"The Postman Only Knocks Twice" "Middle-aged men are greasy" not invented by Feng Tang
The title is just a little fun, a little inspiration that Feng Tangxian discovered before the public. He discovered the saying in "The Postman Only Knocks Twice" that "middle-aged men are too greasy."
Our times are developing very fast, especially in the past ten years, China is eager to take the lead in urban appearance. We are all scrambling to be citizens of the metropolis, and we are afraid of being left behind by the express of the times. Fast life, so that we have no time to take into account the classics, see the beauty of the classics.
Only from a practical point of view, many classics are not outdated, or not outdated in some aspects, but because they are simple and easy to understand, close to the root and essence, you can find the doorway and principle of an industry, whenever we are confused, return to the basics, rethink the origin and The principle, suddenly clear, obtains energy.
Like classic movies.
I didn't understand very well before, why do some masters always watch outdated movies? Some of the old movies they praised are more than half a century old. Is the master acting cool in front of fans and the media? Movies have been the hallmark of every era since their inception, and they make fashion. And gorgeous fashion is not allowed to have old age, folds and rings. Fortunately, the classic can be otherworldly. It is not a "half-old milf" who is not afraid of being old-fashioned. It is a monument that stands firmly, waiting for you to look back, correct the direction with it, and start again.
"The Postman Only Knocks Twice" novel, film, and perhaps play, has met with audiences in multiple ways. She looks different every time, like a very individual beauty, showing many faces in front of people. As far as the comparison between the two versions of the film and the novel I have seen, I still feel that the novel is the most abundant and full of inner motivation. Films are limited by objective conditions, and they all have their own different emphases and trade-offs.
character setting
In the 1981 version of the movie, Jack Nicholson played the male protagonist who is sinister, selfish, and easily does not reveal his heart. Relative to the female lead, she is infatuated, timid, diligent and simple.
In the 1946 version of the movie, there is another side to the female character's weakness - selfishness, good at seducing men
The Greeks were murdered. After the relative checks and balances of the triangle were broken, the men and women attracted by love were not happy from then on. Instead, they suspected, lured, and even threatened each other under moral fear. In this regard, the 46-year version is closer to the design of the novel, and even more convincing, thanks to the reasonable setting of the characters. The incidental inconsistency is that a woman who often wears a white dress and bright makeup is the backbone of the kitchen. The 1946 edition is too clean and ideal because of the aesthetic constraints of the age, and the greasy and smoky life cannot be seen, which is somewhat inconsistent with the reality in modern film and television aesthetics.
Because the 46-year-old version of the multi-female protagonist Cora has an extra dimension, plump, and closer to the real person. After killing her husband, the secret fight with her lover is more natural and real. Because the 1981 version "flattened" Cora's character, there was a problem here. The characters were simple and timid, and they had no support for the sudden emotional outbursts and fights of the lover. The audience felt somewhat inexplicable when watching. Why the original novel is good, this is the most important point, it balances these complex issues well. All kinds of complex desires for the characters are just so far and so effective.
Jack Nicholson is a good actor, but all the roles he played in that era were very close, with very similar eyes, expressions, speech, and personalities. In the 1981 edition of "The Postman", it was especially deep and sinister. I don't know if this indifferent acting is deliberately following the style of the author of the novel. He is like a masculine beast, capturing Cora and taking revenge on Nick, but he doesn't think much about the ending of the story. The main point of the story is that lovers who are suspicious of each other fall in love Kill, and finally wake up and know. But the character Jack Nicholson interprets has no final insight and tenderness towards his lover, which makes us spectators feel too calm, without the slightest loss of love. Therefore, after the car accident, lying on Cora and mourning in front of him seemed a bit abrupt.
plot simplification
In the 1946 version and the 1981 version, the lawyers are from Cora, and in the novel, the lawyer Katz is hired by Frank, which highlights Cora's own feeling of being designed.
In the 1981 edition, after Cora and Frank had their first affair, her husband hummed "The Changeable Woman" of Rigoletto. Humming and humming, the 81 version of Cora is weak, she is the most squeamish and has no tricks, while the 46 version of Cora is familiar with using men's routines, which is more in line with women's fickleness.
In the novel, after Nick was murdered, a pair of "dog men and women" had been blocked by the prosecutor in the corner, and they were captured. 's reversion. This is the reversal of the protagonist's life and death. The movie is probably complicated. Both the 46th and 81st versions are regarded as appendixes, and they have been edited and revised. This makes the logic somewhat ambiguous and cannot withstand careful scrutiny.
When I first saw the adaptation of the 1946 edition, I was amazed. The blurry black and white picture and the old-fashioned setting have not overshadowed its brilliance at all. At the beginning, a calm driver took Frank to the place, and the police went to check. The other party only said a word, and the mounted police saluted and let go. What he said to the police: I am the District Attorney and I was stopped by the police for the first time. Characters and identities are well presented. The prosecutor was originally a character who appeared later in the story. In the 46-year adaptation, the second scene of the first scene appeared, enough to see the importance of this supporting role. In later stories, he often appears as the spokesperson of the devil or God, which forms a great pressure on the male and female characters. Compared with the 1981 version, this role is weakened so much that the villain is too weak and the conflict is less prominent.
The characters of the 1946 edition appeared, not only a prosecutor, but Cora was also very exciting. Frank took advantage of the owner's absence to look around the restaurant. There was a sound of things falling, and a piece of lipstick rolled down the stairs to Frank's eyes. Cora was wearing a white dress and bright makeup, and Pingting walked down the stairs slowly. Frank was surprised. He came to this small place to cheat food and drink, and he didn't want to encounter beauty. He looked up at her. Frank picked up the lipstick, Cora's mouth was slightly upturned, and she stretched out a hand, like the Queen and other subjects to salute. She is very confident that all men will take the opportunity to court her and return her lipstick. But Frank turned his face up and held up his lipstick, waiting for her to come over to get it. Cora was disappointed, hurried over to take it, and said thank you coldly. This kind of performance was rare in those days. At that time, the movie was still a young child in front of the drama. The tone of the movie's lines, every smile and every smile were learned from the stage. Since the voice came into being, the movie lines were recited in large paragraphs to promote the narrative. As far as the line of "thank you", Cora's appearance, the relationship between the two of them seduces each other and is full of hostility, the tone is precisely set, and it is extremely concise.
When it comes to the novel "The Postman", it is by no means a simple principle: evil will be rewarded with evil.
The novel is based on the true murder of an adulterer in 1928, revealing the psychology of the two murderers is the author's focus. This is the author's greatness. After a century, today's crime stories may not be very good. Effect. The two twists and turns of the murder process are said to be based on facts, so this story is a "separation of flesh and blood" operation to cut out two pieces, one is the development of the case, and the other is the psychological evolution of the murderer.
Killing is not that simple. Because inner demons and desires control people's actions, mistakes are made, and they are extremely disturbed and panicked after waking up. This novel shows the reason and psychology of murder through event advancement and dialogue, rather than directly describing a large number of psychological descriptions. This is also unique to the author. If "good is rewarded with good and evil is rewarded with evil", the Greeks are very greasy, but they are very nice to Frank. Frank is revenge for kindness and revenge, and he deserves death! If this is the author's claim, then either Frank must end up dying, or he's deeply remorseful that he killed the good guy. However, M Kane didn't do that, he let Frank only care about Cora's death. The direction and the end of the story must foreshadow the author's claim, because it is his "right to choose".
Reading "The Postman", some book reviews classify it as crime literature rather than detective suspense novels, because most of the novels focus on the psychology and experience of criminals, not the facts of the case. A story I have been considering is applicable to this situation. It is a news event that has actually happened. The case is simple, without twists and turns, and there is no change in reversal. It is the criminal's escape and arrest before and after the crime is full of psychology curious.
"The pioneering work of black literature, the cornerstone of film noir" is indeed the case. I have read this novel throughout, and recalling the scenes in my heart always has a gloomy and dark atmosphere. Because it is a stubborn love, it is fed by desire in the dark and grows deformed. The consequences are inevitable, although readers generally support the protagonist, even if he kills. Therefore, after watching it, we will all feel dull, love does not have a perfect ending, those who should die die, and those who should lose are lost.
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