Author: Ouyang Ruyi
To this day, almost no one would deny that Takeshi Kitano is a film genius. He worked as a handyman, a host, and a manga (a japanese platform comedy) until 1989, when the 42-year-old Takeshi Kitano made his first film as a director, Violent Man. This film is his first exploration of the aesthetics of violence. In 1997, "Hanabi" won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, which was another peak of his career. That year, kitano's aesthetic of violence was known to the world. It was also that year that he said he was going to shoot something different.
So in 1999, Takeshi Kitano handed over a warm feature film, "Kikujiro's Summer". The story is not complicated, it tells the story of a rough, trouble-loving, irresponsible uncle Kikujiro, who is entrusted by his wife to escort the little boy Masao next door to find his mother who has never met him. It has been 21 years since the film was released, and countless fans have experienced the warmth of the work through DVDs, and countless film critics have also written and written about the image style, narrative characteristics and cultural representations of the work. Given that some fan friends will be walking into theaters this fall to experience it for the first time, the film's brilliance is still worth repeating.
In terms of film narrative, "Kikujiro's Summer" has a destination, so reaching the destination becomes the driving force of the narrative, and the process of going becomes the content of the narrative. In this regard, the film is essentially the same as the road movie; but it is different, and the clever thing is that the middle of the film dissolves the destination, and the original driving force disappears, so the second half enters the hearts of Kikujiro and Masao to promote the change or growth of the two.
In terms of film themes, many people think that this is a children's film, but from another point of view, it is also a film about adults. Masao gains a truth and slowly releases it through love, while Kikujiro gains full growth. There is a clever idea in the arrangement of the film, we never know who Kikujiro is, and even in the process of watching the film, we never doubt this question, because we are convinced that the uncle and those ordinary passers-by must have given the little boy Zhengnan an unforgettable summer, a summer that belonged to him. This is already a warm story in itself, but when we find out at the end of the movie that the uncle played by Takeshi Kitano is Kikujiro, more turbulent warmth suddenly comes to mind. It turned out that the uncle who had been trying to give the little boy warmth, a little bit of angry, was also warmed by this summer.
It's about the theme of the film: reconciliation. This theme extends from the story to the film. Kikujiro is not only the name of Takeshi Kitano in the movie, but also the name of Takeshi Kitano's father in real life. In Kitano Takeshi's memory, his father's image is of alcoholism and domestic violence, but he is incompetent and weak. The unfortunate past has left an insurmountable gap between Kitano Takeshi and his father. In this movie, the middle-aged Takeshi Kitano inherits his father's name and dedicates the love and companionship that he lacked in childhood to the little boy who is not good at expressing himself. This is reconciliation with his father, and even more so with himself.
In terms of image presentation, the film continues and expands Kitano Takeshi's video style, and likes to participate in the narrative with scenes (especially large scenes). For example, the conflict with the truck driver is presented in a long-range lens, using the relationship between sound and distance to conceal some information, giving the audience a peeping perspective and bringing a certain amount of interest to the viewing behavior; the first part of the film also has such a presentation, when the man is alone in the football field, a downward long-range is aimed at the small and lonely him. Kitano Takeshi also has a persistent pursuit of film space, even if it is an outdoor space, Kitano Takeshi will carefully select the place where the events occur, such as the bridge hole where the two were forced to get off the bus in the middle, and the silhouette taken by the backlight blends with the mood of the two at that time. In addition, in addition to the blue color that Kitano Hashi has always loved, the film also expands the green from nature, and the film's later stage Masao and Kikujiro are almost in the green of the grass and trees to complete the final reconciliation.
Of course, the film is also known for Hisaishi's composition "Summer", which begins with low strings, followed by a brisk rhythm and a crisp piano, making the listener feel as if they are in the middle of a sunny summer day.
After 21 years, the language of film and film technology have changed more or less, and now that we have entered the theater again, how should we see the classic work "Kikujiro's Summer"? The following ideas may be available for reference.
First, Takeshi Kitano's films have now formed a more complete sequence, but Kikujiro's Summer is still a relatively special work in the sequence. How does Takeshi Kitano, known for his "sudden violence", move from violence to warmth, dissolve violence, and touch the softest part of people's hearts? This problem, the film is not a result, but the process itself.
Second, how do we see the relationship between film and music? In the current discussion of Takeshi Kitano and Hisaishi, there is a rupture between image and sound. In fact, we can clearly see that there is a tacit understanding between the narrative blank and the sound. Hisaishi's music always appears at the right moment and fills in the narrative blanks, finally generating a new image that becomes the audience's memory of Kikujiro's Summer.
Third, the film's lower editing rates, longer fixed shots, and more soothing music bring a slow audiovisual rhythm, but we are not tired of it. Obviously, the narrative of the film forms an inherent fast pace, constantly pushing the audience to feel and appreciate the emotions that are changing at that moment. In today's flood of modern film techniques, long shots have become a style pursued by art films, and "Kikujiro's Summer" brings a kind of inspiration: while pursuing the style of film language, looking for an inner rhythm.
In short, "Kikujiro's Summer" is still a movie worth appreciating for fans of both new and old movies. So, relive that summer, or relive it.
(The author is a Ph.D. in Modern Culture Theory at Hokkaido University.