What kind of movie is Sunset Boulevard?

Indulging in modern film technology, we may have forgotten the story of the film and the exquisite narrative of the early films. In 3D, computer CG, speci

What kind of movie is Sunset Boulevard?

Indulging in modern film technology, we may have forgotten the story of the film and the exquisite narrative of the early films. In 3D, computer CG, special effects, super cards, topic gimmicks, large-scale production and so on, it seems difficult to find that kind of beautiful movie rhythm and smooth original script.

Some people say that Quentin's insistence on filming with film is a feeling, while others say that Nolan's insistence on filming Interstellar with 2D effect is a filmmaker's insistence. But I don't think these technical conservatism is a tribute to traditional movies. Moreover, Quentin and Nolan's technical persistence is not the so-called feelings spread by the outside world. I remember a media interview with Nolan and asked him why he didn't use 3D technology to shoot Interstellar, but insisted on using traditional 2D images. Nolan said, "I don't object to film technology, but I think this sci-fi film that shows the vastness of the universe can perform well without 3D special effects."

Technology or something, that's the trend of movies. Of course it can't be stopped, and there is no need to stop it. After all, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings wouldn't have been born without the movie special effects technology and Vita technology of Industrial Light and Magic. However, there is no doubt that most contemporary commercial films can't tell the story well or can't tell the story at all.

In fact, many contemporary commercial films are piled up by gimmicks and dog blood plots. This is nothing new for many fans who are used to watching commercial films. It seems that in our eyes, commercial films should be dog blood, and everything will be fine if they are pieced together with a lot of tickets. But we are often surprised when we glance at another field-art movies. Damn, this so-called spring snow is another urine, and we don't know what to say at all. This is the double embarrassment of modern movies. Commercial films are basically the same: romantic films are sensational, action films are miscellaneous, and science fiction films are bombarded with special effects. In recent years, a large number of domestic youth films after 7080 have emerged, showing off their feelings on the screen and giving our post-90 s audience free consumption; Literary films don't care about business at all. They think that Lao Tzu is not wanted, and he can't pass the trial anyway. They are so coquettish that even the director himself doesn't know what his film is talking about. They were sent to three major European film festivals to participate in competitions and occasionally won prizes. Domestic media often say that China fans beat their faces, leaving behind the best films that won prizes and watching Tiny Times and After Life.

It's tears to say so much. For Tiny Times, a product of domestic film industry market segmentation, we don't have to stare at people's backbones and stick to them. This kind of behavior is also quite rogue. But recently, after watching Hollywood commercial films in 1950s and 1960s, addicts feel more and more that in fact, commercial films can also tell good stories and avant-garde satirical films can also be full of fun. Of course, I mean billy wilder's movies.

Wilder is a legendary director, from growing up to becoming famous. Movie master was originally an Austrian with pure Jewish blood, but he just caught up with the "anti-Semitism" of the German Nazis, so he had to leave his hometown in his early twenties and go to the United States alone to realize his movie dream, and all his family members died in Nazi concentration camps in World War II.

Wilder is a creative director, different from the assembly line director of Hollywood studio. Wilder has always had his own ideas. We can see from his two early famous works "Two Girls" and "Lost Weekend" that he is not a perfunctory person.

First of all, talk about the two movies just mentioned! The story of double indemnity is very simple, that is, when an insurance guy takes a fancy to the second wife of an oil guy, he just wants to be an adulterer, but he didn't expect the whore to murder her husband, so the insurance guy must consider whether the deal is worth it. Of course it was beautiful afterwards, but I still designed and murdered the oil guy who had an adulteress and got a lot of insurance compensation. It was a seamless plan, but it was slowly discovered by the inspectors of the insurance company. At this time, the daughter of the oil man happened to find the insurer and told him that his mother (the first wife of the oil man) might have been killed by his stepmother. He slowly discovered with conscience that he and the adulteress had ulterior motives and were going to kill each other one night, and the result was indeed true. The adulterer was shot, and the insurer was shot in the chest. He returned to the company and clearly admitted his crime in the office where he examined his friends.

It is such a story, but it is especially slippery in Wilder's lens. The "slip" here is of course reflected in many aspects. The first is narrative. He didn't tell the story honestly and insistently, but told the story in flashback. That is, at the beginning of the movie, the insurance guy who was shot in the chest returned to the company and began to tell his ugly story with the answering machine in his friend's office, but the story was not ugly at all, very touching, very exciting and full of suspense. Looking at it, I always think this guy should be an editor in a newspaper, but the insurance salesman's setting is not good.

Secondly, the irony effect of the film. Wilder's satire is not Lu Xun's style, and there are not so many sharp knives and daggers. Some of them are Lin Yutang's fingers that you can't see. Although it doesn't seem to hurt, it's all acupuncture points on your body, and poking one in the middle hurts your heart. For example, the big topic of moral corruption of human nature is very slippery in this movie. A male insurance salesman in his thirties and forties is already a mature young man. He wants to seduce a beautiful housewife when he is not married and married. Even in the United States in the 1940s, this was very wrong, not to mention in the eyes of China people. This seduced mature housewife really knows how to play. She killed her husband's ex-wife, and this time she will uproot her husband and give it to the insurance man. The reason is that he ignores me all day. I was very angry when I saw this place. Can you kill for this reason? ! Believe it or not, we extremely clever insurance guys really believe it anyway, so from this point alone, we can easily see the sense of crisis and moral decay of American middle-class families after the Great Depression. This is not a person. Before the economic depression, the world war was going on, and the whole life was not as comfortable as the lack of security.

But Wilder is Wilder after all. He's not david fincher. There is no need to hack the whole world. In commercial films, in addition to giving the audience the necessary humor and bringing some warmth and hope of humanity, typical genre films can stand out. Finally, the insurance buddy found out that he sincerely advised the daughter of the oil buddy to make up with her boyfriend. After shooting the insurance buddy, the coquettish slut also said, "I didn't find out until now that I really fell in love with you, believe me!" " But when I read it, I really didn't believe her. After all, two "black-hearted" people have made it clear that they really love each other. Although this paragraph is a bit ridiculous, there is no black tail after all. I still admire Wilder. As a commercial film, his audience is a mass group. In a mature film industry system, considering the audience's acceptance psychology, commercial film directors in China should really learn this.

The second film is about Lost Weekend, which made 38-year-old billy wilder a famous director. I thought this film would be a very dry and satirical film. First of all, this film is not only a commercial film, but also has artistic similarities with Sunset Boulevard after him. Wilder's other films have basically no characteristics of Lost Weekend. Why do you say that? Because this film is like a hybrid, which has both the genre narration of commercial films and the unique expression of art films, but this hybrid is very foreign, so it is no problem to say that it is a hybrid Gao Fushuai. Let me show you the value of this Gao Fushuai first! It won the Palme d 'Or and Golden Globe awards for best film and best actor, and Wilder also won the Oscar for best director and best original screenplay.

The story line of this film is very simple, that is, it tells the story of a poor writer who drinks all the year round and gives up drinking on weekends. See, why did I say that this film might be boring, just because it told such a simple story in the 100 minute film? What can I talk about? However, making movies with simple stories or ordinary stories has always been Wilder's way. Wilder's greatness lies not in how great his story is. Do you think every director likes to tell the "shocking story" of stealing treasures like The Secret-Fuchun Shan Jutu? ! Wilder can use the most common short story, or the most popular common story to analyze human nature. He usually smiles to let you see if the zipper on your moral pants is zipped, but most people will be shocked every time they smile and lower their heads: "Lying in the trough, it turns out that I still have a zipper on my pants!"

Ahem, seriously talk about this movie! I think there are at least a few points to watch such a movie with weak gimmicks: first, it uses German expressionism to render important scenes of the movie, such as the illusion that the man saw when he was addicted to alcohol: the mouse emerged from the wall, the bat hovered on the ceiling, and then the bat killed the mouse. These are all expressions of the man's uncontrollable fear in a black terror atmosphere, which is more innovative than letting the man fall crazy and roll on the table. The second is Wilder's wit, which is a unique "egg" when watching Wilder's movies. Scattered in every corner of the film. For example, a man hides wine in a chandelier on the ceiling, and when he is addicted to alcohol, he can't find it anywhere. Lying in bed, he saw such a scene: the shadow of the wine bottle reflected by the halo of the chandelier is like an elegant treasure, waving to the man; For example, the man hid the pistol in the washbasin, but when the woman found it, the screen showed the reflection of the pistol on the mirror above the washbasin, which was a very thoughtful picture. Compared with the rough film scenes of the same era, such a small structure embodies the elegance and confidence of Hollywood classic narrative. Third, although movies never preach, we can see the harm of alcohol addiction from the stories of movies. The event is very small, but it has a wide field of vision, and it can tell the story thoroughly without being dry and moist. Although the hero didn't commit suicide at the end of the story as most viewers expected, Wilder's films always liked a more humane ending, and he still had hope for humanity. Although in reality, these events with the same plot have no happy ending, however,

Finally, let's talk about the pinnacle of his film-Sunset Avenue! In fact, the story and theme of this film are not very novel. The story is that a poor third-rate Hollywood screenwriter is taken care of by the poor former silent queen. Finally, he can't stand the former queen, but he resists and escapes but is killed by the queen. Theme! In fact, it is a recollection of the prosperity of silent films in the past 40 years and a reflection on the survival of Hollywood studio stars. This point was also hotly discussed in the later Singin' in the Rain. Singing in the Rain was born on 1952, while Sunset Avenue was two years earlier.

I won't say much about the detailed plot of this film, but I just want to talk about why this film can be called Wilder's highest achievement. In fact, as far as entertainment is concerned, this film is definitely not the best. After all, there are twins and peach blossom apartments behind. When it comes to the degree of criticism and darkness, the previous Lost Weekend and the subsequent Ace are more real and profound than it. Many film critics and filmmakers are full of praise for this film, I think, because of its artistic purity. The film lacks a lot of Wilder's trademark cleverness and ingenuity, but it has a sense of elegance and tragedy. It is this tragic effect and elegant temperament that makes it. You know, in western art theory, tragedy occupies an absolutely orthodox position. Although there are many excellent comedies and dramas, tragic works or works of art with tragic flavor can give people sad reflection, because in general psychology, painful lessons are more profound than the benefits of music. This historical and cultural origin has forced many filmmakers to pay attention to Sunset Avenue. Indeed, this film is full of tragic colors, which not only mourns the silent movies in Hollywood in the past, but also makes the crazy performance of the silent queen at the end of the film become an excellent classic in film history.