Hu Ge once said such a thing when talking about his filming experience of "Flowers".
He said that Wong Kar-Wai has a music library that he often plays over and over again during the filming process, such as "A Fire in Winter", "Looking Back Again", "Superstar", "The Internationale", etc., which he played for three years. During that time, I probably played seventy or eighty songs.
This story is familiar to fans of Wong Kar-wai.
As we all know, Wong Kar-wai is very particular about music and has good taste. Unlike other directors who shoot stories with scripts, he plays music on the spot to find the feeling, just like what he said to Martin Scorsese:
" I think the music on set gave us a sense of rhythm ".
He usually looks for the right music first.
buys the copyright again. The same is true for
. The music in his movies is always just right and matches the emotions. Many of them have become classics.
Such as "California Dream" in "Chongqing Express".
or "In the Mood for Love" in "In the Mood for Love".
years later, when audiences in Chinese-speaking areas hear these two songs again, the first thing they think of is no longer the original singers, but the two movies.
and this time.
What is surprising is that the amount of music in "Flowers" exceeds the sum of Wong Kar-wai's previous works.
has a total of 57 songs. The copyright cost of
exceeds 10 million yuan.
Tracks such as "Stealing Heart", "Let It Go" and "Unrepentant" also made headlines on major music platforms.
Why is it so luxurious? Is
just a nostalgic mv?
So, on the second day after the series ended (the score rose to 8.3), Sir reviewed the soundtrack of "Flowers" from the beginning, including but not limited to various golden songs.
then found.
Wong Kar-wai is actually playing a big game.
01
era music
If you are familiar with Wong Kar-Wai's movies, you may be unfamiliar with the soundtracks of the first few episodes of "Flowers".
It's too "loud".
The place is lively and energetic.
This is not just about the theme music that looks like "Succession".
was so excited that it was just too much.
There are also a large number of period songs that have never appeared in Wong Kar-wai's previous movies.
For example, "Singing the Motherland", "We Walk on the Road", "A Fire in the Winter", "New Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies Dream", "Love to Fight Will Win", etc., which are completely opposite to the sad ditties or jazz that Wong Kar-wai is accustomed to.
New Mandarin Duck and Butterfly Dream , Huang An - New Mandarin Duck and Butterfly Dream
Why is it so positive? Of course,
has the requirement to set the tone. This is the official trend of the times. At the same time, it is Wong Kar-wai who is building momentum for such an era and is a restoration of the popular trend.
simply put.
Where it should "sound", it must "sound".
but.
If you don’t watch the drama at double speed, if you pay close enough attention, you will find that Wong Kar-wai’s bright soundtrack is actually mixed with his own subtext .
an example. In episode 4 of
, after Lingzi and Abao held the "shareholders meeting" at the breakfast shop, the two went on a short spring outing.
There are two umbrellas on the stone bridge.
The music melody that sounded at this time was the song "sorekara epilogue i - kokuhaku" from "The Grandmaster", originally from Morita Yoshimitsu's movie "Afterwards".
sorekara epilogue i - kokuhaku, Meilin Shigeru - The Grandmaster Original Movie Soundtrack
You can say that this scene is a tribute to "Afterwards".
but at the same time.
Just like the farewell of Ip Man and Gong Er in "The Grandmaster", in the soothing and sad music, you can also feel a kind of reminiscence of the "bygone era".
What do you remember?
is the truth about life that has disappeared for a long time in this age full of calculation and desire for money.
is a simple breakfast.
Or a small bridge, or even a plastic basin that catches rainwater from the roof.
This is a moment of soul exposure beneath the luxuriant appearance.
We always criticize Wong Kar-wai for becoming more and more interested in the "big era" and getting further and further away from what he is good at. But sometimes, the delicate emotions and subtext under the "big era" can also touch people's hearts.
after all.
We have always been caught up in the trends of the times, and we can’t help it.
02
theme song
It is said that Wong Kar-wai's filming is very casual, the script changes every day, and even the actors themselves don't know where their characters will go, or whether they even exist.
But in "Flowers".
You can see that Wong Kar-Wai has a knack for plotting.
Just from the soundtrack, you will find that almost every character of in the series has its own theme song.
Take Ms. Wang as an example.
Her theme song in the early stage was "Unrepentant", and in the later stage, it was "My Future is Not a Dream" and "Glory Days".
Perseverance without Regrets (98-99 Singing World Hong Kong Concert Live Edition) , Faye Wong
You can clearly see the direction of this character.
"Unrepentant" talks about her feelings for A Bao, and it is also the character of the character.
Obsession is not confusion.
is like "A Fei" in "Chungking Express" and "2046", simple and direct, with clear love and hate.
is just like the lyrics "Really feel the surroundings", which matches Miss Wang's recklessness and hard work when she first entered No. 27. The so-called "no regrets" is actually a kind of indomitable determination to move forward.
This is in the same vein as the theme song "Glory Years" when he later started his business, and has a complete emotional curve.
So until the end of the episode.
When "Unrepentant" plays again and Mr. Bao has only a fool to miss, it is another mentality that things are right and people are different.
But honestly, the essence of the "Affi" type of character is the freedom to be the other.
stare at each other, but cannot completely own it.
So you see, the emotional scenes between Miss Wang and A Bao are always separated by a road, and there is no lingering breath and breath. Their actions are always talking on the phone or looking at each other.
Just like the California bar where it rained all night in "Chungking Express", the pork ribs and rice cake shop can't wait for people to come to the appointment.
In addition to Ms. Wang, most of the others also have their own theme songs.
For example, Reiko:
Reiko in the early stage is a character who belongs to the past. Her theme song is familiar to everyone: "Sudden Love" from
"Tokyo Love Story".
ラブ・ストーリーは Suddenly (tv version), Oda Kazumasa
Her attachment to Abao lies in the moment when he fulfilled her dream of "Night Tokyo".
This song uses it cleverly.
On the one hand, it really fits the plot. The story takes place in Tokyo, and "love" comes out of the blue. On the other hand, the lyrics of this romantic song are, "In this dusk that only belongs to the two of us, we will Always a stranger.”
has shown some ominous signs.
or Li Li:
's melody related to Li Li is a song in the "2046" series.
Li Li and Abao stood at the windows of Zhizhenyuan and Honglu hotels many times and looked at each other, while the music played "Polonaise" from "2046".
polonaise, Umebayashi Shigeru - 2046 There is a future train in the movie soundtrack
"2046", and the tense confrontation of the theme music matches the rhythm of the train.
In "Flowers", the companions on this extremely dangerous train of the stock market are undoubtedly A Bao and Li Li.
In the farewell scene of the two walking on the street at night, there was no rubbing of the two people, but Wong Kar-Wai made it extremely ambiguous.
The golden high-heeled shoes and the leather shoes came in tandem, seemingly keeping a distance, but after a rain, they intersected again inexplicably. The rhythm of this piece of music was also like a erotic tango.
and even we will find out further.
Tao Tao also has his own theme song, "I am a little bird", which runs through his mentality of being unable to fly from beginning to end.
Mr. Wei wrote "Like You" and "Red Lips Kiss", and the emotions are also passionate and direct.
Even the "Three Working Sisters" of Huanghe Road recalled that when they first came to Huanghe Road, the background music was "I Want to Have a Family", which included the lyrics, "Although I have never had a warm home, but I will also grow up gradually." This is the fate of the three of them.
so to speak.
When Wong Kar-Wai assigned everyone an exclusive theme song. The fate of the
characters is generally clear.
03
Emotional line
But there is no doubt that Wong Kar-wai is best at handling emotions, which is also the main reason why we toss and turn for these characters.
Take A Bao and Li Li as examples.
Do you still remember the first time they had dinner?
On the surface, it was just an ordinary meal. The two were talking about business, and they were talking about the relationship between salmon and catfish.
is not ambiguous at all.
But when you listen to the background music at this time, it is the song "The Silent Ending".
The woman is determined to leave: "When you break up, please don't say it's hard to forget, just let the memories go with the wind." The man can't keep him, "Maybe I will forget, maybe I will miss you more, maybe there is no possibility anymore." .
predicted the outcome from the beginning.
Wong Kar-wai is ruthless enough.
Among them, the two songs that touched Sir the most were the two songs shared by Abao and Xuezhi/Miss Wang, "Stealing Heart" and "Let It Go".
Xuezhi is Po’s past.
Miss Wang is Abao's present.
The first time the song "Stealing Heart" appeared was when Abao and Miss Wang broke up.
Stealing Hearts , Jacky Cheung - Stealing Hearts
(p.s. Baowang's first song is actually "Auld Lang Syne")
This part was shot extremely well.
Miss Wang was waiting for Po, but Po did not keep the appointment. The melody of "Stealing Hearts" sounded. Po spent time in the noisy play scene, laughing as much as crying.
Time has never flown so slowly in "Flowers".
So it was Abao who stole Miss Wang’s heart?
same episode.
The same music sounded again. When Abao recalled his breakup with Xuezhi, we realized that all of Abao's feelings had been "stolen" long ago.
He has no regrets.
is because the old days have passed away long ago and are sealed together with emotions.
The repeated use of the same song not only allows us to understand the emotional reasons why A Bao became President Bao, but also foreshadows the subsequent development of Miss Wang becoming Xiao Wang.
two relationships.
are reflections of each other here.
So later, when Po met Xuezhi in Hong Kong and learned that she was married, the song "Let It Go" sounded, but suddenly, the second half of the shot was left to Miss Wang in the factory, who was sitting On the roof of the factory, she shed tears while eating an ice cream cone that represented recognition of her abilities.
Let the fate go (2023 Happy Journey No. 4 live) , Wen Zhaolun
"It turns out how deep the love is, how true the smile is, in the end, when the fate passes away, there is no point left."
Abao to Xuezhi.
Miss Wang versus A Bao. After
, their respective "warmth and coldness" can only "have to bear it".
so you see.
Everyone’s emotions flow and change with the music.
fits perfectly.
They observed, hesitated, and missed each other. There were only some eternal shining moments worth remembering.
This is also what many viewers say, "It is rare to see the true beginning of love in domestic dramas."
04
Looking back again
In the "Empty Gate" special of "Flowers", Wong Kar-wai reiterated the words of Gong Er in "The Grandmaster": "The so-called great era is just a choice, either to go or to stay. I choose to stay. In my years."
then says, " In real life, we didn't choose ".
sir feels that this may be what "Flowers" wants to say, and it is also the reason why Wong Kar-wai arranged a series of farewells at the end of the series. The song "Looking Back Again" by
appeared many times.
Looking Back Again (Classic Review Edition) , Jiang Yuheng - Looking Back Again (Classic Review Edition)
It appeared when Miss Wang said goodbye to Mr. Fan, and Mr. Fan said the words "Goodbye in the world" as if looking at his daughter.
also appeared when Reiko said goodbye to Linghong, and Linghong refused Reiko's money and said "I can earn it".
even appeared in the last episode.
When Uncle Grandpa turned back for a moment in the crowd, he left behind his feelings for Jinhua.
The so-called "Looking Back Again".
is our most affectionate look back at those who stayed in that era.
But is it just looking back?
sir discovered through the changes in music that maybe Wong Kar Wai was talking about, what should do after saying goodbye and missing it?
The drama is about the past, but it is told to people today.
The high-spirited Shanghai of the 1990s with its booming economy is also the "Pork Ribs Rice Cake" and "See You Again in 1997" that we, the audience, can never go back to.
The essence of nostalgia is the reluctance to say goodbye.
In Wong Kar-Wai's previous story, Ah Fei had to escape from 663 for a year before returning to the fast food restaurant and meeting again.
Gong Er will always stay in her lost martial arts world.
A Fei has not found a real home in the Philippines, and the eternal destination of the legless bird is still on the road.
And "Flowers" finally allows the protagonists to step out of the eternal amber of time, escape from the escape of memory, and complete a series of real farewells.
Wong Kar-wai said, "The waves on the Huangpu River roll forward." In the end, he understood that there is no such thing as "if you never forget it, there must be an echo." Apart from eternal memories, time always moves forward.
You may say this is the main theme or the value.
But this is indeed reality.
Just like what Li Li said: "New stories are always more attractive than old stories." When one era ends, another era will inevitably open.
is stuck in the old days.
I'm afraid there's only the lunatic on the Yellow River Road who keeps shouting "Mr. Bao is here".
and us.
I'm afraid we have no choice but to say goodbye to each other, and then move forward, swept along by the tide of the times.
has only the immediate future.
has no body.
The pictures in this article come from the Internet
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