"A Generation of Grandmasters": Wong Kar-wai's jianghu is not fighting and killing, but human affection. (Top)
"A Generation of Grandmasters": Wong Kar-wai's jianghu is not fighting and killing, but human affection. (Part 2)
The 3D version of Wong Kar-wai's "Generation Grandmaster" is a creation in the martial arts film genre that tends to show the inner world of the characters and is very inclined to inner words. Compared with the premiere version, the 3D version has a clearer a story logic, those who have seen the whole film know that it is about the path of Ip Man's master, around the character of Ip Man and the major martial artists, through the Guangxu gamble, Xuan Reunification, the Republic of China, the Northern Expedition, the Anti-Japanese War, the Civil War, and finally to the Hong Kong Kaizong founding school to carry forward the story of Wing Chun, we also followed Ip Man to see the martial arts of that era. A story is about kung fu and the martial arts of that era. Of course, what is more exciting than a story is that the 3D re-release version of "Generation Grandmaster" has a multi-layered theme, that is, the film b story. The theme of this film is complex and diverse, and as the story advances, it slowly emerges and gradually enters a better situation, which is a film with the unique charm of Wong Kar Wai films that is worth savoring.
So what is one of the themes of the film? Wong Kar-wai borrowed the form of Bagua Grandmaster Gong Baosen to teach his daughter Gong Er, which led to the theme of this film
b The story is about the sophistication (rules) of people in the martial forest and the helplessness of the people who practice martial arts in the face of the changes of the times. Whether you can become a generation of masters is in the level of kung fu, but also in the world, but also in the current situation.
The Gonghe Building (Jin Lou) is the place of soul destruction, but also the hero pool, is the epitome of the entire martial arts, Gong Baosen and Ip Man's hand-in-hand retirement ceremony is also in the Gonghe Building, Gong Baosen came to the Gonghe Building is not to compete for the level of kung fu, but to seek the unity of the martial arts of the north and the south (the north and south here refer to not only the different martial arts sects, but also the political division of China at that time).
The great disciple Ma San was not hitting people from the two martial arts circles here, but in the face of his master, and it was not the Republic Building that was demolished, but his master's platform. In his eyes, there is only victory and defeat, and there is no human sophistication.
Let's note that this character, although not much in the a story, also plays a role in the b story.
What he saved was Gong Baosen's face, these people can win Ma San with one rush, Gong Baosen's face is not good-looking, he can't win Ma San, Gong Baosen's face can't be saved, and he will fall into a reputation of two sides and three knives. Didn't you say you wanted to pass on the Southern Fist to the North? Now he sent Ma San to prove that the northern fist was stronger than the southern fist?
The director specially gave the scene of provoking and blocking things to the same person, this kind of character personality inconsistencies, this kind of recklessness in front of the overall situation, very clever, he blocked, not dare to fight, is the sophistication of human feelings. So Gong Baosen drove Ma San away, and Ma San thought he was winning face for Shimen In fact, Gong Baosen seemed to have lost face to Ma San.
On the day of the retirement ceremony, gonghelou colleagues congratulated the martial arts as a courtesy, and the point of the discussion reached the end, which was the high and low of martial arts in a story, which was also a human accident in the martial arts of story b.
The most important scene in the first half of the film is the scene of Gong Baosen and Ip Man, the two masters of the hand-to-hand, this scene also pushes the film to the first climax,
Not more than martial arts, than ideas, but also confirmed that Gong Baosen this time is for the north and south martial arts circles to match, he came to do academic exchanges, of course, this is also for Gong Baosen, the most decent way to retire. The cake cracks, lands, wins and loses, a story, between Ip Man and Gong Baosen in the kung fu competition, Ip Man is slightly better, but in the b story? Notice the timing of the cracking of the cake, it was Ip Man who finished his martial arts philosophy.
The cake in Gong Baosen's hand was only cracked, so what if Ip Man said that Gong Baosen was not satisfied? Will this pie still crack? So who broke this piece of bread? Is it Ip Man? Or Gong Baosen? That's interesting! I think the dominance is in the hands of Gong Baosen, the director can let this piece of cake crack first regardless of pre-shooting or post-editing, and then Ip Man is slowly saying his martial arts philosophy, but this means something completely different, it becomes a summary after Ip Man wins this contest, the dominance is in Ip Man's hands, then there is no later paragraph
This send is the sophistication of Gong Baosen's people. The light on Gong Baosen's face here also metaphorically led him to retreat, and the light on his face became less and less, and finally faded the aura, turned away, and quit the martial forest.
In the end, this applause to Ip Man was even more to Gong Baosen. The camera is given to the colleagues in the Republic Building, and finally to Ip Man, the martial arts world is not a cold ring, only higher than the level of kung fu, but a jianghu full of human feelings.
This person is sophisticated, Gong Baosen knows, Ip Man knows, but not everyone knows, even Gong Baosen's daughter Gong Er does not know. Gong Er wants to win back what her father wants to "lose", but the other fathers have not lost anything, just sent the reputation out.
Why did Ip Man go to this covenant that must be lost? Notice that it's not that you have to lose, you have to lose, and he has to let everyone know that this reputation was given to him by the old man. The palace family has given me a reputation, and I have to pay back the palace family's face. But what Ip Man himself did not expect was that in this contest, the two of them played out their feelings, ip man and Gong Er's emotional line is said separately behind, here first press the table, first talk about how Ip Man lost. Talking about the rules, although it is said according to the meaning of Gong Er, the dispute between the two masters cannot be like this
It is not good for the two of them to injure anyone, Ip Man is injured, who will dare to communicate with the Palace family in the future, which is equivalent to Gong Baosen's dishonesty, just won the Palace Old Master at the retirement ceremony, and within a few days he sent someone to injure the person. Gong Er was injured, and the face of the Gong family could not be hung up, and it was estimated that he would have to fight with Ma San again. Therefore, Ip Man must lose, and he cannot lose too obviously, not only to let the palace family have face, but also to lose the palace second has face. Pay attention to these shots, Gong Er flipped down the stairs, Ip Man this expression, this action, is to push Gong Er, or to pull Gong Er?
I think Ip Man was worried that Gong Er flipped down the stairs and lost this contest, so he went to pull Gong Er, Gong Er Ye hid flowers, pulled Ip Man down the stairs, and turned back with his own strength, Ip Man's feet landed on the ground, and the stairs cracked. Who is the initiative to step on the stairs here? I think the initiative lies in Ip Man, he deliberately stepped on it, not Gong Er's palm that made Ip Man unable to hold back, or ip man created this opportunity. The setting here is very clever, why is the point of winning and losing at this point, rather than Gong Er casually smashing anything? Tables and chairs are all right.
Isn't this plank the same piece of bread?
Then this does not correspond, Gong Baosen broke the cake and sent Ip Man's reputation, and Ip Man cracked the stairs and returned the face of the Palace family. Well, let's review the golden building competition between Ip Man and Gong Er, Ip Man did not take a step back from beginning to end, absolutely dominating the rhythm of this contest, Ip Man jin, Gong Er retreated, the scene of the contest also followed ip man's rhythm in change, it is enough to see that Ip Man's martial arts cultivation is absolutely above Gong Er, and finally Ip Man flipped Gong Er down the stairs, and then pulled himself down the stairs through Gong Er and stepped on the stairs when he landed. This Golden House contest Ip Man lost really beautifully. In a story Ip Man lost the contest, b story Ip Man won the sophistication. And Gong Er's eyes are not humane, and now in addition to winning and losing, there is ip man in his eyes.
The film begins here
The introduction of the element of changing times is also another theme of the film, of course, the director also uses subtitles to constantly mark the time,
To strengthen the changes of the times, these martial arts masters are no longer fighting against another martial arts master, but against the changes of the times, kung fu in the torrent of the times, some lost, some have been passed down to this day. Ip Man's situation is also the situation of the entire martial arts community,
The horizontal composition on the escalator makes people feel unstable and dangerous, and also becomes the dividing line of the whole film, representing the sharp turn of Ip Man's life, in tone, withdrawing the luxurious yellow and adding the cold blue,
But still rely on the breath of the martial practitioner to hold on, otherwise life will become like this.
Even Ip Man, who had a well-to-do family, a profound martial arts cultivation, and a left-right source for people, could not help himself in the tide of this era, losing his income, friends, and family. Not to mention the other martial artists. It's a set of contrasts, and there's another set of comparisons that's also interesting
These were all first-class masters of various sects in that era, and they could be said to be leaders-level figures, who were also scattered in the tide of the times and had to leave their hometown and flee to Hong Kong. The director used stray dogs as a metaphor for the situation of these people, at this time, ip man's original intention to teach boxing was still to pass on the lamp? Is it to carry Wing Chun forward? This is no different from a barber, a tailor, or a cook, just for the sake of mixed food.
In this scene of the duel between Gong Er and Ma San, the front camera of the duel is given to various passers-by,
These people represent that era, in the eyes of these ordinary people, the duel between the two masters of the sect they are watching is like a street weapon fight, the times have changed, no matter how high the kung fu of these two people is, this is a fight that occurred on the railway station platform, it is a farce, and it is also a monkey play in Ma San's mouth.
In the end, the farce ended with a lose-lose situation. Ma San, the fierce top master of shape and intention fist, also showed his human sophistication in this duel.
He was still unable to give a dead hand to his sister, here he pressed Gong Er's head to the speeding train, but the other hand held Gong Er's hand, I don't quite understand, what kind of kung fu move is this?
I think this is Ma Sannian's unbearable death hand under his master's kindness, and he is eventually killed by Gong Er and crashes into the speeding train. The train here is also a metaphor, in reality, especially in that era, the train will not speed up so fast in the station, nor will it be so long, the train here is a metaphor for the times, rapid change, whistling past, and finally leaving them both. So if you understand it this way, who actually abolished Ma San? I think it is not Gong Er, it is this train (era), he originally had a great future, is the successor of the gate sect, the future leader, the times have changed, and finally he chose a road of no return. At the end of this play, Zhang Jin contributed the best actor's acting skills, and his expression changed from arrogance, doubt, and desire to say to anger and finally to regret:
Gao Haughty: The master let him have a hand, and now he has returned this hand to Gong Er, and now he and the Gong family do not owe each other, Ma San said that he paid it back, one is that he gave up the master sister a hand, the second is that he feels that the master sister should have been married at this time, he said that it is still correct, this sentence carries the pride of men and people who practice martial arts.
Doubt: He didn't understand what Gong Er meant when he took it back.
He wanted to stop talking: he wanted to ask and understand, let Gong Er speak clearly, but the words did not come out of his mouth, because he wanted to understand, oh, pushed back the marriage contract. Then to anger: Even if Gong Er pushed off the marriage contract, he also let the master sister himself, and the master sister not only did not appreciate it, but also looked high and tall. Up to this point, Ma San's eyes were all looking at the direction in which Gong Er was leaving.
Remorse: He suddenly thought that the master was also in this state of mind, and Gong Baosen was not willing to give up his dead hand at that time, because he had a good apprentice, it was the grandfather who appeared, and he did not weaken his vein, and in the end he was not willing to destroy this apprentice, and he was still persuading him to turn back. Ma San also realized that he had single-handedly ruined this sect and ruined his sister's life, and now he himself was also ruined.
The advancement of the whole a story is inseparable from the logic of the b story. The contest of kung fu in a story is almost inseparable from the shackles of human feelings, and the situation of people in a story cannot escape the tide of the times. Wong Kar-wai presents us not only with kung fu itself, but also as a martial artist full of humanity and sophistication.
Like a little attention, is my biggest encouragement, thanks.
"A Generation of Grandmasters": An in-depth analysis of the emotional line between Ip Man and Gong Er