Chapter 238: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
How long does it take for a screenwriter to write a script?
Alexander doesn't know the answer to this question. He once thought that scriptwriting was one of the most difficult things in the world.
There are many screenwriters. One great script in a lifetime is enough to make people remember them for a lifetime.
Scripts are not that easy to write. After taking control of their film company and watching their TV series crew with more than a dozen screenwriters write day after day, he especially thought so when discussing how to create a script one day.
However, sometimes, he doesn't think so, either. Levi's creative speed always surprised him. He still remembered how Levi quickly determined how to design a TV drama script in a short period of time when he first wrote a TV drama script. He also remembered how Levi quickly decided on a few TV drama scripts even after he started writing movie scripts.
His every script is considered a high-level and superior work. Unlike many screenwriters who like copying or mashing existing scripts or following routines, Levi's scripts never follow routines.
Amazingly, scriptwriting can be so fast and at the same time maintain his previous level.
Last year, he saw Levi create Lost in Translation, and a year later, Levi's new movie script appeared again.
After taking Levi's movie script, Alexander flipped through it. Without reading much, he had already got a basic understanding of it. This seemed to be another love story.
This is not surprising - Levi has written a total of three scripts before, two of which are love stories. He is already very good at such themes, and now it is very normal for him to write another one.
But Levi's movies will never be simple love stories, and Alexander is very sure of this. The story of Emily is completely a one-person show, while Lost in Translation is a special kind of love affair — For this movie, obviously, the same is true.
Although this seems to be a love story film, judging from the script, it is already very different from other films.
First of all, the story is based on the memory erasure of science fiction - such a story gives people a different feeling from the beginning.
Secondly, the love in the movie does not describe a perfect love story, but two people wanted to forget their memories after having troubles in life.
Thirdly, this movie seems to be discussing not a happy love story but more about the proposition of love itself.
It seems a little different from ordinary love movies.
After reading the script, Alexander also raised his head. "Why is this movie named like this? It seems to be a love movie, but does it have anything to do with spotless mind?"
This is also the habit Alexander has developed now. He has a lot of questions about this movie, and the first and most important thing is the title of the film, which he is more concerned about.
What does the title of the movie have to do with its content?
"Lines 207 to 209 of Pope's 'Eloisa to Abelard':
How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!" On this, Levi immediately explained.
Although this script was copied, for the various sources of the script, he still understands quite well - copying things, you can't just start copying without knowing anything.
The name of this movie actually has nothing to do with a spotless mind. This is a line from a poem that tells the love story of Pierre Abélard, an 11th-century philosopher, and his student, Héloïse.
Published in 1717, "Eloisa to Abelard" is a poem by Alexander Pope. It is an Ovidian heroic epistle inspired by the 12th-century story of Héloïse's illicit love for, and secret marriage to, her teacher Pierre Abélard, perhaps the most popular teacher and philosopher in Paris, and the brutal vengeance that her family exacts when they castrate him, even though the lovers had married.
After the assault, even though they have a child, Abélard enters a monastery, and bids Eloisa do the same. She is tortured by the separation and by her unwilling vow of silence — arguably, a symbolic castration — which she takes with her eyes fixed upon Abélard rather than upon the cross.
Years later, she gets done Historia Calamitatum (History of my Misfortunes), which is a letter of consolation to a friend, and her passion for him is reawakened. Héloïse and Abélard exchange four letters.
In an effort to make sense of their personal tragedy, they explore the nature of human and divine love. However, their incompatible male and female perspectives make the dialogue painful for both.
These letters were later published, and later, the poet Pope adapted the incident into an epistolary poem, "Eloisa to Abelard."
This poem is actually about a tragic love story.
Pope's own experience was also quite unfortunate. He was sick since childhood, physically disabled, and only 1.37 meters (~4' 6") tall. He had a profound understanding of this kind of tragic love, and this poem is also very well written.
This line of poetry is one of the lines in this poem.
Eloisa, who was forced to become a nun, should have dedicated herself to God, but she still couldn't forget Abelard in her heart.
Therefore, she complained, hoping to become a pure virgin and forget the world so that there would be no more sorrow.
This is the sentence used in the movie. The same goes for the two people here.
The male protagonist loves the female protagonist. They both have a not-so-perfect love. They have conflicts due to various things. But they really have the ability to erase people's memories. At the time, the hero couldn't bear to erase her from his memory - this mood and the spirit in the poem can be said to be wonderfully consistent.
Alexander didn't like reading poetry very much and didn't know much about these stories. After Levi told him once, he just nodded, "This story is quite suitable for a movie adaptation... This story at least tells the world you need to be prepared to pay the price for being a scum, and the consequences of being cut off are very suitable for scum."
"This is not the point; the point is the script. Let me ask, what do you think of this script?" Levi smiled bitterly.
"First of all, this script seems to have a bit of science fiction, but it can't be said to be science fiction. There is no explanation at all.
Furthermore, it should be regarded as a romance film. It is very delicate and is well done in these aspects.
Moreover, this movie still has your style. It mainly revolves around two people, and the other supporting characters don't have much role.
However, when it comes to the real breakthrough, in this movie, your most innovative aspect is the philosophical thinking in the film.
"I didn't expect you to see this - so, what's your comment on this?"
If there is any difference between this movie and other movies, then it is the love story in this movie. It contains many philosophical concepts of love.
Most romance movies just tell a love story - two people meet, get to know each other, fall in love, and stay together. This movie discusses a principle of love - life is always imperfect. How do we deal with various conflicts in love? That's the point of the film.
"I remember hearing someone say that movie directors first want to tell a story, and after telling the story well, they start to try to tell philosophy. Once the philosophy is finished, they have to play physics.
Well... Nick, this movie should be your philosophical attempt, right? However, I suggest you don't play physics, it's really not fun..."
Alexander had little to say about Levi's new ideas for the film. He knows that a director must have constant innovation, and this innovation does not mean that the movies are getting bigger and bigger and the investment is increasing.
The most important thing is the thinking and shooting of the movie itself. The thinking of this movie seems to have been very innovative.
"It's too early to talk about those things." Levi shook his head and ignored them, "Let's talk about this movie. In fact, you still missed some things about this movie."
"Filming techniques?"
When a director shoots a movie, in addition to innovation in thinking, the most important thing is, of course, innovation in shooting methods. Alexander was well aware of Levi's temperament of constantly challenging himself, so he immediately judged what Levi was talking about.
"Yes, there are many innovations in the filming of this movie. In the script of the film, I specifically noted it in the front. Before the heroine appears, the movie mainly uses dark and cold colors; after the heroine appears, use bright, warm colors - have you noticed? The first thing I want to notice about this movie is the change in color."
Not long ago, Levi met Director Zhang in the United States. If Director Zhang is completely top-notch in the world in one aspect, then Levi would definitely say that his most outstanding feature is the combination of colors. This also inspired Levi to have some ideas. In his own movies, he also wanted to try some better uses of color.
"And what's more is the structure of this movie. This movie requires a lot of flashbacks and narrations, and the structure is also very different."
Flashbacks and interludes are not uncommon techniques, but Levi has never used this kind of narrative structure much. He likes to shoot orthodox structures and flexibly use crossover and parallel montage. However, he has not tried too many flashbacks and interludes.
The experiment of this film is not only in terms of color but also in narrative structure.
"In addition to these two points, the other thing is how to arrange light-hearted laughter and fun in the movie more reasonably - this is also an attempt."
In Levi's memory, although the technique is outstanding, this movie has some minor problems. The film is a bit long, and the lack of enough refreshing moments is the biggest problem.
Therefore, Levi hopes to make the film more dynamic and lively when he shoots a movie, which is also a challenge.
"This movie needs innovation, both in terms of thinking and shooting techniques. If it is shot well, I believe this movie will not be worse than Emily - it is my new movie challenge!"
*****
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