There is no doubt that this is a film about totalitarianism, and the various metaphors and backgrounds in it do not need to be repeated here. Perhaps the peculiarity of this film lies in the role of art in human belief. Because no matter from a theoretical or practical point of view, there was no one like the captain in the film in East Germany at that time. Under the totalitarian regime, because everyone knows the existence of the secret police, everyone is in danger, and as the secret police itself, it must be in a higher state of fear. In the film, whether it is the captain's personal consciousness or the final organization's handling of the captain, it is actually a little untrue, but obviously, this is what the audience is happy to see.
So looking at this film from the perspective of history, we can know that the main purpose of the film is not to expose the facts, but more to arouse a desire in people's hearts. This desire cannot be restrained by any system. Although this kind of good wish may not be realized in reality, the role of the movie may be at this point, making people see the possibility of the impossible.
The film describes in two details how the secret police captain was moved by the writer couple. One of them is expressed through the first paragraph of the famous German playwright and poet Brecht's "Memories of Marianne". The poem is as follows:
This day in September
sheds blue moonlight
, and there is silence under the
poplar The silent and pale
love of mine is in my arms, like a beautiful dream The
clear summer sky is above us
A cloud grabs my eyes
So white and supreme
I look up again, but I don't know where to go...
When the captain sneaked into the writer's home to get the book, and started to read these verses on the sofa, he wondered if this was an arrangement for the sublimation of human nature. Because it was precisely on the same sofa that the captain had just briefly vented his lust on a prostitute not long ago. The function of poetry is to guide a person's true desire and awaken the deep-slumbering yearning for a better world.
Thanks to the poetry, the author has never given up his yearning for the world. Therefore, I specially attach the full translation of "Memories of Mary Ann", which was translated by Huang Canran.
Ann It was a blue September day, and
I hugged her
quietly , my lover was so
pale and silent, like an immortal dream.
Above us, in the bright summer sky,
was a cloud, and my eyes stared at it for a long time,
it was white, high, and far from us,
and then I looked up and found it was gone.
Since that day, many moons have
quietly moved across the sky and set.
Those plum trees were probably chopped down for firewood,
and if you ask, what happened to that love affair?
I must admit: I really can't remember,
but I know what you're trying to say, I don't know what
her face looks like,
all I know is: I kissed her that day.
As for that kiss, I have long since forgotten,
but
I ,
it was white and moved high in the air.
Those plum trees may still be blooming,
the woman may have given birth to a seventh child, and
yet the cloud has only been there for a few minutes,
When I looked up, it had disappeared.
As for the second detail in the film, it is "Sonata Dedicated to a Good Man", which is rumored to be a modified version of Beethoven's 23rd Piano Sonata: Passion. But after listening to the Passion Sonata over and over a dozen times, my dull ears did not pick up many similarities. But that doesn't detract from the beauty of the sonata itself, and it's no surprise that the Captain was moved by this sonata.
In the second detail there is an interlude, a quote from Lenin: If I keep listening to this piece (the Passion Sonata), the revolution will not be victorious. Here is an excerpt of Lenin's original words. The original words are divided into two paragraphs. According to legend, Lenin liked the sonata very much, so he listened to it once a day. Therefore, the content of the first paragraph is Lenin's praise for the song, and the second paragraph is Lenin's opinion of the piece on the basis of his personal principles:
"There is no music more beautiful than the Sonata of Passion, amazing, extraordinary music! It has always made me as heartfelt as a child - how human beings can create Such a miraculous piece of music.
But I can't listen to this piece often because it affects me and makes me have the urge to praise those who live in a filthy hell and still be able to create beauty, and want to kiss their heads But in this day and age, you can't kiss someone's head unless you're going to bite off your hand. You've got to smack the head - smack mercilessly - although, in theory, we're against it Any form of violence... our task is really difficult." It can be
seen that totalitarianism may be a system-controlled passion that replaces some of the normal passions, such as music, art, and even sex. The passion in this system is often the adoration of the leader or the fear that everyone is in danger. The film does not focus much on these two points, but focuses on the actress's leaking secrets and the captain's secret protection, forming a certain contrast invisibly.
All the stories in the film originate from the covetousness of a minister with a fat brain for the actress, which shows the irony of the film. The use of the state machine may be entirely for such boring reasons. The second irony of the film, of course, this is my personal understanding, when the hero at the end of the film, that is, the captain, opened the "Sonata for a Good Man", the title page said "For HGW XX/7" , The number that was finally used to indicate the identity of the captain, the unique identity, was actually the number of the year. This number really has some nostalgic plots with a little irony.
When the writer comrade found the captain who worked as a postman on the street, he resisted the urge to catch up and thank him, and turned to a book as a memorial. And when the captain went to the bookstore, he said to the clerk in a flat but firm tone: This book is for me (this book was written for me). Maybe the writer wanted to make up for the captain's life sacrificed with this book. Maybe the captain's eyes and tone have already been said, and the life replaced by poetry and music is finally engraved on the sentence "Dedicated to HGW XX/7". Here, hope and love are inherited.
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