Interpretation of Symbols in the Film “Ash Is Purest White”

Abstract

Director Jia Zhangke's films have always paid close attention to social changes, and he is good at using symbolic expression in films, which is also an important feature of his films. The use of symbols in the film "Ash Is Purest White" (also known as "People of Jianghu") runs through the entire film, in which the portrayal of the characters' images highlights their status in "jianghu ( 江湖 , referring to the folk society)"; the display of physical images expresses the changes in "jianghu", and the use of popular music from Hong Kong and Taiwan conveys the ideal "jianghu" in the director's heart. The use of dialects is the symbol of Jia Zhangke's films that highlight the "jianghu". The use of these symbols expresses the theme of "change" in the film: "jianghu" is changing, and "people" are also changing. Its essence is to pay attention to the interpersonal relationship in Chinese society and depict the changes in society and characters under the change of time. This research aims to use the theory of film semiotics to analyze various symbols in films, including the analysis of visual symbols, auditory symbols and accompanying text. The first is to analyze the character image symbols, physical image symbols and virtual image symbols in the visual symbols; the second is to analyze music symbols and dialects in auditory symbols; the third is to analyze the pre-text in the accompanying text. Through the interpretation of the three aspects, this paper analyzes how the film presents themes and pays attention to the interpersonal relationship in Chinese society, and depicts the changes of the characters under the change of time.