An evil and graceful symphony

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It is often said that the first impression of others is determined in 3 seconds.

How about watching a movie?

When the colorful production company logo is displayed, the first shot you see determines the patience you will pay for this film.

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What is the first thing you see when playing "The Furious Line"?

No, it should be said what you heard.

Beast calls, heartbeats, disco dances from the 80s...

In the subjective lens, you are a murderer with a sharp knife in hand. You sneak into the girls’ dormitory, you peep out the window of them dancing naked and having sex with your lover on the floor, you also sneak into the dormitory building and sneak into the women’s bathroom.

In the women's bathroom, you looked in the mirror. (By the way, this is the scariest of the faceless killers among the thousands of movies I have watched)

The nervousness and fear are at the extreme.

Until the female student you killed called out.

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No one can hold back a smile after hearing this strange scream.

The people in the movie are no exception.

It turns out that this is a play in a play.

The producers of the B-level film company are checking the material that has been filmed.

You instantly feel that you have been played with by the director, and at the same time you are interested in abusive manner.

It seems that this is a director who is willing to spend his time playing games with you. Then, what is he going to do next?

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Jack, the film recording engineer, accidentally recorded the process of the presidential candidate's car accident when he was out radio. This recording proves that the car accident was actually a murder.

This kind of accidental discovery of murder is not uncommon.

Far away, there is Hitchcock’s "Rear Window", and a photographer with a foot injury at home suspects that a man upstairs killed his wife; closer, there is "The Girl on the Train", and the commuter girl sees out the window of the car. The scene of the cheating before the woman disappeared.

The key is how to shoot.

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Brian de Palma, the director of "The Furious Line", grew up in a hospital and his father was a surgeon.

He had seen surgery, blood, death, and even been shot when he was very young, nothing can scare him.

In addition, it is said that because of suspicion of his father's derailment, he spent a few days to track and record his father's whereabouts when he was a child.

All kinds of blood, violence-related experience, and the fascination with the detective profession (or desire for voyeurism) laid the tone of the theme of his director's work.

He is known as "Hitchcock of America" ​​and "Master of Contemporary Suspense".

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In the 1970s, Palma, as a member of the new young directors, became friends with Martin Sicoses, George Lucas, and Stephen Spielberg.

They formed a small group called "the movie brats".

They drink together, play billiards, and give ideas for each other's work.

Palma was the one who recommended the "Taxi Driver" script to Martin Sicoses and the one who suggested that George Lucas add a preface before "Star Wars."

In addition to helping each other, a few young talents are of course unavoidable to compete and tease each other.

Palma is particularly despised by George Lucas's "Star Wars" and once bluntly said that he hates it in a small group gathering.

Of course, among these four, Palma seems to be the lowest.

Everyone thought he was just copying everything about Hitchcock.

Yeah?

I do not think so.

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Yes, there are also "bathroom murders" in Parma's movies, with unexpected horrors and unknowable turns of fate, but he has been exploring new film techniques and languages.

For example, he used the "split screen" technique that became one of the iconic elements of his style in the film "Dionysus in 69", and the "Steadicam" used in "The Fierce Line" (that year). He is the inventor of Steadicam Garret Brown, himself!).

Steadicam, everyone should know it.

This kind of camera stabilizer has now been widely used in film and television shooting, mainly used to shoot long shots and sports shots.

Here is a brief talk about "split screen".

The Parma-style "split screen" is not what you think:

But:

You said, what kind of technology is there? Just stick the face of the man on the left in front of the camera.

Please note that the focus on the left and right sides of the screen is clear.

How did he shoot it?

First, you need to install a split-focus diopter lens on the main lens, and rotate it to select the part of the picture that is affected by this filter, so as to achieve the effect of adjusting the focus of part of the picture.

This kind of technology will give a clear focus to things in the foreground and the background, and change or strengthen the sense of space from the viewer's psychology.

For director Palma, this photographic technique is a way for him to express ideas through multiple perspectives.

Perhaps, you can think the other way around. The inspiration for the expression can be found in the content.

E.g:

The owl is the foreground, and the male protagonist is the background. It compares the male protagonist to an owl, an observer.

The dead fish is the foreground, and the woman is the background, heralding an unpredictable future for women.

This kind of "split screen" has become increasingly rare in today's film industry.

In the 90s, Quentin Tarantino was still in use.

Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of Parma.

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Palma said that he always works in a fragmented way, trying to put ideas in a single image while preserving visual interest.

In this film, in addition to the split screen, the director's signature techniques have also been concretely embodied many times, including long shots and top shots.

When the plot progressed to the point where the actor Jack was at a loss, Parma came to a "little butterfly" spin, a full 6 laps!

This dizzying shot, coupled with a crazy soundtrack, promotes the psychological synchronization between you and Jack.

And the higher top shot appeared when the male protagonist drove the car to chase the voice position of the female protagonist:

These God's perspectives all highlight the destiny of the destiny, and the male protagonist's deep sense of powerlessness in the event.

So, in the whole film, what is the last scene you should miss?

I recommend the railway station paragraph first!

I am willing to look at it again and again in my future life.

The fragment filmed the whole process of being strangled to death by a sex worker who was a navy bj at a telephone booth at a railway station.

Director Palma used a lot of photography and narrative skills in such a simple plot.

And behind those well-designed shots is his wicked elegance and deep desire for voyeurism.

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As the saying goes, "The layman sees the excitement, the insider sees the doorway."

As a person who thinks he knows a little bit about film technology, in my experience of watching movies, I often have the urge to go to the street and dance around with excitement. At this moment, friends around you are often slowly falling asleep.

"Furious Line" has been in the cold since it was released in 1981, and it was not until 2011 that it was paid by CC, and it regained the attention of movie fans. This film is often included in the list of films like "The Unpopular Movies You Missed".

The desolate ending at the end of the film seems to reflect the director's own frustration in his career.

Remember the story started with a scream?

In the end, the sound engineer Jack found the perfect scream, which came from the call for help from the girl he liked before his death.

You said, is this his ruthlessness, or a punishment for his failure in life?

Do you think Palma really cares that he is inferior to Martin Sicoses, George Lucas, and Stephen Spielberg in the business field?

Jiang Wen said in an interview that he would not compromise for the audience to not understand now, because the audience will grow up one day. When they are mature, they can look back at their films and know that they have not fooled them.

I think this is the ingenuity of a real artist.

You don't need to accommodate anyone to make your own work.

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In the film, the heroine is a makeup artist. She tells the hero that the highest level of makeup is a good-looking fake face.

These seemingly chatty lines actually reflect the theme of the film.

True or false, false and true, the tape keeps turning, and the information is kept giving.

As Godard said, "The movie is a lie that tries to tell the truth 24 frames per second."

Today's push may not be so emotional to some people, but in my opinion, fancy camera tricks are poetic.

Share my joy with you and wish you a happy holiday~

Easter eggs

1. John Travolta suffered from insomnia when filming, but the good thing is: the lack of sleep helped him create more emotionally expressive performances

2. Quentin Tarantino just watched John Travolta’s performance in this film and asked him to play "Pulp Fiction"

3. The heroine and director Palma got married during the filming (died after 3 years)

4. The necklace worn by the heroine in the film is a rabbit foot

Reference materials:

◣Yangliu Jiang Kun: Tribute to you-"Scary" and Hitchcock

◣Xu Hailong: Gender relations and dual experiences in de Palma thrillers

◣Wu Xueshan (translated): Explosion——A dialogue between Taron Simon and Brian de Palma

◣Suddenly, the United States returned to the 80s as a dream! ( Https://www.sohu.com/a/209924173_467331 )

If you find this article useful, please help me with a "useful"~

If you find this article useful, please help me with a "useful"~

If you find this article useful, please help me with a "useful"~

Original: Teacher Huang

Public account: Teacher Huang Cinema (huangfilm)

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