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| 2017/09/22 16:46:49瀏覽1564｜回應0｜推薦61 | |
| 「 Keep Walking 夢想資助計劃」
用「心」看電影 - 為視障朋友重塑電影 2014 / 03 /22 下午2：00 導演: 安東尼曼(Anthony Mann) 主演: 詹姆斯史都華James Stewart 茱莉亞當斯 Julia Adams 洛赫遜Rock Hudson 片長: 91分鐘 發行日: 1952 年1月 ｊ 劇情介紹: 1866年一個名叫傑瑞米的農民帶著妻女，率領一批蓬車隊準備到西部拓荒．護送這批車隊前行的是車隊指揮葛林，途中巧救快被搶匪吊死的柯爾，二人原本均是邊界區的搶匪，如今都已改行，當夜兩人睡在荒野的樹林中，半夜遭印地安人偷襲，兩人合力擊退來襲的印地安人，而柯爾也因而隨隊同行． 一行人到達波特蘭鎮採購一大批糧食及補給品準備過冬，在此葛林及柯爾又結識了賭徒崔威爾森．在印地安人夜襲的當晚受到箭傷的傑瑞米大女兒蕾兒在波特蘭對就醫，必須待一個月才能復原，大夥只好先行趕路，等她傷口痊癒後再跟上．意在淘金的柯爾沒有跟大家前行，他準備暫時留在波特蘭等待機會． 找到了屯墾地的傑瑞米及葛林，跟大家就此駐紮，經過數週之後，原本預定該運送到達的糧食遲遲未到，而應該復原歸隊的蕾兒也未見人影．眼見供應數百人的糧食即將斷炊，傑瑞米與葛林決定前往波特蘭探個究竟． 再次來到波特蘭的兩人，發現短短的時間內，這個地方有了完全不同之前的風貌，如今的波特蘭歌舞昇平，充斥著投機的氣息．他們來到之前與崔威爾森豪賭的酒吧，裏面人聲鼎沸，有喝酒尋樂的，有聚桌豪賭的．兩人在這裏遇到了柯爾，並從柯爾口中得知掛念的蕾兒現在此店裏當會計．傑瑞米與葛林從柯爾與蕾兒的互動中，看出他們兩人似乎已是一對情侶．而蕾兒對在此工作抱有很大熱忱，因此也決定留在此地．知道柯爾是搶匪出身的傑瑞米並不喜歡他，因為他認定搶匪背景的人必定本性難改，他說：「簍子裏面有了一顆爛蘋果，你只能把它丟了，否則很快就會壞了一整簍的好蘋果．」聽在同是曾為搶匪，卻已金盆洗手，堅持不帶手槍的葛林耳中，十分不以為然，不過他只輕描淡寫地回了一句：「人跟蘋果還是有差別的．」 葛林兩人找到了糧商向他要貨，老闆卻因糧食短缺價格飆長好幾倍而不願出貨給傑瑞米，葛林以糧商已收了貨款，應守信用，不能任意漲價或退錢不出貨為由強行運走屬於他們的糧食．雙方因而展開一場槍戰，葛林因有崔威爾森與柯爾的相助而得以脫困．原欲留在波特蘭的蕾兒也只好跟著父親歸隊，崔及柯爾也隨行前往． 一行五人在趕路途中被緊追不捨的糧商夜襲，不過也給有所防備的葛林及另兩名伙伴給制服了．然而跟著大家前行的柯爾並不是跟大家一樣是為了護送糧食到屯墾區，而是因為到屯墾區的路上，有一條路是通往金礦區，他在半路就為了刧持那些糧食，以便在礦區探金時可以過冬．為了糧食，柯爾又跟葛林及崔威爾森等人起了一場槍戰，最後還是給善於潛行攻擊的葛林殺死． 經過了這一波三折，這一批糧食終於安全送到屯墾區．而經過了柯爾的中途搶糧，蕾兒才看清了柯爾的真面目，葛林也讓無意中聽到他與柯爾在談論彼此搶匪背景的傑瑞米，看到了他改邪歸正的真心．這時的葛林與蕾兒，崔與蕾兒的妹妹，兩對年輕人的戀曲，也才正是要開始． 賞析 本片是1952年最賣座影片，於2008年入選為十大西部片之一，拍攝地點是在山岩頗多的奧瑞崗，那一條河是在沙河（Sandy River）拍的． 如果說歐洲的西洋刺劍或是粗重的刀劍電影是武俠片的話，那麼只有不到三百年歷史，移民來到美國時，早己遠離刀光劍影的時代，相較於具有悠久歷史的中國與歐洲，美國的西部片就是屬於槍林彈雨的武打片了．那一大片以拓荒為背景的中西部大荒地，也該是綠林好漢所謂的江湖了吧！ 那個法治未定的年代，會離鄉背井浪跡天涯的人，不外就是幾個原因，淘金、牧養或農作，除了淘金是致富後即離開當地外，後兩者都是以落地生根為主的．儘管三個型態的目的不盡相同，但是攻城掠地，佔地為營的傾向卻是不相上下，在到達目的地之前，常見到人性中正直俠義不屈不撓的可貴，而在利益到臨之際，更可看到人性中的貪婪，以及為達目的而不擇手段的惡行． 說到西部片所涉及的整個西部拓荒史，總不免或多或少地，會牽涉到印地安人，因為這些移民群所拓展的領域，原先住的就是這些住民，不管是更早的時期，或是這時才進來的移民，正是這些移民的入侵，才迫使這些原住民遷往更深的山野，早期的拓荒，重要的歷史是白人殺印地安人，到了後期，沒有了印地安人的威脅，則換成了白人殺白人才能佔地為王．在這樣的歷史當中，我們看到有人貪得無厭，但是同時也看到更多人是樸實真誠，吃苦耐勞，為家人，為家園真實付出無怨無悔，更看到許多像葛林或是崔這樣行俠仗義的人． 綠林本身無善惡，有的是在綠林當中闖蕩的人，是大盜或是好漢因人而異，就如同另一部西部片原野遊俠男主角Shane，在劇中回應那位不希望Shane教她兒子學用槍的印地安女人時所說的，槍本身沒有好壞，問題是槍在什麼人的手上，用在好的人身上，槍會是成就好的事，用在不好的人身上，那就會是出現不好的事． 詹姆斯史都華給人的感覺就是一種忠厚老實，這種印象在他所演的西城故事中表露無遺，同樣地，在這部片中仍不脫這樣的味道．而另一位令人印象深刻的人，就是長得真的很帥的洛赫遜，從這部片的角色編排上，他像是剛出道的樣子，雖沒有在劇中挑大樑，但也是個展露頭角的重要角色． 這部片是他與導演安東尼曼合作的第二部電影，卻是奠定他在西部片地位的一部片。他演藝生涯的前半部所拍的電影多是美國人所愛的正直，公義，坦誠等類的好形象，如他在費城故事中的理性直率個性。而到了安東尼曼及希考克，則為他開闢了另外不同以往的戲路，更加豐富了他的演藝才能與路線。 本片中詹姆斯史都華所演的葛林，是個堅定而平實的角色，他與柯爾有著同樣的綠林搶盜的過去，也是同樣都想改行另謀生路，不同的是前者選擇腳踏實地的農牧生活，後者則是想做輕易就可以獲得大量錢財的淘金；另外，相較於跟隨父親遠途尋找開墾地的蕾兒，在波特蘭養傷後就喜歡上那邊有趣的生活，而決定留下來定居，葛林可是從來都不曾改變過任何心意，心無他務的，就只想要拓荒的他，真的是心意堅定。 美國的建國過程中，經歴了不少的奮戰，造成了不少的英雄人物，所以在美國的文化中，英雄主義是其中的一個要素；而西部電影中的拓荒史，多少撫慰了他們在南北戰爭中留下來的傷痕。 （ literature from web) Bend Of The River DVD Video Review For the first half of his career, James Stewart was the embodiment of the way America wanted to see itself; upstanding, fair, honest and essentially good. Certainly, there were hints of a darker side, notably in Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, but the final reel always brought him back as righteous and justified. It’s in this context that what happened to Stewart’s screen image in the 1950s is so fascinating. There was a gradual deconstruction of the Stewart persona until in Hitchcock’s Vertigo, from 1958, this symbol of the American dream stood revealed as a collection of neuroses; sexually obsessive, essentially flawed and hopelessly lost in the space between everything he wants the world to be and the inescapable facts of how it really is. The key figure in Stewart’s development during this period, along with Hitchcock, is Anthony Mann, the director of Bend of the River. In a series of five Westerns - Winchester ’73, Bend of the River, The Naked Spur, The Far Country and The Man From Laramie - Mann and Stewart developed a series of themes which could perhaps be defined as “Western Noir”. Mann’s concerns with implacable pursuit, the relentless shadow of the past and the flawed nature of the traditional Western hero are dark and brooding and there’s a constant irony to his genre films – and you can add the non-Stewart The Tin Star and Man of the West to the list – which is instantly identifiable and proved hugely influential. It could be argued that Mann’s heroes are the vital link between John Ford’s Captain Nathan Brittles and Ethan Edwards and his films are clearly the model for such late Westerns as Unforgiven and crypto-Westerns like Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia. Jimmy Stewart plays Glenn McLintock, driver of a wagon train heading up into the mountains of Oregon looking for a new life. Haunted by his past, he is eager to make a new start himself but he runs into problems when he rescues Emerson Cole (Kennedy) from being lynched for stealing cattle. McLintock and Cole share a dark past but McLintock’s eagerness to escape it isn’t shared by Cole, who merely wants to find a new environment in which to continue his old ways. Complications set in when Laura (Adams), daughter of the settler’s leader, chooses to remain in Portland rather than move into farming with her family, and takes up with Cole. Meanwhile, the supplies promised to the settlers by Portland’s mayor are not forthcoming and McLintock returns to the town to find out what has happened. He soon finds himself confronting the temptations of his past and finds his resolve to change is being sorely tested. Bend of the River sets up a direct contrast between two men attempting to escape their past. Both men were Missouri border raiders and both are on the run from the law. But Glenn McLintock is desperately searching for a life which will allow him to correct the mistakes of his past and remove the constant reminder of a noose around his neck. Cole, on the other hand, simply hopes to evade justice catching up with him. The crux of McLintock’s heroism is his desire to change his character and prove that he has made a new start, despite a lingering belief both in the people around him and himself that change is impossible. He’s constantly assailed by doubts which mingle with the optimism of the people around him and a tentative sense that redemption is possible and maybe even his for the taking. It’s ironic that, as the narrative unfolds, it’s Cole’s provocations that lead to McLintock coming closest to abandoning change, as he swears to the outlaw that he will never let him rest, that he will always come after him seeking revenge. It seems appropriate that a story about change should be played out against the background of a community looking for its own new beginnings in the great push outwards of the 1880s. The art direction is gorgeously evocative of the period, when so many settlers, often seeking to heal the lingering scars of the Civil War, were looking for “a way to get over that mountain” and find a place to build a new world. Unfortunately, in looking for change, settlers were reliant upon the good faith of town like the emergent Portland – initially a haven but increasingly, with the advent of the Gold Rush, in the grip of a social and economic boom which it can’t control. Portland is certainly a place of exciting change but it’s not the change that the settlers are looking for and it’s exactly the sort of place to welcome unredeemed outlaws like Cole. The character of Laura is significant. She gives in to the exotic pleasures offered by Portland, seeking excitement rather than the farming life of her family. In doing so, she gravitates towards Cole, allowing more conflict between Cole and McLintock – the latter’s unrequited desire contrasting with the former’s successful seduction. As always in Mann’s westerns, there’s an undertow of violence always threatening to erupt. In this film, it’s a vital part of the character of McLintock, whose ability to maintain his changed point of view is severely tested. James Stewart’s performance is wonderful, that patient drawl gradually undercut by doubt and fear. Cole and McLintock share a common past but Stewart finds subtle ways to indicate the divergence of their futures. He also has a beautifully poignant moment when he doubts that he really has the ability to change and almost gives in to the temptation of violence. Stewart is well matched by Arthur Kennedy, an actor with a special talent for authoritative villainy as he demonstrated in films as different as Some Came Running and The Living Dead At The Manchester Morgue. In support, Rock Hudson makes an early impression as the reckless gambler and horror fans will note the appearance of two unwilling recipients of the attentions of the Creature From The Black Lagoon, Lori Nelson and Julie Adams. Borden Chase – who also wrote Winchester ’73 and The Far Country - writes great dialogue, tinged with an epic sense of changing times and an ear for dialect and gentle comedy. He manages to create distinctive figures out of stock characters with young Margie – torn between the desire to find a man and a determination never to iron a shirt – standing out. Some of the comedy is likely to make modern viewers a bit uncomfortable, based as it is around broad racial humour from Stepin Fetchit as the steamboat first mate Adam and Chubby Morgan as the captain. This is from a clear vaudeville tradition and is often quite funny in a knockabout way, although Morgan’s constant refrain to Adam, “We never should’a left Mississippi” sits a little uneasily at times. However, it should be remembered that Fetchit, despite his demeaning nom-de-plume, was the first black performer in America to become a millionaire (although he lost the money in short order largely due to a fondness for gambling) and was awarded an NAACP award for opening doors for black performers in movies. My advice is to watch the film in context of the time it was made and enjoy the expert timing of these veteran comics without allowing justifiable liberal doubts to get in the way. Bend of the River begins brightly and gradually becomes darker and darker as McLintock’s internal conflict is externalised through his relationship with Cole – who embodies the temptations of violence and danger. It looks quite stunning with superb Academy ratio Technicolor cinematography and a greater degree of location shooting than was customary at the time. I don’t think it’s Mann’s best collaboration with Stewart, lacking the inexorable pace and narrative logic of The Naked Spur but it’s a well paced, intelligent and hugely enjoyable film which is a good introduction to one of the great director-actor partnerships of 20th Century cinema. The Disc Universal’s collection of Westerns contains a motley assortment of films, ranging from two Mann-Stewart collaborations to the low-budget quickie Duel At Silver Creek and the vulgar The Rare Breed. In terms of extras, only Winchester ‘73 stands out, but Bend of the River has at least been blessed with good presentation. The film is transferred in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a mono soundtrack. The visual transfer is generally very pleasing. The rich colours are stunningly good, richly saturated and so vivid that they knock your eyes out. There’s a fair but not excessive amount of grain and only a minor amount of print damage. Detail is fine and the only major criticism is that artefacting is present in some of the darker sequences. The monophonic soundtrack is entirely acceptable with crisp dialogue and a satisfyingly full music score. There are 20 chapter stops and English subtitles. No extras are present and the main menu is backed by music which sounds to be from a different film entirely. Bend of the River is essential viewing for lovers of Westerns and anyone who appreciates Hollywood at its best. The good transfer means that it’s worth purchasing despite the lack of extra features. Read more: http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content/id/12629/bend-of-the-river.html#ixzz2scmOBYF0 |
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