Speaking of road movies, I have to mention last year’s Oscar’s best film "Green Book". This film uses road movies as a carrier to thoroughly interpret the contradictions between race and skin color, identity and class, and won the best Oscar. Many awards for film, best original screenplay, and best supporting actor.
"Green Book" is adapted from a true story. It tells the story of the genius black pianist Shelley hired the old white gunner Tony as a driver to travel south to the apartheid southern United States for a tour. The racial conflicts, class conflicts, The self-conflict forced the two to face various problems together. As a result, the two formed a deep friendship and reached a reconciliation with each other through a journey. In addition to telling about a profound identity issue, the charm of 's "Green Book" is that it carries a conflict and salvation between two people in the form of a road film, and it also uses profound lens language. Intensified conflicts and contradictions, which is of great practical significance. Today I will interpret this Oscar best film from three aspects: expression, lens language, and realistic meaning.
01 Forms of expression: under the shell of a road movie, there is a journey of self-salvation of two people.
Road movies take the road as the basic spatial background and reflect life on the road, usually with the theme of escape, wandering or searching. The protagonist's suspicion of life or yearning for freedom, thus showing the complex relationship and inner world between people and society.
"Green Book" takes a highway movie as a form of expression. Before departing from New York, Shelly, who lacks identity, hopes to dissolve everyone's prejudice by going to the southern regions where racial discrimination is more serious; Tony, who was originally prejudiced against blacks In order to survive, he had to take over the job of the driver. The two protagonists each took their own contradictions on the road, and completed a journey of self-search and redemption through a tour from New York all the way south.
1. [New York-Pittsburgh] Contradiction accumulation: in constant running-in, exposing contradictions
Before we set off, we can see the different personalities of the two characters through various details: the arrogant Tony behaves rudely, likes to fight, and takes black people. There is prejudice; on the contrary, Shelly shows an aristocratic and elite temperament in terms of clothing and tone of speech.
Because of the contradiction between the two people, conflicts continued after departure: Shelly confessed his work to Tony in the car, but Tony behaved very noisy, chatting about the parents’ short-term, which made Shelly very impatient; when Tony stopped to go to the toilet, Don’t forget to take away the wallet to prevent the black Shelly from stealing; after arriving at the premiere, Shelly asked Tony to pay attention to his words, deeds and social etiquette. Tony didn’t obey...
. The prejudice made enough background for the subsequent transition.
2. [Pittsburgh-North Carolina] Contradiction eased: in the process of solving the difficulties, and gradually learned that
's first performance in Pittsburgh, Tony was moved by Shelley's music, and his prejudice against him ushered in a turning point, so afterwards On the way, Tony started to chat with Shelly about music and the origin of his name. In the subsequent crises such as the piano did not meet the requirements and the Shelly bar was discriminated against, Tony took a timely action to solve the problem and completed the change from being partial to supporting Shelly.
, after gradually letting go of their prejudice, they influenced each other in their own way: Shelly always used more advanced training methods to change Tony’s bad habits, such as telling him not to gamble with people on the street, because he has The right to become a better person is to stop Tony from stealing stones and throwing beverage bottles; Tony also asked Shelly to lay down his burden and try to eat fried chicken.
During this journey, the two gradually understood and the relationship gradually eased, but on the contrary, society's prejudice against blacks has become deeper and deeper, which also implies a series of twists and turns that will happen soon.
3. [North Carolina-Birmingham] Conflict broke out: in the ongoing conflict, confided in our hearts and upgraded friendship
On the following journey, we saw more and more serious discrimination: Shelley went to the bathroom and tried on clothes Rejected, strayed into a day where blacks cannot be seen at nightWhen Luozhen was arrested, Shelly’s journey of trying to change discrimination was also met with unprecedented challenges.
During this journey, the relationship between the two also ushered in a turning point because of a deeper understanding: Shelly taught Tony to write letters and express love in a more gentle way; Shelly told Tony about his musical journey, and Tony's encouragement; Tony To tell Shelly that he would not leave, the two shook hands and made peace; on the rainy night after being arrested in Sunset Town, Shelly confided in his emotional breakdown.
So far, under the deeper discrimination and pressure, Shelly continued to break through and resist himself, and at the same time, it intensified his disidentification of himself. And Tony also recognized and respected Shelly more times because of his many confession, and the relationship between the two was also upgraded in the ordeal.
4. [Birmingham-New York] Reconciliation: In each other's achievements, accepting oneself and growing together
reached the last stop, because the restaurant where the performance refused to eat black people, Shelly refused to perform, at this time Tony no longer because of not getting the rest He helped the restaurant speak for his salary, but chose to participate in this struggle with Shelly.
The two who finally ran away came to a black bar. Shelly improvised and played on the same stage with black people to win everyone’s sincere applause. Shelley on the stage played his heart-loving tunes and accepted his black identity. Reconciliation with self.
In the end, Tony also completed his own growth, learned to write letters gently, asked Shelly to be a guest when he returned home, and stopped his family from calling black people with prejudice.
This journey from New York and finally back to New York completed its mission: two people each found themselves on the road, and each other made each other. It is not so much a tour to eliminate prejudice, it is more a journey of self-salvation and self-reconciliation.
"Green Book" takes the road movie as the carrier, and interprets the serious black equal rights topic through the relaxed humor of the road movie, and uses a distance as the cutting and turning point of the relationship between the two people to achieve the turning point of the relationship between the two people. The ultimate sublimation, this is where the charm of highway movies lies.
02 Lens language: under a mild narrative, use images and colors to show contradictions and conflicts
Although "Green Book" is a movie set on ethnic conflicts, it is very gentle in narrative, and it is not very shocking. Scenes or big conflicts are used to tell history, but there is more element of comedy . But if you observe carefully, you will find that the film contains a wealth of details in the lens to supplement the conflicts between people and society. The director presents contradictions and conflicts through changes in camera positions, changes in space positions of characters, changes in lighting and colors, and hides the changes in the relationships and emotions of the characters in the details of various lens languages.
1. The change of camera position implies a change in the relationship between characters.
The famous film researcher Dr. Gong Jinping once said, "The angle of the camera sometimes implies the emotional attitude of the creator." The choice of camera position is the hidden narrative of the film. The form not only presents the film's narrative viewpoint and narrative standpoint, but also implies the emotional tone of the film.
In "Green Book", pitch and head-up lenses are used in many places to imply the relationship and personal emotions of the two protagonists.
When the relationship between the two people eases, the film uses more head-up lenses, and the conversation between the two people becomes more relaxed, which implies that the relationship between the two is gradually becoming more Equality and affinity.
Pitching shot of two people on the stairs
2. The changes in the spatial position of the characters imply changes in the emotions of the characters
The space and composition of the film are not only to record scenes, but more importantly, to promote the development of plots and characters. The emotional changes between the two protagonists in the "Green Paper" from repelling to accepting, from antagonistic relationships to becoming close friends, are presented in many details.
At first, Shelly sat directly behind the driver Tony. For safety reasons, it is safest to sit behind the driver, but it also implies thanks. Lee’s rejection of Tony and the relationship between the two employers; and as the relationship between the two improved, Shelly began to sit on the right side of the back seat so that Tony could see Shelly through the rearview mirror, and Shelly was no longer restrained, naturally. Communicate with Tony. compares the seat details before and after, suggesting that the two are gradually changing from restraint and caution to closeness and trust.
Shirley’s seat changes
3. The changes in lighting and colors imply changes in the mood of the characters and the tone of the story.
Lights and colors play an important role in the shaping of the character’s image. The light effects and color changes of the movie can portray the environment and render the atmosphere, and can better portray the emotions and emotions of different characters, suggesting the psychological activities and emotional changes of the characters, and make the plot more rhythmic.
"Green Book" has a very brilliant performance in terms of lighting and color. Through the contrast of light and shade and tones of the picture in different periods, it highlights the changes in the protagonist's mood before and after, as well as the contrast in the direction of the story.
The contrast of light and dark when performing for whites and playing in black bars
The contrast between the cold tones of rainy nights and the warm tones of snowy nights
03 Realistic significance: Behind the Oscar Best Picture, we leave us with a deeper level of reflection
"Green Book"It breaks through the limitations of racial issues and re-examines the transparent wall between people from the perspective of the entire society, giving the theme of "racial discrimination" a deeper interpretation of space .
1. About acceptance: "There are too many lonely people in the world who are afraid to take the first step."-To gain recognition, you must first accept yourself
The loneliness of Shelly in "Green Book" comes from the contradiction of his identity : "Not white enough, not black enough, not even man enough". Shelley, who received an elite education, acted like an aristocrat, but the black skin color made him never accept himself in his heart. He was respected on the stage. After he took off his status as a musician, he was a "nigger" hated by white people.
Under the influence of Tony, Shelly gradually put down his label, ate fried chicken, and played cheerful music in black bars. When Shelly truly accepted that he was a black man, his loneliness gradually dissipated and he found himself back. Happiness.
"The Courage to Be Disgusted" says: "Too much hope to be recognized by others, will live according to others' expectations. That is to abandon your true self and live in other people's lives. There is no need to be recognized by others. , Don’t seek recognition.”
Set aside racial conflicts, Shelly’s path to self-acceptance actually tells us that if we are always afraid of others labeling ourselves and expecting others’ recognition, then we will always Can only live in other people's world, not get the happiness that belongs to me. Isn’t it a simple pleasure to eat fried chicken and play your favorite music on less elegant occasions? Take the first step and accept yourself, and you will open the door to a new world.
2. About courage: "If you want to change people's hearts, you need courage."——A tribute to the brave pioneer
in "Green Book" who could have performed respectfully on stage with a triple high salary , At the risk of enduring all kinds of unfair treatment, went south to tour, in order to change people's perception of blacks. As Shelly’s partner said to Tony, “That’s because genius is far from enough. To change people’s hearts, it takes courage.” Although the last anti-discrimination journey failed before the last performance It ended, but Shelley's actions were very representative, representing the individual's awakening at the time and the courage to make changes.
dates back to 1962 when the story happened, when the black civil rights movement was in full swing. At that time, racial discrimination was still very serious. Blacks and whites implemented the "equality but separation" policy, which means that although they have the same rights, To be separated, whites eat in white restaurants, blacks cannot enter, and blacks cannot go to white schools, only schools for blacks.
For every change, a courageous pioneer must make a change. So in 1995, a black female worker named Parkes was arrested for refusing to give up her seat because she took a white seat on the bus, and the American civil rights movement kicked off. It is worth mentioning that there were four black people in the car at that time, and San Er was forced to get up because of the driver's request, but Parkes bravely said "no" and made a groundbreaking change.
Mahatma Gandhi once advocated "Let the dream world be realized through our transformation." But the reality is that we always hope that others will start to change first. Therefore, in the movie, "To change people's hearts, what we need is courage". profound. Through this experience of Shelly, the film also pays tribute to the brave pioneers in history, the first person to make changes in all events, and even bring changes to human society at the expense of himself.
3. Regarding violence: "You will never win with violence. Only by maintaining dignity can you overcome everything"-non-violence is the principle to solve the problem.
Shelley in the "Green Book" encountered a lot of unfairness during the tour in the south When Tony resisted with violence, Shelly said a golden sentence: "You will never win with violence, only by maintaining dignity can you overcome everything."
The idea of non-violence is the main strategy of the black civil rights movement in the 1960s. Typical non-violent protests such as the bus not allowing blacks to sit in the front row, so some blacks do not sit in the front row, restaurants do not serve blacks, blacks Just sit quietly and protest silently. It was this kind of non-violent protest that slowly achieved the victory of the civil rights movement. The non-violent ideas conveyed in the movie "Green Book" are just a response to the current American society.
In addition, the non-violent ideas conveyed in the film are also applicable to our communication, collaboration, and various affairs. The famous best-selling book "Non-violent Communication" pointed out that "non-violent principles and methods can not only teach people how to make their personal lives more harmonious and beautiful, but also resolve many conflicts and disputes worldwide." Every individual of us, whether at work or at home, if we use non-violent ways to resolve conflicts, many things that originally appeared to be problems and troubles will be solved.
Concluding remarks
"Green Book" won the Oscar for Best Picture, and everyone praised it. But it is undeniable that as an Oscar-level film, "Green Book" is very well completed. Whether it is the form of expression, the language of the lens, or the social issues revealed behind it, it is worthy of our careful taste. The social class, race, rich and poor issues that
conveys through this road story are all worth discussing on today’s timeline. The self-identity issue reflected by the male protagonist Shelly is a problem that many of us are facing. Hope that through this film, we can all get our own thinking.
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