Just today, the May 1st gear was officially launched.
The industry and the market have been waiting for a long time.
Although I am not in a hurry to make a comeback for the second big schedule in 2021, it should be said that from the perspective of the industry, the first thing I think of is "Above the Cliff", no matter from the pre-screening or the announcement.
It’s not just three rounds of screening and a grand premiere, it’s as simple as showing your confidence to the market. Many people may think that Zhang Yimou+all-acting lineup+strong genre film attributes have their inherent advantages, which is true, but we often ignore the fact that-
It has been 12 years since the last Chinese spy war classic "Wind" on the big screen.
Spy GameThis is the key and even more difficult point of breaking the ice in the market of Above the Cliff.
How to use Xuanfa to break the ice, we will talk about it later. What we should pay attention to today is the result of this ice breaking.
I’m not sure yet. Above the Cliff is the one with the best reputation in May 1st, but it is.The audience is the largest.The one. For most viewers, from parents and children (preferably over 13 years old) to lovers and friends, all kinds of choices are compatible.
In fact, it is not easy for a spy film to do this.
At present, the box office prospect of "Above the Cliff" is not bad, so I also want to talk about two topics-
First, why a good spy film is so rare;
The second is how to appreciate a high-quality spy film.
For those who haven’t seen the film, the right is a movie guide.
Why are high-quality spy films so rare?
Director Gao Qunshu said after watching the film at the premiere on the 24th,After the wind, there are legends.
The familiar audience can understand the old story behind this statement-
The Wind 12 years ago showed us the development potential of China’s films in spy wars and genre films. After the wind on the poster, there was no legend in the world.
Indeed, the goodness of The Wind, even if it is reread after 12 years, is still undiminished and even more missed. But this, in turn, highlights that problem—
This type of spy war is difficult to produce classics.
First, the type elements are relatively complex.
Different from the more focused types such as love, comedy and action, it is very complicated to make a spy film, and it is natural to control and consider the content.
Take "Above the Cliff" as an example-
First of all, history and suspense are two basic types of elements in movies, corresponding to each other.Script and artIt becomes a top priority. In the 1930s, Harbin was full of exotic atmosphere, and the core elements of the battle of wits and courage between the enemy and the enemy eventually became the highlights of the film.
Secondly,Action and emotion(including love, affection and friendship) are the other two core elements of the film, or additive elements.
As a strong genre that can be taken out independently, it is not difficult for a film to make a strong effect in a limited space.
It should be said that "Above the Cliff" is also well done.
From train fighting, alley chasing to racing on a snowy night, the action design with great tension in a small pattern is remarkable.
As the key to sublimation, emotional drama is even more delicate. Careful taste is full of quiet forbearance, sacrifice regardless of gains and losses, and trust beyond life and death.
Finally, all the type elements are designed to give a strong contrast at the end.Heroic feelings.
This may be regarded as a small advantage of spy movies. When many types in front are mastered freely, the charm of a group of unsung heroes like agents will naturally be maximized.
In short, the complex genre elements determine a spy film, which is a great test for the director, screenwriter, actor and the whole creative team including all the behind-the-scenes staff.
Second, directors and screenwriters need to make clear and subtle choices in creation.
One phenomenon is that there are obviously more spy war dramas than spy war movies. The reason is also simple-
The theme of spy war is complex in type, and the story and emotion are amazing in thickness, so it needs enough time to complete the foreshadowing and expression. Therefore, the length of coming from the screen to the screen was limited at that time, and the test was the director and screenwriter.Make a Dojo in a snail’s shellThe ability.
This requires the screenwriter to complete a text choice in the early stage of creation, and the director should clearly strengthen it in shooting and post-editing.We should pay more attention to the type elements, and how to improve the narrative effect through the lens language, and finally raise the emotional concentration with the finishing touch..
Every detail, see the skill.
Director Zhang Yimou and screenwriter YongXian Quan
On the Cliff, the choice of editing and directing is also very beautiful. We will discuss this part below.
The third is the natural sense of distance of the spy war theme.
As mentioned earlier, the advantage of the spy war theme lies in its own heroic complex, but we should also see that when this theme comes from a small screen to a big screen, the sense of distance may be an important factor for many creators to retreat when they are watching movies.
The strangeness to history and alienation from the drama of the times test whether the creator can let the younger generation get it from a spy film.Don’t lose the pleasure of watching movies like other mainstream films..
This may also be the reason why many people take off their hats to Zhang Yimou after watching the movie.
His exuberant creative energy, his willingness to get closer to young audiences and his courage to face difficulties are all impressive.
For "On the Cliff", it is precisely because of overcoming these three major problems that there is a legend after that rumor.
How to enjoy a high-quality spy film?
Spy movies are rare, and once they appear, they are naturally worth seeing again.
For most viewers, if "Above the Cliff" is regarded as a high-quality genre film, it is not necessary to gulp down a lot of excitement. But it is inevitable that some potential fun will be lost.
So, how to appreciate a high-quality spy film-
Brush and clear the story.
The plot of the film is not complicated. In a word, it is a very small-scale trick between enemy and enemy agents during the Anti-Japanese War. But a good genre film is like this, telling a simple story in a complicated way and telling it brilliantly.
What I want to focus on here is the so-called creative choice mentioned above.
The outrat action carried out by four agents is not so much the main line of the film as a key McGovern, and this action leads to ten main characters on both sides.
In other words, Zhang Yimou’s purpose this time is not to tell the audience a complete action, but to present the status and destiny of the characters.Behind your wits and moderate blank space, it is the people in extreme circumstances who finally guide and impress the audience..
This choice is strong, which is different from the logic of the drama.Film thinking.
Therefore, the first time you look at it, you enter the story as well as the characters.
Especially considering that the film has designed traitors and undercover on both sides, this arrangement has greatly improved the suspense of the film, especially the sense of substitution of the audience into the fate of the characters.
Two brushes, enjoy the performance.
Fuzzy character identity, extreme living environment and extreme drama tension, the innate conditions of these scripts, when meeting a group of good actors, will inevitably bring a rare and wonderful group drama.
Many viewers who watched the screening talked about Zhang Yi’s electric chair torture and Amanda’s several silent tears, which were the highlights of the film.
However, there are still some bright spots that are easy to ignore in the performance, which need special attention when brushing. The point here is—
The cold and cruel realistic environment, the moment of collision with real human nature.
For example, Zhang Yi was seriously injured and decided to entrust an orphan before his death; Another example is Yu Hewei’s immobility in the face of Dahong Ni’s questioning, and the coffee shop’s timidity in retreating to its subordinates.
The first time you watch it, you may be taken away by the plot. After understanding the whole story, the level of fine performance is another pleasure brought by a good movie.
Three brushes, aftertaste details.
The film is only 120 minutes long. Considering so many characters, high-density narrative efficiency, the internal tension of a single scene, and many good details, you can’t feel it completely once or twice.
Among them, a very important change in Zhang Yimou’s personal creation is-
Compared with the past fascination with empty mirrors and big prospects, this time the energy is completely focused on big close-ups, group image shaping and small-scale group drama.
For those who often have four or five characters in the cross-play-such as the train play at the beginning and the dinner table play in the mansion-it is complicated and even one person brings two identities. Behind every micro-expression, there is a subtle psychology that can suck up the taste.
In addition, some carefully designed small details are also worth feeling carefully.
For example, how to complete the joint code between agents; For example, the comparison of one stop and one kneeling at the end of the shooting scene; Another example is the implantation of cultural symbols of the times from the book Mei Lanfang’s Journey to the United States to the film The Gold Rush.
Don’t underestimate these details-
In terms of film techniques, they are not isolated from the story, but an important part of the main task;
At the level of genre film creation, these are the production modes that China film industry should have. In other words,This is based on our own cultural tradition.Instead of imitating Hollywood step by step.
Of course, another detail that can’t be ignored is the film.Emotional thickness.
Aside from the heroic aura of spy films, it is very important whether a genre film can move people with emotion, whether the characters are grounded, and whether human nature is greater than divinity.
In "Above the Cliff", the agent, who is often full of divinity, is a person with weakness and obstacles. TA are father, mother, husband, wife and lover. Some people think that if Zhang Yi didn’t want to have a look at the children, he might not have been caught. There is a side where the audience substitutes the characters and worries about them, and there is also a consideration that the creators let the characters fall from the sky to the ground, and finally become three-dimensional (even the traitor played by Lei Jiayin, the process of betrayal is also portrayed credibly enough).
It is precisely because human nature has stood, and the divine side is more shocking.
Before the action began, what Amanda said.Alive, go find the child.; Zhang Yi’s old week in the magic cave; Hakodate Zhang Yi whispered to Liu Haocun that he had lived in that small house before, leaving two children whose life and death are unknown now …
Behind the details, such as how much past glory, even how much bitterness, perseverance and faith can be drawn and filled by the brain, the emotional impact among them is very strong.
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Looking back now, at the beginning of the movie, four agents parachuted into the knee-thick Woods and disappeared in an instant; At the end, the task was completed, and the two agents stood looking at the leaving car for a long time.
In history, how many such great things were wrapped in sacrifice and fearlessness, and finally they were quietly hidden under the heavy snow and water, and no one knew it, let alone missed it.
A line repeatedly mentioned in the movie is,It will be fine if it is dawn., see a comment, summed it up very well-
Before dawn, the hero stood silently; After dawn, light and shadow spread the legend.
The unsung hero should not be forgotten, which is the value of the film and the significance of transcending the type of spy war.
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