Books and Arts; Film Review;The Cannes film festival; Subtle story;
Abdellatif Kechiche's film, “La vie d'Adele”, carries off the top prize;
At A time of national collective depression in France, the Cannes film festival is a precious moment: an occasion to show the world that it can still host the most prestigious film festival, throw star-studded parties and draw the best Hollywood talent. Over the years, Cannes has also become a chance for the industry to make a point, and it was easy to see one in this year's winner of the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize. It went to “La vie d'Adele” (“Blue is the Warmest Colour”), a three-hour erotic lesbian drama directed by a Tunisian-born director, Abdellatif Kechiche. “A perfect symbol,” mused Libération.
在法国举国笼罩在阴郁之下时,戛纳电影节成为其最闪耀的一刻:法国向世人证明了自己仍旧可以举办世界上最具盛名的电影节、众星云集的晚会,同时也吸引着每一位好莱坞明星。多年来,戛纳一直都是电影业界阐述观念的舞台,而今年的金棕榈奖——戛纳电影节最高奖项的获奖得主,也能够看出这一点。今年的获奖影片是由出生在突尼斯的导演阿布戴·柯西胥执导、以三小时时长讲述了女同性恋故事的《阿黛尔的生活》(《蓝色是一种暖色调》)。法国解放报这样写道:“这是一个完美的象征。”
Adele, a pupil at a multicultural school in Lille, wants to become a teacher. Played by the 19-year-old Adele Exarchopoulos, an acting revelation, she is thrown into disarray, then ecstasy, then melancholy by an explosive love affair with Emma (Léa Seydoux), an art student from a liberal-intellectual milieu, with gamine looks and blue-dyed hair. It is an unsentimental coming-of-age film about womanhood, a tale of passion and anger, and an unapologetically graphic love story.
影片主角阿黛尔是法国里尔市一所多文化学校的一名学生,她的梦想是成为一名老师。这个角色由演技颇具启示的阿黛尔·艾克阿切波洛斯扮演,在影片中因她与出身自由而又学术的、一头蓝发散发着假小子气质的艺术学生艾玛(由蕾雅·赛杜扮演)的恋情,而使得她的人生陷入混沌,继而狂喜,继而忧郁。影片对于女性的刻画真实且成熟,就像是一个充斥激情与激愤的故事,也像是一段清楚直白不做作的爱情故事。
Steven Spielberg, an American director and this year's jury president, dismissed any political symbolism. “Politics”, he said, “was not in the room with us.” Yet the Palme d'Or was awarded on a day when protesters took to the streets in Paris for a mass demonstration against a new law that has legalised gay marriage in France, and after a period marked by homophobic violence. By exploring a love affair between two women, the Franco-Tunisian Mr Kechiche has also made a bold point about female liberty. And he dedicated his prize to youth in both France and Tunisia, “so as to inspire them to live in freedom.”
作为今年电影节的评审团主席,美国导演史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格拒绝任何形式上将电影同政治相关联。他说:“政治,绝不是我们考虑的因素。”然而,金棕榈奖颁发前,是一段充斥着反同性恋暴力的时间,在这个奖颁发时,法国反对同性婚姻合法化法律的示威者正在巴黎街头举行游行抗议。突裔法国导演柯西胥通过探索女性之间的爱情,在女性自由解放中迈出了坚定的一步。他把他的奖献给所有法国和突尼斯的青年人,“为了让他们能够更加自由的生活。”
Does Cannes need to shock? Past juries have delighted in making mischievous political choices. When Michael Moore won the 2004 prize for “Fahrenheit 9/11”, his anti-George Bush documentary, he got a 20-minute standing ovation. In recent years, the gong has often gone to films that grasp nettlesome subjects, such as Cristian Mungiu's “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” (abortion) or Ken Loach's “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” (Irish independence).
戛纳会不会对此感到震惊?以前的评审团经常做一些与政治相关的选择。当麦克·摩尔2004年凭借批判乔治·布什总统的纪录片《华氏911》获奖时,人们起身为他喝彩了20分钟。而近年来,获奖的总是些围绕着恼人事件的电影,比如说克里斯蒂安·蒙吉的《四月三周两天》(有关堕胎)或者是肯·洛奇的《风吹稻浪》(爱尔兰独立)。
Yet, judging by the near-unanimous critical approval, “Adele” has married both political importance and artistic merit. Libération called it “dazzling”, a “film that floated above all the others”. Le Monde described it as “an emotional, erotic shock”. Variety labelled it “a searingly intimate character study”. Better known for his gritty but charming dramas set in heavily immigrant France (“L'Esquive”, “La Graine et le Mulet”), Mr Kechiche's latest film is also in many ways a product of the French mainstream: a risqué movie, shot in close-up, celebrating independence and passion, starring two white leading actresses, and with minorities as mere extras. For all his north African sensibility, Mr Kechiche now looks every bit a part of the French film-making establishment.
然而,从一致的评论中可以看出,《阿黛尔的生活》是政治因素和艺术价值的结合体。法国《解放报》称其“乱花渐欲迷人眼。”,是“一部领先的电影”。《世界报》将电影描述为“情感丰富,充满情欲”。《综艺》给它贴上了“炽热的亲密关系研究”的标签。导演柯西胥更多的是知名于他那些描述法国移民的坚毅、颇具魅力的电影(《躲闪》、《谷子和鲻鱼》),而他的新作品在很多方面也都紧贴潮流:淫秽电影、近景拍摄、欢庆独立与激情、两名白人女主角而民族仅作为附加部分。他对于北非的感受力,让现在的他成为了法国电影史成就的一部分。