正文
经济学人下载:新电影 回到过去
Pitched back into the past
新电影,回到过去
A new film about Jackie Robinson is a surprise hit
新版《杰基罗宾逊的故事》强势来袭
BRIAN HELGELAND'S latest film is steeped in nostalgia without ever being sentimental. Its title, “42”, is the number on the back of the jersey worn by its hero, Jackie Robinson, a gifted player who broke the colour bar in baseball.
由布莱恩海尔格兰德导演的最新电影充满了怀旧之情,但又不伤感。电影名称《42号》,正是男主角杰基罗宾逊—一个打破种族歧视的天才棒球运动员球衣的号码。
Robinson played himself in “The Jackie Robinson Story”, which was released in 1950 when the violence that led to the civil-rights movement was raging. The fact Mr Helgeland's script sticks closely to the narrative of that film means audiences are hearing Robinson's story the way he wanted it told, as a manual of non-violent resistance to injustice.
1950年,美国的黑人民权运动日益高涨,由罗宾逊本人主演的《杰基罗宾森的故事》在此时上映。海尔格兰的剧本非常忠于影片(《杰基罗宾森的故事》)的叙述,他希望以自己的方式让观众知道罗宾森的故事,使之成为用非暴力向种族歧视抵抗的典范。
Harrison Ford plays Branch Rickey, the major-league baseball executive who recruited Robinson to be the first black player in the league. Mr Ford brings authority as well as a touch of celebrity to the film, and he is rewarded with some of its best lines. “Robinson is a Methodist,” Rickey explains to a worried colleague. “I'm a Methodist. God is a Methodist. So we're going to do just fine.”
哈里森福特饰演布鲁克林道奇队的总经理布兰奇瑞基,他招收了道奇队第一个黑人运动员罗宾逊。福特给影片增添了好名声和权威,他也因为剧中出色的台词而赢得嘉奖。“罗宾逊是卫理公会派教徒,”瑞基向满腹忧虑的同事解释道,“我也是卫理公会派教徒,上帝也是。所以我们这样做很好。”
Mr Helgeland mines the imagery of old sports movies to show the way Robinson faced up to a series of ferocious pitchers. And he skilfully uses symbolism from 1940s films to create a national mood that harks back to a gentler time. “42” is a tribute to a post-war America in which sports stars had not yet been corporatised and the victory over fascism abroad was a recent memory. The fact that this week's Boston bombs were detonated on what has come to be called “Jackie Robinson Day” makes his film seem more poignant.
海尔格兰德挖掘出旧版本电影中罗宾森面对一个个实力强大的投球手这些场景的内涵意义,并且他灵活运用了1950年版电影里的经典镜头,营造出回到那个和平年代的民族情绪。《42号》是向体育明星还没被商业化运作的战后美国的致敬,也是对世界反法西斯胜利的一次回忆。 事实上,这周发生波士顿爆炸案的日子,正是“杰基罗宾逊纪念日”,这也使得电影显得更加意味深长。