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罪与罚——伍迪·艾伦的犯罪电影

2017-10-13宋云峰

英语学习 2017年9期
关键词:罪与罚尔顿吉尔

宋云峰

1.伍迪·艾伦的电影主题与风格

1935年出生的伍迪·艾伦现已年过八旬。20世纪50年代他以喜剧作家出道,60年代以表演单口相声而出名,此后便一直从事喜剧电影的编剧、表演和导演工作,几乎一年拍摄一部电影,逐渐形成了自己的主题和风格。作为著名喜剧家,伍迪·艾伦的电影大都由自己编剧、执导和出演,塑造了缺乏安全感、焦虑不安并喋喋不休的无能知识分子的独特形象,与其本人现实生活中的人格大相径庭 [As a comedian, he developed the persona(人物角色)of an insecure, intellectual, fretful(焦躁的)nebbish(无能的人), which he maintains is quite different from his real-life personality]。

自20世纪80年代以来,伍迪·艾伦开始拍摄更多的犯罪剧情片,聚焦于犯罪人物的心理活动,其主题与风格深受俄罗斯作家陀思妥耶夫斯基《罪与罚》(1866)的影响。《罪与罚》描写了穷大学生拉斯柯尔尼科夫(Raskolnikov)受无政府主义思想毒害,认为自己是个超人,可以为所欲为。为生计所迫,他杀死典当铺的老太婆阿廖娜和她无辜的妹妹丽扎韦塔,制造了一起震惊全俄的凶杀案。经历了内心痛苦的忏悔后,他最终在基督徒索尼雅姑娘的规劝下投案自首,被判流放西伯利亚。《罪与罚》聚焦于拉斯柯尔尼科夫计划犯罪、实施犯罪以及事后的自我开脱等道德困境与心理活动,尤其是他以超人理论为自己开脱,甚至自比拿破仑,认为可以為了更高目的而杀人的自我辩护。

Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished(穷困潦倒的)ex-student in Saint Petersburg who formulates and executes a plan to kill an unscrupulous(肆无忌惮的)pawnbroker(典当商)for her cash. Raskolnikov, in an attempt to defend his actions, argues that with the pawnbrokers money he can perform good deeds to counterbalance the crime, while ridding the world of a vermin(害虫,坏蛋). He also commits the murder to test a theory of his that dictates some people are naturally capable of such actions, and even have the right to perform them. Several times throughout the novel, Raskolnikov compares himself with Napoleon Bonaparte(拿破仑·波拿巴)and shares his belief that murder is permissible in pursuit of a higher purpose.

这样的主题在伍迪·艾伦80年代以来的犯罪片中反复出现,探讨人在实施犯罪时的心理活动以及事后的道德困境和良心拷问,从而进一步审视人的本质。

2. 《罪与错》(Crimes and Misdemeanors, 1989)

朱达(Judah)是一名事业有成的眼科医生,他不仅在学术界取得了稳固的地位,更是热心于慈善事业。在外人眼中,朱达和妻子米利亚姆(Miriam)无疑是一对模范夫妻,两人的婚姻长久而稳定,可是实际上,朱达多年来一直和一个名叫多罗瑞斯(Dolores)的女子保持着亲密的关系。令朱达头痛的是,多罗瑞斯已经无法再忍受自己秘密情人的身份,咄咄逼人的她甚至向朱达发出了威胁,要把他们的关系公之于世。所以朱达不得不决定将多罗瑞斯除掉。雇人将多罗瑞斯除掉后,朱达阴差阳错地逃过了法律的制裁,生活也归于平静,但他能否逃脱良心和道德的谴责?朱达认为随着时间的推移,任何危机都会过去;而剧中的另一个主要人物克里夫(Cliff)则认为,一个人将永远为其所犯下的罪与错承受良心的不安,因为茫茫宇宙中是存在公平正义(justice)的。这一陀思妥耶夫斯基式的命题在伍迪·艾伦之后的犯罪电影中反复出现,其答案也不尽相同,表现了导演在这一问题上的纠结。

Judah has worked through his guilt and is enjoying life once more; the murder had been blamed on a drifter(流浪汉)with a criminal record. Judah says that with time, any crisis will pass; but Cliff morosely(忧郁地)claims instead that one is forever fated to bear ones burdens for “crimes and misdemeanors”. The outline of Judahs moral dilemma—whether a person can continue everyday life with the knowledge of having committed murder—evokes(唤起)the pivotal(极为关键的)idea of the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment (1866), despite suggesting a resolution nearly opposite to that of the novel. Allen would revisit the theme in his films Match Point, Cassandras Dream and Irrational Man(《赛末点》、《卡珊德拉之梦》和《无理之人》).endprint

美国著名影评人罗杰·易伯特(Roger Ebert)高度评价《罪与错》,认为该片创造了最好的悬念,因为尽管观众对故事的发展了如指掌,但心理拷问会将观众置于主人公的位置:在同样的情况下你会怎么做?

The movie generates the best kind of suspense, because its not about what will happen to people—its about what decisions they will reach. We have the same information they have. What would we do? How far would we go to protect our happiness and reputation? How selfish would we be? Is our comfort worth more than another persons life? Allen does not evade(规避)this question, and his answer seems to be, yes, for some people, it would be.

3. 《赛末点》(Match Point, 2005)

穷小子威尔顿(Wilton)为改变自己的命运,从爱尔兰来到伦敦当网球教练,立誓要凭一身网球绝技混入对该运动情有独钟的上流社会。结识富家公子哥汤姆(Tom)后,他得到了机会。对方的妹妹克罗伊(Chloe)对他一见钟情,其后,在克罗伊父亲的相助下,威尔顿顺利混入上流社会。正当他要与克罗伊谈婚论嫁时,威尔顿邂逅了汤姆的女友、来自美国的女演员诺拉(Nora),后者同样在为进入上流社会做着不懈的努力,两个人都有一种寄人篱下同病相怜之感,并发生了一夜情。不久,威尔顿与克罗伊结婚,而汤姆却与诺拉分手。一段时间后,威尔顿与诺拉偶遇,与她又恢复了情人关系。克罗伊结婚后一直想要个孩子,可总是不能如愿,正当威尔顿在善良而富有的妻子克罗伊和性感迷人的情人诺拉之间周旋时,诺拉意外怀孕了。她拒绝堕胎,要求威尔顿必须将实情告诉克罗伊并与之分手。但威尔顿并不爱诺拉,他决定选择优越的生活而杀死诺拉。最终他杀死了诺拉和她的房东,并由于一系列巧合而顺利摆脱了法律上的嫌疑。

《赛末点》被伍迪·艾伦视为自己最好的作品之一,其犯罪主题的动因也比《罪与错》更加复杂,涉及道德、贪婪、性欲和运气(morality, greed, lust and luck)等。影片一开始就将人生的命运比做决定网球胜负的最后一球——赛末点,全凭运气。借助威尔顿正在阅读的《罪与罚》,影片明显将其比做陀思妥耶夫斯基小说中的主人公拉斯柯尔尼科夫。但拉斯柯尔尼科夫在杀人后受到良心的谴责而投案自首,最终受到惩罚而得到救赎——皈依上帝并得到爱情。而《赛末点》的主人公威尔顿则为了私利杀死了爱他的姑娘,没有一丝的负罪感,并且靠运气逃过了法律的惩罚。与陀思妥耶夫斯基不同,伍迪·艾伦在这部影片中对命运、忠诚和人性持悲观态度,认为人世间既没有上帝,也没有惩罚,更没有爱情提供救赎。

The film is a debate with Fyodor Dostoyevskys Crime and Punishment, which Wilton is seen reading early on, identifying him with the anti-hero Raskolnikov. That character is a brooding(忧思的)loner who kills two women to prove that he is a superior being, but is racked(折磨)by guilt and eventually admits all to a dogged sleuth(侦探), and he is finally redeemed(救赎)by punishment, the love of a poor girl, and the discovery of God. Wilton is a brooding loner who kills a poor girl who loves him because he considers his interests superior to those around him, knows little guilt, and avoids detection(被发现)through luck. Offering a depressing view on fate, fidelity(忠贞), and the nature of man, Allen argues, unlike Dostoyevsky, that there is neither God, nor punishment, nor love to provide redemption.

4. 《卡珊德拉之梦》(Cassandras Dreams, 2007)

故事的主人公是生活在伦敦的两兄弟——伊恩(Ian)和特里(Terry)。一个沉溺赌博,负债累累;另一个则为漂亮女演员神魂颠倒,患得患失。兄弟俩用特里赛狗下注赢的钱低价买到一艘船,并将其命名为“卡珊德拉之梦”,丝毫没有意识到它将带来的厄運。两兄弟都很需要钱,正当他们对发财感到绝望的时候,家族英雄、富裕的霍华德叔叔突然来探望两兄弟,他以亲情和金钱为诱饵,劝诱两人帮他解决掉一个自己的商业伙伴。两兄弟经过痛苦的思想挣扎,终于决定下手。事情进展得很顺利,钱已到手的两兄弟开着“卡珊德拉之梦”,开始享受阳光和海风。可是日子并不像他们所预期的那样风平浪静,更多的烦恼随后接踵而来。杀了人的特里一直内心自责,不敢面对自己杀人的现实,犹豫着是否要向警察自首。伊恩得知消息,害怕特里自首会连累自己,于是找到叔叔霍华德,两人开始酝酿谋杀特里的计划。在“卡珊德拉之梦”游艇上,亲情、金钱、良知开始相互审判。最终两兄弟同归于尽。endprint

Ian plans to poison Terry during an outing on the boat. Ian cant bring himself to kill his own brother, and attacks him in a fit of rage(一时气愤). In the chaos, Terry knocks Ian down the steps into the cabin, killing him. The boat is later discovered adrift by the police, and the audience learns that Terry snapped(失足)and drowned himself after killing his brother. The last shot is of Cassandras Dream, still in beautiful condition despite the tragedies it set in motion.

显然,伍迪·艾伦关于罪与罚的主题在该片中得到再现,尤以希腊神话人物卡珊德拉来象征人们日常选择中的因果关系和因缘巧合。卡珊德拉是希腊神话中的预言家,但她对厄运的预言往往被她身边的人所忽略,或视为无稽之谈。影片中两兄弟用赌博赢来的钱购买船只并命名为“卡珊德拉之梦”早已预示着厄运的降临——为钱而杀人并最终导致人财两失。

In modern usage the name of Cassandra is employed as a rhetorical device(修辞手法)to indicate someone whose accurate prophecies(预言)are not believed by those around them. After a greyhound(赛狗)that won Terry the money, the brothers buy a sailboat at an oddly low price, despite its near pristine(崭新的)condition. They name it Cassandras Dream, knowing nothing of Greek mythology(希腊神话), unaware of the ominous(不详的)antecedents(前因)of this name—the ancient prophetess(女预言家)Cassandra, whose prophecies of doom(厄运,死亡)went unheeded(被忽略的)by those around her.

5. 《无理之人》 (Irrational Man, 2015)

影片讲述了一起大学校园里的谋杀案。阿贝(Abe)是新英格兰某大学一名满腹经纶又酗酒乱性的哲学教授,与崇拜他的女学生吉尔(Jill)关系非同寻常。一次,吉尔与阿贝在一家餐馆吃饭,偶然听到一个女人抱怨她遭到法官不公正裁决,将失去孩子的监护权。阿贝很同情那个女人,决定主持正义,帮她把法官除掉。事实上,阿贝把“完美谋杀”当成了解决自身存在主义危机的出路。经过“理性”的分析,他认为自己与这起案件毫无联系,所以别人不会怀疑到他。阿贝从学校实验室偷来了氰化物,放进有橙汁的杯子里,偷偷与法官的杯子做了调换。果然他很快得逞了,法官随后中毒身亡,警方破案则没有头绪。随着案件的进展,吉尔发现了该案的一些破绽,找到阿贝诘问,阿贝不得不承认了犯罪的事实,但却拒绝为此承担责任,因为他杀人的动机是为了主持“正义”。吉尔威胁要告发阿贝。为此,阿贝不得不决定除掉吉尔,但却掉进了自己设计的死亡陷阱。

Jill confronts Abe and accuses him of the murder. Abe then admits his guilt and explains his motive. Jill decides to break off their relationship but promises not to turn him in(告发他). However, after an innocent man is accused of the crime, she presses Abe to go to the police, warning him that otherwise she will report him. Abe, who has only recently started enjoying life, is determined to stay out of jail. He attempts to kill Jill by pushing her into an elevator shaft(电梯井), but, instead, he stumbles(踉跄)backward and falls down the shaft to his death. Jill then begins repairing her life.

《无理之人》除了延续了伍迪·艾伦罪与罚的主题之外,还对知识分子的虚伪和双重道德標准进行了辛辣的讽刺。在影片中,大学教授阿贝以知名哲学家自居,占据道德高地,在课堂上大谈康德、萨特、波伏娃,很享受学生(尤其是女学生)对自己的崇拜,但私下却毫无道德可言,同时与女同事和女学生发生关系。当吉尔揭穿了他的杀人事实后,阿贝的权威形象荡然无存,但仍竭力为自己的犯法和不道德行为辩解。在吉尔逼迫他去自首时,阿贝狗急跳墙,决定将吉尔除掉。具有讽刺意味的是,阿贝作为哲学教授在课堂上大谈理性和选择,但自己在生活中的所作所为却非常不理性,导致了自我毁灭的悲剧。伍迪·艾伦似乎在暗示,人性(由理性和感性两个方面组成)对每个人都是公平的,你的选择就决定了你的命运。endprint

《无理之人》精彩台词

Jill: What do you plan to do about this?

Abe: I dont know.

Jill: You dont know. Surely, youre not gonna let an innocent man take the rap for(代人受罚)you, Abe.

Abe: Ive been up and back over this since I heard the news.

Jill: “Up and back”? What does that mean?

Abe: I mean that I tried to bring off(完成)the perfect crime, and apparently, I succeeded all too well.

Jill: Okay, well, what about all your talk about moral high ground?

Abe: Look, I need to think this out, all right?

Jill: What is there to think about? An innocent man is about to have his life ruined.

Abe: Okay, Ill give myself up(自首). Is that what you want?

Jill: Isnt that what you want? I mean, all this talk, talk, talk, about doing the right thing, and whats best, and…

Abe: Okay, if they dont see that theyre making a mistake and let him go(放了那個被冤枉的人)in a few days, then Ill just… Ill fuckin, Ill turn myself in(自首).

Jill: I havent been able to live with myself(心安理得)as it is! And this is a… Were talking about an innocent man thats gonna be prosecuted(起诉)for this!

Abe: I know, I agree! Let me just see if my luck holds out, and they come to realize that they made a mistake, you know? Because I mean… Look at me! Im not gonna fuckin make it!

Jill: I know, I understand. I get… You have to do it by Monday, though, Abe. You got to do it by Monday, or else Im gonna have to do it. Im gonna have to do it.endprint

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