Appreciation of Road Movies

The masterpiece of left-wing national defense films, or one of the most mature works of China's silent film art, are two magnificent reasons why this "road" has been recorded in history. However, if, like me, you think that technology and art are equally important to movies, and 70 years of dust will always leave some marks on movies, then the classic road may not bring you a pleasing viewing experience.

However, pleasing to the eye has never been the only goal pursued by all classics at all times and all over the world. The sandstorm on the "road" and the honey-like sweat on the male animals were projected at that time, which was the most primitive force, that is, the incitement of Land Rover's unbroken behavior. Such a story contains death, love and hatred, and Sun Yu's ingenious directing style must have touched many young people who are determined to defend their country. However, to borrow the lyrics of a Hong Kong pop song also called Road, "The road is striding, and I have another dream. I secretly looked at it, and there was a narrow road in the corner, which was secretly tortuous and secretive. "

When the film was born in the 1930s, it was the moment when the western sexual liberation began. Suicide bombers appeared on the screen, and homosexuality under the screen once became fashionable. Of course, women on and off the screen began to speak loudly. At that time, with the prosperity of cultural exchanges between China and the West, this trend would at least have an impact on cities like Shanghai. This "road" is evidence.

First of all, there are many topless male images in the film. At that time, the most popular male stars, such as Zhang Yi and Zheng, went into battle shirtless. In the close shot, Jin Yan's muscular chest and abdomen muscles were carefully shaped into sweaty bronze sculptures by photographers. Such a scene is very rare in the films of the same period, but it can still be interpreted as a publicity of male/progressive forces, and another scene will be shocking even in today's China film industry. In this scene, a group of leading men bathe naked in the river, and two leading women tease them on the shore. Men are nervous, while women's words are quite aggressive.

However, the most incredible scene did not happen between men and women, but was staged by two actresses, Li Lili and Chen Yanyan. Li Lili, who has a strong figure, has always played a mature and charming woman, while Chen Yanyan was an actor in Little Jasper. In the back room of the restaurant, Li picked up Chen and they snuggled up on the sofa. For the next few minutes, the camera kept showing their intimate behaviors, including kissing, touching and other actions. If you think the director is filming the same-sex relationship, the conversation between the two is talking about their friends who build roads, and follow their body movements.

At that time, there was already gossip about homosexuality in Shanghai magazines, and then there was the concept of homosexual love. So what does the intimate contact between the two actresses represent? Is it not aware of the doubt and not avoiding it, or is it deliberately catering? So far, no research on roads has discussed this point.

More mysteriously, when talking about this scene, a Taiwan Province scholar mentioned a line of Li Lili, "You are so angry here that you say you don't want a man?" This line is quite consistent with the action of the character, but it is not in the DVD I saw. Is there more than one version of Lu? I wonder if this is another film history case-solving. (Author: cattle)

Expert comment: the successful transformation of gender perspective

This film is a very bold attempt, depicting men shirtless and observing men through women's eyes, which is a transposition of gender perspectives. It shows the brotherhood between men and the "anti-evil" integrity of living and dying together, which perfectly embodies China's traditional male values and ethics.

The description of two kinds of love in the film is another highlight. The love between Ronaldinho and Lilac is bright and cheerful, and the lively style explains the hazy feelings of a pair of boys and girls. The other is that the love between Jin Ge and Molly is reserved, and there is no direct expression between them. It was not until the critical moment of their lives that they made a deep confession with their last hand in hand.

In addition, the film has achieved good performance through montage, and many shots have become classic shots in film history. The excellent performances of the actors make the lens combination smooth, the composition rich, the scene full of life texture, and the simple, natural and life-oriented performances blend into one. (Comment: Written by Chen Shan: Zack Zhang)