一百多年以來,Lewis Carroll筆下那個天真可愛卻又充滿冒險精神的Alice一直是影視導(dǎo)演們的寵兒,以她為主角的影視版本多達28個??梢哉f,Alice的奇境是觀眾心中永不褪色的童年。
2010年上映的《愛麗絲奇境漫游記》(Alice in Wonderland 〔3〕)實際上是原著故事的續(xù)集。這一次,還是那只拿著懷表的紅眼睛白兔White Rabbit,還是那個深不見底的兔子洞,還是那扇15英寸的小門,19歲的Alice故地重游時,卻只道是在夢境!十幾年來,Alice每晚都在夢中見到的那些人和物,似曾相識,卻又那么怪異陌生。好萊塢怪才導(dǎo)演Tim Burton一改往日的黑暗哥特風(fēng)格,將Underland色彩綺麗地呈現(xiàn)在觀眾面前,讓Alice從這里走出了成長的迷失之地。
距第一次奇境之游13年后,19歲的Alice在母親的要求下參加了一個盛大的宴會。在這個宴會上,Alice受富商之子Hamish之邀一起跳舞。Alice仍然如童年時一樣充滿好奇心和想象力。
Alice: Hamish, do you ever get tired of quadrille〔4〕?
Hamish: On the contrary, I find it invigorating (使人精神充沛的).
[這時Alice突然笑出聲來,Hamish有些惱怒。]
Hamish: Do I amuse you?
Alice: No. I had a sudden vision of all the ladies in trousers and the men wearing dresses.
Hamish: It would be best to keep your visions to yourself. When in doubt, remain silent.
從Alice和Hamish的簡短對話中我們可以發(fā)現(xiàn),這是兩個屬于完全不同世界的人:Alice思維活躍,幽默風(fēng)趣,而Hamish呆滯木納,毫無生趣。而就是這樣的兩個年輕人,將被這個宴會拉攏在一起--在長輩們的安排下,Hamish要在這個宴會上向Alice求婚。由于長期養(yǎng)尊處優(yōu),習(xí)慣了生活在父母的庇護下,Alice失去了自我,沒有主見,聽不見自己內(nèi)心的聲音。在面對Hamish的求婚時,Alice背出了一大段長輩們告誡她的話,完全沒有自己的主意。
Hamish: Alice Kingsley, will you be my wife?
Alice: Well ... everyone expects me to, and, you are a Lord. My face won't last and I don't want to end up like.... But this is happening so quickly, I ... I think I ... [這時,Alice看見White Rabbit拿著嘀嗒作響的懷表經(jīng)過] I need a moment.
Alice在眾目睽睽下從求婚儀式上跑掉了。跟著那只若即若離的兔子,Alice如自己的夢境中那樣"down the rabbit-hole〔5〕"。在洞底,她喝下了那瓶寫有"DRINK ME"字樣的水,吃了那塊寫有"EAT ME"的點心,縮小變大又縮小后的她再次來到了小時候來過的奇境。
面對奇形怪狀的動植物,Alice不斷用"It's only a dream."來給自己壯膽。而這些以前的朋友也不再認識迷失的她了。大家不確定Alice是否就是以前那個Alice,于是帶著她前去咨詢Underland的智者--毛毛蟲Absolem。
Absolem: The question is ... who are you?
Alice: Alice.
Absolem: We shall see.
Alice: What do you mean by that? I ought to know who I am.
Absolem: Yes, you ought, stupid girl! Unroll (解開) the Oraculum (神諭).
White Rabbit: The Oraculum, being the calendrical (歷法的) compendium (一覽表) of Underland....
Alice: It's a calendar.
Absolem: Compendium. It tells of each and every day since the beginning.
White Rabbit: Today is Gribling Day〔6〕 in the time of the Red Queen.
Absolem: Show her the Frabjous Day〔7〕.
Tweedledum: Yes, Frabjous, being the day you'll slay (殺死) the Jabberwocky〔8〕.
Alice: Sorry? Slay the what?
Tweedledee: That being you there with the Vorpal Sword〔9〕.
Tweedledum: No other swords can kill the Jabberwocky. know how. If it ain't the Vorpal, it ain't dead.
Alice: That's not me.
Dormouse: I know!
White Rabbit: Resolve this for us, Absolem. Is she the right Alice?
Absolem: Not hardly〔10〕.
連睿智的毛毛蟲Absolem都對Alice是否還是十幾年前的那個小女孩產(chǎn)生了懷疑,表示了否定的態(tài)度。這也喻示Alice迷失了自我,失去了原本的勇敢、快樂和純真。從這段對話中,我們知道,在Underland,此時是紅王后Red Queen統(tǒng)治時期。同時,在預(yù)言黃歷中,我們還知道了這些朋友們派出White Rabbit尋找Alice的目的,就是要請她幫忙殺掉惡龍Jabberwocky,推翻Red Queen的統(tǒng)治,將統(tǒng)治權(quán)交回白王后White Queen手中。
一行人剛從毛毛蟲Absolem那里離開,就碰上了四處肆虐的紅騎士Red Knight?;鞈?zhàn)中,睡鼠Dormouse為了解救 Alice,刺瞎了大怪物 Bandersnatch的眼睛,取出了他的眼珠,暫時解除了危險??呻p胞胎Tweedledum和Tweedledee還是被Red Queen的Jubjub Bird〔11〕抓走了。
在叢林中獨自躑躅前行的Alice遇見了那只時隱時現(xiàn)、始終微笑的柴郡貓Cheshire Cat〔12〕。他幫Alice包扎好了傷口并帶她來到一張長桌前。桌上亂糟糟地擺滿了杯盤茶碟。長桌盡頭坐著一位戴帽子的紳士,此時他正低頭瞌睡,帽檐下露出雜亂的紅發(fā)。他被驚醒后抬起頭看見小小的Alice,立刻起身踏上長桌乒乒乓乓地走了過來。他就是瘋帽子Mad Hatter〔13〕。
Mad Hatter: It's you!
Dormouse: No, it's not. The twins brought us the wrong Alice.
March Hare〔14〕: It's the wrong Alice?
Mad Hatter: It's absolutely Alice. You're absolutely Alice. I'd know you anywhere. I'd know him2 anywhere! Well, as you can see, we're still having tea. And it's all because I was obliged (迫使) to kill time waiting for your return. You're terribly late, you know. Naughty! Well, anyway, time became quite offended and stopped all together. Not a tick ever since.
Alice: Time can be funny in dreams.
Mad Hatter: Yes, yes, of course, but now you're back, you see. And we need to get on to the Frabjous Day.
Dormouse & March Hare: Frabjous Day!
Mad Hatter: I've been investigating things that begin with the letter "M". Have you any idea why a raven (烏鴉) is like a writing desk?〔15〕
正當(dāng)Mad Hatter瘋癲卻又熱情地歡迎Alice的歸來時,Red Knight和一大幫紙牌兵的到來破壞了快樂的mad tea-party。Red Knight看到了預(yù)言黃歷,知道Alice將要殺掉Jabberwocky,于是進言Red Queen,Red Queen命他四處捉拿Alice。Mad Hatter趕緊給Alice喝下一瓶藥水,把Alice變小后藏進茶壺里,躲過一劫。Mad Hatter決定將Alice送到White Queen那里,安全地保護起來。
一路上,Mad Hatter跟Alice講起她將要做的事情,可是Alice仍然不愿意接受要去屠殺怪物Bandersnatch這個任務(wù)。因為Alice認為自己只是在夢境中,只要從夢境中醒來,一切都會消失,一切都與自己無關(guān)。Mad Hatter生氣地扔下她,責(zé)怪她冷漠無情,并激動地向Alice講述了暴虐的Red Queen命令 Red Knight奪走 White Queen王冠的過程,并提醒Alice注意Underland如今生靈涂炭的樣子。
此時,Red Knight再次追上了他們。為了讓Alice逃脫,Mad Hatter被Red Knight抓走了。Alice終于被Mad Hatter感動,決定先去Red Queen的王宮解救Mad Hatter。她恢復(fù)了兒時的勇敢和果斷,不顧大狗Bayard的勸說,執(zhí)意前行。
Bayard: The Frabjous Day is almost upon us. You must prepare to meet the Jabberwocky.
Alice: From the moment I fell down that rabbit-hole, I have been told what I must do and who I must be. I've been shrunk, stretched, scratched and stuffed into a teapot. I've been accused of being Alice and of not being Alice, but this is my dream. I'll decide where it goes from here!
Bayard: If you diverge (背道而馳) from the path....
Alice: I make the path!
Alice此時斬釘截鐵:"This is my dream!"正如在說"這是我的人生!我不要'be told',我不要'be accused',我就是我自己的主宰!"她要走出"被動態(tài)",找回自己!回想起影片開頭Alice在面對求婚時的猶豫不決,我們已能感覺到Alice心中本我的回歸。
為解救Mad Hatter,Alice闖入了Red Queen的槌球場。Alice因為多吃了White Rabbit給的蛋糕,變成了巨人,Red Queen竟然將她當(dāng)作寵物收容下來。Mad Hatter為了拖延時間,努力贏得了Red Queen的信任,主動提議為她做一頂帽子。在Mad Hatter的指引下,Alice找到了被怪物Bandersnatch看守的Vorpal Sword。她將睡鼠Dormouse取走的眼睛還給了Bandersnatch,Bandersnatch知恩圖報,不但將裝有Vorpal Sword的寶箱鑰匙交給她,還從紙牌兵的包圍圈中救出了Alice。
Alice和等在Red Queen王宮外面的大狗Bayard一起來到了White Queen的王宮,將本屬于White Queen的Vorpal Sword還給了她。White Queen給Alice配制了縮小藥水,將她恢復(fù)到正常高度。這時,White Queen告訴Alice有人要見她。
Alice: Absolem?
Absolem: Who are you?
Alice: I thought we'd settled this. I'm Alice, but not that one.
Absolem: How do you know?
Alice: You've said so yourself.
Absolem: I said you were not hardly Alice, but you are much more her now. In fact, you are almost Alice.
Alice: Even so, I could not slay the Jabberwocky if my life depended on it.
Absolem: It will. So I suggest you keep the Vorpal Sword on the hand when the Frabjous Day arrives.
Alice: You seem so real. Sometimes I forget that this is all a dream.
此時Alice仍然認為自己是在夢境中,但如此真實的夢境,讓Alice不免有些疑惑:難道真的要面對Jabberwocky,親手殺掉這條惡龍?
另一方面,Alice的逃走暴露了她的身份,惹怒了 Red Queen,她當(dāng)即決定"off with the Mad Hatter's head"。所幸的是,Cheshire Cat化作Mad Hatter替他受了刑。Cheshire Cat是不會被砍頭砍死的,他和Mad Hatter大鬧刑場,帶著睡鼠Dormouse逃了出來。
月夜,純白的王宮,決斗的空氣在Underland漫延,而勇士Alice卻仍在猶豫。Alice躲起來哭泣,遇見了正倒掛成繭的毛毛蟲Absolem。
Absolem: Nothing was ever accomplished with tears.
Alice: Absolem? Why are you upside down?
Absolem: I've come to the end of this life.
Alice: You're going to die?
Absolem: Transform.
Alice: Don't go. I need your help. I don't know what to do.
Absolem: I can't help if you don't even know who you are, stupid girl.
Alice: I'm not stupid! My name is Alice. I live in London. I have a mother named Helen and a sister named Margaret. My father was Charles Kingsley. He had a vision that stretched halfway around the world and nothing ever stopped him. I am his daughter. I'm Alice Kingsley.
Absolem: Alice ... at last!
不是die,是transform,生命是多么奇妙!毛毛蟲都要在丑陋的蟲繭里完成生命的蛻變,而Alice終于在Absolem的點撥下找回了自我。她勇敢地穿上盔甲,騎上Bandersnatch,戰(zhàn)勝了Jabberwocky,并砍下了這條惡龍的頭,幫助White Queen奪回了王位。盡管對Underland無限留戀,經(jīng)歷了蛻變的Alice不會再逃避現(xiàn)實,她深知自己的夢想和責(zé)任。Alice喝下幾滴Jabberwocky的血,從兔子洞回到了訂婚宴會上。全然不顧親友們目瞪口呆的表情,Alice大聲地對Hamish宣布:"I'm sorry, Hamish, I can't marry you. You're not the right man for me."
找回自我的Alice同時也找到了自己奮斗的方向:她向Hamish的父親建議開拓中國市場,獲得了老人的肯定。影片結(jié)尾,Alice站在駛往中國的大船上,一只美麗的蝴蝶飛上她的肩頭,她沒有忘記和他打聲招呼:"Hello, Absolem."對于19世紀的英國人來說,中國無疑是又一個充滿奇幻之物的Wonderland。在Tim Burton的安排下,Alice再一次踏上了她的奇境之旅。
2010年,Alice長大了,那么你呢?還躲在童年的幻境里嗎?