Why are all thinking people must love movies Nicolas Winding Refn
Educational Program Cinema / / December 19, 2019
Nicolas Winding Refn - an unusual and original director. His work can be balanced on the edge of art-house and the crime thriller, but always look spectacular. Even despite the fact that the action in these sometimes develops very slowly.
In his first TV series, "Too old to die young" Nicolas Winding Refn turned again to his favorite themes of crime and revenge, mixing nuarny detective with the aesthetics of the samurai.
Nicolas Winding Refn manner as not to confuse with any other author. The director grew up in a family of filmmakers and a childhood watching classic movies. Creating his films, he often copy what he liked in his early years. Yet he created his own style that is easy to learn even for small roller or recruitment.
Almost every movie director - distinctive creation that are required to view all the fans and intellectuals. After all, such an approach to filming, depth stories and images neizbity not find nobody else.
Nicolas Winding Refn shoots actors in unexpected images
Will Smith, Robert Downey - junior,
Jennifer Aniston - to name those names, the audience comes to mind very definite and similar on-screen images from various films. However, Nicolas Winding Refn shows actors like no other.Mads Mikkelsen is now all know as one of the most textured of European actors. Immediately come to mind, "Casino" Royal "," "Doctor Strange," "Hannibal" - stylish and unusual images.
But if you include the film "Dealer" - Nicolas Winding Refn's debut as a director, and Mikkelsen in a big movie - you can see the ridiculous bully Tony, who helps the protagonist to sell drugs. This Shaved emotional culprit in a sports jacket and with a tattoo on the back.
The "bleed" the actor already reincarnated in a modest and closed Seller videotapes. Mikkelsen hero dozens of films looks here and know everything about them, but can not talk to you like it girl.
And all the same Mikkelsen appears in the film "Valhalla: The Saga of the Viking" as a silent one-eyed warrior, ruthless with his enemies.
It is hard to imagine that the same actor can be seen as dissimilar images. This is partly, of course, thanks to the skill Mikkelsen. Yet it is the director creates such vivid types.
Charming Tom Hardy Nicolas Winding Refn in the film "Bronson", based on the biography of a real person, turned into a violent prisoner. For the role the actor Charles Bronson scored almost 20 kilograms. But most importantly, the director did not turn the film into a standard biography.
The protagonist if talks about his life with the theater scene. Hardy And here there is room for reflection of the real character of the hero, and for the circus of the grotesque, underlined makeup.
Ryan Gosling at the time of filming "Drive" has appeared in the movies in different roles, but still knew him as an actor romantic dramas and romantic comedies. But Nicolas Winding Refn has shown it in the image of the hero in "Drive" and a fighter in "Only God forgives."
And do not even have to talk, how bright "neon demon" revealed the actress Elle Fanning. Beauty young girl has become the main theme of the film, where the model looks heroine has become a sinister history attribute.
Movies Nicolas Winding Refn incredibly beautiful
Creative director can be divided into three periods: Danish, British and American. They do differ in style and visual range, but each one in his own aesthetic.
The effect of presence and visualization of emotions
Nicolas Winding Refn's early paintings look the most realistic - they are shot on handheld camera, which always follows the characters. This allows the viewer as if to participate in the events.
But even in low-budget works director finds a place for elegant artistic techniques. First, in the course went the color - even in the movie "The Bleeding", in which an ordinary family man becomes a depression brutal killer, the author hinted at the internal state of the hero, showing the view from his eyes suffused with red color. This bloody master filter is used in most of his works. But it is better to talk about separately.
Nicolas Winding Refn focuses on the emotions of the characters, with each film inventing ever more elaborate techniques. Violence and murder in the paintings are often presented not directly but through the response of witnesses - is not very important to see deathAnd how it perceived by others.
In the movie "Fear of" X "," where a worker shopping center investigates the murder of his wife, her death is shown through the lens of surveillance cameras - the image is very bad, it was almost nothing to see. But the twist video over and over again, so that the audience felt the emotions of the hero.
Thus, violence becomes a provocation by Nicolas Winding Refn is not, what other famous inclined dachtanin Lars von TrierAnd artistic techniques to reveal the characters of the characters.
The director mixes reality with fantasy and visions, and in later paintings and all goes to the artistic analogies. The "Neon Demon" cute girl goes to work as model and is facing cruel world of show business. And when she approaches with her vizazhistka in her house breaks a cougar - a predator that embodies the character of a new friend. A synthetic blood from the beginning of the film turns into a real murder in the finals.
Hidden feelings Nicolas Winding Refn is not trying to convey narration or other head-on techniques. It is especially slow the pace of history, moving the camera very slowly, and sometimes forcing people to almost freeze in place. This makes his films in an almost meditative story where the feeling is often more important than the action.
Symmetry and reflection
The most favorite technique Nicolas Winding Refn to create exciting pictures - symmetrical frames. That is, the left and right halves (or top and bottom) mirror each other.
It creates an atmosphere of limited space and the closure of history. In addition, the characters often look in the mirror and sometimes the reflection may look different than the original. Thus is revealed the inner world of the characters.
The "Bronson" Hardy hero he becomes his own reflection, using a different make-up on different sides of the face, like a mime.
Less obvious but even more catchy reception - the division of the events on the screen for a half or a quarter. It seamlessly simple viewer, But this effect becomes stronger.
The fact that the movie is most often used so-called rule of thirds. That is, each frame is divided into three conventional lines of the vertical and horizontal, and all the important details are at the intersection of these lines.
Nicolas Winding Refn complicates the concept. In his films, one action can take place in the left half of the frame, and the right - another. Or, the screen is divided into top and bottom. And sometimes, the location of the actors in a scene reflect their place in history.
This approach is the subject of many movies. But more importantly that the paintings capture even those who do not notice such subtleties. The thing is that this separation makes us constantly to monitor different parts of the screen and focus attention.
Red and blue
The color scheme for Nicolas Winding Refn - an essential artistic device. Not enough for him to make the frame too orange or blue, how come most of the authors of mass cinema. Through color director conveys sensations of heroes. And often in the course are red and blue.
Already mentioned blood filter often reflects cruelty or any negativity. In the film "Valhalla: The Saga of the Viking" is clearly associated with the subject of Christianity and Jesus' crucifixion. And in the film "Only God Forgives" Nicolas Winding Refn so clearly alludes to the attachment to the mother of the hero.
Blue often looks the symbol of peace, sometimes even say that it is "the color of God." "Drive" at first emphasizes detachment characters, separated by color. But when they find a common language, the whole picture becomes smooth and quiet.
The "Neon demon", which can be considered the apotheosis of colors Nicolas Winding Refn, the first frames the main character in a blue dress erases an artificial blood. In this case, its original plain bright world is gradually turning into a dark club reality in neon color that symbolizes the care of the natural beauty in the world of vice.
Picture and sound
Nicolas Winding Refn - one of those directors whose movies listen to no less interesting than watching. And this is also an important component for the full story. In this case, the director does not overload the sound picture. He does exactly the opposite. The silence in his paintings is often more important than the music or noise.
Time removing the excess sound, Nicolas Winding Refn emphasizes the tension of the situation. In absolute silence, even the sound of boots seem ominous. Or, conversely, in the film "Drive" it is not accompanied by the pursuit of traditional Hollywood loud music. Here, only the deafening roar of engines, brakes squeaking and swearing heroes. There is nothing that would detract from the race.
During the conversations the characters you can literally hear where they are, and feel the volume of the room, the noise of the big city or the wind in the mountains.
If the dialogue does not carry the meaning, the Nicolas Winding Refn could drown them and leave only silently moving his lips. And in the "Valhalla" at all in the whole picture of utter little more than a hundred of phrases - this film is not about talking.
But if there is soundtrackThen he picked up perfectly. The first pictures of Nicolas Winding Refn criminal accompanied by a sharp rock music - in the opening credits "Bleeding" for each character even has its own melody. But in later films Maitre already inclined to spasmodic ambient and electronic music.
Correct Soundtrack allows you to immediately get acquainted with the hero of "Drive" - Creativity DJ Kavinsky here reveals not worse atmosphere than the visual range.
The roar of club music "Neon Demon" is replaced by leisurely soundtrack from Cliff Martinez, composer permanent director of paintings, and ends all song singer Sia. And music does not become only a pale background to the picture, as is the case in blockbusters. Compositions tell their story, no less important than what is happening on the screen.
Movies Nicolas Winding Refn emotional and understandable
Nicolas Winding Refn once started with gangster showdown, and then I switched to art-house. But if you think about it, all the stories seem humdrum and familiar. The director is almost taken for global themes (with the exception of the "Valhalla"), and all of his films speak of the most ordinary people.
Cruelty and beauty
Most of the paintings are dedicated to Nicolas Winding Refn human cruelty. It can manifest itself in different ways, but the director reveals her naturalistic in the "dealers", exaggerated - in "Only God forgives" or allegorical - in "Neon demon." But the master again and again trying to understand the causes of anger and aggression.
In a strange way it turns out that it is often the result of cruelty becomes banal boredom. This is evident in the "Dealer" finale, when drug dealer just forgive his debt - money is not too necessary to the supplier.
Or the hero of "Bleeding" starts attacking others almost without reasons. And the story of Charles Bronson directly shows that he beat people because he liked it.
The "drive" the main character gets into trouble and is facing killers just because he wanted to help a new friend. And that is why it is a pity humanly - to commit the crime he is forced circumstances.
A "Neon Demon" carries with it another very unexpected for such stories overtones. It turns out that beauty nothing anyone should. It does not save the world, it does not make it better. It just is, and many are obsessed with it so that they are ready to terrible things.
Fathers and Sons
The theme of the relationship of generations often slips in pictures Nicolas Winding Refn. In the second part of the "Dealer" hero suddenly Mikkelsen He becomes a father. But the problem is that he did not feel old enough.
Hint of this can be seen even in frames where a young man holding a baby in her arms - they both have no hair. Only breaking the connection with his father, Tony decides to take care of the child.
"Only God Forgives" is dedicated to the hero of revenge for the death of his brother. But not because he wants - it makes rigid and overbearing mother. And the hero looks have held a man, but to overcome the children's complexes and eternal comparison with his brother, he can not.
Biography and Mythology
In many ways, the vitality and sincerity Nicolas Winding Refn films due to the fact that in the pictures can be seen autobiographical. Rumor has it that during the filming of "Bleeding" Mikkelsen, who played a closed movie buff, said the director, "I'm just going to play you."
The idea of a second "Dealer", dedicated to fatherhood, appeared when the first child was born Nicolas Winding Refn. And even in the picture, "Bronson", which tells about real personality, the director adds a little autobiography. In one scene, a child in a rage throws parties in the teacher - Nicolas Winding Refn he once threw a chair of his teacher. After that, he was expelled from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Well, in the story "Neon Demon" many see the confession of the director about his relationship with art. Once he took off just a movie, but then decided to create a mass film, resulting in a disastrous "Fear of" X "."
And while Nicolas Winding Refn sometimes refers to mythological subjects. "Valhalla" allegorically devoted to the battle of the two religions, and the one-eyed Mikkelsen it clearly plays god Odin.
The director himself stressed that the hero of "Drive" almost fairytale the character. He appears at the right time in the right place, and subject of the picture based on the principle of works of the Brothers Grimm. Well, the final "Neon Demon" openly refers to the legend of Elizabeth Bathory bathed in the blood of virgins to preserve youth.
Nicolas Winding Refn films often seem complicated and confusing. In fact, all the stories told in them are clear to everyone. We just need to carefully watch and listen to, without losing detail.
The drama and the excellent acting of the game in the early works, a number of visual beauty in the recent films - all this adds important and vital topics that should reflect on every thinking person. But first, you just need to dive into the world of creative director.
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