a documentary with a high score of 9.2 on douban should not be "lost" in the box office
2024-09-11
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as history rolls by, many stories and accidents are like sunken ships, buried under the sands of time. the sinking of the lisbon maru itself revolves around a gradually forgotten shipwreck, like a powerful anchor, deeply embedded in the dark sea, bringing a thrilling and little-known past back into people's view.
the documentary "the sinking of the lisbon maru" directed by fang li was released on september 6. as of 11:00 on september 11, it had a douban score of 9.2 points, 0.2 points higher than the thai film "grandma's grandson", which also rose against the trend with its reputation during the same period, making it the highest-rated chinese-language film in recent years.
the sinking of the lisbon maru has a douban score of 9.2
the film begins with the search and location of the lisbon maru shipwreck, as if it were a journey through time and space. from the moment director fang li persistently searches for the location of the shipwreck, we are brought into a world full of suspense and unknowns. following the film, it is not only a search for a shipwreck, but also a rescue of a forgotten history. in this process, we see the cruelty and absurdity of war, as well as mankind's awe and persistence in the truth of history.
in 1942, the japanese army violated the geneva convention and did not fly the flag or sign for transporting prisoners of war, which led to the "lisbon maru" being misjudged as a warship by a us submarine and hit by a torpedo. the sea area that buried more than 800 dead bodies sank for more than half a century until fang li, who had been engaged in marine scientific exploration for half his life, crossed over to make movies because of his interest and supervised han han's "no regrets". in zhoushan, fishermen talked about the thrilling past calmly. "when a ship sinks to the bottom of the sea" became the theme song of the movie and also became fang li's heart.
fang li heard the story of the lisbon maru in zhoushan while filming "see you tomorrow"
if there really are "chosen people" in this world, the story of fang li's filming of "the sinking of the lisbon maru" is probably the perfect proof. how could it be so coincidental that there is a person who is both a scientist in marine science and technology and an extremely professional filmmaker. and relying solely on professional background is far from enough. the person who once "knelt down" to fight for the screening of wu tianming's posthumous work "a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix" once again became an idealist who was willing to spend all his money to record the images of this period of history.
in 2016, fang li led an industrial team and used advanced sonar detection technology to locate the location of the "lisbon maru" shipwreck.
sonar scans create 3d image of shipwreck
this was already a pioneering effort, and it also achieved successful results. as a creator, he chose to continue to explore this period of history out of curiosity. at that time, there were still survivors alive, and everything was right at the right time, right in the right place, and right in the right people, making such a film possible. for eight years, fang li and his team traveled to china, britain, japan, the united states and other countries, just to piece together the complete historical truth, salvage the numbers buried in the deep sea, and "revive" them as living people.
the vividness of this documentary is what makes it so moving. probably no one can leave the cinema without crying and drying up a pack of tissues.
during the 25 hours when the lisbon maru sank, the british prisoners of war bravely saved themselves in despair, and the scene of their struggle against fate was heart-wrenching. the fear of being trapped in the closed cabin and the determination to escape from the cabin, every scene seemed to make us feel their pain and struggle. from the survivors' stories, we can also feel the fear and tragedy of those darkest moments. the war was ruthlessly plundering people's lives, but there were still people defending the dignity of humanity in the race against time for life and death.
go and listen to those stories. those simple yet incredibly accurate words and phrases are so profound and thrilling that no fictional work can fathom.
those who died on the ship were all young and vibrant lives.
tony banham, the historical consultant of the film, pointed out in the film that the development process of this historical event itself is like a three-act drama. the british prisoners of war who had experienced life and death in the previous article were given hope and emotional changes by the sudden appearance of chinese fishermen, which was like a "stroke of genius". it is a true display of history and a very effective narrative strategy for the film. the descendants of the fishermen calmly recounted the rescue process of that year, which seemed not so earth-shattering, but touched people's hearts inadvertently.
zhoushan fisherman lin agen (center) who participated in the rescue
from the perspective of narrative structure, "the sinking of the lisbon maru" has a subtle rhythm control, which always attracts the audience to follow closely, and is never dull and preachy. through multi-perspective narration, the background and cause of the "lisbon maru" incident are gradually outlined. the perspectives of britain, japan, and the united states are intertwined, allowing the audience to fully understand the complexity of this incident. the complex reactions of the descendants of the japanese captain and the interviews with the descendants of the american submarine mechanics have added more dimensions and depth to this period of history, and also allowed the audience to feel the common sorrow of mankind in the face of war.
this documentary about the shipwreck is not full of thrilling scenes, but it can be regarded as an excellent war film. good war films not only depict the cruelty of war, but also make people stay alert and reflect beyond the war. war never only happens in the moment of gunfire, and no one can leave the battlefield intact. in those years when we think time has passed, an inadvertent object or action will still tear open the wounds that cannot be relieved, making people cry and even die with their eyes open.
as fang li said, he "grabbed" this period of history. the survivors recorded in the film have now passed away, but the film freezes these precious moments and stories. the film's salvage of the sunken ship is an exposure of the perpetrators, a comfort to the deceased and their families, and a reminder and warning to people today.
"the sinking of the lisbon maru" is a "blockbuster" that has been underestimated by the market. on the other hand, the box office of less than 4 million yuan as of 11:00 on september 11 is really disappointing. this week, the mid-autumn festival is approaching, and many new films are coming. i hope it will have a chance to be seen by more people, so that this ship will no longer "sink to the bottom of the sea".
hao qing
(this article is from the paper. for more original information, please download the "the paper" app)
