A good movie is that it is different from similar movies, and even transcends genre boundaries. As the Japanese in the movie are not portrayed as badly as in all domestic themed movies, except of course when an enraged Japanese officer orders the slaughter of a whole village, it is always wrong to kill for whatever reason. In addition to this, there are even other shortcomings of the Japanese that cannot be found in the film. On the contrary, the various forms of Chinese people are shown in this film, timid, shirk responsibility, ignorant, untrustworthy and deceitful... These are not unique to Chinese people, but they naturally belong to the Chinese people in the film. The body is vividly displayed, and it will not let the audience feel disapproval during the viewing process. So, there's no denying that the setting of the story makes a lot of sense.
Of course, some people would say that the villagers in Hangjiatai are so kind. For half a year, they have been reluctant to attack these two foreigners. What is even more valuable is that they are so forgiving to the Japanese. The brutal Japanese officers could easily order the massacre of entire villages. Yes, Ma Dasan and the others did not give the Japanese two lives. However, it seems that Ma Dasan and the whole village are carefully protecting these two prisoners of war from unknown sources. In fact, everyone only cares about their own lives. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, and everything makes sense out of instinct. Even the villagers' hospitality to Hanaya and the interpreter is in stark contrast to the brutal beating of Hanaya's boss, Shuzuka Inoyoshi, for his return to the team. However, the kindness of the common people in Jiaojiatai is not because they are kind enough to treat the Japanese as they say, it is simply because they dare not make such a move. If Ma Dasan was really so unbearable, there would be no drama about killing people with a knife. No one in the village dared to kill these two people with their hands, and unlike what they saw in the film, ordinary farmers like them have never killed anyone, and they are afraid that their hands will be stained with human blood. The direct reason is the fear of taking responsibility. And all of this was vividly shown after Ma Dasan was supposed to bury the two people alive. Ma Dasan solved the problem for the village, and in exchange, apart from the cobbled together table of dishes, the rest was cold indifference. Therefore, the villagers who hang Jiatai think the same thing: when someone is killed, "I" suddenly appears to ask for someone, who will take the responsibility?
And the "I" that appeared in the title did not appear twice, and it also caused the stage of this farce and tragedy. For a trust that did not keep its promise, he lost the lives of the whole village. The cruel ones are the Japanese army, and even more terrifying of their own people! Judging from the many murders by using a knife throughout the film, this knife is the knife that washed the battlefield, but the master knife "I" behind the scenes is at large because he did not commit the knife. When "I" put a gun on the head of my compatriots and threatened with harsh words, the patrolling Japanese officers distributed candy to the children at the entrance of the village; The extremely angry Japanese officers kept their promise to send food into the village. The funny thing is that these otherwise ridiculous comparisons don't strike me as unreasonable.
General Gao, who came to the county seat with victory, denounced the traitor translator for having his hands covered with the blood of his compatriots. At the end of the story, General Gao, who had a deep hatred for the Japanese, ordered the Japanese to kill Ma Dasan, who was also a Chinese, with a knife. His mouth was calling for human rights and peace, but his hands were also stained with the blood of his fellow citizens. After the war, when the Japanese knew they should lay down their weapons, Hanaya, a prisoner of war, killed Ma Dasan, whom he had regarded as a benefactor, under the orders of the Chinese. Because of the peace, the Chinese couldn't kill the Japanese lightly, and it was also because of the peace that the Japanese killed the Chinese with the Chinese's promise. Such an insult is also called a swan song. At the end of the story, we have to admit that this kind of ignorance involves a wide range, from the peasants and the common people to the high officials and generals. No matter who it is, in their opinion, killing someone with a knife is not a murder. Whoever moves the hand counts who kills. As long as the knife is not in my hand, this matter has nothing to do with me. The existence of this formalist thought, which is divorced from the inner will, in Chinese society has continued with history.
The whole village died because of "I", but this "I" doesn't know where. Just like the tragedy that appeared in "Bull Fighting" a few years later, Niu Er's life-long waiting was replaced by that precious cow. Can the most expensive cow bear Niu Er's life? An order that was said casually and was quickly forgotten, but the simple people have always kept it in their hearts. The same wait and tragedy is either coincidence or common. The revolution is for the people, but it is the people who are pitted. Who is it that benefits? One day the formalism of disagreement will change.
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