During lunch, I asked a post-70s friend, " Have you watched '1942'?" It talks deeply about the issue of faith."
"I also think it's good, but what attracts me is the series of innovations in the film."
"Then have you watched "A Farewell"?"
"Yes, I watched it during the Beijing Film Festival. It's a great film, and it moved me a lot. When I got home that night, I wanted to write something about it. I wrote a few lines and then threw it away, because I couldn't publish it. This film hit a big Chinese filmmaker. Mouth, it tells us that China can't make good movies, it can't put all the responsibilities on control and censorship, and there are also big problems for filmmakers. Iran's ideology, economy, and international environment are like that, and they can be made. With such a good film, what else can we say? Can we just scold the Central Propaganda Department and the Film Bureau? Of course, whether they should scold them, whether they should die or not, is another matter, what I emphasize is ' You can't just scold', the emphasis is that you can still shoot good things in the cracks. The previous "The Undertaker" has already given me such a revelation, and "A Farewell" is a stronger proof."
"A Farewell is better than "The Undertaker" is much more advanced."
I thought about it for a while: "It's higher. Why do you think Chinese films are not good?"
"The filmmakers are too impetuous, and the level is still low."
I said: "China just makes films. "A Farewell," I'm afraid it will be difficult to make a box office."
"It is because the Chinese are too eager to make such a film! They did not make this film to make money, and they only spent two or three million. "
But if you don't want to make money by investing millions or tens of millions of films, I'm afraid it won't work. Who will invest for you!"
"It just needs people who have feelings and really like movies. It’s about making money. A foreigner has been making a movie for many years, because he runs out of money while filming, so he has to stop to make money, earn some money and make it later. This kind of person is very popular in foreign countries. Few, but society and art must have such a 'very few'!"
"Yes, there are basically no directors in China with such ideals, spirit and level. However, there are still issues related to art films and commercial films."
"Chinese commercial films are also not very good! I also I don't blame them very much, Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, Chen Kaige and their generation are at this level, and their era is destined to be only people of this level."
"Then why do you think Chinese movies are not good?"
"It just doesn't feel right . , too unprofessional."
"Yes. Recently, I'm trying to find out if there is a more general expression of the problem of Chinese movies. I haven't found any new words, so let's summarize it as a 'fake' word. Thoughts, emotions, stories, plots, performances, serving the Tao, etc. are all fake. From a certain perspective, the main theme of today's Chinese society is not pragmatism, nor retreat, but 'fake'. Chinese movies are naturally the same It is a product of the 'fake of the times', so it is fake everywhere, which makes people look awkward, and it is a reasonable thing."
Actually, about the "fake" of Chinese movies, I have not thought about it. It is even more difficult to speak to the common people.
Foreign films are not naturalistic reproductions of real life, and there are also a lot of fiction and exaggeration. The story and many plots and details of "007" are also unreal, but why is it still so fascinating? The audience knows it's fake, why are they so intoxicated? In Chinese movies, the director obviously wants to make it real, but the result is as uncomfortable as chewing sand. Why is this? I originally wanted to use the old concept of "the truth of life" and "the truth of art" to explain it, but I felt that this pair of concepts is too big, and it is more troublesome to talk about the specific issue of truth and falsehood in movies, and this concept It also gives people the feeling of being "a bit old-fashioned", which is easy to arouse the disgust of young people.
Coincidentally, the next day I met a sensible person in the Chinese film industry, and I quickly asked for advice. He said that he also thought about this issue, and he basically figured it out through "Jurassic Park". I say the example of "Jurassic Park" is too extreme, let's talk about a more realistic theme, such as "007". He said all the same. I asked, what is this kind of reality that is largely divorced from the reality of life, but makes the audience feel good-looking? Is there a professional term in film theory? He said yes, it's a technical term for theatre, called "truth in prescribed situations", and the uncomfortable fakeness you mentioned in Chinese movies is that it fails to guarantee "truth in prescribed situations". Next I asked about the definition of "prescribed situation". However, this context is still too professional, and it is not easy for ordinary people to understand. I think that clarifying the relationship between "reality in prescribed situations" and reality in life may be the key to clarifying the issue of "fakeness in Chinese films".
Conclusion: The fiction and exaggeration of a good movie, which is the so-called realism of foreign movies, is accepted and liked by audiences because it is refined and exaggerated on the basis of real life logic and common sense, while the fakeness of Chinese movies, It is a falsehood that goes against the logic of real life and common sense. For example, a lunatic eats sand as sugar when he is crazy, no matter whether he eats with a big stutter or a small stutter, whether he eats with a cry or a smile, it is all true; while a normal person eats sand as sugar under normal circumstances , no matter what he eats, it's all fake. "Mad people go crazy" and "normal people under normal circumstances" are the so-called "prescribed situations". "Taking sand as white sugar" is not true or false. Once this matter is placed in different "prescribed situations", it will There is a difference between true and false.
Speaking of which, people will think that the truth in the movie is quite simple. Could it be that a Chinese director who is better than a monkey can't even handle this? Really can't get it done!
On the night of lunch with my friends, I stumbled into the theater of "1942".
Shortly after the performance, I was reminded of Jiang Zhaohe's painting "Refugee Map", and I had a premonition that it would be a "Refugee Map" in the form of a movie - it really is a film that reflects the process of a large number of refugees fleeing from famine.
However, not long after the movie started, there were two or three laughs, and they all appeared in the plot of fleeing the desert. At first, I didn't care too much, I thought it was a conscious manifestation of "Feng's humor", because Director Feng Xiaogang was afraid that we would be too tired and sad to watch, so we could take it easy. There were a few more laughs, and I began to feel a little uncomfortable while laughing. It was the kind of laugh that is similar to watching vulgar sketches, the kind of laughter that scratches the itch of the vulgar, base, and obscene part of human nature. laugh. The pictures of refugees with the background of real events and the repeated laughter together make me feel a little awkward. Since it is a joke, it means that there is nothing wrong with me, or my lack of "class feeling" or compassion. Later, I even thought that Feng Xiaogang lacked "class feeling" or compassion, and even was a little unkind and decent. In particular, the Catholic missionary who preached with the refugee group was interpreted as a clown, and it caused laughter several times. I think this is mocking and blasphemous. Is it appropriate to tease religion so much in a movie of this kind? Ang Lee's "The Fantastic Drift of the Young Pi" uses a fantasy story to arouse people's deep thinking about religious beliefs, explaining the importance and power of beliefs, but Feng Dao made fun of religious beliefs in a film about historical disasters. Bundle. I really don't know what the difference between Feng and Li Erdao explains. Although Feng Dao later said a few words about the existence or non-existence of God through the dialogue between the Chinese missionary and the foreign priest, it seemed to be quite philosophical, but in fact it was blunt, shallow, and pale. This episode, in particular, didn't take away the bad feeling I had earlier because of the preacher being teased. I don't believe in religion, but I think religious belief is a more serious matter and a more important thing in human life. We may not believe it, but we should not easily laugh at other people's letters. Even if the other person believes in a very rudimentary level, we should respect them. Fortunately, "1942" teases Catholicism. If it were changed to Islam, Feng Xiaogang might also become the target of religious pursuit. Chinese directors also have his cleverness, especially good at avoiding risks.
In fact, there are some false reasons behind the frequent laughter scenes of watching the "refugee map", and there are many false and far-fetched places in "1942". Listed below are some to help those who have watched this film to recollect, and let’s see if it’s true or a little fake, or if I’m exaggerating.
For example, on the way to escape, the old landlord lent a villager a bowl of life-saving millet, and even told him to pay it back after the disaster. As for? Is this understanding of landlords still limited to the concept of the Cultural Revolution and the plot of Zhou's ripping off the skin? (It was later proved that Zhou Papi in "Gao Yubao" was purely fictitious). There are many options for the old landlord's response in this plot, but this one in this "prescribed situation" is a bit inappropriate. There is almost starvation over there, and there is not much left here, and it is reluctant to borrow. This is a normal contradiction, and the old landlord can have many choices. He can borrow it in a humane way, or not, or he can regret it later, and he can even ask his children to have a porridge with him... But this choice in the film is undoubtedly a bit false. The common sense of life and the logic of life are somewhat inconsistent, let alone the deep contradictions, conflicts or brilliance of human nature through this detail.
For example, the daughter-in-law died of starvation, and the mother-in-law was in a hurry to let the child eat milk while the corpse was still hot. Could it be that after fleeing together for so long, the father-in-law knows more about the daughter-in-law's milk situation than the mother-in-law? Does the mother-in-law still get this dizzy when her daughter-in-law, who has long been without milk, is dying? What was supposed to be a very touching plot ended in a funny way.
For example, a Japanese officer exchanged steamed buns for a child's toy with a hungry refugee who had lost his non-birth child. As a result, the refugee took the initiative to be rough and was stabbed to death by the officer. It is a bit far-fetched to express the kinship between refugees and non-natural children and to reflect the cruelty of the Japanese invaders.
For example, a person is so hungry that he "can't even eat firewood" (lines), and even eats his beloved domestic cat, but the wild dog eats the corpse just a stone's throw away from the refugee group, and is not afraid of people. American journalists also A close-up photo was taken very close. Aren't wild dogs afraid of being killed by refugees to eat meat? Wild dogs should stay away from people and eat carcasses, right?
For example, a refugee girl went to the city to work as a prostitute in order to survive. When she picked up the client, she held a water basin and refused to wash the client's feet. Finally, she said that she was too full to bend down. This is reminiscent of the fact that she put down her chopsticks after her first meal at the brothel, did not wash up, and went to pick up customers immediately. This is obviously a bit inconsistent and logical, and there is no need to think about whether the brothel will be properly rationed and other factors in the year of the catastrophe. This plot, which reflects the contrast in the fate of the daughter of the big landlord, and the plot that reflects the corruption of Kuomintang officials (whore clients), is a humorous ending in the style of Zhao Benshan's sketch.
For another example, Chen Daoming frequently used deceitful eyes to express Chiang Kai-shek's inner activities, as if Chiang was a criminal on trial, not a monarch of a country. Furthermore, the superficial arrogance of the Kuomintang general rank officer, and the frivolous and ruffian (inner state) of his relationship with the chairman of Henan Province, I am afraid it is also against historical facts; also, the Kuomintang regular army and refugees Conflicts over scrambles for items may also have been handled too gangster-like.
At the end of the film, a five- or six-year-old girl standing next to her mother's body said, "My mother died of starvation, and I don't know anyone around me." The old refugee said: "As long as you call me grandpa, we know each other." (I don't remember the lines very accurately). That era, that miserable situation, that age of children, such "modern written language" lines may be a bit fake. I heard that the lines of Hollywood blockbusters are carefully selected by a professional team. Why can't we do the same? Is there no money? Still not professional enough, not dedicated enough?
Many fake examples can be found in this film, and the following more real fake is especially exciting to me. Because of this fake, I even suspect that there are many "big fakes" in "1942" that I am not able to identify, and the black and white are reversed.
Chen Brai appeared in several scenes in the film. It happened that I had just finished writing the article "Chen Brai, Chiang Kai-shek's Chief of Staff", so I checked some materials, including the memoirs of people around Chen Brai.
Chen Brai in the film is much younger than Chiang Kai-shek. He is dressed in a three-piece suit and looks very foreign. He followed Chiang Kai-shek's side, like a personal secretary of Chiang Kai-shek, assisting Chiang with official affairs. The relationship between the two people shown is serious, cold, and very official - Jiang is high above, and Chen is respectful and careful. All the submissions from the chairman of Henan Province to Jiang had to be passed on by Chen Brai himself.
I think this kind of treatment may have something to do with Chen Bui's appointment as the "Secretary Director of the Second Office of the Military Commission Chairman of the Nationalist Government", so he took it for granted that Chen Bui was directed and played as a very foreign-styled secretary of Chiang Kai-shek's side.
The truth is this. Chen Brei was a journalist and editor-turned-literati, only 3 years younger than Chiang Kai-shek. His temperament is: modest gentleman, gentle, simple and silent, is the style and style of a typical Chinese traditional intellectual. He is reclusive, lives a simple life, rarely entertains, does not form gangs, has good knowledge, is wise, honest, and diligent. His appearance features are: a thin body of 1.6 meters, with unkempt hair, wearing a very old black gown all the year round, keeping his right hand close to the 35-brand cigarette, walking with small steps, and his left arm is stiff and does not swing. He suffers from severe neurasthenia all the year round, relies on large doses of sleeping pills to sleep, and his face has a clear air of aggression. His relationship with Chiang Kai-shek was that Chiang respected him more than he respected the vast majority of party-state leaders. Jiang only called Zhang Jingjiang, Hu Hanmin, Wang Jingwei and other Kuomintang veterans "Mr. XX", but he always called Chen Brai "Mr. Bray". Chen Brai's main job is to draft important documents for Jiang, and check for Jiang's important telegrams. The second is to participate in Jiang's think-tank meetings as a chief of staff. He seldom spoke at the meeting, and occasionally made eye-catching sentences. After the meeting, Jiang would often discuss with him for a long time alone on major issues. Chen rarely received guests in person, and officials at the provincial chairman level were generally received by his subordinates. Only Tao Xisheng, Zhang Zhizhong, Shao Lizi, Sun Ke, Zhang Qun, Chen Cheng, Yu Youren and friends of such magnitude did he personally receive them.
The Attendant Room is not only Chiang Kai-shek's secretariat, confidential room, and guards, but also the bureaucracy and central nervous system of Chiang Kai-shek's dictatorship. Several groups in the Attendant Room were responsible for Chiang Kai-shek's life, guards, secrets, secretaries, military staff, political staff, economic staff, diplomatic staff, intelligence staff and many other work. The attendant room is a bit like the military aircraft office of the Qing Dynasty. Its power is frighteningly large, and its actual power even surpasses that of the Military Commission and the Executive Yuan. Although Chen Brai is the director of the "Second Servant", he is really the soul of the attendant room.
Well, compare the Chen Brai in the movie with the real Chen Brai, and you will know that their "god" is not only the mouth of a donkey and the mouth of a horse, but also the "shape". Originally, for such a distinctive historical figure, a director or actor could play Chen Brai to the point of "resemblance" by just looking through the materials for one night. From this, we can infer what kind of working conditions our filmmakers are in, how they do their desk preparations, what kind of professionalism and what kind of professional quality they have. Of course, we dare not ask for "spiritual resemblance", because "spiritual resemblance" also requires directors and actors to have profound cultural heritage. For example, if you don't have a deep understanding of the inner world and living habits of the old Chinese literati, you can't portray Chen Brai to the realm of "spiritual resemblance". However, to deeply understand the inner world and living habits of the old literati, and to be able to accurately distinguish and express their characters in detail, this is not something that can be achieved by looking up materials for a few days, but requires years of reading and comprehension. It is precisely because of this that films such as "The Great Cause of the Founding of the People's Republic of China" and "The Great Cause of the Founding of the Party" appear to be so false, frivolous, and without artistic charm. In fact, it is a scene where a small character has only one line, and it can be performed very vividly. Especially historical celebrities, who want to play him vividly, will be more evidence-based, and will be more easily recognized and liked by the audience.
Of course, most viewers are not able to see through the many falsehoods in the movie. If I hadn't happened to just read some information about Chen Brai, I would not have been able to see that the character of Chen Brai could be so absurd. However, I think that although it is not easy for the audience to see through the many falsehoods in the film in a specific and profound way, these falsehoods will definitely affect the audience's feelings inexplicably, and then make them feel awkward, unattractive, and even disgusting.
As far as the superficial fakeness of "1942" is concerned, there is still a big problem, that is, the problem that the hungry people are generally not thin. I know this is a very difficult problem to solve, but it needs to be discussed. Although the actors have all lost weight in advance, the effect is really hard to compliment. Moreover, the fatness of several child refugees also shows that the director does not pay enough attention to this aspect and does not work hard enough, because it is not difficult to find children who are much thinner than the small actors in the film. The "fat" in "1942" definitely belongs to "falsehood in a prescribed situation", which is a very awkward thing. You can't explain that the refugees are bloated from the start, can you? So what should we do in the face of this problem? Let me start by saying that there are quite a few actors in history who have made amazing efforts to lose weight. Bell, who played the false priest in "The Thirteen Hairpins of Jinling", is an example. In order to play the role in "The Mechanic", he once lost 57 pounds in two weeks. He didn't give up until the doctor warned him that it would be life-threatening to lose any more. Later, for "Batman", he gained 90 pounds in 6 months. This is undoubtedly a very harmful and almost life-threatening behavior. And behind this behavior, there must be the support of character and professionalism. So I don't know how much the wrists in "1942" have been reduced. Of course, this kind of thing cannot be forced by others, it has to be done voluntarily by the actor. To take a step back, if the effect of thinness cannot be achieved, that is, such a critical "reality in a prescribed situation" cannot be achieved, then a good director may rather give up this subject matter and prefer not to shoot. This kind of abandonment, this principle of preferring lack of excess, is by no means a "personal preference". It reflects a filmmaker's respect for movies, an artist's respect for art, and an artist's respect for the public. . This is the principle of art and a reflection of the artist's moral and professional taste.
Most of the "fakes" of Chinese films are not malicious falsifications by filmmakers, nor are they often due to insufficient funds. The root of the problem is that we lack the ability to be "true".
Of course, "1942" still has some deep-seated problems, such as failing to deeply express the richness of human nature and the real social conditions, cultural characteristics, customs and customs of that era. As for what kind of spiritual value this film is trying to express by escaping, I don't see it. What kind of humanistic feelings or deep cognition does the film imply? I didn't feel it either. But there is a "positive meaning" that I vaguely feel: it is just to show you how miserable the life of the common people was during the Kuomintang rule. In contrast, we don't have to worry about food and drink today. ! How corrupt was the Kuomintang government at that time! We should thank the great, bright, and correct leadership of the Communist Party of China, and we must listen to the party and the government. Now those who are dissatisfied with reality should really let them taste the taste of being a refugee!
The reason for being so critical of "1942" is that Feng Xiaogang is not an ordinary little director in China, and we have reason to use "the standard of international excellent film" to measure and demand it, otherwise the hope of Chinese films will be even slimmer.
A post-80s friend who had nothing to do with art heard that I was writing a film review of "1942", so he sent a text message with a lot of emotion about the film, including a few sentences:
1. The refugees showed their extremely selfish side almost at critical moments. Is this what the director deliberately wanted to show?
2. American movies will let people show some positive aspects of human nature in times of disaster. Even if it is individual heroism, it will be a contest between the beauty and ugliness of human nature, and strive to convey some positive energy and give people warmth and hope. But after watching "1942," not only did I feel hopeless, but I even felt negative and tasteless.
3. Superficial, full of eyes, why spend so much money on such a superficial thing? too expensive. Such a film that bears the suffering of the nation should be very heavy! At least when I watch it, my heart should be a little ups and downs. The only scene that made me sad was Chiang Kai-shek's orphan of a Japanese martyr saying, "Your father is a great father who gave his life for the country." The little girl had tears on her face.
4. Laughing is the most disgusting thing, and it's not bad for the audience. The whole article is expressed in a very simple way, which really insults the IQ of the Chinese people. It was said that the Chinese people are "dumb and rich", I used to be a little bit unconvinced, but how can you spend money to enjoy a blockbuster of this level? Originally I thought most rich people were not stupid, but now, I doubt it.
I used to think that in today's China, there is a general tendency in terms of ideology and self-cultivation behavior, that is, the people walk in front of the official, and the common people walk in front of the officials. After reading this text message, it seems that there are two more things to add: the public is ahead of the intellectuals, and the audience is ahead of the filmmakers.
When I heard that the current online reviews of "1942" were good, I was shocked, and then I wondered if I was being too mean? What if this film is good at the box office, if it is praised, what should I do? At that time, I could only laugh at myself and say arrogantly: "What kind of people will have what kind of government, and in the same way, what kind of audience will have what kind of movies."
At the end of the film, Chiang Kai-shek asked the chairman of Henan Province, the How many people died, he said the official count was more than 1,000, but the actual number was 3 million. A young audience member around me was taken aback by the "three million". I thought to myself, what's all the fuss about? In the three years in a peaceful environment 40 years ago, the whole country starved to death between 30 and 40 million!
I figured he would be taken aback again if he had said it out loud. He may also ask as cute as Xiao Shenyang: "Why didn't Director Feng make a "1962"?"
Sunday, December 2, 2012 (Revised on the 3rd)
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