2008-12-04 梅蘭芳 Mei Lanfang

Chinese Title: 梅蘭芳 Mei Lanfang
English Title: Forever Enthralled
Director: Kaige Chen

Kaige Chen, the director of Farewell My Concubine, has his newest movie come to Taiwan in the mid December.

The movie is a biopic about the life of the most famous Chinese opera actor—Mei Lanfang. I was glad to learn that he was making a movie about Mei. I am a huge Chinese opera fan. I had a great environment that provided plenty of opportunities to see Chinese opera when I was a kid. I remembered a put on my mother's skirt and imagine I was a elegant lady, singing and dancing in front of a mirror. In addition to my love for Chinese opera, I also love to see historical films. I was really looking forward to seeing Mei Lanfan in the movie theater.

However, when I knew the leading actor and actress were Leon Lai and Ziyi Zhang, my passion for the movie completely extinguished. Even though I occasionally see movies starry Leon Lai or Ziyi Zhang, I ever like their performance much.

Then, I forgot things about this movie for a while.

Few days ago, I accidentally saw the still pictures of Mei Lanfang, I was enthralled by one of its pictures. This is the one. I love it very much.

I am a Chinese opera fan who is used to see Chinese opera actors or actresses putting up heavy makeup and wearing beautifully embroidered costumes. I was amazed by this picture. I can't help thinking one quesiton: "Who is the man and who is the woman"?

In the story, Ziyi Zhang is a woman and Leon Lai is a man; and on the stage of this story, Ziyi Zhang is a man and Leon Lai is a woman. I love this kind of surreal confusion.


And this still picture stirred up my curiosity, and then I saw few of the movie's trailers online.

My enthusiasm for Chinese opera and historical films came back to me immediately.
Yes, I am going to see this movie when it comes to the theater.

Nanny McPhee (2006) 魔法褓母麥克菲

I never read the series of the children books, Nanny McPhee, so I don't know much about it, and I have less interest in seeing its movie version. But Emma Thompson is one of my favorite actresses, and I always want to see all of her work and collect DVDs of her movies, so I went to rent Nanny McPhee, the DVD, and watched it last night.

因為對這系列童書沒有涉略，原本一直對Nanny McPhee這部電影興趣缺缺。但又因為 Emma Thompson是我最喜愛的女演員之一，我一直很想看完和蒐集她所有的作品，所以還是到亞藝租借DVD，在昨晚看完這部電影。

The story of Nanny McPhee is predictable and performance of those child actors and actress are bliliant. At in terms of viual art design, the movie itself is amazing. The colors of it are splendid and boldly used, which makes me want to play with ideas of colors usage on mix paint plate. Emma's acting is okay in the movie owing to the structure of the story itself. But the vallians in the movie are outstanding because of their exaggeratively typical facial expressions.

魔法褓母麥克菲的劇情尚可，幾位小童星們相當稱職。但從視覺美術設計方面來看，這部電影真的很有趣。整部電影用色大膽，色彩十分豐富華麗，讓我想拿起調色盤試驗各種用色的可能性。Emma在影片裡的表現並不突出，但其實就故事架構來看，她也沒有發揮的空間。然而影片裡的反派配角卻非常搶眼。

Er....the vallians aren't those two sheep. (Er......反派不是這兩隻羊)

I am thinking I would dye my white rabbits or dogs pink or yellow if I keep some. 如果我有養小白兔或者是小白狗的話，我想要幫他們染成粉紅色或者是黃色，Pretty Cool!

The eye-catching and outstanding vallians in the movie. "The charming and lovely vallians!" quoted from Pokemon Monsters. 影片中非常搶眼，表現突出的「迷人又可愛的反派角色」。（借用神奇寶貝火箭隊的出場白）

Anut Adelaide，典型的尖嘴猴腮，英式老古板貴婦！

Mrs. Quickly，非常花俏的Fairytale Wicked Stepmother Wannabe.

看到這兩位優異的誇張表演，租借DVD的錢，花得值得！

Hairspray (2007) 明星髮膠夢

髮膠明星夢是我近期最喜愛的電影。我重複觀看不下四次。我一直喜歡歌舞片，但有很多年沒有看到向明星法膠夢這樣愉快卻不流於空洞的歌舞片。

整部影片約四分之三的時間，每個人物，主角或背景人物，無時不刻，無不歡唱熱舞。整部電影給人歡欣暢快的快樂。

雖說如此，明星髮膠夢其實從歡樂的歌舞中傳遞許多嚴肅的社會議題：種族問題，歧視與偏見，媒體操弄及主流價值的壓迫等。但這些議題隨著歡唱熱舞中，輕易而解。隨著影像和音樂，我如同主人翁，懷抱著對社會改變的純真想像和對各種嘗試的樂觀期待。

明星髮膠夢提供許多對主流價值的批評和呈現多元價值的意義。首先是對「美」的挑戰。Tracy的不做作自然美，對照Amber制式作假和媒體形塑的主流美。

然而，導演(或編劇)不需要教條式的對白，藉由人物性格的操弄，自然美很輕易的贏得觀眾的心。一切就是這麼的簡單。

影片中的怪老爸和胖老媽，提供另一種父母的樣貌。好父母的外型擺脫電視影集裡帥哥美女(請參考影集Growing Pain歡樂家庭)！好父母的社經階層除去電視影集裡的醫生或律師(請參考影集The Cosby Show天才老爹)！怪怪的老爸爸怪怪玩具店的老闆，是Tracy大膽嘗試；勇於追尋的行動後的支持動力。愛吃又胖的老媽子宅在家裡開在家洗衣店，對Tracy充滿溫暖關懷。

（因為修家庭心理學，對於父母和家庭的議題比較敏感）

我個人很喜歡這對怪喀夫妻的雙人舞，緬懷傳統歌舞片的美好。從歌曲的編寫到舞蹈的編排，充滿Fred Astaire或Gene Kelly的風味。


整個故事所提出的問題，最後都在一場主角和配角輪番上陣的熱鬧的歌舞秀中，迎刃而解。

非常熱鬧的一部電影，讓人神清氣爽，笑容滿懷。

The Company(2007)

I visited my sister yesterday and spent almost all day with her family. I had great meals and also a lot of cookies and candies that she especially prepared for me. I think I am too old to have grand meals and I was overfed by my sister, but I had good time with them.

We watched some TV programs together when we had our meals. I had to watch Doraemon because my nephew loves it; I had to watch some Japanese soap operas because my sister loves them. I think I am right that I don't have television in my house because I found out that most Taiwanese people spend too much time in front of their TV. (Well, I spend too much time with my laptop and this is a problem, too.)

When I finally had chance to control over TV remote controller, I switched to movie channels. I rarely knew what channels were showing what movies so I was channel hopping absent-mindedly. I switched to Cinemax and the movie that it was showing caught my attention immediately.

I didn't know what the program's title was at that time, and I was caught in the middle of the movie. I enjoyed it though and I found out the storyline right away. The story was about CIA during Cold War. I could recognize few familiar faces from the movie, so I did some search online and figured out what the movie was.

The program is called The Company, a TV mini-series starring Chris O'Donnell, Michael Keaton and Alfred Molian. The mini-series is based on Robert Littell's almost-nine-hundred-page novel of the same name, and it covers most famous events happened during Cold War.

The first impressive feature of the series is it gives those household names new faces different from their previous characters. I was especially impressive by Michael Keaton's performance when I watched it. He was no longer the wicked and nasty ghost in the Beetlejuice or the not-so-dark dark knight in Batman. And Chris O'Donnell wasn't the young student in Scent of a Woman any more. I hadn't seen other good movies he stared for years, but he is pretty cool in The Company.

The second feature that interests me is the story. It depicts few famous historical events happened during Cold War and the manipulation of CIA behind those events. I love historical drama, I am no expert of Cold War so I don't know if the cause and consquesence of those events presents in this mini-series is accurate or not, but the storytelling was fluent and I was confused even though I don't have enough background knowledge.

I found out that only watched two episodes: The Hungarian Uprising and the Bay of Pigs. Few lines from those two episodes made me think of few things.

When I watched The Hungarian Uprising, Frank Wisner--played by Ted Atherton-- questioned why US didn't give military support to the uprising against the Soviet. The US had spent some much time and money to train those who are against the communism all over the world, and wait the right time like the Hungarian Uprising, but the government didn't take any measure when the timing was right.

When I read/listened to the lines, I had an idea that Taiwan was one part of them, the one trained/manipulated by the CIA. Taiwan was one that swallowed up in the conflicts between the Democracy and the Communism. I suddenly felt a strange bond that connects Taiwan to the rest of world. But what price Taiwan has been paying?

I watched first half part of The Bay of Pigs. One scene was funny to me. Harvey Torriti (played by Alfred Molina) asked one head of mafia to assassin Castro. Taiwan Intelligence agency learned the lesson--recruiting gangsters to conduct secret mission-- from CIA. I was thinking no wonder Jiang Nan Case happened. All I should say all intelligence agencies are all the same.

The Company is a 360-mintue mini-series, I only watched 100 minutes yesterday. I think I wouldn't have chance to watch it replay on TV, I would watch its complete version when its DVD is available.

Harold and Maude(1971)

I started wrting stories about movies so I like to another story about a movie that I have been thinking of recently. Harold and Maude, another movie that I don't know its Chinese title. I don't know why I like movies made in 70's pretty much.

開始寫關於電影的故事，那就順便寫另一部我最近在回想的電影：「Harold and Maude」，又是一部比我老，然後我又不知道中文片名的電影。不知為何，我其實很喜歡70年代的電影。

The subject of my thesis is about age and emotional memeory, which means I wouldn't be able to graduate from school in two years because elder subjects are difficult to find. I have started reading relevent research references. One theory I have read is Socioemotional Selectivity Theory which proposes some processess to explain the difference of emotion regulation between young people and elder people. I am not satisfied with its explanation, but I am not going to discuss it in this article; it would come up soon. I thought over some problems generated from the theory few days ago when I was riding home from Fu Jen university. Harold and Maude suddenly jumped into my thought.

我論文的主題大致已經確定要進行關於老化與情緒記憶的研究。（這也注定我應該是兩年畢不了業，因為老人受試非常難找。）我開始在閱讀相關的研究文獻，其中有一個理論：「Socioemotional Selectivity Theory」，試著要解釋年輕人與老人在emotion regulation不同的機制為何。我非常的不滿意這個理論的解釋。細節先不多談，以後還有機會。有次從輔大回家時，騎著我的摩托車，思考著這個理論的問題，「Harold and Maude」這部電影突然跳進思緒中。

Harold and Maude is a love story of an eighty-year-old lady and an eighteen-year-old young man. Maude, an eccentric eighty-year-old lady, explores every possibility of life and enriches her own life, and she freely put the period in her life story. Harold, an eighteen-year-old young man in boredom, has rich and sufficient family environment, but he lacks passion for his own life. This couple's relationship is difficult for viewers to understand.Their relationship, their thoughts and their doings are challenges for the audience's value system. The plot is predictable, Harold has change because of their relationships. Harold's value and attitude toward his life changed, but whether the audience change varies because of individual's difference.

「Harold and Maude」一個八十歲老人和十八歲年輕人之間的愛情故事。Maude，八十多歲的怪喀老婆婆，嘗試經驗人生的各種可能性，豐富自己的生命，最後很簡單灑脫的為自己劃下句點。Harold，覺得人生百無聊賴的年輕小伙子，即使擁有不虞匱乏的物質環境，但是卻對生命沒有熱情。這樣的組合，其實很霹靂，難以讓人接受。他們的關係，他們的所作所為，其實不斷的在挑戰觀影者的價值觀。當然，可以預期的是，在與Maude交往後，Harold的人生觀與態度有所轉變。觀影者是否有所改變，那就是修行在個人了。

The movie presents serious issues of life and death in pleasant way. I remember one scene of interaction and conversation between Harold and his psychiatrist was very funny. It seems that it's a tradition of western movies to mock upon the meanings of psychological therapies. I should find some time to make a list of the top 10 funniest scenes of mocking on psychological therapies.

這整部電影用輕鬆愉快的方式來討論「生」與「死」的問題。我還記得其中有一段Harold跟心理醫師的互動和對話，非常好笑。西片似乎有種傳統，很多電影都有場景在嘲諷心理治療的意義。我應該找個時間票選嘲諷心理治療的十大最佳場景。

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。