大地雄心

两个怀揣梦想分属不同社会阶层的年轻人--一个是娇生惯养富家千金（妮可基德曼）和一个是出身卑微却立志出人头地的金童（汤姆克鲁斯），为追求梦想远渡重洋的情节让我依稀想到了4年之后上映席卷全球票房的《泰坦尼克号》。从情节来看，前者的故事更加丰富，人物命运更加曲折，历史背景也更加深刻，但显然投资、制作、宣传上的劣势注定了它不可能像后者那么成功。

C6播放的英文原声。
从爱尔兰到波士顿，为了土地的梦想，他们来到美国。那是1882年。我看到爱尔兰大地主家庭有钢琴、收藏、债券、银餐具、马车、火枪、复杂的睡衣、有颜色的厚长统袜。

原来美国对那个时代的欧洲人有那么大的吸引力，是因为逃亡，是因为冒险，是因为机会，是因为土地。

看到两人初到波士顿港口，那一派混乱与生机勃勃，似曾相识，可能是在港片里，二三十年代的上海码头，也是那番爱恨情仇的味道。

Tom Cruise不仅仅是1992年在这部《FAR AND AWAY》里面是1米七高，在别的电影里也还是那么高，我还怀疑，他实际只有1米69，但是他身材很彪悍，也非常“上相”，所以说了，男人不关乎不高，但关乎在这身高中散发的是个什么调子。不然你看他脱掉上衣，在夜晚的拳击场奋力击打的时候，哪个女人不会“看得眼珠子都掉出来了”？

Nicole Kidman还是那个眼神和气质，多年看下来没见她有改变，方便面头发显得糟糕，不过“腿很长”。Tom Cruise在波士顿教她搓衣服那段儿太有情趣了（仔细看，原来洋人也曾经用过搓衣板！这出乎我得意料，还以为是中国特有），他让她一边站着，他亲自示范洗衣服：“先蘸水，再拿起肥皂擦两下，然后搓搓，蘸蘸，搓搓，蘸蘸。”这英文重复起来颇为搞笑，像歌舞剧似的。等他飞快得搓洗完毕，接着使劲儿一抖，抬胳膊把衣服一晾，突然很酷很酷得双手伸向屁股后兜“拔出”两个大衣架把衣服夹上，这架式活像拔出两杆左轮手枪！


可惜我没把电影看完就不得不睡觉了，不然等他俩儿骑马纵横驰骋在自己的土地上的时候，我一定也会热血沸腾，会感恩上帝给了美国西部这么个地方，唉，又想到1882年的我大清王朝，那才光绪八年，有得熬啊...

约瑟夫和莎伦是一类人吗？从那些一眼可见的巨大差距看来，似乎不是。但是，从第一次见面，他们就应该知道，他们就是命中注定的同一类人。
我的雄心与梦想与你无关，除非我们是一类人。从一开始约瑟夫这个贫穷而勤劳的小人物就用行动向人们这样宣告。你们可以嘲笑我，可以跟我打架，可以雇用我，但最好别期望我会依附和驯服，对你臣服和谄媚，因为我只为自己而战，我们不是一类人。
约瑟夫身上最宝贵的永远是那种小人物的自尊与骄傲，还有那永远雄心勃勃的梦想家姿态。如果我们现在仍然有或者曾经有过梦想，我们就能够明白约瑟夫的激情从何而来。有一块自己的土地意味着什么？我想它并不仅仅意味着一个等待实现的目标，它更意味着全新的生活和无限的可能，意味着真正自由、有尊严地靠自己的双脚站立在自己应得的土地上。然而，如果我们正为梦想努力或者曾经这样努力过，也就能明白约瑟夫的坚持与不易。嘲笑、诱惑、残酷永远近在咫尺。不管是在贵族制下的爱尔兰还是在相信实力与金钱的波士顿，坚持某些跟大多数不一样的东西永远是艰难的，在一些愚蠢又自负的人眼里所有人都跟他们一样或者梦想着变成跟他们一样，异类是不能被容忍的，无论是那个贪婪可憎的拳击赌场老板还是那个握有小权就不可一世的小工头，显然都属于这类蠢蛋。
 那么，莎伦呢？美丽高贵的贵族家的女儿，虽然从她第一次出现我们就看出她不是一位循规蹈矩的淑女，相反，她厌烦她那矜贵骄傲的母亲和她的那些整天一惊一乍又故作高贵的贵妇朋友们。她叫她们“the stubborn old women”，她很怕成为她们那样的人。她向往自由，勇敢地离开。但虽然如此，她的这些年轻的也过于美好的梦想与冲动，再加上从家里偷带的一些财物却并不足以支付离开优渥的贵族生活所需要的昂贵代价。
 经历了艰辛之后的莎伦，在那个被驱逐后的一无所有的雪夜，在饥寒的逼迫下跟随约瑟夫偷偷进入那个大房子之后，看到屋里精致的陈设不禁呆住，无以名状的酸楚让她只是抚摸着它们喃喃不已，甚至顾不上在厨房找到食物的约瑟夫的呼唤。猛然在镜子里看到衣衫褴褛的自己那一刻，她不由失声喊了一句“look at us！”看看吧，看看我们都成了什么样？其实，与其说她说的是他们俩，不如说她说的只是她自己。对啊，当她拒绝约瑟夫让她坐在桌旁再服侍她一次开始，我们就知道，从骄矜贵族到满面蓬垢，她经历的一切已经使她变成了另外的人。但好的是，在波士顿的遭遇除了让她认清现实，开始依靠自己之外，并没有再让她失去什么。她骨子里贵族的自矜与体面还在。那个时代的贵族精神意味着什么？只是资本的原罪、等级、压榨、顽固？不，还有值得用生命维护的体面与尊严。当然，这尊严里也包括依靠自己在一片土地上立足，生根，创造。
虽然自那天夜里绝望的约瑟夫将受伤的莎伦送回家后，两个人就默默分离，貌似回到了各自原来的轨道，但其实我们都知道后来在俄克拉荷马的重逢不会让我们惊讶，因为他们的梦想、尊严和经历的苦难都是各自心里那个不停催促着的声音，而他们，都是同一类无视不了那个声音的人。和那些敢做梦和敢追梦的人是同类。
毫无疑问，整个影片最让我感动的一幕就是在俄克拉荷马辽阔的土地上，万马奔腾的场面。人人手持标旗，为了自己的一片土地狂奔的场景太让人心血沸腾。约瑟夫手握标旗站在大地上，大声宣称脚下的土地属于他，“命中注定是属于我的！”他这样大喊着。我想我懂得他的意思，他是想说，这是他应得的。
而莎伦的父母，曾经的贵族夫妇，靠了一点小聪明也获得了自己的土地。莎伦的父亲，作为贵族是优渥却又颇为憋屈的，她的母亲则顽固而自大。但那一刻，当他们一起紧张又有点骄傲地将标旗插入那片土地的时候，我想起当那位父亲谋划这一切时面对慌张和恐惧的妻子，说的那句让我热泪盈眶的话：“我们就假装自己并非行将就木，而是刚刚开始生活。”这对夫妻作为父母，是伟大的。而如今面对生活，他们也伟大起来了。那位嗜酒的、宽容的、有点忧愁的老贵族此刻的欢颜是如此舒畅和自得。

也许是专业的特点吧，看到比较好的句子总会习惯性的摘入下来。下面是剧中临近尾声时候男女主角互诉衷肠的一段对白。
Joseph：The world means nothing to me without you. I tried to prove myself to you, I know nothing of the books, all I know is Joseph loves Shannon, that is all that matters to me.
Shannon：This is our dream together. I don't want this without you. I loved you. I loved you from the first time I saw you.
Joseph：I often wondered if you love me.
Shannon：How? You died? You died?
Joseph：I can assure you, I won't die twice.
并不是很准确，有些地方实在是太含糊了，反复听了几遍还是没有听明白，凑合吧~

America, an attractive land to those dreamers, a place of flowing milk and honey, a field full of opportunities and challenges.

Ireland, where potatoes being the nation’s staple food crop, a place of thriving landlords and surviving peasants, an island only an ocean’s distance away from America.

The story of the two Irish dream-catchers linked them together.

Far and Away, the title of the movie, is also the distance between dreams and reality. The detachability of the dreams offers the story’s possibility and credibility.

Joseph and Charlene, two Irish young people. One was the son of a poor tenant who could not afford the tenancy and had his house burnt as a result and died away fortuneless; the other was the daughter of a rich landlord who gained a lot of wealth through years’ accumulation. The tenant happened to be paying for the landlord’s field, so Joseph met Charlene when he entered her father’s mansion to take his revenge for his father’s death. He failed, having more time to stay with the noble maid.

Two hearts were both pursuing for freedom and independence. Joseph always bore in mind his father’s last words: A man is worthless and soulless until he has had his own land. He was tolerant of miseries but reluctant to leave his home for a new life. Charlene was well-educated and open-minded and eager to seek for a new life in the New World but unready to face obstacles and setbacks. Once they united accidentally and set for America, their dreams seemed approachable.

However, when they reached America, dreams fell to the ground, and the cruel society forced them to make a living by doing odd jobs. This was the real image of American dreams started from the bottom.

If we refer to the history books, we will find that Irish Americans were frequently discriminated against in housing, jobs, and education. Anti-immigrant groups stereotyped the Irish as “uncivilized”, “unskilled” and “impoverished”. Irish Americans usually lived in crowded ethnic ghettos and worked in the least desirable occupations. Irish American men were usually manual laborers, while Irish American women often found employment as domestic servants. This picture perfectly matches that of Joseph and Charlene.

The liberty and democracy Uncle Sam preached was nothing but a piece of blank paper.

Joseph worked his way up as a successful boxer; thus he could save money to buy a carriage to go to Oklahoma for the realization of his dream—to own a land. Charlene could only work as a chicken-dresser, suffering all that she had not suffered at home. But dreams were fragile. A loss on the boxing-ring sent him out of the asylum. They were both homeless and penniless.

Let’s come back to the Declaration of Independence which reflects American beliefs, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Under such beliefs, the American character was formed, which distinguished it from that of any other nation: 1) Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance; 2) Equality of Opportunity and Competition; 3) Material Wealth and Hard Work; 4) Goodness of Humanity and Improvement; 5) Time and Efficiency; 6) Assertiveness. That’s the point. 1) is their ideal, 2) is their way, 3) is their purpose, 4) is their pursuit, 5) is their principle, 6) is their habit. These Irish people had their own virtues inside and they were shaping themselves to correspond with the American winning rule. The jungle law tells us: the fittest survives.

They departed after that incident. Joseph worked on the railway and Charlene came back to his family who had been to America. But they could not let go of their dreams. Anyone could have dreams, whether he be a king or a beggar. When God gives us life, he gives us mind, too; with mind, we could dream.

Therefore, fate arranged their reunion in Oklahoma. They took part in the race to get their own land. This was not only Joseph’s father’s dream, and yet not only Irish Americans’ dream; it was a dream generally possessed by the ordinary people, described as the “American Dream”. To be or not to be? The answer lay in their own hands. They grabbed the bridle tightly and penetrated the banner which symbolized the achievement of their dreams into their land. They became heroes at that very moment.

Happiness was gained through inconceivable efforts. The easily gotten gold was never considered satisfactory. Joseph and Charlene played their parts in this contest concerning dreams, which gave a vivid illustration of the American character and the so-called “American Dream”—from nobody to somebody. Once you try, you will find dreams are not far and away unless you are sloth and aimless. The greatest distance is not between two person’s hearts but one’s two fingers.

I do, therefore I am.


Giant Woo
2005-5-23