In 1992, the famous director Robert Redford's film "Big River Love" was released, which was adapted from the autobiographical novel of the same name written and published by Norman McLean, a professor of literature at the University of Chicago in his 70s, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and became a classic of American literature.
Adapting best-selling classic literary works and presenting them to the audience in the form of audiovisual art requires not only courage, but also a strong ability to control narrative, photography, music and so on. The movie "Big River Love" obviously did not disappoint the audience, and after its release, it not only won the Academy Award, but also had a good word-of-mouth evaluation, such as a Douban score of 8.5.
The film tells the story of a family on the banks of the Detroit River in Montana, and the two brothers often fished with their father in the river since childhood, feeling the beauty and power of nature. The older brother Norman was steady and introverted, and the younger brother Paul was free and uninhibited, and under the teachings of the pastor's father, they grew up in very different situations, but each had a wonderful life. But life is as impermanent as the calm River of Detroit also has a rushing waterfall, Paul died tragically in his youth, and his father and brother blamed themselves for not knowing how to help him in grief and regret. Years later, with the spiritual baptism and self-awareness of the Detroit River, his father and Norman finally let go of this, believing that Paul was as free and casual as his own fly fishing technique, which was the art of life.
The plot of the movie is not complicated, there is no grand scene, there is no fierce emotional impact, even when the younger brother Paul died, the father and son were extremely restrained. Their sadness does not float on the surface of emotions, but through a deep understanding of life and human nature, they tell the audience. So, why can this bland film become a classic masterpiece like the original novel? Today, this article analyzes the charm of the film from four aspects: narrative structure, emotional metaphor, audiovisual art and theme sublimation.
<h3 class="ql-long-23056148" >01, unfolding from the perspective of the male protagonist Norman's memories, using the narrative structure of narration, old photos and real tenses, focusing the main story line on the fate choices of the two brothers, highlighting the spiritual baptism above the river</h3>
From Norman's point of view, the film tells the story from childhood to his return to Montana in his later years. Unlike most flashback narrative films, which only appear in the beginning and end of the narrator's shots, Norman's narration and memory shots in Big River Love are always present.
For more than 8 minutes in the beginning, Norman's memories are played in the form of black-and-white photographs, accompanied by his narration, which naturally expresses the sense of age of the time when the story takes place and brings the audience's thoughts into the story.
The narrative of recollection has a positive role in the film, in addition to the smoothness of the linear narrative, the narrator Norman's thoughts are transmitted, and the development of the storyline and the audience's understanding are promoted. Usually, the audience will use the timeline of the development of the story to understand the meaning of its expression, and have a psychology of anticipation of the ups and downs of the plot and the results. If the film uses this linear narrative structure to simply express the plot, then the film will seem very boring. Because in the film, the director almost all the plots that produce intense emotions are hidden, but focus on the details of life and the psychology of the characters.
The first half of the film is fast-paced, simplifying the growth process and focusing more on the two brothers' different fates. The scenes of childhood are simple, the brothers are happy and harmonious, Norman is asked to revise his writing repeatedly, Paul refuses to eat the traditional "cereal porridge", and several sets of shots intuitively explain the personality differences between the two from childhood, as well as the father's family education. Then, through Norman's memories and a set of old photos, the growth of the two from adolescence to youth is simply brushed over. As for the fly fishing scenes and the brave rapids and other plots in between, they are also foreshadowing to show the characters and story themes.
When the story progresses to Norman's return home after his studies, the film begins to weaken the narrative aspect of the narration and the combination of old photographs, and instead presents the theme in a multi-threaded way. Among them, Norman's contact with Jesse and Neo, the brothers taking their girlfriends to the bar to dance and other plots, not only enrich the plot, but also vividly set off the characters and ideas through contrast. Moreover, this stage of Norman's time with Paul after returning home is the climax of the film, at this time weakening the combination of narration and old photos, strengthening the emotional expression and theme sublimation of the film, and avoiding the audience to have the warm feeling that the film is a personal documentary.
At the end of the film, the theme sublimation part, the narration and the current tense combine to return to a close rhythm. The father's last sermon is set in a live setting, and then the elderly Norman stands in the Middle of the Detroit River, trembling and throwing the bait line out, using the narration again. This affectionate sermon and narration fully highlights the spiritual baptism of the Norman family on the great river.
Is love fulfilled or controlled? When the loved one does not do what you understand, whether to help and what to help. Paul's unexpected death is a pity for his father and brother, but it also solves their confusion about love. Time flies, and emotions, confusion, regrets, relief, and so on all merge into the flowing river.
<h3 class= "ql-long-23056148" >02, the big river symbolizes the impermanent fate, fishing is a way of understanding and relieving family affection, combined with the religious culture throughout, the connotation and emotional expression of the film are vividly expressed</h3>
(1) The rushing river, even if it is the carrier of homesickness, is also a symbol of impermanent fate
Under the silent Troit River, the father felt the power contained in it, Norman chose to experience it with his heart, and Paul chose to break the barrier. This river carries not only hometown feelings, but also complex human nature and retrospective reflection.
When Norman's narration and film narrative present the story that takes place here, the Detroit River is always the same, but the emotional feelings of things and things are not human, but they strike at the thoughts of every moviegoer.
The great river symbolizes the diverse forms and impermanent fate of life, steady as Si is indeed full of spirit, uninhibited like me is also happy about life. The father's broad mind and Norman's calm and introverted are the underlying strength of the great river when it is static, but Paul's free and uninhibited soul is more contrasted with the dangerous other side of the great river rapids. Show that life must eventually return to nature and peace, whether it was once plain or gorgeous.
(2) Fishing is the key to mutual understanding and cognition, and it is also a way to find emotional relief
First of all, fly fishing is a symbol of Paul's personal artistic attributes and charm. Their father taught them the "four-beat method" fishing technique from an early age, which had a profound influence on the growth of Norman and Paul. When it came to dreams as a child, Paul's first choice was to become a professional fly angler.
Although there was no such profession in reality, he still used his talents and invented his own unique "throwing shadow projection" technique. The rhythm, strength, distance and other details of Paul's fishing are full of attitude and emotion, reflecting his heartfelt love for "fly bait throwing" and nature.
Norman's conformism and Paul's breaking the rules have a completely different path and result, and the film portrays Paul's uninhibited and fanatical thoughts and personalities through different fishing scenes in children, youth and adulthood.
Secondly, fishing is an important vehicle for understanding the feelings of father, son and brother. Their father taught them to follow the laws of nature and feel the grace of nature from an early age, and the two completely different personalities of the brothers were not a kind of heavenly grace for the father. While he teaches his child, it is more like he is feeling the good and bad that God has given him. Just as paul has many vices behind the sunshine, he must use more broad love to see the light and charm of Paul.
Norman's stable nature and the conflict of values after returning from study are the main reasons for the two to go to different endings. Norman struggles with how to help, and when he offers to take Paul away but is refused, he discovers that he doesn't quite understand the brothers who grew up together. In fact, what Paul needed was not help, but the satisfaction of differences in nature.
Paul's "artistic life" did not come to fruition, but gradually moved towards self-destruction in an uninhibited personality, and even though his father and Norman had the heart to help, they could not find a way for Paul to accept it. Even if the heart has a thousand kinds of love, it is helpless in the understanding and understanding of human nature.
The large details of the big river and fishing in the film fully reflect the director's delicate performance methods, and from these details, the audience can feel the awe of life, the understanding of human nature, and the attachment and love for the mountains and rivers of the hometown.
<h3 class="ql-long-23056148" >03, the aesthetic and poetic light and composition of photography, the vivid and smooth interpretation and foil of music, combined with the narrator's narrative of memory, create a perfect audiovisual art with rich emotions</h3>
Cinema is the art of audiovisuality, and the success of classic films often does not have a single core. The same is true of Big River Love, which won the "Best Cinematography" award at the 65th Academy Awards and was nominated for "Best Original Score". Its aesthetic lighting and composition, vivid musical combination, combined with the narration narrative, create a perfect audiovisual art full of emotions.
(1) Soft light and long-range composition, presenting a beautiful pastoral beauty
Photography for the comprehensive art of film, it can give the audience the most intuitive picture emotional feeling. In the film, the photographer recreates the beauty of the hometown in the novel: the mountains and rivers of the hometown in childhood are the most beautiful scenery in memory, and when the scene of the father and son three fishing and brothers playing by the river in the film, a large number of close-up and long-range views are used. Their expressions and emotions are expressed in the close-up, while the long-range blends the trio with the beauty of Montana. When expressing the joy of childhood, the use of a large number of long-range aerial shots perfectly presents the intimate harmony between people and scenery in nature, constituting a hometown complex rooted in the mind.
In the film's fishing scenes, the composition of the photography is mostly overhead and soft light shooting. In the slowly flowing river, there stood Paul wrapped in golden light, the sun passed through the verdant woods, the shore was mottled with light and shadow, and even the fly fishing line above the sparkling river was golden. Whether it is backlight or metering angle, it presents a beautiful and soft landscape and the expression of the characters.
With the overall tone of the film's blandness containing inner strength, the composition and light of the photography play a positive role in the characters' emotions, plot atmosphere, and theme sublimation, making the film a beautiful classic masterpiece.
(2) The soothing and smooth music cooperates to interpret and set off the rich emotions of the storyline and the hearts of the characters
The music in the film is different from the intuitive combination of the camera picture and the plot, and it needs to be listened to carefully to feel its beauty. The film's soundtrack was completed by composer Mark Isham and was nominated for an Oscar and Grammy Award for Best Film Original Music.
The overall soundtrack in the film is soothing and smooth, expressing the serene pastoral rhythm through the piano, violin and harp, and under the background of the symphony, the film narrative method and photographic composition are promoted through musical emotions, so that the audience can feel the inner calm power with the development of the plot.
There are 31 original soundtracks for this film, and you can feel the beauty of nature even if you listen to the music alone. A picture of the happy hour of childhood, accompanied by cheerful piano and strings, the beating notes are fused with the expressions of teenagers and the beauty of the picture. When representing the great river and the surrounding scenery, the background music is a symphony of strings, and the occasional wind music sets off the grandeur of the mountains and rivers. When fishing, it is mostly soothing strings and piano, which sets off the calm and peace of the characters' hearts.
But the last time the father and son went fishing together, the music cooperated with the richer changes with the emotions of the characters. Norman and his father's shots are of natural water flow and birdsong, and when the camera turns to Paul discovers the big fish, the music appears with a continuous piano sound, accompanied by long strings. In the repetitive melody and rhythm, Paul throws a beautiful arc to catch a big fish. In the subsequent "fight" of releasing the line and closing the line and slipping the fish, the background music and the natural sound of the water flow began to become stronger and stronger. When the father and Norman exclaim on the shore that Paul is going to harvest the big fish, the music suddenly stops, and Paul appears with a bright and innocent smile carrying the booty.
In director Robert Redford's prose-like narration, cinematographer Philip Russlot beautifully sketches his hometown, while composer Mark Isham brings out the emotions of music and people and scenery, and the three reflect each other to create a perfect audiovisual artistic experience.
<h3 class="ql-long-23056148" >04, the interpretation of hometown, family affection and respect for life and great love with family destiny constitutes the warm but profound theme of the film, from which I feel the guiding significance of real family education and personalized development</h3>
(1) Love is inclusion and fulfillment, and do not mistake intervention based on self-will as help
The plot unfolded from a Norman perspective is easy to misunderstand as "Big River Love" is to describe his life, in fact, whether it is for his hometown, or the family and love that have passed away, the film shows the theme of deep love and understanding of human nature under the impermanence of fate.
Although Paul shines like a work of art in the eyes of his family, he cannot hide his stubborn behavior and attitude. In the film, his "stain" and cause of death are deliberately mentioned, and these are weakened in the original novel. Compared with the fuller character of Paul in the movie, his short life experience is more likely to arouse empathy and deep thinking.
We all have a sincere love for the people around us and want them to live well and become the perfect look in our hearts. But are these help and requests the right ones? When measuring the behavior of others in terms of self-perception and values, it does not necessarily have good results.
As the father in the film says in his final sermon, "Although we often refuse help because we don't know what we can give, or what we must give, we often refuse help." Those closest to us usually make us the most elusive, but we can still love them, and we can love them with all our hearts and minds that we do not understand. ”
When Neo, who has no interest in fishing, is forced to come to the Detroit River, Paul does not refuse to go with him, but seeing neo with a hangover and the live bait he carries arouses norman and Paul's disgust. In fact, Neo's appearance in the plot development seems to have no connection on the surface, but combined with his sister Jessey's help to him, you will find that the situation is similar to that of the Norman brothers. One wants to help but doesn't know what to do, the other doesn't want to accept help, they think it's their own debt and they have to solve it themselves.
In his old age, Norman stood in the shadows of the valley, and the memories of the past, the return of the soul and the long emotions all melted into a flowing river. He understood that it was better to love the people he loved, and even if he grew up by the same river, it was difficult to fully understand their thoughts and actions, but he could not give up his love for him. Love is not interfering and hindering the development of things, and when you can't fully understand it, it is better to devote yourself to your emotions, because love is more important than understanding.
(2) Family education cannot forcibly instill knowledge and concepts, and should pay attention to the guidance of personalized development
Based on the selflessness and tolerance of love, the father's way of educating two children with completely different personalities in the film, as well as the laws and results of their growth, actually has a positive guiding significance for family education in reality.
Parents have ardent expectations of their children and can be cultivated from the age of two or three. Children themselves like it and it is easy to communicate, but many professional skills that are not very passionate about in the heart are just wishful thinking of parents. Children are forced to hide their instincts to fight mental training, and although they will also master some skills, they will lose the possibility of discovering more talents.
The calm norman is very similar to his father, who is a priest, and he loves to write, so his father gave him strict writing instructions from an early age. When Norman returned home after his studies, when it came to his future plans, his father expressed support and encouragement for both the Forest Work Agency and the University of Chicago literature teacher.
The free-spirited Paul inherited his father's love of nature and fishing, and he did not want to leave his hometown, even in the midst of difficulties, he still did not waver in this idea. Although Paul did not have a high education and career achievements, his father always had an appreciative attitude toward him, liked to listen to his news and jokes at the dinner table, and accepted its talent and shortcomings.
Although Paul's life was short, it did not indicate a failure of his homeschooling. On the contrary, in the film, it can be clearly felt that the development of individuality is highly respected, even if it will not gain fame and money, as long as the child can grow up and live happily, he is the genius who shines with artistic brilliance.
Family education affects the child's cognition and character development, blindly spoiling him to do whatever he wants, and forcibly delineating the growth path with self-will, which is an undesirable and wrong way. Combined with the child's talent and personality, guide and encourage him to grow into a unique self, in order to achieve a full life that shines with the brilliance of art.
<h3 class="ql-long-23056148" > conclusion:</h3>
Life rushes by, and when looking back on life, the love of hometown and relatives is always the warmest memory. Although the story of "Big River Love" is as plain as water, it is not only a gentle family growth story through memories, but a perfect fusion of aesthetic and poetic photography and soothing and smooth music, creating a desirable pastoral poetry-like life scene, and profoundly interpreting the theme of love and understanding, achieving the unique charm of classic masterpieces.
Each life is a unique "work of art", do not forcibly interfere with his growth law, guide and release nature is the key to a complete life. Therefore, even if you do not fully understand his thoughts and actions, you must use love to include and perfect him.