The movie "Troy" is based on the ancient Greek epic "Homer". It uses its unique artistic expression to reconstruct the classics, integrating and Although alienated, the two interpretations of the core values ??of Western culture are consistent. This article points out the ideological core of Western culture, thereby further analyzing the core Western cultural values ????from the ideological content and expression techniques of the film, aiming to actively examine the differences between Chinese and Western cultures and their measurement standards, and provide useful information for better cross-cultural communication. The search for meaning.
[Keywords]
Movie; "Troy"; Western cultural values
The ancient Greek classic poem "Homer's Epic" was written by the ancient Greek blind poet Holland The collective name for the two long epic poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey" created by Ma, which reflects the social situation of Greece from the 11th century BC to the 9th century BC. It is the main legacy of the Greeks from the barbaric era to the civilized era. It has great significance. It has high historical value, ideological value and artistic value, and is also one of the sources of Western culture. The Hollywood blockbuster "Troy" is based on "Homer's Epic" and spends a huge amount of money to reproduce the epic and magnificent scenes. It strives to recreate the scenery of the past. It not only reflects the ideological content and ancient customs of the original work to a certain extent, but also incorporates Modern commercial elements, in the process of reconstructing classics, are both integrated and alienated, but the cultural interpretation value contained in them is the most common feature of them, both reflecting the core of Western local culture and the national psychological structure. .
1. The core of Western cultural thought
Western culture has three sources: first, ancient Greek civilization; second, ancient Hebrew-Jewish civilization; and third, ancient Roman civilization. These three sources later merged to form the Western cultural system in the form of Christianity. Western civilization can be said to be a maritime civilization. For example, the Greek Peninsula and the British Isles have barren and limited land, extremely inconvenient land transportation, harsh environment, and narrow living space. However, because it is surrounded by the sea, it has unique marine trade conditions. As the navigation industry and trade develop, it continues to expand outwards. Maritime culture directly gave birth to Western characteristic culture.
The establishment of the city-state system has the characteristics of pluralism and democratization in politics, making interpersonal relationships in Western culture rely on contracts to maintain a clear sense of ownership, emphasizing individual awareness and advocating personal heroism. and individual self-expression. Coupled with the exclusivity of Christianity in constructing the Western cultural system and cultural character, a dualistic worldview of "one in nature and one in man" is formed. The positive factors are clear property rights and the free thought that values ??personal dignity and honor; the negative factors are that it easily leads to conflicts of interest for individuals and groups. The "Wrath of Achilles" in the film "Troy" fully illustrates this point.
2. Analysis of Western Values ??in the Film
(1) Ideological Content
The upper part of "Homer's Epic" "The Iliad" depicts the ancient Greek The social conditions during the transition period from clan system to slavery. The epic is full of myths and legends, with the distinctive characteristics of the isomorphism of gods and humans, and the mixture of myth and reality. The film "Troy" has made considerable changes, almost completely abandoning the existence of the image of God, and only using it as a belief to fully highlight the human element. The main character in the original work, Achilles, was born from a god and a human. At the beginning of the film, he also created an image like a "god of war". Tall and mighty warriors were instantly killed by his sword, but he still retained the power of a god. Traces and the clan aristocratic consciousness that evolved from it. The Hollywood factory has always been known for producing heroism, which is in line with Western core cultural values. It's just that heroism is often individualistic, and their wisdom and courage reflect personal value rather than collective value. Fighting for honor can be said to be the theme throughout the film, and it is the supreme belief believed by the characters in the film. When the princess was taken away by the Trojan prince Paris, the King of Sparta angrily went to the Greek King Agamemnon for help. The reason for going to war was that "the Trojans trampled on my honor" and "insulting me is an insult to you, and insulting you is an insult to the whole world." Greece" undoubtedly found a perfect excuse for the greedy Agamemnon, who had already coveted the territory of Troy, to attack Troy and dominate the Aegean Sea. The unruly Achilles was unwilling to fight for Agamemnon, but changed his attitude after a conversation with his mother, "If you stay, you can live a peaceful life... If you go to Troy, the glory will belong to you." You, your great deeds will be passed down through the ages...your glory will bring you destruction." This strengthened Achilles' determination to fight for honor. Between a mediocre existence and an honorable death, he chose the latter. who. Achilles swore to the soldiers on the coast: "Do you know what is waiting for us on the other side of the beach? An immortal legend. If we capture him, we will leave our name forever."
These all reflect Achilles' Chileus is an arrogant hero who puts himself above the nation, and his decisions are often made from a personal perspective. Next, the "wrath of Achilles" because Agamemnon took away his beloved female prisoner Briseis and refused to go to the expedition, caused the Greek army to be unable to attack for a long time and suffered heavy casualties. This also reflects the core values ??of individual utilitarianism in Western culture. The contradiction between Achilles and Agamemnon also shows that the leader did not achieve absolute control under the primitive democracy during the transition from clan society to slavery society. leadership.
Achilles later joined the war due to the murder of his cousin, and after the city of Troy was captured, he was eager to find his female companion Briseis. This also reflects that the hero fights for personal love, family affection and honor, not for the king. Once again, it highlights the traditional Western thoughts, that is, highlighting human freedom and liberation of individuality, individual independence and development, worshiping heroes, advocating respect for people, respect for human life, human freedom, equality, and the promotion and development of individuality. .
Another hero in the film, Hector, the general of Troy, also regards honor as his life. But unlike Achilles, Hector is a hero who loves and is embraced by his people. In addition to giving people an image of bravery, perseverance, and kingly dignity, he also has a sense of national responsibility and justice. When he learned that his brother had taken away the Spartan princess on the way back from Sparta, he angrily scolded his brother: "My brother, I love you. But if you do anything to harm Troy, I will take away your beautiful "My father has worked hard for peace negotiations for many years. You did not hesitate to destroy Troy for her." These short words present an alternative hero who puts the overall situation first, is profound and generous. in front of an audience. Although he despised his brother's cowardice, even though he foresaw that the cause of the war was unjust and the outcome of the war would be destruction, the city-state would be destroyed, he would die in battle, and his wife would become a slave. But as the country's best warrior and leader, he could only choose to face the challenge, resolutely shoulder the important task of protecting his home and country, lead by example, and eventually shed blood on the battlefield. What Hector said when encouraging the soldiers was: "This is my country, my compatriots."
It reflects his loyalty to the country, his love for his people, and his love for his relatives. of attachment.
If Achilles is the winner in the history of celebrities, the loser Hector can also be remembered by the world forever. The tragic ending of the hero Hector has a more humane appeal. From him, we can see the heroism that values ??honor and the humanistic thought that affirms and pursues the worldly value of people. It shows the Greek culture and even the entire Western classical culture. important characteristics.
(2) Expression form
The original "Homer's Epic" is a narrative poem with a rigorous and precise layout. The narrative is full of ups and downs. As an open-minded Western culture, in In terms of emotional expression, it is relatively unrestrained and delicate. In terms of words, emotions are mostly expressed through direct forms. The expression of love is direct and fast; the description of war scenes exudes a strong smell of blood. For example, the flash of bronze spears is described as "like flames seen from a distance, as if a great forest on the top of a mountain are filled with fire"; (Homer, 34)
Describes the army as "as numerous as just orders" The lush leaves and flowers... are never quiet for a moment, like a cowshed in spring when the milk buckets are full, surrounded by countless flies." (Homer, 34)
Describe both sides The mutual killing of each other is "like a rich man's field where two teams of wheat reapers cut over from opposite sides, cutting down the wheat or barley in handfuls until the stalks on both sides meet together." (Homer, 194) In addition, there are scenes of killing people: "I am not interested in anything except seeing blood, killing people, and listening to the groans of the dying." (Homer, 369) "That cruelty The bronze bit into the flesh of many soldiers." Such descriptions speak out one's heart without any concealment, giving people a refreshing feeling. It expresses the national spirit of Western culture that worships power, advocates freedom, and that man can conquer nature.
Film art can not only create images, reproduce and reflect life, but also has its own unique visual art characteristics and forms of expression in terms of artistic expression. Through its form of expression, we can see the cultural content reflected behind it. The film "Troy" adheres to the principle of reproducing classics, and has a great degree of integration with the original work in terms of expression. For example, the color tone of the film is mainly earthy, which creates a rough and ancient atmosphere. The clothes of the princes and nobles are naked, and the furnishings in the rooms are simple and crude, taking people back to the ancient Greek slaves more than 2,000 years ago. in society. The tone of the film is mainly pathos and excitement, and the theme song is sad and timeless. It seems to be performing the picturesque epic written by Homer, telling the evocative stories of heroes such as Achilles and Hector. In addition, there are many funeral scenes in the film: the tall mausoleum, the coins placed on the eyes of the deceased, the blazing flames, the raving wailing of the priestess... all of these, with their rough simplicity The atmosphere all brings the audience a mysterious and sad feeling. They are all so direct and open in expressing love. Bold sex scenes have always been an indispensable element in Hollywood. Western open sexual concepts coupled with the inherent needs of commercialization make love a naked expression of lust. For example, the Queen of Sparta and the Trojan Prince Paris fell in love at first sight and then had a passionate sex scene; the greedy and lustful King of Sparta indulged in wine and sex with his maids; Achilles and the female prisoner Briseis fell in love at first sight and then stopped fighting and indulged in lust. , etc., are all direct expressions of love and desire, which are in line with the psychological characteristics and thinking characteristics of Westerners. In the depiction of war scenes, it adheres to the delicate style of "Homer's Epic" and reproduces bloody fighting scenes many times.
For example, Achilles' cousin Pachox pretended to be killed by Hector's sword, and his throat was cut, and he groaned in pain while spitting out blood; Hector was stabbed in the heart by Achilles and vomited blood. A close-up shot of him falling to the ground and dying, and then the heartbreaking scene of the old King of Troy watching his son's body being dragged away by Achilles; Achilles storms into the city to rescue the humiliated Briseis, alive and cut off the soldiers' heads. These horrific and bloody killings that are painstakingly displayed with the help of special effects must be implicitly expressed or avoided in Chinese works of art. On the contrary, they are exaggerated in Western works of art. This is the main expression of Western culture and art. One of the forms, that is, the form of expression strives to be realistic and vividly reproduce the original appearance of things, creating a huge visual contrast for people and creating an artistic effect of strong psychological shock to the audience. At the same time, in terms of aesthetic methods, Westerners focus on exerting their psychological ability of "space trust" and their exquisite skills in reproducing spatial perspective relationships. The film strives to reproduce the delicate and colorful description of "Homer's Epic" which is exactly what Westerners A concrete demonstration of people’s ability to grasp space. The outline of the plot and the characterization of the characters are all shining with rational thinking connotations. It shows the determination of Westerners to flaunt themselves, the spirit of conquering nature and the self-expression of advocating individuality. This fearless spirit shows the confidence of Westerners to challenge known or unknown spaces. This kind of grasp and trust in space and that pure spirit of challenge are rarely seen among Easterners.
3. Conclusion
Words
The film "Troy" is based on "Homer's Epic". Based on the fusion and alienation of the classic original work, Taking advantage of the unique advantages of film art, this great heroic chapter of Homer's epic is presented through modern technical means such as sound and pictures. In terms of ideological content and expression form, the film embodies the realistic pursuit of quality of Western film art, which is the spirit of Western culture, art and humanism that originated from ancient Greece. At the end of the film, "If the world tells my story, let them say that I was with the heroes. Human life is as fragile as winter wheat, but these names will last forever."
An interpretation of heroism in Western culture The meaning is to fight for honor and freedom, to persevere in the fight for freedom and dignity, and to persistently think about the eternal human topics of war and peace, justice and evil, life and death.
It is worth pointing out that Hollywood is a cultural and entertainment industry. On the one hand, the themes it explores and the shaping of film themes are inseparable from its commercial value to a certain extent. On the other hand, its cultural values ??are based on Western thinking patterns and are also an important way to promote Western cultural values. Today, as cultural collisions and exchanges become increasingly close, we must actively examine the differences between Eastern and Western cultural values. How to face the penetration of strong Western culture, and how to measure and judge the ultimate cultural standards are truly issues worth thinking about.