Text / Xiao Guanping
Contents: Chapter 1: Romantic Technique Chapter 2: Joy and Sadness of Genius Chapter 3: Thriller Moment Chapter 4: Bold Use of Ugly Expressionism Chapter 5: Drama and Suspense Setting of the Plot Chapter 6: Personalization of Characters Chapter 7: Comparison with Several Films Chapter 8: Cooperation of Several Countries Chapter 9: Unexpected Endings and Unexpected Endings Chapter 10: Provoking Countless Thoughts
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After watching many shocking films, German director Tom Tykwer's "Perfume", following "Lola Run," re-fixed me on a shocking cliff, trembling and dying.
This film is based on the best-selling novel "Perfume: The Story of a Killer" by German author Patrick Suskind. For viewers who have not read the original book, they will feel that the film's material is weird and the plot is ups and downs, which has caused a lot of thinking. .
Due to the limited time for the film, the director did not fully capture the essence of the original work, there were certain imperfections in the details, and the style had been greatly changed, which attracted controversy from some book fans. (But in fact, I think this movie is better than the novel. There are also classic movies such as "Big Fish", "Forrest Gump" and "The Godfather". I have bought the original book to read, and they are not as good as the movie adaptation.)
Originally, Kubrick was going to direct the film, but unfortunately Ku Lao passed away after "Eyes Wide Shut". There are two works that have been conceived for a long time and had to be continued by others, one is Spielberg . "Artificial Intelligence" directed by Tom Tykwer, "Perfume" . If Kubrick made it, this film might be more classic, more personal, more demonic, and more well-known.
There is also an unfinished movie "Napoleon" that no one dares to make until now. I heard that Spielberg will continue to complete the mission of his idol's posthumous work. I don't know if it is true.
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Attachment: Kubrick's works (including unfinished works) like:
1 The Shining (Thriller) 2 A Clockwork Orange (Crime)
3 Artificial Intelligence (Sci-Fi Film) 4 Full Metal Shell (War Film)
5 Napoleon (Biopic) 6 Perfume (Mystery)
7 Dr. Strangelove (Comedy) 8 Two OO One A Space Odyssey (Sci-Fi)
9 Lolita (romance) 10 Barry Lyndon (historical)
11 Spartacus (Epic) 12 Eyes Wide Shut (Drama)
13 Path of Glory (war film) 14 Killer's Kiss (crime film)
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However, no film adapted from a famous book is approved by everyone. I personally think that after adding the director's own style, this film is more visual and artistic, with artistic elements from Germany, France, Britain and the United States. aggregate.
The story is really unique, about a young man in Paris with a special talent for scent, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, in pursuit of his survival goal, which is to use virgin body fragrance to create the most sacred perfume in the world. As a result, he murdered 26 innocent women. After being arrested, he used the top-secret perfume he successfully produced to confuse all the citizens and became an almighty "angel". Finally, because he felt lonely and helpless, he sprinkled the perfume all over his body to make him obsessed. People eat it up and it's gone.
Such a story can be said to be bizarre or perverted, whimsical and crazy and bizarre , which is rare in China. The differences in background, environment, cultural background and thinking have made another absurd novel comparable to Kafka's "Metamorphosis" born in the western world. After the film was turned into a movie, it caused countless emotions and discussions among fans.
Let me state my point by point:
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1. Romanticism
The degree of drama in this play is obvious, and it does not deliberately show the authenticity of the story.
The French-style absurdity can be seen from the birth of the protagonist. Later, the protagonist went to school in pursuit of the value of his life, and met an orange-selling girl who was regarded as his "first love". The unexplainable impossibility, right up to the maddening twist in the final twist, all exudes romanticism.
What impresses me the most is that his teacher was going to make a fortune after getting the "Perfume Secret Book" and live the rest of his life happily, but the house suddenly collapsed in an earthquake at night, and the bridge fell into the bottom of the sea. At this time, only his house collapsed in the picture, and the surrounding is intact. This is a very dark humor, just like the plot in the cartoon, just need a knowing smile, no need to explain the reason. Before that, the director had repeatedly hinted that the house often vibrated, and laid the groundwork for this.
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2. The joy and sorrow of genius
Many people want to be geniuses, but they don't know that geniuses are often lunatics, and what they do does not conform to people's common understanding of things, that is, assembly-line thinking. Grenouille is definitely a genius, but at the same time he is the loneliest person in the whole film, and no one really understands what Grenouille wants and pursues.
This genius even smells the fingers of orphans from the moment of his birth, and can even complete in the shortest time a skill that a perfume expert has only known for decades, just like the two in "August Love" and "The Pianist at Sea". A musical genius, he is definitely not a normal person.
Genius is lonely, transcends the times, and cannot be understood by the times, no matter whether his character is good or not. When the Renaissance giant Da Vinci woke up from the darkness of the Middle Ages, other people were still asleep, so he, with an IQ of 210, would also feel lonely because he had no bosom friend.
Did Grenouille's talent bring him joy or sadness? I don't think anyone who's seen this movie thinks he's happy because of it, on the contrary, he's been chasing short-term happiness and then getting permanent pain. The happiest time for him was when he worked and tested every time, after untold hard work and even sacrificing the lives of more than 20 innocent girls, he regained instant joy. Is it worth it? This movie leaves us with a lot of feelings and thoughts.
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3. Thriller moment
Although not a pure horror movie, the horror level of the film is definitely no less than deliberate horror.
When the audience first saw Grenouille distilling the little white cat, they should have opened their mouths in surprise. The old perfumer's question to him is that a normal person is torturing a madman. In Grenouille's eyes, why can't cats be distilled to make cat perfume? Why not distill people? As long as I want, I will do it!
This is Grenouille's moral standard. The environment in which he lives and his talent determine that he has no normal thinking, which reflects the most selfish side of human nature and only considers his own feelings. This was the starting point for all the tragedies that followed.
After the cat's body was taken out of the distilled water, it didn't take long for the audience to see the human body being oiled by him in a laboratory dish. Compared with all the murders that followed, these two details were the first to show the cruel and crazy side of the protagonist. Therefore, it should be the best horror effect, making people at a loss for the prediction and conjecture of the unknown plot and unable to breathe.
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4. Boldly use ugly expressionism
From the beginning of the story, it has already begun to show a disgusting and disturbing side. It was a dilapidated Paris, a dirty Paris, and a Paris that stinks everywhere. It is by no means the romantic flower capital that people think of today. The stinky fish stall, smelly garbage, turbid blood, everything that can be ugly, the director will not let go, even children are born in the garbage heap, the protagonist was born in such a world.
The writer and director clearly hint at why the protagonist has a genius sense of smell, but he himself has no taste. His tragedy was not self-selected, but caused by the general social environment. How many irredeemable souls did that society have at that time? He was just one of many tragic lives.
Compared with Tim Burton's Gothic aesthetics and Kitano Takeshi's violent aesthetics, Tom Tykwer chose all the ugliest techniques to express the real shock.
Although the overall tone of the film is romantic and beautiful, many details use things that are uglier than reality to reflect the filthiness of society and the ugliness of human nature. Even the naked girl who sells oranges is thin and shriveled, which realistically reflects the bottom. The expression of poverty and hunger in society has already appeared in the history of painting in the 20th century. Europeans realized another feeling of life in the baptism of war, which is this kind of deformed art.
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5. Dramatic and suspenseful setting of the plot
Aside from the constraints of the original work, the plot of this film is absolutely perfect. The suspense, foreshadowing, conflict, climax and turn are all in place. There are delicate and profound meticulous brushwork, as well as understated freehand brushwork. People's appetite, there is very little cumbersome place, more than two hours of film can make people watch it all the time with sweat and fear, it is very capable.
The main line of the film is Grenouille's madness in pursuit of his life goals, while a sub-line is hidden, that is, the fate of Colonel Towan Richis' daughter.
She made her first appearance in the entire half of the film. She was amazing at the time. She rode a carriage in a gorgeous costume by the lavender fields in Provence, showing beauty and nobility to the eyes of the protagonist who is pursuing tomorrow. Since then, her fate has been speculated for the curious audience.
At that time, everyone would guess that they would definitely know each other, and maybe it would develop into a romantic love, but then, the director just didn't let the audience fulfill this wish. know.
Not only has this suspense set never been interrupted, but it's getting stronger because Grenouille has started killing people, one after the other, and targeting her early on. Each of her beautiful appearances makes the audience deeply disturbed, because the devil's claws may reach her in a blink of an eye, especially the part of hide and seek in the banquet garden, which has a horror movie feel.
In the end, she still died at the hands of the protagonist. Maybe people hope that her innocence and beauty can resolve the sins of the protagonist and make him rehabilitate, but the writer and director both learned Flaubert at this time, not Hugo, no To create a perfect ending, not to make people's good wishes come true. I am amazed at the creativity of these episodes.
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6. Personalization of characters
In terms of character settings, since the original work itself is very good, it is not difficult for the screenwriter to perform.
In addition to the controversial protagonist, other supporting roles have their own meanings. The time and layout will appear and disappear with the development of the plot. Instead of being reduced to a capitalist industrial machine with thousands of people, each of them represents a different character and image.
The orange-selling girl was the first victim. Although she was not as beautiful as the daughter of Colonel Antoine Richis, the one who really made Grenouille feel his love was this "first love", who for the first time brought her love. The distinctive scent of women is revealed to the protagonist.
Colonel Antoine Richis is smart, rigorous, and assertive. Compared with his simple and ignorant daughter, he is very sophisticated. He is also a character who has always been a secret enemy of the protagonist in this play. , the character is very three-dimensional.
The once brilliant and then decrepit perfume expert, the master of the protagonist, is also very successfully portrayed. When the young Grenouille shows his staggering talent, his conflicted inner struggles are completely on paper. When he feels When he could use this apprentice to make a lot of money, the long-lost ecstasy made people feel his heartbeat.
Even the villainous proprietress, the realistic prostitute and the hypocritical priest are such minor supporting roles, the director pays attention to the external manifestation of their inner world, so that the characters of the whole play have personalized images and come to life.
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7. Comparison with several films
The musical genius in "August Love", without ever learning an instrument, uses his ears to feel all the sounds of nature, thereby creating wonderful music, which is very similar to the opening of this film, except that Greno Yeah, it's just smell.
Adapted from Wilde's novel, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" is also an aesthetic romantic film about the ugliness of human nature. The protagonist changes himself in the portrait because he is obsessed with his own beauty, and finally becomes evil step by step, which also reflects the psychological tragedy. .
There is also the "little girl" in "The Orphan", who quietly carries out her own murder plan. The secret and exaggerated methods of her crime are also very similar to Grenouille, and the whole process is full of suspense and surprise.
However, among many suspense and thriller films, "Perfume" occupies a leading position in my mind.
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8. Cooperation of several countries
The film is an original work by a German writer and directed by a German director. The story and location are all set in France. The film is spoken in English. The Spanish film company cooperates and employs some American actors. It can be said that it is a cooperation between several major European and American powers.
In fact, multi-country co-production is a common thing. The reason why I made it a topic is because the style of this film is so French that I thought it was a pure French film at first, and I kept complaining about why there is no French soundtrack! It was only later that I found out that the original film was in English.
I have an extraordinary love for French movies, "Amelie", "Spring in the Cattle Class", "This Killer Is Not Too Cold", "The Long Engagement", "Naughty Nicola", "Adai" Movies like "The Extraordinary Adventures of Lara" are relatively high on my list of favorite movies. So looking at the old Paris, but not hearing the French dialogue, I always feel awkward.
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9. Unexpected endings and unexpected endings
I thought that the eldest lady was dead and Grenouille was arrested. The ending must be as described in the opening paragraph. Grenouille was sent to the execution ground. After being spurned by thousands of citizens, slowly as the Colonel said. torture him.
In fact, I hoped that the protagonist would die at the time, because I felt injustice for the more than 20 women. I think the director has achieved his ideological purpose. He can make the sinful people receive the punishment they deserve, end the story, and let us calm down. .
Who knew that the ending would have a different development line like "Lola Run". The protagonist confuses the jailer, confuses the executioner, confuses the pope, and confuses all the citizens of Paris with the perfume extracted from the bodies of 26 women. , and even confused Colonel Antoine Richis, who wanted to cut him in a thousand pieces.
When I saw this, I couldn't help but widen my eyes, looking at the impossible, and fell deeply under the director's big leather boots. It turns out that the story has a turning point!
After everything was over, the protagonist left Paris freely and returned to his birthplace. Once again, I thought that since the fallen leaves had returned to their roots, this time the play was over, although this ending would make many people grit their teeth and stare in protest and trembling. .
But the director didn't finish what he wanted to say, and what he conveyed to the audience was not the paradox that he could become a superman if he did bad things, and the ending changed again.
Grenouille spilled all the remaining perfume on himself, causing a group of citizens to fall in love with the "angel" obsessively, and even ate the "angel". When I saw the crowd gradually surrounded the protagonist in an impervious space, I had already expected the ending. He was divided and eaten alive, leaving only a worn jazz suit. It is the true return of the protagonist.
This kind of ending with the effect of reversal drama has twists and turns, overlapping waves, making people unable to calm down. Different from the tragic or happy ending in other films , the director is still causing people to think until the end of the film. , to overthrow his original imagination again and again and reorganize new feelings.
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10. Triggers countless thoughts
The film has sparked many discussions around the world, and every angle can open up a wonderful debate, from art, philosophy, history, aesthetics, to the understanding of social values and human nature.
What are the writers and directors trying to tell us? Why write such a story? I think it's multifaceted.
Everyone has a different "Perfume" in their hearts, and they also have different views on the ideas expressed in the film. Some people saw the madness of genius, some people saw the magic of art, some people saw the ugliness of human nature, some people saw the hypocrisy of the church, and some people saw the darkness of society.
When the citizens of Paris are blinded by illusory beauty and cannot distinguish right from wrong, they take off the fake coat they have been wearing and enjoy their sexual desires wildly, the essence of the whole society is frozen in the picture that is constantly wriggling, like Like a banquet of body art, human beings have returned to primitive society, and everyone is pursuing what Freud called the most primitive animal nature.
At this time, Grenouille was like an elegant conductor and a messenger from heaven, standing on the highest point of all Parisians, enjoying the worship of everyone. He seems to be a great hero who has taken great pains not to be understood by mortals, exchanging the sacrifice of a few people for the happiness of more people.
At this time , the director was actually implying that those political figures who were stunned by the situation in history used unscrupulous means, through the war of blood and tears, in exchange for the establishment of a new dynasty and the honor of leaving a name in history.
The author does not have any psychological inclination, neither praise nor criticism, but tell people the truth in the most objective manner, good and evil, beauty and ugliness, and leave it to the audience to interpret it for themselves.
This seemingly absurd farce is not the author and director criticizing human beings, but asking a question to a real human nature:
What is the equality, freedom and fraternity that human beings have been pursuing? Could it be that this return to animal nature is the original behavior?
The history of human civilization has gone through thousands of years. Are humans becoming more and more hypocritical from wearing clothes to using computers?
Are moral ethics and social responsibility the shackles that imprison human thought?
In this world, is it God who has the final say or man who has the final say?
Should people pursue the right to their own happiness?
Does this kind of happiness need to take into account the feelings of other people?
Can a single act of man escape the control of society? ...
These are just the basic themes of this film. There are many branching issues in this film, such as the attitude towards art, the form and consciousness of beauty, the search for the value of life, the retribution of good and evil, the darkness of capitalist society, and so on.
There is so much that can be analyzed and discussed in this film, and I hope to dig more things out of it in the future.
First draft on May 24, 2010 Revised on 7/23/2018
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