In a pre-modern society, whether Chinese or Western, the acquisition of the dominant position of politicians always depends on the dissemination of various political discourses and the call of political ceremonies. In China, for mature emperors, there are grand and solemn enthronement and sacrifice ceremonies, but for conspirators who are determined to seize power, it is embodied in various legends, such as the sword-cutting of the snake by the emperor of the Han Dynasty Liu Bang. The uprising, like the folk discourse of "Great Chuxing, King Chen Sheng" preached by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang before the uprising, all used the power of public opinion to declare the extraordinary political leaders and the legitimacy of fighting for the world.
In the movie "King Arthur", drawing the sword in the stone becomes an important magic weapon to verify the political legitimacy. Therefore, both the current ruler Vodigan and the rebel group are actively looking for someone who can draw the sword in the stone. people. According to legend, only the descendants of the royal family have the ability to draw the sword in the stone. Based on this, when Arthur drew the sword in the stone, he immediately became the target of Vodigan's arrest, and became the only candidate for the rebel group to try to add a yellow robe.
The fact that Arthur drew the sword in the stone itself meant that political legitimacy and the centripetal force of the people began to lean towards Arthur. Under this situation, Vodigan could only execute Arthur through a public ceremony, telling the general public that Arthur was not worth mentioning under Vodigan’s authority, so that he could defend Vodigan’s own authority status. The widespread publicity of this execution ceremony was intended to allow Vodigan to consolidate the legitimacy of his rule and suppress dissident resistance. Of course, the rebel group knows this well, so they must not save Arthur from prison directly, but must choose the occasion where he faces the general public. Arthur’s surviving catastrophe can completely produce a public opinion effect among the people, which is exactly what the fate belongs to. This is exactly what the rebel group hopes to see. It was for this reason that Vodigan felt anxious about Arthur's rescue.
Saving Arthur does not directly mean that the rebels are done. Growing up in a brothel, Arthur’s personal identity has always been just a small gangster in a slum. Although he has the memory of being hunted down as a royal family when he was a child, whether it is his courage and courage, or his practical ability, Not enough to support him in the world. The film mentions the great influence of the twelve aristocrats on English politics. The implication may be that the rebel group does not belong to the twelve aristocrats. Therefore, supporting Arthur and carrying out the royal revolution became these rebels. The only way to realize the upward mobility of classes and enjoy the glory and wealth; and to make prosperity come true, we must first persuade Arthur to accept his new identity as a legitimate king.
Just relying on the fact that he drew the sword in the stone was not enough to make Arthur accept his status as a legitimate king. It can be seen from the movie that the strategy adopted by the rebel group is a combination of emotion and witchcraft. The witch with a strong gothic temperament showed a cold posture. This posture would naturally make Arthur, who grew up in a brothel and was used to meeting women selling meat and laughing, feel extremely special; and the witch The constant use of witchcraft, coupled with the increasing recognition and support of the people's leadership status, gradually made Arthur accept the psychological hint that he was a king step by step. In this way, the prediction of the witch brings the psychological hint of the king, and finally transforms the psychological hint into a realistic plot, which is exactly the same as Shakespeare's interpretation in his famous play "Macbeth", and is also a film version of the "Pygmalion effect".
The film is commendable in that it expresses the psychoanalysis of the protagonist using image language. With the flashbacks of nightmares time and time again, Arthur's identity as king went from looming to lingering, and continued to be strengthened, and finally established in Arthur's heart. With the establishment of the king's identity, Arthur's mana and domineering were also demonstrated, and eventually he killed his uncle Wodigan and successfully regained the throne.
Of course, the most commendable thing about this film is its superb soundtrack of black gold rock, which fits perfectly with the Gothic image temperament, and from the perspective of narrative techniques, plot rhythm control, and tension creation, this film is also remarkable. . Although in order to cater to the Chinese audience, a failure to create a Chinese martial artist with a nondescript image (King Arthur lived in the 6th century AD, the characterization of such a Chinese martial artist is completely incompatible with history), but on the whole, this movie is still watched. It's so enjoyable, and the above-mentioned political connotation of the film is also worth repeating.
Written in Zhulinzhai on the evening of May 15, 2017
(this article will be published in the "Cultural Perspective" column of "Jianghai Evening News".)
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