"Brotherhood of the Wolf" (Brotherhood of the Wolf): In fact, it is just a religious and political tragedy (Text: Vulcan) 1. The so-called blockbuster.
What kind of movie can be called a blockbuster? I was thinking if there are some so-called blockbuster standards, then how many blockbuster factors will this movie have. There is no reason to like French movies as much as French novels. Delicate, atmospheric, romantic, a touch of sadness and deep heritage. This is the characteristic of French novels. When watching this movie, I often have this feeling of reading a novel. Using a supporting role to narrate a heroic story in the first person, with a little love as a condiment, the narrative style that Shanshan said made me calm and comfortable. Maybe it's because I like French novels. Some people say that this movie looks boring and procrastinating. In my opinion, these are more like its worries. A certain aspect of a movie as a movie's shortcomings or advantages lies only in the perspective of the sidelines.
I can say that this is the closest epic film I have ever seen without being objective, completely subjective and without being recognized. After all, this is just a subjective opinion. When I stubbornly think so, maybe it's just my perspective. The film tells a story that took place in France in the middle of the eighteenth century. This story background gives the film a beautiful visual effect. Because of France, there is still the middle of the eighteenth century. Before the French Revolution, it was an era of luxury. All the pursuit of luxury and beauty, especially the royal family and aristocrats, and this story is the internal struggle in the aristocratic class, luxury beauty is indispensable. Feast; salon; evening party; hunting; jokes; even brothels in the middle age. Everything is beautiful. Maybe it's just that I have been troubled by the distorted aesthetic. I like this luxurious color and strong smell. There is no reason like I like Stendhal and Dumas' novels. I like it; I like everything about She Mi close to obsessively. I like this movie, from every detailed lens arrangement to every gorgeous decoration; even if this is an aesthetic that should be criticized. But I think, if I can, I hope I'm very Gothic.
The so-called blockbusters should stand scrutiny, and should not just be empty under a luxurious exterior. And now when I look at this movie again, I find that the quaint beauty of this movie is still there. I am thinking that after the passage of time, some real blockbuster movies will be precipitated. Even if the film tells a boring story. However, the precision of the production and the exquisite narrative method, the beauty of the lens, the scheduling, and the spatial hierarchy and furnishings in the lens are still worth seeing. Exquisite images; ingenious composition and first-class plot arrangement. From the perspective of the movie itself, it can be considered a classic with such qualities. The third-perspective narrative facilitates a more calm and objective presentation of the event, and because Thomas as a narrator is also involved in the beginning and end of the event, there is no such indifference that is detached from the object.
2. The so-called male role.
The first protagonist Français Knight, rich experience, brave and profound, with his unique wit and handsome face in the upper class of Givas, among the so-called gentlemen who wear wigs with oily face, looks so outstanding. . As the contradictor Jean-Francois said: polymaths, craftsmen, and doctors, and some others don't know.
Mani, the second protagonist. The only remaining survivor among the Indian tribes. Believe in the wolf totem and master some mysterious skills that no one knows. Brave, tough, calm and decisive. He was so outstanding and compelling when Europeans were treated as barbarians. Undoubtedly, he is my favorite character in this movie, even more attractive to me than Franzach. This movie can even be regarded as his stage. Whether it's the eye-catching close-up of the first set of action confrontation, or the struggle when falling to the ground after being shot in the back, this character is deeply attracted to me. Even if Franzha suddenly and bravely picked the entire mysterious underground religion in the end, it was actually just for Mani's desire for revenge. After all, it's Mani's play. When Franzha was smeared with Mani's totem on his face, he was extremely brave. In my opinion, it was only Mani's stand-in or the incarnation of revenge. Mani is the most brilliant character in this movie, and perhaps this is also the biggest flaw in this movie. The second protagonist is actually more eye-catching than the first protagonist, which is a bit overwhelming. From the perspective of the character's creation, it is indeed very successful, but after all, this is only the second protagonist. The brilliance of the first protagonist is robbed by the second protagonist. From the overall point of view of the movie, this is indeed not a good thing. Either Mani is too brilliant, or Franzha's role modeling is not conspicuous enough, it is always the taboo of the movie to dominate the scene.
3. The so-called female horns.
The three main female characters in this movie are very successful. Like Marianne, a noblewoman who is crazy about love. The woman who gradually softened in Franz's pursuit, or in other words, in love, all women may be the same. From reserved to mutual love, to deep love. Sometimes disappointed or even desperate, but in the end, he will still be obsessed with the man he loves so much. In other words, I was obsessed before deeply in love, but I still can't forget it after disappointment or despair. Before writing to Français, the final sanity collapsed completely. Plus the misunderstanding has disappeared. So he went to Français with the idea of elopement. To say the least, this is a brave character. I love such a woman. Fleeing madly for love. In other words, I love such courage. Just because of loving a man, just because of deep love, so convinced, so abandon everything that exists. Sometimes what love needs is this kind of determination and deep belief or even superstition.
There is also the mysterious woman from Rome who resembles an undercover in the brothel. I also love Fransah deeply, but for the emotion of Fransah I chose to give up and complete the love between Fransah and Marion. This is a sad woman. Giving up love for the sake of love, this kind of emotion is not as noble as ordinary people. And this role is also very important in this movie. If it weren't for her, Franzha might have only really died in prison in the end. Franzha said: You killed me once; she said: It was just to revive you. Extreme and domineering, love you, when we are making love madly, take out a dagger from under the pillow and leave a wound on your chest, I will lick the sweet blood you left on the knife, I said , Only in this way, you will remember me. I still don't know her name in the movie, maybe I didn't find it. Or the character does not need a name. Coming from a mysterious place, for her mysterious mission, as well as killing Français and resurrecting Français, and even helping Français complete the revenge plan that he needs to complete in this movie. Mystery is completely mysterious.
If Mary Ann is an image representing the tenderness of a woman, and the mysterious woman is an image of mystery and selfless woman, then the veterinarian's daughter may be an image of a woman who is violent. First of all, this is a woman different from the previous two. Marion has a good family education, and the mysterious woman undoubtedly has received strict training. Only she is the daughter of a craftsman at the bottom, who grew up in three schools and nine classes. And suffer from a bad illness. This explains the jealousy in her eyes when she looked at Mani and the helplessness and grief in her eyes when Mani fell to the ground. She is a hysterical woman. Because of the vicious cycle of illness, he is regarded as an alternative and a devil, and because of his living environment, he is lewd and evil. In her opinion, perhaps, Mani is her only reliance and the only way for her to get out of the predicament. But hate, because I can't live like other people, because I can only live in hardship and the hatred of ordinary people. In the end she died, before she had time to feel the pain. She was stabbed into the heart by Franzha, and she didn't even have time to draw animals. I was thinking, maybe, at that time, would she remember the sad eyes that Mani looked at her when she died.
4. The so-called contra-angle.
Still the feeling of being overwhelming. The biggest ultimate boss Sardin is just a gloomy and gloomy character, and Jean Frankos is actually just a pawn of political conspiracy he has trained. Although Shangfrancos dangled in most of the film, he still exercised Sardin's wishes. In other words, Shangfrancos thought he was exercising his religious will, but in fact he was still Sardin. It's just that Sardin is used to laughing coldly in the shadow of the camera, while Jean Frankos lives in pain and sadness in the light. Sardin finally died in the encirclement and suppression of wolves instead of dying under the swords of the protagonists. There was a taste of reincarnation, or a causal cycle. Because of his political goals, the wolves were killed on a large scale, and finally bitten by the wolves. The wolves are the totem of Mani's faith, and they have a sense of revenge for Mani. In other words, at some point, the wolves eventually became a symbol and stand-in for Mani. Completed the last wishes of Mani.
Traveling in Africa made Shanfrancos hide a filthy arm. And let him bring back some beasts from Africa. And his completely distorted psychology. The woman who is obsessed with is her own sister, because when thinking about her injury, she is the only one who takes care of herself, and everyone else has already left. With a hateful attitude and Sardinian desire, let the African beasts mate and leave the strongest cubs. Training, domestication. Franzha is what he hates most, because Franzha threatens his emotional territory. So he would go to the brothel to steal Franz's paintings, defile, provoke and create chaos. He turned his face to the back of the gloomy conversation between Marion and Fransah and the flop when he fell to the ground, you can see his jealous and hateful eyes. I think this character is very pitiful, even though he often makes things that people feel should be hated in the movie. But I just can't hate it. In terms of political status, he is just a believer attached to Shadin. In terms of human nature and psychology, he can only completely rely on Sardin. Emotionally, the tragedy induced by falling in love with his sister can't bring him the slightest sympathy, and the final killing of Marion seems to be only a profile depiction of the character's utter hysterical madness. In fact, he is very pitiful, in all respects, he looks lovely, just because his role makes people unable to sympathize. To some extent, his existence itself is already a tragedy. It's just that we have not been able to tolerate to this degree.
5. The so-called monster.
The monster is attached to Chanfrancos. The previous generation was brought to Europe by Jean Francois. After breeding, he was left alone in an unfamiliar land. Starting from the cubs, he was rigorously trained. When he grew up, he was covered with a heavy subway armor and his mouth was also covered. Sharp iron teeth are placed. All this is just to satisfy the political desires of one's own master or the master's master. The so-called monster is actually just a religious and political conspiracy. In order to make the royal family afraid, in order to give the owner and the owner's owners more authority. Killing everywhere, biting. He kept getting injured until he was finally killed by Franzha. I remember the sadness and loneliness in its eyes before it died.
6. The so-called ending.
Marianne died, resurrected by Mani's bracelet and Indian therapy. And Fransah lived a happy life ever since. It looks as beautiful as a fairy tale. This seems to be the inevitable perfect ending of the movie, but I feel a little aesthetic fatigue when I watch it. And Thomas, the film’s perspective and story narrator, because he loved his country and people deeply, inherited the knighthood left to him by his father, and died in the riots on the eve of the French Revolution. Before he walked out of his castle, when he watched his beloved but madly irrational people pushing and beating him, I wondered if he regretted not being with Franz and Marion. Walk far together and pursue that kind of free and adventurous life together. Perhaps, a person has his own way of living, and a person has his own responsibilities and beliefs. Perhaps, the story he told before his death just wanted to tell people a moral that he wanted to clarify but did not clarify. Maybe he didn't regret it, but maybe only he knew it.
2006-09-20; Draft of Ding Youyue and Renzi Day in the Bingxu Year.
Note: The movie data extension link.
■Title: "Covenant of the Wolves" (
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