"Kung Fu" is still in theaters and is still hotly debated.
However, Li Yi took his family and embarked on a special journey.
For this trip, Li Yi's family, including his father and mother, had planned their travel route in advance.
“Dream back to the Silk Road!”
In fact, the reason why I wanted to walk the Silk Road a thousand years ago was because of this year’s Youth International Film Festival.
There was a travel documentary that became very popular, and Li Yi was also quite interested in it.
In fact, Li Yi has traveled to Europe, Asia, America, and even Africa, but he really has no contact with those countries on the Silk Road.
Of course, it is indeed inferior to these countries in terms of tourism, publicity and impression.
The Silk Road usually refers to the trade routes in northern Europe and Asia. In the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian started from Chang'an, passed through the Guanzhong Plain, the Hexi Corridor, the Tarim Basin, and ended in the Central Asian Transoxiana area between the Syr Darya and Wuhu Rivers, and Greater Iran.
, and connect the land routes of Mediterranean countries.
This road is also called the "Overland Silk Road" to distinguish it from two other transportation routes that will bear the name "Silk Road" in the future. Because among the goods transported westward by this road, silk products have the greatest impact, so
It got this name. Its basic direction is set in the Han Dynasty, including three routes: the South Road, the Middle Road, and the North Road.
But in fact, the Silk Road was not a "road", but an unmarked road network that passed through mountains, rivers and deserts, and silk was just one type of cargo.
However, this trip gave Li Yi a lot of gains and even some surprises.
Especially the first stop, Iran, is probably the most mysterious in my impression. It is also known as a country shrouded in black!
Of course, Li Yi also made some preparations before traveling to the Silk Road.
I thought it was made up by some netizens, but when the news arrived, Li Yi discovered that it turned out to be true.
Along the way, countless people asked Li Yi where they were from. When they answered "CHINA", the locals looked confused, but when Li Yi answered "qin" according to the information circulated on the Internet, they were absolutely enthusiastic.
and a smile of admiration.
This made Li Yi feel like he came from "Qin", as if he had traveled through time and space and returned to the sound of camel bells for trade on the Silk Road...
Li Yi's family is either a director or an actor or singer, so they naturally came here and paid relatively close attention to this aspect.
In many cases, Li Yi learns more about this strange country through movies.
No, Li Yi and the others met a crew filming on the road.
Li Yi even met an old acquaintance, Director Abaki!
The reason why they are said to be old acquaintances is mainly because Li Yi just met him at the domestic international film festival not long ago, and they were the first to know each other. They were also rivals at the Cannes Film Festival.
"Hey Lee, welcome to my country!"
Director Abaki seemed very enthusiastic when he saw Li Yi.
"This place is very mysterious, very beautiful, and beyond my expectation." Li Yi said with a smile.
Director Abaji sighed after hearing this: "Actually, many people have the same impression of this place. We have been working hard to let the world know our motherland through movies, but obviously we have not done enough and are not good enough.
.”
Film serves as a universal language that can demystify countries and cultures.
But in recent years, although Iran has produced many internationally renowned directors, it is a pity that perhaps because their films always like to make visually stunning works that reflect modern social issues.
Therefore, on the contrary, everyone has deepened some negative feelings through the movie.
Of course, it's not that they only make this type of movies, but this type of movies seems to have become their label.
Only movies like this are more famous.
In fact, to a certain extent, it is somewhat similar to the Chinese films of the late 1990s and early 21st century.
It’s just that Chinese-language movies are no longer what they used to be.
Abaki is also a well-known director in Iran. He is best at shooting local films.
Abaji was indeed very hospitable and strongly requested to entertain Li Yi and his family.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign country is naturally a good thing. Li Yi did not refuse, and the two naturally talked about movies during the period.
Suddenly Abaki looked at Li Yida and said: "Li, you traveled to Sicily, Italy, and that's how "Cinema Paradiso" came about. You traveled to France, and then there was "The Spring of the Cowherd", and you traveled to Switzerland, and then there was "Cinema Paradiso".
"Heidi", now that you are here, are you interested in filming a film about our place?"
In fact, there is a very interesting thing, that is, every movie Li Yi shoots during his travels has made the filming location a tourist destination, which has also made him popular in various international tourist countries.
For some small countries, to put it bluntly, movies are really one of the few opportunities for them to show themselves to the outside world.
Of course, the countries Li Yi visited before were not small countries in themselves, but they were still extremely welcoming.
Iran is certainly not a small country, but to a certain extent, they welcome world-renowned international directors like Li Yi.
Although Abaki is quite famous in Europe, he is more famous in several film festivals. In fact, in recent years, many of their directors have gone abroad and gained some influence at the Oscars and around the world.
, but it also depends on who you compare with. Compared with Li Yi, he is far behind.
The key is that all of the films Li Yi made earlier are called classics.
"This may not be a good thing for you, right? You know, except for "Heidi", the other two films I made in the past were from a relatively long time ago..." Li Yi spread his hands.
road.
He did not say it directly, because for some reasons, although the cities in Iran are actually very good and the scenery is beautiful, in fact, in addition to being mysterious and unique, the impression given to him here is still more backward and poor!
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! This is also true.
This is why Li Yi said that it would not be a good thing for them.
For example, in "Cinema Paradiso" shot by Li Yi, although the town shown in the movie many years ago was also very poor, it is different now after all.
"No, no, no, the outside world has too many misunderstandings about us. We are not afraid that everyone will know the true face of our motherland. We are just afraid that the outside world will demonize us. I hope you can see from a bystander's perspective
Let me tell you what it is like here from an objective perspective, even if there is indeed poverty and backwardness!" Abaki said cautiously.
Li Yi was startled when he heard this, yes!
It can be said that to a certain extent, movies are definitely a very good medium for everyone to understand a strange place.
For example, those Chinese movies in the early years, in an era when information dissemination was not so fast, can be said to have become the only media that the outside world can understand to a certain extent.
"I need to think about it. Of course, if I have ideas or inspiration before my trip is over and before I leave here..." Li Yi did not refuse or agree.
Abaki was very happy when he heard what Li Yi said.
He even said arrogantly that this place is no worse than Italy or France, and he believes it will bring enough inspiration to great directors like Li Yi.
Afterwards, bidding farewell to Abaji, Li Yi's family embarked on a journey again. To be honest, this place really made Li Yi's family feel that their trip was worthwhile.
After all, they never expected that in the hot Middle East, there would be white-capped snow-capped mountains, fairy-tale autumn colors, and such rich and varied natural landscapes;
Nor did they expect that they would have a picnic in the countryside of Iran, secretly drinking Iranian home-brew wine in this country that prohibits alcohol;
I didn’t expect that deep in the mountains of Iran, in a small village with picturesque autumn colors under the snow-capped mountains, or in a traditional bathhouse, hot springs can be very romantic;
I never expected that I would get a taste of what it’s like to be a star in Iran. Countless people greeted Li Yi and the others along the way and said HI!
It's not that they recognized Li Yi or anything, but they seemed to be very enthusiastic about Li Yi and other tourists.
Of course, some places here do give people a feeling of backwardness and poverty, but the spiritual outlook is not what the outside world thinks, but quite the opposite.
"What do you think of me making a movie here?" Li Yi suddenly asked the person next to him at night.
"That's great! Just like what Director Abaki said, when you go to a place, you can always leave a popular movie behind, so naturally it can be done here too!" Mu Qing said with a smile.
"Why do you have an idea?" She said with a curious look on her face.
"Well, I have some ideas!" Li Yi nodded.
In fact, during his trip, a movie came to mind, and it was a movie from this country.
Speaking of which, it was not a big-cast movie, on the contrary, it was just a very simple, low-budget film. And according to Li Yi's impression, the most distinctive people here like to shoot movies that reflect social phenomena, issues, etc.
There is a very big difference.
There is no deliberate effort at all, the exhibitions and scenery are shot honestly, but they can catch people and make people reflect - do movies really need those things?
The goldfish pond scene at the end of the movie is even a little Zen-like, yet so ordinary and simple, making the whole movie instantly transparent. How could it be so good!
Yes, this is a very sincere film, and it is very different from the most distinctive and internationally famous films made by directors of this country in the past.
Local films like those made by Abaji prefer to describe the hardships of the people at the bottom of life and expose social class contradictions. This can be said to be engraved in the bones of many of their directors.
But the movie Li Yi remembered was completely different!
The story told in this movie is very simple, and the theme is very clear. It tells the story of young love, untainted by any impurities, crystal clear. And this is one of the themes that this movie wants to express. What is shown in it is that despite
Although you are poor, you can still live with dignity, and you can still have such a quiet and happy life.
To be honest, Li Yi really likes this movie, which is considered by many to be a children's movie.
In Li Yi's opinion, yes, this is a children's film, but it is not just a children's film.
Li Yi was still thinking before that even if his memory was triggered, it might be a very sharp movie that exposed social class contradictions, so he was actually a little resistant.
Because, after all, he is not from here, so he has no reason to make such a movie.
But in the end, he didn't expect that what he remembered would be such a movie, a very special, very special movie.
The name of that movie is also very simple. The original name was "Children of Paradise", which is somewhat similar to Li Yi's "Cinema Paradiso". After it was translated, when it came to China, the name was simpler and plainer, "Little Shoes"!
There are not so many messy things in the movie. It is actually about a kind of beautiful belief. If you are confident and optimistic about life and the world, you will definitely gain something.
It can be said that this film is the most humane work made in the simplest way with extremely simple images.
The tone of the film has always been peaceful and calm, clean, without excessive words or emotions, just like the clear eyes of an Iranian child. The life of the people at the bottom is difficult, and the pressure of life has already overwhelmed a man with three children.
The family was overwhelmed. My mother was seriously ill and my father complained constantly. However, no one in this family lost confidence in life or lost their direction.
They have the collective expression of poor people all over the world: cowardice, kindness, and forbearance.
They silently endure the difficulties of life and silently release their inner strong character.
They will not go crazy and collapse because of a little setback, screaming at the sky and the earth.
Because resistance and struggle are not actually the themes of life.
As long as they can bear it, they will never explode.
People at the bottom of life are always the most able to endure humiliation and heavy burdens.
However, this film is far from, or does not intend to just tell the audience this.
Well, Li Yi admitted that he liked this movie very much, so he had the idea.
Because this kind of movie, it can be said, does not contain too many other things, but only the most real and simple things.
Many people always think that poor people must be like this, but this movie does not do this. On the contrary, although it shows poverty, it is more about letting people see that although they live in poverty, they are
It is not as unhappy as everyone imagines.
On the contrary, although life has many dissatisfactions and although life is poor, people can still feel the faint happiness that belongs to them.
The movie never wants to tell the audience how cruel life is, or suggest resistance to various arrangements. Maybe it doesn't want to tell the audience anything at all, it just shows everyone the peaceful and gentle side of human nature.
In Li Yi's opinion, these are the most flavorful. Life is real and real. It is there and does not need to be glossed over. Whether it is positive or negative, it will appear delicate and distorted. Because it is real, it is beautiful.
