Recalling when "Ida" was first released in the summer of 2014, no one would have imagined that such a black and white film with a retro format would be on the top of the Oscar podium in the second year. Also through this work, the previously not well-known Polish director Pavlikowski entered the public eye for the first time. If the success of "Ida" is more or less "refreshing" in its format and form, then this year's new work "Cold War" is undoubtedly a step up.
In most people's minds, Pa's style is defined by the movie "Ida". In addition to the "superficial articles" of black and white and picture format, the real excellence of the film lies in the blend of audiovisual and story core. Compared with the text, the viewing experience of the film is often more impressive. Pascals attaches great importance to the neatness of the visual form, but this artistic brushwork does not affect plot promotion and characterization. The description of the environment in the film and the use of "meaningless" images are the cornerstones of rich and layered viewing experience. . While winning the Oscar for best foreign language film that year, "Ida" also received a nomination for best photography, which is a great affirmation. The silent "talking" shots in the film, the exquisite and rich composition of the artistic conception, and the exploration of human nature and desire on the theme are endlessly memorable. There is no doubt that "Ida" was one of the surprises of that year.
"Cold War" continues the above-mentioned excellent qualities, and what is even more surprising is that after we have a clear understanding of the Eastern European director, we watch a black-and-white movie with a similar style, but we still feel the novelty. For directors with strong "authority", sticking to a consistent style is only a "basic requirement", but transcending from the inherent formula is the real level. "Cold War" let us deeply feel Pa's talent of "turning rotten into magic", a love story that a mediocre director is likely to make a cliché, it becomes an exquisite piece in his hands. artwork.
Compared with "Ida", this work has at least three new ideas in form: color, editing, and use of music. In terms of color, although both are black and white movies, the textures of "Cold War" and "Ida" are completely different. The latter is generally grayish, emphasizing the use of gray levels, and the emotional outline of the characters is more delicate. From this point of view, "Cold War" is much more "extensive". The black and white colors of the film have enhanced a lot of contrast, giving people the "strength" and strength that can only be brought by a paintbrush touch. Compared with the subtle changes in the mental states of the characters in "Ida", the "Cold War" conveys (at least) a more atmospheric "view of history" in form-the trajectory of personal love is also the trajectory of the times. Black and white in "Ida" meanders to guide individual spiritual freedom, while in "Cold War" it is more of a trace of history.
After shooting "Ida", Pavlikovsky became a master of black and white picture quality in contemporary film industry. For the newly promoted Venetian Golden Lion "Rome", director Alfonso Cuarón discussed the use of colors with Pascal during the production, not to mention "Ida" gave birth to the "old man" Paul Schrader The idea of making another movie (last year's "First Reformed Church"). However, according to the director himself, the original idea of "Cold War" was a color film. The background of the film, the Polish Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of Mazowsze Province, is colorful. In addition to the passionate movement, the director's memory of that father's history is also based on color. But unfortunately, the director who is extremely sensitive to color texture has never found the most suitable color film medium, and finally chose black and white as the carrier of his memories.
Let’s talk about editing. The film is still very short, only 90 minutes, but the amount of information in it is not too small. Pa's sharp editing makes people feel like watching a two-hour movie. Throughout the story, the rhythm and intensity of the "Cold War" story impressed me extremely. The film has a time span of fifteen years (1949-64), cut into eight chapters, separated by a clear "time-place" title. Although the story is long and continuous, there is no sloppy feeling from the beginning to the end of the film, because every piece of history is presented in a partial slice. The soothing indulgence and "immersion" in the details of the clip, combined with the timely "stop" and "jump out", show the director's accurate control of the rhythm. It is true that the main line of the movie is an aesthetic love, but through the choice of editing, Pasley sublimated his personal emotions into a tribute to the times-the chapter-like design, the partial focus in each chapter, just like the silhouette and history of history. Fragments, together, they accurately express the coexistence of subordination and alienation between the individual and the era. The wave of history has shattered and disrupted an individual's destiny. At the same time, the duckweed and waves in the long river of individual life are precisely the most real and indelible part of history.
The third is the role of music, singing, dancing and music are the soul of this movie. As a Chinese audience, the "Art Troupe" in the film is no stranger, and the political implications and "historical limitations" behind the chorus are also easy to understand. However, the depiction of these "pulse of the times" in "Cold War" embodies an eternal and romantic atmosphere that transcends the era itself. Similar to the above-mentioned subtle relationship of "person-time", what Pavlikovsky recorded in "Cold War" is also a close connection between music and history. Speaking of the music in the film, the director himself said that they all come from childhood memories. Although they didn’t catch a cold as a child, they were imprinted in his mind over time—just like the once-popular band ABBA, which is set to today’s standards. Underneath may not be outstanding, but it is deeply rooted in the hearts of that generation.
The sharp editing combined with the overflowing use of music makes this film full of graceful literature. If a good literary work uses the author’s plot itself as the bone, and the reader’s imagination outside the plot as flesh, then the combination of sound and picture in the "Cold War", the space between the visual fragments is filled with music, song and dance, It is the embodiment of its literary nature and superb narrative skills of the director. It can be said that in addition to the male and female protagonists, the third important role in the film is music, Eastern European folk style, French chanson, jazz, Bach, rock, and although it more or less contains the director’s personal taste, it is right The flexible use of these various styles reflects on the one hand the colorful external world of that generation. On the other hand, the free blood flowing in the movement compares with the pale reality, and inversely reflects the desire for a fulfilled life and the song behind the song. A lonely soul full of energy. In this story, music is the "microphone" of love, a tool in a political context, and a skill for earning a living, but in the end it is a place where each character puts his soul and adheres to his beliefs.
"Cold War" is the director's tribute to the passing era, the memory of the love story and the lost life of his father and mother. The names of the protagonists in the film, Victor and Zula, are also the names of Pavlikovsky's parents. The words "for my parents" are typed at the end of the movie, which reveals the deep feeling contained in it. The director himself also said that it is not easy for the parents' generation. They get married, divorced, remarried, go abroad, return home, and go abroad. The turnover of their personal destiny is silently covered in the dust of history. However, the hardships of life are not easy to describe in the film "Cold War" with a realistic brushwork-no matter how great a tragedy is, it has become a poetry. Inside, Victor and Zula are full of idealism in each other. They embrace the happiness of life in good times, and move forward without hesitation before the tide. The director recorded this toss and turns and precious love, and used it as an entry point to describe the country and history. Behind the sincerity, there is also a compassion and kindness.
Speaking of why I had to make a more historical movie after I returned to my home country and filmed "Ida", Pavlikovsky explained that the current world is a bit "too boring" and seems to be nothing. Can arouse your own inspiration and enthusiasm. In the parents' era, there were no mobile phones and computer screens, no distracting information, and life was full of moving drama and incomparable reality. In the second chapter of "Warsaw, 1951", a listener sighed from the heart after the performance, "It's the most beautiful day of my life". I think the director wants to convey and create the same sentence through the whole movie. sigh.
Yes, our lives are now over and wandering, but no one sings like Victor and Zura anymore.
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