Encountering Immortals" and "Modern Times" Summary of the Forum by Fan Daming /
Time: February 15, 2014 (Saturday) 11:45-12:00 AM
Venue: 202 Nanshan Road, Hangzhou Henglu Art Museum Ground Floor Lecture Hall
(Henglu Art Film Bar Chaplin’s work "Finding Children and Encountering Immortals" and "Modern Times" post-viewing scene)
Participants: (Preface) Fan Daming, Huang Jianping, Pang Jian, Yu Bowen, He Ji , Jin Aiwu, Zhang Xiaoping, Li Hongshi, Sun Fengfeng (viewers: Chen Linfen, Gao Yuejian, Weng Xiliang, Wang Yuefang, Chen Nan, Wu Yf, Jiang Xizhen, Yu Han, Li Yumin, Chen Xingsheng, Cai Ling, etc.)
Host: Fan Daming
Records: Sun Fengfeng
" The relationship between "picture" and "subtitles" in silent films has its own advantages
Fan Daming: The long Chinese New Year holiday put away our February activities for half a month. For Chaplin Film Month this month, we still have four films prepared. Today, two short films will be screened continuously. Except for the third one next week, we will borrow a Saturday on March 1st. The fourth film is shown. "Searching for Children and Encountering Fairy" is Chaplin's first silent film with multiple copies. Although "Modern Times" uses dialogue in some places, it is still a silent film on the whole. When we say that they are silent films, we don't mean that there is no sound at all. The sound of music accompaniment still exists-Chaplin himself is still the film music creator of his works. In the dialogue between the characters in the film, we try to use the expressions, actions, and behaviors of the actors as much as possible to let us the audience indirectly feel the general meaning of the words spoken by the characters (in fact, it is enough to appreciate this); When there is no specific dialogue content, it is conveyed by inserting a special subtitle lens. In other words, its subtitles are different from the subtitles that express the dialogue voices of the characters in our movies today. They are not synchronously overprinted at the bottom of the screen, but exist independently, are exclusive to the screen, and are presented with the corresponding screen shots. The constitutive relationship of the pairs that appear one after another; in terms of time, they appear sequentially and not synchronously, but the two directly constitute a counterpoint relationship. The subtitles of this kind of silent film are the montage combination and composition relationship of the two shots of "picture" and "subtitle", which are actually processed by a "parallel montage" technique. Its advantage is that when watching the screen, concentrate on watching the screen, and watching (not "listening") the dialogue (ie, "subtitles") while watching (reading) the dialogue. Both have a certain length of time in the process. Unlike the original audio films we watch now, while watching the screen and reading the subtitles that are quickly displayed at the bottom, they tend to lose sight of one another, and often even fall apart. In this regard, silent films are truly pleasant and recreational appreciation for our viewers, and the viewers will not suffer from aesthetic fatigue. In this sense, when the sound film technology was invented in the late 1920s, silent film masters such as Eisenstein unanimously opposed the abuse of sound by sound films, and it was not unreasonable to resist the emergence of sound films for a period of time. of.
Strengthen the physical performance of the characters, so that the "seeing" factor or "seeability" can reach the maximum extent possible
Huang Jianping: Most of the characters in Chaplin's films are tramps. In "Searching for Children and Encountering Immortals", he becomes a glassmaker. Although life is poor, it shows a spirit. Some jokes in the film are full of imagination.
Fan Daming: Chaplin’s two films, like other silent films, also try to eliminate dialogue factors in the relationship between the characters and strengthen the physical performance of the characters, including the facial expressions of the characters, the movements of the characters’ hands and feet, and the Behavior, posture and movement of the body, etc. In this way, the "seeing" factor of the film or its "viewability" has reached the maximum possible extent, and the performance skills of the actors in the limited film time and space have also reached the maximum possible extent. In "Looking for Children and Encountering Fairy", almost every actor's performance is extremely wonderful. Chaplin’s performance is naturally not a problem, and the actor named Kogan who plays a child is also very vivid, even fascinating. For example, after he was loaded into the car of the official orphanage, he performed the kind of crying and crying. The face, the mime-like action that stretched out his hands to show for help, was definitely carefully tuned by the comedy master Chaplin. The problem is that these were performed both from the heart and fully externalized by the little actor Cogan. I even think that the child's predecessor, his "performance" as a baby actor in the infancy, was so well-acted, so vivid and profound. No wonder people say that Chaplin's performances can never be bored. It fully demonstrates the infinite vitality of Chaplin's film art.
Pang Jian: "Looking for Children and Encountering Fairy" reflects the love of the protagonist and the difficulty of raising children. "Modern Times" also reveals the difficulty of life for the bottom of society. But in the face of difficulties, they still stick to their lives. Support and inspire yourself with a kind of spiritual power.
The two films reflect the comedy talent of Chaplin's films and his high imagination.
Yu Bowen: Chaplin's films are what I really want to watch. The hardship of the protagonist's life makes people sympathetic.
He Ji: Chaplin's film is thought-provoking. It reminds me of some social problems that need to be resolved in our current period of reform and opening up. Now we must strive to improve the living standards of the entire society, and we should also strengthen our cultural construction.
Jin Aiwu: The two films reflect the comedy talent of Chaplin's films and his high imagination; the film also reflects a kind of human spirit. To live happily is actually very simple.
Zhang Xiaoping: After watching Chaplin's movie, it can be remembered after smiling, and it is very memorable.
"Modern Times" shows new breakthroughs in the deepening and development of themes in Chaplin's films
Fan Daming: Unlike "Looking for Children and Encountering Fairy", "Modern Times" shows that Chaplin's films have made new breakthroughs in the deepening and development of themes, as well as the huge ideological power of artistic creation. Generally speaking, the film is based on the standpoint of ordinary laborers in the lower class of society, and carried out a ruthless attack and irony on the so-called "modern" new era of the most advanced or modern industrial large-scale machine production-if such advanced productivity (For example, the specialized division of labor) and modern gadgets (such as the automatic eating machine, etc.) actually lead to the destruction of people from the body to the spirit, then this kind of inherent contradiction in productivity and the social contradiction between productivity and production relations Wait, the deprivation and harm of people's basic rights is truly unparalleled. Of course, people have to put a huge question mark on its so-called "advancedness" and "modernity"! The film obviously expresses a kind of infinite sympathy and incomparable concern for the little people who seem at a loss and helpless in such a society from the standpoint of ordinary people's justice. These descriptions are objectively flogging and ironic to those in power in society. The tragic fate of the protagonist by modern productive labor implies a power of resistance and criticism. But Chaplin did not allow his protagonist to play the role of a conscious advanced fighter among the working class, whether he is seen as the leader of the street strike movement, or his subduing the robbers in prison, etc., the protagonist’s behavior Motivation and behavior are largely due to their kind nature and resistance instinct, or simply the result of some misunderstanding. From the point of view of the film itself, Chaplin's description of the state apparatus of the United States-police, prisons, etc. at the time was not ugly. In the film "Looking for a Child and Encountering Fairy", in the passage where the father and son partnered to smash people's window glass in order to win the opportunity to do business with glass, the dealings between them and the police precisely showed that the police are a kind of justice and law enforcement. Image—including the behavior of the police finally guiding the glassmaker to the home of his biological mother, etc.; and they themselves showed a kind of petty citizen mentality playing with clever cleverness, and they became unquestionably law-breakers in the market. In "Modern Times", prisons are not harsh in their treatment of prisoners. The prisons are strictly disciplined and drugs are strictly prohibited; and if you perform meritorious service, you will be given relatively superior prison treatment, which appears to be clearly rewarding and punishing.
Li Hongshi: I'm listening to everyone's speeches and learning about it. It is very meaningful.
Sun Fengfeng: I like Chaplin's performance very much. The two films reflect the lives of the American people at the bottom, and also reflect that American creativity and science are leading the way.
Chaplin’s forced departure from the United States was the loss of both Hollywood movies and Chaplin movies.
Van Daming: Chaplin’s best film was "Stage Career", which was filmed in the early 1950s, which was exactly in the McCarthyism of the United States. The rise of right-wing forces and the rampant non-US activities investigation committee have been in the past few years. The film "Stage Career" was officially released in domestic theaters in China in 1979 (in the United States, Chaplin was re-invited to visit the United States in 1972, 7 years before, and the film was released. It was awarded the following year and the following year. Oscar lifetime achievement award and best original soundtrack award). I was very impressed after watching it that year, and I wrote a long film review to discuss with relevant people. At the end of the article, I mentioned the major historical turning point in Chaplin's life: "At the end of 1952, he left the United States in order to go to Europe to host the premiere of "Stage Career". Because during his journey across the Atlantic, he left the United States. The US government has announced that he is forbidden to return to New York." The film "Stage Career" was also scheduled to be screened very early in our movie bar-three years ago, also in February, during the "American Film Month." It was screened during the period (the date is February 12, 2011). If the FBI, headed by Hoover at the time, did not monitor and investigate Chaplin as a communist, if Chaplin could continue his film creation activities in Hollywood in the United States after the 1950s, he should return it to us Humans leave more masterpieces handed down. Therefore, I think it can be said: Chaplin's forced departure from the United States is the loss of both Hollywood movies and Chaplin's movies. This cannot but be a tragedy in the history of world cinema.
2014.3.14 finishing
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