改编，改变

小说和电影不一样。写小说是一个人的活儿，而电影需要众人的协作。在这些人中最受人注目的是导演和主角，而编剧，很多好片子人们甚至不知道谁是编剧。如果把电影和交响乐对比，作曲家的地位显然比编剧崇高得多，他们永垂不朽而指挥和乐队却常常被人遗忘。

从半年多前看了老友大龙space上推荐的《Being John Malkovich》（确切地说，是半年前看的上半场，最近才看的下半场），还看过《Confessions of a Dangerous Mind》和《Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind》，我都没有注意到编剧是谁。直到昨天看的这部《Adaptation》，我才发现它们是同一个编剧，而我几乎把这人近年来所有作品看了个遍。Adaptation 原意是改编剧本，也有适应环境的意思，这片子说的是编剧自己的故事，主角就是编剧自己，Charlie Kaufman。记住这个名字，一个才华横溢的编剧。



影片的开头的场景是《Being John Malkovich》的拍片现场（半层楼高的房间大家弯腰走路），暗示我们这是一个真实的故事。由 Nicolas Cage 扮演的编剧 Charlie(Charles) 由一段旁白引出。这段旁白能让每个处于中年危机的人立刻找到共鸣：不快乐、自卑、爱面子、在乎他人的看法、认为自己失去了创造力吸引力、饱受生活的压力、全盘否定自我、找不到生活的目标，为此烦躁、慌乱、不知所措：

Do I have an original thought in my head? My bald head. Maybe if I were happier my hair wouldn't be falling out. Life is short. I need to make the most of it. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I'm a walking clich». I really need to go to the doctor and have my leg checked. There's something wrong. A bump. The dentist called again. I'm way overdue. If I stop putting things off I would be happier. All I do is sit on my fat ass. If my ass wasn't fat I would be happier. I wouldn't have to wear these shirts with the tails out all the time. Like that's fooling anyone. Fat ass. I should start jogging again. Five miles a day. Really do it this time. Maybe rock climbing. I need to turn my life around. What do I need to do? I need to fall in love. I need to have a girlfriend. I need to read more. Improve myself. What if I learned Russian or something, or took up an instrument. I could speak Chinese. I'd be the screenwriter who speaks Chinese and plays the oboe. That would be cool. I should get my hair cut short. Stop trying to fool myself and everyone else into thinking I have a full head of hair. How pathetic is that. Just be real. Confident. Isn't that what women are attracted to? Men don't have to be attractive. But that's not true. Especially these days. Almost as much pressure on men as there is on women these days. Why should I be made to feel I have to apologize for my existence? Maybe it's my brain chemistry. Maybe that's what's wrong with me. Bad chemistry. All my problems and anxiety can be reduced to a chemical imbalance or some kind of misfiring synapses. I need to get help for that. But I'll still be ugly though. Nothing's going to change that.

小说和电影不一样。《兰花窃贼》是一部描写花和追寻花的故事，没有追车，谋杀，毒品，床戏，没有一切好莱坞式的东西。Charles 接手这本书的改编，他喜欢这本书，甚至喜欢这本书的女作者，他想把它拍成一部这样简单脱俗具有独立风格的电影，可是他也知道仅仅这些构不成一部电影。电影是戏剧（drama）需要戏剧冲突（dramatic）。于是从小说到电影需要改编，这就是 Adaptation。

Nicolas Cage 不但出演了 Charles 本人还有他的孪生兄弟 Donald。这个人物似乎是为了反衬 Charles 的存在。弟弟写出的剧本充斥着好莱坞式的俗套，一切哥哥所鄙夷的东西，却大获成功，他不止一次告诉哥哥只要往这个方向改变，问题就会得到解决，这是唯一的出路。哥哥心里也明白但就是不愿改变，不愿落入俗套，很让人怜悯。

终于在影片的最后揭示了真实的存在：小说中女作家遍寻不遇鬼兰花的遗憾美其实是找到以后的审美疲劳弃之如敝；风趣而传奇的兰花窃贼寻找兰花的目的竟然是为了提炼毒品；有夫之妇的女作家对窃贼的敬仰也绝非柏拉图式；他们害怕私情被揭穿于是出现了绑架，谋杀，枪击，撞车，等等一切好莱坞式的俗套。

问题解决了，剧本改编成功，Charles 的中年危机也暂时得到了缓解。从超凡脱俗的唯美主义到庸俗的现实存在需要适应，需要改变，这就是 Adaptation。

洋愤青

一个叫 Eric Idle 的英国裔美国籍喜剧演员（卓别林也是英国裔美国籍喜剧演员，也和政府很不对付），因为在“干净频道”电台说了一个 F 打头的脏字，被罚款五千美刀。作为反击，他于2004年发表了这首致 FCC （美国联邦通信委员会）的歌，其间把那个带 F 的脏字重复了N遍。虽然主要针对的是起诉他的 FCC ，可也 把当今政要 F 了个遍（引用主席诗词这叫“粪土当年万户侯”）。这首歌也因此被全世界 George W. Bush 和共和党的反对者引用了一万遍呀一万遍。

全曲旋律流畅，曲调轻快，歌词通俗易懂:p 听来很是过瘾......



FCC Song

Here's a little number I wrote the other day while out duck hunting with a judge (quack!)

Fuck you very much the FCC
Fuck you very much for fining me
Five thousand bucks a fuck so I'm really out of luck
That's more than Heidi Fliess was charging me

So fuck you very much the FCC
For proving that free speech just isn't free
Clear Channel's a dear channel
So Howard Stern must go
Attorney General Ashcroft doesn't like strong words and so
He's charging twice as much as all the drugs for Rush Limbaugh
So fuck you all so very much

So fuck you very much dear Mr. Bush
For heroically sitting on your tush
For Halliburton, Enron, all the companies who fail
Let's send them a clear signal and stick Martha straight in jail
She's an uppity rich bitch and at least she isn't male
So fuck you all so very much

So fuck you dickhead Mr. Cheney too
Fuck you and fuck everything you do
Your pacemaker must be a fake
You haven't got a heart
As far as I'm concerned your just a pasty-faced old fart
And as for Condolezza she's an intellectual tart
So fuck you all so very much

So fuck you very much the EPA
For giving all Alaska's oil away
It really is a bummer
When I can't fill my Hummer
The ozone's a no-go zone now that Arnold's here to say
"Ze nuclear winter games are going to take place in L.A."
So fuck you all so very much

So what the planet fails
Let's save the great white males
And fuck you all so very much (quack!)

中年匹夫缅怀革命

上了点年纪的坏处是激情不再，好处是做事更持久了。就拿看书这事来说吧，《弗里德曼的生活经济学》我用了一年，一部网络小说《亵渎》看了足有一年多，田中的名篇《银河英雄传》居然花了两年多的时间才断断续续看完。如此种种不胜枚举，一方面是因为工作以后时间被切割得支离破碎，另一方面是因为多任务处理能力强了----可以同时看着几部小说、剧集和动画片，一点也不乱。三心二意是年龄带来的另一个坏处（也或许是好处）。

狄根斯的这本《双城记》从去新藏前开始看，看完又是半年过去了。



不想指摘情节的牵强，只说编剧水平，实在难以想象狄根斯何以享名百年之久。稍有点想象力的人在看到一半的时候一定就已经知道结果了：两个相貌相似的男子爱着同一个女子，善良而敏感的律师在这糟糕的时代自暴自弃，翁婿家族历史上的阶级对立，革命群众的狂暴嗜血......那最终必然是个狸猫换太子的故事。

我是硬着头皮看完的，哪怕是中文的译本，读来也颇辛苦，是因为不再有悬念的缘故。那情形有如当年玩《仙剑奇侠传》的开头，明知苗人首领怂恿李逍遥上仙灵岛居心叵测为了继续剧情也只能硬着头皮上。不过仙剑后来的情节发展还是出乎我的意料，这个比喻并不恰当，那么换一个：好比一场足球赛，上半场主队已经十比零领先，客队又被罚下了三个主力，而下半场还要继续看下去。对，就是这个感觉，这时候结局已经不再重要。看的是过程的精彩与否和人物的表现。

不可否认，狄根斯深厚的文字功底和对细节刻画的用心（虽然我看的是译本）。文笔即便算不上幽默，至少也能算讽刺。不知道受否受莎士比亚影响过深，译文序中说他是“英国文学史上除莎士比亚外最伟大的作家”。莎翁的作品就很有这个特色，过度重视细节以至于对白在当今听来十分拗口累赘。《双城记》最被人津津乐道的是它的开头，Google 上能查到的英文引用不下两万六千次，中文更是超过十七万（呵呵，看来当代中国人很有同感呀），我不妨也凑个热闹：

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
那是最美好的时代，那是最糟糕的时代；
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,
那是个睿智的年月，那是个蒙昧的年月；
it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,
那是信心百倍的时期，那是疑虑重重的时期；
it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness,
那是阳光普照的季节，那是黑暗笼罩的季节；
it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
那是充满希望的春天，那是让人绝望的冬天；
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us,
我们面前无所不有，我们面前一无所有；
we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way
我们大家都在直升天堂，我们大家都在直下地狱
--in short, the period was so. far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
--简而言之，那个时代和当今这个时代是如此的相似，因而一些吵嚷不休的权威们也坚持认为，不管它是好是坏，都只能用“最......”来评价它。

对文学和戏剧的研究我一点底子也没有，献丑不如藏拙。关于十八世纪末的法国大革命，个人感觉大仲马的《红屋骑士》更让人印象深刻（也许因为大仲马是法国人而狄根斯毕竟是英国人）。初中第一次读的时候，我给感动得不行。大仲马不愧是法国的老金庸，在这本《红屋骑士》中我曾深刻感受到了诸多可贵的情怀：英勇、忠诚、尊严、友谊、爱情。

十几年不读很多细节都忘了，查遍了网上书店居然没有一家有货。最后还是在家中书橱的后排找到了这本尘封已久的外国武侠。



重读后对大仲马愈发推崇，虽然已经不复当年的善感多愁，这也许又是岁月给我的印记吧。

革命是浪漫的，革命是惨烈的；
革命是充满希望的，革命是走向毁灭的；
革命是伟大光荣正确的，革命是反稳定反和谐的；
革命是正义战胜了邪恶，革命是暴政被更暴政代替......

我已经不再年轻，在有生之年，希望这些只停留在过去的小说里。

Man In Black

让我对美国音乐发展史有所了解的几部电影从《阿甘正传》到《几乎成名》再到这部《Walk the Line》

这是一个人物传记，主角 Johnney Cash，民谣史上的重量级人物。



老美的传记类影片不像我们这么造作，刻意放大人物的光辉形象，这也难怪谁叫我们的文艺是为无产阶级政治服务的呢。就我所想得起来的两部电影----讲述诺贝尔奖数学家John Nash的《美丽的心灵》，再现另类喜剧演员Tony Clifton的《月亮上的男人》，主角的形象都不怎么光辉。这部电影中的Johnney Cash更是糟糕透顶----抛弃妻子，放荡不羁，和老爹顶嘴，藏毒吸毒还进过监狱。但这一切都无损他作为一个艺人的才华。放在今天（即便在当年），他这种性格甚至可以算是一种美德。光他一个人的八卦新闻能养活多少小报记者呀。哦，对了，他后来还娶了个著名的女歌手 June Carter.

还是听听他的歌吧：







Man In Black Lyrics

By: John R. Cash, © 1971 House of Cash, Inc.
Recorded February 16, 1971
Number 3 - Country Charts; Number 58 - Pop Charts

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought 'a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.

这首歌就是本文的标题，也是后来一部脍炙人口的科幻的片名，可那电影说的完全是另一码事。这首歌唱出了 Johnney Cash 的悲天悯人。四一说过“小说要真正闪闪发光，不在于结尾有多牛逼，情节有多离奇，而在于，按我的理解，需要悲天悯人”。歌曲何尝不是如此。影片的一开始他出现在一所监狱里，给犯人们演唱，犯人们的境遇勾起了他当年自己悲惨童年和不羁岁月的回忆。

Johnney Cash是个说故事的好手。水平比我们国家现在的几个大牌导演高多了。这首歌里讲述的是一个离家的父亲如何帮助儿子成长的故事，听来让人拍案叫绝：







Boy Named Sue

（注：Sue 为女名，类似淑芬兰慧什么的）

Well, my daddy left home when I was three
and he didnt leave much to ma and me
just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze
now i dont blame him cause he ran and hid
but the meanest thing that he ever did
was before he left he went and named me Sue


Well he must a' thought that it was quite a joke
and it got a lot of laughs from a lots of folk
it seems I had to fight my whole life through
some gal would giggle and I'd get red
and some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head
I tell ya life ain't easy for a boy named Sue

Well i grew up quick and I grew up mean
my fists got hard and my wits got keen
I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame
but I made me a vow to the moon and stars
that I'd search the honky-tonks and bars
and kill that man that give me that awful name


Well it was Gatlinburg in mid July
and I'd just hit town and my throat was dry
I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew
at an old saloon on a street of mud
there at a table dealin' stud
sat the dirty mangy dog that named me Sue


Well I knew that snake was my own sweet dad
from a worn out picture that my mother'd had
and I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye
he was big and bent and grey and old
and I looked at him and my blood ran cold
and I said 'My name is Sue how do you do
now you're gonna die!'

Yeah! that's what I told him

Well I hit him hard right between the eyes
and he went down but to my surprise
he come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear
but I busted a chair right across his teeth
and we crashed through the wall and into the street
kickin' and a'gougin' in the mud and the blood and the beer


I tell ya I've fought tougher men
but I really can't remember when
he kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile
I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss
and he went for his gun and I pulled mine first
he stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile


And he said "Son this world is rough
and if a man's gonna make it he's got to be tough
and I know I wouldn't be there to help you along
so I give you that name and I said goodbye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
and it's that name that helped to make you strong"


He said "Now you just fought one hell of a fight
and I know you hate me and you got the right
to kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do
but you oughtta thank me before I die
for the gravel in your guts and the spit in your eye
cause I'm the son of a bitch that named you Sue"

Yeah! well what could I do?
What COULD I do?

I got all choked up and I threw down my gun
and I called him my pa and he called me his son
and I come away with a different point of veiw
and I think about him now and then
every time I try, and every time I win
and if I ever have a son I think I am gonna name him
Bill or George any damn thing but Sue

十年老狼今安在

《恋恋风尘》这张专辑购于高中最后的岁月，遥想着八九年这伙遗老遗少的故事，憧憬着自己的大学生活。专辑的封面很有韵味：1969-1985-1995，三张时代的照片在我看来分别代表了信仰、自由和玩世不恭。不管怎么说这张专辑在我的 walkman 里面停留了好长时间。

毕业后的聚会上，听到一个北京的哥们弹吉它唱这首《虎口脱险》，才知道老狼又出了新专辑，风格似乎没怎么变。





今晚重听触动我的是这首歌的歌词




歌曲：关于现在关于未来
歌手：老狼 专辑：晴朗
词:赵昌彪
曲:卢中强
编曲:柳棼
吉它:刘林 马尔丹
贝司:卢中强
和声:吸引力合唱组

关于未来你总有周密的安排
然而剧情却总是被现实篡改
关于现在你总是彷徨又无奈
任凭岁月黯然又憔悴地离开
*出乎意料之外
一切变得苍白
你计划的春天有童话的色彩
却一直不见到来
你撒下的鱼网在幸福中摇摆
却总也收不回来
你始终不明白
一万个美丽的未来
抵不上一个温暖的现在
你始终不明白
每一个真实的现在
都曾经是你幻想的未来*