I watched two new dramas last night, namely "Mosaic" and "Silent Angel" . Both are crime-themed works. I feel that the highlights and gimmicks of the former are more in the appearance of the appearance, while the latter is more in line with everyone's usual aesthetics. In addition, the background of the times is chewy enough, and several protagonists have quite a background, so I decided to go ahead. Comment on this show.
Frankly speaking, " The Alienist " ( The Alienist ) is not a new subject . The character setting has the flavor of "Holmes", the investigation method has the tune of "CSI Crime Scene", and the core theme is "Criminal Minds". And the type of "Psychological Detective"... However, putting the story on stage in New York at the end of the 19th century, allowing a modern drama to be performed in the manner of a "period drama", the temperament and feeling are immediately different.
[Friendly reminder: There will be a lot of spoilers below, which can be read as a reference for watching this play. 】
"Movie Grade" starring lineup
Leaving aside the restricted crime subject matter, or the long list of names of five directors and four screenwriters, "The Silent Angel" is eye-catching enough with just three leading actors.
The male protagonist is Daniel Brewer , who became famous with "Goodbye Lenin" in the early years . In recent years, he has been familiar with audiences through films such as "Inglourious Basterds", "Very Fast", and "Captain America 3".
Dr. Laszlo Krezerle, played by Daniel , is a well-known psychiatrist who focuses on the research and care of children with mental and spiritual problems. His avant-garde thinking prevents him from being seen by the public .
The second man is Luke Evans , "Brother" . In addition to acting in "Fast and Furious", he is also Bud in the "Hobbit" series.
John Moore, played by Luke , is a painter for the New York Times (photographic technology was not yet popular at the time). His greatest interest is to find flowers and ask Liu , and depending on his habit of "dealing", either he has someone in his heart or he likes to be a wife...
The heroine is Dakota Fanning , who became famous when she was young (cute~), she doesn't need to introduce too much. A child star without a long disability is a treasure.
Sara Howard played by Fanning is the first woman to work in the New York Police Department in this drama, which is dominated by men's dramas. As a "heterogeneous" in the general environment, she has a feminist awakening. A strong self-esteem necessary for the reader .
Dream Back 1896
The history of the United States is not long, so every paragraph is extremely cherished by the Americans.
The story takes place in New York City in 1896. "The Silent Angel" has made a lot of effort to restore the folk customs of that era. For example, after the patrol found the body, the method of issuing a warning signal was not to blow a whistle, but to hit the nearby metal with a baton. Products.
In 1896, the United States enjoyed nearly 30 years of democratic reconstruction after the Civil War. It was on the eve of the outbreak of the "Spanish-American War" and was marching forward on the road to becoming a capitalist power.
The scenes in the play also reflect the explosive and barbaric growth of New York City under the background of this era.
The Statue of Liberty standing at the top of the tide, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge under construction, the oil lamps standing at night, the carriages of different styles, the muddy streets...
Friends who study the era and the history of urban development should like this drama, because the costumes, scenery, props and other chronological elements are quite sophisticated.
The details determine the success or failure, and the foundation of the show is really good.
New York City's first serial killer
The plot begins with a bizarre murder case.
When Georgeo, a prostitute who sold his body in a male prostitute, was found, his body was already mutilated, his neck was broken, his right hand was chopped off, his eyes were dug out, his internal organs were missing, and his genitals were gone...
Understand their difficult to reach the scene of Craig Zeller, commissioned by Friends mole to record the scene, when he was Theodore Roosevelt, New York police chief's (yes, that is later US President, 1901-1908 either) is Their old acquaintances facilitate their "little actions".
Kressele is probably the only one who has an additional view on the merits of the case--
Just by describing the corpse, he had a foreboding that this was not an ordinary impulse to kill.
For this reason, he also made a special trip to the psychiatric hospital to visit the only suspect, Wolf, who had vendettamed his lover who "betrayed" him, happened to be near the scene of the crime, and had syphilis. He was simply the "ideal" murderer. .
In a few words, Krezel understood that Wolfe's confession was nothing but a smashing trick. He did not kill the boy.
When visiting Roosevelt afterwards, Kressler confided in his secrets.
In the "Zweig Twins Case" that was unsolved three years ago, both children were taken care of by him. Among them, the boy Benjamin had a clear tendency to "feminine", and his death was the same as Giorgiou.
After secretly reviewing the file and discovering that it was of no value, Krezel decided to open the coffin for an autopsy.
While commissioning the Detective Superintendent Isaacson brothers to perform an autopsy again, Krazeler was provoked by the real murderer -the opponent left Giorgio's cut tongue on his carriage, waiting for Krazeler and Moore to chase him. Later, it disappeared without a trace.
At least, the murderer is a connoisseur of tricks .
The crimes and suspense presented in the first episode are not exquisite, but there are no mistakes... The brilliance of "The Silent Angel" lies elsewhere.
Discrimination and obstruction everywhere
It’s too sparse and common to see such a main thread in today’s crime dramas. Unless the idea is particularly clever and turns around, it’s possible to be brilliant. I don’t know whether this drama can do this for the time being, but it obviously can be in another" The main contradiction" made a big fuss: break the old and create the new.
At the end of the 19th century, the dross consciousness and backward concepts that many modern people could not agree with or dare not express at will were still the mainstream of society at the end of the 19th century.
For example, Superintendent Connor treats low-status children as carelessly. Such remarks are meant to be worn by police uniforms today.
In addition to not caring about the deceased in his heart , another reason why Connor was passive in solving the case was that he accepted bribes from the owner of the male prostitute . This involved another problem. The New York police was extremely corrupt .
This kind of corruption has become routine and clear.
When the two proprietors of the male prostitute were "invited" in front of Roosevelt to cooperate in the investigation, Paul Kelly among them even dared to speak out against the chief of police: We paid for your police building.
Compared to Paul’s arrogance, the other boss, Biff Ellison, was much shrewd. While pretending to obey Roosevelt’s closing, he changed his face to continue his business. Connor and other policemen were already fed and told the chief. It’s not surprising that the order of Yang Feng Yin violates.
Another kind of prejudice is discrimination against professional women .
Although Sarah worked as a police secretary, she didn't get the corresponding at least respect. Such stark discrimination was just because of her different sex.
The incomprehension and dislike of Dr. Krezler are even more common. Parents who want to "treat" problem children regard him as a liar, and the police regard him as a perverse lunatic, and the reporters who chase him may even treat him more. Think of it as a bastard who can provide curiosity...
Even Mrs. Zweig, who once believed in Kressler, treated him as a murderer under the stimulus of having to dig a grave after her child died.
There are also brothers Marcus and Lucius. Their modern investigative methods of "disrespect to corpses" and their Jewish status have caused them to be excluded by the police.
If it weren't for this, Kressele wouldn't have the opportunity to let the two detective superintendents spend a lot of time doing an autopsy on him...
In fact, it is strange enough that the former chief of the police station, Byrne, was able to accept interviews with reporters when the police announced the progress of the case and ridiculed the current chief .
Can you see it? This is still an era in which stale conservatism prevails, and "defenders" are purging "innovators" in different ways all the time.
Speaking of this, we have to mention an era background: Theodore Roosevelt became the chief of the New York City Police in 1895 (two years in office). In the face of corrupt police circles, he implemented drastic and drastic changes.
His reform measures include: recruiting new police officers strictly based on physical and intellectual standards rather than political relations, recruiting ethnic and female police officers, shutting down commercial facilities operated by the police that cause corruption, installing telephones in all branches, and so on.
Therefore, the hostile confrontation between Kleizeler and Byrne is not so much a jealousy between the interviewees, as it is a symbol of the confrontation between the conservative and the change makers.
However, reform and progress, and tolerance of new things often come at a price. Crezel, Sarah, Roosevelt, and others, as pioneers of the era, seem to be particularly lonely.
At this time, the importance of Moore is evident: in Krezeler’s words, “ You represent all the good things that people want to believe ”. Moore is a “normal person” of this era, but he is willing to accept “abnormality”. "People, this builds a bridge of communication between the two types of people.
In layman's terms , Moore is the " lubricant " on the way forward for Kressele and others .
If you want to kill a demon, you must first become a demon
As if to prove his morbidity, the murderer without showing his face is already "cooking" the organs and internal organs of the prostitute...
Due to many constraints such as the environment, social customs, and technical conditions of the times, it is almost impossible to catch a perverted serial killer in the mixed New York City at the end of the 19th century.
"Angels must be born from hell. If you want to kill demons, you must become demons."
At the end, Kressler began to try to restore the motives of the murder and the crime scene with the psychology of a perverted killer, and took another big step on his doomed "road of no return".
[I will watch the quality of the second episode of "The Silent Angel" next week, and then consider whether to continue to write a review of the play. At present, the probability is not small. Welcome to pay attention to my public account "Youai Comment Zone". 】
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