Deliverance(1972)

After hiking in JunJian Yan and GiLiAn Shan, and having a lunch gathering in ZhiQin's newly open store, and strolling in ZhiShan Yan, I didn't feel like to go home rightaway so I went to QuangHua Market to check out if there are were released DVDs.

在早上連走軍艦岩、唭哩岸山，中午到志欽新開幕的輕食店聚會，下午走芝山嚴後，覺得天色還早，不太想直接回家，所以繞道光華商場去看有那些新發行的DVD。

I went to my haunts and found many good movies were released on DVDs. Herzog's early movies were almost on DVDs, Kubrick's movies were rereleased on collection edition DVDs, and BBC's new minseires-Jane Erye-was available, and the most surprising thing was Deliverance was also available now. All I could think when I saw it was "Oh! My Goodness! I can't believe it, how come this movie was on collection edition DVD!"

到平常常去的的DVD專賣店裡閒逛，發現有很多新發行的好電影。荷索早期的電影幾乎都發行三區的DVD，庫伯力克的電影以收藏版重新發行，還有BBC新版的迷你影集「簡愛」，讓我驚訝的是，我竟然看到「激流四勇士」這部電影。 （我當下在腦海裡想著：我的媽呀！怎麼連這部電影都發行收藏版的DVD！）

"Ji Liu Si Yong Shi" is Deliverance's Chinese title which means "four warriors in the rapids," I didn't know this title and only knew its English title. I found out the Chinese title when I saw the DVD in DVD shop. This movie was released in the US in 1972. I don't know when it was released in Taiwan, but this title brings the sense of passionate patriotism to me. The Chinese title implied the sense--"counterattack the China to rescue our suffering counterparts." I think the title was given to in order to deal with government's strict censorship at the time when martial law was enforced. But acutally the story of Deliverance has nothing to do with warriors and patriotism.

「激流四勇士」，我原本不知道這部電影的中文片名，最早只知道電影英文片名是Deliverance。 在今天看到新發行的DVD後，才知道它的中文片名。這部電影是於1972年在美國上映，我不知道它何時在台灣上映，但是看到這片名「四勇士」讓我想起那種充滿愛國情操的憤慨之情，我猜想，大概是片商為應付電檢制度，特別取這種充滿「反攻大陸；解救受苦受難的同胞」的片名。這電影和「勇士」一點關係也沒有。

I can't remember the reason that made me see Deliverance; it seems that Eric and I talked about movies of 7o's and Deliverance was one among the movies we discussed. I thought it could be an interesting one so I bought the DVD and watched it. After I watched it, I realised it wasn't an interesting movie at all, but a triller that made viewers in depression.

我會看這部電影的原因，有點記不大清楚，好像是有次和Eric討論70年代的電影，聊到這部電影，覺得這電影好像很有趣，所以買DVD來看。在看完電影後才知道，這部電影其實不是「有趣」的電影，而是一部讓人快樂不起來的驚悚劇情片。

The plot is about four friends decided to go camping in remote mountains during their vacation and to raft along rapid river down back to town so they can stay far away from their familyand enjoy natural life in the wild. In the isolated moutains, two of them were assulted by local hunters. During the chaotic fighting and resisstence, one of the hunters was killed and the other one fled. To this point, the story of hunting down the hunter in escape in the vicious moutains and dangerous unfolds. Their friendship gradually changed and their humanity and moral strongly conflict with their instinct for survival.

故事情節是一群好友四人，在假日時決定到偏遠荒山露營度假，然後沿著激流泛舟回家，享受遠離家庭的野放生活。在這個與世隔絕的荒山上，其中兩人遭受到當地獵人的攻擊，在抵抗的過程中，其中一名獵人被殺害，另一名則逃離現場，故事從此展開這四人在陡峭的山地、激烈的湍流追獵這名逃脫的獵人。他們的友誼逐漸生變，他們的人性良知與野性求生交戰。

The movie actually is a good one; it has great narrative that develops tensity and suspicion, but after I watched because I felt really down. I thought I would never watch it again. And I felt I was traumatized. Every time I think of this kind of story set in the backdrop of remote moutains, I always feel scared, and sometimes I feel terrified without reasons when I go hiking alone.

這部電影其實是一部很好的電影，劇情敘說醞釀緊張懸疑的氣氛。但是看完之後，整個情緒沈到谷底。我心想著：我絕對不會再看第二次。 而且，心理好像有受到創傷，每次想到類似這種荒山野地的故事，都會感到分害怕。有時候一個人去爬山，會有種莫名的恐懼油然而生。

Robert once suggested I avoid going hiking alone in Wulai region. I could be in danger. Several scenes from Deliverance came into my mind immediately when he was giving the suggestions to me. This is not an interesting movie at all, but a movie that makes viewers horrified. I think it is the effect that the author and director want to bring out.

有一次Robert建議我如果要一個人去爬山，盡量避免到烏來的山區，山徑有時會有當地的獵人，我一個人其實蠻危險的。在他跟我給我這樣的建議時，我腦海裡馬上浮現「激流四勇士」的一些場景。這真的是一部一點也不有趣，但是會讓人心生恐懼的電影。（我想這也正是這原著作者和導演要製造出的效果。）

Spoiler Alert

The most impressive scene is that in the protagonist's dream, one hand holding the murder weapon--a hunting gun--emerging out of the surface of deep blue water. The image is still clear in my mind even though I watched it several years ago and never saw it again.

其中讓我印象最為深刻的一個場景是，主角的惡夢中，有一隻手握著這把殺人槍枝伸出湛藍的水面。即使是在幾年前看的電影，然後從此不再碰它，這一幕在腦海裡的影像，還是非常清楚。

Off topic:

這是題外話：

I once wondered why the scene is so similar to one scence from Excalibur--Excalibur raising from a lake. I googled some information about those two movies and found out that the movies were both directed by John Boorman. Same idea was used in two different movies. Arthurian stories are my favorite stories. But Excalibur directed by John Boorman was very dark that ruined my interest, so I will never see any movies directed by him.

我曾經想著，為什麼這一幕和Excalibur（另一部我不知道中文片名的影片）裡神劍Excalibur從湖中伸起的影像那麼雷同。稍微古狗一下，原來這兩部電影是同一個導演（John Boorman）執導。同樣的手法，嗯～用了兩次。而且還把我最喜歡的亞瑟王傳奇故事講得非常黑暗，完全弄壞我的胃口，從此之後，我再也不看John Boorman的電影。