我有一個老朋友﹐每次看到電影中某類悲劇性的英雄就想起我﹐並要我去看那部電影。我不止一次對他說﹕「你的悲劇性英雄為什麼都是些倒霉的好人﹐獨來獨往相當性格﹐並且老是一副苦瓜臉﹐你究竟是看得起我還是在奚落我﹖」
有次他要我去看「黃昏清兵衛」(The Twilight Samurai)。這部由藤澤周平短篇小說改編﹐山田洋次導演的日本電影﹐講的是幕府末期﹐在新舊交替時代﹐一個懷才不遇﹐小「咖」武士清兵衛的遭遇。清兵衛既沒錢﹐也沒時間和同僚應酬﹐常被同事譏笑。他每天一定要在日落前趕回家去照顧太太病逝而留下的一對女兒和患了老人痴呆症的母親﹐這是「黃昏」之名的由來。最後他戰死沙場﹐在出征前他對守寡多年的青梅竹馬戀人說﹕如果我能活著回來﹐我能娶妳嗎﹖當然﹐清兵衛沒有活著回來。別人都說他是個不幸的人﹐一個失敗者﹐有個悲慘的一生﹐但他的女兒不以為然。我們的一生﹐是幸福或是悲慘﹐是成功還是失敗﹐該由誰來作最後的評判﹖配偶﹐子女﹐朋友﹐敵人﹐同事﹐社會公論﹐還是自己﹖我的答案不一定是你的答案。
最近我朋友又要我去看 Robert DeNiro 主演的 Everyone's Fine。 他說﹕「這是我看過最傷感的一部有關聖誕節的電影﹐所有 60 歲以上﹐兒女已經成人的父親都該看」。
Robert DeNiro 是當代最傑出的演員之一﹐但演技傑出大不了拿「奧斯卡」或「湯尼」獎。能有資格拿美國總統在白宮親頒的「甘迺迪中心表演藝術」獎的則是鳳毛麟角。Robert DeNiro 是 2009 年五位得獎者之一﹐對表演藝術 (Performing Arts) 者言﹐這個為記念約翰甘迺迪而設的獎﹐算是終極榮耀。現在回到 Everyone's Fine 這部電影。
很多人看了這部電影的名字和海報上一個父親和四個小孩笑嘻嘻的照片﹐很可能以為是部應節的喜劇。如果您抱著這種假設去看這部片子﹐來你會大失所望。因為它是老美所謂的「賺人熱淚片 (tearjerker)」。故事一開始是一個太太剛去世的退休藍領階級 ( Robert DeNiro 飾演)﹐他住在外州的子女講好聖誕節會回家過節﹐結果他接到的都是子女的電話或留話說有重要事不能來了。於是這個醫師認為他身體狀況不適宜坐飛機的人﹐決定坐火車和巴士﹐在不預先告知的情況下去走訪他的四個小孩。
電影劇情的發展不是我們要討論的重點﹐重點是我們做父母的﹐尤其是做父親的﹐究竟了解我們離家在外子女的生活有多少﹖每次我們在電話上或當面問他們﹕How's everything 的時候﹐有多少次我們聽到的都是﹕Everything's fine 的答案。但事實真是如此嗎﹖
很多家庭﹐子女和母親的溝通比較密切﹐為什麼﹖不是三言兩語理得出一個頭緒的。做母親的也不一定把她知道的事一五一十告訴做父親的。溝通是天下最容易說但最難做到的一件是。在所有的溝通中﹐父母和子女的溝通又是最難。為什麼﹖因為長官和部屬可以用命令來溝通﹐朋友之間可以不溝通﹐甚至夫妻之間因溝通不良而可以離婚﹐只有父母和子女之間﹐溝通不良會造成終生的遺憾和傷痛。其實做子女的有事瞞著我們是不想我們擔心﹐他們遇到困難﹐我們多半幫不上忙﹐同樣的道理﹐當子女問我們一切對好嗎的時候﹐你還不是說一切都好。不是嗎﹖
如果電影中男主角的子女們遇到的問題 -- 嗑藥﹐離婚﹐希望落空﹐未婚生子﹐都還沒發生在我們身上﹐那是我們的福氣。如果發生了﹐怎麼辦呢﹖愛能說停就停嗎﹖人生行旅中最大的挑戰是怎麼做一個好父親﹐最在乎的是他們將來怎麼記得我。這晚來的領悟是我年輕時候沒想到的。
懷南補記﹕這篇文章當然不是在談電影﹐文章登出後收到一封「我輩中人」的來信。一看就是頗具功力的人寫的。我並沒徵求來信者同意﹐附在下面﹐ Its an honor and privilege 和大家分享。
信中提到的日本導演Yasujiro Ozu 中文是小津安二郎﹐電影叫東京物語(故事)。小津安二郎在西方沒有黑澤明出名。導演的「晚春」﹐乃經典之作。
I'm the generation described in your earlier writings with almost identical life experience as you have (perhaps a couple of years ahead of you). I discovered your writings only a couple of years ago but am, almost, in total sync with you.
I want to have some small talk with you regarding your recent article about father-children relationship and using DeNiro's movie "Everyone's Fine" as a takeoff point.
I want to bring to your attention that DeNiro's movie is a copycat of an earlier Italian movie "Everybody's Fine" (Stanno Tutti Bene) of 1992 by director Giuseppe Tornatore. The stars of the movie are people whom we have seen their primes, namely, Marcello Mastroianni as the widower and Michele Morgan as his brief encounter. You must have the same memory as mine of seeing Michele as a young French beauty when we were also young.
I did not see DeNiro's version but in general I do not trust Hollywood movies for their lack of subtlety and forced happy endings.
The grandfather of "Everybody's Fine" can really be traced back to the 1953 Japanese movie by Yasujiro Ozu. The name of the movie is "Tokyo Story" (Tokyo Monogatari). This is a classic you have to experience if you have not yet done so. Ozu's movie is an acquired taste and they are sort of similar. But once you accept them they are like old friends to you. I think we understand them more at this stage of our lives.
Living in Taiwan in the 1950s and early 60s I hardly pay too much attention to Japanese movies. In the 1970s I spent long hours in the revival houses (showing mainly classical old foreign movies) along Broadway in the Upper West Side of Manhattan opened my eyes. Ozu's movies are all about family relationships. No good or evil persons. Nevertheless, through no fault of anybody's, the families are growing apart and elders are disappointed. I think this subject matter is one step further of your father-and-children relationships.
Recently in memory of Ozu's 100-year birthday (he died in 1963), HK released a lot of Ozu's movies on DVD. But they have very poor translations, in Chinese as well as in English. The good copies can be found from CRITERION.com. You may want to try out a few.
Nothing particular I want to say to you. Just some random thoughts to share. Sail on, partner!
- R. L 「有人在找你/妳」雖然已經開張﹐但沒有大吉。務請去「e-mail 聯絡」逛逛﹐成人之美﹐好事一樁。我們加油﹗
Master Xin: