Introduction to life is sweet

Introduction to life is sweet | Appreciation | Review

1960 black and white film (widescreen) 177 minutes.

Ama Film Company of Italy/EMI Film Company of France jointly produced.

Director: federico fellini Screenwriter: federico fellini Durio Pinel Photography: o Maldives main actors: Marcelo Mas Chuani (as Marcelo) anouk aimee (as Maddalena) Nida Shutorihhi Ekbe (as Sylvia) Ivono Vilnu (as Emma)

This film won the Palme d 'Or Award at 1960 Cannes International Film Festival.

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On a sunny morning, the golden sun fell on the ruins in the suburbs of Rome. A helicopter hung with an icon of Christ Jesus, rumbled through Sangiovani Cathedral and flew to the city center.

In the center of Rome, on the balcony of a high-rise building, several girls in three-point swimsuits basking in the sun jumped for joy when they heard the sound. On the helicopter, reporter Marcelo poked his head out, blew a kiss and shouted, "This is Christ, and we are going to send him to see the Pope." Marcelo's partner, paparazzi, is a photojournalist. He has been taking good photos on the ground with his camera.

In colorful nightclubs, people indulge in revelry. Marcello came in with paparazzi and found a noble gentleman called "Prince" drinking intimately with a well-dressed woman. The paparazzi hurriedly picked up the camera to take a snapshot, but this annoyed the "prince" and even the nightclub owner personally intervened and confiscated the paparazzi's film. Marcelo had to bow and let the "prince" reprimand him, and his embarrassment was beyond words. At this moment, Maddalena, a rich lady, suddenly appeared. Masero hurried forward to ask her to dance, but she was upset and uninterested. Masseroma smiled and sent her out of the nightclub for a ride in her black convertible limousine. Maddalena complained, "This Rome is really annoying. I wish I had an island. " Marcelo said she was troubled by too much money. Maddalena said frankly: "I need moral support, but I don't have it."

On the way for a ride, they met a girl named Nuo Nuo Liya and invited her to get on the bus and travel with them. They drove cheerfully from the bustling Veneto Street to the slums of Rome, curiously stepped on the wooden ladder through the flooded aisle and entered the humble bedroom. Maddalena was lying on the bed of * * *, and Masero closed the door. Afterwards, each of them gave money to Nuo Nuo Leah.

Masero returned home, crept into the bedroom and found his fiancee Emma committed suicide by taking medicine. There are still some empty bottles on the bedside table. Suddenly, his face turned white and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He picked Emma up and took her to the hospital, muttering, "You are so stupid! Who do you want to ruin, ruin me? " After the rescue, Emma woke up, but she was very weak. Masero was summoned by the police.

At Rome airport, dozens of reporters flocked to a passenger plane that had just landed. Sylvia, an American actress who was invited to Rome to shoot a historical blockbuster, appeared on the gangway in a velvet cloak, and the flash immediately lit up. Marcelo rushed to the waiting hall, struggled to break through the wall surrounded by fans, squeezed in front of Sylvia and started a dialogue with her in broken English.

In Exel, the most luxurious hotel in Rome where Sylvia stayed, producer Scalise held a press conference for her. Her fiance Robert arrived in time with great dignity. On the other hand, Masero got caught up in Emma's phone call and forgot to ask Sylvia any questions.

At St Peter's Cathedral, Masero seized the opportunity to accompany Sylvia up the spiral staircase. Climb to the balcony of the bell tower, and at noon, the bells of four churches ring together. Sylvia looked down at the city of Rome, pointing, very excited. In the evening, on the outdoor dance floor of Dohms restaurant, marcello danced with Sylvia, complimenting her and saying, "You are Eve, you are an angel, and you are everything!" In the soft music, birds suddenly sounded and repeated. Sylvia jumped into Frank's arms in surprise with birdsong as a code word. Frank made a gesture to make the band play crazy rock dance music. Sylvia danced with joy, took off her high heels and threw them into the air, dancing wildly with Frank. Applause thundered all around. Robert mocked Sylvia and Frank sarcastically, making Sylvia leave angrily, followed by Frank. Masero kicked Sylvia out in the name of sending shoes.

Sylvia walked barefoot in the dimly lit street, and Masero drove up to her. As soon as Sylvia got on the bus, the producer's female secretary came to pick her up, but Sylvia flatly refused and asked Masero to drive her to the suburbs. Masero couldn't wait to express her affection, but she couldn't find a place to spend the night. First, I went to my colleague's house to stay, but my colleague's mother refused. Calling Maddalena again is not welcome.

Sylvia strolled to Rome's famous "Girls' Spring" with a kitten she picked up on the road. This is a baroque fountain building with many statues and stone carvings on it. Attracted by the charming scenery here, she lifted her long skirt, walked into the knee-deep pool, turned to the side of the statue between the water curtains, and was relaxed and happy. Masero came back with milk for the cat to drink, and was also infected by this scene. He immediately took off his shoes and went into the water, stretched out his arms, impulsively held her in his arms, passionately kissed her forehead and lips, and got carried away.

Facing the dawn, Masero drove Sylvia back to the exel Hotel. Unexpectedly, a Mercedes-Benz car stopped at the front gate. Robert got out of the car with a scowl on his face, slapped Sylvia in the face, and knocked Masero down with his fist, with blood all over his face. The long-awaited paparazzi and several reporters grabbed this rare shot in time.

In a small church, Masero met his old friend Steiner. Now, Steiner has become a famous writer. Steiner sat in front of the organ and played a sacred music. The music is mysterious and solemn, and Masero can't help but respect it.

Four kilometers away from Rome, the TV station has set up high scaffolding and installed cameras not far from the tree where the Virgin Mary appeared last night. On the ground next to the big tree, there are five or six stretchers, on which lie old people and children who come to pray for the treatment of the Virgin Mary. When Masoro and Emma arrived by bus, it was getting late and dark clouds were gathering. People have already surrounded the tree; The police also set up a circular cordon to maintain order. Masero finally found the children who witnessed the manifestation of the Virgin Mary-1/kloc-0-year-old brother Dario and 8-year-old sister Maria. People are curious about the brother and sister, noisily trying to find out the truth about the "Virgin Mary", and journalists from newspapers all over the world in Rome are also scrambling for news. Suddenly, it rained cats and dogs, thunder and lightning, and people crowded around, but the virgin never appeared. A sick child died on a stretcher and his mother prayed sadly.

In a modern apartment building, Masero and Emma go up to the second floor to visit Steiner's house. In the gorgeous and elegant living room, the wedding is laughing. An Indian girl is playing a guitar solo, and an American woman writer is talking about oriental culture and oriental women with a poetess in her forties. The beautiful Mrs Steiner brought coffee to the guests with a happy smile. Their two children are also very childish and lovable. Emma said enviously to Marcelo, "We should have such a home." Marcelo seems to feel the warmth and hope of life from this harmonious family.

In a simple and clean seaside restaurant, Masero is writing on a typewriter. He was shocked by the innocence and beauty of Paola's country girl, a waitress, as intoxicated as enjoying a famous painting. He called her "the angel of umbria Church".

Marcelo met his father, who was nearly 60 years old, in a coffee shop on the Veneto Avenue at the beginning of "feasting" and led him into a nightclub. Father and Fanny chatted, and they both danced. The more they talked, the more speculative they became. They even went home with Fanny and said they would go to eat Bologna noodles together. Later, when his father fell ill at Fanny's house, marcello had to call a taxi to take his father back to his hometown cesena.

/kloc-Masero, an aristocratic castle in the 0/5th century, filed in with many tourists. He met Madeleine again very unexpectedly. In the maze-like castle, he and Madeleine are telling love stories upstairs and downstairs through a mysterious floor; Later, Maddalena and a strange young man took part in an accidental entertainment. Marcelo, on the other hand, blended in with a group of people swimming by candlelight, entered an older and darker old villa and flirted with a lady he met soon.

Marcelo is driving along the highway in the suburbs of Rome. He and Emma had a fierce argument, and the two sides were abusive. Masero slapped her twice and kicked her out of the car. Unexpectedly, he drove around the place where Emma just got off the bus and opened the door. Emma got on the bus without saying a word. The car sped away again.

A terrible tragedy happened in Steiner's home. He killed two children first and then committed suicide. The detective led several detectives to the scene quickly. Masero drove here in a hurry. Seeing Steiner's body lying on the living room floor, covered in blood, with a pistol next to it, I couldn't help feeling depressed and disillusioned when I thought it was a wedding a few days ago.

In a modern garden villa by the sea, Masero raised his glass and played a joke on men and women in Roman society. It was not until the first ray of sunshine in the morning that people enjoyed themselves.

In the morning breeze, Marcelo and a dozen revelers staggered along the beach. Several fishermen struggled to pull up a monster that looked like a shark with a net bag, about two meters long, dead, staring at a pair of scary dead fish eyes. The sea is shrouded in an unprovoked melancholy and silence, and this group of men and women who lead a drunken life can't help but feel trance and depressed. In a trance, Masero seemed to see an innocent girl waving to him in the distance. She shouted loudly, but the sea breeze and waves drowned everything. Masero vaguely recognized this as "the angel of umbria Church", with a sweet smile on her delicate face, waved her hand and passed instantly. Masero looked back at the sea, which was mysterious. ...

Distinguish and appreciate

Ferini, who enjoys the reputation of "Italian film wizard" in the west, has been shining brilliantly since the "Lonely Trilogy" in the mid-1950s. He turned from describing the tragic fate of the lower class to analyzing the spiritual emptiness and poverty of the upper class of the Roman bourgeoisie, and made a sensational film "Sweet Life" in 1960.

Judging from the overall conception and modeling of this film, the so-called "sweetness" is just a nifty expression of "living a drunken life and dreaming of death". Ferini revealed "a complex mental disorder" hidden behind the so-called Italian "economic miracle" in the late 1950s (in Ferini's view) through the subjective view of Marcelo, a journalist bent on getting rich. He saw the "decline of the Catholic Empire" in modern Rome-an irreversible spiritual and moral decline, and a devastating disaster appeared in the carnival. This is Ferini's keen discovery of reality. Rome is endowed with a unique screen shape, which is both luxurious and decadent, just like the modern mural that constitutes Dante's Divine Comedy: Hell.

Through Masero's personal emotional experience and busy career as a journalist, the film not only dissects the arrogance, luxury and spiritual depravity of the upper class in Rome, but also outlines the spiritual ignorance of the lower class in Rome influenced by religious superstition with extravagant pen and ink such as "The Virgin appeared". The two poles of such a completely different life are strangely and intricately intertwined, showing a bright and rich artistic contrast. People see wild feasts and songs and dances in nightclubs, parties and indulgence in aristocratic castles, and pranks played by strippers and riders in luxurious living rooms of seaside villas, which obviously has a crazy atmosphere at the end of the century. Ferini's description of all this is even a bit of a farce, so as to render the inner emptiness and moral decay of the bourgeois elites. The beginning and end of the film seem to be a framework for this mural of "the decline of the Catholic Empire". The statue of Jesus Christ hanging from a helicopter flew over Rome, forming a cold metaphor: overlooking the world of Roman gold powder, Jesus, who is extremely ugly and revered as a god, can only call for help! At the end of the film, in the early morning, the handsome men and beautiful women who came to the seaside after the carnival met a shark-like monster dragged ashore by a fisherman with a net. The strange fish is dead, but it still stares blankly into the dead fish's eyes. Is it really a foreign body from outer space? Perhaps, the other side of the world with surprises is watching this group of "monsters" in the world with an empty heart and decadent spirit. In fact, the life of this group of "end-of-century" upper-class people is quite similar to this strange zombie fish. Like a walking corpse, it is already terminally ill and in jeopardy. This is undoubtedly a rather pungent allegory, which reflects Ferini's thinking about serious and heavy problems in modern society, but he can't find any way out. In the meantime, there is still some helpless despair and sadness!

What is even more thought-provoking is that Ferini's poetics of film art is at a turning point: breaking through the usual narrative mode of films and pursuing the modernity of art, which not only has important updates and expansions in the aesthetic concept and mirror language composition of films, but also has some temporarily insurmountable limitations.

When Ferini wrote the Lonely Trilogy, he obviously basically inherited and developed the tradition and spirit of the new realistic film, and paid more attention to promoting the plot development according to certain life logic, highlighting the shaping of the characters' character and describing the lonely and painful inner world of the characters. Whether it is the gypsy artist Zambano and his slave-like wife Gesomina (Lu), or the little guy Auguste (liar) who lives by cheating, or the kind-hearted and bullied "goddess" Cabily (she is in the dark), the fate of these miserable little people is covered with a layer of Ferini-style fatalism and pessimism, but they are still scattered. They suffer innocently, and they can do nothing about the evil forces in society, but they have hopeless hopes for reality. In the flesh and blood of these characters, Ferini's thoughts and warmth on society and life are integrated, which runs through the lonely general emotional theme and visual modeling in modern civilization. But the artistic narration of these films still belongs to the classic film structure with plot clues and dynamics, or "linear narrative mode"; However, these films clearly show Ferini's exploration of artistic innovation, and the original narrative techniques are gradually insufficient. He no longer limited the narrative bureau to intuitive reproduction, but deliberately explored people's inner world and expectations of life. Moreover, he often incorporated some poetic symbols into the simple narrative process, which marked the germination of an important artistic revival of the new realistic films in the early 1960s: from the material world (objective narrative) to the spiritual realm of people.

It is true that Ferini's exploration of innovative art is not isolated. It has a profound historical and cultural background. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Italy was in the so-called "economic miracle" period of economic revival. Contradictions in modern capitalist society are becoming increasingly complex, and the serious disharmony between material wealth and spiritual poverty is becoming increasingly acute. Ferini, like some contemporary film artists who are quick-thinking and innovative, is facing the crisis of "rational collapse". The world picture based on bourgeois rationality in the past is gradually blurred and difficult to capture. As Eugè ne Eunescu, a French playwright of the Absurd School, described it: "All human actions are absurd, all history is absolutely useless, and all reality and all languages seem to have lost contact, disintegrated and collapsed." After denying and losing rationality, where will art go and where will movies go? This is a focus problem that Ferini, antonioni, Godard and Bergman are struggling with.

Existentialism and irrational philosophical thoughts that swept Europe like a flood after World War II undoubtedly gave Ferini and Bergman profound ideological enlightenment and influence. "Sweet Life" is Ferini's representative work in the cultural transition period of this era. He abandoned the "linear narrative mode" of classic films and consciously explored the modernity of film art, as American film theorist Solomon pointed out, "Ferini is creating a new film form". The characteristics of this new form can be summarized as follows: telling movie stories in a way that adapts to the modern realistic relationship and its concept of life, and moving towards a new pattern of irrationality, light plot, heavy modality and heavy situation description. Perhaps this is what Thoreau said "influenced by the temperament of the times"!

Ferini's nonlinear narrative is different from antonioni in his own country, and it is also different from Godard or Bergman in other countries. Ferini is good at capturing people's specific lifestyle and mental outlook formed in a specific social environment, and developing the narrative of modeling pictures around this center. The narrative of this kind of pictures denies the "plot movement" form based on meaning and is over-carved, and replaces it with the prose narrative form of "downplaying the plot" (some people use "non-plot" to express it inaccurately). Sweet Life consists of 12 massive narrative paragraphs. These massive paragraphs of 12, at first glance, can be self-contained, and do not take the causal relationship of events as the plot motive force, but highlight the subtle situation of describing the environmental appearance, living atmosphere, realistic relationship and its gradual change or "mutation" (from the appalling tragedy that happened in Steiner's house to the so-called "Virgin Mary" that caused an uproar in the suburbs of Rome), which mainly reveals the complex refraction of all this in the spirit and soul of the protagonist Masero. Not obvious, not nervous, but more profoundly reflects Ferini's thinking and artistic originality as an important pioneer of modern movies.

Judging from the artistic conception and layout of the film, in the first third of the life scenes ("blocky paragraphs"), Masero's career as a journalist who climbed up by hook or by crook was always closely linked with his emotional relationship with three women in the form of "triple jump". His fiancee Emma is an ordinary girl. He got rid of her and had a tryst with Maddalena, a bourgeois lady, in a nightclub, which made him fall into a humiliating situation that was almost a "male prostitute". When they went out for a drive, they took a car. From the * * * question, it was revealed that the black luxury convertible was originally given to her by Maddalena's father (Masero's own red car was shabby and petty); Later, they borrowed * * * *' s home, the specific environment, and even hinted at Marcelo's humble mental outlook. Later, when American star Sylvia flew to Rome, Masero left Maddalena and followed the arrogant and burning star closely. He called a small drugstore to stay, brought milk to the kitten to please Sylvia, and so on, vividly sketched the appearance of his pug, who almost wagged his tail. But this led Silvia's fiance Robert to swing an old fist in public, leaving him with a bloody face and scandals handed down from generation to generation. In the life scenes that account for two-thirds of the film, except for the relationship between Marcelo and these three women, artistic brushstrokes are spread out layer by layer, such as the Steiner family tragedy, the farce of "The Virgin Mary", the colorful debauchery and madness in the seaside villa, and the discussion and despair of seeing the shark turn white by the sea, which deliberately reveals various broken, fragmented, chaotic and absurd forms of modern life, thus revealing an existentialism layer by layer. The process of Masero's climbing up in the "sweet" life atmosphere is precisely the process of losing himself step by step and being out of touch with his own living conditions. This is a rather cold and bitter artistic summary of modern society made by Ferini. The only artistic image in the film that has nothing to do with this crazy world of gold powder is Paola, a beautiful and naive girl endowed with the style of "Angel of umbria Church" by Ferini. Accurately speaking, this is just a poetic symbol, like a meteor passing by in the desert night sky. She is too idealistic, too thin, pale and ethereal. Perhaps Ferini's limitation is that he can't see the hope and prospect of life, so he cast a poetic glance at Paula (also a utopia) on the screen.