the
new century, the box office appeal of Hollywood war films has become less and less, from "Pearl Harbor" to "We Were Soldiers", and then to "The Resistance" "The Banner of the Fathers" and "Letter from Iwo Jima," which were filmed in two sets with Clint Eastwood, were not as expected at the box office, and the potential for winning prizes was also thunderous and rainy, which directly led to Hollywood in recent years. War blockbusters are almost extinct! Hollywood can't make money, and few other countries dare to make war blockbusters. In recent years, the only war blockbuster that is truly "worthy of the name" is probably only this "Fortress of the Decisive Battle under the City"! This film also has a translation called "Brest Fortress", which panoramically shows the heroic deeds of the Red Army commanders and fighters in the battle to defend the Brest Fortress at the beginning of the Soviet-German battlefield in World War II! When it comes to the level of shooting modern war movies, Hollywood is naturally recognized as the number one. After watching this film, I believe you will agree that the status of Russia's second child is unshakable! Whether it is the grandeur of the war scenes, the shock of the explosion special effects, or the fierceness of the fierce battles, few war films have compared them in recent years! In addition, as an authentic Russian theme war blockbuster, in addition to fierce war scenes, the film also has rich stories and characters, as well as artistic shots and pictures, which truly achieves the "three sexes of ideology, artistry and viewing." One", China's main theme blockbuster should really learn from others how to shoot!
Soviet war blockbusters such as "Battle of Stalingrad", "Battle of Leningrad" and "Conquering Berlin" have become classic memories of a generation of Chinese people. Although Hollywood has gradually shifted the focus of blockbusters from war films in the past decade, However, the shooting of war blockbusters in the Russian film industry is quite prosperous. This is not only because of the inheritance of the war film tradition of the former Soviet Union, but also because of the need to explore the commercial potential of war blockbusters to grab the box office in the new era, and also because Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes to arouse the public through war films The memory of the glory of the great power and the sacrifice and dedication of the Soviet Union, thereby boosting the political needs of patriotism and national spirit, so "The Star", "Countdown to Death", "The Ninth Company", "Number One in the World", "The Tomb Fan" "Trace" and other war blockbusters emerge in an endless stream, and there are especially many works on the theme of World War II. This film is the main theme war blockbuster that came into being under this trend. Whether it is a war scene or a story character, it can be called a classic in the trend!
Interestingly, war films in the Soviet era mainly focus on victorious battles such as "Defense of Leningrad" and "Conquering Berlin", while Russian war films in the new century prefer "Blasting Before Dawn" and "The Battle of the Fortress". Such defeats are of course because the victorious battles are too familiar to the audience, but also because the Russian filmmakers have rediscovered the value of these defeats after they got rid of the ideological shackles. Compared with those victorious battles, the heroic tenacity and the spirit of unyielding death displayed by the soldiers in these defeated battles are not bad at all, and this tragic defeat is more likely to arouse the audience's emotions, which also coincides with the Russians walking out of the Soviet Union. The shadow of the country, and the mentality of re-establishing the image of a great power in the international arena. The Brest Fortress in this film is a traditional fortress built in the 19th century on the western border of the Soviet Union. After the outbreak of the Soviet-German war on June 22, 1942, the defenseless defenders were suddenly attacked by the German army. The plight of isolation, lack of water and food, and the well-armed and numerous German troops, but the Soviet commanders and fighters in the fortress still fought to the death and repulsed the enemy's attack. After that, the German army used siege tactics to exhaust the will of the Soviet army to resist. Under the critical situation, the Soviet commanders and fighters decided to break through the siege, but were beaten back to the fortress by the well-prepared German army. Although the fortress was finally broken, there were still Soviet soldiers who persisted in resisting in the tunnels, even for more than a year! Such a failure is undoubtedly evocative and moving, and it is undoubtedly an excellent subject for a theme film.
In order to achieve the purpose of educating and inspiring people, the main theme blockbuster must attract audiences in an attractive form, otherwise it will only become a self-talk that no one applauds. The Russian theme blockbuster attaches great importance to viewing, commercial and outstanding standards, which is clearly reflected in the war scene of "Fortress of Decisive Battle under the City". The film reproduces the whole process of the defense of the Brest Fortress. The perspective and content are quite rich. In addition to the whole play from the perspective of the child protagonist Akimov, it also simultaneously uses the perspective of three Red Army commanders. It tells about the battle situation of the three strongholds in the fortress, not only defending against danger and shooting against the enemy, but also fighting hand-to-hand with the German army outside the fortress, and more tragically breaking through. Shocking power. Especially in the real-life blasting and pyrotechnic stunts created by the German bombardment of the fortress, the sense of war presence is particularly outstanding, which reflects the extremely high technical level of Russian war films. There are many explosion scenes of collapsed houses in the film, which can be clearly seen It is definitely not a computer special effect, but a perfect effect of overall shock and real details that can only be produced by real scene construction and blasting and destruction! There is also a long shot of an explosion that is even more subtle. The panicked crowd ran in a panic during the German artillery surprise attack. In the slow motion, from the long-range to the close-up, some people were shot and fell to the ground under the rising explosion point. One shot is a test of the stuntman. Cooperate with the pyrotechnician who controls the explosion point. Of course, the fact that the film uses more live-action blasting is not because the computer effects of Russian filmmakers are not good. In the film, the German heavy bomb bombing the fortress, from the bombing of the plane to the bomb explosion, the shock wave swept the fortress, which was exciting and shocking. The visual effects are obviously dominated by computer special effects, and the technical level is obviously no less than that of Hollywood.
In addition to the audio-visual shock achieved by the film's super-strong expressiveness of large scenes in war scenes, the rich and vivid stories and characters, as well as the delicate and touching details are also the main elements that attract the audience. The two-hour-long film showcases the traditional advantages of Russian war films with rich and informative content, fascinating stories, fast paced and lively characters. Although the Red Army commanders and fighters in the film are basically the kind of tough guys who are brave and fearless, firm-willed, and willing to die, even the child protagonist Akimov is no exception, but the film still shows these main characters through some carefully set plots. On the personality side, for example, Fuming, the political commissar of the regiment, was witty when he rescued the civilians who were used as human shields by the German army, and his concern for the safety of others was more important than his own life and death, so he was unwilling to lie down, as well as the dignity and calmness of the sacrifice scene at the end. Captain Kirevatov's deep affection for his wife and children, making his family surrender and resisting to the death is also very touching. In addition, there are many supporting roles in the film, although they have not many roles, but they are equally impressive. For example, the couple of officers who committed suicide and died, the driver who only escaped for his life at first but then died with the German army after seeing his lover's tragic death, the officer who was fat but thoughtful and used dancing to boost morale, and the one who rescued the wounded day and night The military doctor who finally committed suicide... Although the film has many characters, everyone's performance is perfect.
In terms of the artistic sense of the shots and pictures of "The Battle of the Fortress under the City", it also inherits the traditional advantages of Russian movies. The happy and peaceful daily life of people in the Brest Fortress on the eve of the war was photographed as beautiful as an oil painting, and full of rich life flavor. In terms of camera sense, the war scene does not use the strong camera shake that was popular in the film industry after "Saving Private Ryan", but uses a more stable camera sense to help the audience have a clear understanding of the complex battle situation. At the end, when the child protagonist Akimov travels through the fog of war, the film takes an artistic sublimation here. The people who have passed away appear in various realistic and abstract forms along with the smoke, and the camera slides gracefully around them. The background The sound also became ethereal and hazy in an instant, and the main theme of the music that echoed repeatedly in the film sounded again. The cruelty of war and the destruction of beauty were presented in front of the audience in an extremely artistic lens, which brought people a different kind of thinking and moving.
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