大地雄心

我一直觉得，这是我看过最好的爱情电影了。

我喜欢里面，在俄克拉荷马州广袤的草原上，万马奔腾争夺土地的场面。
我喜欢那很大的土腥味的风，吹着刚洗好的白窗帘白床单呼啦啦地响，两个人隔着晾衣绳，隔着吹到脸上的白窗帘，见面，互相致意：
“那么，我们就算结束了？”
“应该算吧……”
我喜欢那女孩伏在男孩身上大哭：
“我爱你，我一直都爱你，从第一次见面就爱你，你不能死。”
镜头拉远，拉远，直到她哭泣的身影和她身影之下的他，都变成浓郁草色之间的小小黑点。
天地如此之大，他们的梦想如此之小，他们的爱如此悲怆。
忽然男孩睁开眼睛说：“我就知道……”

我最喜欢的，是那女孩的生机勃勃。
第一次见面，她用干草叉刺伤男孩大腿，然后丢下叉子声嘶力竭地大喊“非礼！！！”
她母亲用瓦盆盖住男孩大腿根部的关键部位，给他包扎伤口，等母亲一走开，她就冲上去移开瓦盆看。
她用梯子半夜爬上男孩的窗口，崆峒一声跌进去，挥着手里的报纸：“美国有土地，你去不去？”
她问男孩：“我好看吗？”
男孩顿一顿，说：“你是我见过的最好看的女孩。”
她听完就满意地砰的翻个身睡去，全不顾背后人家欲火焚身。

那是年轻时代的汤姆·克鲁斯和妮可·基德曼，那时他们相爱着。
他们俩的爱是看得到的，戏里戏外，如此生机勃勃，就像俄克拉荷马大草原的风。
那时候的妮可·基德曼，眼神不像现在这样凌厉，而是生动乖巧如同小鹿。
那时候的汤姆·克鲁斯，一脸农民本色的憨厚，不似现在携妻带女作上流社会状。
他们就像电影中这从爱尔兰奔赴美国梦的一对，年轻、有活力、有梦想。

我一直觉得，这是我看过最好的爱情电影。
http://gallimard.blogcn.com/index.shtml

They needed a country that was big enough for both of their dreams.
 
“1882年间一位出身佃农的爱尔兰青年，其父因地主草菅人命而死，他想要为父亲报仇结果却徒劳无功，但因此结识大地主的女儿夏蓝。这部如史诗般的西部移民电影，与人梦境成真的震撼美感，摄影与配乐均杰出，一场为土地奔驰的戏就此展开。”
 
这部片子，基调有点诙谐，是那种一个民族在历史的苦难中沉淀出来的诙谐感。“moon captain”的玩笑让人忍俊不禁，其后却又真的成为了佃农们反抗的口号。两个年轻人冒冒失失地来到火热的美洲大陆，追寻着各自心中的土地梦。在陌生的大陆上，一个犟脾气的农民小子，一个娇气蛮横的地主小姐，被命运生硬地拉到了一起，倒是相依为命起来。性格的磕磕碰碰，但求糊口的艰辛不易，爱情从中暗自滋长。圣诞夜，无家可归的两人偷偷跑进一户人家的客厅，互相安慰。“pretend this is our home,pretend i love you, pretend you love me..."。以及其后Tom Cruise在雪地里面奔跑的长镜头，都是这部影片令我印象深刻的地方。
 
我想像：这部电影应该是一位爱尔兰移民后代对自己祖先青春的缅想。前辈们的青春总是温暖的，有趣的。他们的梦想，他们的爱情，他们所身受的苦难，他们所畅饮过的甜蜜……这一切似乎都不是重点，从他们活着的形态中，我触摸到了一点点软和的东西。They set me free.

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~

“没有你，就算拥有全世界的土地，又有什么用？”这恐怕是最令人感动的爱情宣言了。十九世纪末期美国西部大开发，是人类历史上开拓进取，实现梦想最辉煌的篇章，在这种宏大背景之下，富二代沙侬为挣脱束缚、追求自由，究二代约瑟为改变困境、实现梦想，两人都选择了美国作为目的地。就像所有的事物都有两面性一样，这是一个伟大的国家，也是一个糟糕的国家。她散发出蓬勃的朝气，也释放着刺鼻的臭气，这里有勤劳、勇敢的追梦者，也有骗子、娼妓、地痞、恶霸、贪官，各色人等在社会这个大舞台上努力的扮演着自己的角色。虽然身处在社会最底层、最肮脏的角落，沙侬和约瑟却保持着最纯洁的关系。在那些艰难时刻，两个人都未忘记自己真正的梦想。爱情只是一层薄薄的窗户纸，但两个人却都不敢轻易捅破它。在经历同一辆马车、同一艘轮船、同一个房间的相处过程中，爱情已在各自心底扎根萌芽。人到了穷途末路的时候是无法奢望爱情，连给自己最爱的人最基本的生活保障都没有，放弃恐怕是最明智的选择，但谁也不能剥夺别人梦想和爱情的权利。仿佛是上天的安排，两个人又在俄克拉荷马相遇了。拥有一片属于自己的土地，是全人类共同的最朴素、最现实的梦想。这一次，他们离自己无数次憧憬的生活只有一步之遥。万马奔腾追逐土地的过程仿佛是影片中主人公追求梦想、收获爱情的一个缩影：于艰难竭蹶之中，成就爱情梦想。“没有你，就算拥有全世界的土地，又有什么用？”压抑已久的情感如同火山般喷发出来，简单朴实的一句话，却承载了全世界的重量。约瑟和沙侬共同插下象征着土地所有权归属的小旗，宣告着幸福的起点。

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

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。