In the spring and summer communication in 1860, Italy was in the midst of turbulent weather. The peasant uprising in Sicily broke out and was suppressed by the Bourbon government forces. Garibaldi, a young Italian party member, led a group of thousands to assist; in May, Garibaldi was in Marsala in western Sicily landed to annihilate the government forces. After that, the Bourbon dynasty fell and the whole of Sicily was liberated. At this time, the Salina family, who had been sheltered by Bourbon, should have feared the arrival of Garibaldi’s forces, but Salina did. Lives very freely: on the one hand, he has long since reached a deal with the liberators to ensure that the private property is not violated; on the other hand, he believes (as explained in the novel) that the "red shirts" and their leaders have made military gains The great victory actually failed to shake the foundation of this country. Politically, Garibaldi was just a pawn. The last nobleman of Sicily has not yet come to the real death, and the unification movement still has too many incompleteness in it.
As for the literal translation of the film's name "Leopard", it is not only a symbol of the Salina family, but also a metaphor for some important characteristics of the protagonist. With his strong and sturdy body, he also possesses a clear vision and keen observation like a leopard. Even when the new government official Chevalley came to persuade him to serve as a senator to change the status quo in Sicily, Prince Salina broke the situation. Generally speaking, when it comes to: "We are a Leopard, a lion, our position will be replaced by a jackal or a wolf, regardless of whether it is a leopard or a lion, or a jackal or a wolf, all of us will continue to feel that we are superior." The two roles of prince and priest in the play symbolize the alliance between the aristocracy and the church in the old ruling class. Although the two have overlapping and mutually beneficial interests, they have gradually diverged under the impact of the new wave. The scene of "The Rosary" recited at the beginning of the film represents the nobles' piety and respect for the Catholic Church. However, as the story progresses, Prince Salina goes to prostitutes for pleasure (implying betrayal), until he answers the priest " The church is immortal, but we, as a social class, are not. If today the church must sacrifice us to survive, the church will do the same." The open dissatisfaction shows that this relationship has broken down. The distance and difference between the old aristocracy and the emerging bourgeoisie are also expressed in the film. The most impressive is the scene at the ball, when Prince Salina looks at Tancredi (Alain Delon/Alain Delon) as his young nephew. Acting) After dancing with his fiancée, he still showed grace like a cat (the leopard is a cat), but the unbroken shot immediately follows the mayor's (representing the emerging bourgeoisie) rat head rat brain The posture serves as a contrast. Director Visconti’s attention to detail made the film full of charm. He had no intention of praising the old aristocracy, but subconsciously, Visconti still has a disdainful and ironic attitude towards the new bourgeoisie.
As a farewell song dedicated to the old nobles, "Air Covered Mountains and Rivers" also has sidelines about aging and death entwined. Prince Salina appeared to be very energetic in the morning after looking for joy, but when the priest saw that he was naked when he finished the bath, Prince Salina had already expressed some feelings about old age. During the ball in the film, the prince came to the study alone and looked at the paintings on the wall that he hadn't noticed before. In this situation, there is a feeling of old age abandoned by the world. Outside the ancient study room is the glorious glory of lively music, but inside the study room, the lonely prince is thinking about death. He is like an old leopard, wandering around watching the young generation dancing with Tancredi's fiancé Angelica. Prince Salina seemed to see his old lover, but he was even more sad. The party is about to end, and another round of fast-paced dance music sounded again, like this long night is hard to see the end, until all the wildness has stopped, only the cold and desolate, the tired prince, suddenly on the way home Kneeling on one knee and praying silently to the morning star, expressing the eager desire for eternal life only from the west. This poignant beauty of longing for death was similarly continued in Visconti’s "Broken Souls in Venice" later. .
The film version of "The Air Covering Mountains and Rivers" not only absorbs and inherits the theme and tragic color of the original work, but also uses the luxurious and magnificent background settings to encourage the audience to extend the associations of other masterpieces (such as Proust's Remembrance) The first volume of "The Passing Years" "At the Swann House"). Director Visconti’s bold and slender brushwork coexist, and the setting of the “mirror” in the film is unique. When Prince Salina saw himself in the mirror for the first time, he was as energetic as the image of his nephew, until the second time. Before standing in the two mirrors after taking a bath, he had already seen his own aging; and near the end of the ball, the prince stared in the mirror that he was about to die, a tear fell from his cheek, three "mirror" scenes, The images of the princes are all different. They are like the coordinates of time, witnessing the decline and gradual death of the power of the old aristocracy. Similarly, the prince’s palace layout also creates a sense of dilapidation. His nephew Tancredi led his fiancee Angelica into this spacious space, meaning that Angelica should understand the world she will join. The maze-like scene symbolizes the Tancredi family’s The relationship is huge and complicated, and the historical oil paintings placed in the shabby scenes just represent that the once glorious aristocracy has been ruined.
The Italian composer Nino Rota, who scored the music for "The Air Covered Mountains and Rivers", composes this melody, which also gives people the illusion of a beautiful bubble, and implies that the life of the aristocracy is about to disappear like a spring dream. His remarkable achievements in the film are not only because he wrote those beautiful melodies that make the audience have good memories, but also because he can grasp the emotional color of the film and play a role in promoting the plot. Nino Rota’s traditional creative style has also reached a subtle match with the temperament of the film. He used music to outline the terroir of Sicily and became the most direct impression of the local people. He later used "The Godfather", The film soundtrack of "The Godfather Sequel" is world-renowned, and with the original music of "The Godfather Sequel", it won the first Oscar among Italian composers.
Looking at Lampedusa’s original novels now, they are not only a portrayal of the 1860s, but also a microcosm of the entire Italian history. At the end of World War II, the anti-fascist and Nazi movement rose up, known as the second revival movement. The leftists advocated that political power should be dispersed, while Sicily repeated the background history of this story and experienced a strong secession movement. But with the end of World War II, these desires were suppressed, and the establishment of a new centralized system governed by the Christian Democratic Party, by supporting local politicians, shattered Sicily's dream of autonomy. This series of events reflects that the essence of the superstructure remains unchanged, and the original economic group is still dominant. In reality, Lampedusa had participated in World War I, which caused him to be suspicious of the war he participated in and reconciled. I have been thinking about the problems of Italy and Europe from a circular perspective. The historical view in the book cleverly establishes a connection with the negative sense of inaction and incompetence strengthened by the film. It implies that in the face of the sea-like era, people cannot stop the rise or fall of the sea. If you are a romantic, even With the courage to reform like a leopard, it is easy to be swallowed by the big waves. The elegant nobles are noble in spirit, and the snobbish villains know how to survive. In the history where wolves are always in power, only those who are so-called "pragmatic", those who know how to use means to please all aspects, have them. Opportunity to stay.
"If we want to maintain the status quo, the status quo must be changed." The irony of the past and the present is self-evident. In the past decades, it still has a strong enlightenment. In the recent general elections in Malaysia, although the ruling National Front used fraudulent acts to suppress the Awami League, an opposition party supported by the majority of the people, and achieved temporary victory, the new forces are irreversible, and the decline of the old regime has become a historical inevitable. It's just that whether this revolution is like the "changing sky" in many countries, it's just the change of the ruler's dynasty, which is unknown. Regardless of the original work or the movie, "Sky Covering Mountains and Rivers" doubts the possibility of historical progress. The beautiful vision in the mouth of a new ruler is like a dream like a grand ball in the theater. When the dream wakes up, you will also see the most sober yourself and the cruelest reality in the mirror.
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