If in your dreams there are often trains whizzing past, galloping between the vast forests; if in your memories there are often heavy snow flying freely, flying in front of the crystal clear palace; if deep in your blood is willing to be The passion and enthusiasm of vodka flow, intoxication and ecstasy for life or love, then please don't miss Nikita Mikhalkov's epic masterpiece: "The Barber of Siberia".
The story takes place in Tsarist Russia in 1885. Due to funding problems, American scientist Robert McLean's plan to manufacture a new type of logging machine "Siberia's Barber" was put on hold. He hurriedly brought in the dusty woman Jane from his own country to solve the problem, hoping that through Jane's beauty and communication skills, he would be able to get from the competent technical experts. Received investment from His Majesty the Prince. On the train to Moscow, Jane met Andrei Tolstoy, a Russian sergeant who had returned from the zipper. The handsome and innocent Tolstoy fell in love with this mysterious woman at first sight. General Hu happens to be the object of Jane's temptation because of his friendship with His Majesty the Prince. The aged General Rylov couldn't resist Jane's charming smile and beautiful beauty, and fell in love in ignorance, so that Tolstoy, who had always loved Jane, couldn't bear it. In the opera "The Marriage of Figaro" During the performance, he wounded his rival General Rylov with a bow and was sentenced to exile in Siberia. In order to see Tolstoy again, the guilty Jane married the mad scientist McClain, and finally came to Siberia with the logging machine ten years later, but when she was in the hut where Tolstoy lived, she saw him, his wife and children. When they took a group photo of , and when the ground was covered with green apples, the desperate Jane drove a carriage, with strong bitterness and bitterness, and disappeared on the horizon of Siberia. In the distance behind him, Tolstoy, who seemed to be aware, ran from the depths of the jungle, stood for a long time and lit a cigarette with his trembling hands, and his decaying face gradually disappeared behind the smoke. Another ten years, the children of Jane and Tolstoy have educated the American sergeant who does not respect art with the seriousness and stubbornness unique to the Russians, "Mozart is a great composer!" place.
The film's story spans from 1885 to 1905, which is the golden age of the Russian Empire and the turbulent age of social revolution. Such a unique background gives the film's warm appearance behind the deep sadness of the end of the century. This kind of sadness is not only a regret that true love is hard to find, but a deeper reflection of the bitter history of Russia's pursuit of the West over the centuries. The Russians have accepted Christianity since the ninth century AD, and then the era of Peter the Great began a frenzy of complete Westernization from top to bottom. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russians longed to reintegrate with the West, but they were always rejected by the United States and Western Europe. outside the door. The noble and elegant Jane in the film represents the Western Europe that the Russians yearn for, and becomes the object of Tolstoy's love. The young and vigorous Tolstoy has the courage to pursue true love with a warm, innocent and fearless temperament. Excessive blindness eventually leads to punishment. Mikhalkov's "The Barber of Siberia" carries the two attitudes of delusional pursuit and stubborn pride, and writes an exotic love full of joys and sorrows for us.
The encounter between Tolstoy and Jane begins with an artistic dialogue that transcends borders. Jane hummed the opera "Carmen" after a playful scream, holding Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" in her hand, and Tolstoy sang happily, not far behind. The aria in "The Marriage of Figaro" won Jane's admiration. The most ingenious thing is that Mozart's opera music and the original music in the film are seamlessly integrated in the film through an "Adagio". Mikhalkov used the textual interaction between original music and classical music, intending to express the same root and homology of Russian and European literature and art, implying that Russian culture and art are qualified to have an equal dialogue with the West.
In addition to artistic pursuits, Mikhalkov's desire to be close to Europe spilled over into religion. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the Orthodox culture returned to Russia in an all-round way. Mikhalkov recreated the life scenes of the Russian Orthodox Church at the end of the 19th century in many places in the film, especially the carnival scenes of the Russian religious festival Scarlett. In the white world of ice and snow, Russians in brightly colored festive costumes gather in front of vodka and various delicacies to watch interesting hand-to-hand combat. There are also various funny shapes of the clown, the drunken and naive attitude of the bear, and the crystal luster of the delicious caviar under the fire of the huffing flame. People were frolicking and laughing to the fullest, completely indulging in the festive festivities. Finally, the colorful fireworks of the Ferris wheel and the solemn and silent Nova Madonna monastery as the background together formed a wonderful genre painting of Russian historical life.
However, Mikhalkov's willingness to favor Europe did not stop there, but reached its extreme in the paragraph of the Tsar's military parade. The handsome, tall and vigorous non-commissioned officers and students uniformly expressed their allegiance to the Tsar, symbolizing the boundless memory of the confused Russia for the powerful force and lofty authority in the era of power, and alluding to the complacent and glorious friendship with Europe in that era. It is precisely because the intention of this theme is too obvious that Mikhalkov has attracted a lot of criticism at home.
If the content of the film that it wants to express stops abruptly here, then it can only become a "sand film" as the critics call it, with empty content, shallow themes, and nothing to say. But Mikhalkov showed us Russia's broad and profound connotations from the delusional pursuit. Russian religious culturists once positioned the essence of Russian national culture as "aesthetics of suffering", and the life situation of the protagonist Tolstoy in this film just emphasizes this aesthetic concept. Echoing the description of Tolstoy's characters is Mikhalkov's description of Russia's special imagery. Clean ice and snow and vast forests are all expressions and communicators of the Russian spirit. Together with Tolstoy, they, It provides sufficient persuasive force for Mikhalkov to interpret the image of Russia in his mind.
Jane's arrival was in the snowy winter, the Moscow River was also condensed into blocks, and the streets and alleys were full of crystal clear rime. In the splendid and warm train compartment, Tolstoy and Jane nibbled bagels and drank champagne, and the budding of love was quietly born. In the subsequent love process, the ice and snow, which symbolizes the innocence and cleanness of the Russians, have been with them until the emotional explosion of the opera house, and the love between Tolstoy and Jane will forever be frozen in this crystal clear winter. Afterwards, Tolstoy was exiled, and Jane went to Siberia to find a lover. Only the mist of depression and sadness drifted away. So ice and snow is a special gift Mikhalkov gave to the Russians in the film.
The film also has an important and silent character, the Russian forest. The Russian nation originated from the forest, its growth and revitalization, and its soul sustenance is always tied to this motherly green embrace. The original meaning of "hello" in Russian for daily meeting is "May you be with the tree". The vast Russian forest is still a powerful symbol of the endless life of the Russian nation, and the forest harvester "Siberian Barber", which is a metaphor for American capital aggression, is portrayed as an ugly and huge demon in the film. From the beginning of the film, the title "The Barber of Siberia" is stacked on the vast green forest, and the end of the film is fixed in the vast forest. Mikhalkov described the image of the Russian forest as upright, tolerant, unyielding, full of Vitality and other temperaments are given to the Russian people.
The protagonist, Tolstoy, completely inherited the image of Russia in Mikhalkov's mind. He is handsome and innocent, vigorous, with a straight body, a proud chin, and bright eyes, like a thriving birch; the non-commissioned officers and students he represents are loyal to their superiors and follow the tsar to death; his temperament He is bold and has the courage to pursue true love. In the face of his rival General Rylov, he is not hesitant to retreat, but a firm struggle. However, Tolstoy himself also contained the impulsive, stubborn and stupid side of the Russian character, fencing and dueling like Pushkin, which almost endangered his life; he made a hasty decision to drop out of school because of his dream of winning the favor of his lover; he was carried away by jealousy Afterwards, he wounded the general with a violin bow, and eventually led to exile in Siberia, where he lived an old life. Everything is like a glass of clear but intense vodka, a fragrant and tempting wine, which can be sipped and drunk to make people regret for life.
Most of Mikhalkov's poetic love for images rests on the shaping of the Russian nation, especially the vast land of Siberia. Perhaps to ordinary people, Siberia is hell, a field of Asura that tempers people's will, but for Tolstoy and thousands of exiles, after suffering bad luck, it is Siberia that accepts them.
I always remember the farewell scene at the station. Tolstoy was caught on the train with his yin-yang head shaved and his prison uniform. At this moment, it was not Jane who said goodbye to him, but his friends, officers and students from the military academy. Tolstoy sang impassioned songs with old friends, running and waving hats intertwined with salute gestures, Tolstoy shouted: "Goodbye, my brothers! I love you, I love you all!" The train Roaring away, the days of laughter and happiness are forever fixed. Many years later, Tolstoy has grown into a real man in Siberia, and the other non-commissioned officers will go through various lives one after another, until everything is right and wrong, Mi. Kharkov's fatalistic end-of-the-century sentimentality brought his poetic sentiment to the highest point.
Therefore, whether it is being accused of kitsch or a true self-confession, Mikhalkov will deposit his last poetry in Siberia, and use Siberia's broad mind to accommodate the past Slavic people's suffering and pain, as well as today's confusion with a dilemma. What is the future of Russia? Mikhalkov has already sketched the answer for us: on the soil of Siberia.
.jpeg)