"Phantom Tailor", also known as "The Phantom of the Neon Clothes", is a feature film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is also a movie starring "The Man of a Thousand Faces" Daniel Day Lewis. It was released in North America in 2017. A lot of attention. The film tells the gothic love story between a demanding and perfect tailor Reynolds and a waitress from the countryside, Alma. The film won the 90th Oscar for Best Costume Design Award, as well as more than a dozen special awards. The main line of the
movie is very simple. It tells that Reynolds, who designed and made clothes for upper class celebrities, fell in love at first sight with Alma, a restaurant waiter, and took her to his mansion on a trip to the countryside. But some of Alma's vulgar habits made Reynolds, who pursued refinement, disgusted. After repeated small frictions, Reynolds became increasingly indifferent to Alma. Once
learned that a poisonous mushroom can make people sick and weak, Alma took the risk and gave Reynolds the poisonous mushroom. Reynolds became docile and dependent on her after falling ill. Reynolds immediately proposed to Alma when he recovered. But after marriage, the conflict between the two of them intensified and escalated. When Alma heard Reynolds and his sister Silio complain that the marriage had ruined his life, she thought of poison mushrooms again.
"The Man of Thousand Faces" Daniel Day Lewis is the only actor in the world who has won the Oscar winner three times, and fans are looking forward to his final work. , however, was a two-tiered evaluation after the film was released. Some said it was a "perfect work", and some felt it was not so good. The point of dispute is that the film is a bit extreme love story.
staying at home during this time, I watched it again. In my opinion, this movie is really underestimated. If we read it from the perspective of the content of the film's story, I think it would be too formalistic and too superficial. Therefore, in this article, I will deeply interpret the artistic charm of the film from the three aspects of "character creation, visual lens language, and theme presentation".
01. Characterization: Characters are very different, and the actors' superb performances portray a love game with a sharp contrast of the characters.
The whole movie revolves around Reynolds and Alma, creating two different screen images . The director fully demonstrated the distinctive characteristics of the characters, reflecting two different values and life pursuits. It fits in each conflict point of the plot, intensifies the contradiction and continuously promotes the development of the plot, and guides the audience to perceive the meaning that the film really wants to explain.
I think that the director puts the focus of this film on character creation and completes the character setting with different cultural backgrounds and personalities, which is a highlight of the film.
①The strong contrast of the characters makes the distinctive features of the characters fully demonstrated.
Reynolds gave her confidence and gave her a different world. She admired him, she fell in love with him. of course at first she tolerated and compromised, but unlike many girls, she never sits and waits.
In my opinion, this is an accidental coincidence of two different worlds, and set off an extreme love game. The most intriguing thing in the film is the conflict caused by the different personalities of the characters. This kind of difference performance allows the plot to unfold more ups and downs, and it can also evoke the emotions of the viewers, and show great interest in the final destination of the hero's love.
②The superb performance of the actors: Lewis's in-depth role interpretation shows the acting skills of the "Thousand Faces"
As mentioned in the previous article, this film is the film of the "Thousand Faces" Daniel Day Lewis, which is also the role played. The actor of the actor Reynolds. Daniel Day Lewis is little known, but his background is not small. is the only actor in the world who has won the Oscar winner three times, and is called the "man with a thousand faces" by fans.
It is reported that before making this film, Lewis also went to the tailoring school to study for a long time, including knowledge of cloth selection, sewing, measurement, and tailoring. In addition to his professional interpretation of tailoring, the most amazing thing is the change in his expression in the film. The concentration and devotion when looking at the clothes; the solemn expression when drawing the artwork; the smile and silence when meeting Alma for the first time, and the grace and grace...
Although Lewis is nearly 60 years old, the wrinkles on his face are visible. But its handsome figure and charming eyes make the audience outside the screen sink into it. In the film, he interprets the inner world and emotional transformation of the actor Reynolds in a realistic and touching way. Coupled with an elegant and handsome appearance, the Reynolds haute couturer's identity is rendered into a three-pointer, and every move can squeeze the heartstrings.
and the actor who played Alma is Luxembourg actor Vicki Crisp. Little-known, she was able to play on the same stage with the movie emperor and did not fall behind, and her own savvy and acting skills cannot be ignored. From Alma's initial obedience to later rebellion, Vicki Crisp has a good grasp of this degree, without artificiality and smooth performance.
In the film, the wonderful performances of the two protagonists not only make the characters three-dimensional and vivid, but also make the film exude infinite charm, making the film more connotative and worthy of savoring. It is said that a good saddle and a good horse are precisely the two actors' precise handling of the roles, thus creating a vivid and representative character image.
02. Visual lens language: the overall picture is beautiful and varied, and the characters’ delicate emotional experience is in line with the viewer’s audiovisual perception
"The Phantom Sewer" is known as a masterpiece of art, not only because of the story of the movie, but also the director Sophisticated production on the visual lens. Through the stunning visual aesthetics and rich presentation of lens language, it brings a wonderful viewing experience to the audience. The gorgeous costume background of
① brings out the retro sense of the picture and the British high coldness. The hero of the
movie is a master of costume, so gorgeous costumes are indispensable. In real life, it is now difficult to see the traditional sewing process in the field of clothing, stitch by stitch. While "Phantom Tailor" restores the clothing scene of the 1950s, it also presents an unfinished visual feast to the audience.
Some people think that the clothes in the movie are all beautified, but they are not. All the costumes in the movie are completely original works, real materials, and each set is designed and sewn according to the plot.
In order to prepare this film, the director and costume design team have put a lot of effort into it. I traveled all over London and dug up a section of Flemish lace that was 3 meters long and only 7 cm wide. It originated from the 17th century Flemish lace. This fabric stopped production after World War II.
shadowIn the film, Alma wears a dark red waist dress, which is decorated with complicated lace elements on the round skirt. When Alma revolved for the client's display, could see from Reynolds's ecstatic eyes that the heroine in this dress was his muse. The advancement of the
film is like a catwalk of classical costumes, and every piece of clothing is like telling a distant story. It is no exaggeration to say that movie viewers seem to be enjoying a visual feast while watching the movie, and movie viewers in the flow of clothing seem to be in London, England of that era.
In my opinion, the quality and collocation of the clothes worn by the protagonists on various occasions in the film not only reflect the retro feeling and British high coldness on the film screen, but also make the audience feel the strong visual shock and the ups and downs. Get an excellent viewing experience in the intersection of plots.
②The lens language is rich and delicate, showing the inner emotional changes of the characters
The film lens is extremely delicate, coupled with the changes in light and shade, to achieve a high degree of convergence with the plot. There is a scene in the movie where Alma is leaning against Reynolds. The director gave a close-up shot, with light hitting a part, reflecting Reynolds's angular face and slightly raised hands, while Alma was at a blurred angle. This scene also implies that the male protagonist knows whether to grasp the ambivalence of love.
When Reynolds and Alma were walking by the beautiful lake and the wind was blowing comfortably, Reynolds took Alma's hand and they smiled at each other. Although there is not much language here, the beautiful natural scenery in the lens is covered with a thin haze, which seems to indicate the uncertainty of the future.
In my opinion, under the seemingly peaceful lens, the emotions of the characters are brewing over the river to Haiti. The director used such delicate and depressive language lens to portray the inner activities of the characters at a certain moment.
Compared with the movies I have watched in the past, I think the lens language of this film is more delicate and rich, but it has reached another level, and people have to sigh its power. Under the lens of the director, whether it is Reynolds or Alma, their inner emotions are vividly depicted.
03. From the analysis of the presentation of the theme, through the reversal of the accumulation of conflicts and the polish of the music, the richness of the content of the film is cleverly augmented, and the audience resonates. In addition to the traction of the main storyline of the film, the director also uses other factors. Make the story of the film more emotional and make the theme more meaningful. Careful study shows the director's intentions.
①Conflicts continue to accumulate and spiral upward, paving the way for the sublimation and resolution of the biggest contradiction.
The first stage of conflict: Alma’s meal is too dynamic, and Reynolds feels that the sound is too harsh; Alma said to the fabric selected for the customer Not satisfied, Reynolds felt that her taste was too tacky. The conflicts at this time are all small incidents accumulated, and they are all resolved by the close interaction between the two in daily life.
The second stage of conflict: The conflict at this stage of is mainly manifested in the Belgian princess coming to customize the wedding dress. Facing the princess’s perfect temperament, Alma’s newly established self-confidence is instantly defeated, jealousy is ignited, and Reynolds There was an argument. In order to ease the relationship between the two, Alma prepared a surprise dinner, but in exchange for Reynolds's insult. Alma lost the last defense and put poisonous mushrooms in Reynolds's tea. The sick Reynolds was extremely dependent on Alma, and felt that he could not leave Alma. After he recovered from his illness, he immediately proposed marriage and the contradiction was temporarily resolved. The third stage of
conflict: The conflict has not been resolved due to marriage, and there are constant conflicts arising from different concepts. Finally he started to complain that marriage ruined his life. When the plot reached a tense, Alma thought of poisonous mushrooms again. finally surrendered in the conflict between the two, and the contradiction was resolved in this kind of abnormal way.
In my opinion, from the beginning of the film, the cultural background and the different personalities and concepts of the two have paved the way for future conflicts. As the film progresses, this kind of dramatic conflict is more like a game in a martial arts field. Both parties want to destroy the other's original world to achieve a dominant position, and finally they findAt the fulcrum of balance, a new world belonging to them was established.
②Music is a tool for expressing emotions, symbolizing the language of the film
. It is not an exaggeration to say that "The Phantom of the Seamstress" is a joint feast of vision and hearing. The soundtrack plays an indispensable role in creating a calm, simple and restrained film atmosphere. When you have finished watching the movie and listen to the original soundtrack again, it is not difficult to find that the soundtrack John Greenwood is fully worthy of the Oscar nomination.
The soundtrack of the film is full of classical music. In addition to the visually revealed classicist aesthetics, it also highlights the turbulent emotions in the plot, allowing the audience to feel another language apart from the lines.
Especially at the end of the movie, the director spent nearly ten minutes showing the process of Irma frying poisonous mushrooms for Reynolds. There was no line in the whole process, but with the circumflex soundtrack, the emotions of the characters seemed to be about to explode. The peaceful cooking scene is frightening.
When Reynolds took the poison and embraced Irma, the theme of the movie sounded for the third time. The vigorous string music and timpani pushed this complex and absurd feeling to a climax.
In my opinion, it is the film’s soundtrack that brings the audience’s emotions to the plot, following the characters’ emotions and inner activities, constantly ups and downs, and makes the audience feel the content of the story and understand this more deeply. Duan extremely shocking abnormal love affair. It can be said that the music in the film is simply magical, which drives the emotional rendering of the entire film.
③Finally, the reversal ending is set. The male protagonist is willing to eat poisonous mushrooms and open the inner fortress to hand over himself
Through the previous interpretation, we know that the male protagonist Reynolds is particularly disgusted with some of the female protagonist’s behaviors and hobbies, and even feels vulgar. Extremely. But his madness is not only the provocation of his authority by the heroine, but also his own contradictory entangled heart.
Here the director sets up a plot that makes the audience hold their breath: Alma once again feels the crisis is coming, and cooks poisonous mushrooms again, so that Reynolds can rely more on himself and no longer be indifferent to himself. When
ate poisonous mushrooms for the first time, Reynolds didn't know it, or felt it but didn't want to pursue it. Can Alma get his wish this time? Will Reynolds still eat poisonous mushrooms? It can be said that this plot is carefully designed by the director, and the nervous emotions of the viewers are brought to the throat.
When Alma carried a basket to pick poisonous mushrooms in the wild, many viewers might be thinking of the scene when Alma was secretly grinding poisonous mushrooms. This is the routine of many movies. But the director designed a big reversal here, pushing the plot to a climax.
Alma not only did not secretly grind the poisonous mushrooms, on the contrary, she calmly boiled the poisonous mushrooms under Reynolds' noses, and then brought them to Reynolds. This was not over yet, was beyond everyone's expectations. Reynolds was able to endure the disgusting smell of butter, the crisp sound of pouring water, and smiled and ate the poisonous mushrooms.
In my opinion, poisoning mushrooms is the most exciting part of this love game in the film. This unpredictable love has a dramatic reversal due to a few poisonous mushrooms, and it becomes more and more gloomy, subverting the audience's inherent cognition of love, and it is indescribably beautiful.
To sum up:
In the end, the film ended with Alma's success. She was no longer a dispensable person in the house, she became the person he could not leave. Some people say that this kind of love is too extreme, but if you watch a movie just to satirize your life with the movie, or criticize and tease the love story in the movie, then you will definitely miss a good movie.
"The Phantom Sewer" is a joint work of the "ghost" director Paul Thomas Anderson and the "Thousand Faces" Lewis. In my opinion, in addition to the touching storyline, its characterization and thematic emotional presentation methods Especially worthy of the audience's taste. And the display of classical costumes is an unmissable visual enjoyment, which is a unique costume feast in the world. Therefore, if you want to understand the film, you must interpret it from multiple angles.
