This animation cost 565,438+billion yen and took 8 years to complete. It is the longest animation (265,438+07 minutes) since Studio Ghibli was founded, and its superb artistic level won him the best animated feature film award at the 87th Academy Awards without any suspense. However, the original intention of the film is not out of commercial considerations, but to inherit and carry forward the spirit of the traditional Japanese literary work "Wude", and finally achieve a high degree of unity of story, film soundtrack and painting style.
The film tells the story of an old man who chopped bamboo in a small mountain village and praised his creation. He accidentally found a palm-sized echo in a bamboo shoot. He and his wife decided to raise her. Unexpectedly, her growth rate was amazing, and she soon forged a deep friendship with friends in China. However, as Zanqi's grandfather discovered gold and cloth in the mountains, his family moved to a mansion in Beijing at the request of the princess and returned to Ji Ye, forcing them to go back to Ji Ye and cut off their life contact with the mountain village. When I grew up, countless princes and nobles came to propose marriage, but they were ugly again and again. Hui's painful heart caught the attention of the Moon Palace. It turned out that she was a fairy in the Moon Palace, but she was forced to return to the Moon Palace, cutting off the children's feelings on earth.
Gao Tianxun made a second creation on the basis of the original novel literature framework, changed some characters and plots, used Japanese classical art painting techniques to enhance the extensibility of narrative space, and fully integrated the cultural expression function of animation landscape, vividly portrayed the characteristics of different characters, which not only highlighted the artistic value and profound theme of animation, but also made it more contemporary, showing Gao Tianxun's thorough and clear thinking on life.
0 1, Japanese classical art painting techniques combined with the cultural and figurative functions of animated landscape constitute the "gaze" of Japanese social context.
/kloc-After the release of My Neighbor Jun Yamada, The Covenant of Returning Home in 0/4, Ji's story caused a fierce response in the Japanese animation industry at the beginning of the release. Many people call it "a movie that can change the history of Japanese comics." The reason why this film enjoys such high praise is inseparable from its breakthrough in the drawing production method of traditional animated films, which is the drawing technique of Japanese classical art.
This film is a hand-drawn two-dimensional animation, and its Japanese classical art painting techniques are mainly reflected in two aspects: the well-known painting style and the use of ink painting lines. The performance of picture scroll is a way of lens movement, which forms the aesthetic feeling like lens movement through the entry and exit of characters. In the flight scene where Hui meets Shewan, the film adopts a lens with subjective perspective, and presents a landscape through two kinds of lens movements: upward translation and horizontal translation. This technique is a painting art from Japan 12 century, which shows the sense of speed and art of painting and makes the film feel like a slowly unfolding painting.
On the one hand, the use of pen and ink lines draws lessons from the painting techniques of pen and ink lines in ukiyo-e pictures to express the different characteristics of the landscape, on the other hand, it strengthens the close-up of the characters' faces through the overlapping of sketch lines. The appearance of rain and sea in the film is represented by black lines and brush strokes, which implies the unknown risks at sea and highlights the expressive force of the scenery. This is the drawing method of ink line; Sketch lines are used to express the inner feelings of characters. When Hui rushed out of the house at the banquet, the length of her parents' face and the size of her eyes were distorted by lines, and the asymmetrical facial features highlighted Hui's inner anger. At this time, the deformed moon, tree, grass and facial features formed a corresponding resonance relationship, clearly depicting the changes of Hui Yueji's inner feelings.
In addition to Japanese classical art painting skills, Gao Tianxun also uses the cultural and expressive functions of animated landscapes to express the emotions of characters. Through the emphasis on watercolor and lines, the picture has an abstract feeling, thus realizing the cultural and figurative functions of the landscape. This way of depicting scenery has the dual functions of landscape and metaphor, which not only highlights the background of the film, but also combines the unique cultural context of Japan to separate Ji's original story and form a modern version of Cinderella story, thus achieving the goal of killing two birds with one stone.
Gao Tianxun said, "In recent Japanese animation works, no matter how close the characters are to cartoon characters, the background is depicted like a photo, which makes the audience assimilate with the characters and immerse themselves in the film." Therefore, the most important function of the animation landscape is to make the audience feel immersive, so as to complete the substitution of characters' emotions and shape the image of modern intellectual women.
Through the integration of the above two painting techniques, Gao Tianxun made Hui's image three-dimensional and rich. This kind of identity is not the most important purpose, but the most important theme is to stare at and think about the Japanese social context. Social context is firstly the inheritance and continuation of social culture, and secondly the thinking of social development and change. Specifically, the film is not entirely based on the interaction of the audience, but through the play to achieve the effect of the film's connotation and the context of modern society. Those picturesque landscapes are not only a visual experience, but also transformed from an indulgent state into a sympathetic connection. It is in this representation that the cultural function of the landscape can be realized.
02. Ukiyo-e in Japanese society is represented by three groups of people with different personalities, and it is miniature, which enhances the drama tension through the interpretation of the inner world of the characters.
The characters are the most important part of this film. Only when the characters are diversified and complicated can we create a good drama tension and theme. The word-of-mouth of the film is closely related to the in-depth portrayal of the characters. Generally speaking, these characters can be divided into three categories: the upper-class people with solidified thoughts, the lower-class people with natural temperament, and the season of detachment.
(1) The ideological solidification of the upper class explains the human nature of pursuing fame and wealth and greed.
The representative figures of this kind of characters are Qi Qizao, a noble in the palace and a tutor of Hui. The upper class is spoiled and full of curiosity. Gao Tianxun used irony to expose their greedy and ignorant characters. The three characters have their own characteristics.
Zanzibar algae is a representative of the upper class from the bottom. Because he made a fortune in a short time, the degree of ideological corruption he showed combined with the degree of loving his daughter, which led to the relationship between power and education. Can money raise a knowledgeable daughter? Can money buy your daughter happiness? Zanqi held a three-day banquet to invite princes and nobles, which showed his strong economic strength and attracted their desire for marriage. In essence, it still reflects their pursuit of fame and fortune.
As a teacher who teaches etiquette and culture, Xiangmo told her that she would be happy as long as she got married when facing the proposal of princes and nobles, which showed that she had a solid understanding of traditional concepts and thought that she could live a happy life if she was rich and powerful. All kinds of rare treasures brought by princes and nobles to propose marriage are more like a farce. They know that these priceless treasures are fakes, but they still regard them as their status symbols and proof of their wealth status, showing Gao Tianxun's ridicule and helplessness to those in power.
(2) Let nature take its course, and the lower classes attach importance to affection and friendship, showing the warmth of human nature.
The representative figures of this kind of characters are Zanqi's wife, Hui's maid and She Wan. The bottom class is kind, pure and reasonable, and Gao Tianxun is full of infinite care and respect for them, showing great love from image to behavior.
Zanqi's wife often listens to her voice, and her kind and gentle image is as understanding as every mother in life. Even after Zanqi made a fortune, his wife was still quietly spinning and weaving at home, plowing and growing vegetables, and living a poetic life. She and her daughter are soul mates, knowing that wealth can't make her happy, but it can't change her husband's mind, so she naturally waits for the arrangement of life, which includes both an open-minded attitude towards life and helplessness and bitterness.
Hui's maid is a lovely child's image and often accompanies her. Although she is a little lazy, she is meticulous. As the lowest person, the maid can often guess Hui's inner thoughts and become her closest friend. Shemaru is a good friend who grew up with Hui. They are childhood friends and have deep feelings, but the natural class gap spans between them, reflecting the deep-rooted class attribute of Japan. It is difficult for people from different classes to combine with each other, and in the end they can only live far apart and get along well together.
(3) Another detached woman, Ji Yiyue Palace, connects the world and interprets the beauty and innocence of life.
Hui is naive and free and easy. Because of its status as a moon fairy, it embodies the dual attributes of human love and transcendental love. Shewan cried bitterly when she was beaten; When the lies of princes and nobles were exposed, she smiled happily; Knowing that she was going back to the Moon Palace, she could not hide her sadness and loss. It can be said that Hui is full of the brilliance of human nature, and this spirit of detachment is exactly the same as the spirit of the empty cicada in the Japanese classic Tale of Genji in order to prevent Guangyuan from escaping into an empty net. However, due to the cloak of myth, people in the real world can only escape to relieve their pressure and worries, while returning to the moon palace can forget all the secular troubles.
From carefree childhood to gradually realizing the troubles in the world, Hui's life is full of endless variables. From poverty to wealth to leaving, her experience is more like a fable, telling us to cherish precious friends and relatives around us. This profound truth makes detachment have more aesthetic significance, and also makes the audience linger on such a sincere and touching story.
The social classes in Japan are not static, and the rise of the classes created by Zanqi is an example, but different classes tend to form the same stereotype, which deserves our deep thinking. The film is represented by three groups of characters with different personalities, which forms a microcosm of Japanese social ukiyo-e painting, shows the continuous lines of Japanese social and cultural context, enhances the drama tension through the interpretation of the inner world of the characters, and embodies the far-reaching artistic conception of life and the transcendence and sentiment of artistic expression.
03. Hui's criticism of religion in Metaphor of Crime and Punishment reflects the director's thorough thinking about life and understanding of artistic expression in his later years.
From the above two parts, we can not only feel the close relationship and connotation expression between Japanese aesthetic inheritance and characters, but Gao Tianxun's master style is more manifested in the expansion of theme connotation. Hui's story not only shows the true feelings about the world, but also reveals the criticism of religion, which is full of life-long thinking about art and life.
On the official poster, there used to be a slogan "The Princess's Crime and Punishment", which caused us to guess the connotation of the story. Hui is attached to the world and hopes to live a free life, which constitutes her original sin. Hui comes from bamboo, which makes her feel carefree childhood and precious friendship with friends, thus living up to the immortal bones and beauty she has cultivated for many years.
The punishment for her is as follows: after experiencing human desire, ugliness, filth and complexity, her attachment to the world has become the shackles and shackles that bind her. Her father's expectation and mother's love have made her prefer to stay on earth and give up all the rights of the moon palace. This kind of mental torture is more painful than physical torture.
A recurring song in the film is "Birds, insects and beasts, plants and flowers, come home as soon as possible". It can be found that this Song Hui Ji Ye is firmly imprinted in her mind, reminding her to "return to China as soon as possible" as a sinner. Huiyueji was born like a lotus fairy, with layers of bamboo shoots open and Huiyueji's legs crossed. This lotus-like sitting posture has a strong Buddhist meaning. The film is set in Nara, Japan, when the introduction of Buddhism from China reached its peak. Many details in the bamboo story show a strong Buddhist color. Hui's reincarnation and her rebirth in the Moon Palace show this point, and the Moon Palace is set as a pure land paradise without filth and evil obstacles, and only detached people can be reincarnated in life and death, which shows the embodiment of this past life concept.
However, Gao Tianxun did not agree with this idea, but was full of ruthless criticism. The Moon King who came to greet Hui Yeji was designed as a Buddha statue. However, from the expressions on his faces and those of the immortals, we can find that their eyes are empty and their expressions are dull, and they have escaped into an "empty door" at the expense of giving up their feelings, which implies that Elysium is not just a paradise where people yearn for peace and dance. Hui Jiye urged, "Heaven and earth, please accept me. Please let me stay here for a while and feel the happiness of living in this land."
As a fairy in the Moon Palace, Hui's attitude shows that she is tired of life in the Moon Palace, but she is extremely attached to human feelings. Zanqi's dubbing artist once asked Gao Tianxun, "Does this film express a kind of denial to the earth?" Gao Tianxun said, "On the contrary, I'm sure the earth". He kept telling his nostalgia for the world with his words, for example, "The world is not filthy, no matter whether it is happy or sad, all the creatures in this land are shining."
Hui Jiye grew up happily in the mountain village, but became unhappy when she came to Beijing. This is the image of the world and the Moon Palace. Being a bound bird in a luxurious mansion is far less desirable than the free air in the countryside. It expresses different life realms created by different environments. This state embodies Gao Tianxun's thoughts on family and friendship all his life, which is precious.
On 20 15, he won the 42nd Annie Award for best director of animated film for The Story of Hui Ye Ji. On February 6th, 20 16, he won the highest honor of animated film: Annie will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, which once again affirmed Gao Tianxun's outstanding achievements and artistic attainments in the field of animated film art all his life. On April 5th, 20 18, 82-year-old Gao Tianxun died in the west, but his endless exploration spirit of artistic creation remained in the world. This film embodies the breakthrough of Japanese traditional animation production mode and the rich image connotation of characters, and guides more animation masters to make innovative attempts and present their life experiences like a bright light.