Due to the recent Golden Horse Awards, I took out "The City of Sadness" and watched it again. At this moment, I listened to the SENS soundtrack and typed these words, from the movie to the soundtrack, all told us: Hou Hsiao-hsien is a Bodhisattva, who is cold-eyed and compassionate.
An excellent two-and-a-half-hour film, no matter from which angle it is cut, there are endless words. Simply put. First of all, in terms of genre classification, I classify it as a family film and a historical film. In fact, I prefer to define it as an epic film, a family epic, which puts the fate of individuals and families into the torrent of history and writes a tragedy. History. So it's no surprise that it won the Golden Lion, as both "Andrei Rublev" and "Alive" fit this epic quality. Secondly, the clues of the movie are also obvious. The eldest, the second child, the fourth child, Kuanrong, as for the third child, Shizuko, and other characters who live in the family, they are all supplementary explanations for the main plot, and together with the protagonist, they constitute the era footnotes. Finally to the most important part, what I got out of it.
Taiwanese (from the province) and Japanese
Kuan Rong and Shizuko's brother were good friends, and Shizuko's brother died in World War II. Kuanrong is a patriotic and progressive youth, and Shizuko's brother is a member of the invading army, but they are also friends. Shizuko's father is so stupid, we have no way of knowing if it was because of his son's death. From Shizuko's plot, we can know that they are just ordinary people like you and me. Is it war tore human nature or human nature shapes the battlefield of war? Don't worry, the giant wheel of history will crush every single one without exception. Fragile life, Shizuko's brother is like that, and so are other characters.
Taiwanese (local people) and people from other provinces
The Lin family is from southern Fujian, from the province, and Lin and Chen are Taiwanese surnames, mainly from southern Fujian and Hakka people. The eldest, the second and the fourth were all destroyed by the hands of the people from other provinces, and after the February 28 Incident, the people of this province will be full of anger and resort to violence to deal with the people from other provinces indiscriminately. The high level of the Kuomintang, the gang of investors from Shanghai, and the army all joined forces, destroying the expectations of the people of this province for the motherland and the government. During this period, many former patriotic youths became the backbone of T independence, such as the father of the famous T independence Peng Mingmin.
progressive youth
Kuan Rong, Wen Qing, and the comrades from the mainland were popular left-wing youths of that era. When everyone sat around talking and sang the trilogy in exile, they would never have imagined that this would be their prophecy. I don't know if Kuanrong and Wenqing would have become members of the DPP if they were alive. The outcasts of the Qing Dynasty, the adopted sons of Japan, the fish and meat under the knife of the National Government, the local people living in the cracks will not be short of revolutionary young people. They will naturally embark on a path to find their own positioning, and make a clean break with the past and be their own. Master, it looks beautiful, romantic and leftist.
wide and beautiful
"I have a very happy feeling in my heart." Fate is always so ruthless, and human nature is always so complicated. I don't want to suffer so much. As long as the person I care about is by my side or lets me know that he is fine, I feel very happy. Generous beauty is the simplest and the least simple. The only way to fight against fate and pain is the brilliance of human nature - kindness and letting go.
A month before I left Taiwan, I went with my family to Jiufen Jinguashi to visit. There was nothing special there, only the smell of abandonment. Keelung, where the Lin family lives, is my favorite. I have been to Keelung a few times. The sea in Keelung is dark blue, not like the fairy tale blue of Hualien. The vastness of the Pacific Ocean reassures and awes me. Missing hometown. I love my country, I have never doubted that I am Chinese, I miss my hometown with dignity, and maybe the same is true for those born in mainland China, but what about others? What about Taiwanese?
There is an art and cultural venue in Taipei called Light Spot Taipei, which has become a well-known attraction among mainland tourists. Its predecessor was the U.S. Embassy. In 1979, the U.S. severed diplomatic ties with the Republic of China and established diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China. My teacher was studying in the U.S. at that time. She told us that this incident had a great impact on Taiwanese students studying in the United States and even Taiwanese. I can imagine that if February 28 was the first spiritual destruction, then 1979 was the second time. The self-identity problem and the sense of disillusionment brought about by the collapse of national consciousness are difficult for us Chinese people to understand. . Why did the story of Cai Wenji spread through the ages? Literati writers and writers have compiled lyrics and music for their books and biography only to express their aspirations. Most Chinese intellectuals cannot escape the emotional bondage of the country and the world. The collapse of national consciousness is more difficult to accept than being abandoned by the country. The understanding of the country, different people are in different contexts, which interpretation do they choose? will be an inherent part of its value system. Understanding this will give you a different perspective on the Taiwan issue. I have always said that the people on both sides of the strait are in a parallel world, and the exchanges between the two sides of the strait always seem to be scratching the itch. Is it important?
Hou Hsiao-hsien, Yang Dechang, Ang Lee... A small island, how many film masters have contributed, mainland Hong Kong (Wong Kar-wai and Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Jiang Wen add up to one) can be compared with them. Wong Kar-wai represents Hong Kong. He is good at combining classical and modern, but he cannot escape the shadow of the city of Hong Kong. Several famous directors from Taiwan and the mainland are Chinese, classical, heavy and flashing. Taiwan's tragic fate can nurture directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Yang Dechang, just as Russia can nurture a long list of brilliant names. It is true that the mainland is also suffering, but the national culture has been too strong for thousands of years, the people are less confused, and those who come from outside must obey.
A good movie is a work of art, and what you can get from it often depends on the viewer's experience and level of thinking. With my current experience and level of thinking, I can only see here. There is no right or wrong in the world, in the final analysis it is the similarities and differences of positions. Under the constraints of morality, stick to your own position, respect the choices of others, have more empathy, more understanding, more tolerance, and more patience, the world will be better.
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