Film Review "A Floating Life is Like a Dream"

People's evaluation of movies is often influenced by the atmosphere of the times and folk customs. This year's Oscar competition for best picture clearly confirms this statement.

During the period of 1938, the Great Depression in the United States just passed, and World War II has not been officially ignited (although China in the Pacific Ocean has been invaded by the Japanese), Americans generally have a romantic and optimistic idea that "tomorrow will be better". Therefore, life is like a dream, a social comedy that opposes capitalist monetarism and encourages the pursuit of personal ideals, has naturally become the best choice for the American Academy of Film Arts to vote for the public. Although there is a beast from France in this year's best film competition: The Great Illusion directed by Jean Reno, which is praised by film scholars as "the greatest anti-war film in film history", its pace is obviously too fast. Maybe it will be released three years later, just in time for the outbreak of "Pearl Harbor Incident", and it will also win the honor of best film Oscar.

For frank capra, the director of this film, this is the third time that he has won the Oscar for Best Director in five years. It proves that he is good at describing the world in his works, which really attracted American audiences in the 1960s and 1930s, and can give spiritual relief and encouragement to those who were hit by the economic downturn.

This film is based on the original Broadway works by moss hart and George Goffman, and it won the pulitzer prize for drama. Content Description Wall Street banking giant Anthony Kabi (Edward Enordel) plans to buy a residential area to build a factory in order to make money. The Vanderhoff family in the residential area strongly opposed it and resolutely refused to sell their house. All the members of the Fan family are eccentric, but their daily life is full of joy. Alice (jean arthur), the second daughter of Martin Vanderhoff (Lionel Barrymore), works as a secretary in Kabi's company and falls in love with Kabi's son, Tony (James Stewart), the deputy manager of the company, which of course causes dissatisfaction among Kabi and his wife, thus causing many disputes between them. After a firecracker accidentally exploded, Kabi finally understood the true meaning of life that "money is not everything". Encouraged by Martin Vanderhoff, he picked up the harmonica that had been abandoned for many years and played a duet with him. It turned out that the problem between the two families was finally solved.

The biggest feature of film editing and directing techniques is to create a group of weirdos who are at the forefront of the times by satirizing the world. Described by today's buzzwords, the Vanderhoff family can be said to be a "nonsense family". All members of the family have artist quirks that are different from ordinary people. They don't care about the daily life of rice, oil and salt, and enjoy themselves in their personal interests all day. The audience can't explain their utopian words and deeds with the eyes of ordinary people, otherwise it will be difficult to appreciate the characteristics of the film.

After getting rid of the economic depression for several years, this film denies capitalists with a hopeless optimism and exaggerates the value of individualism, hoping to influence the American people's life values. Shortly after the film started, Martin Vanderhoff came to Kabi's company. He casually interrupted Mick, the shop assistant who was operating the calculator, and asked Mick what he really liked to do. So the bald guy took out a small white toy he made and said that he liked to make things. Martin immediately asked Mick to leave his job and followed him to Fan's house to "do things". As far as the dramatic effect is concerned, this behavior of "doing whatever you want" is undoubtedly very chic, but the director didn't point out at all: Mick, who worked tirelessly as a clerk all his life, relied on what to support his family after going to Vanderhoff's house to "do things".

Under extreme individualism, the director further questioned the "value of the government" through Martin Vanderhoff's mouth, so he arranged an official from the tax bureau to come and recover Martin Vanderhoff's personal income tax, but Martin asked him, "What are the benefits of paying taxes for me personally?" And there is no proper episode. The director even waved flags in the film, shouting for Soviet capitalism (the second son-in-law who likes to print red flags and revolutionary slogans on candy wrapping paper), in an attempt to use the film media to "politically educate" the American people. For Hollywood, which has always pursued capitalism, this kind of "reactionary speech" seems incredible, but in the specific time and space in the late 1930 s, this kind of "progressive speech" was exactly what people of insight in the film industry pursued at that time. Frank capra eliminated the prejudice and misunderstanding between classes by laughing and slapping, and the atmosphere was light and full of joy, which was an easily accepted and respected directing technique in Lotte era. Therefore, although the content of this film is simplistic and illogical, it is the winner of the best film of the year.

Most of the films took place in Vanderhoff's home, so the characters, words and deeds must have their own characteristics to last 126 minutes. In this respect, the film performed quite well. Martin Vanderhoff, who has been playing the whole film with crutches, is like a wise man hiding in the city, and the future of the whole ancient community depends on him alone. He retired from the secular drilling camp 30 years ago and then used his wealth to help his family and friends pursue what they were really interested in. So although he does not have much money now, he has more friends. The director specially arranged the scene where the Vanderhoff family was accused and fined to show Martin's popularity. Martin told the judge that he had no money to pay the fine of $65,438+000. The friends in the gallery immediately took the initiative to donate money, and even the judge who fined him took out a hard move and threw it into the hat with the donation!

In contrast, the banker Anthony Kirby is portrayed as a loser with nothing but money, and Mrs Kirby is even more deliberately vilified. Danthony, a lovely son with no family values, decided to leave his family for love that day. Anthony Kobe realized clearly and embarked on the old road that Martin Vanderhoff walked 30 years ago. The prop "harmonica" became a symbol of self-promotion and was used quite well in the film.

As for the other members of the Vanderhoff family, they also have their own distinct personalities: Bellington, the eldest daughter, is fascinated by writing novels just because she found a typewriter at the door; Hynes, the eldest son-in-law, studied various inventions in the basement all day; Granddaughter Miller is eager to be a ballet dancer while making candy, while her cynical Russian dance teacher Orr comes to Fan's house for dinner all day and wrestles with Cabitto whenever she is happy. Miller's husband Du Tailai likes printing and playing xylophone. In a big room, only Alice, the second granddaughter, usually leads a normal working life, but she is still crazy at home. Generally speaking, movies are staged, and the main attraction comes from the wonderful performances of actors rather than the scene scheduling of directors. However, frank capra won the best director award.