Truth, goodness and beauty in film and television | Poetic "Early Spring in February"

The results of the 2021 "Truth, Goodness and Beauty in Film and Television" Shanghai International Film and Television Festival Citizen Theme Essay Awards were announced a few days ago, and a total of 60 works (articles) stood out. This year, the Shanghai International Film and Television Festival, together with the Shanghai Citizens' Cultural Festival and QQ Music, will comprehensively upgrade the review collection activities, since its launch in June, the general public and film and television lovers have enthusiastically signed up to participate, through the form of film and television reviews to further participate in the Shanghai International Film and Television Festival in the light and shadow event. This article is one of the works that won the "Brilliant Pen and Flowers" award for essay excellence - "Poetic < Early Spring February >" written by Li Yinglan.

Sun Daolin has a lot of ties to the Shanghai International Film Festival, he was the host of the first opening ceremony and the chairman of the jury of the second Golden Jubilee Award. In 2021, the centenary of his birth, the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival's "Tribute to the Master" section selected many of his works to pay tribute to this Confucian master who has shaped countless classic screen images that have been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, can direct and act, and can translate literary works as well as dub for translation and production. "Early Spring february" is particularly special among the films selected for this tribute unit, which was born in 1963, directed by Xie Tieli, adapted from Roushi's original "February", and starring Sun Daolin, Xie Fang, and Shangguan Yunzhu, not only brings together a powerful luxury creative team, but also has a poetry rarely seen in the films of that era.

At the beginning of the film, it shows the gentle temperament unique to Jiangnan. Located on the left side of the picture on the golden section of the small window flow is the beauty of the "spring breeze and the south bank of the Green River", the list of cast members with a brush book is arranged vertically, and it appears on the right side of the screen in turn, and the entire composition is a picture wall with a picture window and an inscription in the Suzhou garden. In the opening paragraph, Xiao Jianqiu's dress and temperament are incompatible with other passengers, and he can't stand the sleepy peasants in the neighbor's seat resting their heads on his shoulders and walking out of the cabin and meeting Sister-in-law Wen and Cailian mother and daughter. After disembarking from the ship, greeted by his old classmate Tao Mukan and walking through the narrow streets paved with gravel in the chanting of Wu Nong's soft language in Suzhou, Jian Qiu accepted the curious inquiry of the townspeople. Waiting for him at Brother Tao's house are his future colleague Qian Zhengxing and his old classmate's sister Tao Lan. The film makes good use of camera language instead of lines to drive the development of the plot, and in a few strokes, the identity background and relationship between the main characters in the film are methodically introduced. The script uses the chain of classmate relationships to directly or indirectly connect all the characters, and uses the feeling of admiration to hook up the previously unrelated characters to form a complete three-dimensional structure. The director also shows the undercurrent under the calm appearance and the inevitable end of Xiao Jianqiu's departure from the town through the square chisel of a foreigner in the seemingly quiet and harmonious Furong Town, laying the groundwork for a series of subsequent events.

The film is very good at using poetic images to express emotions and promote narrative. I like the scene where Jian Qiu and Tao Lan discuss philosophy, from the indoor scene of the heated discussion to the two picturesque silhouettes outside the window, and then from a pool of spring water reflecting the two figures to the picture of them walking side by side in the twilight. A short set of montages silently boosted the emotions of the two men. This poetic shot is not only pleasing to the eye, but also tells the co-production of the two personalities and the budding love. In addition, the director also uses the same scenes that appear repeatedly in the film to supplement different emotions and environmental renderings, creating a cascading and sequential effect like a row of comparative sentences, and gradually pushing the contradictions and conflicts in the story to the climax through repeated comparisons. The two piano plays, three drinks, and seven bridge crossings in this film have always been talked about by fans. The two piano plays the piano once to review the past wandering, and leads to the scene of Jian Qiu and Tao Lan's first meeting, although the tune is heavy, but there is a bright color embellishment of love; the other time shows the dilemma of completely falling into the lost path of life, until the final strong tone does not awaken. The Seven Arch Bridge delicately depicts Jian Qiu's relationship with Wen Qiu's family and the situation he faces. We saw the relief he was after helping Sister-in-law Wen and the quiet and peacefulness of the first day after the snow; we also saw the satisfaction of sending Cailian to study and the prosperous business of spring river plumbing; and we also saw the anger after learning the gossip and the storm that swept everything. This method of not commenting on the audience and not imposing a subjective position on the audience is quite similar to the intention of the poetry creation. There is a criterion for evaluating the merits of poetry in the "Poetry of the Hearth": "Poetry has an implicit and incomplete meaning, especially those who do not have opinions and stories. This subtle and poetic treatment in the film not only achieves the purpose of fully rendering the atmosphere and emotions, but also does not need to state the position of the creator, but is left to the audience under the guidance of the camera and editing techniques to understand and experience it. This is the highest state of "no word, do your best".

The implicit meaning of the film's film vocabulary is also reflected in the use of color and costume design. Xiao Jianqiu was dressed in a cold gray outfit from beginning to end, which complemented his calm personality and unsatisfactory situation, and only when his and Tao Lan's feelings warmed up, there was a little warmth to join. Tao Lan is the only bright color among several protagonists. Light purple, dark red, warm colors and her dare to love and hate, cheerful and lively personality complement each other. In the few passages where her love is hit and Her sister-in-law commits suicide, her dress is changed to a cool color, which sets off her low mood from the side. Qian Zhengxing, who pursues Tao Lan, does not appear many times, and each time it is a different style of Chinese clothes with silk luster and exquisite dark lines, highlighting the status and wealth of his family, while the choice of cold pale colors contrasts with his humble love that does not see fiery emotions at all.

In addition, the actors' performances also follow the subtle, euphemistic Oriental aesthetic. Sun Daolin's interpretation can see the mood fluctuations under his calm appearance, and sculpt the image of this frustrated and confused intellectual who is uncertain in the face of love and responsibility to be delicate and layered; Xie Fang shows the youthful passion and youthful vitality, portraying the image of a new woman who dares to challenge the etiquette of the old era and has a strong sense of self; Shangguan Yunzhu changes her previous performance style, and the widow's caution, zhi en tu, The helplessness and despair of the unjust fate and the death of the son and the slander of the evil words are expressed with restraint and credibility.

The exquisite picture composition, the beautiful water town exterior, the delicate character portrayal, the critical original work, and the literary script and the sub-shot script that have been refined and modified by Xia Yan in more than 100 places have jointly woven this poetry-like film. It not only indicts the harm of the weak by the "banal evil of the unconscious group", but also embodies the kindness and warmth of the little people, the courage to pursue love and happiness, and the spirit of self-sacrifice in order to save people from fire and water. Unlike the end of the novel, the film ends with Jian Qiu abandoning the unrealistic fantasy of escaping reality and throwing himself back into the torrent of society. This modification adds a positive, bright color to the film.