"The Assassin Nie Yinniang": I have no relatives in the way of swordsmanship, and I don't share the same worries as the saints.

One: Zhao Keman, Hu Ying, Wu Gou Shuang Xueming

Japanese occupation and liberation divided Taiwan's 20th century into two. As a fatherless son, Taiwan has experienced Second reinvention. The world structure during the Cold War has created a deep division between Taiwan and mainland China. Even if it is later restored, it will not be able to make up for this. Taiwan has its own way of surviving as an island.

Hou Hsiao-hsien actually strongly wanted to express this in "The Assassin". The characters and conflicts in the film actually serve this thing.

Of course this movie has political metaphors, but it is still historical and political. Hou Hsiao-hsien uses dense and long shots to cut Taiwan, Mainland China, and Japan into a divided thread. He is entangled with the ghosts of history.

The Mainland China he knew was completely different from the Mainland China today. As he said: "For me, China is the source of Taiwanese culture; it does not refer to the current mainland of China, or the entity that is politically separated from Taiwan. We have been educated to read Chinese classics, poems and songs since we were young. Later, I loved reading martial arts classic novels and operas, which have become deeply ingrained into the background of my life and the basis of my creations; this kind of China is completely different from today's Mainland China."

Tang. After the Anshi Rebellion, in order to win over the subordinate generals, the imperial court granted Li Huaixian the title of Lulong, Tian Chengsi to Wei Bo, and Li Baochen to Chengde. This is the origin of the three towns of Heshuo.

The three towns nominally belong to the imperial court, but their politics, economy, and culture are self-contained. The wars or peace between the three towns and the imperial court were all driven by interests. The three towns were not strong enough and did not dare to act rashly; the court was also quite wary of them, so they needed to be appeased. Marrying a princess and a fan is also a way to win over her. This is why Princess Jiacheng came to Weibo.

"Assassin Nie Yinniang" is set against the background of the mid-Tang Dynasty, interspersed with the historical facts of the three towns of Heshuo. The characters take turns on stage, and the story line remains clear, focusing on Yin Niang and Tian Ji'an.

Tian Ji'an, courtesy name Kui. Her mother was humble, so Princess Jiacheng appointed her as her own son and doted on her brothers more than anyone else. When he was a few years old, he served as Zuowei Zhou Cao's army and deputy envoy of Jiedu. When Xu died, he was fifteen years old. He hid in mourning and watched the changes. He was promoted to stay in the army because he was given the military governorship.

At the beginning of the movie, the Taoist nun sends Yinniang back to Wei with the purpose of "killing your cousin, Tian Ji'an." Just looking at this, I am a little confused, why should I kill Tian Ji'an first when I return to Weibo after having mastered swordsmanship?

Tian Ji'an recorded in history is a cruel and murderous person. Qiu Jiang was demoted to the rank of county captain and was buried alive on the road. According to the history books, it was Tian Ji'an's fault. The reason why the Taoist nun wanted to kill Yinniang and Tian Ji'an was probably because of this, "If killing one man can save thousands of people, then kill him."

As for Yinniang, the movie is about to come to an end. , Yinniang knelt down and said, "Kill Tian Ji'an, the heir is young, Wei Bo will be in chaos, and the disciples will not be killed."

So I think Nie Yinniang is more like a "knight" than an "assassin".

2: Peeping through the screen

Every frame of "Assassin Nie Yinniang" is breathtakingly beautiful, extremely exquisite, so exquisite that it is almost deliberate. My favorite is the peeking through the screen. That part of the movie.

At night, Tian Ji'an went to Hu Ji's room. Yinniang sneaked into Pan's house, stood in front of the screen, and stared at the person on the couch.

What you can see through the screen is the momentum, the atmosphere, and the inner voice. There are deep shadows under the heavy candlelight, and there is a faint wind blowing inside and outside the screen. The aura is luxurious and floating. Yinniang is dressed in black, hiding outside.

Tian Ji'an was shocked and came out with a sword, but Yinniang dodged and jumped on the roof.

The next scene is a dark night, dotted with stars, candles flickering, and silhouettes appearing slightly. Yinniang stood in front of the screen for a long time, knowing that she could not kill Tian Ji'an. It's not that he lacks ability, it's that he can't kill, and he can't bear to kill.

The murderous intention is gone, and love is also gone. When Tian Ji'an talked about Yin Niang with his beloved concubine Hu Ji, his tone was calm and his eyes were calm. Even when he talked about Yao Qi (Yin Niang) staying with him for three days and three nights when he was seriously ill, he didn't necessarily show much emotion.

To Yinniang, Tian Ji'an is a condensed forbearance and trauma, a dark pain and desolation; to Tian Ji'an, Yao Qi is just a dusty past.

It was Hu Ji who said, "It's unfair for Yao Qi." Perhaps it was because she had been suppressed by Tian Ji'an's wife. Although she was favored, she couldn't calm down. Even if she was pregnant, she didn't dare to announce it. She had to use chicken blood to pretend to be menstrual, so as not to spread the news and save the child. So I can understand Yaoqi slightly.

Yinniang is incompatible with others, but she is not heartless. After returning home, Nie Tian was told that Princess Jiacheng had passed away, and Yinniang covered her face with a handkerchief and cried. This extremely Ozu Yasujiro-esque cry was probably inspired by the scene in Zhang Ailing's autobiographical novel "Leifeng Pagoda" where Pipa bids farewell to her nanny He Gan. When He Gan left, Pipa pressed the entire handkerchief to her face and cried muffledly, as if putting out a fire.

Hou Hsiao-hsien once said humbly that he would not even think about (shooting) Zhang Ailing's novel, thinking that it was difficult to express the subtle emotions.

The meticulousness, darkness, and the feeling of looking back sadly at dusk in the film directed by Ranhou are very similar to the atmosphere in Zhang Ailing's novels. For example, peeking through the curtain, the confrontation between Yin Niang and Jing Jing'er played by Zhou Yun, or the lonely row of oxcarts driving away after a toast to bid farewell to the demoted Tian Xing outside the city of Weizhou in the bleak autumn weather.

During the fight in the forest, Jing Jing'er's mask cracked and fell to the ground with a "bang". Yin Niang turned around and walked away. Because she recognized the opponent, and since she recognized him, there was no need to continue fighting. The steaming murderous aura suddenly dispersed, and it was as if the fierce fight had never happened. The two went in opposite directions and walked away.

This scene did not reveal Tian Yuan’s face. As soon as the mask fell off, the murderous aura quickly disappeared. What remains is imagination, speculation, and speculation.

Perhaps this is the meaning of the blank space, which brings the audience a copy and reconstruction of the scene and plot at that time. Just like the scene of Yao Qi peeping across the screen, it is the need to create an atmosphere, a reserved emotional expression, and the restraint to stop talking.

Three: Qingluan Dance Mirror

In the hall, in spring, the apricot blossoms on a tree are as chaotic as flying snow.

Princess Jiacheng, who played the piano, told Yao Qi the allusion of Qingluan dancing mirror, "King Yibin got a luan, but it didn't sing for three years. His wife said: 'I heard that the luan will sing when it sees its kind, why not hang a mirror "Look at it." The king followed his words. The luan screamed when he saw the shadow, and danced all night long..." Of course, this is a sad story. The luan has no similar kind, and can only dance with the shadow in the mirror. Dance all night long.

Yinniang said to the young man who was grinding the mirror, "Your Majesty is Qingluan. She married from the capital to Wei Bo. She is the same person and has no one like her."

How can she herself be the same?

On the Shangsi Festival, there was a banquet in the meander of the river, and the wind blew apricot blossoms into the fluttering curtains. Yao Qi, dressed in scarlet clothes, was on the swing, flying across the blue sky...

The sky was so sunny and blue, so prosperous and lively, the swing passed over the treetops, and it was as high as a tree. Once, Yao Qi, who was high on the swing and passing through the world alone, was not lonely.

The Taoist nun taught Yin Niang how to hide the sword, "All animals must hide their form and shadow, which is the same as the other animals. Therefore, the color of snakes chases the ground, the color of rabbits must be red, and the color of eagles follows the trees."

In other words, for them, the hidden sword method is innate and there is no need to hide it. As long as they don't want others to see them, they won't let others see them easily.

I am afraid that the same is true for the loneliness of the human heart. If you don’t want others to see it, others will not be able to see it. However, people who are similar can always feel each other, just like those creatures who are born with hiding skills, they always have a way to find each other. This is probably the reason why Yinniang likes Princess Jiacheng since she saw her. This is also the reason why she is willing to follow the Taoist nun.

Yinniang disobeyed her master's orders and refused to kill Tian Ji'an. She came to the Taoist temple and kowtowed to her master three times in the mountains.

After that, she stood up and left. The Taoist nun attacked her from behind, sweeping the whisk towards Yinniang's neck. Yinniang fought back with a dagger, but did not turn around. They fought for a moment and then left.

The fallen leaves were floating in the forest. The Taoist nun stopped and stood still, her chest stained with red blood. Her expression remained solemn and indifferent, her gaze settled, looking at Yin Niang's retreating back.

The secret of the hidden sword lies in the intangible, which means that instinct should take precedence over thoughts. Yinniang's counterattack relies on her instinctive reaction after years of sword practice.

Nie Yinniang is the Taoist nun’s most outstanding work. Her work ultimately violated her orders, just as she did not kill Tian Xu under the persuasion of Princess Jiacheng many years ago.

They are all lonely and unable to blend in with the crowd, and their loneliness is also generous, magnanimous and calm.

In comparison, the loneliness of Tian Ji'an's wife, Tian Yuanshi (Jing Jing'er), is full of darkness and evil intentions. But it is not morality that constructs the plot of the story. Loneliness overwhelms morality and the body and stands out.

The decoration in Tian Yuan's room is full of romance and formality, but the whole person is indignant, depressed, and has a touch of elegance that makes one smile even if the conspiracy in his heart is seen through.

There is an idea that perhaps Tian Yuan, who used witchcraft to mutilate the child in Orchid's belly, bury Qiu Jiang alive, and hunt down Yinniang, is actually another possibility of Yinniang's existence.

If Yao Qi got her wish and married Tian Ji'an, would she become like Tian Yuan?

Four: The Mirror-grinding Boy

Fortunately, Nie Yinniang will not become Tian Yuan.

She has a dark and lonely personality. Such a person needs someone who can warm her heart, right? The mirror-grinding boy was gentle and charming, and more importantly, he could make Nie Yinniang smile.

There is this sentence in "Xingyun Ji" written by Xie Haimeng: The boy grinding the mirror made Yinniang smile.

Some people may think that the treatment here is monotonous, but I am reminded of a sentence I saw somewhere: ancient beauties did not fall in love, they only looked at each other and were in love with each other. After that, we met secretly in the secluded period and promised each other with our bodies.

Although the Mojing boy was from Japan and was not proficient in the language, the two of them could understand each other when they spoke. So the treatment here is actually quite right. Everything about his past with Nie Yinniang has nothing to do with it. Maybe what Yinniang needs is to have nothing to do with it.

Interpretation is an adventure because it is always personal, private, and in most cases wishful thinking.

From the beginning, I wanted to start from a political standpoint, but later I just wrote about my little thoughts while watching the film. There were also conflicts, but in the end I still chose this method.

I watched the movie six or seven times, and I can recite all the lines in it.

What I like the most is that Yinniang went to see the Taoist nun. The mountains were filled with mist. The Taoist nun held a fly whisk in her hand and stood resolutely like an immortal, facing the sky. She said to Yinniang: The swordsman has no relatives and does not share the same worries as the saint. You have now mastered the swordsmanship, but you cannot cut off the human feelings...

It is precisely the fact that you cannot cut off the human feelings that shows that Yinniang has never learned to be unfeeling, but has never been able to bear it.

She is like Qingluan, with martial arts skills, lonely and silent. Yinniang was lucky enough to meet Qingluan, the king of Gubin State, and it was not the shadow in the mirror that she met, but her mirror-grinding boy.

Nie Yinniang’s story begins when she meets the mirror-grinding boy...

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