The Secret of the Book of Kells: Old and Fresh

Daniella 2022-03-01 08:01:52

(Written by Zhi Ning on February 4, 2010) The
young Irish director Tom Moore, who has struggled for a long time in the short film and commercial film industry, finally made an animated feature film The Secret of the Book of Kells (The Secret of Kells ( The Secret of Kells)" (also known as "The Secret of Brandon and the Book of Kells"), let people appreciate his aesthetics and directorial strength, leaving a wonderful viewing experience that is both fresh and splendid and returned to the heart of the audience. .
It is undeniable that this is an animation that wins by quality, but its plot structure based on the Norse legend and the famous Irish classic book The Book of Kells (a pictorial manuscript of the Gospels) is also quite interesting, making the story interesting. Different from other American-style productions, although there are also small dream complexes such as juvenile salvation in the film, the literature and artistry permeated from beginning to end make the audience not feel any abrupt, naive or uncomfortable in this small fantasy complex. place. It's just that the end of the story tends to be rushed, as if the point of view that a good book brings power to human beings that I have always wanted to express has not been fully explained.
The animation is well-conceived in terms of artistic expression. Many hand-painted pictures are full of detailed and complicated textures, and at the same time, the Irish national style can be seen everywhere, such as the lush and misty forest, the elegant and lovely flowers, and the green and pleasant fields... …And the warm and mysterious painting room, the towering towers, the sacred and solemn churches, and especially the overall presentation of the 9th-century Kells Abbey, all reveal their characteristics inspired by the style of religious pictures, as if The reproduction of colorful drawings on ancient handwritten scriptures is full of timeless charm and extravagance, mysterious and solemn and highly imaginative.
Another feature of the film's artistic performance is the juxtaposition of pictures in different time and space on the same screen and the segmentation of the same scene, such as three landscapes of different seasons appearing in one picture at the same time, and the trajectory of the protagonist's walking is painted in a rather poetic way way to manifest. At the same time, the decorative frame of the three landscapes adopts a dark yellow pattern on a brown background similar to the border of an ancient book, which is delicate and elegant.
The characters in the film are also very cute. The appearance of the monks of Kells is very exaggerated. They are all tall, short, fat and thin, and they are painted to the extreme. The shape of the male protagonist, the little monk Brandon, is easily reminiscent of the little monk in the East, and the shape of Aishiling, the elf in the forest, will also remind people of the fairy in white in "Beautiful Secret Language". The name "Ling" probably has its origins. Aisling means "dream" in Irish. Aisling is also a form of Irish poetry. This beautiful poetic name is very symbolic, as if to lead people through the darkness and yearn for the light. The hope and strength of Aishiling's help to Brandon.
The OST of the animation is quite good. The famous French musician Luno Curles, who has contributed OSTs of "Bird's Migration", "Spring in the Cattle Class", "Himalaya" and other OSTs (also nominated for an animated feature film this year) The OST of "Ghost Mother", also from him) this time still adopts the national style, the theme song of the animation is a pure and strong Irish style when it comes out, a child's solo "Aisling Song" in the film, Qingyue is tactful, simple and lovely, and unforgettable.
Watching this animation will inevitably remind people of the delicate and moving Chinese animations in the past, such as "Nine-colored Deer" and "Three Monks". European animations such as "Secret of Erjing" and Spain's "Song of the Night" in 2007 will give people a refreshing feeling. The style of the film should be diversified, and the animation should be even more so.
[Extended reading]
About the
Book of Kells : The Book of Kells, also known as the Book of Kells (Leabhar Cheanannais in Irish), is a gilded manuscript manuscript that is one of the early examples of graphic design.
It was painted by Celtic monks on the island of Iona in western Scotland around 800 AD. Consisting of four New Testament Gospels, the book is a richly decorated manuscript copy of the Gospels of the Bible in Latin. There is a beautiful illustration at the beginning of each short essay, and there are a total of 2,000 illustrations in the book.
The Book of Kells is a representative work of Western calligraphy, representing the peak of Irish island art and painting, and is also recognized as the most precious national treasure in Ireland.
(If you listen to the episode Aisling Song in the film, you can go to http://nicolew.blog.hexun.com/44985805_d.html )

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Extended Reading
  • Ward 2022-03-27 09:01:21

    Where I can't go, can you go there instead of me?

  • Keagan 2022-03-28 09:01:13

    This kind of cartoon is about to become extinct... I really like the dean's accent

The Secret of Kells quotes

  • [first lines]

    Aisling: I have lived through many ages, through the eyes of salmon, deer, and wolf. I have seen the Northmen invading Ireland, destroying all in search of gold. I've seen suffering in the darkness. Yet I have seen beauty thrive in the most fragile of places. I have seen the book. The book that turned darkness into light.

  • Brendan: Aidan is my friend. I'm helping him make the most incredible book in the whole world! He says it will turn darkness into light. Wait until you see it!

    Aisling: Wait until you see the rest of my forest.