Usually low-budget films that save both actors and scenes require an exquisite plot structure, extraordinary acting skills, and the audience's ability to endure loneliness and be full of inquiry. Films lacking other fancy fillers often show the charm of performances and lines, so a good script and a good creative team are crucial.
In this regard, "Footprint" (also translated as "Reconnaissance", "Very Conflict"), which was produced last year, is better than "Secret Meeting". Both films have only two leading actors, and the main storylines take place in In a claustrophobic space, that is, the home of one of the characters, but the narrative structure, plot scheduling, performance level and language dialogue of "Footprints" are stronger than "Secret Meeting", which may have a "long" history with "Footprints". It has something to do with the depth of the story, maybe it has something to do with Sir Michael Caine's superb acting skills, or maybe it has something to do with the sharp and humorous dialogue written by the famous Harold Pinter.
Before watching this remake of "Footprints" starring Jude Law as one of the producers and co-stars, I deliberately avoided the old version starring Lawrence Oliver and Michael Caine for fear of being swayed. Of course, both of them There are some interesting connections beyond creation, such as the handsome "lover" Michael Caine in the 1972 version, who is now old enough to be turned into a sinister "husband", and the role he played in those days was played by him. Jude Law was born in 1972. Of course, the 1972 movie version is by no means the first time that "Footprints" appeared. There was a stage version of "Footprints" in 1970, and won the Tony Award, and all these Both are based on the novel of the same name by Anthony Saffo.
Horror novelist Andrew Wyke (played by Michael Caine) has "everything", fame and wealth, and a wonderful wife, but he is "old and senile" no matter how unwilling he is, he has been reduced to "not good in Bed", the handsome young Milo Tedell (played by Jude Law) suddenly visited and asked "Old Cow" Andrew to give up "tender grass", that is, to sign the divorce agreement. Andrew understood that the arrogant handsome guy in front of him was "the man who slept with my wife". On the surface, he was calm, but in fact he had brewed up a "shame" plan. He was not worried that his wife would really divorce him, because " Sooner or later, she will come back to him, and now he wants to teach this self-confident young man a lesson, and to regain the lost husband's dignity in this handsome rival. However, this rival in love is not beautiful and brainless, he can also resist and fight back for a round or two, so things develop more and more dramatic, a showdown between two men triggered by a woman, in this both It was staged in a claustrophobic mansion with no privacy at all.
Speaking of privacy, it is because the mansion is almost isolated from the outside world. Speaking of selflessness, it is because Andrew, a writer, has a secretive mind. He has installed monitors all over the room, so that everything is only under control. The way this man duel is presented is also quite layered. At first, they test each other and ridicule each other, and then escalate from a war of words to a cat-and-mouse game of intrigue, and finally develop into a head-to-head confrontation that is deliberate, whether it is a smug, witty and innocent lover, or a deeply hidden lover. Lu, the wily husband, there is no winner until the end...
After watching, I compared the old version of the film and found that the confrontation between the two men has three rounds of performance in the old and new versions, but on the whole, the old version seems to be more The suspense and dramatic tension, and the hasty presentation of the ending of the new version, also seem to be lacking. Of course, there are a lot of innovations in the new edition, such as the distinct atmosphere of the times, whether it is a monitor or an automated room mechanism, whether it is a dialogue that is closer to contemporary life or a post-modern art-style interior design (the writer in the old edition lives in a castle) ).
In addition, the character setting has also undergone tremendous changes. Unlike the somewhat neurotic and temperamental writer in the old version, Michael Caine's Andrew has an elusive and hidden old fox temperament. He appears to be a gentleman with gentle words like a modest gentleman, but his heart is dark and indifferent and contains evil intentions. And Jude Law's Milo is even more different from Kane's interpretation. He gave this remake a brand new story. At first glance, the character of the lover is very simple and easy to deal with, but it is not easy. Qiu De Lo has endowed it with new characteristics, not only combining cowardice and conceit, recklessness and agility in a subtle way, but also exuding a kind of temperament that is both tough and feminine, and strong in softness. , in the middle and latter part of the film, he attacked and even acted coquettishly, which made people dazzled and gave me goosebumps. It seems that this performance is his best performance in recent years.
Although the scene changes in the film are not many, they are quite distinctive, and they can also explain the dark side of the owner of the house. The color of the room is mainly cool, and the design style is simple in a strange and mysterious tone. In addition, the time of the story is arranged. On a cloudy afternoon, the sunlight was replaced by the changing settings of the room lighting, and the lighting would change with the changing atmosphere of the characters’ dialogue. Not only did it not obliterate the effect of the stage play, but it also rendered it more three-dimensional, which was also helpful for the The development of the plot promotes the rendering of a strange and beautiful atmosphere.
Having seen some of the relevant reviews of the film, "Variety" overrated: "This film is fundamentally different from the original, and it looks more like a poor self-imitation by screenwriter Harold Pinter." " USA Today is a little too optimistic: "Watching Jude Law and Michael Caine, the representatives of the two generations of British actors, and arguing in a roundabout way, is the top movie viewing experience in the world." Objectively speaking, the new version of "Footprints" is full of some interesting new things, such as dialogues with sharp wisdom, humor and agility, full of British literary atmosphere, and many changes in character creation and stage-like scene settings. It's not bad to watch it as a brand new movie, but once it is compared to the old version, it will give birth to some nitpicks.
( http://nicolew.blog.hexun.com/17710989_d.html )
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