Let's start with a question---
What movies have you seen (or known) over the years about "Affection, Grace"?
Speaking of this, do friends who love movies immediately think of household classics such as "Fancy Years", "Dream of the Covered Bridge", and "Calm As the Sea"?
In "Fancy Years", Maggie Cheung and Liang Chaowei's hazy feelings at the end of the world are sad that end without illness under the moral constraint of "sending affection and stopping etiquette", which really allows the audience to appreciate the charm of oriental classical culture.
However, like "Fancy Years", ShenZuo has been pointed out by sharp-eyed senior audiences, and many of its creative ideas and shooting skills are borrowed from this 70-year-old film.
Spring in a Small Town
In 2005, on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Chinese cinema, the Hong Kong Film Awards named "Spring in a Small Town" as the first place in the 100 Chinese films of the 100 years.
The director of this film, Fei Mu, is also regarded as a major contributor to Chinese films.
To be honest, this old movie with no subtitles and unclear picture quality does not give people a good first impression.
But if you can be patient and finish brushing, I believe you will be like me, and finally be impressed by the charm of this century-old classic.
The story begins with a reunion.
In a small southern town in the 1940s, the heroine Yuwen lived a life of calm and calm every day.
Go out to buy vegetables in the morning, and give your husband a courtesy to grab medicine.
On the way home, Jade will take a walk on the city wall, look into the distance, and enjoy the only stretch of the day.
In the words of her sister Dai Xiu, "If you look hard into the distance, you will know that heaven and earth are not so small."
Back at home, after sending off her husband in three words, the next half of the day of leisure time, Yuwen will pick up the embroidered bandages and go to her sister's room to spend it.
Day after day.
What about husband etiquette?
Immersed in the sadness of the destruction of the country and the death of the family, all hobbies are to stay in the overgrown garden damaged by artillery fire all day long, reminiscing about the wealth and prosperity of the past.
Decadent and gloomy etiquette has always said that he is sick, and every day he changes the formula to let Yuwen grab medicine for him.
However, Dai Xiu, the sister of Yuwen and Liyan, believes that the grumpy Liyan only has neuropathy.
The life of jade patterns and ritual words is changed by the unexpected arrival of Zhi Chen.
Zhichen is Yuwen's first love and Li Yan's classmate.
10 years ago, due to the opposition of Yuwen's parents, Zhichen left Yuwen to join the army.
10 years later, the returned Zhichen is still single, but Yuwen has become Liyan's wife.
After a long absence, the lonely Zhichen and the depressed jade pattern soon rekindled the old feelings.
In just a few days, they dated frequently for various reasons, complained about each other, pitied each other, planned to elope, and staged all the fanaticism, restraint, and entanglement in extramarital men and women.
From Zhichen's visit to the final departure, in a total of ten days, Yuwen and Zhichen had three night meetings.
The first time was on the night of the reunion, and Yuwen, who could not suppress her excitement, came to Zhichen's room on the pretext of sending a quilt.
The first love has not been seen for many years, embarrassed, flustered, unwilling, all contained in this incoherent wordless words.
Yuwen: Is he seriously ill?
Zhichen: The heart is not very good.
Jade: Oh.
Zhichen: Don't tell him.
You Ming'er give him a good look.
Zhichen: Oh.
Jade: ... See you there, Ming'er.
Jade: Ah???
Hearing Zhi Chen's answer, the heroine who was like a deer bump thought that the other party wanted to keep her.
This can't wait to turn around, absolutely.
The second time, after Zhi Chen went out to play with his sister Dai Xiu during the day.
In the name of caring for her sister, Yuwen came to Zhichen's room again at night.
The already familiar Jade Pattern and Zhi Chen joked and coddled.
Yuwen: It seems that you and your sister are already very familiar.
Zhichen: She's still a child.
Yuwen: Is it a child and you still take her all over the place? Still hiding from people?
Zhichen: What do you mean by that? I don't understand.
Yuwen: She is Liyan's sister, I am her sister-in-law, I have to take care of it.
Zhichen: Then I won't take her out to play in the future.
Seeing that Zhichen was a little angry, Yuwen, who was about to go out, turned back and smiled, "I'm playing with you, don't be angry."
The careful thinking, careful eyes, and petite anger of the woman in love are all at a glance.
The third time, it was the birthday of her sister Dai Xiu.
The interaction between the drunken Zhichen and the jade pattern made the relationship between the two officially exposed in front of the Liyan brothers and sisters.
Later, with the help of wine, the drunken jade pattern came to Zhichen's room again.
This time, both of them had actually decided in their hearts to separate.
Separated, drunk, and unable to help themselves, the two finally made a "deviant thing" that made them feel landless--- after a short hug, Zhichen kissed the back of Yuwen's hand.
Three night visits, from awkward to sweet to sad.
The pain and forbearance of this pair of lovers who love but cannot be tolerated are particularly moving as the feelings advance layer by layer.
But after a brief urge.
Zhichen and Yuwen, who are full of poetry and books, can not ignore the innocent etiquette in the end, so this fiery sense of enthusiasm when they hate not meeting and not marrying is also destined to become a regret of "sending affection and stopping etiquette".
You see, the same is the story of dog blood extramarital love, this old movie can still make the audience enjoy watching it 70 years later.
Corresponding to the ups and downs of Yuwen and Zhichen's feelings, there are also three rejections of her husband's courtesy in the film.
The first time, the morning before Zhichen's visit.
Li Yan took the initiative to show his wife in the garden, Jade Pattern, let's talk, right?
Yuwen replied, What is there to talk about?
At this time, Zhichen had not yet come.
Yuwen's rejection of Li Yan echoed what she later explained to Zhi Chen: she was indifferent to Li Yan, not because of Zhi Chen.
The second time, after Yuwen visited Zhichen at night again, she came to the room to deliver medicine to Liyan.
Li Yan, who had been separated from his wife for many years, stopped Yu Wen before she left, Yu Wen, stay, right?
Yuwen hesitated and rejected her husband again.
Yu Wen, who is in love, hesitates for two reasons:
One, she knows her identity as Li Yan's wife;
Second, I remembered zhichen who had a heart-to-heart relationship and the usual estrangement from my husband, so I hesitated and chose to leave.
The third time, near the end of the film, the jade pattern passing by her husband hesitated for a moment, and slowly closed the door to the husband who wanted to talk again.
This clip takes place the morning after Yuwen is drunk, at which point Yuwen has already decided to let Zhichen leave. But knowing that she is out of shape after drinking, this scene may not have the courage to face her husband who also loves her deeply.
And the courtesy.
Did Li Yan really learn about the relationship between Yuwen and Zhichen on the night of his sister's birthday?
not necessarily.
On the day that Zhichen first arrived, as soon as the three of them met, Li Yan knew from the greetings of Zhichen and Yuwen that the two were friends and neighbors from childhood to adulthood.
Although Li Yan's mental journey has not been mentioned since then, that night, in addition to Yu Wen and Zhi Chen, who have just met, there are two close-ups of Li Yan's complicated faces in the film.
Secondly, Yuwen returned from his first city wall date with Zhichen, and Li yan seemed to "inadvertently" talk about Jade to Zhichen.
The original words of the lily were to the effect that:
Jade was no better, she did everything a wife should do, and I, as a husband, did almost nothing. At the end, he even said to Zhichen, if Yuwen marries you, how good it would be.
This half-truth and half-false hint, Zhichen obviously understood it.
For the trust of friends, such as Zhichen who sits on a needle felt, he is even more guilty and hesitant.
So then there was ZhiChen's first words and deeds to the ceremony, and the result was left behind by the same tangled etiquette.
Then, as mentioned above, after Visiting Zhichen for the second time, Yuwen came to the ceremonial room to serve him medicine.
Li Yan proposed to Yu Wen: Let her be a matchmaker to give her sister Dai Xiu to Zhi Chen.
This conversation between the couple is very interesting---
As soon as the panicked etiquette began, he was weak-hearted: I wanted my sister to wait for Zhichen for two years.
Yuwen, who was also panicked, stood up to correct him: You mean to let Zhichen wait for his sister for two years.
Li Yan was busy echoing: Yes, let Zhi Chen wait for his sister for two years... So, I want to talk to you about my sister.
Jade Pattern (Push off): Zhichen may not be willing to wait, right?
Etiquette (a serious book): He doesn't have it now, let's talk to him first.
Yuwen (push again): My sister is still young and still studying, don't put these things on her heart first.
Courtesy (pleading): Let's talk.
Jade (refusal): I don't want to say it.
In this way, this seemingly inseparable couple hastily ended this fruitless awkward chat in the temptation of you coming and going.
It is said that the details determine success or failure.
As a narrative film, "Spring in a Small Town" has almost achieved the ultimate in all aspects of story structure, character portrayal, emotional rendering, and the use of sound and painting.
In the film, the narration (and dialogue) of the heroine's flowing water is flat and direct, coupled with a poetic mood, portraying a pair of lovers' "this love can only become a memory" just right and into the wood.
Such a classic, who can not love?
(Rotten Tomatoes Movie Editorial Department: No Woo Woo)