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In 1960, Godard's "Exhausted" was released, which shocked the world because of its anti-type approach, and the "freedom" spirit of the film was even more popular. Interestingly, in the same year, Godard's predecessor director - Jacques Becque's last film - "The Hole" came out, but told a story of losing his freedom again, even though that "freedom" was readily available.
"The Hole" gives a "failed" ending, a character that the audience cares about and sympathizes with, fails without exception. Four inmates failed to escape from prison; the fifth person seemed to benefit from reporting, but in fact, in the last scene of the film, he was still locked in another cell, walked into the shadows, and his future was uncertain; of course, the prisoners in other cells also Therefore, the possibility of jailbreaking is broken. For prisoners, regaining their freedom is the real victory. The fifth person - Gaspard - the main bearer of the narrative point of view, single-handedly ruined everyone's chance to regain their freedom. He became a pitiful creature cast aside by his inmates, and he will bear the cross of an informer for the rest of his life.
A prison escape story with no one free at the end, full of paradoxical charm.
At the climax of the story, Gaspard followed Manuto to lift the manhole cover. At that time, he was outside the prison, smelling the air in the street and listening to the sounds of the city. At that moment, he even had the urge to run away on his own. . Why does Gaspard "touch" this short-lived "free air"? Why not someone else? In the play, Gaspard is the character who leads everyone to watch the whole story. He connects all forces in the prison. Therefore, functionally, he must witness the feasibility of the prison escape plan, which can be described as "victory in sight". On the other hand, the filmmakers give a solid fact: Gaspard could escape from prison to get his freedom, keep his friendship, and even enjoy the ultimate success of his own plan... But he chose to snitch.
The mood of the film reached its peak with the upcoming jailbreak operation. At this time, in the peeping glasses made by the inmates, the prison guards crowded the entire aisle. The expectation that the jailbreak is about to be successful. The audience thus has a huge psychological gap. While regretting it, it is inevitable that they will ask: Why do you want to inform when you can obviously get freedom?
Explain it in the most superficial way - whistleblowing will bring benefits. For prisoners, the greatest benefit is freedom (release or commutation). And it is he - Gaspard - who does not believe that the "good" (freedom) can be earned by his own efforts, but believes that the "good" (liberty) must be given or even rewarded. In the story, the character who holds the "benefits" is the warden. Even smelling the air outside the prison, Gaspard believed that the freedom the warden gave was more reliable.
I remember not long ago, when I was visiting the toy store downstairs with my son, I overheard a little boy talking, and in his lowered voice there was hesitation, tentativeness, and even shrewdness far beyond his age. At that time, the female shopkeeper was patiently inducing the little boy to say, "If you report it, I will reward you." The little boy was silent for a while. Under the gentle tone of the female shopkeeper, he hesitated, dared not say his name, and was reluctant to turn around and leave the store. Shelves full of Ultraman collectible cards. In the intermittent conversation, I probably learned that the little boy had several companions who often came to the store to steal cards, and he consciously or unintentionally disclosed it to the female store owner. When asked who it was, the little boy was worried, "If I said it, they would definitely know it was me." At this time, I took a chance to look at the little boy, who was probably less than six years old. When I went out, I could still hear the female shopkeeper's persuasion: "If you report them for good deeds, the aunt will reward you!"
I surmise to myself that in the little boy's experience, the concept of "secrecy" or "protection of companions" has not yet appeared. Instead, simple behaviors such as "self-protection" and "reward" are closer to instinct, no need to teach, naturally hair growth. Out of a profit-seeking instinct, you tell the secret you know to someone with some kind of authority, who usually has the benefit you expect. And those with authority, out of control over you, must always ensure that the rewards are firmly in their own hands, and must never be obtained by yourself.
Gaspard's recognition that his reward (freedom) must be given by the warden is incremental. At the beginning of the film, Gaspard has a gold-plated lighter, which was confiscated by the prison guards. The warden intervened in time and comforted Gaspard in a pleasant manner, saying that he would keep it on his behalf. Later, Gaspard was summoned before the escape, and he learned from the warden that his wife had withdrawn the lawsuit, and whether he could be released from prison next depends on the attitude of the warden. By now, Gaspard was convinced that the Warden would do me a favor.
The fate of a whistleblower
The focus of the story is not "prison break", but to explore Gaspard's psychological changes through his experience in prison. The escape plan had begun long before Gaspard was scheduled to be transferred, and he was simply "joined" into it out of nowhere. Gaspard's attitude towards the escape is always changing, and it is his attitude towards "freedom" that ultimately determines his betrayal of the escape. As mentioned above, the film already hinted at Gaspard's "potential" for a whistleblower from the very beginning. The way the story is laid out is to let the audience follow Gaspard step by step to witness his fateful experience of being a whistleblower.
A certain website praised the short review, saying that "The Hole" is a "prison break film of technical flow". The people who spoke and the people who liked it only cared about their position, ignoring the loopholes and flaws in the jailbreak design. Crude and short remarks are easily sought after, and conclusions that can be understood without thinking have a wide market. The act of liking is too simple to be responsible and cancels the process of thinking and doubt.
Some critics speculated that Gaspard was a spy that the warden planted among his four inmates. This kind of inference of "playing idle chess to burn a cold stove" is outside the movie, and no clear information is given in the movie. However, there are several "free strokes" in the film, all of which point to the "physique" of Gaspard's whistleblower.
Prisoners in prisons often receive daily necessities sent by relatives and friends abroad. In the film, a whole scene is used to explain, in public, the prison guards rudely open up the personal belongings received by prisoners, and even cheese is cut with a knife and stirred. stir. As far as they are concerned, they can finally get what they want, and the price to pay is only the invasion of privacy.
The food Gaspard received was also the most particular among the inmates, and he also had a gold-plated lighter. What's more exaggerated is that he is the only person in the cell with pajamas, and he has to change into pajamas every day when he sleeps. Even in prison, Gaspard's requirements for the quality of life are unambiguous. When he first arrived in the new cell, he was puzzled by the diligent working attitude of the new inmates. He does not work, and thus lacks awareness of the meaning of work. Later we know that the inmates used labor to cover up their escape. When Gaspard was accepted by the inmates and joined the prison escape plan, he was still unable to dig holes, and his contribution was the least among all the staff.
Gaspard is also the only one of all the prisoners who has clearly explained the circumstances of his upbringing. He was brought up by his grandmother since he was a child, was born in a mansion, and was well-loved. Known as a "soft eater", he relies on his wealthy wife for daily expenses. Gaspard's lover, his wife's sister, shows neglect of Gaspard during the visit, and she plans to go abroad, which means the end of the relationship. Frustrated in love, Gaspard changed his slack and worked harder to contribute to the escape plan. Because he knew very well that at this moment, only the inmates could rely on. When he learned that his wife had withdrawn the lawsuit and was expected to be released from prison, Gaspard turned to the warden's side, because he decided that the warden was more reliable than his fellow inmates. The weak Gaspard was used to pinning his hopes on others, or, in other words, entrusting his future to a stronger party.
misplaced point of view
The point of view of the story also proves that the focus of the story is on the whistleblower rather than the escape. Before the official start of the story, there is a prologue. A worker who is repairing a car suddenly turns to the camera and tells the audience: My friend Jacques Baker (director) made a movie and tells the story of my past. When the story begins, we find out that the person leading us to watch the story is not the car mechanic. It was not until Gaspard was transferred to prison that we found out that the car mechanic was one of the "Four Gentlemen" named Roland. What does this mean?
Rowland is the owner of the story, and he claimed that the story belonged to him before it started. The owner of the story is Rowland, but the point of view of the story basically belongs to Gaspard. This creates a dislocation where the owner of the story is not the one leading the audience through the story, which is clearly intentional. Suppose, to tell the story from the perspective of the owner of the story, it is equivalent to: a leader leads the inmates to plan carefully and put all their efforts into it, and also accepts the new inmates, and everyone runs towards freedom together, but he is finally killed The betrayal of the inmates... Isn't this story more sympathetic?
Obviously, what the director wants is not the "Shawshank Redemption"-style flattery, but a sharp criticism. Criticizes Gaspard's fatal whistleblower path.
At the end of the film, Rowland says "poor man" to Gaspard. He is the core of the prison escape plan and the person who has contributed the most. After being reported by Gaspard, his everything was in vain, and after his anger, he actually took pity on Gaspard. The film writer's attitude towards Rowland is really partial. He is a noble man. And we can also confirm from the prologue of the film that although Roland was betrayed by Gaspard, he escaped from prison. Because he was still in his prime at the prologue of the film, he could not have been released after serving his sentence, but obtained his freedom through his own unremitting struggle. What's more interesting is that the actor himself is a prisoner who escaped, and "The Hole" is an adaptation of his own story.
Rowland, his appearance in the prologue of the story, has a message worth noting - he's missing two fingers. During the implementation of the jailbreak, almost all the key operations were completed by Roland. Clearly, he is a skilled worker. In the film, the author presents Roland as a perpetual motion-like existence, who is always in action. Whether it is the prison escape project in the main sequence, or he is repairing the car at the beginning of the film, it all implies Roland's identity and craftsmanship as a worker. From this, I deduce that Jacques Becque is using "The Hole" to express his own left-wing thought: Roland (worker) is the actual leader of the struggle (prison break), and he is also the one who finally gained freedom; Gaspard, who was born into a rich family Destined to be weak whistleblowers, they have all fought for personal reasons and have all lost to their own deep-seated weakness.
Another character in prison carries the compassion and warmth of the filmmaker.
Gio, he is the biggest and the blackest among the "Four Gentlemen". But also the warmest. He did everything in his power to help his fellow inmates clear their way, but at the outset he was adamant that he would end up in prison. Assuming the escape goes according to plan, and Gio ends up in jail, he'll get an increased sentence as an accomplice. He gave up his freedom out of guilt for his mother. He doesn't want to add to the crime and become a prisoner, but he also wants his fellow prisoners to be free.
Gio's choice is another way suggested by the author: to stay and continue serving his sentence, not to betray his inmates. It's embarrassing that Gaspard is too smart to even think of going this route. Although Gio is cheap, he retains the purest kindness in human nature. It is not that he cannot afford the price of freedom, but that he is responsible for his past crimes in an upright manner. At the same time, he also trusts his fellow prisoners. Be responsible for. Looking forward to the escape of the inmates, Gio's eyes are bright every day.
Compared with "The Hole", "The Shawshank Redemption" is the so-called "prison break classic": the wronged prophet, in a filthy prison, enlightens the original incurable sinners, and then he gets what he deserves. Bright, he soared to the heaven of freedom, and took care of the friends of color he made. Well-planned, well-hidden, full of self-pity and wishful indoctrination. "The Hole" is about an attempted prison break, and while the quest for freedom is ultimately disillusioned, they present a wake-up call to the question. If you continue to ask this question, it will be possible to lead a spiritual journey of reflection and doubt. Compared with the typical prison escape story, this is the real enlightenment story.
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