Film Analysis of "The Good Man"
The theme of this movie is not new, and stories of "searching" abound in film history. But what Jia Zhangke is smart about is that he chose the big background of the "Three Gorges" demolition to tell the story. If the film was not shot in the Three Gorges, for example, in Jia's hometown and became a "good guy in Fenyang", it would work, but the amount of information would be much less. It is undeniable that the "Three Gorges" project is not only irreplaceable and typical in expressing the image of China undergoing great changes, but also provides rich visual and social information as the background of the story, which also makes the film twice the result with half the effort. The unique moving details and state descriptions of Jia's films are embedded in the scene of social changes caused by the relocation of the Three Gorges. The fusion of fiction and real records doubles the shocking power of the film.
Secondly, the choice of the story theme of "searching" is also very appropriate to express Jia Zhangke's consistent theme of "change". In "Three Gorges Good Man", various narrative elements revolve around changes. Hometown is disappearing, and relationships between marriage, neighbors, relatives and friends are also mutating. Accompanying this theme of change or uncertainty is the theme of The search for immutability or certainty. But in the end, what is found also deteriorates, and "finding" itself becomes self-denial, or in other words, "finding" is a way of self-denial. So, Shen Hong found her husband, but decided to end the love and marriage. However, Han Sanming's illegal marriage had the possibility of being reunited because of his search.
Theme and significance: Why do we like Jia Zhangke?
When many people mention the significance of Jia Zhangke’s films, they often say that he discovered “County Town”. Consider this a pioneering work of his. And I think the greater value of Jia Zhangke's images lies in the fact that he focuses on the people living on the edge of society and the edge of the city. In China, writing about the lower class and marginalized characters did not begin with Jia Zhangke, but no one has used his such concentrated gaze. The writing of low-level characters in our movies often needs to be refined and their heroic qualities must be sublimated. If they are lucky enough to be the protagonist of a film, they will definitely not be presented as ordinary people. And more often than not, they only appear as supporting characters, flashing past in front of the camera, with uniform and stylized expressions, like a background scene in the city. We have no understanding of their world. Although that world is at the foot of the bustling city and behind the glory of the prosperous times, many people choose not to see it, and those who see it will accept the pain from their hearts. Holding the coals of fire, he said nothing. No one said it, and we cannot but pay tribute to the person who said it. Thus, we see that a thief like Xiao Wu also gains dignity in Jia Zhangke's lens. The love and hate of the most ordinary, even failed young people like Yin Ruijuan and Cui Mingliang can be shown on the screen.
Not only that, Jia Zhangke presents their real life and status in a poetic way. This kind of poetry is not an unrealistic way, but refers to his discovery of the missed and touching details of the people at the bottom and the margins. The lives of people at the bottom are aestheticized. In "Three Gorges Good Man", we can find many such details. For example, a group of shirtless wall-breaking workers discussed the scenery on the RMB, using the simplest language to describe the beauty that we don’t pay attention to in our daily lives. The poeticization of money may only be possible for the poor, while for the rich, money is just capital. Another example is the scene where Han Sanming and his ex-wife share a White Rabbit toffee. Jia Zhangke writes about the romance in this state of material scarcity with great color, making those who are bored with eating big fish and meat and just do nothing when they have nothing to do. The so-called mainstream people who are quarreling and divorced are ashamed. The people at the bottom and the marginalized in Jia Zhangke’s lens are no longer presented in a facial-like or stylized way. He restored their own richness, cunning, humor, warmth, violence, perseverance, cowardice... To such marginalized groups, Jia Zhangke gave poetic care and respect.
There was once an interview with Jia Zhangke called "The Awkward Good Guy in the Golden Age". He pointed out that he decided to let "The Good Man" and "The Golden Armor" be released at the same time, using his actions to show his "blockbuster hegemony". This makes me think that perhaps the reason why we like Jia Zhangke is that his persistence allows us to experience another kind of film possibility.
Evaluation of advantages and disadvantages:
(1): A more calm Jia Zhangke
From "Hometown Trilogy" to "The World" and "Three Gorges Good Man", What we see in Jia Zhangke’s movies are almost all people’s basic living conditions and feelings. It is also the emphasis on the basic sense of survival that gives Jia Zhangke's local writing the aesthetic possibility to transcend regional restrictions. This is why his movies have aroused so much international buzz.
This kind of people’s basic living conditions and feelings are not piled up haphazardly in Jia Zhangke’s movies. They have their own internal logic, which is the change of the times. How to use images to express personal experience in the changing times, what kind of rhythm? What kind of angle? Jia Zhangke has been exploring and has also gone through a process of gradual maturity. I would like to illustrate this issue through the comparison between "Platform" and "Three Gorges Good Man".
In "Platform", it is full of Jia Zhangke's personal experience. The film does not have too many plot elements, but more of an accumulation of details, some states, some sounds, and some visual landscapes. Memories belonging to the 1980s. The description of people's living conditions and feelings certainly has its power to move people, but we must also notice that the rhythm in "Platform" is chaotic. Those highly representative songs, sounds, and political language are all expressed in a kind of way. The jumps are extremely disproportionate to the picture, and the concept of "era" is instilled in people through extremely high density. However, in addition to creating a specific atmosphere, these materials do not go deeper into the plot. We cannot see the social changes and the interactive connections between the characters. , you can’t even feel the specific changes of time. For people born in the 1960s and 1970s, they may be able to supplement the clues through their own experiences. But for those who have not had similar experiences, the simple presentation of symbols can lead to feelings of alienation. Perhaps because Jia Zhangke has so many feelings about these ten years (also his growing years), from "Platform" we see a man who has experienced many scenery along the way. He wants to talk, a little hastily and a little hurriedly. . But storytellers must first be calm before they can impress others.
In "The Good Man from Three Gorges", what we feel is this kind of calm control. Jia Zhangke became calmer. For example, in the use of lenses, he no longer insists on long lenses, but also uses many short shots. For the first time, there were also surreal elements in his films. There are also many symbols of the times in this movie, but they are not filled in rigidly, but are organically integrated with the plot. For example, many old and popular songs are used in the film. "Mouse Loves Rice", "Two Butterflies", "Moist Heart", "Wine Is Sold No More", etc. are all related to the mood of the characters in the play, forming an echoing relationship and participating in the film's atmosphere. narrative. Let's briefly analyze "Moist Heart". On the dance floor beside the Three Gorges Rainbow Bridge, people danced to the melody of "Moist Heart". The weather in Three Gorges is humid, and Shen Hong's heart is also humid. A marriage about to break up is like The humid and muggy weather made her restless, so she always held a mineral water bottle in her hand, constantly drinking water, wiping sweat, and constantly wondering where her marriage would go. In "Platform", various kinds of music are used more as a pure environmental sound.
(2) A more active protagonist
Why "The Good Man from Three Gorges" moved me more than "Hometown Trilogy" and "The World" is because the subjects of these films are the same They are the bottom and marginalized figures of society. But in the previous movies, the protagonists are like dazed animals separated from the various shaping relationships in human society. They are always in a passive and waiting state, and we cannot see what they want or desire more. It seems they don't have these.
In "The Good Man of Three Gorges", this situation has changed. The protagonist is no longer a helpless and hopeless negative example. When faced with the hardships or embarrassments of life, both of them firmly chose dignity. At the end of the story, Han Sanming decided to go back to Shanxi and work hard to earn 30,000 yuan to redeem the wife he bought 16 years ago, while Shen Hong, played by Zhao Tao, told her husband after a dance that she had someone else. She chose to end the relationship in this way, without crying or condemning. He may be sad on the inside, but what appears on the outside is calm determination. In Jia Zhangke's own words, the protagonists in the film are people with action, they have hope, and they all want to find their happiness. Compared with the state of "my heart is waiting, always waiting", this may be a more worthy attitude towards life that we should advocate.
(3) One point of criticism that may be harsh
What is unusual about Jia Zhangke is his artistic acumen in grasping the details of the living conditions of the bottom or marginalized people, and he also constantly twists and turns. A soothing presentation of a grand era background. It is indescribable, yet powerful. We see that in Hollywood blockbusters and most Chinese movies, the historical background is often abstracted and blurred. They are not taken to reflect reality, they are only responsible for providing dreams and anesthesia. In Jia Zhangke's images, it is the changes of the times that shape the living conditions of the protagonists. This kind of era is not abstract, but ongoing. It is what we have experienced and are currently experiencing.
But perhaps precisely because of the complexity of the expression of shaping relationships, in Jia’s works, we cannot clearly feel the confrontation and shaping relationship between human nature and social politics, morality, and ethics. The changing times are well presented as background, but it's not enough. We not only need to be incited to tears, but we also need to be calm and reflect after being moved. In "Three Gorges Good Man", Jia Zhangke vaguely mentioned the sharp conflicts between people in the era, but then changed the subject. For example, the Three Gorges immigrants, the camera stayed on them many times, but there was no attempt to penetrate into their hearts. As a French film critic said: ""The Three Gorges" has always used an ambiguous and vague approach to observe this famous migration..."
It is also the model of "little people, big times", corresponding to In comparison, I prefer the expression of "Farewell My Concubine", which uses individual experiences to project the times and contains reflections on history. Jia Zhangke, on the other hand, focuses on expressing the results of the impact of the times on individuals, rather than the process.
In Director Jia's future works, I would rather see the protagonist's destiny sinking and floating in the times, rather than drifting outside them.
(4) Some issues with details
Jia Zhangke used some surreal elements in "The Good Man from Three Gorges". Some surreal shots were introduced into the realistic movie. Sometimes, It really has the finishing touch. For example, the strange fish that appears at the end of "La Dolce Vita" and the fireballs that appear several times in "The Poisonous Sun" all add points to the film and the theme. However, Jia Zhangke's technique in this film is relatively rough and slightly artificial. For example, at the 66th minute of the film, after Zhao Tao finished drying his clothes and left the painting, the Three Gorges Immigration Memorial Hall suddenly soared away like a rocket. I think this could have been handled better. The sudden rise of the building after the actor left the painting was really abrupt. If it could It is easier for the audience to accept the illusion if it is treated as a character, and the connection with the characters and plot can be closer. Another example is that at the 82nd minute of the film, the camera follows Han Sanming’s gaze to three people in costumes playing games. Although it is quite interesting, I think the focus of the performance is wrong. If the camera can return to Han Sanming It'll be fine on your body. If we don’t return to Han Sanming, then the camera should stay on the three opera singers for a little longer. It’s better if something happens, otherwise it will make the audience feel that it is shot for the sake of filming, rather than narrative or emotional. need.
In addition, it may be because the preparation time is too hasty. I think there are some flaws in some of the dialogue in the film. For example, in the 90th minute, Han Sanming asked Maya Mei about the whereabouts of her child, and Maya Mei answered "further south." This kind of literary and artistic tone does not seem to be suitable for the identity of a peasant woman. Another example is that at the 46th minute, Shen Hong was stopped by a child on the roadside. The child asked: "Sister, do you need a nanny? I am already 16 years old." Shen Hong replied: "Oh, I am only 16 years old." He changed the subject and said, "It's cloudy." and left. This doesn't fit the logic of the conversation. Even adding the sentence "You're too young." would be much more natural. Of course, considering Shen Hong's confused state at the time, such an absent-minded answer was also possible.
Character and performance analysis:
A successful director is talented in selecting actors. In other words, a good movie cannot be separated from the right actors, just like Ang Lee Choosing Tang Wei made "Lust, Caution" a reality. Jia Zhangke's choice of his cousin Han Sanming also ensured the authentic quality of "Three Gorges Good Man".
Han Sanming is often silent. He is a short man walking slowly among the ruins with a dull and innocent expression. This sense of reality is not performed, because he himself is a Miners are just a working class. When they are deceived or treated roughly, they appear gentle and slow, but they remain unwavering towards their goals. Their eyes are innocent but firm, with a hint of stubbornness in them. This is also the survival wisdom of the people at the bottom.
Brother Ma’s performance vividly presented the image of a street gangster. He was immersed in admiration and imitation of Chow Yun-fat. He imitated Chow Yun-fat in "A Better Tomorrow" and used paper to light cigarettes. The episode of "Shanghai on the Beach" is used as my mobile phone ringtone. I follow Chow Yun-fat's words, "Today's society is not suitable for us because we are too nostalgic." This is the only comedic character in "The Good Man", and Jia Zhangke uses him to increase the richness of the film. Adds a touch of humor to the heavy background.
Since "Platform", Zhao Tao has become the heroine of Jia Zhangke's movies. After the experience of Yin Ruijuan in "Platform", Qiaoqiao in "Ren Xiaoyao", and Zhao Xiaotao in "The World", Zhao Tao can be called a professional actor with a non-professional background. In "The Good Man from Three Gorges", Zhao Tao's performance is on point. Her perseverance under pain is perfectly displayed by her gloomy but not out-of-control expression. However, due to the limitations of the role, Zhao Tao in "The Good Man" was not able to have explosive display space, unlike Han Sanming and Xiao Ma Ge who were as brilliant as Han Sanming and Xiao Ma Ge.
Analysis of narrative structure and narrative techniques
In terms of narrative structure, "The Good Man" adopts a plate structure, which is similar to Wong Kar-wai's "Chungking Express". Zhao Tao's story is inserted in the middle of Han Sanming's story. The two have almost no intersection in the film, but they have the same theme. They are both "searching". A man is walking around the old city of Fengjie in search of his wife and daughter whom he has not seen for 16 years. A man is looking for a husband whose relationship has become increasingly cold since he has not been home for two years. He is walking in the new city of Fengjie. The only thing that can preserve his feelings is an illegal marriage, and the one that started with free love. The marriage left nothing behind. Forming a sharp contrasting meaning.
From the narrative point of view, Director Jia chose to tell the story as two outsiders, rather than unfolding it from the perspective of a person who grew up here. This was a new breakthrough for him. The Three Gorges Reservoir Area in the eyes of an outsider is also the scene of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in the eyes of the audience (other). The audience is no longer just a spectator of the story of the dramatist, but has become a spectator of China's changing society together with the dramatist. Be immersed in the situation and feel the same.
Audio-visual language analysis
In terms of shots, "The Good Man from Three Gorges", like Director Jia's previous works, uses a lot of long shots, but there is an obvious change that long shots also There is movement, and there are fewer long shots with fixed camera positions. This change can be clearly seen by comparing the beginning of "Platform" with the beginning of "Three Gorges".
The first shot of "Platform" shows a large group of people standing under a broken wall on the platform. Only their noisy voices can be heard, but the expressions on their faces cannot be seen clearly. At the beginning of "Three Gorges", the camera slowly moved over the passengers on a Yangtze River passenger ship, and their different expressions, movements, and voices were all visible to the audience. Three minutes later, the camera fell on the protagonist Han Sanming sitting in the stern of the boat.
There are also many long shots in "The Good Man from Three Gorges". The empty shots must be due to the weather. When the long shots are taken, it will be gray and unrealistic. This hazy landscape gives people a feeling of vastness. The mountains are green, the water is vast, and the grand background makes the characters very small in the picture, often placed on the edge. And behind them are often dying cities and the water of the Yangtze River where ships are floating. In such an environment, it is inevitable to lament the finite versus the infinite. The camera almost forces people into the Yangtze River and the disappeared towns, but people have no "space" to choose. This also deepens the audience's sense of presence.
The transition of the shots seems rough and violent, with no design. This makes "The Good Man of Three Gorges" tell a story, but the story is not strong because the audience will be interrupted at all times. There are no cutscenes between shots. This abrupt editing method is consistent with Jia's style, perhaps as Jia Zhangke himself explained: "Because there are no smooth cutscenes in reality!"
Director Jia has always attached great importance to sound. Style, the use of sound in "The Good Man" is very clever. It was not recorded at the same time, but the environmental sounds in the film are very specific and expressive. The sound engineer recorded a large number of realistic sounds, and then sampled the sound effects back , re-arranged like a composition, there are 5 or 6 paragraphs that seem to be composed with sound effects, including the sound of walls being smashed, the sound of waves, the sound of wind, the shouts of children, and the deep breathing of people, like music Put together the same way.
The use of pop music has been analyzed in the advantages and disadvantages, so I won’t go into details.
Analysis of paragraphs, scenes and details
Part 1: Analysis of the opening shot:
The opening of "The Good Man in Three Gorges" is a scene that lasts more than 3 minutes In the long shot, at first only the sound of waves is heard as the ship passes by, and then the blurry-looking people on the ship appear. The camera gradually changes from virtual to real, and slowly moves over the passengers on the ship, those playing cards, talking and laughing, smoking, drinking... All kinds of faces, vivid and real. After tracing dozens of people with a close-up shot, the camera slowly fell on Han Sanming sitting at the stern of the boat. He held a military green travel bag in his arms and looked solemn. But it's not much different from other passengers. Then he wiped the sweat from his face, took off his coat, turned his head, and moved his eyes forward. A viaduct appeared in the camera, spanning the mountains on both sides. This is where the story begins.
Interpretation: This is a common technique used by Italian neorealists. Their stories often start with the crowds on the street. The camera silently watches the noisy flow of people coming and going, describing people's daily lives for several minutes. Afterwards, the camera slowly and seemingly inadvertently fell on the protagonist. There is nothing special about the protagonist. He is just a member of ordinary people and will be lost in the crowd at any time. This is exactly what the directors want to emphasize, that the protagonist's story is the story of ordinary people. What happened to him could happen to anyone in the crowd.
Part Two: Analysis of the Ending Paragraph:
Sanming, Lao Gui and other co-workers ate vegetables and drank together. Sanming told the workers that he would go back to make money tomorrow, and the workers raised a toast to see him off. The old ghost asked Sanming if he could help find a way to survive. Sanming said he could work in the black coal mine. The workers heard that they could earn 200 yuan a day, which was much higher than the 40 or 50 yuan a day demolishing houses, so they were all willing to follow Sanming. Sanming said that coal mines are very dangerous and life is in danger at any time. "More than a dozen people die every year. I don't know if I can get up in the morning or in the afternoon." Everyone was silent, smoking silently, eating vegetables, clinking glasses and drinking. Early the next morning, Sanming and his co-workers set out with their luggage. Han Sanming turned his head and found that on one side was a worker using a sledgehammer and continuing to hit the floor bricks, and on the other side was a man holding a balance pole walking a tightrope at high altitude between two ruins. Then the song "Lin Chong Runs at Night" sounded. Sanming and his coworkers disappeared from the camera. The play ends.
Interpretation:
Among all Chinese directors, Jia Zhangke is definitely the best at using his camera to express the undercurrents underneath the calmness. Too much oppression, too many natural and man-made disasters, and too much pressure to survive have made the people at the bottom seem numb. Jia Zhangke's shots are always so calm and serene. When Xiao Wu was handcuffed to the electric pole on the street, when Binbin faced the disillusionment of his dream of joining the army with a hepatitis B notice, when Sanming in "Platform" faced the life and death contract in the coal mine, when When Sanming came to deal with the funeral of the second girl, when Shen Hong decided to divorce her husband, and when the co-workers heard that working in the coal mine was actually working with their heads up, everyone chose calmness and silence without exception. But beneath the forbearing exterior, the inner turmoil may be no less than the hysterics. Just like the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in the past, its rugged beauty lies in the fact that it looks calm and calm, but there are undercurrents beneath the surface of the river. The calm hearts of the characters in Jia Zhangke's lens are also turbulent, which requires us to empathize with them with a compassionate heart. It is this contrast of restraint that has the impact on our souls and the appeal of the film.
The demolition workers and Sanming, who returned to Shanxi to dig coal, are like tightrope walkers, with the same uncertain future. The characters' fate and uncertain future are condensed in that scene. The background music is the lyrics from the Sichuan Opera "Lin Chong Runs at Night": "Looking at the distant mountains and rivers of my hometown/But seeing the misty white clouds/Lao Xuantang is afraid of losing his life/Oops, it's hard work/My beloved wife and children are helpless/Oops, howl!/ Sighing for a hero/How to get rid of the anger and hatred of a hero?" God's will is always difficult to ask. When I turn around and look back, my hometown is gone. In an era without heroes, in an era when heroes are at their end, ordinary people are still running at night. Who knows where they will run and whether there is hope ahead. In the vast singing, a tragic feeling filled it. We are in it and we have mixed feelings.
Part 3: Detailed analysis of tobacco, alcohol, tea and sugar.
"Tobacco, Wine, Sugar, and Tea" appear as subtitle cards on the lower right side of the screen. They are Jia Zhangke's symbols for marking plot passages in "The Good Man from Three Gorges." These ordinary objects in our daily lives are often ignored. Just like the scenery on the back of the RMB, we often ignore the things that are closely related to us. In "The Good Man from Three Gorges", the camera freezes on these things many times, showing a deep and inspiring meaning.
"Smoke" first appeared in the film as a tool used by Han Sanming to get close to Maya Mei's family. When talking to Brother Xiaoma, the paper he took out with Ma Yaomei's address on it was a mango cigarette box. He said that it was a good cigarette from 16 years ago. The repeated actions of taking out a cigarette, lighting a cigarette, and smoking in the film all reflect his complex psychological activities. This silent Shanxi man, the ever-changing and rising smoke rings he exhales is his silent language.
"Wine" was used by Han Sanming to get close to Mayao Mei's family again. Later, Han Sanming and Xiao Ma Ge formed a brotherhood while drinking. While drinking, they all made a helpless decision - to gamble with their lives and go to Shanxi to mine coal with Han Sanming.
Smoking and drinking seem to bring people closer together, and also make them more heroic and courageous. The functions of sugar and tea are different from those of tobacco and alcohol.
"Sugar" is a symbol of happiness in life, especially in a state of material scarcity. This thing that most reminds people of happiness, in the film, allows us to see the cruelty of life. The first sugar-related scene was when Sanming went to work and met Brother Ma carrying a bag of White Rabbit toffees. While handing Sanming a candy, he told him, "Brother, let's go to Yunyang today to settle things." The boss will give you 50 yuan for each person." He said in an exaggerated tone, as if 50 yuan was a huge amount of money. Then he distributed candies to the brothers one by one. After that, they chewed candy and went to calm people down. It was these 50 yuan that directly caused Xiao Ma to lose his life, and the sugar played a contrasting role here. The second scene related to sugar is that Han Sanming and Maya Mei share a piece of candy and eat it while squatting. The romance in this state of material scarcity is sad and embarrassing. On the one hand, this candy reveals Maya-mei's dependence and care for Han Sanming, and also contains Han Sanming's commitment and sense of responsibility to Maya-mei. In order to reunite his family, he decided to return to Shanxi to continue working in the black coal mines to redeem her life. Sixteen years later, they are no longer young, and they understand the heaviness of life, and understand that their original decision may have been wrong. So I chose to renew the bad fate I had 16 years ago. , there is a kind of sadness of the poor, but it also has the resilience and wisdom of the people at the bottom. Although poverty does not leave them with much choice in life, they face it and endure it resolutely.
"Tea" appeared in the passage where Shen Hong was looking for her husband. Shen Hong found a bag of Wushan Yunwu tea among her husband's old belongings, and the packaging was as new as ever. Then, on the boat, when Shen Hong drank the last drop of water in the bottle, she thought of Guo Bin and the misty tea, just like illusory love. She poured the tea leaves into the cup, but did not drink it with water. After two years, the tea may have deteriorated, but aren't people the same? Here, the role of tea is different from the first three. It is a symbol of emotion. And it is more aimed at the middle class, people with fixed incomes like Guo Bin and Shen Hong. For the people at the bottom, they may not have the need to taste tea, and a cup of boiled water is enough. For Ma Yaomei, life only leaves room for her to survive, but for Shen Hong, life leaves her with much more room for choice, and her desires are much more. When love is gone, she can choose to end it. marriage. Mayao Mei failed to obtain this right and was bought and sold. But we cannot say that Shen Hong suffers less than Mayao Mei and is happier than her. Jia Zhangke once said: "I think China's changes are over. The biggest change is over. What's left is that everyone has to face reality and make a decision." The reality faced by everyone is different, and everyone has to make a decision. Their decisions are also different, and the ups and downs in their hearts cannot be measured. But the same thing is that we all need to face the same courage and determination. There is no escape.
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