"Birdman" is a comedy film with a dark humorous style directed by the famous Mexican director Inarido. It has won many awards including the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and other awards for its outstanding performance. The success of "Birdman" is closely related to its innovative form and rich spiritual connotation. The film uses the pioneering and creative "one shot to the end" photography method, which tells the story of an outdated Hollywood actor Reagan trying to regain fame and attention on Broadway by adapting Raymond Carver's book, but it has gone through all kinds of twists and turns. absurd story. Throughout the whole film, nothing is more eye-catching than its ingenious and unique long-shot art, but in addition, the film's excellent cultural metaphors and irony and reflection on reality are also very thought-provoking. These two characteristics will be further analyzed later.
1. Lens language: the long-lens aesthetics of "one shot to the end"
Strictly speaking, this film is not a real "one shot to the end" film, but is composed of several long shots through clever editing and splicing, and the shooting skills of this long shot are not this film. First of all, this technique has been used in movies such as Hitchcock's "Reaper of Souls" and "Russian Ark", but with the story and tone of the film, Inarido has successfully created a unique The film's long-shot aesthetics. This feature also brings many excellent effects to the film.
First of all, the super-long shot of "one shot to the end" makes all parts and plots of the film seamlessly connected. With the continuous shuttle of the movie shot in the backstage of the theater, the stage and the street, the audience also enjoys a The hearty visual experience also makes the overall narrative of the film seem extremely concise and smooth. Under the long shot, the entire theater space and the life details of all the characters can be seen at a glance. The time and space in the film extend infinitely, which greatly enriches the expressiveness of the language of the film shots. The feature that long shots can "ensure the coherence of time and space" is to increase the realism of the film's picture effects, so that the audience can be more immersed in it and arouse the audience's emotions. At the same time, the film also has strong magical realism characteristics. In the film, Reagan sometimes hovers in the air, sometimes soars over the street, and has the ability to manipulate objects in the air. Although the audience understands that this is obviously Reagan's fantasy, However, the sense of reality brought by "one mirror to the end" seems to have created a real illusion. In a series of long shots, the boundary between the real and the illusory is blurred, and the magic of the film is more prominent, which also enhances the picture. Visual impact and absurdity.
In addition, the oppressive feeling of long takes also shapes the emotional tone of the film. The camera that constantly follows Reagan is like a monitor, recording all the details of his life in detail, allowing us to see the depression and loneliness of Reagan's life. The contrast between Reagan's bright performance on the stage and the frustration and loss in the backstage, the broken family, the rebellion of his daughter, and the subtlety of his relationship with his lover are all shown in front of the audience with the camera, making it easier for the audience to understand Reagan's anxious inner world and psychology. Feelings, but also a more three-dimensional and realistic portrayal of Reagan's character. The uninterrupted operation of the camera also gave the audience no chance to breathe at all. In addition, the closed and narrow theater scene and the rapid and compact drum beats in the background sound created a strong sense of tension and oppression, which further reflected Reagan's pursuit of ideals. The huge mental pressure and predicament that no one understands; at the same time, the camera follows Reagan's constant rotation and movement, including countless trivial sounds and images, giving the audience a feeling of restlessness and difficulty in concentrating, as if Reagan's inner anxiety is also mapped to the audience, so that the audience can feel more empathy with him.
After Reagan attempts to shoot himself onstage at the end of the film, the film's long, steady shot is abruptly cut short and replaced with a metaphorical and symbolic montage of falling meteors, superhumans The splicing of seemingly unrelated objects such as heroes and jellyfish corpses by the sea not only expresses the image connotation of the film, but also relieves the overall tense atmosphere of the film, bringing a temporary respite to the audience and making the film rhythm. At the same time, this also forms a sharp contrast with the previous long lens, reflecting the unique advantages and charm of the long lens.
2. Artistic connotation: reflection on popular culture and self-exploration
In "Birdman", there are a lot of reflections and criticisms of reality, the most important of which are the irony of the current impetuous popular culture and the serious convergence of Hollywood "superhero" movies, and the erosion of art and culture by the commodity economy. criticism.
At the beginning of the film, when the original male lead was injured and could not participate in the role, Reagan mentioned a series of actors' names to the producer, only to find that these once-best Broadway actors had all gone to star in commercial films with no connotation. As if "everyone put on a cape" and abandoned the pursuit of art as an actor should, this is undoubtedly a satire on today's Hollywood film market. Reagan himself was deeply troubled by the image of the once "superhero": people don't remember his performance, only as a "birdman" symbol; when Reagan was interviewed for his new play, which he devoted a lot of effort to, The reporters were not concerned with Reagan's ideal pursuit, but the plastic surgery gossip and the "Birdman" sequel, which also satirized the reality that today's audience and media only focus on superficial and superficial traffic, and have no appreciation for real art; The name (Birdman and Batman) and the image of the "Birdman" in the film also contain a metaphor for superheroes, including Reagan's various superpowers in fantasy. It is also a slang term for the omnipotent protagonist in commercial popcorn movies. Great irony of the hero image. The most ironic scene in the film is that during a test screening, Reagan's clothes were accidentally caught by the door. In order not to delay the performance, he had to wear only a pair of underwear through the crowded Times Square, and this unintentional "streaking". "But it set off an Internet carnival that made Reagan popular on the Internet. His helpless act in order to continue the performance was mistaken by the public as a hype behavior. A nonsensical "streaking" can get more attention and pursuit of the public than a serious drama. This is undoubtedly a kind of sadness, and a bitter and profound criticism The reality of the declining artistic taste in today's popular culture and the utilitarian impetuousness of social value orientation: the public is no longer concerned about serious art that requires serious thinking and creation, but some eye-catching Internet traffic, Reagan has become the only The Internet products that people entertain and entertain, and the "Birdman" in his mind also persuades him to repackage and return to Hollywood to regain fame and fortune. Reagan's inner struggle reflects the profound contradiction between business culture and artistic standards; in the end, when Reagan When he shot himself on stage, the audience applauded warmly for his realistic "performance", which deeply reflects the cruelty and absurdity of reality.
At the same time, in the film, we can also see Reagan's unremitting pursuit of ideals and self-exploration. He would rather invest all his assets just for the smooth release of a drama that means a lot to him; his pursuit of serious art is constantly being mocked and misunderstood, but he insists on moving forward; he wants to break through the once "superhero" The shackles of the image, the pursuit of self-worth, but he is still ridiculed as a "Hollywood clown in tights". In the conflict between fame and fortune and self-meaning, he chose suicide to pursue his artistic ideals and get rid of the shackles, but unexpectedly He won the public's attention and reputation for himself... In the end, Reagan jumped off the window sill of the ward and became an "Icarus" figure, realizing his pursuit of ideals and art, and he was completely liberated. realized self-exploration.
All in all, "Birdman" is an excellent film with both technological innovation and artistic connotation. Its rich lens expressiveness fully reflects the artistic and aesthetic charm of long shots, and it also poignantly satirizes the superficiality and superficiality of today's film art industry. The utilitarian value orientation of popular culture eulogizes the pursuit of ideals and art. It is indeed a rare masterpiece in recent years.
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