New Century New Film: Interpretation of "Run Lola Run"

Author: Su Mu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Preface Another world exists in China, in a university named Beijing Film Academy. Beijing Film Academy is China's only comprehensive film university. It was founded in 1950. During the Cultural Revolution, the film academy was temporarily closed. It is said that it was due to the interference of the "Gang of Four," though others argue otherwise. In 1978, the film academy resumed admissions. World-renowned film journal—France's Cahiers du Cinéma—marked the resumption of admissions at Beijing Film Academy as a significant event in the history of world cinema's centennial. While Beijing Film Academy may not be as renowned as China's Peking University or Tsinghua University both in China and globally, it is still a school worth being proud of.
First, the film academy's research subject is film. Today is the era of audiovisual culture. According to cultural anthropology, those born in the West after the 1960s and in China after the 1970s are the "audiovisual generation." Urban surveys in China show that going to movie theaters, owning hundreds or even thousands of movie VCDs and DVDs, is an important lifestyle for urban middle-class families.
Second, the film academy has nurtured the backbone of China's film creation personnel. Countless outstanding Chinese filmmakers have emerged from here, including world-class directors like Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, and Jia Zhangke. No film university in the world has produced as many world-class film directors as Beijing Film Academy.
Beijing Film Academy has many departments and majors, and students in different fields study different courses. However, there is one course that all students take together, called Film Analysis. Film Analysis is a course like a collage, taught by instructors from various departments of the film academy, who interpret films from different perspectives. Some of them are prominent figures at the film academy, such as Professor Xie Fei, Professor Zheng Dongtian, Professor Zhang Huijun, and Professor Xie Xiaojing.
At the film academy, if you ask students which course they like the most, they will tell you without hesitation: Film Analysis. Film Analysis is a unique feature of Beijing Film Academy. A teacher at the film academy once described Film Analysis with great enthusiasm: Film Analysis is like a stage where instructors from the film academy take turns performing. I believe Film Analysis is more like a boxing ring, where countless instructors stand boldly on stage, full of vigor, recommending their favorite films and directors, sharing their understanding and love for cinema.
I am a teacher at the film academy and also an instructor of Film Analysis. Even today, I am still grateful and proud to be a teacher. "Honestly, it's not just about the awareness of being a gardener. Just as some people become obsessed with certain things or even narcotics, I am truly captivated by the earnest gazes of my students beneath the podium. Those are youthful and beautiful faces, and each one holds a passionate soul." (Preface to "Honor," written by Su Mu, published by China Film Press in 2000)
At the same time, I am content and happy to have encountered cinema in my life and become a filmmaker. Because I am truly obsessed with the world on the screen—a world that is sometimes close and sometimes distant, sparkling with brilliant light. In a vast room filled with people, the lights dim. People become quiet, the room becomes quiet, and the world becomes quiet. You can almost hear your own breathing and heartbeat. A colorful beam of light bursts forth, striking a huge, white wall in the front of the room. And so, on that wall, plants move, mountains move, streets move, and people move.
Russian filmmaker Jean Epstein once wrote in his famous Bonjour, Cinéma! about his experience watching films: "The pain in your heart is within reach. If I stretch my arms, I would touch you, and I would feel sad and uneasy. I count each of your painful eyelashes, and I can even taste the flavor of your tears. No one's face has ever been so close to mine as yours."
I once told my students that I am a pessimist about life. Or perhaps, I doubt the process and meaning of life. But sometimes, when watching films, I feel as if a hand gently passes through my clothes, my skin, my chest. It enters my body. It touches my heart lightly. Suddenly, my heart aches, and tears fall. In that moment, I feel moved. In that moment, I feel warmth. In that moment, I feel happiness. In that moment, I realize the worth and meaning of life. This is what is called "near."
I remember once, while teaching at the film academy, we analyzed Alan Parker's film The Birdman. At dusk, on a vast sea, the sea and the sky are a deep blue. The protagonist, "The Birdman," and his friend El arrive at the beach. "The Birdman" stretches his arms, as if ready to fly, in the boundless blue of the sea and sky. Later, "The Birdman" actually made a pair of wings for himself. He leaps from a high mountain. "Fly."
In our world of shattered personalities, inflated selfishness, and rampant materialism, a child spreads his wings (arms) and wants to—fly. I was moved. I told my classmates about one of my "experiences": Several years ago, I took a film crew from Chongqing along the Yangtze River downstream by boat. "Farewell, White Emperor, under the colorful clouds between us; a thousand miles of Jingling can be returned in a day." The monkeys' cries on both banks are incessant; the light boat has passed ten thousand mountains. As evening approached, the boat neared Yichang. With most tourist attractions passed, the once bustling rear deck of the boat was empty. I stood alone on the empty deck. I looked at the receding Yangtze River and the setting sun. The Yangtze River is vast, the sunset is fiery red. The sunset gradually descended. The sunset gradually descended. In that instant, the sunset fell into the Yangtze River, and the Yangtze River swallowed the sunset. The fiery red sunset and the Yangtze River merged. Thus, the Yangtze River turned red, and the Yangtze River burned. In the blazing Yangtze River, a small boat drifted by. On the boat stood an ancient figure, proud and aloof. His long hair flowed, his white robes fluttered. In such an evening, in such a scene, in such a moment in my life, I transcended time and space, crossed the mortal world and the underworld, and walked through a thousand years. I was overjoyed.
After I finished, my classmates stared at me blankly. Their gazes were somewhat vacant, as if they had lost focus. Some classmates smiled at me with friendliness and kindness. Their gazes were more like comforting a young child than looking at their teacher. This is what is called "far."
The creators are all the predecessors and peers we are proud of. These films are either striking and brilliant or meticulously crafted and refined. Of course, the ultimate goal of "The Film Classroom" is not a specific film, but the "film" composed of countless films—the "other world" beyond our living world.
The bell rang, and I walked to the podium. I was a little excited because I saw you. Your gazes were warm.
Su Mu
Early Spring, 2004
This series of books interprets outstanding works in the history of world cinema. Through detailed introductions to the historical context, creators, and origins of the films, as well as detailed analyses of the films, it integrates rich knowledge of film creation and radiates into philosophy, history, society, and other art fields. The book is filled with numerous color illustrations, making the reading experience vivid and engaging.