Although it has been a while since Bergman's death, the behavior of writing something with impure motives at this time, not to cherish his memory or to commemorate him, seems unavoidable in the eyes of others to be weird and untimely, but Fortunately, he has never been a fashion person who likes to follow the trend. For now, let's temporarily curb the usual angry youth, let's admit the official statement, and regard this "Fanny and Alexander" as Bergman's work. I have always felt that I can see himself in every movie of Bergman. Perhaps for the masters, the commonality of existence is that he has a lot of self-consciousness compared to ordinary people. The thoughts that have never been given up are related to art. Human nature is similar to paranoid persistence.
After "Virgin Spring", "Wild Strawberry", and "Magic Light", Fanny and Alexander still possess obvious personal autobiographical properties, especially after seeing Bergman's interview and gaining some understanding of their people. When I look back on this film again, it is more obvious that the Alexander in the film is Bergman himself. Old Bergman used the perspective of this ten-year-old to express his views on the world and the adult world.
In the beginning, Alexander's life can even be said to be enough to make people jealous. He has a large and rich family with a large number of people, his father Oscar in charge of the theater, and his beautiful actress mother Emily, a good sister and a kind grandmother. Even the maid who looked after the children at home, while being confused with his uncle Gustafa, was still the most precious Alexander in his heart.
What is particularly worth mentioning is the light and tones used in the film. The outline of the happy life in this part, and the hell-like scenes afterwards, don’t need to mention the shocking feeling deep in the heart. The visual perception alone is enough. Achieved a sharp contrast between the front and back. In the past, there were turbulent undercurrents in the seemingly happy life of such a big family: grandmother and young lover are still tender and ambiguous (how should the scale of betrayal be calculated?) The three sons have different personalities, Oscar As a theater manager and a dedicated actor, it is inevitable to be somewhat confused about the difference between the stage where the drama is and the reality of life. The rehearsal of Hamlet playing the ghost of the king is too deep. Not long after the film started, he became a ghost. The arrangement is even more curious. Alexander did not show any reluctance and dependence about his father's imminent death when his father was anointed. Instead, he was afraid. Even when his father has passed away, and the remaining holy ghost in a white suit wanders in front of the remaining three orphans and widows, he still has nothing to do with him, but he still has nothing to do with him. The helpless father said his cruel and true inner thoughts: "Compared with you who have been wandering like this, you should hurry up to heaven. I will feel a little more comfortable."
It can be seen that Bergman is not thorough. Atheist. To say that he is not downright, because even if there is no element of strange theory and god in the film, it still shows a lot of overwhelming emotions in it. Perhaps because I can't see God and any ghosts, I can't believe that there is still an existence that overrides people in the dark. Without spiritual support, it is also a kind of helplessness. And showing the naked "you are superfluous" message to the dead father can not help but reminiscent of Bergman's own unfortunate childhood experience.
What's more, even though the other two sons in this family have just skimmed by a few scenes, they can also see the dangers hidden under the appearance of family harmony. Gustafa is a bloated middle-aged successful businessman, as erosive as his social identity. Wives are as "tolerant" as the wives of most such people, and they turn a blind eye to the various romantic affairs of their husbands. The attitude toward wheat can be seen: slapped and rubbed (sent a beautiful dress to her); Karl married a German woman who was not influential in the eyes of traditional believers. I would like to believe that the past of the two existed a lot. emotion. It just became unbearable under the torture of years. Only Bergman can make the husband and wife say such abhorrent words to hurt each other in such a ruthless manner, as if a pair of gloomy eyes are displayed objectively and unrelentingly as a bystander. Carl's relentless mockery of his wife who has been married for many years has penetrated into the internal organs. It's not that women are beginning to decay, but this life, the embarrassing situation of a middle-aged couple who was in love with each other but is still in love, but has been tortured to perfection, has only been taken with a few pens, and it has been desperate to almost think about it. Hit to death. When everyone gathered to celebrate Christmas, Carl took the children and took off his pants in the stairwell to stage a fart performance that seemed to be repeated every year. It should be regarded as a more direct irony to God and faith in the whole film.
But this is Luye's part after all, and the real main conflict has not yet fully unfolded at this time.
At Oscar's funeral, a key figure appeared, namely Emily's later husband, the pastor Edward. The life of an orphan and a widow must not be easier. In that era when beliefs occupied the main place in human soul existence, Emily, as a weak woman, was destined to need an existence around her more than anyone else to save her. For her as a pastor, Edward is undoubtedly the best person to complete this salvation process. So when Edward proposed to her, she almost burst into tears without thinking. ——Perhaps, subconsciously, she has equated Edward's concept with the gods and deities she believes in. Even when she ate in Edward's dark and weird home before marriage, when Edward asked her to marry like a newborn without anything, she didn't doubt it. It's just that you can't bring anything of your own to the children. I think that even if you are a mother, you can't decide such things on behalf of your children. But still can be regarded as willing to submit.
Perhaps, even if she sees this situation in her eyes, there is still some slim hope that Edward's pastor status can redeem herself, and even such redemption can only be given by Edward. Therefore, when Edward made the above request, she worshipped and believed that a new life was about to unfold a beautiful and fulfilling vision before her eyes, just like a new baptism. When taking pictures of Emily's pious face, I always use the angle of overhead shots. Under such a treatment, women seem to be very sincere and trustworthy, and they can even be called a little holy.
But as expected from the previous inference that had been brewing for a long time, Edward really turned people back against his wishes. Domineering families, distorted beliefs in educational methods, and wanting to get rid of all the terrible thoughts of alienation, it turns out that even clergymen are not necessarily God’s spokespersons. The most ironic thing is that Fanny and Alexander were able to get rid of the claws of the perverted stepfather and were saved by the old Jewish man. If you think of Alexander as Bergman himself, I think when he made this film, he finally found the answer for his belief, that is, believing in himself.
So Bergman still used Alexander's hand to make Edward die strangely, but when Alexander returned to the original way of life, he would still see the dead Edward suddenly appear, saying that no matter where you go, you can't escape. .
Just like in all big productions, when someone dies, there will always be a new birth. Bergman borrowed the combination of wheat and Gustafa to give birth to children, and made Gustafa, a businessman, near the end to speak with profound philosophies. If you do, put your hope on the newborn, and hope that the redemption method that the predecessors could not find will be discovered by the new generation of children. I don't know if Bergman is now in heaven, or he has given birth. I don’t know what he thought about clearly when he was in heaven, let alone knowing if he had already entrusted a child, would one day find the answer to this question that has plagued him for life, that is, what he believes in, can finally obtain Salvation.
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