Compared with "Chosin Lake", which took two-thirds of the time to lay the groundwork, the rhythm of "Chosin Lake's Watergate Bridge" (hereinafter referred to as "Watergate Bridge") is more reasonable, and the core dramatic conflict is established in the opening 30 minutes of the film: the Seven Companies must complete the seemingly impossible task of blowing up the bridge under extremely bad weather conditions and only with backward combat equipment. What the audience cares about is how the film reflects the novelty in the setting of obstacles, and how to show the extraordinary confidence, wisdom, courage and perseverance of the volunteer soldiers in the way the characters overcome obstacles.
As a film that shows the combat of the corps, the character setting of the group portrait is the best choice, but how to take into account the interaction between many characters in the development of the main line, how to portray the characters may not be deep enough in the three-dimensional background, and embed the quiet but touching details in the plot to ensure that the literary drama and martial arts complement each other, and the scene and emotion are integrated, which is the "art offensive battle" that "Watergate Bridge" must face.
The film not only allows the audience to complete the realistic imagination and immersive experience of the war scene in the immersive viewing state, relive the cruelty and grandeur of history, look back at the struggle and sacrifice of the ancestors, and remember the heroism and tragedy of the heroic martyrs, but also in the grand historical vision, through the continuous focus of the dramatic conflict, and finally only gaze at a corner on the giant screen of the war, and skillfully see the spiritual outlook and will to fight of the volunteer army, and even reveal the core factors that determine the victory or defeat of the war. This enabled the audience to not only feel the shock of audio-visual in the overwhelming battle scenes, but also to meet the inner tremor and emotional impact, and even produced ideological sublimation.
The heart of the plot setting and the power of detail
The film is good at using the contrast between color and body sensation, in a vast expanse and vast expanse of ice and snow, so that the flames of the US military's gasoline incendiary bombs and flame guns become a scorching scene, and the volunteer soldiers will be quenched into steel in such a tyrannical environment. White snow, black scorched earth, the light yellow uniforms of the volunteers, bright red blood, and the golden morning sun are interwoven into a variety of color genealogies in the film, and different emotional connotations and symbolic meanings are conveyed in different colors.
The "cigarette" that appears many times in the film becomes a rich image. When Wu Qianli met the commander of the artillery battalion, Yang Camp, he naturally took the cigarette from his mouth, inhaled it a few times, and then returned the cigarette to The commander of the Yang camp. This seemingly casual but vivid and flexible detail highlights the simple and deep friendship between comrades-in-arms, and is also a vivid portrayal of the different branches of the volunteer army breathing together and sharing fate and fighting side by side on the battlefield where blood and fire coexist.
After the battle in Hagaru-ri, in the face of the huge casualties of the Seven Companies, Wu Qianli had a heavy heart, built a small snow hill in the snow, and inserted a cigarette as a memorial. When Tanzi was sacrificed, Wu Qianli endured grief, took the cigarette from Tanziwei's mouth, and twisted it into pieces in his hand. These three details about "smoke" carry the unspoken brotherhood, but also write the tragic feelings that reflect the cruelty of the war, the grief in the face of the sacrifice of comrades-in-arms and the determination to continue to fight, which is undoubtedly a very subtle but extremely emotionally appealing way of artistic expression.
In war films, the sacrifice of the main characters is a painful moment that the audience must face. The death of some characters is not only a plot ending, but also incorporates specific thematic meanings and symbolisms, which can not only raise the audience's emotions to a high level through sensationalism, but also arouse the audience's emotional identity and ideological feelings through such painful moments.
Tan Zi fell down without warning in front of Wu Wanli, making Wu Wanli more deeply aware that there are no heroes who cannot die on the battlefield, only the glory of soldiers is immortal. Especially for the sacrifice of several major characters, the film is even more vigorously rendered: Pinghe is brave and fearless in order to blow up the US tanks, Yu Congrong is relieved to be able to divert enemy fire, Mei Sheng has a concern for his daughter and a determination to be attached to his wife, and Wu Qianli is heroic in surrounding enemies... It is these scenes that depict for us the undisciplined determination of the volunteer soldiers to fight, their indomitable will to fight for the task, and they see the broad mind and noble personality behind each victim.
The metaphorical meaning of character growth
The most touching literary drama in the film is naturally Wu Wanli's growth process. Wu Wanli gradually became mature and stable on the battlefield from a little reckless and rebellious teenager. More importantly, Wu Wanli had a deeper understanding of the purpose of the battle, and he was no longer obsessed with the number of enemies to kill, but obsessed with the fact that every comrade-in-arms could return alive.
In the continuous battle, in the face of the tragic moments of the death of comrades one after another, Wu Wanli did not lose the ability to reflect and grow. When he saw the wounded soldiers of the Us army trembling with pain and cold, he would use the quilt on his body to send a little love and warmth to the other party. This is a very important moral position of the film, and it wants the audience to see that our volunteer soldiers are fighting for peace, fighting for the motherland, and they have a flash of humanity in their hearts.
Around Wu Wanli's growth, the film sets up several rather symbolic details. Before the final battle, Wu Qianli solemnly hung the Osprey whistle around Wu Wanli's neck, and Mei Sheng gave the watch to Wu Wanli. At this moment, Wu Wanli was undoubtedly "happy", and he received the most precious gift from the commander of the Seventh Company and the instructor. After that, as long as Wu Wanli is fighting, the person who has used this osprey whistle will inspire him to move forward; as long as Wu Wanli is alive, the watch will remind him that in the passage of time, some people and spirits will live in our hearts in another way. What is even more speechless is that after Wu Qianli's sacrifice, Wu Wanli snuggled up next to him and was frozen, and when the US military sprayed with a flame gun, it burned Wu Qianli into a fireball, and this fireball just melted the solid ice on Wu Wanli's body and warmed his body. This is a vivid and tragic metaphor for Wu Qianli to "exert residual heat", warm the lives of the "sub-generation", and encourage them to continue to fight.
In a film in which a large proportion of the battle scenes are occupied, we still see the touching character image, see the affectionate interaction between the characters, and see the youngest warrior become a steel hero under the protection, help, guidance, enlightenment, and encouragement of his father-like comrades-in-arms, which is an important achievement of the film in terms of plot setting and character portrayal, and it is also a more advanced and active attempt at the film's theme expression.
When the Ninth Corps assembled at the railway station, each company reported the number of casualties, and Wu Wanli stood alone and loudly reported that "the seventh interspersed company should be 157 people, and it is actually 1 person", Ren is an iron-blooded man, and he cannot help but be surprised. At this time, Wu Wanli was lonely and heroic, and he condensed the expectations and instructions of countless heroic spirits, and witnessed the merits and demeanor of countless heroic martyrs.
The artistic gains and losses of the main line setting
In order to reflect the richness of the scene and the broadness of the vision, but also to outline the complex pattern of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea and the political struggle behind it, the film shows the different considerations and decisions of MacArthur and Truman in the face of the retreat of troops. These scenes can certainly show MacArthur's arrogance, irritability and rigidity, as well as President Truman's scheming as a politician, but they also distract the audience from the main plot line.
The audience's expectation of "Watergate Bridge" should be close to the Yugoslav film "Bridge" (1969). "The Bridge" abandons its epic pursuit and focuses on how the partisans blew up the heavily guarded bridge by the Germans. In this process, the audience can appreciate the twists and turns of the plot, thrilling, and can also be touched by the wisdom and courage of the guerrillas, the predecessors and successors. Comparatively speaking, if "Watergate Bridge" is not too ambitious in its narrative ambition, excessively pursues the grandeur of the grand narrative, cuts off these weak and abrupt branches, and focuses on how to blow up the bridge, the cohesion and ornamentality of the plot will be qualitatively improved.
Although the film highlights the changes and adjustments in the tactics of the volunteers when showing the volunteers desperately blowing up the Watergate Bridge, the overall introduction of the combat ideas is not detailed enough. For example, when Wu Qianli deployed four squads to act separately, the combat objectives of each squad were not clearly explained, and the cooperation and echo between the squads were not obvious, resulting in the audience's viewing experience lacking the airtight sense of tension, as well as the sense of anxiety and oppression after fully entering the plot.
There are several scenes in the film where volunteer soldiers gaze at the sun rises, which is a rare warm color scene in the cold tone of the film as a whole. Compared with the U.S. army that does not know why it is fighting for and for whom it is fighting, the volunteer soldiers have a deep understanding of the combat objectives, which ensures their high combat enthusiasm and combat initiative, and encourages them to overcome various difficulties and hardships. In this sense, the victory in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea was a victory of faith and a victory of the spirit.
本文图片均来自电影官方宣传图片 Source: Author: Gong Jinping