"I think Shanghai has a very strong vitality, and I like the international elements this city has."
British director Oliver Parker, who came to Shanghai again after 6 years, is very fond of Shanghai. "Not unfamiliar", but also "unfamiliar" with its ever-changing changes. He has directed film works such as "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "Othello", and this time he brought his new work "The Great Deserter" to the Shanghai International Film Festival.
The plot of "The Great Deserter" is based on a true story and is not complicated: 89-year-old World War II veteran Bernie lives in a nursing home with his wife Renee. 2014 was the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Bernie planned to participate in commemorative activities, but missed the opportunity to register as a group. Renee encouraged this and hoped that Bernie would go alone. So, the next day, when Bernie sneaked out of the nursing home and embarked on an "escape", he also began to face the past and his unresolved knot.
Although decades have passed since World War II, new wars and conflicts continue to break out. Although the United Kingdom and other Western countries have shown their support by providing military aid to Ukraine in different forms and to varying degrees, there are private voices calling for peace. According to members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (cnd), a British anti-war and anti-nuclear organization, the public should debate whether to choose methods other than nuclear weapons and military means to resolve conflicts. At the same time, they also encourage people to contribute to the process of promoting denuclearization and creating a peaceful future.
In such a context of frequent conflicts, international exchanges, especially cultural exchanges, are particularly important. In an exclusive interview with The Paper (www.thepaper.cn), Parker said that the film aims to tell the story of universal values āāsuch as love and peace. "Only when we know each other better can we have more understanding and tolerance, and realize the purpose of love and peace."
is not in Chinatown, but in Shanghai
The Paper: On the evening of June 21st, you sat in the audience and watched "The Great Deserter" and became your own audience. This is very much like (British director) Hitchcock. While you don't have a supporting role in your own work like he does, you've observed the audience's reaction.
Parker: I'm very interested in seeing the reactions of Chinese audiences, it's always very enlightening and I'm interested to see how emotions are conveyed. It's actually quite pleasurable to hear the laughter and sense people's emotional involvement.
The Paper: "The Great Deserter" has the same story-telling as your other director's works, such as Oscar Wilde's original work "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and the film adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello" Very strong. Do you think these stories resonate with audiences?
Parker: I'm interested in bringing these stories to a wider audience. Although great writers such as Shakespeare can attract audiences and audiences regard them as very important, this is more for the elite. I'm more interested in promoting these stories to more diverse groups.
The Paper: What was your motivation for filming "The Great Deserter"? Do you want to promote the idea of āālove and peace?
Parker: I love stories because they are an amazing way for people to connect with each other. In part, The Great Deserter is a hero's journey for Bernie, a man who leaves England for France in the hope of confronting his own demons and somehow returning to the battlefield. I think my story is about the hope of digging into human connections, looking for things that ultimately give us a deeper understanding of our current predicament.
The Paper: "The Great Deserter" was filmed in the coastal town of Hastings in England and other places. Hastings can overlook the French city of Calais across the English Channel. The theme of this film happens to be related to the Normandy landings in World War II.What considerations did you make when choosing the location?
Parker: The prototype of Bernie lives in Hove, a small town not far from Hastings. During the filming, it was difficult for us to travel to France for filming due to the UK's "Brexit" and other reasons. We considered several seaside towns in England and finally settled on Hastings. Although we didn't initially take into account Hastings's view over Calais, it certainly had the atmosphere needed for the film.
The Paper: This film is based on the personal story of a British World War II veteran. At the same time, the film was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival. As Sir Michael Caine, who plays Bernie, said, when he first learned that the film was about to meet Chinese audiences, he thought it would be screened in Chinatown in London's West End, not Shanghai. From your perspective, how does this film resonate with Chinese audiences?
Parker: I think this movie is meant to convey some universal themes, and sometimes the best way to do that is to go with something very specific. To some extent, everything in art has metaphors. In this movie, perhaps this was a war that Britain faced at that time, but it might also be a war that anyone has to face. In this movie, besides World War II, there is also, more specifically, a war with sentience. For a person who has experienced war, if he can find someone who has had a similar experience to himself, this may be a kind of salvation.
In the movie, when Bernie met the German veterans who fought on the same beach as him, he chose forgiveness and no longer regarded the Germans as enemies. This is also the reason why the audience responds greatly to this plot.
Who is your enemy? What else could it be? It's another human being. We all live on this planet together and we must find ways not to get involved in conflict. Just like Bernie's comrade Douglas died in World War II, when Bernie found Douglas's grave, he thought it would offset the sadness in his heart, but this was actually far from enough. That's why Renee wants him to understand that this is survivor's guilt, not his fault alone.
After returning to the UK from France and completing his "escape", the media rushed to interview Bernie. It was then that Bernie realized how hollow it all was. This is an understanding of the truth. He is able to see the truth directly instead of being trapped in the packaging of the truth. Because sometimes, war may be considered glorious, or growing old may be a good thing.
"If you want to eat Black Forest cake, don't start a war"
The Paper News: This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. Some media said that this may be the last important commemorative ceremony of this kind that some World War II veterans can participate in during their lifetimes. For young people, this is very moving, because they may not have a complete understanding of this history. At the same time, World War II is the common memory of all mankind. This movie with this background is being screened in China. Do you think this movie can help Chinese audiences better understand the history of the Normandy landing?
You also planted many humorous jokes in this movie. For example, Bernie said, "If you want Black Forest cake, don't start a war." It seems like a joke, but it actually illuminates the relationship between Britain and Germany from the perspective of a veteran. Facts of fighting in World War II. From an impact perspective, what do you think the film's international impact is?
"The Great Deserter" director Parker. The Paper reporter Zhao Yun Picture
Parker: Starring Sir Kane is a huge asset to the film because he is famous around the world. The film had a low budget, but I thought there was something important, simple, direct and emotional about the film, which I wanted. I hope people can relate to this movie, it's a lot of fun. The good thing now is that, for example, there are many good foreign films in the UK, including Chinese and Korean ones, which is an encouragement. Because in the process of integrating different cultures, you can find connections and similarities between cultures.
I think the last thing we want is to be marginalized.But at the same time, āreal valuesā are being re-established.
The Paper: There are still ongoing wars in the world. Do you think The Great Deserter can help people better understand the themes of love and peace? The film is being screened in Shanghai this time. Do you think cultural exchanges between different countries are very important to achieve love and peace?
Parker: I think the more we understand each other, the less likely we are to fight each other. In fact, many wars do not consider the well-being of the people, but are mostly aimed at land or power, and these two factors are often related to each other. I think occasionally there are some more complex (conflict) contexts, like religion. But in general, when war breaks out, we often only learn the relevant content from our own country, but do we understand the overall situation?
In addition, we have new things such as social platforms and artificial intelligence that have huge power, but they are also quite dangerous. How to regulate and maintain fairness is also a battle. There are so many things that can pit people against each other, what do we do and whose side do we stand on? Although The Great Deserter is just a movie, I believe we need as much dialogue and exchange as possible.
"The Man Full of History"
The Paper: This movie is about history. If people from different countries understand each other's history, will it help them see each other in a more objective way in the future?
Parker: I once shot in Serbia. Because Serbia was facing bombing at that time, the locals were very angry and aggrieved. I had a Serbian mixer, and he talked about the Western bombing of Serbia because the West wanted to colonize Serbia at the time.
I have read some books on Chinese history, although not much. Plus my father was in China as a child in the 1930s, and I always felt like I had a little bit of a connection here. I put these fragments together and gradually formed a picture of the country.
We may gradually become a person "full of history (knowledge)", but we will not realize it. However, I think we never know enough. Therefore, it is very important to have enough understanding and tolerance, as well as empathy, because we need to understand other people's feelings from their perspective.
The Paper: So do you think that film and television works and literary works can promote this process?
Parker: Yes, I hope so. To me, these works are more about humans than information. Like a house, knowledge is the furniture, and the house itself represents the ability to empathize, to understand what others are feeling.
The Paper: From a broad perspective, how do you understand love and peace?
Parker: One of my idols is the British poet William Blake. He once had a famous saying: Opposition is true friendship. Without opposition, there will be no progress. In other words, standing up for what you believe in can be a gesture of love. Even though this gesture is in contrast and different from others, it is well-intentioned.
In Britain in the 1960s, influenced by hippie culture, love and peace were regarded as clichƩs. At the time people would have thought that was a very weak force, but I think love and peace can be very powerful. Love is unconditional, we're not expecting something in return, we're sacrificing your own interests, and that's really hard.
To me, the concept of love is active participation, where you are true to yourself and generous to others. This is what it means to be alive, full of potential compromises. It's not about conformity, I think these elements are different notes that make up the harmony.
