To be honest, if "The Undertaker" hadn't won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, I wouldn't have gone to see a Japanese movie. As for Japanese movies, "Fate", which I had an appointment to watch a long time ago, was also a sparse Japanese movie that moved me. In fact, there are indeed many people who have the same opinion as me. Before March 19, the complete source of this film could not be found on the Internet. That is, in the last few days, the download in DVDrip format appeared on eMule and BT. Then I can also buy the D5 disc in the small shop near my home. People have always been very secretive about death, especially the Chinese people's attitude towards death has always been very negative. Of course, a profession that serves the dead like an undertaker has always been spurned by people. I think of a junior high school classmate who once worked in a crematorium. At that time, many parents of classmates used him as a negative teaching material to educate their children. Before I came into contact with the film, I first came into contact with the soundtrack CD of the film. At first, I had to use the soundtrack of the film to conceive the plot in my mind, which was a wonderful feeling. When the picture and the soundtrack were combined, I realized that Hisaishi's soundtrack is so good! This is another incentive that attracted me to watch this film. I have to admit that Joe Hisaishi, as a rare New-Age soundtrack master, is worthy of movie music no less than that of big-name soundtrack masters in Europe and America. It can even be said that Hisaishi's soundtrack makes " The Undertaker won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Therefore, I will take Joe Hisaishi's soundtrack as the main line and music as the starting point to analyze the soundtrack art of the Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi in the movie "The Undertaker".
The simple and simple plot and the melodious music constitute the overall tone of the movie "The Undertaker", so Hisaishi has a very measured grasp of the soundtrack in the movie. The protagonist Kobayashi Daigo was originally a cellist, so Hisaishi used the cello as the main instrument, and performed the theme passages in the movie "The Undertaker" through a simple string quintet. Hisaishi's soundtrack is different from some European and American soundtrack masters. European and American soundtrack masters generally prefer a "counterpoint" relationship like the synchronization of sound and picture. ”, focus on letting the music render the environment, and the music is even equivalent to the sound effect. Hisaishi's soundtrack is different. Most of his music is parallel to the picture, and there is no obvious sound and picture synchronization, but in fact, the music at this time is trying to portray the psychological state of the protagonist. That's the key to why Japanese movies seem slow-paced, but so engaging - the music becomes another protagonist in the film! Incorporating music into the narrative is the genius of Hisaishi's soundtrack. From "Kiujiro's Summer" to the soundtrack for the Oscar-winning animated feature "Spirited Away", this idea permeates all. And this reminds me of a lot of "alternative" soundtrack masters in Europe and America, such as John Barry and Ennio Morricone, their soundtracks rarely synchronize the sound and picture, but more use music to participate in the narrative, use music to describe the psychology of characters, Infect the audience's hearing, and use the hearing to awaken the audience's inner resonance. There is a passage in "The Encoffiner" that everyone remembers deeply. After Xiaolin participated in the funeral ceremony for the first time, he couldn't sleep at night. He thought about a lot, thinking of his mother who died young, and his father who abandoned his family and eloped with his mistress. ...At this time, following Kobayashi's monologue, the camera vertically swept across his mother's portrait and some household items from the first perspective, and finally landed on the cello case that Kobayashi took out. Then we heard the theme of the actor playing the role of the mortuary master played by Masahiro Benmu himself. At this time, the handling of the camera lens was very clever, and in a parallel shift way, it reminds me of the childhood of Kobayashi. At the same time, the soundtrack is dry on the cello. The sound of the piano and other strings have been added to highlight the warm atmosphere of love. This soundtrack is called "On the soundtrack" on the film's soundtrack CD record", in the subsequent episodes, we know from the mouth of Kobayashi's wife that this tune is his father's favorite. In fact, I personally think the director is very wise to use this song as the theme of the film. Although we heard Kobayashi's monologue about his father abandoning his family and eloping with his mistress, the music evolves on a warm melody tone. , Does this also pave the way for Kobayashi to forgive his father at the end of the film? The most complete appearance of this song is at the end of the film, and the name in the original sound CD was changed to "Memory" (for this soundtrack, we will talk about it later). The soundtrack of the film has a theme that is easy to ignore. It appears twice in the original soundtrack, and the name is "Beautiful Dead". This soundtrack was added to the previous funeral ceremonies that Kobayashi participated in. The soundtrack appears twice, the first time is the scene where the old mortuary master played by Sasaki performs the burial ceremony for a young mother, when the big man who lost his love suddenly threw himself on the coffin of his dead wife and cried bitterly. The soundtrack reaches its climax. The soundtrack begins with a quintet composed of cello and other strings. It is mournful and sad. It deeply and meticulously depicts the complex state of mind of the deceased's family when they watch Xiaolin's burial ceremony, making the audience feel the same way. Entering the main melody, the theme of the second degree is gradually improved. The large-span and soothing soundtrack depicts the big man who was finally infected by the old master's mortuary, played by Kobayashi and Sasaki, and cried bitterly in front of his wife's coffin. Miscellaneous Chen. Music has long since generalized at this time! The second time this soundtrack appeared was when Kobayashi performed the funeral ceremony for the proprietress of the bathhouse, and the main instrument was changed from cello to clarinet. A tentative motive on the piano introduced Xiaolin's psychological feelings when he performed the funeral ceremony for the bathhouse proprietress. Then the strings and clarinet entered, and the gorgeous plucking of the harp seemed to describe the ordinary and great life of the bathhouse proprietress. A little bit less sadness, but a little bit more longing and hope, the music ends with the shallow smile when Xiao Lin's wife finally forgives her husband... Another splendid soundtrack in the film, just before everyone In the scene of "Tianlong Playing the Qin" that he talked about with great relish. This soundtrack actually started when Kobayashi played the drum at NK Company on Christmas Eve. Kobayashi first played the "Ave Maria" by Gounod and Saint-Saëns. With the turn of the picture, we saw a lot of edited Kobayashi for the dead During the burial ceremony, I saw Xiao Lin's busy figure, and the music changed from "Ave Maria" to the theme of the burial teacher. The name of this soundtrack in the original CD is "Ave" Maria-Okuribito. In fact, the director also conveyed through music that with the deepening of Kobayashi's work, he gradually became more aware of himself and the true meaning of life in his heart. This soundtrack is complete and coherent, which is why I think this soundtrack is very good. The soundtrack begins with a great classical work. It can be said that the theme of the mortician is in a sense a match for a certain aspect of Ave Maria. Some musical elements, Hisaishi handled this soundtrack simply and smoothly, instead of bluntly splicing the two themes together, when the music of Ave Maria and the theme of the mortician smoothly transitioned together, the music was smooth from C major. For the theme of the mortuary in the key of G major, the music suddenly became clear and open, and the string music was added at the right time. The theme of the mortuary, which begins with the unison of the strings, is full of life, lively and full of hope, especially the beautiful white swan and the fresh green in spring. Although the film depicts the plot of the funeral, it does not have a bit of a sad atmosphere. At this time, the narrative of the film is entirely dominated by music. When the violin and viola in this soundtrack are added, we see Kobayashi working hard and having to eat sushi while driving. The soundtrack finally ends when Kobayashi shows up at the door after a day's work and finds that his wife has returned... … The most tearful scene in the film is undoubtedly the scene at the end of the film, when Kobayashi performs the funeral ceremony for his father. With the sudden drop of the pebble in his father's hand, the most touching theme of the film, "Memory", quietly sounded... There is no line in this scene, and everything is described by music. The plots of the funeral ceremony for the father were intertwined, and we saw that the face of the defocused father gradually became clearer and brighter. The theme of this soundtrack is exactly the same as that of the mortuary, but it is full of tenderness, and the father-son family affection spreads in a kind of thought that is unceasingly rational and chaotic. When I saw this episode, I was already in tears, not only moved by my father's undying guilt towards the family, but also by the echo of the musical theme in the film. The several appearances of this similar soundtrack theme in the film actually imply that Xiaolin must finally do the funeral ceremony for his father. Many people say that there is no new idea at the end, but this is actually the biggest intention! This is exactly what the Oscar judges value the most: the return of humanity! This point will be involved in both Asian films and European and American films, especially the several Oscar-winning films this year are based on the return of human nature. Fundamentally speaking, the return of human nature is precisely what this society needs most! Back to the soundtrack, this The soundtrack is simple and simple, the melody is like a song, and the dialogue between the cello and the piano seems to replace the dialogue between Kobayashi and his father. Although there are no lines, it is implicitly expressed through the plot of sending stones. Can it be said that the cello here actually symbolizes the father, and the piano symbolizes Xiaolin? This piece of music replaces the protagonist's mouth, or surpasses the protagonist's state of mind at the time. Here we seem to see how much Kobayashi wants to see his father for the last time, how much he wants to talk to his father, but the reality, but the separation finally made him only watch. To my father's rigid body, I can only express it through touching. At this time, the music seems to be a virtual dialogue between father and son, or to see the normal relationship between father and son. At this time, the music depicts the protagonist's state of mind so deeply and thoroughly, meticulously and meticulously, tangled and unpretentious. I only heard the famous "Playing Love" in "1900" and now I can say that I am in love with this soundtrack too, it is so heartwarming that I have to listen to it over and over again ... In fact, the soundtrack composed by Joe Hisaishi for "The Undertaker" is very distinctive. For example, the playful soundtrack in the episode of taking a bath in the bathhouse of Xiaolin, such as the humorous music in the episode of Xiaolin's participation in the burial of a model, such as the episode when Xiaolin first reported to the NK company, there are some probing and exciting themes, all the music They are all very distinctive in rendering the atmosphere and setting off the emotions of the protagonist. Especially at the end of the credits, the director showed us a complete burial ceremony process. The music at this time was jumping and happy, without the darkness and sadness brought by death at all, which seemed to imply Xiaolin's final success in his career. At the same time, we have a happy son in the family, etc., and all this is in this light melody "Ending"... The plot and structure of "The Undertaker" may be simple, the theme of transmission may be simple, and the soundtrack may be Simple; but the film's lens design is unique, the editing and conception are exquisite, Hisaishi's soundtrack is delicate and profound, and the philosophy of life discussed in the film is deep and optimistic. It can be said that I like this film not only because of Hisaishi's soundtrack, but more because it explores the meaning of life, the value of life, and the philosophy of life and death! Love", it can be said that I also fell in love with this soundtrack, it is so refreshing that I have to listen to it over and over again... Actually, the soundtrack that Hisaishi made for "The Undertaker" is very distinctive. For example, the playful soundtrack in the episode of taking a bath in the bathhouse of Xiaolin, such as the humorous music in the episode of Xiaolin's participation in the burial of a model, such as the episode when Xiaolin first reported to the NK company, there are some probing and exciting themes, all the music They are all very distinctive in rendering the atmosphere and setting off the emotions of the protagonist. Especially at the end of the credits, the director showed us a complete burial ceremony process. The music at this time was jumping and happy, without the darkness and sadness brought by death at all, which seemed to imply Xiaolin's final success in his career. At the same time, we have a happy son in the family, etc., and all this is in this light melody "Ending"... The plot and structure of "The Undertaker" may be simple, the theme of transmission may be simple, and the soundtrack may be Simple; but the film's lens design is unique, the editing and conception are exquisite, Hisaishi's soundtrack is delicate and profound, and the philosophy of life discussed in the film is deep and optimistic. It can be said that I like this film not only because of Hisaishi's soundtrack, but more because it explores the meaning of life, the value of life, and the philosophy of life and death!
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