Chen Guofu is one of the few Taiwanese directors who has successfully entered the commercial market.
Perhaps for many people, his things are not artistic enough.
, but with Hou Xiaoxian , Zhan Hongzhi and others are the same golden generation, since filming has never been ambiguous.
From "Marriage Notice" to "Double Pupils", Chen Guofu's films are full of international standards, even on a Hollywood scale.
However, after recuperating from liver disease in 2004, Chen Guofu has moved behind the scenes to do some screenwriting work. The gratifying thing about
is that these years have clearly allowed Chen Guofu to have a broader vision, a bigger picture, and a stronger ambition.
has a more original and pragmatic view on how to balance the power of art form and commercial value . These gains of
are directly reflected in the film he directed in 2009.
"Wind"
The Message
"Wind" is a novel adapted from writer Maijia, which is a rare spy war theme in the Chinese film market in recent years. Huayi Brothers, the investor of
at the time, hoped to make Hollywood blockbuster movies.
plus executive director Gao Qunshu , Hong Kong art artist Ye Jintian, American photographer Xuanwu, plus many hot acting stars.
So no matter the suspense layout in the movie or the commercial promotion outside the movie, it is intriguing.
2006 was also adapted from the original work of Mai's " scheming ", which started the spy warfare of Chinese TV series.
Three years later, "The Sound of the Wind" extended it to the big screen. The most valuable thing about
"The Wind" is that it depicts a vivid and legendary story. Although
is a spy movie as a type of publicity.
But in fact, its plot content and genre are similar to Hitchcock’s classic " north-northwest " and "Spy Soul", or "Spy Game" starring Brad Pitt, Spielber Grid 's "Munich" has great genre and style differences.
"The Sound of the Wind" is more of a "ghost hunting" spy movie. In the film, several people are considered to be spies. After they are locked, they are locked in one place, and then it is necessary to find out who among them is. traitor.
Usually the protagonist of the police film is the policeman who wants to catch the murderer.
However, "The Sound of the Wind" is the reverse, that is, it is the bad guy who catches people, and the hero is the protagonist who gets caught. In the process of
, everyone is more ruthless than tricks, wisdom, willpower, and who is more cruel...
then advances the plot layer by layer.
is based on plot presentation and performance techniques, "The Wind" is actually closer to a reasoning drama, a psychological thriller.
During war, many of the original moral bottom lines can be destroyed and broken through, and human feelings will become very unreliable.
Usually we can talk about human relations, morals, and ethics in a respectful way
But when everyone's life is threatened, can people still hold on to this bottom line? The story of
"The Wind" is to put all people in a situation that is closest to the bottom line of human morality and let them be tested.
examines where people’s feelings and beliefs are at that time. This is an extreme drama state.
even, in the process of extracting a confession and execution by the underground anti-Japanese organization " old ghost ", it is obvious that there are also B-level film elements (like a haunted house, Qiuzhuang that causes confinement phobia) and "Imperial Soul" resembles the bloody smell of a killing movie. These elements of
make "Wind Sound" a masterpiece with full and rich theme elements and open style. The clue of
"The Wind" isFrom the confrontation between traitors and orthodoxy, there are the interests of willingness, falsehood and apology, stubbornness, alliances of interest, lingering life, or treating each other with sincerity. All intelligence or confession of
is not only a sharp edge but also exposes its blind spots. The Japanese military officer Takeda played by
Huang Xiaoming wants to use this humanity to find out what he wants.
But the most subtle key to "The Wind" lies in the use of "betrayal".
The five suspects are not originally strangers, and the prerequisite for joining the Wang government is not necessarily betrayal.
But on the verge of life and death, driven by the survival instinct, you have to let go of all friendships, not only "betray" the false friendship, and when necessary, "betray" the conscience or mission you originally believed in. In order to protect itself,
has to hurt others and give up the affection and conscience that he originally believed and accepted; how can
who make the "betrayal" option assess the goodwill and trust of others? The human suffering experienced by each character of
has become the most solid drama of "The Wind".
What this novel really wants to tell is the truth about history and the differences in national culture.
can be said that the nearly two-hour movie borrowed the shell of the novel and abandoned the original concept of the load in the novel and the experiment in the literary form.
It needs to outline the character's personality and interaction in a short time, and create a suspenseful atmosphere of intrigue.
So the film succinctly brings out the anti-Japanese background during the Wang Jingwei government.
used Japanese officers to confine the five government personnel who handled intelligence to the precipitous Qiuzhuang compound.
used both physical torture and psychological tactics to try to find out who was the "old ghost" who was secretly assassinating.
After several wits between the spy and the spy, the film gradually narrowed the scope of suspicion.
It is not difficult for a careful audience to infer the identity of the "old ghost" from the weight of the actors and the order of punishment.
However, the real mystery does not stop there. The wrestling of personal ethics and group beliefs, and the emotional choice between false and real...
reveals the mission statement under the shadow of the spy, and it is the truth that Chen Guofu wants to improve the level of genre drama. After entering the Qiuzhuang compound, the movie
immediately became extremely exciting. In order to survive, all the intrigues and tricks of the people under house arrest came out.
I like "The Wind" for many reasons. One of them is that Chinese films have gradually begun to get rid of the old way of selling Orientalism, and slowly move out of their own new business route.
The whole movie is simple but suspenseful, just like a successful reasoning work, how to detonate the biggest spark among the fewest characters on the scene.
This is a topic that must be broken through and considered in suspense movies. The story of
is very much like "No Survival" written by Agatha Christie.
In a closed space, the murderer is one of a limited number of people, but who is the final answer is a subject left for the audience to think about.
Compared with the number of people in "No Life", "The Wind" reduces the clues to five people, and the arrangement of the role cast is also easy to see.
Five suspects and two suspicious officers were completely locked in these two gloomy stone buildings.
can imagine the despicableness, betrayal, cruelty, etc. of human nature are about to appear here.
is not expected, just a small interrogation, it is easy to reveal the evil side of human beings. After
, Takeda's tactics led to internal strife among the suspects.
Torture is the most exciting part of the film, I almost closed my eyes and dared not watch it. Thinking about it, my scalp becomes numb. The most horrible thing about
should be the torture suffered by the last Gu Xiaomeng , presumably many people can't forget that period of almost empathic fear!
The theme of this film revolves around who is the inner ghost , the leaderAll means must be used to lure it to appear, and others must do everything possible to get rid of it.
However, Chen Guofu seems to focus on the former, while the latter appears weak.
Frankly speaking, there are only five suspects, so it's not enjoyable to play.
was the first to be beaten to death, and the second to commit suicide with a gun. Is there anything to watch next? No one is surprising.
However, Chen Guofu finally won.
not only uses the "accomplice" system, but also cleverly embeds the process of intelligence transmission in the inconspicuous links.
When the audience was forced to think only from the perspective of Takeda and Wang Tianxiang, they fell into his "trick."
waited until the protagonist at the end of the film cleared all the questions, I suddenly realized.
The actions and language of the characters originally had a deep meaning, if the audience did not pay attention, it would be fleeting .
This is also what I admire the most about Director Chen. Perhaps the process of psychological wrestling may not be perfect. Why are the strong men so unyielding and loyal?
But the tricks he used really surprised me and became the biggest bright spot in my mind. The story of
, to put it bluntly, is depicting the tragedy of the great era in China.
was aggressively invaded by foreign enemies in Japan, and even a pseudo-government was behind it. As a result, a patriotic national spirit emerged spontaneously.
civilians have organized underground anti-Japanese organizations, using various methods to kill and resist foreign enemies, and the most important thing among them is "intelligence." With accurate intelligence,
can naturally assassinate the anti-Japanese operations without error.
The English title of the word "wind sound" actually stands for "message", with words entrained in the wind. The "message" of
is the "last intelligence, vital intelligence" in the story.
As for the extension outside the play, it can be said that the message is "to convey the power and basic value of human nature."
The characters in the movie "The Sound of the Wind" are completely inherited from the original.
Mai's family has created several legendary figures with facial makeup.
such as traitor Wang Tianxiang, decoding genius Li Ningyu , ghost Gu Xiaomeng, iron-blooded man Wu Zhiguo and so on.
These characters have bright personalities, and some people are also burdened by the shadow of family or the bondage of lovers.
Among them, these four characters are matched with other characters that portray human nature, which has caused a hot spot for the movie itself.
So strictly speaking, the scene of "The Wind" is a secret room.
Before the mystery is solved, no one can leave; at the same time, every move of other people has become a turmoil. Under a setting like
, human nature has become a very easy prop.
By playing with human nature, the clues began to be slowly distracted.
It can be said that the movie is a novel ready-made legendary story to transform.
But since it is a "remodeling", since it is a mainstream commercial blockbuster, it must meet the needs of the audience in all aspects.
includes novel methods, vivid characters, and unexpected endings... The highlight of
is that this is a group of heroes, and all the characters on the stage are fully engaged.
"The Sound of the Wind" uses a lot of dialogue and narration to explain the storyline, instead of the actors performing the important key points.
Chen Guofu makes good use of the screen cutscenes and text supplements to simplify the supposedly complicated spy story, so that the audience can easily enter the situation-together with the actors to guess who the "old ghost" is.
is dubbed with a click-and-click sound like a Morse code to make up for Gu Xiaomeng's thoughts that the screenwriter could not describe.
This is extremely rare in the presentation of a film classified as a suspense. The movie
clears the suspicious character to a fixed point, severely interrogated, and occasionally interspersed with verbal provocations, which shows that Chen Guofu has a good understanding of human psychology.
So the gloomy building in the movie turned into an adult Shura field, and the slightest disturbance caused an uproar.
z2All of 7z's words, actions, facial expressions, and eyes are examined in a magnified manner. I don't know whose turn will be the next person to be tortured .
Although the audience is outside the screen and the flesh is not painful, they feel the tension created by the whole film, and even the breathing is a bit oppressive.
Chinese-language movies with the theme of spy war have not been unpopular, but they are relatively rare in the context of the Japanese puppet government.
usually adds the true theme of the story in such intense and suspenseful spy-to-spy plots. Under the tit-for-tat antagonism, unexpected lust bursts and distorting events are the main themes.
shows the helplessness and inextricability of being a spy, and the entanglement of interests in control of lust.
To be honest, this is a somewhat complicated history, and it is not easy to easily summarize all the ins and outs.
However, Chen Guofu, who has always been known for his humanities and sensibility, took just 15 minutes to explain all the causes and consequences and the complicated historical background clearly.
then allows the audience to continue the next episode with a clear heart.
's skill in telling stories like this is really complimenting. The difference between
spy films and gangster films is ideological struggle or emphasis on patriotism on the surface, but the genre elements of the two are very similar.
In this respect, you can also think of "The Wind" as a reversed police film . The policeman in
is actually a villain, what we call a traitor. If the villain wants to catch the hero, he puts all five people under house arrest in a luxurious castle. Inside, there is a traitor who they think has stolen intelligence. All three men and two women. It's a spy.
So the spy vs. spy plot of "The Wind" is wonderful and extraordinary, during which the interrogations are delicate and endless.
can be said to be the same as the passion of the love scene in "Lust and Caution", and it is ingeniously parallel to the sensory climax of the spy-to-spy psychological warfare.
In terms of plot, this story can almost be said to be the ultimate version of spies’ intrigue. It requires absolutely proficient acting skills and collocation to prop up the plot and persuade the audience. The main characters in the
play have distinct images and different difficulties, but the actor's performance is also balanced, refined, concentrated, accurate and restrained, which makes people impressed.
With the twists and turns of the plot of "The Wind", the director's technique also cleverly makes the audience can't help but question the justice and loyalty that should be absolutely affirmative.
seeks "justice" for cruel torture and unscrupulous means; espionage organization is committed to maintaining "loyalty" without regrets, sacrifices and enduring humiliation.
Both "justice" and "loyalty" are almost completely reversed in the movie!
The evil of justice is quite intriguing compared to the virtues of spies .
Of course, this has to be related to the abuse and arrogance caused by the improper growth and decline of power in the context of the time, but this issue is the shackles of history. In the movie,
is only (or can only be) a complete naked presentation and statement of the truth of the event, which is left to the audience for self-assessment.
Looking back on the history of past Chinese films, "The Wind" is one of the few Chinese films that can combine and play with so many types of elements, and at the same time, it can manage multiple lines, multi-character stories, and accurately control the transition, rhythm, drama and aesthetics of the film. .
More importantly, "Wind Sound" can maximize the dramatic tension and entertainment effect, and can also bring the killing atmosphere of the big era .
also has the psychological aspect of the characters, which is extremely accurate and accurately depicted, which is completely closely related to the audience's psychology and expectations, allowing the audience to be fully engaged and fully involved in the plot's deduction. The success of
"The Wind" is first attributed to Chen Guofu's script adaptation of the original novel, which can imitate the spirit of Stanley Kubrick in "The Shining".
is not limited to the frame of the original work, but is adapted according to the plot needs and personal aesthetics.
is especially full of visual impact and psychological oppressionThe scenes of forced confession, such as torture and killing, are a lot of extra points for the drama tension of the whole film, highlighting the dark and fragile side of human nature, and seeing the truth in adversity and other literary and martial arts.
"The Sound of the Wind" begins in the dark and ends in the light. The core of the story of
is to express the possibility of rising humanity .
Although the background of the war reminds us of pain, it exposes the most terrifying and wretched face of humanity.
But only in the age of perverted emotions can you witness the true glory of humanity.
It can be said that in the most difficult times, the most untestable is human emotions, but it is also human emotions that save us in the end.
is worth mentioning is the background music theme. "The Wind" looked for "The Message medley" by Oshimaman, and they all chose to implement the plot with a very basic and clean theme.
uses the simplest orchestration and melody to carry the elusive and confusing plot.
, in other words, only through non-Chinese composing can the relationship of position be fundamentally eliminated.
really objectively analyzes the movie screen from the perspective of an outsider, and puts the soundtrack appropriately to promote the plot.
is nothing more than the art design of Ye Jintian .
has been a member of many film art firefighting teams in recent years, creating a unique aesthetic for the quirky movie "The Wind".
, in that cold mansion like a prison cell, is full of luxury that is not in keeping with the times and the plot, and it also adds an interesting elegance to the tense atmosphere.
In addition to the exquisite clothing, Ye Jintian is not sloppy in the layout of the scene . Every scene in the
movie is done well. The gorgeous wallpapers, elegant sofas, colorful bed sheets and retro telephones stacked in layers of
, combined with lighting and photography, make any scene of "The Sound of the Wind" look pleasing to the eye. Although
doesn't paint much in the execution room, under Ye Jintian's design and Bao Xuanwu's photographic lens, it also presents a gloomy smell of death, which is impressive.
Ye Jintian's unique aesthetics, for this cruel movie, like Li Bingbing and Zhou Xun in the film, put on an extremely elegant and gorgeous cheongsam.
Secondly, the ingenuity of the casting is really the key to the success or failure of "The Wind". In addition to the complex and bizarre plot tension, it also fully demonstrated the rich emotion and depth of the story.
The number of suspected spies has decreased with the improper punishment in the film, but the truth of the story has become more fragmented and unpredictable, narrowing the scope of the suspicious case enlarges the suspense of the suspicious case. This part of
is the essence of "The Wind" in my opinion.
It is all based on the performance of the actors and the mutual connection to the layout.
More importantly, the acting skills of each role are enough to support the plot, convince the audience and even think and question. The final truth of
reveals that the director's technique is very beautiful, the rhythm is compact, streamlined and crisp, which clearly shows that the spy is more affectionate under the exercise of the devil's justice, and his loyalty spirit will continue to be carried forward under the body of successive sacrifices. , Stunned.
is immortal, just like the wind.
Huayi's many big-name actors help out. How to let the talents show their talents is a test of Chen Guofu's wisdom.
all actors have a high degree of difficulty in entering the roles in the play.
They all contributed wonderful and aptly wonderful acting skills, vividly interpreting the life of each character, making each character come alive and vividly.
Huang Xiaoming is too handsome, Zhou Xun is too casual, Zhang Hanyu is too serious, Li Bingbing is too restrained, Wang Zhiwen is too dignified, Yingda is too clever, Su Youpeng is too modern.
But on the other hand, you can also use each of them as the starting point for the role. Like
, after the catalysis of filming, Huang Xiaoming became a ruthless, cool and evil villain with a human contradiction. Zhou Xun was unbelievable and Zhang Hanyu was deeply impressed.In the test, Li Bingbing is relaxed outside, Wang Zhiwen is uncertain, Yingda is very wise and foolish, and Su Youpeng is both rigid and soft.
But if anyone surprises me the most about this film, I think it’s if it’s Bai Xiaonian .
is neither yin nor yang, but yin and yang.
has a feminine demeanor and a deliberately shrill voice, but the fascination that it reveals is naturally not pretentious.
I can't believe that he is the five elder brother who was obedient and handsome and affectionate.
Su Youpeng’s performance made me want to cheer for him. After he was tortured to be decent, he barely crawled out of the blood pool, emphasized to his lover, "I am not a ghost", and was beaten to death by the commander alive. .
is really awesome. The picture of him lying in the pool of blood at the end has been lingering in my mind for a long time.
It is a pity that Bai Xiaonian's Kunqu opera actors are feminine and eye-catching, but it is a pity that his hard-trained singing voice has been cut in the movie. The two female characters in the film
, Zhou Xun and Li Bingbing.
Looking back at Chen Guofu's previous works, it is not difficult to understand why the two rivals have become the most prominent passage in "The Wind".
The youthful friendship between girls with different personalities in "Junior High School Girls"; " My Beauty and Sorrow " reflects the "Peony Pavilion" double love; the pain that Du Jiazhen forgot in "Marriage Notice"...
Even if he played the thrilling "The Wind" in the spy war genre, the female drama with resentment is still the focus of Chen Guofu. With the fragile and tenacity of women, he explores the human nature under abnormal conditions. The performances of the two heroines
are good at winning the field. The spark of tit-for-tat should be the key to both being shortlisted for the best actress.
Lou Ye is no stranger to audiences familiar with Zhou Xun for the obsessive role in the outside and inside ingenuity in the movie, but her performance is indeed moving, and she is an indispensable hero of "The Wind". Li Ningyu, played by Li Bingbing of
, has an unexpected surprise. The costume and styling design succeeded in highlighting her classical charm. It is like a lonely rose with cold outside and hot inside. It teaches people to cherish the humiliation and betrayal she endured. After the collapse of
, the turn of counterattack and compromise is even more dramatic.
Finally, I have a little opinion on the handling of the final ending of the film.
I believe that everyone still remembers the last four characters of " Double Pupils ", "Love Is Not Dead"! This can be called the most classic "negative teaching material".
In "The Wind", I think Chen Guofu did learn the lessons of "Double Pupils", and did not fall at the last minute, but improved to "superfluous" in the last 10 minutes:
intends to imitate the usual "end" of Hollywood screenwriters. "Great Reversal" approach to increase the climax of the afterplay. The arrangement of
does effectively enhance the fun of image reading.
But in essence, this ten-minute drama is just Chen Guofu's habit of ending with the spirit of great love. At this point of human anatomy,
provides simple traditional options of "national justice" and "sacrificing the individual", which is far less complicated than the contradiction between female intelligence agents falling in love with traitors in "Lust, Caution". Although
is not a success or failure, it is still somewhat redundant, resulting in a slightly weak ending .
From "Double Pupils" to "The Wind", Chen Guofu has always been courageous to experiment with genre movies and deliberately expand the horizons of Chinese films.
downplayed the contradictions between the KMT and the Communist Party in the original work, and changed to torture and mental warfare to highlight the belief in resistance to Japan, which is a market consideration for condensing the focus of drama and reducing disputes.
Even though the passage of "The Wind" is not perfect, there is still room for discussion on the persuasiveness of the intelligence transmission design. However,
is an excellent performer. The overall performance is not concealed. Under the correct premise of being in line with the national justice, it also takes into account the commercial elements and the dramatic connotation. It is still a masterpiece worth seeing.
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