good time!
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