好萊塢黃金時代的精華兩年：1. Sleepless in Seattle
The 2-year Essence of Hollywood's Golden Age: 1. Sleepless in Seattle
好萊塢的電影製片業自1908年興起以來，總體上是長盛不衰的，票房收入一直在增長（2020年新冠受到重創，恢複中）。然而從影片的質量來看，有人認為認為好萊塢的黃金時代是 1990 年代，但有人不同於這種說法，認為真正的好萊塢黃金時代起於上世紀 20 年代，而終止60 年代。我不懂什麽電影理論和流派，對大明星、大導演的了解也很有限。我隻知道電影必須“好看”，否則在電影院裏坐兩個小時會後悔。而且不像看電視，遇到沒意思的電影不能中途關機走人，這是一種懊惱的感覺。
Hollywood's film industry, since its rise in 1908, has generally thrived, with box office revenues consistently growing (though it suffered a severe blow in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on the road to recovery). However, when it comes to the quality of films, opinions differ on Hollywood's golden age. Some argue that it occurred in the 1990s, while others believe the true golden age spanned from the 1920s to the 1960s. Personally, I don’t have much knowledge of film theories and genres and having limited understanding of major stars and directors. What I care most is that a movie must be "good" to avoid regretting two hours spent in a cinema. Unlike watching TV, it's inconvenient to leave midway through a boring movie in a theater, resulting in a frustrating feeling.
我個人同意1990 年代是好萊塢的黃金時代，而且認為這其中，距今整整30年前的1993-1994年是最精華的兩年，出現了許多經典佳片。就在昨天，我問我剛滿18歲的女兒和她的一位來玩的同學，知不知道下麵這10部93-94年的片子：Schindler’s list （《辛德勒的名單》）、Jurassic Park（《侏羅紀公園》）、The Fugitive（《亡命天涯》）、Sleepless in Seattle（《西雅圖不眠夜》）、The remaining of the day（《告別有情天》）、The Lion King（《獅子王》）、The Shawshank Redemption （《肖申克的救贖》）、Pulp Fiction（《低俗小說》）、 Speed（《生死時速》）和Forest Gump（《阿甘正傳》）。她們的回答令我吃驚，她們熟知其中的6-7部，而且口氣不是We heard about them，而是Of course we know！須知，這一代人是在社交媒體和快餐文化的影響下成長起來的。對不再“時新”的東西，他們大多不了解、也不惜一顧。
I personally agree that the 1990s were Hollywood's golden age, and I believe the pinnacle was the two years precisely 30 years ago in 1993-1994, which produced many classic films. Just yesterday, I asked my just-turned-18 daughter and her friend if they knew about the following 10 films from 1993-94: Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, Sleepless in Seattle, The Remains of the Day, The Lion King, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Speed, and Forrest Gump. Their surprising response was that they were familiar with 6-7 of them, and they confidently said, "Of course, we know!" It's important to note that this generation has grown up under the influence of social media and fast-paced culture. They often lack interest in and disregard things that are no longer "trendy."
那兩年問世的佳片顯然是跨越時代的。這些電影我當初在國內時候大多看過，後來到美國來以後又重溫。我其實不是一個愛看電影的人，而且對片子很挑剔。30年前在北京時，離我們單位不遠的一個什麽機構，有一個很小的禮堂，在一段時間裏，這裏每周都放國外的“內部觀摩片”，其實就是盜版掙外快。外人須出示工作證買票，幾毛錢就看一部。上麵這些片子有些就是這麽看的。它們為我那段蹉跎、不安的歲月增添了些許安慰和夢想。
The films from those two years clearly transcended their time. I watched most of these movies when I was in China, and later, after coming to the United States, I revisited some of them. I'm not a movie enthusiast, and I'm picky about films. Thirty years ago in Beijing, not far from my workplace, there was a small auditorium in some institution that regularly screened foreign "internal observation films," essentially bootlegs making extra money. Outsiders had to show work IDs to buy tickets, and you could watch a film for less than one Yuan. Some of these movies were seen there. They added a bit of comfort and dreams to the few wasted and restless years in early 1990s.
聊聊這幾部電影吧。現在過節，就先說最輕鬆浪漫的一部 — 公映於1993年夏天的Sleepless in Seattle（《西雅圖不眠夜》）。其實它的成功有點出乎人們的意料。它的預算為0.21億美元，很平常。然而公映以後，受到觀眾的熱情追捧，票房收入高達2.28億美元，列1993年的第四位，儼然成了一部“大片”，也成了影響甚遠的愛情喜劇經典。
Let's talk about these movies. Since it's the holiday season, let's start with the lightest and most romantic one — Sleepless in Seattle, released in the summer of 1993.Actually, its success was somewhat unexpected. Its budget was 21 million dollars, quite ordinary. However, after its release, it was enthusiastically embraced by the audience, and its box office revenue soared to 228 million dollars, ranking fourth in 1993. It truly became a "blockbuster" and a classic romantic comedy with far-reaching influence.
這部片子的導演是一位中年大媽Nora Ephron。她雖不是像斯皮爾伯格那種名聲顯赫的大導演，但卻集編輯和導演才能於一身。她創作的三部愛情輕喜劇都頗有名氣： When Harry Met Sally（《當哈利遇到莎莉》，1989年），Sleepless in Seattle（《西雅圖不眠夜》，1993年）和You've Got Mail（《電子情書》，1998年）。第一部她光寫（與他人合作）不導，而後兩部她則是導演兼編劇（之一）。三部片子的女主角都是Meg Ryan，而後兩部的男主角都是Tom Hanks。Hanks於Ryan的合作可能是這部片子（以及後來的You've Got Mail）成功的重要因素之一。形象甜美、俏皮的Meg Ryan當時被人稱為America's Sweetheart。由她來扮演好幻想、有些任性固執的女主角Annie相當合適。Tom Hanks不算俊男，卻給人以踏實、可靠的感覺。由他去扮演男主角Sam，恰可平衡一下Annie的個性，讓人覺得兩人一旦走到一起，他會對多夢想、情緒化的Annie給予理解和包容。
This film was directed by a middle-aged woman, Nora Ephron. While not as renowned as directors like Spielberg, she possessed both editing and directing skills. Three romantic comedies she created gained fame: When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and You've Got Mail (1998). She only wrote (in collaboration with others) the first one, and for the latter two, she directed and wrote (with others). Meg Ryan was the female lead in all three, and Tom Hanks was the male lead in the latter two. Their collaboration may have been a crucial factor in the success of this film (and later You've Got Mail). Meg Ryan, often referred to as "America's Sweetheart," portrayed the idealistic, somewhat stubborn character Annie perfectly. Tom Hanks, not conventionally handsome but exuding a solid, reliable vibe, balanced Annie's personality, making audiences believe that once they came together, he would understand and tolerate her dreams.
芝加哥的建築師Sam的妻子患癌症去世了，他獨自帶著8歲的兒子Jonah。他覺得真愛隻有一次，謝絕了朋友讓他很快再戀愛結婚的建議。為了調整情緒，他離開了芝加哥，搬到西雅圖去開始了新的生活。在第二年的一個晚上，東部城市巴爾的摩的女記者Annie開車去華盛頓，到未婚夫那裏去過聖誕節。她在汽車上閑聽脫口秀節目，正好聽到Jonah自作主張打電話給主持人，說想給爸爸找一位妻子。山姆非常惱火，但在主持人的勸導下，他最終敞開心扉。他說他明白Jonah需要一個母親，但他很難再有過去那樣完美的家庭了。Annie被Sam的經曆和言辭深深觸動，於是故事開始了。
The film follows the story of Sam, an architect in Chicago, whose wife died of cancer. He is left to raise his 8-year-old son, Jonah. Believing in one true love, Sam rejects the advice of friends urging him to quickly find love and remarry. To cope, he leaves Chicago and moves to Seattle to start a new life. One night in the year next, Annie, a journalist from the Eastern city of Baltimore, drives to Washington DC to spend Christmas with her fiancé. While listening to a talk show in the car, she hears Jonah calling the host, expressing his desire to find a wife for his father. Sam is initially irritated, but with the host's guidance, he opens up. He acknowledges that Jonah needs a mother but admits he would very unlikely recreate the perfect family he had before. Annie is deeply moved by Sam's story, and thus, the story unfolds.
這個片子的一個有趣之處在於，男女主人公在整個片子中同框的時間可能隻有兩分鍾，其他時間大多是話分兩頭，各表一支。其中包括Sam與一位叫Victoria的同事有一段約會，但Jonah不喜歡她。還有Annie到西雅圖來，在Sam全然不知的情況下想來見他，卻因誤會而擦肩而過。Anni對她的未婚夫的感情已經起了變化，未婚夫平靜地接受了她退還的戒指。經過一係列的跌宕起伏，最後，還是由於Jonah的行動，三日最終在紐約帝國大廈的頂樓相見，Sam與Annie圓滿牽手。
One interesting aspect of this film is that the main characters share the screen for only about two minutes throughout the entire movie. Most of the time, they each have their separate scenes. This includes Sam going on a date with a colleague named Victoria, whom Jonah dislikes. Annie also comes to Seattle to meet Sam without his knowledge, but doesn’t go ahead due to a misunderstanding. Annie's feelings for her fiancé have changed by this point, and he calmly accepts the ring she returns. After a series of ups and downs, finally, because of Jonah’s action, the three meet on the top floor of the Empire State Building, and Sam and Annie successfully hold hands.
這是一個喜劇片，是不能仔細推敲其“邏輯”的。比如，本片緣於Annie的“戀愛腦”，但她簡直到了走火入魔的程度，把溫和英俊、財力也應該在Sam之上的未婚夫給拋棄了。而此時她尚未與Sam說過一句話。這女孩也太情緒化、太不靠譜了！還有人批評Annie對未婚夫的做法在道德上也是不妥的，特別是對少年兒童，是一個不好的引導。又比如，作為一個8歲的孩子，Jonah如此獨立、成熟，有時比他爸還當機立斷，這也不合邏輯。對此，女主角Meg Ryan有一段話間接地回答了這些疑問，她說: “愛情喜劇不是正劇，不能按真實的世界來表現；它又不是鬧劇，不能衝著搞笑讓觀眾爆笑的方向去表現。而是處於中間的一個童話故事。”
This is a comedy, and one should not scrutinize its "logic" too closely. For example, the film revolves around Annie's "love brain," but she abandons her kind and handsome fiancé without having a chance to talk even one sentence with Sam. She becomes too emotional and unreliable! Some criticize Annie's actions towards her fiancé as morally inappropriate, especially for young children, as it sets a bad example. Additionally, it's illogical for an 8-year-old like Jonah to be so independent and mature, sometimes more decisive than his father. Meg Ryan indirectly addressed these concerns with a statement: "Romantic comedies are not dramas; they cannot portray the real world. They are not farces either, directed solely towards making the audience laugh. Instead, they are in the middle, a fairy tale."
是的，別太當真。從某種意義上說，人們去電影院，就是去“上當受騙”的。在有限的兩個小時裏，讓自己的思緒跟著“童話故事”裏王子和公主的喜怒哀樂走，讓自己去相信愛情、命運和緣分，也不壞。何況現在正是大過節的。
Yes, don't take it too seriously. In a sense, people go to the movies to be "deceived." In those limited two hours, let your thoughts follow the joy and sorrow of the prince and princess in the "fairy tale," believe in love, fate, and destiny—it's not a bad thing. Especially during the holiday season.
[Edited from ChatGPT translation.]
選擇“Disable on www.wenxuecity.com”
選擇“don't run on pages on this domain”
