In 2006, "Wind Blowing Wheat Waves" won the 59th Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or. That year, the film's director Ken Rocky was in his 70s. Rocky set foot in the film industry in 1969. During his more than 40 years of creative career, he has shown continuous attention to political and social issues. This is inseparable from his study of law at Oxford University in his early years and politically influenced by the left. Most of Rocky's films reflect sincere care for the working class and the people at the bottom of society, and he is therefore known as a grassroots director and a British socialist filmmaker. Since the 1990s, Rocky has greatly broadened his vision as a director. Previously, most of his films focused on the revelation of local class relations and the depiction of life at the bottom of the British community, and seldom covered other topics. But as Rocky himself said: "Human life is rich and colorful, which makes you interested in filming. But you should not be out of touch with the world you see. You have to have a wide field of vision and don’t stick to one of them. There are many different forms of movies. , You have to follow a very effective path. "The Wind Blows the Wheat Wave" is Rocky’s empirical description of transcending the local class relations and low-level life in Britain, stepping into the depths of race, history and humanity, and making unique images of it. A masterpiece of presentation and deep insight.
Early British films did not pay much attention to ethnic issues. Under the cover of a unified national superiority with the English nation as the main body, they ignored other nationalities in the whole Britain to a certain extent: such as Scotland, Wales and Ireland. As the domestic crisis intensified, ethnic issues have increasingly attracted the attention of sensitive British filmmakers. Before "The Wind Blows the Wheat", there were already many British films with the theme of the Irish independence struggle, such as the political horror film "The Game of Weeping" (1992), which showed the legendary life of the leader of the Irish Volunteer Army, Michael Collins. "Collins" (also translated "Holding the Sky", 1996), and "Bloody Sunday" (2003) based on the large-scale demonstrations that took place in Delhi, Ireland in 1972. These films show different aspects The state of the Irish War of Independence. The movie "Deadly File" made by Rocky in 1990 was also based on the Irish struggle for independence. It shockingly showed the British policy of "killing without pardon" against the Irish Republican Army. The filming of this film can be regarded as "Wind A preview of "Blowing Wheat Waves".
"The Wind Blows the Wheat Wave" avoids the radicalism in "The Deadly Archives" and reflects on the historical grievances between Britain and Ireland with a more rational and tragic attitude. The background of the film is the conflict between the British government and Ireland in the 1920s. The director focused his attention on ordinary people in that conflict, and reproduced the tragic story of Irish youth represented by the Damian brothers. The fate and mentality of the Irish in a special historical period. In the film, the brothers Damian and Teddy, in order to resist the brutality of the British army and fight against the enemy with the same hatred, after several life and death tests, finally ushered in a temporary peace. Britain and Ireland signed the "Political Act", but different attitudes to the bill led to Ireland. With the split of the Republican Army and the intensification of contradictions, the two brothers who belonged to different camps turned against each other. The film does not just stop at the accusations of war atrocities, but focuses on those weak individuals, discussing how ordinary people are trapped and become hostages of history and war. The film intertwined the destiny of the individual with the destiny of the country and the nation, and reproduced the tragic years. In the film, we see that although the war between Britain and Ireland is over, the civil war in Ireland has risen again. The brothers Damian and Teddy, who fought side by side with each other, drew guns at each other. The war strangled the family relationship, and in the cruel war. Before the eternal wounds, mankind has achieved nothing. After watching the film, interested audiences can't help but sigh: Brothers are stubborn on the wall, can they resist foreign insults?
Because of the sensitive themes and open themes, "The Wind Blowing Wheat Waves" caused controversy after its release. While winning the Palme d'Or award, it was met with fierce criticism and even scolding in the United Kingdom. Some British media criticized the film as an "anti-British movie." In this regard, Rocky said, “I don’t want to call it an'anti-British movie'. I hope people can look at the relationship between the brothers regardless of country. The country has many things in common, and the relationship is just as special as these brothers. We have the responsibility to criticize the historical mistakes committed by the motherland in the past. This is not inconsistent with patriotism. This is an obligation that we cannot ignore. "Rocky tries to transcend pure country. Controversy with the nation, he quoted a screenwriter to express his views: "My country is the world, and my belief is to do good." Rocky believes that film is not a weapon of political propaganda, it is just an openness. Question. He compared the Irish War of Independence and the Iraq War reflected in "The Wind Blowing the Wheat". He said: "The occupying forces treat the people of the occupied territories as being inferior to them, and their lives are even less valuable. This is obviously the situation in Ireland at that time." The meaning that Rocky gave to "The Wind Blowing the Wheat Wave" obviously goes beyond the narrow category of "anti-British film". It is not only recording historical events and describing the process of history, but also changing To show the director's own social ideals in a broad field of vision, to express reflections on history and thinking about human nature. The film shows Rocky's unique perspective of observing human nature and war. There is a line repeated twice in the film. After Damian shot Chris, Chris' mother said to Damian: I never want to see you again. At the end of the film, when Teddy ordered Damian to be executed, Schneider said the same thing to Teddy. Here we can see Rocky’s questioning of human nature: Do human beings have the courage, strength and confidence to face the cruel reality of the reincarnation created by themselves? In Rocky's view, the story of Damian and the Teddy brothers is actually the epitome of the Irish independence movement. The cycle of brotherhood in hatred seems to never end, and the tragedy of human nature is enough to trigger the audience's deep reflection on the war.
The reflection of history and the thinking of human nature give "The Wind Blows the Wheat Wave" a strong speculative color. This kind of rational speculation is not only reflected by the character's dialogue, but also runs through the entire narrative process. In a court trial scene in the film, Teddy privately took him away in order to continue to obtain financial support from the businessman. This aroused the anger of the independent court. Teddy and Dan had a fierce dispute, facing Teddy "if not Weapons, what do we use to deal with the enemy, should we use stones?” Dan replied: “You and I are poor people. Let’s look at this country, and then look at the people who shed blood and sacrifice for the country. Our land and livestock have been destroyed. Confiscated, do you know the reason for this? The Irish Republican Party is relying on landlords and big businessmen to oppress poor people like you and me. You children only know that you are clinging to the powerful and betraying the mother who can’t get a penny at all. Teddy, you I’m willing to accept whatever you say, but now, please respect this court!” The director used Dan’s words to express his own point of view. The Irish people have spent their entire lives in pursuit of national independence and national liberation, but they have endured it. The poverty and hardship of China not only come from the oppression of the British government, but also from the collusion between the Republican Army and the big landlords and capitalists. The process of national independence and democracy is a long-term difficult, complicated and contradictory.
Compared with Rocky’s previous works, the plot structure of "The Wind Blows the Wheat Waves" is smoother, without any traces. The film is not entangled in explaining the causal connection between events, but fully mobilizes the audience’s imagination and associations, relying on the audience themselves. The logical reasoning to sort out the context of the event. For example, in the face of the peace bill, there was a fierce dispute within the guerrillas, and the two sides were at a deadlock. Then the camera changed, and the faction advocating acceptance of the agreement had replaced the British army in maintaining law and order on the street. This kind of transition is clean and neat, and without repeating it, the audience understands that this dispute will not have any results. The internal resistance camp has been split. Such a treatment highlights the tension in the simplicity. It can be seen that Rocky's directorial skills are becoming more and more proficient.
Rocky's films often have a rough and heavy documentary style, and "Wind Blowing Wheat Wave" is no exception. However, compared with his previous films, "The Wind Blows the Wheat Waves" is a bit more metaphorical and symbolic in addition to the realistic scenes. The scene setting of the film seems relatively simple on the surface, the location is concentrated in a green mountain, but this green mountain has rich connotation and strong narrative function. It was originally lived by Damian and the Irish folks. In this space, there were originally Irish people playing freely, with peaceful villages and curling smoke. This green field should have harvested golden wheat waves, but the arrival of the British changed everything, and the green mountains became the violence of the British army. The site has become a military training ground for the Irish Republican Army and a battlefield for ambushing British troops. It has also become an abattoir for the execution of traitors and brothers. The green symbolizing peace has no hope of reaping gold, but is staged a bloody war. And the tragedy of the brothers smashing the wall. As a historical theme film, in the setting of the interior, "The Wind Blows the Wheat Wave" reflects the historical texture that should have been due to the conflict between Britain and Ireland in the 1920s. This historical texture is not obtained by the vividness of details, but by the characters. The words in specific scenes are woven together, whether in court, in prison, or in churches and conference rooms, the main scenes of the film are full of fierce debates between characters, through wonderful debates. , Constructing a convincing historical context of brotherly anti-purpose.
"The Wind Blows the Wheat Wave" continues Rocky's usual plain tone in style. The plain effect of the film first comes from his requirements for photography. Rocky is very good at documentary filming techniques. He puts his photography skills in a relatively secondary position. He does not deliberately pursue the movement of the camera, nor deliberately create a shoulder-mounted photography effect. He abandons the false sense of shaking of the lens and rejects the weirdness. Irregular composition. His shots are simple and candid, but there is an undercurrent surging in his calmness. In "The Wind Blows the Wheat", Damian’s lover is tortured under the abuse of the British army. Through Damian’s perspective, the camera has always been presented in a long-term and long-term perspective. We can’t even see the specific behavior of the abuser. , But the piercing pain overflowed from the entire screen. The camera is viewed from a distance, instead of relying on close-ups and fast-paced switching to intensify the dramatic conflict, but rather let the audience feel the suffocating tension and anger in the continuous and coherent shot. The film tries to avoid using montages to induce the audience to think. Instead, it completely presents the dialogue and behavior of the characters, leaving the audience with room for thinking and imagination. For example, on the issue of whether to accept the "Political Act", the Republican Army has split. The film records a long process of disputes. The long shots and follow-up shots that coordinate with the scenes are like the eyes of the audience, continuously paying attention to the situation. Trending, triggering the audience to independently think about the meaning of the event.
Rocky is very good at using just the right music to set off the atmosphere of the film, so that the originally dull documentary scenes undergo a certain subtle chemical reaction and become extremely vivid. Music also occupies a very important position in "The Wind Blows the Wheat Wave", and it plays a considerable role in expressing the inner feelings of the characters and explaining the theme. Rocky's films do not use music with strong emotions to create atmosphere like Hollywood, but let the elements of music infiltrate the plot, producing a silent effect of moisturizing things. The most prominent impression of "The Wind Blows the Wheat Wave" is the Irish bagpipe that runs through the film. The round and deep sound of the flute, the wave of wheat that undulates with the wind, is long and simple, undulating and familiar. At Miha’s funeral, an old woman sang an Irish folk song: “The love for her passing away reminds me of my hometown, Ireland. When the breeze blew across the valley and swayed the golden wheat fields, words of compassion were hard to come by. Words have never broken the bond between us, but still unbearable insults and chains of other countries are all around us. This mountain valley, I will pursue it in the morning." The sentimental tune echoed throughout the whole. The film has always played a very good role in setting off the theme and rendering the mood.
It is also a description of the Irish independence movement. Neil Jordan’s "Michael Collins" portrays a wit, brave, and awe-inspiring image of an Irish national hero. In contrast, "The Wind Blowing Wheat Wave" does not focus on the battle hero. Instead of focusing on telling the stories of ordinary little people, Rocky focuses on the actual tragedy of personal martyrdom, not the history of war or the hymn of heroes. Under the torrent of history and the war, Damian’s resistance was so weak and feeble. He gave up his career as a doctor and betrayed his original ideals. He turned from a savior to a murderer, not just killing the enemy. People have to execute their companions. In the end, Damian did not fall in the rain of bullets, but died under his brother's gun. As Damian said in his suicide note: "I didn't want to be involved in the war but came in. I tried to escape the war, but I couldn't." The destiny of the individual was swallowed by the ruthless political disputes, and the idealists opposed the cold state. The end of the machine is death. Such tragedies endow the film with a high degree of realism, and also turn the audience's thinking toward eternal propositions such as life and belief.
Ken Roach did not deny the reality of his film. When he received the Palme d’Or award, he said: “In Iraq, we know the names of the Americans and British who died, but we cannot understand how many Iraqis died. . The value of the lives of the people in the occupied territories is considered to be far lower than the value of the lives of the occupiers. This is just an example, but stories like Ireland are always happening. "Focusing on the value of ordinary people’s lives, this may be precisely the "Wind The biggest secret to the success of "Blowing Wheat Waves".
View more about The Wind that Shakes the Barley reviews
