"1950 They Are Young": A deep look back at the youthfulness of blood

Author: Lu Chunyan (Professor, School of Arts and Media, Beijing Normal University)

Looking back at history, 1950 is more than ten years after the nails, and this special year recorded in history carries the spirit of resistance of the Chinese nation and the youth of a generation, and has also become a hot theme in literary and artistic creation. The recently released documentary film "1950 They Are Young" does not have the legendary "Dragon City Flying General", they are ordinary volunteer veterans, including gunners, scouts, military doctors, literary and artistic soldiers, translators, etc., who were only 20 years old when they entered the Korean war. Through the memories of 26 veterans, the film stitches together the tragic frontline of the war, the heroic fighting of the soldiers, the spirit of fearless sacrifice, and their deeply embedded comradeship, presenting to today's youth, today's China, arousing national feelings and stimulating patriotic feelings.

The film looks back at history in a distinct image style, travels through time and space in the old but firm telling of the warriors, and tells the eternal youth story in the fire of war. First of all, the empty shot at the beginning of the film presents a strong sense of the passage of time. The vicissitudes of the voiceover reflect the endless stream, the distant geese, the vigorous old trees, in addition to the sense of time that comes to the face, there is also the grandeur and subtlety of history. In the black-and-white image that follows, a train passes by, and a lonely passenger on the roof of the train is like an individual wrapped in history, silent and persistent, as if driving from the prospect of snow and wind to the depths of history. This passage is completed in one go, setting the overall tone of the film. Secondly, through the sound "noise reduction" to strengthen the appeal of the picture itself. History itself is heavy, and if you use music to set off this heaviness, it seems to be the most direct way, but the result of this kind of music grabbing the camera is bound to weaken the power of the picture itself. In the film, the propagandist Xiong Chaorui is in a wheelchair watching the war exhibition, and the medium-long-range lens forms a proper contrast between her and the photo wall, young and old, past and present, this double viewing inside and outside the painting strengthens the tension of the image. When the old man drives the wheelchair out of the painting from the right side, the silent image has a clear metaphorical meaning. Slowly leaving the picture, she seems to have taken that history away. Third, the appropriate daily landscape mobilizes the realistic observation significance of the film. Most of the film is still interviews, and the interspersed passages of individual daily life connect history and reality, and the imprints of history and the sense of compassion for the fate of individuals can still be seen under the surface of daily life. For example, a veteran sitting alone in the living room watching TV, there is only a vague simultaneous sound in the still picture, and the meaning of the image has actually overflowed the picture. The loneliness of the passage of time grows in this picture, poking directly into the viewer's heart. Therefore, the everyday is not all trivial, and the subtle daily life sometimes supports a grand historical proposition.

"1950 They Are Young" chooses a rustic way to write history, and this kind of historical details told by the interviewees is precious and moving. The odes to youth in the film are forged by blood, which is shocking and heavy for audiences in peacetime. Through the detailed memories of veterans, viewers will also construct a cognition and imagination of life and human nature under a extreme situation to varying degrees, on the one hand, unquestionably cruel, on the other hand, they also capture the details of human nature in war.

Thick thematic meaning and stark imagery are essential for a documentary film, but that's not all. The film also has some regrets in terms of individual details, which has a certain degree of dissolution of the texture of the image. There are a large number of video materials in the film, but almost all of them do not indicate the source and provenance, the photo wall that appears many times, there are group photos, close-ups, and there is no explanation, this symbolic way will weaken the recording effect of the film itself, if you add the source and provenance, the real power will be more shocking. The few times the interviewer asked questions, the voice participated in the text, but did not contribute to the expression. For example, ask, "Have you ever told your children about this experience?" "Do you usually think of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea?" Would you take the initiative to think? "When did you join the army?" These questions are not hard to look at only the text, but the voice and tone in the film give people a feeling of "outsider", and the interviewer is not fully integrated into the historical context created by the interviewee, which will take the audience out with it. Therefore, the role of sound cannot be underestimated, especially the sound that suddenly appears in the film.

Historical narrative has always been an important path for Chinese films to write the memory of their home country, and with the development of society and the upgrading of the film industry, it has also shown a variety of expression methods, especially the image expression under the blessing of technology, and there is unlimited room for expansion. However, the thickness and richness of history itself are not necessarily proportional to technology, and human nature is highlighted in the historical narrative, which is a choice in the extreme situation and an instinctive reaction; the philosophy of life is diffused in the historical narrative, touching the common emotions that travel through time and space and across the nation. The old man in the camera unreservedly opens the dusty memory, telling the prayer of the elderly year and the regret of the war youth, and their narratives are either excited or sad, or subtle or ethereal, linking the past and the present of history. After all, history is about people, and for the video writing of history, the narrative around people is the most precious.

For documentary films, which have a stronger sense of history because of their natural connection with reality, "They are young" is a contemporary writing of national history, a tribute to youth, a reverence for life, and a reflection on war. Looking back at history, frost and snow were cold, and the golden flute was blowing high, and they were young that year, the wind was cold, and their hearts were burning.

Guangming Daily (15/11/2021)

Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily