伟大的安巴逊

第30届法罗岛电影节第3个放映日为大家带来主竞赛单元的《伟大的安巴逊》，下面请看场刊影评人的评价了！

果树

怪异个体的下坡人生，本身也是威尔斯的人生母题

子夜无人

用如此简练的篇幅完成了后来《盖茨比》两版电影需要好几个小时来书写的繁华散尽、大厦将倾。动用到许多奇怪的镜头角度（楼梯夹角、窗沿窄缝）来窥视豪宅内部，这些局部也正是裂痕的征兆。生长在销金窟中的幼兽以他宿命般的纨绔和决绝直撞南墙，是自取灭亡也是以身反叛。

一颗大柠檬

［3］疯狂无序且持续不断地下坠。

http://ambersons.com/FAQs.htm

What is The Magnificent Ambersons about?

The Magnificent Ambersons is about the proud and celebrated Amberson family. The story shows how the family refuses to change with the times, and the subsequent deterioration of the Amberson name as a result.

The story is set in Indianapolis in the late 1800's/early 1900's, and shows how the beauty of a small town was slowly destroyed by the advent of the automobile. A number of dramas carry the movie along. Isabel Amberson is the town beauty and is courted by various beaus, one of whom is the brash and handsome Eugene Morgan. Eugene plans an elaborate serenade for Isabel in front of the Amberson mansion, but makes a fool of himself by falling on his bass viol in a drunken stupor. Eugene tries repeatedly to win Isabel, but she refuses. Even though she is in love with Eugene, the embarrassment from this one incident and the social customs of the time prohibit her from having anything to do with him. Isabel eventually marries Wilbur Minafer, who is less flashy than Eugene, but respectable. Isabel isn't in love with Wilbur, however, and their one child George is incredibly spoiled by Isabel and grows up to be extremely arrogant, righteous and self-absorbed. George has an air of entitlement because he is an Amberson, and has no use for anyone who wants to work for a living. This includes Isabel's true love, Eugene, who left town after losing Isabel. Eugene returns twenty years later with his daughter Lucy, having made his fortune by developing one of the first automobiles. After Wilbur's death, Eugene pursues Isabel again. Wilbur's sister Fanny is also in love with Eugene, though this is not returned by Eugene. Even though Isabel and Eugene are both still in love, their plans are thwarted by George. George hates Eugene not just because of his profession, but because he has to share his mother's attention for the first time. When George learns that the townspeople are talking about Eugene's love for Isabel, George becomes enraged by this supposed scandal and does whatever he can to prevent Isabel and Eugene from marrying. George and Isabel leave on a trip around the world and are gone for five years. Despite Isabel's poor health and longing for Eugene, George insists that they both stay abroad, returning only when Isabel is colse to death. George's attitudes and actions help to ruin his family, as well as his chances of having a relationship with Eugene's daughter Lucy. Eventually George receives his "comeuppance", learning humility after suffering the tragic consequences of his own devices. George reconciles with Lucy, and asks for Eugene's forgiveness. By then all of the members of the Amberson family have either died, moved away or become destitute.

Is this movie based on a book?

Yes. The book The Magnificent Ambersons was written by Booth Tarkington, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1919.

When was this movie made and who directed it?

The movie was released in July 1942 and was directed by Orson Welles. It was his next project after right after Citizen Kane.

I've heard of Citizen Kane, but not The Magnificent Ambersons. Why?

The Magnificent Ambersons was supposed to be as big as if not bigger than Citizen Kane, but many events contributed to this classic becoming an obscure Hollywood memory (see next FAQ). The short explanation is that Ambersons is an artistic film that was not well received by mainstream audiences when it was released, and it just never caught on the same way that other classics do.

What happened to this movie to make it such a tragic piece of Hollywood history?

In its original form Ambersons was 131 minutes long, and was very upbeat for about 45 minutes, afterwhich it took a sudden dramatic turn to become a very sad story without an uplifting ending. Once most of Ambersons was finished, Welles left for Brazil by request of the US State Department to make another film, which was intended to foster relations between the the US and South America (the film was never finished, but would later be released as "It's All True"). The final process of editing was left to the film's editor Robert Wise. There are conflicting reports of what happened next, but a number of scenes were cut, ordered either by RKO or by Welles himself. Either way, the shortened version was previewed at a theater in Pomona, CA, so that audience reaction could be used to make changes if necessary.

The Pomona preview was a disaster. Before Ambersons played, the audience had watched the rousing musical The Fleet's In, so the audience was probably not in the mood for a slow-paced and depressing period piece. Audience members (consisting mostly of teenagers) talked at the picture, kidded it, and laughed at the wrong places. After the film, audience members filled out "comment cards" to express their opinions. While some of the responses praised the film, most of the cards were very negative, with comments like "it stinks", "rubbish", and "a horrible distorted dream". The president of RKO, George Schaefer, was at the preview and wrote to Welles "Never in all my experience in the industry have I taken so much punishment or suffered as I did at the Pomona preview".

At this point RKO had invested over $1,000,000 in a picture that could possibly bomb. The next action was to make more changes and preview it again. Again, there are two different versions of what happened - either some of the original cuts were put back in, or more cuts were made. Either way, another preview was held two days later in Pasadena. This preview was much more favourable, although both audiences had problems with some of the same aspects. The film at this point, while shorter (about 117 minutes), was still relatively intact. Rather than leaving the film alone, however, RKO believed that Ambersons would only appeal to a more mature audience, which was how Pasadena was perceived. Because the largest part of movie revenue would came from the younger crowd, substantial changes would have to be made to make the film shorter and more upbeat. Ideally, Welles would have to be present during this editing process, but since Welles was in South America (and working on another movie), he could only communicate changes by telegram. Attempts to send Robert Wise to Brazil were prevented due to wartime travel restrictions. Correspondence from RKO with detailed changes were sent to Welles, and Welles in return made his own attempts to make changes, to no avail (see below).

It wasn't long before RKO took Ambersons away from Welles completely. Input from a number of studio executives was given to try and save the picture. One in particular that is somewhat amusing was from producer Bryan Foy, who said that the film was "too f*ckin' long", and that forty minutes had to be cut ("just throw all the footage up in the air and grab everything but forty minutes"). Eventually, about 50 minutes was cut from original Ambersons, and some scenes were written and shot by others, all in Welles' absence. Many of the cuts were made to eliminate the more depressing aspects of the film, like how Major Amberson and Fanny had lost their money in bad investments. In addition, the original sad ending was cut and reshot to be more uplifting. The final version, running at about 88 minutes, was released in July to so-so results, and was effectively abandoned by RKO. The film lost over $600,000, an enormous amount for a relatively small studio like RKO.

What happened to Orson Welles as a result of the Ambersons?

Welles was recalled from South America before the filming of "It's All True" was finished and his contract with RKO was terminated. Because of the problems with Ambersons, and the fact that the South American project was scrapped by the new authorities at RKO, Welles developed a reputation for not finishing projects. He was never entrusted with a major Hollywood production again. In Welles own words, "They destroyed Ambersons and it destroyed me." Welles did go on to direct and star in many more pictures, but without the luxuries that he enjoyed at RKO. Welles spent much of his career acting (sometimes in roles that were quite beneath his talent) so that he could raise money to fund his own projects. His next major project as director was Touch of Evil, which was also severely cut prior to release (fortunately, this movie was recently restored).

How did Welles try to save Ambersons during the editing process while he was in South America?

From the time Welles arrived in Rio de Janeiro he was in constant contact with several poeple at RKO. Communication was mostly by telegram, between February and June 1942, with memos between Welles and various people at RKO, including Robert Wise, Jack Moss, Joseph Cotten, and George Schaefer. It's clear from these memos how much of an effect the Pomona preview had on RKO. Welles made several suggestions to try and make Ambersons work, even though he was fully occupied with filming in Rio. Despite his attempts, Welles was to have little influence over the editing process.

Lawrence French, a fellow Ambersons fan, has compiled many of these memos. You can see them here, along with many images from the film. One can only imagine Welles' anger and frustration, knowing what was being done to his work in his absence, not to mention the fact that his standing in Hollywood was now in serious danger.

What are some of the unique aspects of this film that make it (or made it) so special?

Welles definitely wanted to transcend the traditional Hollywood movie, both with Citizen Kane and Ambersons. Welles used a variety of film techniques to achieve his goal. Deep-focus photography, overlapping dialogue, long takes, expressionistic lighting - all were used to make Ambersons a work of art.

1. The Ambersons mansion. This was one of the most elaborate and expensive sets ever built at the time. Incredibly detailed and elegant, it was probably the first movie of its time to give the illusion of being in an actual mansion, allowing multiple rooms and areas to be captured in a single scene.

2. The ballroom sequence. When George returns home for Christmas holiday after his sophomore year at Harvard, his family held a ball in his honour ("the last of the great, long-remembered dances that everybody talked about"). One sequence, which was largely cut from the original, was a continuous series of backward-moving camera shots through four rooms, following different characters as they made their way through the ballroom in the Amberson mansion. Long, continuous shots like this are very unusual, particularly because the large, bulky camera is moving backwards along a circular course. Welles liked long takes, and other long takes are in the film, such as the scene with Fanny, George and Uncle Jack in the Amberson kitchen.

3. The sleighride. The morning after the ball, most of the Ambersons go out for a ride in Eugene's horseless carriage. The sleighride is one of the most unique sequences in film, and fortunately this scene was left relatively intact (see below). To make this scene as realistic as possible, a soundstage was set up in an icehouse called the Union Ice Company, which was in downtown Los Angeles. This icehouse allowed a more authentic recreation of an outdoor winter scene, with real snow and visible breath from the actors. The quality of the dialogue recorded at the icehouse wasn't suitable, however, so the actors re-recorded their lines on the RKO roof, sitting on planks that were being rocked up and down. This simulated the bouncing motion of Eugene's automobile, so that the vibration of their voices could be picked up. While the result is truly exceptional, the filming was technically demanding and put the film behind schedule. As well, Ray Collins, who played Uncle Jack Amberson, contracted pneumonia and was out for ten days.

4. Major Amberson's speech. Shortly after Isabel's death, Major Amberson sits alone in front of a fire and ponders the origins of life. This is often cited as one of the most beautiful scenes in the film. While Welles narrates, the light from the flickering fire illuminates the Major's bemused face, while he struggles to understand what life is about. The scene fades away, and there is no further mention of the Major, and the assumption is that he has died. In the original version, the Major continues to wonder aloud. George asks him if he wants a glass of water. The Major responds "No -- no, I-I don't want anything at all. I wish somebody could tell me..." The scene then dissolves to two tombstones, Isabel's and the Major's. This obviously would have been much more powerful and less confusing than the edited version, and presumably was cut because it came shortly after Isabel's death and increased the sadness of the film.

So, if this is such a great movie, why did it bomb?

Welles blamed the failure of Ambersons on RKO, since they were responsible for cutting so much of the film. However, it seems just as possible that Ambersons was just not that interesting to a general audience. Understandably, audiences in WWII America were more interested in musicals, comedies and patriotic fare than they were in some depressing period drama. If the original version existed, it would likely be hailed today as a masterpiece, much the same as Citizen Kane. And Ambersons didn't entirely bomb, since it was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including best picture. As well, Agnes Moorehead won the New York Film Critic's award for her role as Aunt Fanny.

Has anyone ever found the missing Ambersons footage?

No. The cut footage was kept in film vaults for a few months, and was eventually burned due to a shortage of storage space. There are lots of stills from the cut footage, and the movie trailer (which is on the VHS tape from Turner Classic Movies) has a few seconds of film that isn't in the movie.

The January 2002 issue of Vanity Fair magazine has a great article on Ambersons, including interviews with several people who have tried unsuccessfully to find the original version, both in the US and South America. Although no one can say for sure that the missing footage no longer exists, the take-home message of the article is that it's gone for good.

What was the original ending to the Ambersons?

In the original ending, after Eugene hears that George is in the hospital after being hit by an automobile, Eugene goes to visit Fanny in the cheap boardinghouse where she and George now live. Eugene is rich and successful, and Fanny now lives in poverty, having once enjoyed the luxury of the Amberson mansion. Eugene seems completely oblivious to Fanny's plight, and instead tells Fanny about his visit to see George in the hospital, and how George asked for his forgiveness, and that Lucy believes that she and George will get married. During this time Fanny is seated and rocking back and forth in squeaky rocking chair, while a silly vaudeville record plays in the background, and a variety of old maids play cards and listen in curiously. While Eugene talks, Fanny responds unemotionally. There is nothing between them anymore, and she has given up on the possibility that Eugene may finally show some romantic interest in her. Eugene finally adds that he could sense Isabel's presence in the hospital room, and that through him she had brought George under shelter again, and that he had been true at last to his true love. Eugene then says goodbye, leaves and the movie ends.

While there is some closure in this ending, the lingering effect is that of the destitute and lonely Fanny. Welles believed this to be the best scene in the movie, and said that it was about "the deterioration of personality, the way people diminish with age, and particularly with impecunious old age". This was the final reminder of the end of the great Amberson era.

The original ending was reshot and shows Eugene and Fanny at the hospital. Eugene's dialogue is about the same, but after Eugene tells Fanny about Isabel's presence in the room, Fanny beams with joy and she and Eugene walk away, accompanied by a great swell of happy music. Everyone is going to be OK.

What was the Mercury Theatre?

The Mercury Theatre was a theatrical producing company formed in 1937 by Orson Welles and John Houseman. By then Welles was already an accomplished radio personality, with his intense dramatic sensibilities and mellifluous voice. The Mercury employed many personalities who would work with Welles in film, including Agnes Moorehead, Ray Collins, Joseph Cotten, and Bernard Herrmann. In 1938 the Mercury produced a radio series called Mercury Theatre on the Air, which dramatized great novels (including Ambersons) and Shakespearean plays. The series was most famous for their 1938 radio broadcast of H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. Because of the considerable attention and notoriety that Welles received from this broadcast, the Mercury Theatre on the Air became The Campbell Playhouse (after being sponsored by the Campbell's Soup Company). In 1939 Welles and Houseman signed a contract with RKO, and The Mercury Theatre soon moved to Hollywood to make Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons.

Is Ambersons available on video or DVD?

There have been several VHS releases of Ambersons (same movie, different distributor). Some of these are available on amazon.com. After years of waiting, the Region 1 (North American) Ambersons DVD is finally available, but only as part of the Citizen Kane 70th Anniversary Collectors Edition Blu-ray set. At this point this set is available exclusively on amazon.com. There are several Region 2 DVD releases - French, Japanese, German, British, and Spanish. The German DVD (Der Glanz des Hauses Amberson) is available from Kinowelt Home Entertainment. I can't attest to the quality of this DVD, although the website dvdscan.com gave it a poor review. The French DVD comes with some extras, including excerpts from This is Orson Welles, and a booklet with Ambersons information, all in a large collectible box. This DVD is available from amazon.fr. The best version of Ambersons that I've seen is the Criterion laserdisc, which also comes with a wealth of extras. The laserdisc is out of print but is frequently for sale on eBay. For more information on Ambersons video availability, as well as a comparison of the French and Japanese DVDs, go to Wellesnet.com, a great Orson Welles resource.

Where can I read more about the Ambersons?

The most complete reference is Robert L. Carringer's book The Magnificent Ambersons - A Reconstruction. This book describes the history of the making and undoing of the Ambersons. This is also the only book that has all of the dialogue from the original 131 minute version of the Ambersons, as well as various storyboards, sketches, stills from the lost footage, and the complicated details of the editing process and Welles futile attempts to influence it from South America. Even with just the script, the intense sadness of the original ending with Fanny and Eugene in the boarding house is heartbreaking. Another book by the same author is The Making of Citizen Kane, which has a short but detailed chapter on Ambersons.

Another terrific reference is This Is Orson Welles by Orson Welles and Peter Bogdonavich. This book has a condensed version of the original script, as well as excellent conversations between Welles and Bogdonavich about Ambersons. This is also a great book for anyone who wants to know more about Welles' other movies and his life after Ambersons.

BFI Film Classics The Magnificent Ambersons by V.F. Perkins. This book also has a description and analysis of the Ambersons, much like the Carringer book but without the script.

如果说对奥森·威尔斯的景深摄影和段落镜头的褒扬已经成了一种cliché,那么我们或许应该谈谈他的伟大创举如是如何在这部影片中沉沦的（不去讨论所谓的完整版究竟如何）；以及从中我们还可以得到些什么。

于我而言，最为精彩的是影片的开头。旁白徐徐引入，从“那个时候”起笔，谈着马车、服饰：

“因为我们在路上花的时间愈少，节省下的时间就愈多。但是在那些日子里，时间有的是……”

这是一个文学时刻，它会让你想起普鲁斯特，想起曹雪芹，会让你产生一种眷恋的幻觉，这种开头便产生的幻觉使我后面几乎要把奥森·威尔斯的旁白当成是乔治的回溯。

同时，在旁白与影像间又充满了张力，这宏大的开头伴随着的不是花团锦簇的宴会（当然，这舞会在后面便会出现），而是“无关紧要”的影像：全景中的宅子和马车看起来都是如此普通，若不是后面“群众”的议论，我们几乎感受不到这个家族如何magnificent. 而那一段充满逗乐趣味的换装蒙太奇中，主角也非安巴逊家族的人，而是摩根。但我们将摩根理解为这个影片真正的主角也未尝不可。

插句嘴，重看《公民凯恩》的时候，我才忽然被科顿给迷住了。豆瓣影人介绍写得太好了：

约瑟夫·科顿是那种永远成不了天皇巨星、进不了前10名但却也令人永远无法忘怀的演员，他就靠在那里吸着烟，温情而饶有意味地用眼角余光看着你，像一座酝酿爆发的休眠火山，你不知道什么时候会爆发，一旦爆发，你会心甘情愿被他灼人的热能所熔化。

他的眼睛里充满忧郁，笑起来的时候却意味深长；他有时候看起来有点儿玩世不恭，有时候又从容得有点淡漠。因此他来扮演这部电影中的摩根先生真是太好了。作为踏上工业革命洪流的新兴阶级，摩根先生在这却并不全然作为这个古老的、逐渐衰败的家族的对立者。相反，他把对伊莎贝拉的爱演绎得足够压抑而深沉。这份绵延的感情自然但得起气韵悠长的镜头与叙事，然而却被硬生生地掐断了。留下属于这段感情的动人时刻仅有两处：舞会上众人谈笑风生间，看似落花流水、前嫌尽释，殊不知此情弥深，却掩做无意；弥留之际的伊莎贝拉用最后的力气问到“他问起我了吗”“他来了吗”“我想见他”。

重逢最为致命。上一代的重逢是下一代的相遇，而下一代的别离则预示了重复之日这个古老家族的衰败。迈向工业现代化，迈向自食其力的资本主义精神的女儿与耽于富贵，厌恶劳作的贵族公子，势必踏上不同道路。而在时代的滚滚红尘中，我们还是能够看到一个令人心碎的动情时刻。

街上偶遇的乔治忧心忡忡地抱怨着笑靥如花的露西，“我真不喜欢你这样的语气。我不吃把药就要昏倒了。”

露西则用最为天真活泼语调与他扯着玩笑话。乔治要与母亲离开，永别之际，他为露西的“没心没肺”感到痛心，感觉自己像个傻瓜。然而摄影机随后为我们揭露了真相。中景镜头里我们看着乔治心灰意冷地离去，直到他走出画外那一刻，我们清楚看到孤身一人在镜头中的露西脸色一变，随即一个脸部特写，这个几乎一闪而过的特写如一记重锤砸在观众心中。然后我们看着她走进店铺，要一把药片和一大杯水，这时候的镜头狡猾地跟随着去拿药的店主，然后在他回首的瞬间，我们通过他错愕的、看向地面的眼神知晓了画外发生的一切。这一段落结束了，它或许不像其他有着华丽灯光与精细布局的段落镜头那样突出，可是却如此迷人。它与前面乔治的话产生着呼应，又用画外留足了想象呼吸的空间。

然而，正是这两代四人的纠葛本可以谱写出一段荡气回肠的时代恋歌，最终却成为片段的堆叠。

舞会片段+雪地马车片段+乔治与姑姑的厨房片段……尽管在各个片段中亦有令人称赞的镜头与调度，它们却无法连贯的串起一个完整的叙事。回想一下《公民凯恩》吧，在景深镜头之外，我们一开始被吸引的难道不是“玫瑰花蕾”的秘密么？我们追随着记者，不断在现在与过去中跳跃，影片结尾，记者串起了凯恩复杂而荒诞的人生故事，而发掘出凯恩最深处秘密的是我们。

然而《伟大的安巴逊》，正如我一开始所言，旁白缅怀的语调像是某人的口述史，影片故事就像他随意从记忆深处捞起的某段往事，那逝去的欢乐或许带着幽怨，却绝非伟大。它固然有动人的时刻，却缺乏精妙的构思，使得这纯然过去的讲述，但带着一种“毋庸置疑”的呆板。因此，它不是《追忆似水年华》，不是《红楼梦》，不是《飘》，不是《家》。它成为了某种略显空洞的形式。

提名奥斯卡最佳女配角和最佳影片等奖项。原片141min被剪成130min又阉割到88min，但把The Magnificent Ambersons发生的一切归咎于RKO Pictures ＆制片人 George Schaefer 舍费尔，完全免除 Welles 的责任，是一种不公平的立场，这部电影有很多罪魁祸首：电影是 Welles 为 RKO 公司拍摄的第2部作品，被说成辜负了《公民凯恩》的观点站不住脚，如今《凯恩》被普遍称赞是有史以来最好的电影，但在上映时没有受到这么高的认可，威尔斯在《公民凯恩》中展现了精湛的电影技术并应用于不同类型的故事，在威尔斯应罗斯福要求前往南美政治宣传之前，他制作了 131 min版本的，RKO公司在导演缺席的情况下忧心忡忡试映了电影，担心它像《公民凯恩》一样不受欢迎，担心是正确的因为电影太长太沮丧，尤其当时的美国卷入了二战，所以一个贵族大家族从辉煌走向衰败毁灭的黑暗结局的故事自然会被大刀阔斧，但和我们熟知的故事相反，rko公司并没有在他不知情的情况下重拍，威尔斯本人指导了电影的重新剪辑，试映后他命令剪辑师wise把130min版本剪成110min，他命令怀斯wise从电影中间剪掉 20min，主要是乔治努力让母亲＆尤金分开的场景，但结局没变仍然是尤金听说了乔治发生车祸后，尤金在租的公寓拜访了乔治的姑姑范妮，想让范妮做自己的管家。后来RKO还是不满意又剪辑还让别人重拍了一个新结局（有关电影背后具体故事请阅读约瑟夫·麦克布莱德的传记《奥森·威尔斯》）。威尔斯的自负一直是他最大的敌人，他疏远了很多人以至于没人支持原版，导演的缺席的情况下剪辑师罗伯特·怀斯Robert Wise删减近1h的片段外还重拍了几个场景包括一个截然不同的结局，电影最终剪辑版只有 88 min，虽然电影的票房仍然惨败但更雪上加霜的是RKO 公司销毁了所有未使用的镜头，不可能再恢复原版，这件事比其他任何事情都表明了舍弗尔在这件事中的罪行。给《安巴逊》打上问号的是，如果威尔斯完全控制了这部电影，电影会好到什么程度？它能和《公民凯恩》相媲美吗? 会不会是许多评论家在愤怒回首时预测的“失落的杰作”？我们永远不会知道，尽管剧本在 RKO 的清洗中幸存下来（并用于2002年阿方索.阿雷奥Alfonso Arau 导演的迷你剧），但并没有其他奇迹发生。威尔斯＆好友波格丹诺维奇说过如果《伟大的安巴逊》没有被篡改会是超越《公民凯恩》的杰作。看过威尔斯的131 min剪辑版的人认为电影还需要剪辑，想知道威尔斯是否可以把这些镜头重新塑造成，能和他早期杰作相媲美的，很少人会否认 Welles 能挽救比 RKO 发布的更好的东西。从《安巴逊》的剩余部分仍然能瞥见它的伟大之处，被剪断的电影本身就暗示着在不考虑商业的情况下可能发生的事情，舍费尔对艺术缺乏尊重以及威尔斯的自负合谋破坏了它。电影分为3个部分:第1部分设定了人物情节，展示了amberson家族正处于辉煌顶峰。第2个部分气氛变得更暗，说明他们逐渐从权力和特权地位下降。第3个部分（Dickens1812-1870年，英国19世纪中期作家、评论家，小说《雾都孤儿》《双城记》直指英国社会的阶级＆贫穷问题，《小杜丽》以尖酸刻薄的讽刺笔法闻名＆自传性质小说《大卫·科波菲尔》）是乔治·安巴逊George Amberson的“报应”，颇有狄更斯式的味道，乔治的人生抱负是成为帆船运动员，但天意（导演奥逊威尔斯）来主持正义，自私的乔治受到命运的打击，迎面走向对他之前所有恶行应得的回报，而不单单是因为他的姓氏，“我不做律师，我要立马能拿到现钱的那种工作”结尾他落入窠臼为生计奔走，这种悲剧结尾在古典文学中是注定的命运。大多数剪辑和重拍都在电影后半部分，第1部分尽管有一两个重要场景被剪断但还算连贯，第2个部分的1/3处，叙事不连贯＆风格不平衡，最后半小时是一系列不连贯的小插曲，焦点不确定，情节混乱不明确。从情节的角度而言根据布斯·塔金顿原著小说改编的《伟大的安巴逊》没什么突破性（原著小说的作者塔金顿是威尔斯父母的老友，汽车发明家尤金的原型是威尔斯的父亲，故事的地点也和威尔斯家的生活环境很相近，威尔斯本身就偏爱19世纪末20世纪初的文学作品），电影讲述了19世纪末20世纪初这样一个世纪之交，当时美国的资本主义已经发展但意识形态的封建残余还不同程度地存在，在比较落后的南部各州尤其如此，电影中美国中西部一个处在南北交界线上的小镇，既有南部落后又吸收了东部的先进。镇上的old money 因为糟糕的投资＆习惯性的大手大脚的支出＆无法跟上时代进步等原因而衰败，电影呈现了阶级差异、新旧、先进落后这些思想势力的斗争，这是许多英国故事的主要内容在美国作品并不常见，安巴逊家族的乔治.安巴逊George（提姆·霍尔特 Tim Holt 扮演，orson找了个和他很相似的演员）以宏伟的豪宅＆宫廷礼仪代表着地主绅士old money ，与之对立的是Eugene Morgan尤金·摩根＆女儿露西lucy的new money 新钱，他们通过进步的技术获得了威望财富，old money

不愿意面对现代创新（特别是汽车）、时代变迁的生活方式。西方评论家倾向于把他们之间的冲突说成是为了争夺伊莎贝尔：特吕弗说“这是一场纯感情的冲突”以伊莎贝尔为争夺目标；巴赞也认为妨碍了尤金和伊莎贝尔的是乔治的自尊心＆恋母情结，仁者见仁智者见智吧。乔治是伊莎贝尔.安巴逊Isabel Amberson Minafer为了家族牺牲个人感情＆没有激情的Wilbur Minafer威尔伯.米纳弗的互相尊重但无爱的联姻的独生子，安巴逊家族唯一的继承人，被全家宠爱包括叔叔杰克·安伯森＆姑姑菲妮（姑姑单恋尤金众人皆知，姑姑的表演是所有人里面最好）＆祖父安巴逊少校，他是个被宠坏了傲慢又无情自私的人（小时候的他驾驶着小马哥肆无忌惮的在街上跑，用锄头惹恼了园丁，就是一个熊孩子，回乡的欢迎舞会上乔治第一次遇到汽车发明家尤金，派对结束后乔治就问安巴逊家族其他家人，尤金是不是以此向他们借钱投资，以及之后单纯因为他不喜欢活活拆散真爱并导致母亲死亡，甚至在母亲临终最后一面都不满足母亲见挚爱一面，非常冷酷无情）的人，约瑟夫·科顿扮演的丧偶的发明家尤金＆年轻的女儿露西，尤金是乔治妈妈伊莎贝尔的挚爱，如果不是因为意外（尤金不小心让伊莎贝尔出丑了她以为他不在乎自己）他们20年前就结婚了，当父亲威尔伯去世，因为外界流传母亲伊莎贝尔＆尤金的风言风语，George怨恨尤金Eugene，知道二人开始计划婚姻时乔治很生气，做出了破坏他们关系的计划，以牺牲他母亲的健康为代价，带着母亲伊莎贝尔世界旅游，同时他也失去了Lucy，Lucy爱他但不愿意把她的财富交给这个心胸狭窄的男人。这个故事并不特别但威尔斯用精湛的电影技术才华讲故事，他＆摄影师Stanley Cortez斯坦利.科尔特斯（摄影师当年奥斯卡凭借这个电影获得最佳摄影提名）精心创作了每个场景，摄影师科尔特斯Cortez对光影的运用非常娴熟，Welles＆Cortez串联某些场景的引子之一就是光线，在原版电影中巧妙地排列，但在重拍版本中灯光都很足很亮。安巴逊豪宅是好莱坞有史以来最昂贵最精致的布景之一，Welles没有坚持把每个房间布景在一个单独的舞台上的传统做法，而是没有天花板的几面墙，把豪宅的内部建得像真正的房子一样，有几面墙＆天花板＆好几个相邻的房间，让相机可以自由地从任何角度流畅运动拍摄，摄像头从一个点运动到另一个点，Welles使用很多不间断的运动镜头创造了一个真正的世界，他像缩微画家那样善于刻画细节，在画布上他能做到举重若轻、细致入微，比如在户外雪地里滑雪的场景中威尔斯没用好莱坞传统的方法——用玉米片代替雪，而是在洛杉矶一座冰屋拍摄，用成吨的人造雪覆盖地面，除了比好莱坞电影中更逼真的雪外，寒冷的气温让演员们的呼吸结霜，更增添一层真实感，威尔斯称其为“Currier & Ives”库里尔＆艾夫斯的场景，电影也获得了奥斯卡最佳室内布景艺术指导的提名（Currier & Ives是一家壁画版画公司，没有配备彩色光刻技术，印刷品由员工手工上色，尽管最终因为自动化和照片而过时，但 Currier & Ives 的版画成为 19 世纪美国政治历史的宝贵记录。价格便宜是流行的装饰品，尤其是冬季场景特别受欢迎，美国圣诞贺卡会用）。最重要的还在于他对时间、空间、光线的运用堪比魔法，再加上在戏剧化的巨大想象力、细致讲究的设计、电影拍摄的具体施行，比如使用重叠对话＆深焦摄影＆华丽的灯光＆持续运动的镜头＆跟拍镜头＆创新的升降镜头（在安巴逊豪宅里蜿蜒的长楼梯旁边，威尔斯的相机向上仰视或俯视或四周徘徊，大概有4个场景其中1个是重拍，类似《公民凯恩》的拍天花板镜头）＆光圈进出场景的开闭＆长镜头等overlapping dialogue＆deep focus cinematography＆magnificent lighting,＆fluid dolly＆truck shots＆innovative crane shots＆iris in-out openings and closing of scenes＆long takes etc反向剪裁等等电影技术带来微妙张力的观感享受，比如乔治回乡的圣诞舞会场景是电影摄影的经典。在选角时Welles避开了找大明星的传统做法，使用了从“水星剧团”的演员＆不当红的演员，主角乔治选择了RKO演员蒂姆·霍尔特holt，当时蒂姆·霍尔特是B级电影西部片中的演员，威尔斯选lucy 露西花费的时间也很长，Welles找到一位Anne Baxter巴克斯的年轻小明星，巴克斯在4年后她在《剃刀边缘》中扮演苏菲·麦克唐纳获得最佳女配角奖，1950年她在《关于夏娃》中扮演主角。尤金Euguene的扮演者Welles选择了老朋友兼水星剧院的合作者约瑟夫科顿Joseph Cotton，科顿正成为好莱坞的主角，他在电影里表现出巨大的魅力，扮演乔治的母亲伊莎贝尔是无声银幕明星多洛雷斯·科斯特洛，由于腐蚀性化妆导致脸上留下疤痕，她在这部电影后不久被迫退出电影行业。水星剧院的演员雷·柯林斯ray colins饰演乔治的叔叔杰克·安伯森，艾格尼丝·摩尔黑德Agnes Moorehead扮演乔治的姑姑菲妮，Moorehead完美诠释了姑姑的痛苦脆弱、操纵乔治去阻止尤金和伊丽莎白在一起而获得了奥斯卡最佳女配角的提名，具有讽刺意味的是Moorehead摩尔黑德的标志性场景，她哀叹Amberson家族命运的转变＆她无法再供养George，这是一个拼凑的场景，部分是原始镜头、部分是重拍，即使在后来重拍的没有威尔斯的镜头中，摩尔黑德的表现也脱颖而出。威尔斯在《公民凯恩》Citizen Kane的镜头后面花了很多时间，Welles在《伟大的安巴逊》只花了小部分时间，制作电影2年前他把剧本改编成广播剧自己担任乔治，他意识到自己并不适合乔治这个角色，听觉上威尔斯用伯纳德赫尔曼bernard herrmann的欧洲古典音乐（有些电影导演本身就是配乐大师，只不过他自己并不原创歌曲甚至不会写歌谱曲——我从不创作音乐，我只是音乐的搬运工。昆汀就是这样一朵奇葩，昆汀的音乐品位独特也几乎不使用原创音乐作为电影原声的导演，他曾在戛纳电影节说过虽然会和Ennio Morricone （《海上钢琴师》配乐）这样的配乐大师合作，但他不放心任何作曲家来配他电影的原声音乐，他收藏世界上最好的配乐，会通过音乐来创作剧本＆设计电影场景。任何一段好的配乐都是和剪辑＆画面结合。/好莱坞黄金时期：这一时期欧洲古典音乐涌入美国，为好莱坞电影带来浪漫派中后期华丽的交响乐，其中典型的有bernard herrmann为《公民凯恩》Citizen Kane配乐），以及自然主义希腊合唱的结合，巧妙构建了深度＆空旷的听觉体验，最引人注目还是威尔斯广播播音员风格的画外音，在序幕前10min中优美地娓娓道来电影背景＆社会的穿衣时尚（同时序幕里的黑色画面外围边缘带有柔焦、褪色、渐晕的效果，像褪色的旧照片，暗示了社会时间段），让自己参与到银幕前而不是被看到，甚至在《公民凯恩》也没有如此有效地利用戏剧性的画外音，在电影其余部分中只有极少数情况下才出现画外音。在电影除了大刀阔斧的剪辑外《伟大的安巴逊》最严重的缺点是重拍了最后1幕的结局，奥逊说这“不啻是毁掉了影片的整个心脏”，RKO的结尾是乔治回到物是人非的小镇上，镜头穿越在工业化的建筑物＆变迁的两旁街道风景中＆第1辆汽车的出镜，来取代Welles悲观的结局——尤金＆菲妮之间的对话结束故事，据看过的人说最初的版本的影响力远远超过电影中所有其他。《伟大的安巴逊》被认为是一部经典之作，特吕弗说“剪得支离破碎的杰作”，即使被删除了1/3以上的镜头“被割草机割过的”仍然让人惊讶，并获得了4项奥斯卡提名，包括最佳影片提名。在这部电影失败后的4年时间，Welles才被信任导演另一部电影《陌生人》the stranger 1946，尽管他继续导演了许多电影但都不能挽救他在《安巴逊》留下的创伤，另外一部备受瞩目的电影，类似的争端还有特瑞·吉列姆Terry Gilliam导演的《妙想天开》Brazil1985遭受和《伟大的安巴逊》相同的侮辱，导演Terry Gilliam和环球公司发行商展开了导演最终剪辑权，发行了两个不同结尾的电影。埃里希·冯·施特罗海姆的《贪婪 》1924＆奥逊威尔斯的《上海女人》1948、《邪恶之触》1958＆约翰·休斯顿的《红色勇气徽章》1951。/影片结尾的演职人员由Orson Welles 的画外音朗诵，而不是写在屏幕上，画面上是电影摄影机之类的东西，当他说“摄影总监”时，一双手在电影录音机器上转动旋钮。/乔治和母亲伊丽莎白对话时，乔治的睡袍是中国旗袍式的领襟。/我现在是在法庭上当被告吗？/

Orson Welles声称这是唯一一部它看过第二遍的自己拍的电影，也就是说这是它自己的“最爱”了。
但我并不认为这是他最好的作品， 这主要还是因为那个其实是被愚蠢的制片方硬梆梆嫁接上去的“大团圆”结局。（据说这还是原著小说的结尾！？）
在我所看过的Orson Welles的所有作品中，它是唯一一部,没有使用很多让人目眩神迷的“交叉蒙太奇”的电影，比前者更难得的是，它居然是一部以感情戏为主的电影！
细腻，温润的让人感觉快要让人认不出来是（Orson Welles的电影了）。
整部影片的（主线）基本上就是详述一个被惯坏的富家子弟大半辈子的人生（心路）历程。扮演“富家子”的Tim Holt在这部电影展现了天才般的演技，他是这部电影的灵魂！（甚至可以说，比导演本人更重要）。

Eugene Morgan是一个英俊狂野的年轻人。他追求一个上流家庭出身的姑娘Isabel Amberson, 但她却嫁给了Wilbur Minafer，一个稳重无趣的人。他们的独生子George十分受宠。几年后，Eugene成为了一个成功的汽车生产商，妻子去世了，又回到了故乡。这时Wilbur已经去世，于是Eugene又向Isabel求婚，这一回她答应了。但是George却很讨厌Eugene，他和他的姑姑Fanny一起阻止这段恋情，却带来了意料之外的灾难，George也得到报应。

《伟大的安巴逊》 The Magnificent Ambersons 年代：1942年 / 国家：美国 / 导演：奥森·威尔斯 / 主演:：约瑟夫·科顿、提姆·霍尔特、多洛雷斯·卡斯特洛

1、大师最憋屈的一部作品！
《伟大的安巴逊》是奥森·威尔斯执导的第二部作品。他的处女作《公民凯恩》如今被奉为现代电影的开山之作，但是当年票房惨淡，口碑平平，仅回了成本，这使得他接下来的导演生涯举步维艰。在《伟大的安巴逊》拍摄期间，由于摄影师过于苛求细节，工作进度十分缓慢，预算大大超支。当雷电华公司看到威尔斯初剪出131分钟的时长后，再联想到他先前《公民凯恩》失利的“劣迹”，就索性直接剥夺了他的剪辑权，将片子砍掉了40分钟。威尔斯一怒之下跟剪辑师罗伯特·怀斯绝交。影片虽然获得了奥斯卡四项提名，但超过100万的投资最终还是亏损了60多万。

2、原来是个残次品！
雷电华这边痛下剪刀手时，远在巴西拍片的威尔斯只能干着急。当时电影公司也没有保留备案的习惯，那些剪掉的镜头就直接被扔到垃圾桶，使得后人再也无法看到电影的原貌。威尔斯深感痛惜，说道：“如果保持电影的原样，这部电影肯定要比《公民凯恩》好得多。”片中的确有很多故事情节比较难懂，特别是影片的结尾令人摸不着头脑：尤金对着泪流满面的法妮姑妈说：“我还忠诚于爱情的。”这到底说明了什么呢？2002年，阿方索·阿雷奥采用威尔斯的原版剧本重拍了《伟大的安巴逊》，但味道早已变了。



亮点1
第16分钟，露西和乔治在舞会上交谈，当她询问乔治以后想做什么工作时，乔治略顿了一下，回答：“游艇驾驶员。”露西面露惊讶的表情，而此时舞会的背景音乐正巧到达一个高潮，两人放下分歧共同迈开舞步进入人群，摄影和运动配合得恰到好处，像是对谈内容的戏谑的余音，可见威尔斯对于声音的运用相当富有层次和技巧。



亮点2
第51分钟，奥森·威尔斯擅长运用长镜头的场面调度凸显空间感。比如这个场景中，镜头先对准了门厅，然后向上摇，摇到了2楼的乔治，接着又向上摇到3楼的姑妈。乔治和姑妈分别同时下楼，镜头跟随乔治往楼下移动，大仰角变成了平视角度，摄影机通过这一个镜头就充分展现了楼梯的现场空间，有一种舞台化的感觉。


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【本文首发于《虹膜》公众号】

原标题：Loving the Ruins; or, DoesThe Magnificent AmbersonsExist?

作者：Jonathan Lethem

译者：覃天

校对：易二三

来源：《标准收藏》（2018年11月26日）

「加一减一等于零，所以你的意思是说我并无特点吗？」——伊莎贝尔

「我确确实实记得你。」——乔治

「乔治，原来在之前的生活里，你从来没有认识过我。」——尤金

上世纪80年代初的某个夜晚，影评人保罗·尼尔森为《伟大的安巴逊》录制了一个解说视频，在深夜的电视节目中向观众介绍了这部影片。我被荧幕上的影像深深地吸引了。这到底是怎么回事？我的朋友沉迷于那些长期以来被观众忽视的、受损的电影。他推荐我去看未经剪辑、更长版本影片，例如霍华德·霍克斯的《红河》和《烽火弥天》；坚持让我理解迈克尔·西米诺的《天堂之门》是荒谬的，这种共识本身就是荒谬的；执意让我看那些弗里茨·朗还未修复的《人之欲》和《蓝色栀子》。在保罗·尼尔森看来，奥逊·威尔斯是最神圣的一位电影人，然而彼时嘈杂的电影环境却影响着他的崇敬之情，电视里上演的是屠杀、主人公受挫和抢劫故事，而奥逊·威尔斯却创造出了一个独特的梦境。

最终，我们通过录像带回溯了威尔斯那些熠熠生辉的作品——《阿卡丁先生》《历劫佳人》《一切皆真》（暂译，It’s All True）《麦克白》和《不朽故事》，通过修复，它们的魅力被重新展现在观众面前。（当我在写这篇文章的时候，奥逊·威尔斯的遗作《风的另一边》经过修复后，即将上映。）在众多作品中，只有《伟大的安巴逊》——也许是威尔斯最伟大的一部作品——像一座黑暗中的高楼，从未被修复过。

《伟大的安巴逊》的主题为何会在观众心中激起如此深刻的苦楚？重看此片不仅是为了目睹其精巧结构的步步坍塌，它也反映了安巴逊家族可笑的神话及其脆弱面，他们追求的美国梦不过是一个幻象。世间残留美好的事物注定会被秃鹰叼走，而这些「秃鹰」可能就是我们自己。观看影片的过程也就成为了观众幻想过去的一种途径。开头主角提到，现在已经开始时兴「没有马的马车」——现代化的汽车，这么一看，安巴逊家族在昔日辉煌世界中的所谓贵族地位，难道不可悲吗？商业化带来的平等主义不也意味着要把他们扫入时代的故纸堆里吗？我们想从这样一个悲凉的故事中看到什么呢？正如尤金所说：「逝去的并不是一个年迈的时代，而是一个早已死去的时代。没有任何时代，只有新的时代。」

《伟大的安巴逊》既身处在一个死去的时代，又似乎从中抽离。中断剧情的场景变得越来越多，直到它们显得有些失真。制片厂最终还是替换了不少影片中的场景，似乎是为了稳定电影的美学基调。在好莱坞电影中，我们每次都看着一个活生生的人变成鬼魂；我们看着鬼魂穿过豪宅的各个房间，走向一扇打开的窗户；我们以为至少可以看到鬼魂离开房间，并哀悼它的无形。但是并没有，观众总是看到一半就能猜到结局，太快了，以至于让人无法接受；鬼魂们甚至还没走到窗前就已经消失了。但《伟大的安巴逊》却并非如此，它的独特性让它区别于那些固化的古典好莱坞作品。

好莱坞电影浮华的「废墟」永远吸引着人们的目光。《伟大的安巴逊》的前九分钟似乎都在为这幅古典绘画勾勒线条，其中充满了诱人、尖酸刻薄的叙述，以及群像的表演（这得益于阿格妮丝·摩尔海德、约瑟夫·科顿以及理查德·本内特等人的演绎）。所有这些似乎都是对美国社会光辉过去的一种回望。在第九分钟的时候，随着安倍逊家族大门的打开，一阵寒风吹过，我们发现自己陷入了更深、更不安的困境。旁白消失了，一场「伟大的、记忆中的舞蹈」缓缓展开。我们跟随着奥逊·威尔斯的摄影机，沉浸在自己的感知中，被层层对话所迷惑。威尔斯似乎就在我们耳边轻声说道：「你想和我一起回到过去吗？」我们不仅进入到了一个过去的世界，还开始了一次对美国黄金时代集体心理学的研究。我们徜徉在威尔斯的叙述中，既失忆又怀旧。

影片中伟大的舞厅场景（被中间的几分钟打断，但不是致命的）通过讽刺性的旋律层层递进，直到它的节奏逐渐加强，我们和角色一起登上楼梯，进入不断升级的黑暗氛围中。我们现在陷入了乔治愚蠢的行为中，每当范妮的狂躁症发作，她就会尖叫。她的神经质，在这一幕和之后奶油蛋糕的场景中，甚至包括之后的美国影片中，都前所未有的。（当然，《公民凯恩》中的一切也没有让观众做好准备。）多年后约翰·卡萨维茨的《面孔》中才出现了这样的角色。

通过反复观看影片，我们知道乔治和芬妮是影片的主要人物。这是一个依靠着「享有特权的弱者」的报复行为所驱动的世界。影片的象征性显得有些无情，即使这些人物在努力挽回他们对环境的洞察力：在晚餐聚会的争论中，尤金悄悄地把他的愤怒发泄在画面底端的汤勺上，同时平静地承认，汽车的发明可能是人类文明的一场灾难。还有哪位导演能像奥逊·威尔斯一样在《伟大的安巴逊》中那样对这些角色又爱又恨？他像库布里克一样「摧毁」着他们，又像让·雷诺阿一样崇拜他们。

《伟大的安巴逊》让我们无处安身。我们无法怀念这种等级森严、趾高气扬、自封的贵族制度，也不能忍受现代化的生活对过往生活的摧毁。我们和乔治以及范妮分享着相同的心境。尤其是范妮，这个被生活压垮的「怪物」。她无法得到尤金，沉浸在自己的过去。然而，她也无法忍受自己破坏了尤金和伊莎贝尔的关系，她让乔治和自己一起，把假正经和偏执的愤怒作为武器对付其他人。难怪《伟大的安巴逊》在洛杉矶举行试映会时，许多观众忍受不了这部作品。我想完整、修复过的《伟大的安巴逊》可能会「毁」了我们所有人。

文章来源：//www.criterion.com/current/posts/6065-loving-the-ruins-or-does-the-magnificent-ambersons-exist