In the Han Dynasty, the grandson of a rich man named Pei was handed down for three generations. He lost his parents when he was young and lacked discipline under the pampering of his grandmother. In the end, he was blackmailed by a prostitute, killed three of them angrily, and was sentenced to death, which was executed in the autumn. Before and after going to prison, grandma spent a lot of money bribing officials, but failed many times. In order to have a home, she had to get married in prison. Finally, under the influence of his grandmother, his wife, Lianer, the jailer and his cellmate, Pei Gang gradually repented and finally changed his mind and died peacefully.
Throughout the whole story, all the characters seem to be shrouded in a cold atmosphere. The rich but incomplete and barren family, the first three and the last execution, and the prison as the main scene of the film all set off this atmosphere. However, the story is filled with faint warmth. The affection between grandparents and grandchildren, the affection between husband and wife, and the patient influence of jailers and scholars on Pei Gang are full of selfless care between people, which is touching and finally casts a serious and warm work. Finally, although Pei Gang was relieved, she left behind orphans and widows, which made people feel melancholy. "China's cultural values believe that the whole universe is transformed from one life form to another, and life and death are the transformation and inheritance of a circle." The final autumn decision of this film, if viewed in this way, should also be a happy ending, which made me feel a lot at once. The simple style of the film is mainly reflected in three aspects: film color and soundtrack, role setting and film scene.
The whole film emphasizes the use of dark green tones, which are cold, dark and heavy, and have the characteristics of simplicity, which is more in line with the needs of the times and the story. Clothing, props and scenery are rarely bright, simple and simple, even Lianer's wedding dress. The soundtrack of this film was tailored by Japanese composer Ichiro Qi Teng, who once composed for Li Hanxiang's costume films. It retains the characteristics of simple rhythm and timbre of Japanese pop music, and there are not many places in the soundtrack. Many times, movies are in simple dialogue or silence.
There are not many roles, mainly, Lianer, Grandma, Old Man, and Criminal Cao. Their names are all symbolic. Secondly, there is no affectation in characterization: Pei Gang is a rough and tough bold figure; Lianer is gentle and virtuous, quiet and lonely, silently repaying kindness, forbearing and strong; Grandma is the most emotional expression, but it is not exaggerated and still calm; But Gao Tou and the scholar are also relatively silent, sometimes just a faint word, a look or an action.
The scene of this film is simple, mainly in Jia Pei and prison, with a small scale and little decoration. Secondly, the shooting technique of the scene has not been specially treated, and as a film more than 30 years ago, there is no gorgeous computer stunt lens of modern movies.
However, some critics have pointed out: "In terms of lens handling, Li Hsing doesn't seem to be satisfied with the simple duck-raising performance", "In Li Hsing's most proud work Autumn Decision, he rashly used several sharp binoculars" and "this superficial technical performance destroyed the light and frank directing style of Li Hsing's early works to some extent".
First, watch movies from a cultural perspective.
(A) the brand of the times-realism
In the 1960s, mainland films were trapped in the class struggle during the Cultural Revolution, and Hong Kong films, with the help of Shaw Company, were enjoying a commercial entertainment boom. In Taiwan Province Province, the 1960s was the period when modern literature in Taiwan Province Province prevailed. Movies were often mixed with decadent, depressed, desperate and schizophrenic emotions common in western modernist literature. Since 1970s, local literature has become the mainstream in Taiwan Province Province, and the realistic films in Taiwan Province Province have been influenced, from pursuing western film skills to inheriting national cultural traditions. Gong Hong, deputy director of the Information Bureau of the Executive Yuan, took over as the general manager of China Film, adjusted the production policy, and put forward a "healthy realistic line", that is, "China filmmakers must be inspired by the requirements of the times" and "give full play to the virtues of sympathy, care, forgiveness, kindness and self-sacrifice in human nature, so as to invigorate the society and guide everyone to be good and bright".
At that time, Li Hsing, the director, used simple plots and characters and completely simple shooting techniques to express family ties and human relations in China films, and made many excellent films. Although Li Hsing made a new career in filming Autumn Decision, this film can also be said to be the product of the influence of the times and the encouragement of China's film policy. In the film, Pei Gang's side, such as Lianer, Grandma, the old man and the scholar, are all caring, kind-hearted and self-sacrificing, which guides Pei Gang to finally face death with kindness.
(B) Director Li Xing's thoughts
On the one hand, Li Hsing's film style is influenced by the times, but on the other hand, Li Hsing advocates the national culture of China. He insisted on creating between political propaganda requirements and artistic pursuit, and infiltrated ethics into commercial production. He won the Golden Horse Award three times for "Duck Family", "Autumn Decision" and "A Leaf in the Ocean", which is a record that no one can break so far.
1. fatherly love and filial piety
Li Xing once said: "Most of my works emphasize the affection between parents and children, which is closely related to my family environment. In my feeling, the previous generation and the next generation should be coordinated, and should not be rebellious and contradictory. Human feelings are no more sincere and selfless than parents' children. My parents are devout Buddhists, and they are typical traditional and conservative China people, so I believe in China's traditional ethics most.
This just shows that autumn's decision is full of filial piety and filial piety: Lianer can meekly repay her kindness and is willing to marry and have children with someone who doesn't like or even hate it; Grandma stubbornly spent all her money to rescue her grandson, even in order to let her grandson have spiritual sustenance in prison, she can continue to hate herself and let others not tell her grandson about her death; The scholar in prison was punished on behalf of his father. Finally, Pei Gang, who has always been rebellious, realized her grandmother's painstaking efforts and regretted it. That is to say, no matter how fierce the conflict is, no matter how distant the gap between the previous generation and the next generation is, we should use goodwill and tolerance to penetrate the gap, narrow the distance and create a beautiful scene full of light and hope, which is for "harmony".
However, some critics pointed out that Li Xing's idea of "sticking to the old ways and not making any changes" was incompatible with the social trend of opening up in Taiwan Province Province at that time. When discussing the generation gap, he always stays away from the political and social life in Taiwan Province Province, the great changes in social concepts and values brought about by the development of modern industry and commerce, and the specific analysis of China's inherent ethics and traditions. It is not enough and one-sided to simply emphasize the accommodation and compromise of the next generation to the next generation.
2. Complete family culture
Li Hsing with ethical thoughts should attach great importance to the culture of "home", but in Autumn Decision, the audience can't see a complete "home". [9] Grandma began to be widowed when she was young, and Gaotou had already lost his wife and children. Pei Gang and Lianer have lost their parents since childhood, and finally Lianer and her children will become orphans and widows.
However, the audience can see a "home" in a broader sense. In prison, the warden has fatherly feelings for Pei Gang, and he is also strict and kind. The audience can feel a kind of great love that is different from the love of a small family and transcends blood relationship. Lianer carefully cleaned Pei Gang's cell. Their happiness gave Pei Gang and the audience the illusion that Pei Gang had gone home.
3. Preaching color
"Traditional ethics, affection and education are the main elements in Li Hsing's director's works, and they can also be said to be his aesthetic core, his director's samadhi." Li Hsing has a background in the Education Department of Normal University, which may be one of the reasons why his films are full of strong preaching.
In this film, he preached to the audience directly and directly through repeated preaching to Pei Gang by scholars, which made the audience mentally retarded. The author doesn't like it very much. Some literati who destroyed the simple style of this film muttered something to themselves, which made people think of the Tang priest in a Chinese Odyssey, and made people laugh. This is the weakness of this film.
Second, look at movies from a legal perspective.
Of course, law and culture cannot be completely separated. However, even domestic film and television works about cases generally do not deliberately educate the audience about legal knowledge, and so does this film, which focuses on traditional ethics and life and death. Therefore, the following author only launches some interesting contents reflected in the film.
(1) trial
1. Access allowed
In the film trial, there was no mention of the witness's physical evidence, let alone the suicide note. The county magistrate sentenced Pei Gang to death according to his confession. In modern society, China, as a country with civil law system, emphasizes to find the true essence of the case and find out the truth of the case as much as possible in criminal proceedings, so "even if the defendant pleads guilty in open court, the judge can't directly declare him guilty", but all the evidence must be investigated to reach a comprehensive conclusion. "Only the confession of the defendant, there is no other evidence that the defendant is guilty", otherwise "the voluntariness and wisdom of self-admission cannot be guaranteed".
2. Inducing inquiry
In the film, Cao Cao, a bribe-taking criminal, led Pei Gang to state many times during the trial, intending to excuse him on the grounds of self-defense, but Pei Gang was brave and confessed. In fact, punishing Cao's behavior has constituted an induced interrogation of the defendant.
In the Anglo-American legal system, the main inquirer should not be induced, because the main inquirer is likely to imply that the witness will cooperate to answer in his own favorable direction, which is easy to be a false statement. Although the trial mode in China is ex officio, there are similar rules. Article 335 of the Criminal Procedure Rules of the People's Procuratorate of the Supreme People's Procuratorate stipulates: "When interrogating defendants and witnesses, we should avoid inducing interrogation and inquiry and other improper interrogation and inquiry that may affect the objectivity and truth of statements and testimonies."
(B) the embodiment of Confucian legal thought
1. autumn decision
In the concept of the ancients, spring and summer are the seasons when everything grows and breeds, and autumn and winter are the times of extinction. This is an eternal natural law, and people must adapt to it, especially political behavior, which must conform to the four seasons and correspond to heaven, that is, the punishment of celebrating rewards corresponds to spring, summer, autumn and winter, so "punishment will kill autumn and winter." In December of the Han Dynasty, beginning of spring refused to report to prison, and the laws of later generations remained unchanged. Because of this taboo, we have the title of this film and a series of touching stories about prison life before the autumn decision. There are also taboos about religious festivals and sacrificial days, which are not reflected in the film, so I won't elaborate on them.
The scholar was punished on behalf of his father.
There were three prisoners in the prison at that time, the thief, Pei Gang and the scholar. Among them, the scholar applied for punishment on behalf of his father because his father was old and weak. There are countless examples of substituting punishment for punishment in ancient times. For example, Ti Ying saved his father, which became a typical example of filial piety. Sometimes, "substitute punishment even became a system stipulated by the state", and requesting substitute punishment became a legal right. When Emperor Han Ming was in power, his parents and people who wanted to own the same property were willing to listen. When I arrived in Ming Xianzong, substituting punishment was not only a right, but also an obligation stipulated by later generations.
The substitution of penalty embodies filial piety, and obviously embodies the characteristics of ancient Confucian law in China. "Confucianism's attempt to enter the law by courtesy began in the Han Dynasty."
3. Prison in Han Dynasty-the infiltration of Confucianism
1) The concept of "lenient probation"
The rulers of the Han Dynasty accepted the historical lesson of the Qin Dynasty's downfall due to the practice of "chaos and abuse of government" and put forward the idea of "lenient probation prison" with both morality and punishment, such as implementing the policy of "benevolent punishment" for prisoners, abolishing some harsh laws, giving preferential treatment to officials in prison system and executing in autumn and winter. Reform is more important than punishment, which is also the embodiment of Confucianism entering the law.
This is fully reflected in the film. The warden only punishes prisoners when they are rude or escape from prison, and does not abuse them at will. Prisoners usually do some polishing and other labor, and they also keep watch in the prison yard. Pei Gang was flogged only when he escaped from prison. He always expresses his feelings rationally and never makes it difficult for Pei Gang's family to visit and send things.
2) Prison system in Han Dynasty
The ancient prison system reached a fairly complete level in the Han Dynasty. The film embodies the system of tying prisoners and the system of pitying prisoners.
The first is the prison system. It refers to the effective detention of prisoners, including the chain system, the guard system and the point-and-see system. In order to prevent prisoners from escaping, it is stipulated that all prisoners should wear prison equipment and prison clothes, and even during serving their sentences, they should not release the equipment. After the prisoner enters the prison, it is forbidden to communicate with outsiders, and even family visits are strictly restricted. Therefore, the purpose of imprisonment is to achieve the punishment purpose of "no entry from inside, no entry from outside, making people aware of claustrophobia and hardship, thus frustrating their obsession".
Second, the system of sympathy for prisoners. It refers to the system of pardoning prisoners under the guidance of the idea of "lenient probation", which prevents officials from abusing prisoners at will and guarantees their basic living conditions. In particular, it is necessary to put forward the system of "listening to his wife's imprisonment", which means that if a dead prisoner marries a wife and has no children, he will be allowed to go to prison and then executed. In the film, Cao Cao was sent to prison to marry a woman in order to continue to burn incense for Pei's family. This is a little different from "listening to your wife go to jail" [18], but the essence is the same. This system also embodies the Confucian traditional family concept in ancient legal system.
Step 4 get married
On the wedding night, Lianer offered sacrifices to her ancestors, which reflected the significance of the legal act of ancient marriage: "Serve the temple and follow the children."
Three. abstract
This film respects history, presents the prison scene of Han Dynasty to the audience exquisitely and simply, and emphatically conveys China's traditional Confucian ethics and outlook on life and death, with a hint of warmth and hope in seriousness. On the one hand, under the banner of healthy realism, director Li Hsing leads the audience to move forward in a positive direction of "health", on the other hand, he assumes the function of "realism", and does not avoid the cruelty of life and deliberately hide the worries after the gradual collapse of ethics in social reality. However, because of anxiety, it is led by the banner of "health", so it can't be as real and sharp as the new wave movies in Taiwan Province Province.
"Kill spring peaches and reap autumn fruits." After watching the whole process of being thoroughly remoulded, and listening to that calm sentence-"People will die sooner or later", I thought: I am very lucky to see this excellent work.