再談小杜麗的廢物老爸William Dorrit(鑑於各種礙事、礙眼而刷出強大存在感的他,或許才是此故事主角)。可以推測,此角應是狄更斯本人對親父的「溫柔」描摹了:這位父親(not “father” but “papa”)一心持守「紳士」的作態,長女與長子(not “Tip” but “Edward”)都被他養成一個樣,勢利而虛華;唯獨出生於債務人監獄的么女小杜麗,窮也不改其色地甘之如飴,為謀家計而私下偷跑去Clennam夫人、Flora Finching那從事家政(縫紉手帕)。整部戲真要找一枚令人由衷厭氣的人物,一定是小杜麗的爹,家道中落如此,仍心念自詡上流人士,愛錢卻不動身手,倒是很敢伸手——這種人,總是家人。
玖、《雙城記》(A Tale of Two Cities)—— 1859年4月30日至1859年11月26日(週更於《一年四季》)
Sydney Carton(Paul Shelley所飾)登斷頭台前向陌生村婦mansplain天堂並沒有時間。
1980年影集【雙城記】(A Tale of Two Cities):此劇頗舊,但上世紀90年代以降就並沒有更新版本了。此版頗具電影規格,敘事完整,角色彼此銜接順暢——每一位演員的表現都相得益彰。硬說一個致命傷則是法國場景部份竟然全程英語對話,即使是藝伎(白粉上超多的臉)一般招展的貴族們也都英腔十足。
Out of my thoughts! You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since - on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to be displaced by your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Estella, to the last hour of my life, you can’t choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you, God forgive you! (Chapter XLIV, Visionary Boy-Or Man?)
In short,本片兩條線。其一,由Paul McGann出演飽食終日而無所事事的小鬍子公子哥尤金(Eugene Wrayburn),其律師閨蜜莫提莫(Mortimer Lightwood)則是Dominic Mafham所飾(身為有錢人家小孩的他們住在一起,並call me by your name那樣殷切呼喚彼此,非常之腐)。(【哈利波特】(Harry Potter)系列中的校園工友「飛七」David Bradley在本片依然是猥瑣的下人,泰唔士河畔的壞人Rogue Riderhood。)其二,由史蒂芬.麥金塔(Steven Mackintosh)出演病態追蹤/監視狂aka本劇小王子約翰(John Harmon),交換身份之後差點溺死(?)必有後福,靠著忠僕Boffin夫婦的成全幫襯下,隱姓埋名地就近「觀察」(甚至測試?)父親生前指婚對象貝拉(Bella Wilfer)。
2019年電影【狄更斯之塊肉餘生記】(The Personal History of David Copperfield):如片名,編劇將大衛.考勃菲爾直接代入狄更斯作者/敘事者本人,並由印度裔戴夫.帕托(Dev Patel,【貧民百萬大富翁】(Slumdog Millionaire,2008年)的主角)主演,惟此片中生母是高加索白人、姨婆貝采.喬幄(Betsey Trotwood)亦是一副慘白臉蛋的蒂妲.絲雲頓(Tilda Swinton);就算為了多元,這種膚色正義怎麼觀看都啟人疑竇。其餘人馬,密考伯先生(Mr Micawber)是【神秘博士】(Doctor Who)第12任博士的Peter Capaldi飾演,貝采.喬幄姨婆之腦子有洞的友人狄克先生(Mr Dick)是【一家之鼠】(Stuart Little,1999年)的爸爸休.羅利(Hugh Laurie),並由帥哥卻自帶陰鬱邊緣體質的班.維蕭(Ben Whishaw)出演壞心的烏利亞(Uriah Heep)。一干大牌演員加盟之下(演技整齊優秀),我卻有些難以享受這個改編——有失維多利亞時期風采(過度明亮的色彩,簡直法國古裝喜劇),且融合狄更斯與大衛.考勃菲爾兩種人設有待更細緻的操作,成品看起來仍舊太硬要了(自傳性質與自傳本質總是another story!)。
個人推薦:將狄更斯作者本人與特定作品連結妥善的例子,是由才華洋溢的丹.史蒂文斯(Dan Stevens)所主演的【聖誕頌歌】(The Man Who Invented Christmas,2017年)——並非《小氣財神》aka《聖誕頌歌》的原著改編,而是關於狄更斯如何寫成此原作,表彰狄更斯召喚角色活靈活現的能耐;可惜,台灣片名奇糟無比,遠不如直翻「發明聖誕節的男人」真確切題也更引人好奇才是。
特別介紹:Alun Armstrong這位劇場演員可能長相實在太過維多利亞時期怪人(?),儼然成為狄更斯戲劇御用:2012年【荒涼山莊】中飾演警探布克特(Bucket),2008年【小杜麗】的Flintwinch(片中還是雙胞胎),2005年【孤雛淚】的地方法官范先生(Magistrate Fang),1999年【塊肉餘生記】的裴格悌大爺(Dan Peggotty)(船型屋屋主aka小衛家幫傭裴媽的哥哥),1999年【孤雛淚】的Mr. Fleming(奧立佛的外祖父),1982年【少爺返鄉】(The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby)的Mr. Wagstaff。
不是我看到的東西阻止我,麥克斯。而是我看不見的東西。你懂嗎?是那些我無法看見的。偌大的城市,綿延無盡,但卻沒有盡頭。根本沒有盡頭。我看不見的,正是一切結束的地方,是這個世界的盡頭。(It wasn't what I saw that stopped me, Max. It was what I didn't see. Can you understand that? What I didn't see. In all that sprawling city, there was everything except an end. There was everything. But there wasn't an end. What I couldn't see was where all that came to an end. The end of the world. )
拿鋼琴來比喻吧,鍵盤有始,也有終,88個鍵就在那裡,這錯不了;它並不是無限的,但音樂卻是無限的。我能在有限琴鍵上演奏出無限的音樂。我喜歡這樣,我也應付得來(I like that. That I can live by. )。
但當走過舷梯之後,前面會有……人生成千上萬的琴鍵,那是真實且沒有盡頭的,麥克斯。那個鍵盤是無限大的。當琴鍵無限大,就無法在那鍵盤上演奏出音樂;那不是給凡人彈奏的,那是屬於上帝的鋼琴(But if that keyboard is infinite there's no music you can play. You're sitting on the wrong bench. That's God's piano.)。
我出生在這艘船上,與這世界擦身而過。每回上船的僅有兩千人,不過這裡充滿了希望,但這夢想僅存於船的船尾之間。(I was born on this ship. The world passed me by, but two thousand people at a time. And there were wishes here, but never more than could fit on a ship, between prow and stern. )
用有限的琴鍵奏出自己的幸福,這就是我學會的生活之道。
陸地,對我而言,是艘太過龐大的船,是個太漂亮的女子,是條太漫長的旅程,是瓶太濃烈的香水,是篇我無從彈奏的樂章(It's music I don't know how to make.)。