The plot is adapted from the novel of the same name by Sebastian Fox. It is described by the method of double-line crossing and finally combining into one.
The story is very simple. It tells that a young man from England, Stephen, came to Amiens, a city in northern France, as a guest. However, on the first day at the host's house, she fell in love with the hostess Isabella at first sight. Of course, after a short time together, the hostess also fell in love with this British young man with an artistic and free atmosphere. So they love each other madly regardless of the world and stay together.
But after all, the paper couldn't contain the fire. Facing the questioning of the male host after hearing the gossip, they confessed fearlessly. Stephen fled the home with Isabella. They went to the south of France and lived a warm and romantic life only for each other. But then Isabella left him and returned to her former home. The beloved's no reason, no sign of leaving without saying goodbye is undoubtedly a fatal blow to Stephen.
Just after Isabella left, World War I broke out, and Stephen took to the battlefield. As a low-ranking officer, the cruelty of war and the thought of Isabella gnawed at his heart all the time. His subordinates thought he was serious and cold, but his heart was full of kindness and warmth.
On the eve of a trip to the front line, Stephen accidentally met Isabella's sister Jeanne, and finally he was able to meet Isabella again. When they meet again, they have a thousand words to say to each other but don't know where to start. He looked at her haggard and aging face, full of tenderness. He wanted to know the reason why she left him at that time, but she was always reluctant to say it. She wraps up all her feelings and doesn't show them in front of him. In the end, he left in grief and anger, and went to the front line where his life and death were uncertain. He didn't know if he could come back alive, so he shed a letter to Isabella, telling her that she was the only woman he had ever loved.
Perhaps it was God's favor that Stephen escaped death time and time again on the battlefield. The last time he and a group of tunnel workers were bombed by the Germans in the tunnel. In the end, only Stephen and the tunnel worker Jack were left. Jack helped Stephen escape, but he failed to last until the end. When he was dying, he said to Stephen, "There is nothing more ,sir.To love and be loved." (There is nothing in life, just love and be loved)
In the tunnel, Stephen recalled the past. Later he met Jeanne, who told him that Isabella had died, and later followed Jeanne to her house, where she found a little girl with her. Jeanne told him that the child was Isabella and his child. He finally knew the reason why Isabella left him. It turned out to be because she was pregnant when she was with him at the time, yet she knew he wanted children. Because he was an orphan since he was a child, and he was afraid of having children from the bottom of his heart. He didn't know how to fulfill that kind of responsibility, or he hadn't learned how to love. In order to preserve the crystallization of their love, she would leave without saying goodbye. Stephen, who knew the truth, covered his face and cried.
Finally, under the guidance of Jack during his lifetime, Stephen, who had a strong desire to survive, blasted the exit with all his strength and climbed out of the tunnel. When he saw the sun again, he saw that there were indeed two German soldiers. He took out his remaining strength and shouted: "come on." But one of the officers said in English: "It is finished, The war is finished. "After a moment of silence, he threw himself on the enemy's shoulder and burst into tears.
At the end of the film he returns to Jeanne's house to find him and Isabella's daughter. The daughter ran over with a smile, and a crisp bird chirping sounded in her ears.
The theme of the show is love and war. In cross-contrasted shots, how beautiful is love, how cruel is war, and vice versa.
Stephen and Isabella's love is transcendent, pure, deep and selfless. Their love is a bit like a gift from Maggie, they both think too much about each other and are willing to sacrifice themselves. The last white lie resulted in a poignant tragedy. The only comfort in the tragedy should be the daughter Isabella left for Stephen, and she has become Stephen's greatest hope in life.
Speaking of war, I think it is wrong to divide wars into just and unjust. War, for whatever purpose, is unjust and dehumanizing. War is nothing but human cannibalism under the banner of so-called "nations" and "nations". Wherever there is war, there are endless corpses everywhere, blood flowing into rivers. War is the greatest sin that human beings have committed, and it is also the greatest tragedy that human beings have ever experienced. Whether they win or lose, they are ultimately the losers of history.
This film, which contains a heavy theme, is titled "birdsing" (birdsong), from which we can also feel the author's personal feelings. Just like Jack's last words when he was dying, "There is nothing in life, but to love and be loved." Love is the most beautiful part of human life, and even cruel wars cannot destroy the nature of human love. No matter how much suffering, sin and sadness are, they will eventually return to peace, just like no matter how long they are soaked in suffering, people's hearts always yearn for the crisp birdsong in a peaceful life.
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