Liu Kang
in the world is there is a coincidence thing, the same year to shoot two movies drifting at sea. Ang Lee's "Youth School Drifting" is so beautiful, and its brilliance obscures another one-"Kon-Tiki" (Kon-Tiki). Although "Drifting Raft" was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign language film, it did not win. "Drifting Raft" tells the truth. It was shot at sea, not in a studio, but it was not as glamorous as "Boys"; it made a regrettable demonstration of "True is not as beautiful as beautiful." However, the value of "Drifting Raft" is not in its slightly inferior beauty, but in its exploration of the world and the true reproduction of truth. In this sense, the film reflects the truth better than the beauty it presents.
In 1947, when China was busy with the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, an earth-shattering event occurred on the other side of the earth, but not of concern to the Chinese. The Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) led five warriors on a raft imitating the ancient Indians, which lasted 101 days and traveled 8,000 kilometers from Peru to the South Pacific. La Loa in the Amotto Islands. Their rafts were named after Kantiki, the sun god of the Inca Empire, because Hierdar firmly believed that the inhabitants of the Polynesian Islands in the Pacific came from Peru by drifting in the fifth century. Academic authorities sneered at his theory, saying that the Indians could not build ships, only rafts, it was impossible to cross the sea; there was no publication willing to publish his papers. So Heyerdahl decided to strictly follow the Spanish records, using Peru's balsa (balsa) tree, a very light huge wood, as well as bamboo, rope and banana leaves to imitate the exact same Indian raft. Except for a radio transceiver, without any modern tools, the sea current and wind are fully utilized to reproduce the feat of drifting of the ancient Indians.
The opening of the film is a brief and effective presentation of the adventurous character of the young Heyerdahl, and then takes the audience to follow the adult Heyerdahl to the beautiful and charming Polynesian Islands, showing his theoretical basis: the upstream from Asia is very laborious; the pineapple on the island was originally grown in America; the locals say that their ancestors came from the place where the sun rises, which is exactly South America; the ancestor statues worshipped by the locals are very similar to those in South America. Of course, the film is not used to prove Heyerdahl's theory, nor can his theory be proved by drifting alone. What the movie shows is the fearless spirit and indomitable will of Haier Dahl in pursuit of truth. In order to prove his theory, a person who can't swim, and has never sailed, has to go drifting! When he talked about his plan in the tavern, an experienced sailor categorically denied the possibility after listening and told him of the possible danger. In the Adventure Club, a bearded scientist who lost a leg due to frostbite encouraged Heyerdahl and told him to build a raft in accordance with the indigenous methods without any iron tools. What is really moving and inspiring is the perseverance and time-tested image of this scientist. The image tells the audience: to explore the truth, not only need to read the literature, but also to practice hard.
Only one of the six warriors has sailed, and no one has ever manipulated a raft. They are all learning by doing. Although most of the time the wind and the waves are slow, there are occasional storms, so there is no room for negligence. Speaking of drifting in the Pacific Ocean, the sea shots are actually mostly taken near Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. The white fish maw separates the pale blue sky and the sapphire blue sea, and the beauty is fascinating. The lightning in the dark green clouds on the dark green sea at night is obviously not that true in the studio. The movie also allows the audience to see the spectacular scene they experienced: a giant whale swimming quietly under the raft, a few sharks tumbling around the person who fell into the water to grab food, the setting sun reflected the sea in orange and gold, and the glowing electric eel would be dark. A corner of the sea shone brightly. When they approached their destination, a shaking shot was particularly touching: six warriors lay opposite each other on a raft in the dark night and white sea, looking up at the starry sky, accompanied by melodious music, the camera looking down pushed away, and the raft grew more and more Small, only a little white sail can be seen on the sea under the white clouds. After the last flash, the camera pans flat and sees the arc of the earth and the sun. The camera pans upwards. It is the vast universe, the Milky Way and the infinite stars, and then it is the moon. , Swaying down, is the blue and white earth-our beautiful homeland, at dawn, the camera zooms in, returns to the sea, returns to the melodious music, and sees the raft. This series of shots seemed to be completed in one go, seamless, but rationality told me that it is impossible, it is the perfect crystallization of art and technology.
This film is basically based on Heyerdahl's diary, and also refers to the black-and-white documentary of the same name that won the Oscar in 1951. It is true. Just to cite an unnoticeable detail, when one of the Six Warriors was brushing his teeth in the early morning of the 100th day, he faintly saw a dangling black shadow on the sapphire blue sea. It might be difficult to see clearly if he didn't look closely. He looked up, and sure enough, there was a seagull in the sky. In other words, the land is not far away. At the end of the rafting, their appearance has changed, and their neat butcher niches have become bronze weather-beaten old sailors. If it weren't for the shaggy beards, it would be six ancient Greek bronze statues walking down the temple.
Although the character image changes are done well, the character's character is not clearly portrayed. Among the six people, only Heyerdahl and Herman Watzinger, the first German engineer who joined the rafting, have different personalities. The other four people, if not because of their different responsibilities, look slightly different, almost Can't tell. The screenwriter and director still pay too much attention to the chronicle and neglect the characterization.
By the way, Haier Dahl wrote and published his drifting experience, which sold more than 50 million copies and translated it into more than 70 languages. Although his theory has not been widely recognized, it has become a theory that cannot be ignored, and is partially corroborated by DNA. Their six warriors are also famous all over the world. His Christian name Thor is also the deity of Norse mythology who holds a hammer. This deity has become a well-known new superman in the West because of the comic book published in 1962 in the United States and the Thor series of movies produced in recent years, and he is a true hero. The smoke disappeared. Really better than beauty, the movie "Kantiki Raft" reminds us of this great man.
November 2, 2013
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