New Century New Movie (Interpretation of "Run Lola Run")

Author: Su Mu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
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," although some people say otherwise. In 1978, the film academy resumed admissions. The world-renowned film journal—France's Cahiers du Cinéma—considered the resumption of admissions at Beijing Film Academy as a significant event in the history of world cinema's centennial. Although Beijing Film Academy is not as renowned as China's Peking University or Tsinghua University either domestically or internationally, it is still a school worth being proud of. First, the film academy's research subject is film. Today is the era of audio-visual culture. According to the classification of cultural anthropology, those born in the West after the 1960s and in China after the 1970s are called the "audio-visual generation." The China Urban Survey Report indicates that going to movie theaters to watch films and owning hundreds or even thousands of film VCDs and DVDs are important lifestyles for urban young families in China. Second, the film academy has nurtured the backbone of China's film creators. 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 majors take different courses. However, there is one course that all students take together, called Film Analysis. Film Analysis is a course like a potluck, with instructors from various departments of the film academy interpreting 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 on stage with vigor, passionately recommending their favorite films and directors, sharing their understanding and love for cinema. I am a teacher at the film academy, and I am also an instructor of Film Analysis. To this day, I still feel fortunate 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 under the podium. Those are youthful and beautiful faces, and each one holds a burning soul." (Preface to "Honor," written by Su Mu, published by China Film Press in 2000) At the same time, I am grateful and happy to have encountered film in this life and become a filmmaker. Because I am truly obsessed with the dazzling, sometimes near and sometimes far world on the screen. In a large 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 the huge white wall in front of the room. And so, on that wall, plants move, mountains move, streets move, and people move. Jean Epstein, the Russian filmmaker, once wrote in his famous Bonjour Cinema about his experience watching films: "Your pain seems within reach. If I stretch my arms, I would touch you, and I would feel sad and uneasy. I count your every painful eyelash, and I can even taste the flavor of your tears. No one's face has ever been as close to mine as yours." I once told my students that I am a pessimist when it comes to 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 lightly touches my heart. 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 that life is worth living and meaningful. This is what is called "near." I remember once, while teaching at the film academy, we analyzed the film Birdman by Alan Parker: In the evening, on a vast coastline, the sea and the sky are a single, endless blue. The protagonist "Birdman" and his friend El arrive at the beach. "Birdman" stretches his arms, as if ready to fly, in the boundless blue of the sea and sky. Later, "Birdman" actually made a pair of wings for himself. He leaps from a high mountain. "Fly." In our world of split personalities, inflated selfishness, and rampant materialism, a child, spreading his wings (arms), 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 by boat. "Farewell White Emperor, where the colorful clouds drift between," "A thousand miles of Jingling can be returned in a day," "The cries of monkeys on both banks will not stop," "A light boat passes through ten thousand mountains." As evening approached and the boat neared Yichang, with most tourist attractions passed, the once bustling rear deck of the ship was empty. I stood alone on the empty deck. I looked at the receding Yangtze River and the setting sun. The Yangtze River was vast, and the sunset was 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, and 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 seemed unfocused, as if they had lost their point of 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 worthy of our pride—our predecessors and peers. 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 the world we live in. The bell rang for class. 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 creative origins of the films, as well as detailed analyses of the films, it integrates rich knowledge of film production and radiates into philosophy, history, society, and other artistic fields. The book is filled with numerous color illustrations, making the reading experience and engaging.