- Commentary on the movie "Cassandra Bridge"
Author: Qing Jinjun
Bridge, represents the efforts to communicate between this side and the other side, and carries the human's yearning for the other side. Therefore, the bridge's Destruction is often the tragedy of an era. More than one film about bridges has been made, and it is thought-provoking that the ending often ends with the destruction of bridges, such as David Lean's "The Bridge on the River Kwai", such as Yugoslav "The Bridge", and The British, German and Italian co-production of the 1976 film "Cassandra Bridge".
Like most disaster films, the beginning of the film is always quiet and peaceful: an international train starts slowly, the beautiful and quiet natural scenery outside the window, showing the beautiful style of European travel, the wandering singer sings in the car , sang the beauty of life and youth, all kinds of people embarked on this train with a happy atmosphere with various ideals, and all this was just to gallop towards the disaster that was about to come.
A fugitive infected with the virus got on the train. In order to prevent the infection of the virus, the government categorically ordered the train bound for Stockholm to be diverted to Poland. Waiting in front were the concentration camp-like isolation station, the heavily armed biochemical soldiers, and the The crumbling Cassandra Bridge in the sunset.
Without the resistance of the passengers represented by Dr. Chamberlain, the train's end point would be the Cassandra Bridge. An unexpected accident both prevented the spread of the virus and shied away from the government's responsibility. A country, when faced with a mass crisis, even a country that has always advertised itself as liberal and democratic, will immediately tear off its gentle veil, revealing
that the decision of the authoritarian and ferocious minions cannot be measured by moral standards. It is only possible art, not ethics. When it cannot achieve good in the greatest sense, it can only choose the lesser of two evils, in order to protect the personal safety of more people in the society, in order to avoid creating greater Panic has led to aggravation of management costs, and it is necessary for the state to take decisive measures at the moment of emergency in its own opinion to prevent the occurrence of more evil consequences.
History is full of such examples, even in the United States, where human rights are said to be the most important: after the outbreak of the Pacific War, in order to prevent possible mutiny by Japanese nationals living in the United States (only possible!), President Roosevelt ordered the All Japanese nationals moved into concentration camps. Even after many Japanese soldiers fought bravely for the United States in the European battlefield, it did not change people's fear of their race. After 9·11, the U.S. government had to take many extraordinary measures. Even if these measures seriously hurt the original intention of the American sages when they founded the country and seriously damaged the freedom of citizens, for the sake of collective security (at least psychological security), these measures The measure still has moral immunity.
From the standpoint of the public, the actions of the government are understandable. The problem is that when you are not as the collective noun of "public" and "people", as an individual, you are you, you are called Zhang San, Li Si, or John, Katie, one day when the country decides to have a majority. In the name of people's happiness (sorry, most people don't include you), when you cancel your right to freedom, right to reside, and even right to exist, can you still comfortably hand over the rights that belong to you? Like the ignorant travelers in "The Bridge of Cassandra," who didn't know that the state had abandoned them for their own selfishness, and let the train run toward the disrepaired bridge of death, thinking that the next stop was Paris, which is Stockholm.
Dr. Chamberlain and some of the passengers chose to resist. In the face of the common enemy (the forty soldiers in biochemical suits and the national forces behind them), the doctor and the female writer reconciled, the police and the fugitive turned enemies into friends, They forged an epic battle friendship. When the handsome fugitive, for the safety of all the people in the car, risked climbing the window to go to the locomotive to control the train, but unfortunately was shot down by a soldier and fell from the car, I believe that audiences all over the world felt pain in their hearts. Say "unfortunate". The film subtly sets the stage for their violence against the state: the state power, represented by Colonel McCann, still sends the train to the Cassandra Bridge when it learns that the virus can be treated with oxygen. Let alone the safety of a car's passengers.
However, people who have never been afraid to speculate on the government's behavior with the greatest malicious intent can't help but ask: If the virus cannot be cured, and the country, for the benefit of the majority (more selfishness of some people?), decided to let the train die Cassandra. Pull the bridge, then, should the passengers in that car become lambs to be slaughtered, sitting still and losing the right to resist? For the sake of the country, you should go to hell without hesitation - just because you bought the ticket for that day?
This question is obviously unanswerable, just as the bridge in the film was eventually destroyed. Because of their own well-being, the people surrendered part of their rights, formed a government, and formed a country, just as people on this side built bridges to reach the ideals on the other side, making the moat a thoroughfare from now on. However, the state, a product of alienation of power, the Leviathan (Hobbes), which has grown larger and larger by absorbing all kinds of nourishment from the people, gradually has its own mind and its own calculations, just like an old and disrepaired bridge. It's no longer a sense of security, but a growing fear and concern - the residents near the bridge in the movie have all moved out because no one knows when it will collapse, and similarly, no one knows when you will Will it be one of the sacrificed passengers in that car.
The bridge finally collapsed, and it destroyed the future of Colonel McCann as well as the prestige and credibility of the government. Dr. Chamberlain and some passengers were rescued, but what will be their next fate? It's chilling to think about the ending of Colonel McCann, who faithfully carried out the state's orders - "They're all being watched!" The grim voice at the end of the movie reverberated over the city for a long time, like a terrifying prophecy, like that As the original name of the bridge suggested - Cassandra.
Cassandra, this is the name of the prophet of Troy in ancient Greek mythology. She was endowed with amazing prophetic power by God and predicted the destruction of Troy, but she was destined not to be believed by the world. The overlooked prophet's name was used to name the abandoned bridge in the film, as a metaphor for human destiny, suggesting the comical ending of the creator being destroyed by his own creation.
The Cassandra Bridge, which cannot be bypassed, is still waiting on the road ahead. The pale bridge is in the weeds and sunset, next to the broken tombstone and cross, surrounded by countless crows and undead under the bridge, flashing gloomy and cold. Dim light.
Qing Jin Jun
August 25, 2007
in Beijing
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