Wong Kar-wai, a well-known Hong Kong director, has a unique style of filmmaking, and since the release of "Carmen in Mong Kok" in 1988, he has gradually made his personal films a symbol of aesthetics.
Although his production is not high, each of his works has been widely recognized by the industry. Wong Kar-wai's films have a distinct style, some people like it, and some people don't.
He spent ten years carefully preparing the movie "The Grandmaster", and this spirit of sharpening a sword for ten years is worth learning.
As soon as the movie "The Grandmaster" was released, it sparked widespread discussion and controversy. Some people think it's too literary, incomprehensible, and lethargic; And some people think that it is full of deep meaning, beautiful pictures, and the plot is full of poetry.
Even professional filmmakers have mixed reviews of the film. However, regardless of the controversy, the fact that "The Grandmaster" was able to attract so much attention and controversy is itself a testament to its success.
This movie focuses on the ** period, telling a unique martial arts world and a group of unique samurai, which makes people unsatisfied. Wong Kar-wai admired and was curious about this martial arts master when he was in the relevant films of Ip Man, and he spent ten years bringing "The Grandmaster" to the world.
"The Grandmaster" is a biographical drama, Wong Kar-wai did not show too much grievances in the rivers and lakes, but tried to convey the true charm of the heavy sense of ** and the spirit of martial arts through the movie.
He filters and beautifies elements of violence with culture and lenses, blending violence and poetry to create a different aesthetic feeling.
In 2013, director Wong Kar-wai released a landmark work "The Grandmaster". This film not only makes a bold breakthrough in film structure and narrative technique, but also perfectly blends an extraordinary world of martial arts and a turbulent history into a short two-hour film.
The thick sense of history and martial arts spirit in the film are deeply moving. Although the cinematography of this film was not the responsibility of Wong Kar-wai's old partner Christopher Doyle, his unique Wong style is ubiquitous.
Wong Kar-wai's precise control of colour, lighting and composition is one of his unique skills in the film industry. The large close-ups, beautiful lighting and upgraded shots in "The Grandmaster" bring the film into a realm full of form and stylization.
What is hidden behind the film is the spirit of martial arts and the thick history, which makes Wong Kar-wai handle the whole film very heavy and solemn. The color contrast of the film is stark, the large depth of field blurs the background, the filling of a large number of dark color blocks and the contrast of black and white colors, continuing his usual style.
Especially in the part of Mr. Gong Er's revenge, Wong Kar-wai brought the image aesthetics of the lens to the extreme, and every frame was breathtakingly beautiful, enough to be made into a postcard or wallpaper.
And this aesthetic picture is not accidental, but carefully designed. Before shooting, the director and camera team will carry out strict design arrangements, from composition, set, lighting, actors' movements to camera movements, a lot of work has been done.
Wong Kar-wai is good at using bold colors, and the colors in the film are contrasting. In the scene where Ip Man enters the Golden Building, we can deeply feel his unique use of color.
The Golden Tower is a secret gathering place for heroes from all sides, full of sounds and horses, bustling with excitement but full of dangers. The interior of the Golden House is luxuriously decorated with gold and the windows are also carved with delicate patterns, and the bright gold decoration and dull accessories complement each other, which is both gorgeous and elegant.
In the golden building, there was a row of charming women, dressed in colorful cheongsams and their hair in elegant and beautiful buns. Wong Kar-wai frames several women in a long shot, the contrast of colors is strong, and the picture is beautiful, showing the beauty of the old era sound and color places.
Wong Kar-wai's films always surprise us, and his bold use of color and subtle shots are even more amazing. For example, in "The Grandmaster", he used a lot of large close-ups to capture the image of Gong Er, successfully showing the elegant beauty of oriental women and the perseverance of warriors.
In terms of lighting, he uniquely used the Rembrandt lighting method, outlining the shadow areas of the character's face through strong side lighting, forming a triangular bright area, thus emphasizing the depth and perseverance of the facial lines, this lighting method is usually used to portray men, but when shooting the female character of Gong Er, Wong Kar-wai used this method ingeniously, successfully creating the image of Gong Er as firm, strong and persistent, making the character more full.
Wong Kar-wai's films always make us feel a strong sense of poetry, and he pays attention to freehand and strives to make his works on the theme of martial arts full of poetry, which is a very challenging task.
In the filming of "The Grandmaster", Wong Kar-wai used a large aperture macro shot with ingenuity, highlighting the theme of the film. Whether it's a fierce fight, or an affectionate scene, he makes full use of the wide aperture and close-ups, which are impressive.
At the same time, Rembrandt's light and thirds composition are also a highlight of the film, reflecting Wong Kar-wai's unique aesthetic concept. His camera control and use of skill are breathtaking, almost unmatched.
His grasp of color and film makes people feel a ghostly charm. The film tells the story of the grievances and entanglements between the masters of the northern and southern martial arts sects during the ** period, as well as the legendary life of the martial arts master Ip Man.
As a martial arts movie, the film is full of a lot of martial arts scenes. Wong, however, did not opt for Quentin-esque violence or the elegant gunfights modeled after John Woo.
Instead, through the filtering and beautification of oriental culture, he uses audio-visual language to elevate the picture to a kind of style and spirit.
He skillfully integrates traditional Chinese culture with violent martial arts, and draws on shooting techniques such as blank space to present the audience with a stunning martial arts picture like a Chinese freehand painting.
In Wong Kar-wai's eyes, martial arts not only means kung fu, but also symbolizes time, and this philosophical understanding makes his martial arts works unique. In the process of filming, he does not stick to strict narrative logic, but uses prose-style narrative and fragmented lenses to build a unique martial arts world.
His images are hazy and soulful, the lights are swaying and charming, and they are full of the unique charm of Chinese ink painting.
In the movie "The Grandmaster", the title is elegantly presented for the first time with the brushstrokes of traditional Chinese calligraphy, which instantly establishes the temperament of the whole movie. Then, the figure of Ip Man in a robe flashed in the rain, he waved his fists, and his movements were like flowing clouds and water, chic and free.
This fierce battle in the rain is almost only black and white, and there is a lot of white space in the film, except for the protagonist, like a dignified splash of ink painting, which is eye-catching. Whether it is Ip Man's fight in the rain or Gong Er's duel at the train station, these two scenes in black and white tones are full of poetic beauty and philosophical artistic conception, giving people a deep impression.
Inspired by the freehand and blank space techniques of Chinese ink painting, this work shows a unique artistic atmosphere, which adds a bit of poetry to the whole film. Ip Man in the film is silent, restrained and quiet, the city is very deep, the surface is quiet, but the shot is clean and neat, giving people a beautiful enjoyment.
Although Tony Leung's performance in martial arts is deficient compared to martial arts masters, director Wong Kar-wai skillfully uses high-speed camera lenses to capture Tony Leung's movements vividly, as if every drop of rain is frozen in the air with his movements, which is clearly visible.
In creating this visual feast, Wong Kar-wai used a lot of close-up shots, and by capturing every detail of the actors' movements, they showed the precision and power of their every punch and step.
Through this way of shooting, not only the fierce fight scenes are presented, but also the superb martial arts of Ip Man are revealed. The poetic martial arts scenes in "The Grandmaster" are masterpieces created by Wong Kar-wai and martial arts consultant Xu Haofeng.
* The special background of the period, frequent wars, hard life, defending the family and defending the country became the theme of the times at that time, and the responsibility of the times shouldered by those who studied martial arts could not be ignored.
Click on Hong Kong martial arts movies, and we can also see many excellent works with ** as the background. However, these works tend to pursue too much fancy and visual stimulation of martial arts scenes, ignoring the artistry of audiovisual language.
In contrast, Wong Kar-wai's works are dedicated to showing the connotation and spirit of martial arts, highlighting the spirit of martial arts in martial artists.
Together, Xu Haofeng and Wong Kar-wai have worked together to create a unique martial arts film, and their in-depth work on the film's visual presentation, composition and martial arts moves has resulted in a unique work.
In "The Grandmaster", they focused on the competition between Chinese martial artists, and made the audience immersive by carefully portraying martial arts moves, especially the four fierce fights between true and false on the Golden Tower.
The dusty women in the Golden Mansion are in stark contrast to Ip Man, their beauty, gorgeous makeup and elegant movements fully demonstrate the unique interpretation of beauty by the dusty women in the ** period.
The movement art of the golden-hugging woman is full of grace. Every moment is like a vivid oil painting of a person. Their eyes wandered and their expressions were rich, as if they were playing a mental game.
Wong Kar-wai used close-ups, slow motion, and occlusion to create a mysterious atmosphere in the filming of martial arts scenes. Although the rhythm of the martial arts scene is slow, the moves are fast and accurate, and this contrast between movement and stillness brings unexpected surprises to the audience.
The martial arts scenes in the film not only maintain Wong Kar-wai's aesthetic picture composition, but also integrate the spirit of Zhongzheng brought by Xu Haofeng, and the fusion of the two gives the film a unique charm.
Gong Er chose a challenging path to avenge his father, but he passed by his beloved. Wong Kar-wai uses montage techniques to show Gong Er's tenacious back through the beautiful northern snow scene, conveying an indescribable artistic conception and adding a sense of solemnity to the film.
The Grandmaster of the Generation takes the inheritance of the spirit of Chinese martial arts as its creative concept, spends a lot of time studying martial arts, and designs characters and actions according to the image of stars and the characteristics of martial arts.
The film integrates the four major martial arts schools of Bagua, Baji, Wing Chun, and Xingyi, showing the authentic spirit of Chinese martial arts, and allowing people to enjoy a visual feast.
1.The rain scene at the beginning of the film, Zhang Ziyi's duel on the platform, and the snowfall afterwards all show the film's excellence in martial arts, special effects, action design and visual presentation, which can be called the leader of Chinese martial arts films.
2.The expressions, lines, and actions of every character in the film are like a solemn ceremony, full of respect for each other. Wong Kar-wai cleverly added Cantonese folk songs and Italian opera to the soundtrack, hinting at the changes in the characters' emotions through the transformation of **, which aroused deep resonance from the audience.
3.Whether it's a fierce battle in the rain, a duel on the platform, or a battle in the snow, the film excels in martial arts, special effects, action design, and visual presentation, and is a model of Chinese martial arts films.
4.The expressions, lines, and actions of everyone in the film are full of solemnity and respect, showing the spirit of the warriors. In terms of soundtrack, Wong Kar-wai blended Cantonese folk songs and Italian operas, revealing the changes in the characters' emotions through the changes of **, which resonated deeply with the audience.
5.The film's martial arts, special effects, action design, and visual presentation are all excellent, and it can be called a model of Chinese martial arts movies. Every character's expression, every line, and every action is like a ritual, full of respect for each other.
Wong Kar-wai's score is also a highlight, revealing the changes in the characters' emotions through Cantonese folk songs and Italian operas, which resonated with the audience.
The ** of "The Grandmaster" is perfectly integrated with the picture, complements each other, and integrates with the plot, injecting vitality into the development of the plot. This film continues Wong Kar-wai's characteristic style, but also has some innovations, filled with a strong cinematic poetic mood, and is known as poetic martial arts.
A large number of blank spaces, infectious backgrounds, scattered cultural narratives and poetic pictures have become the highlights of the film, and the expression and structure of the film have important artistic value and are worthy of in-depth study by later generations.
However, the film also sparked some controversy after its release, with some filmmakers taking a negative view of the film, believing that the literary drama was weak, and the lines were like chicken soup for the soul and bosom friends.
Beijing Morning Post also criticized the inconsistent rhythm of the movie, the front is fast and the back is slow, and Zhang Zhen's scenes are out of touch with the overall story. No matter what the audience evaluates, "The Grandmaster" is worthy of praise for its exploration of the aesthetics of violence and the spirit of martial arts.