I swiped it three times in the cinema, and I really like the style of Director Bi Gan. This article will analyze "Last Night on Earth" from the point of view of the soundtrack.
Music Analysis in Movies
1. Original soundtrack - electronic music
The film begins with a recitation of the male protagonist Luo Hongwu. Basically summarizing the theme and plot of the film, this is a story about dreams, memories and a woman. In the narration, "When you dream, you will float up. The body is made of hydrogen gas, and the memory is made of stone." The camera keeps moving up, pulling us back to reality. The soundtrack is electronic music, the pitch is up and down, with the light drums, the rhythm is very slow, giving people a feeling of space and distance, really like a dream, and this melody is always repeating, again There is a causal cycle, and the alarm bell is ringing, which is very in line with the theme of the work. This part is played again after the end of the title, making the movie even more mysterious.
Later, when Luo Hongwu wanted to shoot Zuo Hongyuan, this piece of music appeared again, and the drum sound was added, showing a tense atmosphere. When Luo Hongwu turned around with 3D glasses, it was also an original soundtrack, which also created nervousness. Ambience. At the end of the film, Luo Hongwu and Kaizhen kiss, and the soundtrack of the rotating house is "A Pure Person" by the film's music producer, Lin Qiang. The song's frantic drum beats create a romantic atmosphere while giving people a surreal feeling.
2. Dance
When the white cat's mother first appeared in the film, she was playing a dance machine in front of the TV in the barber shop she ran. The music in the dance machine was this song "up and down", which was popular in the 1990s. Electronic dance music. Her son's death made her very sad, and dancing may have made her less sad in her spare time, as if she were in a ballroom to relieve stress. And throughout the article, the white cat's mother and Luo Hongwu's mother (not appearing in the film) have many characters in the dream that overlapped with the roles played by Zhang Aijia in the dream, and Luo Hongwu's mother suffered a lot after cheating. But still a person who dares to chase love (to eat honey with a torch). So in the dream, the night square dance "Flower Universe" heralded the appearance of the character played by Zhang Aijia. It is very suitable to use dance music to express Zhang Aijia's character like fire.
3. Rock - a reason to be strong
When Zuo Hongyuan found out that Luo Hongwu was having an affair with Wan Qiwen and arrested Luo Hongwu, Zuo Hongyuan danced and sang intermittently with the music. In this continuous scene, the music also played continuously for nearly three minutes. ,
Zuo Hongyuan, Luo Hongwu, Wan Qiwen, all three were expressionless, but this rock music made the audience feel the emotions, everyone's bleak and unhappy fate. Just like the disappointment and loss of life expressed in the song, but there is nothing to do, and there is no reason to be strong. This passage is also a tribute to David Lynch's "Blue Velvet"[2]
4. Folk Song
There are three parts of the film where folk songs appear. The first time is when riding the ropeway; the second time is when Kaizhen and Luo Hongwu spin the racket to take off to the ground; the third time is when Kaizhen leads Luo Hongwu to find the house. These pieces of music all give people a feeling of empty and dreamy, and a bit like Buddhist music. The first two shots were top-to-bottom top-down shots. The camera pans slowly, as if watching all the living beings under her feet. The third time she appeared was when she was looking for a house, and the house represented Wan Qiwen's love for love in reality. Hope, the song feels like a dream come true
5. "Thistle Blooms at Night"
This song is sung by the famous Japanese singer Miyuki Nakajima. The whole song creates a sweet and sad atmosphere, which echoes the title of the movie and the night of the dream in the second half, and also fits the theme the movie wants to express. The meaning of this song is the same as the image of wild grapefruit, which is the symbol of Wan Qiwen. No matter how many names Wan Qiwen has changed, she has been singing this song in the karaoke hall, showing that she still has a yearning for love in her heart. On the other hand, Luo Hongwu's impression of Wan Qiwen, whether it is the background music of driving, the ringtone of the mobile phone, or the music when watching a movie with Luo Qiwen, is this song. These are the sweet moments of Luo Hongwu and his lover, Wan Qiwen. Just like the meaning of the lyrics, Wan Qiwen in memory is like a lullaby, symbolizing the beauty of the past. Although the truth is just the opposite, she is unable to control her own destiny, constantly wandering between men, constantly telling lies to deceive Luo Hongwu.
In addition, the movie's ending song is also this song. The plot of the movie came to an abrupt end before Ka-Jin came on stage to sing, which is likely to have been sung after Ka-Jin came on stage.
other
This is a unique film with a strong personal touch from the director. However, the more unique the personal style is, the more likely it will be polarized. Compared with the freshness and smoothness of "Roadside Picnic", "The Last Night on Earth" is more in terms of the density of lines and information and the richness of lens language. The processing of color and lighting is more elegant, and the long shot of 40 minutes has been upgraded to 70 minutes, adding more tribute elements. Many people think that these are "reverse" to expressing the author's ideas, and there are multiple interpretations of certain details that are likely to make the audience think that the meaning is unclear, but I think these elements are like treasures waiting for us to unearth.
In my opinion, although the first half of the narrative is non-linear, it is basically clear. In my eyes, the theme of the story is not only the process of a frustrated person in family, friendship, and love paralyzing himself and escaping from reality in a dream, and discussing the short-term and eternal relationship at the end of the film, which makes people cherish the good life. .
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