2008/09/03

再回首,云遮断归途——《Tipping the Velvet》






是先看BBC迷你剧集后才看小说的,剧集已经够精彩的了,看了原著,才知道书比剧集更精彩绝伦, Sarah Walters的一支笔果然不是盖的,难怪引来fans无数。BBC编剧并未完全忠实于原著,在一些细节上的处理,在对Florence的角色性格塑造上,在最后结局上的出入,相对减弱了Sarah Walters犀利笔锋所至的影响力冲击力。客观的讲,BBC的改编还是非常出色的,即使有瑕疵,也是瑕不掩瑜。当然,影视有影视不可抹煞的媒体优点,从平面到立体,从想象到落实,直观,活色生香,虽然牺牲掉了一部分文字衍生出的想象空间,换来的却是视觉听觉的饕餮享受。而且在某些改编上,这样的tradeoff还是很值得的。

这是一个关于海边小镇的牡蛎女孩自我发现自我确认的成长和情感故事,背景设在了十九世纪末后维多利亚时代,彼时,大不列颠的鼎盛已经到了日落西山之际,甚嚣尘上虚伪保守的社会风气催生出极为发达的地下色情业,于是,一边厢是禁欲压抑道貌岸然,一边厢则是放浪形骸纵欲无度,充满末世腐败堕落气息,邪恶却真实,这在故事的第二部分集中得以体现,也因此,搬到银幕上的视觉刺激看得人是瞠目结舌,不得不为BBC的大胆直率咋舌不已。

故事分成三部曲,象征着Nancy的三段式生活经历,暗示她在天堂,地狱和人间各自走了一遭,也隐喻着她的情感变迁,从初恋宛如天堂般的甜蜜幸福,到情感经历背叛后如坠地狱般的自我弃绝,再到绝处逢生后重返人间脚踏实地切实感受琐细的平凡生活中流淌的温情。Sarah的笔触非常精到细腻,很多心理描写心情感受,只要曾经狂热暗恋过的人都会觉得如诉心声,曾临其境。而这,恰恰也是剧集的软肋所在:每一丝细微的情绪流转,每一瞬难言的心理脉动,是演员难以通过眼神表情动作言语演绎完整悉数传递给观众的,尽管窃以为Rachael Stirling和Keeley Hawes的演技已经臻入化境,但总有摄影镜头所无法抵达之处的,譬如以下数例:

当Nancy初初遇见Kitty,如遭雷击,继而夜夜穿梭不倦往返,痴迷于她的歌,她的笑,她的舞步,她的一切的时候,她自言:“The world, to me, seemed utterly transformed since she had stepped into it. It had been ordinary before she came, now it was full of queer electric spaces, that you left ringing with music or glowing with light.”

当她抛家弃亲,追随Kitty同赴伦敦,抵达当晚,一番劳顿后,Kitty不经意的为Nancy将一缕乱发夹于耳边,她会本能得绷紧身体:“Her touch made me stiffen again: I was still not used to the easy caresses, the hand-holdings and cheek-strokings, of our friendship, and every one of them made me flinch slightly, and colour faintly, with desire and confusion.”

当Kitty因为终于能站在伦敦的舞台上,因为成名在即梦想成真而心情激荡,难以自禁得问Nancy:“Do you know how that must feel, Nan, to be given your heart's desire, like that?”Nancy虽然沉默,可是她的心在回应:“I did. It was a wonderful feeling - but a fearful one, too, for you felt all the time that you didn't deserve your own good fortune; that you had received it quite by error, in someone else's place - and that it might be taken from you while your gaze was turned elsewhere. And there was nothing you would not do, I thought, nothing you would not sacrifice, to keep your heart's desire once you had been given it. I knew that Kitty and I felt just the same - only, of course, about different things. ”读至此,你似乎能听见哀伤低沉的大提琴在无人的山谷中在你的耳边幽幽得诉说着那丝丝无奈和不绝如缕的苦涩。

更有那同床共枕时,Kitty枕着Nancy的臂膀搂着她的腰亲昵得说着姐妹之谊,Nancy只能一边心如鹿撞心跳异常,一边暗自咀嚼甜中之涩涩中泛苦,为长远计不得不坐拥暖玉温香而不乱:“I must learn to swallow my queer and inconvenient lusts, and call her “sister”. For to be Kitty’s friend was better than to be Kitty’s nothing, Kitty’s no one. And if my head and my heart -and the hot, squirming centre of me - cried out at the shame of it, then I must stifle them. I must learn to love Kitty as Kitty loved me; or never be able to love her at all. And that, I knew, would be terrible.”

是啊,不敢不能确定是否能美梦得偿,不想冒失去的风险,情愿就这样守住朋友的身份,以姐妹待之;只要,只要能让我守在你身边,看着你,听着你,感觉你,总好过什么都不是,什么都不能。不敢奢望你爱我如我爱你,至少还可以爱你如你所期望的,好过从此而后连爱你的权利都没有。我不能也不愿控制我的心,至少可以竭尽全力控制我的行为。张爱玲不也曾说过,爱使人自觉很低很低,低到尘埃里去,但心里是欢喜的,能从尘埃里开出花来。爱人之心,中外无异。

当然,Sarah的高明之处是她并没有收笔在此,她继续写道:Nancy做为dresser帮kitty更衣穿戴时,抚摸着爱人穿过的衣裳,自语:“Every time I saw you, I had the same sensation: a pang of disappointment and regret that turned instantly to pleasure and to aching love; a desire to touch, to embrace and caress, so strong I had to turn aside of fold my arms for fear that they would fly about you and press you close.”只要你曾经因为这样的渴望煎熬过辗转反侧过,你就会明白这样的渴望有多让人痛入骨髓,有多让人战栗,有多让人害怕无法隐匿。

象这样细致入微的心理描写,书中比比皆是。Sarah的妙笔,算是把恋慕一个人的百转千迴的心曲写得余音寥寥绕梁不绝,这里就不再一一枚举了。

至于剧集,胜在画面胜在音乐胜在演员间暗涛汹涌的情绪,于无声中听惊雷。印象深刻的几幕:

首先是那一幕日后成为Nancy魂牵梦萦的场景,也是她一辈子锥心刺骨的回忆场面:她坐在包厢,Kitty站在舞台,她温柔得递过玫瑰花来,四目交接,世界停顿。自此后,她的心,被她锁上,钥匙,只有她有。

还有就是演出成功后的庆功宴,她落寞得坐在一边看kitty和经理人款款起舞,继而她被乐手相邀,嬉笑玩闹之际,kitty渐渐沉郁的神情,颤抖压抑的声音,其后的愤而离席,马车里愤怒的叱责,激动的表白,嫉妒终于将面纱扯落,将一切推向高潮:逡巡迟疑的接近,蜻蜓点水试探着的两唇相接,继而缠绵悱恻难以停息的亲吻,以及其后裸裎相拥颤抖胆怯的询问“May I really touch you?”和她热烈的回应”I think I shall die if you don’t.”,等待了多久,终于肌肤相亲,你中有我,我中有你。Wow, 不由你不屏住呼吸,生怕一不小心惊动了这一双爱侣浓情。

至于泰晤士河边,结冰的河面上,孤独旋转的溜冰老人,满天繁星下,Nancy和Florence相拥而吻,画面很美,却因为BBC的改编移用,让我感觉so so而已。

不得不提的还有最后,暌违七年之久的她们,再相逢,Kitty贴近Nancy,近乎耳语般轻诉自己的悔恨,渴望和不曾停止的爱恋,当时的一颗心啊,也跟着揪成一团。真希望她们能磨尽相思,重投旧爱怀抱,而不是情之一物,一错即为永失。可惜,笔不在我手中,摄像镜头也不为我掌控。当然,书中第三部的情节流转,Florence的性格刻画,远比剧集来得深刻丰富,所以Nancy最后的选择,其实无可厚非,只可惜了我的一番妄想。

The future none can see
The road you leave behind
Ahead lies mystery
All is fair in love

这个夜晚,是否也会和Nancy一样,听到手表不断发出的声音“Kitty, Kitty, Kitty…..”?

2008-07-17