American film director and photographer Ron Fricke's documentary film "Samsara" is a documentary film with mature audio-visual language, rich visual imagery, strong artistic temperament, and profound themes. "Shock" is one of the most frequently appearing keywords in its comments, and it is also the direct impression the film gave me. The visual beauty of the film itself is irrefutable, as is the groundbreaking documentary experimentation.
This seemingly very "objective" and "authentic" documentary film has been praised for its "spectator, calm perspective" and "no commentary, direct use of pictures to speak". At the same time, it can lead to thinking beyond similar movies. Regardless of the audience's knowledge threshold and religious beliefs, they can always feel a certain power from the spectacle displayed by the author. The director abandoned commentary and rehearsal, and even deliberately omitted the words of the characters to moderately let go of the intervention on the audience, but produced a stronger audio-visual effect, which is actually the author's intention. The film seems to be "zero-degree" intervention and "cold-eyed", but in fact, there is the director's "control" everywhere.
In "Reincarnation", he chooses directional images and whether to display them on and off the screen, focusing on audio-visual "bombing", editing and designing the film, discussing the grand theme of the world, and choosing to avoid and omit other content. He can be said to be blatant and playful enough to draw a huge question mark. The author's attitude is "blank" on the surface, but in fact he never leaves. He seems to be invisible and harmless to "force" the audience into the colorful sounds of the film. Painting the world lured him into deep thinking, and the film's answer to this question mark, in my opinion, was helpless and unsatisfactory.
The starting point of this kind of guidance is the conscience of the author. The means of guidance are inevitable and cannot be distinguished by good or bad. Nowadays, full of diverse concepts, silence and avoidance seem to be infallible. However, the author’s guiding behavior is out of conscience and a strong urge to speak. The way of guiding and asking questions inevitably brings problems. The "beauty" of the film may be excessive and distorted. A film without a clear theme and ending is bound to attract discussion and controversy. There is no doubt that this film is a high-quality film. I would like to talk about my disappointment in how the film's guidance is realized and its inevitable trade-offs from the following four aspects:
A leading image
The film involves 25 countries on five continents, and the images are dense with a certain density. The time-lapse parts with music are even numerous and dazzling, and the repetition and stacking of oriental, religious, and technological processes are also obvious. The director controls the image on the screen and inevitably has his own subjective imagination and the reality of human existence. class position. This is not so much the author's subjective choice as it is his subconscious induction.
In terms of space, there are many images of religious-related topics. A large number of passages involving multiple religions are juxtaposed: the production and destruction of Buddhist lama sand paintings and the dance of the Thousand-hand Guanyin as the head and tail to form a "reincarnation", the gaze of various Buddha statues and the upward view of the church, and the Buddhism in Bagan, Myanmar under the aerial camera. The monastery, the Church of the Baptized Babies in Sao Paulo, Brazil; St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican; the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem; the ancient city of Djenne; and the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed. The Islamic pilgrimage sequence towards the end was shot for four minutes from various angles. This segment is solemn and full of meaning, and the director is even biologically disgusted by the lengthening of this segment and the density of the characters. Religion is the theme of the film, or at least the carrier of the theme. Religion, full of mystery, is a concentrated display of human fragility and belief, reflecting the differences and unity between civilizations.
Images related to human life and death, such as human relics and war, are interspersed. Such as the pyramids in Egypt, the ghost town of Kalmanskow in Namibia, the Kazni Temple, the ruins of the ancient mausoleum in Mount Nemrut in Turkey, New Orleans in the United States after the hurricane, the dead baby, the millennium swamp mummy, the border between Korea and Korea, the strange shaped coffins and wounded faces of post-war servicemen and more. Scenes of nature serendipitously: Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii, workers in Indonesia volcano, national parks in Namibia, Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, Mono Salt Lake in California, USA, Monument Canyon, Arizona, USA, Epp, Angola Pa Waterfall. The identities staring into the camera are varied: Himba women, Ethiopian Murs, Arab women, lifelike robots, Nissan inflatables, prostitutes, and shemales.
The author also places the East in an extremely important position. The East merges the opposites and contradictions he needs; poverty and wealth, technology and alienation, development and stagnation, all on the other side of the coast. A large part of the imagery in the film points to the East, but it does not focus much on the West, and the West is more of a contrast. In the display of the Western church, the people in the church are missing, such as the sexy girls. In contrast with the Arab women, the United States has a large number of natural scenes rather than modern civilization displays. The near aphasia in the West is anti-reality. Third world countries normally have the opportunity to speak. Most people of color stare at the audience through the screen.
Asian countries such as China and Japan frequently appear as an important part. This reflects the author's curiosity and subjective imagination to represent the West, and also produces a defamiliarization effect. The East is primitive and simple, but the alienation brought about by technological development also "erodes" the East, and the author pushes the absurd experience to the extreme. The film seems to evade politics, but it never leaves the ideological distinction. When Westerners look at the East, their images are inevitably symbolic and one-sided. With the characteristics of mechanization, the East seems to have no welfare and security, and it has also created huge pollution and a lot of garbage. This also makes us wonder, what caused all this? The objectivity of the images is irrefutable, whether it is curiosity or reflection, sympathy or anger, which brings profound visual stimulation to all people, whether Western or Eastern.
These choices of imagery reflect the director's preference, and emphasis and omission are also out of choice. In his 1992 film "Tian Di Xuan Huang", the overhead shots of various large scenes, looking up at buildings, oriental imagery, human heritage and religion, etc., have already reflected the director's preferred image language and narration. The author's theory holds that a director only makes one film in his life, and his works always revolve around a theme and reflect the author's will. The similarity between the two films is amazing, and the author's theory may be evident from the director's few films.
inside and outside the screen. The limitation of the screen is one of the factors that early theorists believed that the film became a film. In addition to the choice of the image itself, the director's way of displaying the image also reflects the orientation. The way of showing the two sides of Shanghai AB is the director's deliberate choice. The displays are not unreal, but the choice is purposeful. The Egyptian pyramids are surrounded by modern buildings, full of human poverty and desire. In modern society, there are few natural and human heritage scenes that are not affected by the economy. Tourists and garbage are everywhere. Modern life is not mechanical and friendly. The so-called golf courses and ski resorts' unity and diversity are the result of the director's choice, so the counterpoint that can be formed deliberately has a shocking effect.
Creators must be good at discovery, and directors’ control over screen imagery reflects their preferences. Creators hope that the film will be attractive and even the audience will be stunned. Cross-talk should shake the burden, and crime films should set up suspicious cases. Whether it is to discover life elsewhere or to reveal the subtle changes in daily life, it is always necessary to deal with reality, or to hide or dig, to guide thinking by adding experience.
2. audiovisual sabotage
The audio-visual language of the film also pays attention to the stimulation effect. The audio-visual language expression of the imagery is instructive; the colors are bright and beautiful, and even lack simplicity and authenticity. The stripping of the explanation is also a forced, ingenious, and functional approach, and the assistance of sound to the picture is sometimes overwhelming. In general, the audio-visual language is instructive, and the expression of solemnity is excessive or even creates a certain degree of horror, causing the subject's mental and psychological discomfort.
1. The audiovisual language of imagery is instructive.
First, the shooting angle. A large number of upside-down and downside shots guide the judgment of human and religious nature. The ordinary angle of the character's gaze is also intrusive, and the same scene is displayed from multiple angles. For smaller scenes, use a slightly overhead or downward panning lens for the characters, and use an upward-looking and slow forward-moving lens for churches and natural relics, especially the time-lapse photography of the ground buildings and the sky behind them in the foreground. The massive aerial footage reveals solemn religious scenes and the consistent mechanized activities of modern humans, evoking awe and pity. A large number of gazes from various characters are from the head-up camera, but because the characters have special stagnant expressions with unknown meaning to the camera, people are shocked by being "infringed." Shooting from multiple angles is not easy to get bored with, and at the same time, plays a comprehensive and emphasized role, such as the ski resort and the cows, and other parts to show and strengthen the reality of modern life in many ways.
Second, the lens movement. Many scenes in the film are moved slightly, slowly revealing the whole scene and the identities of the characters with a sense of mystery and solemnity. For example, in the display of Indonesian volcano workers, it is not easy for the audience to discover the existence of the camera, and it is not easy to distract them from attention. To fully demonstrate the role that is emphasized
Again, in terms of lens length. Escalation shots and time-lapse photography deal with the viewer's perception of time. The slow-motion shots have a sense of solemnity and delay, which can easily make people feel uneasy and make the gaze of the characters more penetrating. Time-lapse photography accelerates the urban landscape, showing the fast and mechanized characteristics of urban life. The repetitive modern life is displayed in the time-lapse photography lens, which not only saves the film time but also has a visual impact, which is perfect for group display. Time-lapse photography is also a great way to show the changing nature of the landscape, which is more common in nature documentaries. Whether it is an upgraded shot or time-lapse photography, it reflects the director's great intervention, which is rarely used in feature films. This film relies more on the use of time-lapse photography than other documentaries, especially in the display of cultural landscapes. Generalize it as a tool for temporal intervention and representation.
Finally, the film uses a variety of more advanced technologies to shoot at a high technical level, which may be a contradiction. Aerial and night photography, close-ups, focus control, and even the use of compositing techniques are some of the reasons why the visual impact shocks the audience. The technology brings curious scenes and god-like angles. The audience can follow the slow-moving camera to explore the bustling urban landscape at night, the forgotten city under the ruins, and watch the dense and devout pilgrims like Mohammed. The broken edge A display of human existence and a wonderful performance by performance artists. Technology has also brought a lens that is too clear relative to the human eye, revealing that real documentaries have long exceeded the cognitive ability of human beings and showing the reality beyond personal life. Is it another kind of dream? While technology restores reality, it seems to go beyond the scope of reality. Is the director's reliance on technology also a manifestation of the proliferation of technology and the alienation of human beings?
2. The picture pursues beauty.
The picture of the film is full of beauty, and the colors are not too bright. Many people sighed that "every frame can be used as a wallpaper," and some people think it is "dynamic landscape PPT". Even the director's own shooting of garbage dumps gives people a sense of freshness, focusing on the characters or carrying large blocks of color around them; even in the alienated scenes such as prisons and factories, the characters are brightly dressed and lively, and people contribute neatly and uniformly. The order and the wonderful dance performances; the design of the golf course is full of surreal flavor; the primitive tribal people are very comfortable and are not disturbed by the world and poverty... It can be seen that the director's dedication to beauty can be seen. However, this has lost part of its reality. The beautified body is devoid of dust and humanity. People lose their individuality in the beautiful group pictures, and the bright pictures seem to be forced to add filters to reality.
3. Devoid of commentary and heavy music.
The topics covered in the film are huge, and the explanatory language tends to appear microscopic compared to the pictures that span historical and geographic dimensions. It is not so much that the author deliberately strips off the explanation, but rather the needs of the film itself. Compared with pictures, language has limitations in expression. Different countries, ethnic groups, religions, and individuals have different feelings. The meaning of words and sentences is often limited to a few of their own meanings. Inappropriate language will weaken the performance of the "beauty" of the picture. And depriving the audience of language perception makes it easier for sounds and pictures to function and focus. At this level, it is also possible to criticize the director's laziness. Stripping commentary is a neat way to make it easier, more focused, and more meaningful.
Music has the second biggest impact outside the screen of the film. The director uses music frequently and has a certain similarity. The music is mostly languageless, with the percussion of different instruments and the shallow singing of the human voice, a slightly harsh, lasting and continuous same tone. Sound and image counterpoint, as well as consistent use, are used alternately.The rhythm of the music is full of rhythm. Although it has always existed, the strength is mixed, with ups and downs, which is very infectious. The principle of using music is carried through, and there are very few blank passages of silence. Some music is even more sleepy than silence; the audience must concentrate to follow the rhythm of the music; and some parts are exciting and shocking. At the same time, the role of music is sometimes beyond the picture. When the music is turned off, some appear gentle, and some are comical beyond solemnity. All in all, music has always had a strong presence.
3. Design of Clips
The film as a whole goes from quiet to noisy and back to quiet, with ups and downs. The ending contrasts with the intention at the beginning, and the theme of the film "reincarnation" is drawn. The different paragraphs of the film are mainly divided by the gaze of the characters to form a block structure, showing the style and appearance of different regions, and montages such as contrast, repetition, and metaphor play a role in the paragraphs. In general, there are too many elements involved in the film, and the look and feel inside the paragraph is chaotic, in which the rhythm of the picture is fixed and the rhythm of the music plays an adjustable role.
The shots that the various characters in the film stare at are the result of the director's intervention. The characters are still, not even blinking their eyes as much as possible. At the same time, the upgraded lens is used to prolong the time experience of the audience, and in addition, there is the gaze of the gods. The gaze is a special shot that breaks the wall between the audience and the interior of the shot. The characters seem to be asking and accusing, even a little scary. The gaze of man and the gods also triggers thinking about idealism and mysticism. The staring camera also plays the role of dividing the scene. The characters distinguish the scene at the beginning and the end of the scene. The father and son and mother and son at 33 minutes reveal the beginning of the modern scene. Human beings continue to reproduce and develop, creating civilizations and myths invisibly.
The film compares many factors in human life: reproduction and death, war and peace, poverty and wealth, economic development and spiritual shrinkage, the convenience and garbage brought by consumption, and the profit and cost of survival. In the clip, the guiding imagery is enhanced and played in a montage way; the similarities between the eyes of the Buddha statue and the Thousand-hand Guanyin are clipped; the chicken and the people in the factory form a metaphor through slaughtering; the contrast between Foxconn's production equipment and recycled electronic waste, The contrast of a newborn pig with a ham in production; the pain and glory of a soldier with scars in front of a cemetery on a bright background; the paradox of a self-defender with a gun; freedom and imprisonment in prison; men and women; The contrast, the metaphor of the prostitute and the doll...
Music's guidance of structure is manifested through exaltation and agitation. The first part is a display of representative Buddhist culture, ruins, natural features, etc. The music tends to be gentle, like a golden desert. The middle section is the display of modern life, showing production, achievement, consumption, garbage, sex, poverty, art, war, alienation, and fast-paced music alternately. The third paragraph echoes the first paragraph, showing all kinds of Islamic culture, Buddhism, and the golden desert. I can't analyze the internal structure of the film's massive imagery from a deeper level.
4. Human mythology at large
Regarding his work, the director once pointed out: "I intend to delve deeper into a subject I like: the eternal relationship of mankind, from both a technical and a philosophical point of view." It is not difficult to see the myths of human existence from the many topics explored by the ambitious director. The film is about philosophy and technology, and it is densely displayed on religion, philosophy, art, nature, race, war, death, labor, sex, institutions, power, poverty, marginal culture, human alienation, the machinery and numbness of modern society. The author's sympathetic bystander perspective shows various great practices and existential crises of human existence, shows his sympathy and worry, and reveals the fragility and arrogance of human beings. These topics are universal, and audiences, regardless of their status, are easily attracted to and thoughtful about the film.
The author prefers big topics and deliberately ignores nature and the other creatures it breeds. Even if it exists, it is mainly to show the living conditions of human beings. He does not focus too much on the details of individual human existence and lacks some interest in knowing the details. Many films with small incisions may have the same shocking force and are more specific. Such a large and comprehensive mode of expression inevitably appears to be large and small, macro and micro, and there is no real focus, thus weakening the strength of the film. In other words, it is not so real, not so moving, and has no practical guiding role for individuals other than causing concern. Anthropology and structuralists also reveal how human myths, institutions, and common sense are established and how people establish themselves. Cage, then where should one go?
It is difficult for people to get rid of death in their whole life, but they are still full of desire. After all, human beings return to the golden and cruel desert, unable to explore all the mysteries and still try to find the answers. The author still gave an answer, a mysterious religion and a golden desert, showing his sad state of mind. In my opinion, if the answer is just this, then this is a helpless and bad answer for me. After all kinds of discussions, the film is classified as the proposition of "reincarnation", which is the part I am most confused and incomprehensible about this film, perhaps out of facts about the state of human development itself so far, author preferences and beliefs, or even outright pessimism. All cycles return to dust. This is a concept that existed in the spring and autumn periods of our country.
Without the title of the film, I would like to classify this film as a science fiction film. How do human beings have created miracles, created life, art, and technology? How is it related to their own development, the limit of development, and the endless possibility to fight The film is about collective people. I don't think a collective of people can fall into death happily. I want to use it as the middle part of "2001: A Space Odyssey". Mysticism is not just about death or religion. After the transcendence of technology, humanity goes to another mystery-the unknown unknownness of the splendid universe, and continues to face the strange torment of the future.
Finally, In any case, the topics discussed in this film are universal, the pictures are aesthetically pleasing, they play the role of audio-visual language, and the image selection is diverse. Compared with ordinary films, they are more "pure". It is a documentary film with a grand theme and a rich meaning. It seems to be a piece of gorgeous "white" without ink, but it involves almost all aspects of the development of human beings as a collective so far, and it also involves postmodernity and surrealism. Its uniqueness and experimentation are worthy of analysis and discussion. Looking back repeatedly at different stages of life, the author's answers to human questions that are difficult or even impossible to answer are not perfect, but they are also the results of his own deep thinking, which has reference value and, more importantly, can trigger thinking. Because of its rich content, unique form, and huge theme, this film is prone to bias when being commented on. At the same time, it is inevitable to have a preference when evaluating the film. No matter how you evaluate "reincarnation," whether you like it or not, it is about the situation and future of human beings. "Thinking" is an eternal topic.
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