爱的困惑

    “Il n’y a pas d’amour, il n’y a que des preuves d’amour” is a line from Jean Cocteau in Robert Besson’s movie Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne. As Bernardo Bertolucci mentions earlier in his interview, Besieged is not a movie that simply tells the audience what love is but a story that shows the proofs of love. Bertolucci elaborately designs the proofs by constructing the distance and difference of the two characters. Then through the music and sound effects, he creates a beautiful interaction between their oppositions. Finally in the spectator’s gaze, we see the proofs of love gradually emerging from the changes of communication between the two protagonists.
             The communication between Shandurai and Mr.Kinsky begins with “no dialogue” in Mr.Kinsky’s enclosed Roman Villa which is located in the center of Rome. It is a luxurious and antiquated house that features a four-storey spiral staircase and a dumb-waiter (locates in Shandurai’s room) which moves between Shandurai’s room and Kinsky’s on the top floor, allowing surprising objects to travel from him to her. The two characters live at different parts of the house. The talented British pianist who is often glancing through the banisters, trying to understand Shandurai’s life, lives on the top floor. Meanwhile, Shandurai, his African steward, lodger, and secret love, who is frequently drawn upwards by his music through the series of stairs resides on the first floor. With this “mise en scene” arrangement, the dumb-waiter and staircase become the crucial objects in Kinsky and Shandurai’s relationship.
             Because of the silent obsession, using the dumb-waiter is the best way for Kinsky to express himself to Shandurai. First it is a piece of staff sheet with a question mark in the middle; then, it is the beautiful orchid and finally the ring. Without any conversation, the dumb-waiter not only transfers the objects but also carries Kinsky’s doubts, disquiets, and love in almost a claustrophobic perspective. However, Shandurai is not grateful for what he has done and cannot understand him. This one-sided giving later becomes a huge misunderstanding in their communication.
            The first conversation between Mr.Kinsky and Shandurai happens on the staircase. Mr.Kinsky is waiting for Shandurai in the dark outside his room. When she comes in, he only turns on the light without calling her name. Then she comes back in the middle of the hallway. The camera moves vertically up to the top of the staircase and gives a medium shot of Mr.Kinsky. He looks down and says “thank you” with his awkward gestures in an anxious tone. “It was…it was the most kind…I…I mean… It was very thoughtful of you to mend the hem of my trousers.” Following the eyeline match, Shandurai stands in the shadow and looks up. “It’s part of my work Mr.Kinsky.” She says calmly. Then the camera goes back to the top, he says “Well...thank you all the same…Good night.” Again, the camera moves down to Shandurai. “ Good night.” She says. This is the first time in the movie when Mr. Kinsky talks to Shandurai. The dialogue seems simple but it involves many pauses and short silences. What makes this sequence significant is the background-the staircase. Along with the camera movements, the staircase constructs a sense of distance between Mr. Kinsky and Shandurai. It emotionally and geographically insinuates Mr.Kinsky and Shandurai’s social backgrounds: The higher powerful European country on the top and the lower colonial African country on the ground. In between is the endless spiral staircase.
             In general, both of the staircase and the dumb-waiter play a static character in the movie. It is the barrier of Mr.Kinsky and Shandurai’s communication. However, it is also the one that witnesses and bears the weight of love.
             From Shandurai’s perspective, Bertolucci emphasizes the obstacle of Kinsky and Shandurai’s communication by depicting her two dream scenes. Shandurai’s first dream occurs at the very beginning of the movie. Tracking shots and crane shots give us a bird view of the beautiful African landscapes. Then quickly we have the film tableau of a wizened African grio singing the old tales under a huge baobab tree. After that, the grio’s singing becomes the overall backgrounds and the jump cuts bring us to a typical colonial African city. We see soldiers and propagandas of the new national founder. Finally we are brought to Shandurai’s life. Through Shandurai’s eyes, we have a chance to observe the living and political condition of the people in her hometown. At the same time, Bertolucci also places the spectators in a particular position to witness Shandurai’s fear, anger and anxieties when the jeeps take away her husband. However, when she shouts at them, we cannot hear her voice but the African grio’s singing. Bertolucci constructs two different dimensions in the same timeline. The African grio is telling a story in African dialect. Instead of explaining in words, Bertolucci shows what happens to Shandurai. Thus at the moment when the jeeps disappear in the dust, we see the old grio coming to us. With the same facial expression as before, he is still singing. In fact, he is the magic storyteller who delivers a story about Africa, and the retrospect of Shandurai’s unfortunate life.
             The African grio continues his story in Shandurai’s second dream. However, something has changed. Different form the original naked appearance, the grio is wearing a proper white suit and an orange tie. In the background, Shandurai is ripping all of the dictator’s posters off. Bertolucci utilizes a fast motion editing to accentuate her angers and uncontrollable emotions. Then Shandurai suddenly stops when she sees Kinsy’s face on the poster. This political allusion highlights the western manipulation in Africa and how Shandurai struggles in between. The cultural and emotional barrier transfers to the political dictatorship that causes the tragedy of Shandurai’s family. At the moment she tears down that poster, Mr.Kinsy’s face is split into pieces. The final sequence of Africa’s landscape is a recapture of Shandurai’s first dream that brings back the Africa theme. Landscape is the essential visualization and representation of a country. Dreaming of the landscape shows Shandurai’s longing for Africa and her desire for the sense of belonging. Unconsciously embedded in Shandurai’s mind, the two dreams are the crucial elements that indicate her own judgments and beliefs of her African identity. This identity also makes it more difficult for her to communicate with Mr.Kinsky as well as to accept his love because Shandurai’s self-consciousness does not give her any chance to enter Kinsky’s world.
            Music also reflects the barriers and obstacles in Kinsky and Shandurai’s communication. Bertolucci states: “In Besieged there is this struggle between African music and Western classic music, which is of course the confrontation of two different cultures, but it is also the way of communicating or the way not being able to communicate”. In the movie, there are not many “words” between the two characters but music. Thus music eventually becomes the main intermedium and expectation to pass the messages and thoughts from one to another. The movie starts with the traditional African music performed by a half-naked African groi. Then we have the scene that Mr.Kinsky plays Mozart’s Fantasy in D minor while Shandurai is dusting his antique collections. The huge contrast between the two different music genres is also the manifestation of two different cultures of the characters. When Mr.Kinsky plays the piano, he is actually performing the piece for Shandurai because he is aware that she is behind him or she is somewhere in the house. He wants her to become his only audience. He also imagines and believes that she can understand his perspectives through his music, and more importantly, his love. However, for Shandurai, Kinsky’s music is something dry and obscure. It is something that does not belong to her. This misunderstanding leads to the explosion of their emotions. When Kinsky expresses his love through his music, Shandurai shouts, “I don’t understand!” She shouts, “Why? I don’t understand this and I don’t understand your music!” Suddenly, the music stops and all of Kinsky’s expectations are destroyed.
           However, things start to change at this point. Rather than simply expressing his feeling to Shandurai, Kinsky begins learning about Shandurai as a person and respects her culture in a really precise way. He goes to the African church and studies the totally different music forms. Later on, he develops the African style elements into his own composition. This change is significant because their differences that assimilate within the culture of Rome in a way unites Kinsky and Shandurai. Influenced by Shandurai, as Kinsky composes his concerto, he also constructs his proofs of love. First there are the short chords and he starts playing for Shandurai when she is hoovering. From Kinsky’s view, we find a distinctive beauty that is lively and powerful from Shandurai’s profile: her hair, eyebrows, and her dark skin. Every movement of Shandurai inspires Kinsky’s minds and senses. As he observes Shandurai, the progressions of the melody flow into his mind, just like fires and waterfalls. At the same time, we discover Shandurai’s response from her facial expression. This is really the epic moment of the movie because it is the fist time our two characters start to understand each other and are actually communicating with each other. In addition, a sense of resonance and harmony slowly builds up between the two characters. Bertolucci suggests “She is the muse and he’s inspired by her, and because he wouldn’t dare put his hand on her, his sexual desire goes into the music and he starts giving shape and form to the music and it’s the moment where he seduces her for real.” Indeed, Shandurai smiles. The color of her pupils becomes soft and gentle. Her body dances along with the rhythm of the music. Through music, Shandurai hears Mr.Kinsky’s love. There is no need for more words and illustrations because in this particular moment, Shandurai sees both of the passion and sorrow of Kinsky’s soul. For Kinsky, at the same time, Shandurai is the goddess who gives his music life and makes him understand what the sound of love is.
            Beyond Kinsky’s music, the change of communication is also subtly constructed in silence. Back to the beginning of this movie, along with the presence of the question mark sheet, the pink orchid, the ring that are carried by the dumb-waiter, things start to gradually disappear: the sculptures, the paintings, the tapestries, the furniture, the carpet…When Shandurai was astonished with all the disappearances, She exclaims “Oh! The bookcase!” and Mr. Kinsky does not reply anything. However Shandurai is aware of his sacrifice. The envelope, the disappeared statue that she discovered in the antique store, and finally her witness of the transportation of the grand piano… All of these clues pass her a silent secret: Kinsky is ready to give away everything in order to bring her husband back to her. In this way, the communications finally transforms into the proofs of Mr. Kinsky’s love. By collecting these proofs, Shandurai’s attitudes towards Kinsky have changed. From rejection to acceptation, Shandurai struggles in her experience of her obscure feelings to Mr.Kinsky. Yet at the moment she knows that her husband is alive and is coming to her, Shandurai cries and screams his name: “Mr.Kinsky…Mr. Kinsky!!” At the sunset of Rome, she sees the truth: The truth of love. In the end, with all of her passion and gratitude, Shandurai writes down her silent secret: “Mr. Kinsky, I love you.”
            Love, is probably the most paradoxical and mysterious existence in the universe. Everyone believes in love. However, love is not easy to be portrayed, and it is complicated to give the evidence that illustrates what love really is. “Il n’y a pas d’amour, il n’y a que des preuves d’amour.” (There is no love. There are only proofs of love.) It is such a sorrowful and striking line that depicts the impression of love. Bertolucci says, “ If I happen to say ‘I love you,’ but the other person says, “Yeah.” Well, it’s easy to say ‘I love you,’ it’s more difficult to give proof, proofs of love, Right? Besieged is all about that.” Later he adds, “I had this idea that came naturally out of the story. The only way of being really happy is making happy the people you love. ” Bertolucci makes such a concise statement of love. He presents us an extraordinarily beautiful love story simply based on giving and sacrifice. However, Besieged is also the most exquisite piece of love because Bertolucci creates different ways of communication between the two characters. It combines varying elements from different temporal planes. Every element is a proof. By following these proofs, we finally capture the smile on Kinsky’s face in his empty house. He is satisfied and content just like a baby who receives the most precious candy, and we know the candy is her, Shandurai.







Works Cited:
1. Movie : Bernardo Bertolucci. L'Assedio (Besieged)
2. Book: Bernardo Bertolucci Interviews, Ed Fabien S. Gerard, T. Jefferson Kline, University Press of Mississippi 2000
3. Articles: Lesley Chow. Besieged: http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/05/36/besieged.html
                      Francis Akpata. Besieged:http://www.talkingpix.co.uk/ReviewsBeseiged.html
 

     


    原来真的爱一个人，不是非得和她在一起。
 

    以前看完《ONLY YOU》，写过一篇不完整的影评日志。想讨论当爱情挑战忠贞的时候，应当作何选择。一方面由于保存不当，另一方面是没有找到答案，所以没发完全。但是今天这部《爱的困惑》给了我答案，让我领略到了爱情的高级境界。
 

    这又是一部关于钢琴家的故事。可能也只有钢琴家能那么无私，不物质现实，为爱牺牲。
 

    这部电影的英文名是Besieged，也译为《围城》或《血色恋情》。

 

    故事讲述的是一个伟大的男人和一个困惑的女人的凄美又无终的恋情。女主角是一个非洲人，丈夫因为政治原因入狱，她只身来到罗马，住在一个钢琴家的房子里，负责打扫照顾起居。男主角是一个不为公众演出的钢琴家，清高而孤独。

 

    这段惊人恋情的发展脉络是：男主角默默地喜欢，用尽心思制造浪漫，用音乐动人。疯狂的告白，可以给她一切，却得知女主角有爱着的伴侣，而且这位情敌身陷牢狱之灾，她唯一的期盼就是丈夫回到她的怀抱。后来，女主角突然惊喜地得知丈夫将被释放回家。其实是男主角变卖了家中所有的古董珍宝，甚至比自己生命还珍贵的钢琴，倾家荡产只是为了贿赂监狱，换去女主角丈夫的自由和两人的重聚。
 

 

    这部电影没有结局。女主角陷入了爱的困惑，需要在她彼此相爱，历尽甘苦的丈夫和为了她倾尽所有，而她也倾心爱慕的钢琴家中做出选择。但是我相信，爱至深到无私的境界的钢琴家也真心地希望女主角能和所爱的人相守在一起，幸福到老。他要的，只是奉献全部默默祝福和守护她的幸福。

 

 
    影片中的钢琴曲非常优美动人，而且导演对于情欲纠缠的委婉表达也恰到好处。推荐喜欢这种题材的朋友欣赏。
 

  

    这部电影真的让我思考了很多。有人觉得这多少是对一种盲目而无结果的单恋的嘲笑，但是我觉得它确实教会了我一些东西，我认同的东西：

 

    原来真的爱一个人，不是非得和他在一起。千方百计地让他爱上自己，甚至拆散他的家庭，改写他的人生。自私的爱情是低级的，爱情的无私才是高尚的境界。

 

    如果我爱一个人，而她也爱着一个人，那就默默地坚持这份爱，也守护支持着她的爱，因为我知道，爱一个人的幸福，这份幸福，我也希望她能拥有。

 

 
    我会在今后的生活，爱情中向这个境界努力：

 

    默默的喜欢，然后疯狂的告白，最后让她爱她真正爱着的人。

 

 

大一的电影音乐鉴赏课上放映的电影。
不点名的课，下午两点钟，正是犯困的时候。
刚刚放完钢琴师，老师说，接下来这部里面也有一个钢琴家，但他和战争中顽强活下来的犹太钢琴师不一样。
不怎么期待，但是电影开始了 教室里面只有风扇在转。

明亮的非洲的金色，棕色，深绿色。
土著老人在树下唱着古老的歌 苦难的属于非洲的歌
简练的开头：丈夫在教书，丈夫被抓了，妻子很伤心，妻子无能为力
然后就是妻子在钢琴师家里帮佣的情景

自由干燥的非洲之风很快感染了长期居住在潮湿阴冷的阁楼里面的钢琴师。他怀着艺术家独有的敏感、柔情、浪漫，深深爱上了这个在楼梯小间里面独自唱歌跳舞转圈的女人。他为她弹奏钢琴，他为她送上玫瑰，他在她出门后偷偷躲在窗帘后面看着她。屏幕上出现的是窗外明亮、炎热的街道上那个穿着长裙的非洲女人，还有窗后那个打着领结、面色苍白的柔弱的白种男人。

他们是两个世界的人。白人和黑人。教养和放养。欧洲宫廷式的瑰丽的钢琴和非洲女人拿着大勺大快朵颐木瓜的样子。
他们不一样，但是钢琴家认为，这并不阻碍他的爱，他们的爱。
然而当女人告诉他，她还有一个在狱中的丈夫时，钢琴家崩溃了。

爱她，就要放开她。
这绝不是物欲横流的靡靡世界中很轻浮的一个所谓誓言，而是因为神圣的爱而付出的最大的代价。

钢琴家卖了他的古董。
卖了珍藏的油画。
甚至，卖了钢琴。

卖钢琴前他开了一次演奏会。前来观摩的是他教授钢琴的学生。
开始弹奏时，下面鸦雀无声。
渐渐的，大家四处去找寻乐子。嬉笑，打闹
钢琴家忘我地弹奏着，最后，老宅里面只有他一个人在聆听自己的弹奏。就像是他爱着她的牺牲，只有自己才能够明白。
所以他不弹奏了。他也融入了玩耍的孩子们中。
对于一个恋爱的人来说，理想、事业、物质，算得了什么？

于是，人们把他的钢琴从窗口吊了出去。
他不再是一个钢琴家，他是一个纯粹的爱她的男人。
为了一个她爱的男人，四处奔波，倾家荡产。

终于，他把女人的丈夫从监狱中解救了出来。
丈夫即将来到欧洲的前一天晚上，他把写着爱情的卡片放到了她的床头。
本来这部影片就应该这样结束的，故事就应该这样结束的。
现实生活中，多的是这种有缘却又无可奈何错过的例子。

但是贝托鲁奇就是贝托鲁奇。

女人被感动了。尽管爱着监狱中的丈夫，尽管念着贫穷、苦难的故乡，但是女人被这个已经没有钱、没有职业、只有爱情的男人感动了，被这个异乡人和异乡打动了。
她把卡片送回到男人的床头。然后躺在他的身边。
观众们唏嘘，为什么你的感动来到得这么晚？
为什么爱情即使没有土壤也要滋长却又往往无可奈何地湮灭？

影片的最后，来自非洲的丈夫在楼下按门铃。
男人和女人在床上。
一个外来的文明在叩打着欧洲的大门。
一个人在爱情外面叩打着大门
A member is knocking at the door of the love.

爱的围困，BESIEGED，女人没有选择。

为了dt去看，看后良久无言
kinsky这个角色其实是个很单纯又带着一些独特气质的人，没有前奏没有预告就开始宣誓自己的爱还要跟人结婚。他既然说了“我爱你我愿意为你做一切”，那么他就是会为你做一切。女主在听了他疯狂的告白以及“愿意做一切”之后，没有解释自己已经结婚了不能之类的，而是直接怒吼一句“那你帮我丈夫弄出来。”嗯，我也是不能理解，居然真的直接提要求。那位钢琴家一句“抱歉我不知道你已婚”之后再没说其他，而是默默开始一件件卖东西。看着他把楼卖的空空荡荡，又想骂他傻又心疼，不过最后卖钢琴我不能忍！你是个钢琴家你卖了钢琴！？那是你忠实的好伙伴！（你在说啥！）而女主早从拿到第一份匿名信和看到东西变卖就想到是kinsky做的一切，但是她也没有去阻止呢¯\_(ツ)_/¯
有一幕，女主跟kinsky说自己丈夫来了以后可不可以和她一起睡楼下，没有了钢琴的钢琴家侧卧着有些结巴的说“当…当然。”然后自己跑到小花园里踢球，女主在旁边说自己的丈夫很勇敢是个good man，钢琴家踢球不语。自己伟大的奉献换来今日想必也早已预见了吧？然而真到了这一刻钢琴家果真还是感到了难受，再伟大的爱还是会掺上一丝嫉妒的味道
最后女主思来想去感受到了love两人赤裸躺着，门外是女主的good man在按门铃，二人迎来不知如何面对的尴尬处境
这种尴尬体现在…女主的出轨和男主把女主丈夫弄出来到底是对是错的问题上…或许他原本把女主丈夫弄出来的目的是为了看女主高兴，而此刻爱上了他的女主反而陷入两难了，懵逼的是按门铃的good man，啥都没做不知咋的就被带了绿帽子……
爱这个东西真是复杂，稍有变化就全盘皆变，涉及到三个人就必定有大于等于一个人会受到伤害
最后说一句，dt在这部电影里，是真的美啊，弹钢琴的dt，真好看啊，这样的钢琴家，给我一个吧

       电影并不像名字那样血腥，很长的一段时间也并未能找到爱的影子，虽然导演将女主角的笑容拍的很美，将男主角跑出钢琴房给了女主角一个热烈的拥抱，用慢镜头诠释的很炙热。。。但是还是不得不说，这样的爱情太遥远，就像反复被拒绝后，瘫倒的男主角不得不淡淡的说“对不起，我不知道你已婚”

    爱情没什么道理，当空寂的房间只有两个人，无论是黑与白，平穷与富有都变得无关紧要，如果将片子倒叙，恐怕是最无趣的电影之一了。如果最后一个镜头并非裸体献身，而只是从门缝中放入感谢卡片，恐怕会好很多；至少当女主角退还戒指的一刻，我还是挺感动的，既然给不了他想象中的爱，还是早些拒绝为妙！

    我好喜欢这样的房子，圆形走廊，藏着好多秘密，上海也有，只可惜很多都不开放，而且现在都装了防盗门，很难愧疚。不过还是喜欢这样奋不顾身的爱情，很感动