Chapter 23 get serious (1)

(June 2003) Many directors who rely on entertainment films to achieve great success, either because of their own changes in thinking, or because they want to break through the shackles of genres, hope to switch to some serious films. , I would like to show you the experience of changing the subject matter of three "heavyweight" directors, that is, the experience of "turning strict" --- Chaplin, Spielberg and Hitchcock.Let’s introduce Chaplin first, he is the most qualified of the three, not only because he is the oldest and the oldest, but also because of his achievements and contributions to the film, he belongs to the level of an artist, while the other two Man belongs to the artisan.

Chaplin's style change began with "The Child" in 1920. Sympathy and friendship gradually replaced simple funny, and the results are commendable.But this should be different from other people who gradually began to shoot serious films because they broke through themselves, because the gradual seriousness of the subject is a sign of Chaplin's mature thinking. "The Kid" was a hit, and it's an autobiographical film that makes me agonize over its plot every time I watch it.Immediately after making two comedies, in 1924, Chaplin didn't want to stick to the shackles of comedies, so he invited an actress who was hoping to develop as the protagonist, and filmed a film about women's marriage and love. In the serious movie "A Woman in Paris", Chaplin did not act as an actor, but only worked behind the scenes.It can be seen from this film that he has made great efforts, but the film has not been praised by the public. The main reason is that the audience prefers his comedy performance.It happened that at this time, Chaplin was inspired by the report on the experience of the gold diggers in the newspaper. In 1925, he filmed the movie "The Gold Rush", which achieved unprecedented success and became the most exciting Chaplin movie ranking. Movie.

In this movie, Chaplin showed for the first time his profound analysis of the American dream and his detection of human desires. It can be said that Chaplin's works are really getting better and better.But it would be a mistake to end the account of Chaplin's transition at this point.Every change in Chaplin's style and thinking has a lot to do with that turbulent era: "City Lights", sympathy and pity for the poor people; The Dictator, World War II is approaching, calling for peace and longing for unity; "Mr. Verdoux", a heavy blow to the dark side of human nature. "City Lights" is synonymous with hope, but criticism, "The Great Dictator" is longing, and "Monsieur Verdoux" is despair.

In fact, I think the most worthy of research should be "Mr. Verdoux". The superficiality of researchers has caused this Chaplin's most profound and sharp film to be forgotten by people.The movie roughly tells that a bank clerk, Verdoux, was dismissed during the layoff wave in the 1920s.The various life hardships that followed made him full of disappointment with the world, and he kept marrying rich women and killing them for their money.The purpose of doing so is to support his paralyzed wife and young son.When an accident killed his wife and children, Verdoux was in great pain and finally surrendered. When the police asked him about his crime, he said the most thought-provoking words: "I am crazy because the world has gone crazy." It sounds crazy, but there is nothing wrong with it.This is also related to Chaplin's despair when he was repeatedly censored by the government and threatened to be deported in the McCarthy era. Dare to show this film again.In Europe, when the audience who loves Chaplin's movies is full of joy and wants to watch a comedy, the murderous Verdoux appears on the screen, and the audience's mood can be imagined.

Finally, here is the ending: From now on or after "The Great Dictator", Chaplin's golden age, or the audience's golden age of Chaplin, (but I think Chaplin has just ushered in the golden age since 1940 ) has passed away, and he rarely made films after that, and his influence was not great. He made two films in the 1940s, and then made one each in the 1950s and 1960s.Next, let’s talk about Spielberg. His "transformation" experience is the most typical, such as "Jaws" in 1975, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 1979, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, and the next year. "Alien", under the age of 35, Spielberg has shot 4 films that rank among the top ten grossing films in film history.He is a pure entertainment director, and the breathless horror in "Jaws" was even appreciated by suspense master Hitchcock.