It took 15 years to watch this movie because of ignorance. But better late than never. After watching it, I think it's okay to watch it a few years later. It's not a trendy movie that relies on the right time and place to grab the box office. As an anti-Japanese-themed film, it takes a lot of courage and talent to break the screen image of heroes and devils with fixed masks in the past. It is not for grandstanding to win at risk, but to deduce another possibility of history. But it is just a movie after all, and it cannot carry nor is obliged to carry the high-end and complex task of liquidating history. Due to the sensitivity of the subject, its part of the form as a film is ignored or even discarded. Of course, as long as it can arouse everyone's thinking and reflection, the purpose of the film has been achieved. Introspection is an indispensable ideological weapon for human progress, and there is no reason to be disarmed because of a harmonious society.
A film review committee believed that "On the one hand, the film did not show the hatred and resistance of the Chinese people to the invaders against the backdrop of the Anti-Japanese War (the only one who dared to scold and resist the Japanese army was a lunatic who was harassed by the villagers), on the contrary. Highlighting and exaggerating its ignorant, numb, and servile side, on the other hand, not only did not fully expose the aggressive nature of Japanese militarism, but instead highlighted the rampant momentum of the Japanese invaders, which led to the emergence of the basic idea of the film. Seriously deviated..." So, the film has been exiled since birth. The author seriously doubts whether a review committee really understands it. In the author's humble opinion, the film not only fully exposes the aggressive nature of Japanese militarism (because the essence is too superficial, you can understand it at a glance), but also deeply excavates the psychology of individuals under the influence of militarism, and severely flogs militarism. The evil and the deep-seated evil of Japanese national psychology. As a result, the Japanese actors had resistance after reading the script, and debated with the producer many times during the filming process. Such excavation work is the most powerful in the role of Hanaya Kozaburo.
Hanaya Kosaburo's life and death decision
As soon as I heard the name, I knew it was the third male in the family. He was captured in an ambush by the anti-Japanese guerrillas and was sent to the house of Ma Dasan in Jiaojiatai Village. Ko Saburo's character image is the main carrier used by the film to express the ambivalence of the Japanese. In fact, the incredible speed of change in Japanese words and deeds can also be seen from Japanese film and television dramas, such as sudden violent behaviors, the rhythm of the first half of the speech is calm and the second half of the rhythm accelerates the pitch until it finally turns into a roar, and comic characters Exaggerated changes before and after words and deeds, etc. This is probably the result of excessive forbearance on weekdays.
In the film, Saburo's death and survival basically alternate. It is very ironic because each death-seeking method is not thorough enough.
During the trial of the three families of Ma and Da, in contrast to the translator Dong Hanchen, one swears arrogantly, the other speaks out, one begs for death, and the other seeks life. , the picture is very dramatic. The fear of death was revealed in the expressions of both of them. It's just that the translator still hopes for life by virtue of his kinship, and Xiao Saburo has a mortal consciousness from the very beginning. Probably because of the attitude of the Japanese army towards the prisoners, they saved others by themselves. However, when there is a chance, he will seize it. When the navy entered the village, he was the one who shouted the most fiercely, and urged the translator to call for help together.
Later, when the fish was dressing Xiao Saburo's wound and feeding him, he hit his head against a wooden post. The translation is very good, if I really want to die, I will hit a stone. There was a scene before, when he was talking to the translator, he was banging his head heavily on this wooden post. It can be speculated that through such a bump, Xiao Saburo has a feeling for the hardness of this wooden pillar, and he will not knock anyone to death. That's why there was a hard collision in the back, which was intended to show that he was a soldier who was not afraid of death and defended the glory of the Japanese soldiers. Here, life is real, and death is false.
On the New Year's Eve, Xiao Saburo came up with another death-seeking drama, wanting to provoke Ma Dasan's ancestors to kill him by cursing Ma Dasan's ancestors. The translator was afraid that he would be implicated, so he had an idea and taught a New Year's greeting to please him. The parody of the Japanese samurai before the scolding was criticized by some people. In fact, it shows the absurd Bushido spirit in Ko Saburo's mind. I saw Xiao Saburo with tears in his eyes and a sad expression, and said to the translator: Dong Sang! farewell! Add a "san" to the surname, which is a Japanese honorific for a person. In front of him, he was also scolding the translator, looking contemptuous. Is it really a man who is about to die, and his words are also good? It can also be understood that Xiao Saburo's reckless death requires the approval of others to ensure the honor of this soldier. The honorific title to the translator is a kind of identification with the translator's identity, so at this moment, the two seem to be in the same class, and the translator will definitely understand his behavior and give him recognition. To put it bluntly, Xiao Saburo transforms the translation into an audience who understands and identifies with himself by identifying with the translation, so that he can fulfill himself. In this scene, Hanaya Kosaburo's mood is like a roller coaster. He thought that if he scolded someone, he would be killed, but he was very scared when he was ready to die. Then he saw that the scolding was ineffective, which not only saved his self-esteem but also his life. Heart secretly happy. Immediately after hearing from the translator that this was the last supper, without the defense of the Bushido spirit, he burst into tears and wanted to drink to strengthen his courage.
Because of "I" reneging on promises. Xiao Saburo lived in the Ma Da San family for half a year. At this point, he had no desire to die at all. After the incident of "Slaughtering Ghosts on the Great Wall", Saburo's Bushido spirit and sense of honor as a soldier disappeared, and he asked the translator to teach himself the Chinese language of cursing the emperor to please the villagers. Know what cursing the Emperor means to Japanese soldiers. Although some people will complain privately, it is rare to be so blatant in order to please an alien. This paragraph of lines is likely to be the part that Kagawa mainly contradicts. Wondering how Japanese viewers feel when they watch it? Maybe they also agree with this characterization in their hearts.
In the Great Wall, the translator Dong Hanchen said the truth, you Hanaya Kotaro is not an actor, but a warrior. And Xiao Saburo even denied that he was a warrior and revealed his true identity as a silkworm breeder. At this point, he was determined to survive.
In the end, Xiao Saburo came up with a food-for-life deal. The two returned to the room where they were tried for the first time, the same group of villagers, almost the same sitting position. And this time, Xiao Saburo made a full confession, and explained everything he didn't ask to explain. There are also many scenes in the film that use this way of echoing before and after, using huge contrast to create dramatic effects. After negotiating, the two sides smiled and signed the contract in a harmonious atmosphere. At this moment, the Emperor of Japan has also issued an imperial edict. Therefore, the drama of signing the contract has become a parody of the real version of the signing of the surrender between China and Japan. The Chinese representative, the farmers of Jiaojiatai, the Japanese representative, and the sericulture warrior. After the Japanese army over-fulfilled this contract, it took extreme measures to retaliate. The world should be vigilant that even in times of peace, they cannot let down their guard against Japan.
It is no coincidence that Xiao Saburo's status as a farmer. He was also a peasant, and only thought of exchanging food for his life. And the intervention of the identity of the soldier makes the farmers of the two countries seem so different.
How should the peasants in the war settle down?
In the history of China and Japan, peasants are the foundation of the nation. They feed the whole country, but they are at the bottom of the social class. They are vulnerable groups, who have been bullied and exploited for thousands of years, and are the absolute victims of war. In ancient China, there were many peasant uprisings, even if they were oppressed to the point of being unable to survive, as long as someone took the lead, they would swarm up and find a way to survive on the tip of a knife. If there is no leader, it will become a mob, vulnerable. Before the new China, where education was not yet popularized, the main body of the countryside was still the same.
Hangjiatai is located at the foot of the Great Wall, on the shore of the Bohai Sea, and the villagers speak Tangshan dialect. It is said that the prototype is the sunjiatuo in Luan County, Tangshan.
From the mouth of the eight aunts, I learned that this village has been occupied for eight years, which is as long as the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War.
The main characters in the village are Erneck, Ma Dasan, fourth cousin and brother-in-law (who grinds tofu in the town), Fifth Uncle Master, Liuwang, Mad Seventh Master, and Eighth Auntie. Coupled with the knife and axe in the town, Yidao Liu. Each character has a number in its name. like a codename. Makes the character universal. It seems that every village has such seven uncles and eight aunts. In addition, the translation of Dong Hanchen's name is quite ironic, and Hanchen actually became a traitor.
It is this group of peasants who, according to a certain film review committee, showed the side of "ignorance", "numbness" and "slavery".
Uncle Wu looked like he had been in a private school for several years, and he was the most literate person in the village. The others were even more illiterate. What kind of consciousness can such a group of peasants ask them to have?
The village has been occupied for eight years. Under the guns and guns of the Japanese soldiers, how much strength can the peasants' shovels and rakes be able to do? In order to survive, he could only bow down and bow his head. Numbness is also a form of passive resistance.
As for slavery, it took root in the hearts of peasants as early as thousands of years ago, and it was the blessing of the trustee. No matter if it is an officer or the imperial army, if you have a gun on your body, you are a master.
In a natural state, in a small village far from the battlefield, the authenticity of this state is very high. Shameful? No, it's pathetic. To survive, you have to compromise.
They are also patriotic. I know that I can't be a traitor, and I can't help the Japanese kill the Chinese. In the translation of Dong Hanchen's lie, I learned that Hanaya Kosaburo had never killed a Chinese or abused a Chinese woman, so the fifth uncle graciously called him "child". This "child" has made many Chinese people feel indignant. But Uncle Wu's logic is very simple. If Hanaya Ko Saburo has not killed his relatives, there is no family feud; if Hanaya Ko Saburo has not killed Chinese, there will be no family feud. As for the national hatred of being invaded by the Japanese army, it cannot be projected onto a seemingly innocent person. Therefore, the villagers have no hatred for Hanaya Kosaburo. Some would call it ignorance. But this is precisely the rare light of reason in the war years, but it happened to flash in a group of peasants. This has already crossed the barrier of Sino-Japanese national hatred, and expanded the field of vision to the general meaning of war for human beings.
Of course, this light of reason is unconscious. More reflected in the villagers is their tactful way of doing things. In order to protect himself, Ma Dasan lied and dragged the whole village into the water. In the scene of who to kill the devil, the villagers insisted on their own words, and said some high-sounding, self-deceiving, and irrelevant reasons. When Ma Dasan drew the murder lottery, one by one, they were rushing to dig pits. When they found that Ma Dasan did not kill the devils, they all blew their beards and stared, and came to a ridiculous conclusion: "If you don't kill the devils, you will kill us." All of them put their necks on the table and let Ma Dasan cut them off. Forcing Ma Dasan to cry bitterly and want to run away. In fact, this model is not unfamiliar, as long as there is a conflict of interest, a similar drama may repeat itself. This is the vileness of human nature. Noble sentiments can suppress it, but cannot eradicate it. Under the pressure of bad circumstances, no one can guarantee their own nobility.
Some people often like to call the brutal disposition in people animal nature, while the touching disposition that happens to beasts is called human nature. This view fully reflects people's ridiculous self-superiority in the biological chain. In fact, the animal nature in man has nothing to do with beasts, it arises from human greed and selfishness, human possessiveness and desire for destruction. Compared with humans, a lion will not kill a deer when it is full. The so-called human nature in beasts has nothing to do with humans. It is a biological instinct or a disposition that is not yet clear to humans. It may persist in the beast itself, rather than being influenced by humans.
Let's take a look at the bestiality of Japanese soldiers. Hanaya Kosaburo is also a farmer, so is the captain Shuzuka, and there are many farmers in the squad. Unlike the peasants in the hanging armor platform, they have been trained to kill people on the battlefield, and have been baptized by the blood of war. Murder and arson are too easy for them, like a huge inertia, they can't stop if they want to. This is not unique to the Japanese army, and there were many massacres between the Soviet Union and Germany during World War II. What war brings to soldiers is conscious or unconscious sins that cannot be washed away in their entire lives. For the Japanese, however, their "culture of shame" came into play at this time and became a shameless advantage.
Massacre caused by "shame culture"
When a Japanese is polite to you, he may not necessarily respect you, but may be to show that he is a polite person; when the Japanese keep their promises, it is not necessarily Because he feels that he has to do what he promised you, but because if he can't do it himself, it will be very embarrassing. This is the conclusion the author draws from Japanese film and television dramas and literary works. That's what "shame culture" is. They center on their own shame, and if they feel insulted, they will retaliate, even killing people and setting fires. The ancient Japanese regarded this act of defending one's reputation as a samurai's morality, a kind of righteousness. On the other hand, does shame better bind their ethics? American scholar Benedict believes that "the real shame culture relies on external coercive force to do good deeds." "As long as the bad behavior is not exposed in the society, there is no need to feel sad. To confess and repent can only be troubled by oneself." Saying it is doing it for people to see. It is because of Dong Hanchen's audience that the previously mentioned Hanaya Kosaburo performed so wonderfully.
The same is true for Shuzuka, nominally in order to fulfill Xiao Saburo's contract, to prove that the Japanese soldiers are trustworthy. In fact, he secretly planned the massacre of the village. The slaughter of the village was not a temporary intention at the banquet, but a predestined revenge. Otherwise, after receiving the emperor's order to lay down their weapons and accept surrender, they can happily arrange a naval and army party. This is not the reaction of the defeated. He wanted to fight one last battle before he was officially surrendered, even if the target of the battle was some unarmed peasants. After killing the villagers, Jiuzuka threatened that the Japanese army was not defeated on the battlefield. They took the slaughter of the villagers as the last victory on the battlefield, intending to wash away the shame of defeat, which is really sad.
Before the massacre, the Japanese army and the villagers were very friendly. They met together, toasted each other, and hugged each other like a family. This is not a sword hidden in a vain and a snake's smile. It's just to carry out Captain Shuzuka's orders. And when Jiuzhuang gave the order to kill the village, they immediately confronted each other with swords and guns, killing people without blinking an eye. There was no hesitation in their transformation. Unconditional obedience to the leader, without a sense of one's own individuality. They can lift the butcher's knife and become demons on the spot. "Japanese people do not feel psychological pain from one behavior to another. This ability is unbelievable for Westerners." Not to mention the Westerners represented by Benedict, even the Chinese have difficulty Confidence. The fifth uncle and grandfather rushed to the front and yelled at Xiao Saburo. It was obviously unrealistic for him to demand the Japanese soldiers with the virtue of the Chinese nation's gratitude and gratitude. Chinese people talk about human feelings everywhere, Japanese people never talk about human feelings on issues of principle. Westerners will surely be surprised that they are both eastern countries and have similar cultures, so the difference is so great.
After the massacre of the village, it entered the traditional anti-Japanese film mode, and the devil asked the villagers for news about the anti-Japanese war personnel. The difference is that in the traditional film, the devils use guns to force the people together, threaten and lure them, and the tension is on the verge of breaking out, and the villagers are often willing to sacrifice themselves rather than reveal the news of the guerrillas or the Eighth Road. In this film, the questioning was conducted at a banquet, and the villagers did not know the news of the anti-Japanese soldiers. The appearance is gentle and the inner violent is really in line with the true temperament of the Japanese. The devil came into the village and held a feast of Hongmen.
The villagers did not make substantial resistance, nor could they resist. Facing the real swords and guns of the devils, what could they do? The eighth aunt gave Jiuzhuang a few slaps anyway, and it was considered deadly.
Mad Seven is a sober madman. After watching the whole film, the solution he proposed is the most reasonable solution for the handling of the devil and the translator, because the captain Shuzuka has already treated Hanaya Kozaburo as a dead person, and his name has also been written into the Yasukuni Shrine. Therefore, strangling it and burying it in a pit would most likely preserve the safety of the villagers and ironically preserve the honor of Xiao Saburo.
When the Japanese army slaughtered the village, the mad seventh master climbed to the party site with a shotgun on his back, and smashed Onizuka and Xiao Saburo into pockmarked faces. The arm that Onizuka cut off really strangled a devil. This scene really has the domineering power of tearing devils. From this point of view, he can be regarded as the hero of this film. Such a bloody hero is a paralyzed madman. Let the villagers with good arms and legs feel ashamed.
Because of the late pregnancy, the fish returned to her parents' home to raise her body. Ma Dasan took the fish in order to be able to distribute food for one more head. So they escaped. Keeping Ma Dasan is a proof of the awakening of the farmers, and the child in the belly of the fish is hope. Fortunately, the writers weren't too ruthless.
A tragic awakening?
The devils who surrendered were treated well. Not locked in a cell, but concentrated in a Japanese-style compound. You can also happily run out to buy cigarettes and let the wind blow. Thinking back to a detail, when Xiao Saburo returned to the military camp, his military uniform was short and small, probably because the villagers thrifty and fattened him during the past six months. Chinese peasants are not mean to the Japanese.
When Ma Dasan rushed into the prison camp to kill the Japanese, it was raining heavily, and the background music was desolate and tragic. The axe had been thrown on the ground, but now it is held tightly in the hands of Ma Dasan, chasing and slashing the devil fiercely. Why is the scene so tragic? Because this act of slaughtering ghosts is doomed to fail. This behavior of Ma Dasan is not anti-Japanese, but a vendetta. Don't you also carry hatred when you fight against Japan? How to fight the enemy without hatred? But the war is over and the enemy has become a prisoner. Ma Dasan couldn't keep up with the absurd transformation of the world, and was pushed down by the national army and cried in the muddy mud. The world did not become clear with victory.
Ma Dasan was tied up by the five flowers and gagged. It was exactly the same situation as when Xiao Saburo was captured. What is even more absurd is that the senior commander of the National Army made the following sentence, ordering the Japanese prisoner to behead Ma Dasan for public display. This is where the whole film shines brightly. There are also two details in the film that obviously tease the national army. One is that the high-ranking officer ordered Nonomura, who had set up a street stall, to withdraw many times, but he was dismissed by Nonomura. The American soldier on the side opened his mouth and asked Nonomura to obey. The other is that the senior officer was so emotional during the trial of Ma Dasan that he lost his leg and almost fell, and was held up by two American soldiers who were chewing gum behind him. The meaning need not be made explicit.
For such an absurd trial result, even Shuzuka shouted "Nani?" Shuzuka dramatically handed the butcher's knife into the hands of Hanaya Kozaburo. From the Japanese point of view, this is a fate, and Kosaburo Hanaya must personally end the bond between him and Ma Dasan.
During the whole process of trial and execution, the surrounding people were full of ordinary people who made Mr. Lu Xun heartbroken. Whether Ma Dasan's head turned nine circles on the ground, the author has counted it several times, but I can't figure it out. But in the blink of an eye three times, the corners of his mouth rose to see the truth. Although the head fell to the ground, there was still something in the mouth. According to the fourth cousin's brother-in-law, this is called Jiuquan with a smile. But his mouth was gagged, how could he laugh? Seeing this, the author suddenly realized that a certain jury really understood the movie.
In this scene, the film suddenly changes from black and white to blood red, symbolizing a time span, and reality has not changed much because of this time span. Ma Dasan became a lonely hero, a lonely sober in peacetime. Whether his actions are narrow-minded revenge or real awakening, they have epoch-making significance. This scene has also surpassed the limitations of the character of Ma Dasan, and has become the highlight of the film.
Extension outside the video
Teacher Zhang Yuanshan's film review digs deep into the question of who "I" is. The article mentions that the "I" in the novel is Captain Wu, but the identity of "I" is concealed in the film, and another five captains who never appeared. The screenwriter uses the stalk of the original novel to make the plot of the movie more absurd. Let the audience feel an unfinished extension while enjoying the movie. This is an extension of the script. In addition, Mr. Chen Qiang, who plays the role of One Blade Liu, has played a role in the past that affects his interpretation of the role in this film. This is a role extension. These two extensions have relatively novel characteristics in the field of film criticism.
Jiang Wen also made a fake documentary for the film. The video on the Internet is about ten minutes long and does not seem to be complete. It was an avant-garde film genre at the time. Of course, this is not a complete movie, just a footnote of "The Devil is Coming". It records that the elderly Hanaya Kozaburo played by Kagawa revisited the old place accompanied by Chinese personnel many years later. The extras in the movie seemed to be real passersby, who surrounded the Japanese-speaking Hanaya Kozaburo with puzzled or surprised faces, and then suddenly smirked at the camera. This adds a bit of realism to the documentary. If the audience has not watched "Devils Are Coming", they are likely to be stunned by Kagawa.
In the documentary, Xiao Saburo never said "I'm sorry" from beginning to end, even in the face of Ma Dasan's son Jia Guangfu. When I heard the name, I wanted to laugh. Jia Tong fake. Probably a coincidence. A smile is enough. At the end of "The Devil Is Coming", there is no account of the fish's situation, so I will add it here. It can be guessed that Yu'er gave birth to Ma Dasan's child, and later remarried to a family named Jia. In the documentary, Xiao Saburo accidentally almost knelt down in front of Jia Guangfu, which was deliberately arranged by the director. When Xiao Saburo boarded the plot of hanging armor platform, I don't know if it was a makeup problem, and he looked extraordinarily young. It seems to have returned to the era when the village was massacred. He hasn't changed. He came to China to pay homage to his comrades who fought together in those years. Many people always imagine the repentance of Japanese veterans and their guilt towards the Chinese people. But in reality, very few veterans truly repent. Most of the veterans who reflect on World War II, their remorse is not because of the invasion of China and the killing of Chinese people. They reflect on the disaster the war has brought to their homeland. The indiscriminate harm of the war has already overshadowed the harm to the Chinese people in their hearts. However, the documentary still made a strong conclusion. Take a closer look at Xiao Saburo's "old face", there are still scars from the crazy seventh master. This is the evidence of the slaughter of the village back then, and it will not disappear with the passage of time. Whenever the killer stood in front of the mirror, the scar reminded him that he was a guilty man.
Finally, let me mention the soundtrack that impressed me in the film. One is the "March of Warships" by the Japanese military music. Throughout the film, Jiang Wen heard the taste of folk songs. The other is Liu Xing's "Empty Heart Like a Valley", which appeared twice in the film, once with Ma Dasan, the fourth cousin and brother-in-law and Yidao Liu on the road of "Slaughtering Ghosts" toward the hanging armor platform, and once with Hanaya Kozaburo Riding a donkey, he led Ma Dasan and other villagers to the military camp to exchange food. The two scenes before and after are completely opposite, but the same song is used. The song has a ranger flavor, and the artistic conception is profound and open-minded. These two pieces have become a stark contrast between the cultures of the two countries.
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