The so-called aristocrats are probably such a group of people who hold outdated elite concepts and lifestyles, and resist the increasingly secular modern society. Impossible" heroism.
Those bright halls are bright and dazzling orange-yellow, but at a certain angle, it is also equivalent to the afterglow of the sunset, exuding a smell of decay. As if a generation of heroes are dying.
But excluding some profit calculations, you probably won't like hanging out with real nobles. They are too refined to be critical, too polite to be cramped, and they abide by a set of highly exclusive daily rituals that appear to the common people as mere drama.
Reynolds, the protagonist of this film, is probably a Virgo aristocratic elite. You can make up your mind about what a frightening species this is: how critical and paranoid.
Like those famous paranoia common problems - extreme self-centeredness.
Reynolds is a star.
He wanted all the planets to orbit closely around him, and he was confident that his heat would melt all the barriers.
This is probably the most explanatory summary of Reynolds-because he is the protagonist of life, he despises and ridicules all aesthetic tastes different from himself;
Because he is the protagonist of life, he seems to speak out about the physical defects of female customers;
Because he is the protagonist of life, he unilaterally decides to change the opposite-sex partner accompanying him at any time;
Because he is the protagonist of life, when he answers questions, he always appears to be firm, crisp, neat and concise;
Perhaps the professional quality is integrated into the style of life, or the style of life is destined to the endowment of the profession, just like those lines on the drawing, which seems to be his attitude towards life. Concise and concise, solid and neat, Reynolds seems to know the answer to all questions, and he always has a full grasp of himself and the world, as if everything is under his control.
And in fact he does have the proud capital——
The ladies of the upper class of that era were eager to get a dress designed by Reynolds himself. His indomitable confidence came from the inspiration of pure craftsmanship and genius. Those thin girls could look plump and pretty, those who A strong woman can transform into a sexy loli.
Reynolds is not a sewer, but a magician - his talent has made his confidence, his confidence has shown his charm, his charm has blessed his appearance, and he will always shine like a star;
Until Alma showed up—
It is by no means bright and unpretentious, and it is not very eye-catching, but it has a simple beauty, which happens to fit Reynolds' aesthetic preference for simple vision;
more importantly--
Different from the beautiful girls, they are like pearls, luminous and eye-catching, and they are the first choice for travel; while Alma is like a magnet, restrained and reserved, harmless to humans and animals, and is a must-have at home;
More importantly -
She reminded Reynolds of her mother: dignified, tolerant, like a harbor;
In a way, Reynolds was a kid—
Ⅰ His life is basically unable to take care of himself, everything is handled by his sister Cyril, while Reynolds can gallop in his artistic sky without worries;
Ⅱ The relatively conservative and traditional Alma he fell in love with revealed a certain cowardice in his handling of the relationship between the sexes, and this cowardice was a hidden personality trait that was hidden under the glossy appearance;
Ⅲ He is keen on games;
——He is keen on rituals and routines;
- He is more interested in fashion design than his intimacy;
- he is keen to change sexual partners in a fun-loving way;
——And, he is too frivolous, that is not a mature enough adult.
He fell in love with Alma, maybe he didn't know it yet, maybe he was hiding it, maybe he was different, and he tried to calm down;
Roland Barthes, a master of structuralism, wrote in "A Lover's Whisper":
"The function of language symbols is to decorate, to conceal, to deceive - I will never resort to language to express my extreme difficulties. My body is a stubborn child, and my language is a very civilized one. adults..."
Artistic creativity, abundant inspiration, favorable living conditions, the respect of the elites, and the deceptively exquisite dresses he forged by himself, many symbols construct a castle belonging to Reynolds, and he is three It is wrapped in three layers and protected, and as I said, his inner quality is more like a child - arrogance, paranoia, greed for fame, and self-promotion;
But no matter how well camouflaged it is, it will eventually reveal the fox's tail, especially in front of his lover. He often reveals his childlike innocence and tenderness, but like a flash in the pan, he quickly returns to his life track, leaving Alma with consternation and the ensuing resentment;
Reynolds disliked sticky food, tedious routines, and those that were clumsy, inefficient, and circuitous. That being the case, how could he like love—there are so many dark parts in love, the grooves of human nature, which drag two lives into it, like a quagmire;
Reynolds is so perplexed at times—
Alma deliberately won the alone time with Reynolds, but was cursed by the latter;
His life is so methodical and conformist that he doesn't even have time to flirt;
All of this makes Alma's pent-up emotions finally explode:
After that fateful dinner, the balance between the two began to tip, no doubt in Reynolds' side, as it always did;
In love, Reynolds has never lost, probably because he has always stopped and watched;
The underlying logic of the imbalanced relationship is that the relatively weak party will also take countermeasures to regain the balance; and the weight between them will be difficult to control. to the other party with trepidation;
The film finally showed its fangs. Alma's counterattack has begun, and an iron curtain that symbolizes the game and confrontation is sinking;
She drug Reynolds, she only needs Reynolds a small stomach upset; she wants to break the daily life that Reynolds can't touch, she wants to see the most authentic side of Reynolds' human nature when he was vulnerable, that side once appeared, and then again passed away suddenly;
Alma succeeded, she guarded Reynolds by the sickbed every day, and their relationship quickly warmed up;
They get married soon, but all contradictions will not obviously disappear because of this, but will be further exposed in trivial daily life;
The stellar Reynolds was never condescending, always dismissive; Alma befriended the charismatic Dr. Hardy, and on New Year's Eve, Reynolds 7,965th (estimate. ..) leaving Alma aside, Alma finally resentfully responded to Hadi's ball invitation;
Some people feel uncomfortable about the love and murder of Reynolds and Alma shown in the movie. They think that this is contrary to the original meaning of love. They also seem to think that love should always bring benefits, and mutual derogation must be mutually exclusive. not real love.
But love is an indecipherable word that encompasses all the complex human emotions. Of course, the love in "The Phantom Thread" is inevitably calculated, and even a little morbid. When we analyze Alma's feelings: not hesitate to hurt the other's body as a bargaining chip, is this the madness of love to the extreme, or the greed of possessing the other party ? In fact, it is difficult to define at all.
Or Roland Barthes' "A Lover's Whisper":
"In the course of the mutation of language, the lover finally erases his love partner because of his preoccupation with love: through this metamorphosis of pure love, the lover falls in love with love, not with love."
And the measure of morality should be more accommodating in love.
At least we can see that the darkness of Alma's speculation and conspiracy has not swallowed the luster of their love. It doesn't really matter whether Alma fell in love with Reynolds or the whole set of symbol systems that built Reynolds. The important thing is that she understands this. A relationship is her destiny, so she will do whatever she can;
Interestingly, the two translated names in mainland China, "Phantom of Neon Clothes" and "Phantom Maker", both emphasize the word "Charm", and the context of the entire movie's plot is precisely a process of disenchanting Reynolds.
That New Year's Eve, Reynolds finally became restless after realizing it. He hurried to the ball hall and found Alma in the noise and commotion. They stared at each other without saying a word, and each knew what was on their mind.
So far, Reynolds' "charm" has completely faded away, revealing the texture of a "human". He also finally abdicated from a star to become a planet, no longer stopped, and started his revolution around love and life.
A scene that is about to end in the film, the balance is about to return to balance, and the two are at the point of merging, staged a mental sadomasochistic (because it is too exciting, I can't help but do a scene analysis)——
The light is in the foreground, and Reynolds in the background is in the dark. The contrast between the light and the dark shows Reynolds' old age and fragility;
In terms of character status, Reynolds' status is sitting, while Alma's status is standing, under the contrast of high and low, Alma's strength is highlighted;
The sound of frying food in the pot aggravated the restlessness of the whole space, which is also the externalization of Reynolds' mental state;
Reynolds is still arrogant, but also absent-mindedly, pretending to draw sketches, this layer is hidden, who can't see it?
The chandelier is in the third position of the composition, dividing the physical space of the two protagonists. It is not difficult to see that Reynolds on the left is obviously squeezed, and the lighting is darker, while Alma on the right is standing, bright, and overhead. Live the whole picture, decide who is stronger and who is weaker.
So cute, so cute! It's all about this, and I'm still pretending, I read this paragraph with half a smile.
She poured the water slowly on purpose, the sound of the water hitting the glass was really provocative, she pulled the rhythm of everything, and deliberately slowed down the movement, like revenge for Reynolds' past, and the eyes and limbs of old Reynolds It seemed that he couldn't hold it any longer, and he probably begged for mercy in his heart:
"My aunt, goblin, let me go quickly"
So funny, so funny!
He finally looked like a naive child, every time he moved a knife and fork, took a mouthful of food, stared at Alma, like a baby waiting to be fed, like a child afraid of offending his parents;
True and strong love often cannot escape the struggle of intelligence. Alma confessed to Reynolds about the drug use, and Reynolds naturally accepted it without temper.
Finally, finally...
Marriage is not seen as a benign intimacy in many dramas, it is more like a "plastic intimacy" that couples struggle to support under a paper contract, but "Phantom Thread" shows us through a slightly dark process A brand new path, a largely human, delicate, dark but romantic and blurred love story.
They have since been two intertwined stars, closing the emotional loop with a subtle gravitational pull.
This is the most beautiful love story I have seen in a long time.
(By the way: Daniel Day-Lewis' performance is at the top actor level in any year, but who said that a Gary Oldman will be killed halfway this year? Besides, the Oscar is not the Golden Horse Award, so you can't have a best actor. Double-yolked eggs!)
That's all.
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