Wednesday 15 June 2011

左輪 357

諳法語,但不得不承認,法語是一種動聽的語言。如果說「我愛你」唸來比不上 I love you,那麼「I love you」就較「Je t'aime」差一些。把法語音譯成中文,尤其是名字,往往特別賞心悅目。初小的時候乍聞母親一句「阿倫狄龍」(Alain Delon),未見其人,光聽「狄龍」(那時候反而不知道香港那個影星狄龍),就教我有不少遐想。後來忘了是在《歡樂今宵》還是《香港早晨》,聽到不曉得是盧大偉還是余文詩提起了「嘉芙蓮丹露」(Catherine Deneuve) 和「伊芙蒙丹」(Yves Montand),以為是兩個絕色美人。結果,只猜對了一半,伊芙蒙丹原來是男人(另一個曾讓我有相同誤解的是短命、俊俏但麻煩多多的老牌羅賓漢「愛路扶連」Errol Flynn)。對這已故法國影帝的樣子和演出一直很陌生,這次黑色電影‧法國 X 香港 NOIR 選映了他的舊作《左輪 357》(Police Python 357),決心去嗜嗜這一顆「丹」。

《左輪 357》算是黑色電影,故事黑色,人物的遭遇黑色,連美工佈景也有不少黑色。

伊芙蒙丹飾演的神探有勇有謀,冷靜自信。開場一幕,煮早餐和製子彈,風格截然不同,彷彿同時進行。後來看見一個肩膀寬廣的男人背影步出陳設簡單的房子,才恍然之前做兩件事的是同一人。至此,神探才正式亮相銀幕。這個神探也是人,要挑弱點,就在他的感情生活。從上司夫婦的對話中,知道他仍然獨身。故事發展下去,這齣看似剛陽味十足的片子,原來是因為愛情而起的黑色電影。

今天看這 1976 年的老片,也許會覺得部份場面拍得有點造作。可喜的是,導演沒有連篇累贅,125 分鐘的片子拍得點到即止。

男主角伊芙蒙丹演出此片時,已經年過半百,歲月留痕再難掩飾,但高大(且仍算健壯)的身軀,仍是一派鐵漢風範,讓我想起日本高倉健

神探終於闖情關,卻陰差陽錯,成了謀殺案的頭號疑人。他雖是正義勇警,現實的荒謬卻讓他百詞莫辯。加上躲在暗處的真兇推波助瀾,結果事態越來越失控。內心戲不少,伊芙蒙丹表現出影帝風範。

女角方面,演神探上司不良於行老婆的法國老牌女星 Simone Signoret(憑《金屋淚》(Room at the Top) 奪得奧斯卡最佳女主角)同樣搶鏡頭。她精明、世故,加上對老公和自己的愛和恨,演技爐火純青。

電影最後一場警匪槍戰,儘管跟故事核心沒有任何直接關連,卻成全了本有隱衷卻再不完全清白的男主角和銀幕下看得投入的觀眾。正義和真相,情非得已,可能再也不是絕對的終點。

1 comment:

  1. Although Yves Montand has quite a successful film career, he was primarily a singer who acted, sort of like a Frank Sinatra of France. One of his most famous songs in America is Les Feuilles Mortes, which was covered in English as Autumn Leaves. Together with his real-life wife Simone Signoret, they are the most glamorous left-wing couples in France, no mean feat considered that France is a Socialist country. It is also because of their politics they have a hard time to make it in Hollywood during the McCarthy era (Room at the Top, the movie for which Signoret won an Oscar, was made in Britain rather than Hollywood)

    By the way, it is the leading category, not the supporting category, that Signoret won her Oscar, the first ever, and until Marion Cotillard, the only French actress to do so. A sex symbol for the cerebral, Signoret is famous for her refined intelligence. If you get the chance you should pick up her acclaimed autobiography Nostalgia Isn’t What It Used To Be(it is available in Yau Ma Tei Public Library, I have seen it before). She is one of the rare great stars who is also a great writer. I particularly like this quote from her:

    “It worked this time. I put it over on them. I made them believe I could do it. But one of these days they're going to discover the fakery. They're going to find out I'm only an amateur”.

    It is just a very well-put of the insecurity everyone feels about themselves. Well at least I do, every day.

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