Although the keynote of Masaki Kobayashi's movie is "quietness", when watching the movie, the audience will not feel rigid because of the stillness. On the contrary, the static movies of Masaki Kobayashi are full of layering and fluidity, that is, there is a kind of dynamic activity quietly, which does not affect the overall tranquil atmosphere, but also makes the film full of change and full of spirituality.
One of the factors that produces this dynamic is the use of light and shadow in Kobayashi's movies. The light and shadow not only enrich the two dimensions of space and time, but also full of symbols and metaphors for the character and status of the characters. The following will take the movie "Cutting the Abdomen" as an example to discuss the dynamic use of light and shadow in Kobayashi's film.
The overlap and confusion of the space brought about by light and shadow. The
whole movie "Cutting the Abdomen" is mostly set indoors, avoiding the uncontrollable and hyperactive external environment, and stabilizing the scene in a square Japanese building. But when watching a movie, we don't feel blocked and seem to be able to perceive the external environment at any time. This is due to the shooting method of Masaki Kobayashi, which used the shadows of outdoor dynamic scenes to be reflected on the indoor static walls in "The Abdomen" many times.
After Chien Chinwa asked for a daughter to marry Mibao, Miho was frail and sick, and the family was living in poverty. Director Masaki Kobayashi used the usual rainy days to set off the sad and desolate atmosphere. But he was very restrained in his direct description of raining scenes. Because there is no doubt that too many outdoor rain scenes will destroy the smooth rhythm of the film. At this time, Masaki Kobayashi used "light and shadow" to subtly "transfer" the outdoor rain to the indoors. Instead of directly shooting the rain scene, shooting the shadow of the water reflected on the wall, coupled with the sound of rain, creates a stern rain scene in a stable interior.
Similarly, when Hikokuro Sawagata found Tsuzumi Hanshiro for a duel, it was also windy weather outside at this time. But in order not to spoil the quiet tone, and to gather momentum for the next small climax-the duel between the two in the wilderness, the director Masaki Kobayashi also did not let the strong wind "break" the door of the house, and shot from indoor to outdoor, but through the wall. The screened wind blows the swaying shadows of leaves, cloth and other objects to make the audience feel the existence of "wind". At this time, in the seemingly quiet room, frantic shadows danced on the wall, which also corresponds to the nervousness of Tsumo Hanshiro and Sawagata Hikokuro's quiet expressions, but in fact, they tried each other and the duel was on the verge of triggering each other.
And what impressed me most was the final duel scene, when Tsumo Hanshiro's revenge reached a climax, and the "static" was finally broken. However, with all the shots, Masaki Kobayashi returned to the room, using a steady shift to show the horizontal and vertical indoors where only Mika Ii was alone, and people couldn't help but admire Kobayashi Masaki's control of the rhythm. If you look carefully at this indoor picture, you will find that the part of the window reveals the shadow of the swaying tree outside the window. This immediately reminded the audience of scenes of wind, fighting, bloodshed and shadows that were very different from the indoor atmosphere. This also seems to be a warning to the elder Yujia who is escaping from reality: Escape does not work. The turbulent times and changes in status that should occur are pervasive, and they will eventually come to me.
Using light and shadow, Masaki Kobayashi calmly overlaps the shaky outdoor space with the smooth and orderly indoor space. It also implants the instability of the characters and the times into the solemn and ritualistic picture.
In addition to superimposing the two spaces with light and shadow, Masaki Kobayashi also cleverly used light and shadow and editing to create a kind of disorder in "The Abdomen". It deceives both the people in the play and the audience.
When Tsumo Hanshiro went to find the first samurai, Amazaki Hayato, used tracking and sneak attacks. The scenes that show this segment in the film are: Tsumo Hanshiro trailing behind and covering his face with a straw hat, Amazaki Hayato who is walking and hiding in the alleys, and the approaching figure wearing a straw hat. These sets of shots are edited back and forth. The director never used a lens that included the three to show the real relationship between the characters. In addition to the complex twists and turns of the alleys between the houses, the audience was "played" like the Amazaki Hayato in the movie, thinking that they were always approaching wearing straw hats. The figure is Tsumo Hanshiro. When Amazaki Hayato listened to the footsteps approaching, he hid in the corner of the house and saw the shadow of the straw hat revealing. When preparing to attack, the real Tsumo Hanshiro stopped drinking from behind, and only then did Amazaki Hayato and the viewers react to the three of them. The positional relationship suddenly realized. It turns out that the director Masaki Kobayashi has been replacing Tsumo Hanshiro with a similar shadow, relying on the misleading of the editing to confuse the audience and the people in the play.
And this design not only reflects the ingenuity of director Masaki Kobayashi, but also reflects the courage and strategy of Tsumo Hanshiro and the stupidity and timidity of Hayato Amazaki in the movie. So once again, using light and shadow, Masaki Kobayashi disrupted the sense of space in reality. Through the confusion, he brought the audience infinite possibilities of space. This is also the unique charm of film art.
The changes and superposition of time brought by light and shadow
In addition to the changes in space, the movies in "The Abdomen" by Kobayashi Masaki undoubtedly also bring a sense of time. And the depth of this kind of time can be the change of a day, the change of the season, or even the overlap of the times.
In the semi-outdoor space where the abdominal incision ceremony is held, there is a sense of time change brought by light and shadow. Initially, in the entire courtyard, Tsuyun Hanshiro was in the brightest place, while the Ii family samurai next to him was sitting in the shade, forming a strong contrast. The contrast between light and shadow here is symbolic: Tsumo Hanshiro is a real samurai who lives upright and full of kindness and justice, while the samurai of the Ii family is a bitch, desperately trying to cover up the shameless decadence and decadent villain.
And as the film progressed, after several flashbacks of memories, in the semi-outdoor space of the abdominal incision ceremony, Jinyun Banshiro was gradually shrouded in shadow. The change of light and shadow here reminds the audience of the passage of time in a day, and represents the time span in the story of the entire film's ongoing tense. At the same time, only Tsuyun Banshiro left a field of light in front of him, leading to Mikura. This seemed to imply that the vengeance that Tsuyun Hanshiro couldn't hold back in his heart was enveloped in him, and the only righteous outlet pointed to a duel with the old man. The changes of light and shadow not only show the passage of time, but also correspond to the ups and downs of the characters' hearts from calm to climax.
In addition, the film also uses light and shadow to overlap the two times, and thereby plant a sense of cause and effect on the time.
When Hikokuro Sawagata came to a duel with Tsumo Hanshiro, Tsumo Hanshiro's shadowed face was hidden by the umbrella bone in front of him. And "Umbrella" can't help but reminiscent of the plot when "Umbrella" also appears in the middle of the film. At that time, the umbrella was still pasted on the surface of the umbrella, and it was complete. Tsumo Hanshiro, who pasted the umbrella, rejected the rich man’s proposal to his daughter Miho. At that time, Tsumo Hanshiro's family still believed that they could rely on their craftsmanship to be self-sufficient and live on. However, the refusal to propose at that time directly led to the impoverished life of a family, Qian Qianyan begged her daughter to desperate, and Tsumo Hanshiro faced a vengeful duel at this time. Masaki Kobayashi used the shadow of the umbrella bone to split Tsuyun Hanshiro, and at the same time merged the past with the present, reminding people of fate and cause and effect.
In addition to the passage of time in a day, and even the changes in the past and the present in a few months, the sense of time conveyed by Masaki Kobayashi through light and shadow has a longer depth-era.
Almost the same scene layout is used in the film to show the two scenes in which Chien Chiiwa asks a woman to come and ask for an abdomen and Tsumo Hanshiro asks for an abdomen. But there are subtle changes in the details. When Senchiiwa asked for a girl to come to the door, when Mikura discussed countermeasures with Sawagata Hikokuro and others, the shadow of the tree trunk reflected on the window was behind Mikura; and when Tsumo Hanshiro came, the window behind Mikura was open. , Revealing the real trunk.
First of all, this detail undoubtedly indicates the change of seasons. It was cold winter when Qian Qianyan asked her to cut her belly, so the windows were closed tightly; and the weather had turned warmer when Tsumo Hanshiro came to the door. Masaki Kobayashi uses simple shadows and trunks to express the sense of time of seasonal changes.
In the scene of Qianqianyan begging a girl to come to the door, the shadow of the tree on the window is similar to the pine tree pattern decorated by the Ii family that appeared several times in the film and the movie, and the pine tree pattern symbolizes the samurai family's unyielding spirit. This corresponds to the past prosperous era of the samurai class represented by the Ii family when Chienchiwa asked for a girl to come to the door.
However, Tsuun Banshiro's arrival is to "break" this samurai dignity that has become a facade. Therefore, at this time, the window is open, and the shadow of the tree like a totem is gone, replaced by a real tree trunk that represents the truth. In addition, the scene of closing the window and the shadow of the tree in the scene of Qianqianyan seeking a girl also creates a sense of imprisonment in a secret room, indicating the weakness and tragic end of Qianqianyan's seeking girl. As a threatening "intruder," Tsuun Hanshiro has "opened" everything in the Ini family, and there is no "shadow".
Using the shadow and entity of the same tree, Masaki Kobayashi showed a grand historical era change in subtleties.
The static aesthetics of Masaki Kobayashi's films lies not only in the flat architecture, standardized character layout, and freehand movements, but also in the quiet parts, the overall tranquility reflected by the flow of space and time brought by light and shadow. Therefore, in addition to watching Masaki Kobayashi's movies and appreciating his "stillness", it is also an indispensable part to consider the slight movement of wind, stones, vegetation, and light and shadow.
References:
[1]. Yang Yi. Analysis of Kobayashi's Film Aesthetics[J]. Journal of Shangluo University, 2015, 29(1): 46
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