Stills from "Lyceum Theatre"
No matter how much we don't believe that literary and art films, Lou Ye's literary and art films have some thresholds, and Lou Ye's "shaking and vomiting" shooting method in the early stage has become a propaganda gimmick, which reminds me of the so-called "fraudulent propaganda" of Bi Gan's "Last Night on Earth" - love before the end. Or is it the pity of Bai Mei, played by Yu Wei played by Gong Li and Bai Mei played by Huang Xiangli, who have changed their taste in this era of life and death.
"Lyceum Theatre" stills of Yu Yanbaimei
But I still love this film, the texture of the black and white images adds to the sense of age, in that "island period" of Shanghai, everything seems so clear and so vague, just like the people under the turmoil of the times, coupled with Lou Ye's favorite "rain", after the chaotic war, you can not distinguish whether the ground is blood or water, just like the corridor that can no longer be clearly distinguished between the enemy and the friend, can only walk all the way with a gun, ready to sacrifice at any time, then this section of my mind is full of Gong Li playing a chicken game like escape room, Picking up gear was very positive.
Lyceum Theatre
After the film was broadcast, the most talked about was "I vomited in the cinema." In fact, Lou Ye's "shaking vomit" shooting method has a long history, "Suzhou Creek", "Summer Palace", etc., are in a kind of rainy mist, or close-up virtual focus, professional angle always says: handheld lens will give people a sense of breathing, let you feel that you are also involved. It is also said that it shows the people's hearts and the noise of the times in a certain period.
Lou Ye himself said in 2011 'In Shanghai' that "cameras are sometimes rejected, banned, which is normal because he shoots something unpleasant." "When his camera was aimed at the people on the side of the road, the people who were photographed came over and forced him to stop, and he could only escape with the camera, and the camera kept shaking wildly in the process.
Short Film "In Shanghai"
Coupled with the fact that Lou Ye was banned from filming in 2006 for illegal participation, he can actually explain his image style with a romantic reason - because he wants to express it too much and is too afraid of expression, he can only quietly flee at any time.
Speaking of the movie, Gong Huang is Gong Huang, full of aura, in this play can not see the figure of other films, sexy, alienated and enthusiastic, when Mo Zhiyin (Wang Chuanjun) holds a telescope to look at her, the camera also becomes a close-up, her tears and smile are so unadorned close-up on the big screen, her self-confusion about love and affection and identity, just like the name of their "two-sided mirror project", double-sided, mutual care and contradictory.
Gong Li as Yu Yan
In contrast, Zhao Youting's Tan Na is slightly immature, always in the play, like saying lines in the play, outside the play is also like saying lines, the original lines are not refined, coupled with the Taiwanese accent, it seems to be more dramatic.
Zhao Youting as Tan Na
And what I prefer is Ni Zeren, played by Zhang Songwen, this role is different from Lou Ye's other "Clouds Made of Rain in the Wind", that is released, and this role is restrained, but there is the style of a literati And Confucian, and it is also his roar at Yan, bringing the story up formally, officially mobilizing the atmosphere, and the contradiction of this role itself is very heavy, he does not know who wants to kill him, does not know who wants to save him, does not know why Yu Yan saved him, but he finally became one of the key figures for the successful success of Yu Yan's plan. Perhaps he already knew the consequences of the exodus, and he was willing to go through this fate.
Zhang Songwen as Ni Zeren
Winter Shanghai, the last six days of the "isolated island period", the people on the road panicked, depressed, but also like accustomed to this turmoil, Tan Na's drama performance, it is reasonable to say that there should be no gunfire at this time, by Mo Zhiyin's revenge-like killing of Bai Mei to sound in advance, the people in the theater did not move, just a shock, thinking that it was the design of the play, until things began to chaos, the Japanese intruded, only began to realize that things were not right, at this time the camera seemed to be not so shaky, just from the perspective of a bystander, Reflecting the end of the story, Yu Yantan hugged each other, the camera moved, and there was a person playing, which is not telling us, in fact, the scene in this scene is really happening, reality and virtual confusion, people's hearts are unpredictable, everything becomes blurred and worth remembering, but also alludes to the dual identity and disguise in reality.
The story's spy plot and the short but warm emotions of the male and female protagonists are mixed with soft warmth in helpless despair, and the words on the last "Treasure of the Town Store" are "In the end, what we love is not the person who is loved, but the desire itself." It also makes this faint truth more sincere.
"We love not the one who is loved, but the desire itself"
It is a film worth watching, there will be some thresholds, do not think, to feel, to experience. As of the end of writing, "Lyceum Theatre" has received 21.3135 million at the box office, which may be the sadness of literary and art films, and it is also the failure of Lou Ye'snother attempt, and shanghai in the play is not also corresponding to the stormy film market.
I can't help but think of Kong Dashan's 2015 black humorous short film "When the Legal System Comes to Life", which tells that because literary and art films often have suffocation accidents, shooting literary and art films is regarded as an illegal activity, and the police received a tip that there was an illegal literary and art film crew in a small area preparing a new film, and finally began to arrest.
At the end of the story, the director said after being arrested, funny and ironic, if the future literary and art films really come to this step, the big screen is only left with "Shanghai Fortress" and "Turandot" clouds, then China's film market is still worth looking forward to?
Short Film "The Future of the Legal System"