黑人男子喬治·弗洛伊德之死引發的全美反種族主義抗議活動持續,局勢緊張。
6月9日,華納傳媒旗下的HBO Max平臺將經典影片《亂世佳人》(Gone with the Wind)下架,原因是該電影「美化奴隸制」、「涉嫌種族歧視」。
HBO Max的發言人告訴Variety雜誌:
"'Gone With The Wind' is a product of its time and depicts some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that have, unfortunately, been commonplace in American society. These racist depictions were wrong then and are wrong today, and we felt that to keep this title up without an explanation and a denouncement of those depictions would be irresponsible."「《亂世佳人》是時代的產物,很遺憾地,它描述了一些在當時美國社會中司空見慣的民族和種族偏見。這些種族主義的描寫在當時是錯誤的,在今天也是錯誤的,我們認為,如果不對這些描寫作出解釋和譴責,保留這部影片是不負責任的。」
發言人表示,影片描述的內容與華納傳媒的價值觀相悖,這部影片重新上架時,會對其歷史背景進行討論,並譴責其中一些特定描述。
It will return with a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement of those very depictions.
但發言人也表示,HBO Max依然會按照影片最初的創作方式呈現該片,因為如果不這樣做,就等於宣稱這些偏見從未存在過。
If we are to create a more just, equitable and inclusive future, we must first acknowledge and understand our history.如果我們要創造一個更加公正、公平和包容的未來,我們必須首先承認和理解我們的歷史。
在影片被下架之前,電影《為奴十二年》(12 Years a Slave)的編劇約翰·萊德利(John Ridley)特別呼籲外界關注《亂世佳人》這部電影。
6月8日,他在《洛杉磯時報》發表了一篇專欄文章,要求HBO Max暫時下架《亂世佳人》,認為其延續了種族刻板印象、美化了南北戰爭前的南方地區(perpetuates racial stereotypes and glorifies the antebellum South)。
約翰·萊德利在文章中寫道:
It is a film that glorifies the antebellum south. It is a film that, when it is not ignoring the horrors of slavery, pauses only to perpetuate some of the most painful stereotypes of people of color.這是一部歌頌南北戰爭前的南方地區的電影。這部電影要麼在忽視奴隸制度的恐怖性,要麼就是在塑造有色人種最痛苦的刻板印象。antebellum /ntibelm/ :戰前歲月的;(尤指)美國內戰前的
ScreenRant網稱,不能確定萊德利的文章是否是HBO Max下架《亂世佳人》的原因,但似乎與此有關。近期「黑人的命也是命」(Black Lives Matter)的抗議活動,也可能在其中起到了關鍵作用。
《亂世佳人》的歷史爭議
《亂世佳人》於1939年首映,改編自瑪格麗特·米切爾(Margaret Mitchell)的小說《飄》,以美國南北戰爭為背景,講述了主人公斯嘉麗與白瑞德之間一段跌宕起伏的愛情故事。
該片獲得了包括最佳影片(best picture)在內的10項奧斯卡獎,其中,飾演女主奶媽的哈蒂·麥克丹尼爾(Hattie McDaniel)成為首位獲得奧斯卡獎的黑人。
Upon its release, 「Gone With the Wind」 broke theater attendance records and was the highest-grossing film of all time to that point. It still holds the record when adjusted for inflation. 《亂世佳人》上映後打破了影院的上座率紀錄,在當時成為有史以來票房最高的電影。即使通貨膨脹調整後,它仍然保持著這一紀錄。
1939年12月,紐約百老匯一家影院首映《亂世佳人》時的情形 圖源:美聯社
然而,儘管被認為是有史以來最偉大的電影之一,該片對奴隸制和黑人的刻畫一直以來飽受詬病。
Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell, it features slave characters who seem content with their lot and who remain loyal to their former owners after slavery's abolition.在這部根據瑪格麗特·米切爾的小說改編的電影中,有許多奴隸角色似乎甘心於自己的命運,且在廢奴後依舊對前奴隸主忠心耿耿。
1940年,放映這部電影的影院遭到了全國黑人國會(National Negro Congress)的譴責。評論家在黑人主流報紙《芝加哥捍衛者報》上寫道:「這是針對美國黑人的恐怖武器(a "weapon of terror against black America" )。」
評論稱,影片對於蓄奴制的美化,對於3K黨的善意,黑人角色類型的狹隘設置,以及「好好當奴隸才是黑人真正的命運歸宿」的理念貫穿全片。
爭議:是否該用當代標準評判歷史
《亂世佳人》被下架的新聞在網絡引發爭論,不少人質疑這一做法。
《好萊塢報導者》獎項專欄作家斯科特·范伯格發推說:
This is idiotic. We should learn from the past, not pretend it never existed.這太愚蠢了。我們應該從歷史中學習,而不是假裝它從未存在過。
《每日傳訊》的格雷格·普萊斯認為《亂世佳人》誕生了第一位黑人奧斯卡獎獲得者,這一歷史成就不該被抹殺:
Hattie McDaniel was the first African American actor to win an Oscar for her role in Gone With The Wind. It’s also her birthday tomorrow. Way to erase a historic black achievement in the name of social justice. 哈蒂·麥克丹尼爾憑藉《亂世佳人》中的角色成為第一位獲得奧斯卡獎的非裔美國演員。明天也是她的生日。這是以社會公正的名義抹殺黑人歷史性成就。
《華盛頓自由燈塔報》主編布倫特·謝爾警告說:
It really is necessary to buy hard copies of things... Soon everything digital will be modified beyond recognition or canceled altogether.真的有必要買硬拷貝的東西……很快,所有的數碼產品都會被修改得面目全非,或者乾脆全被下架。
還有網友舉一反三,諷刺道:「我們什麼時候燒毀《殺死一隻知更鳥》?」
BBC媒體編輯Amol Rajan評論稱,現在的討論已經不是一部電影的問題,而是我們是否應該用現代標準來評判歷史。
The issue at stake here isn't about one film. It's about a much broader issue of whether we judge history by modern standards, even while recognizing that what we consider to be modern standards are fluid, contested and will someday themselves be consigned to history.目前的關鍵問題不再局限於一部電影,而是一個更有廣度的問題,我們是否應該用現代標準來評判歷史,儘管我們都承認,所謂的現代標準也是流動變化的、充滿爭議的,且有一天也會淪為過時的歷史。
The Week雜誌的評論則改寫了《亂世佳人》中瑞德·巴特勒的一句話稱:
To paraphrase Rhett Butler, all the past can't be corrected. But we must do our best to try to learn from it.把瑞德·巴特勒的話換一種說法,不是所有過往都可糾正,但我們要盡力吸取教訓。
最後為大家附上《亂世佳人》中的經典臺詞雙語對照:
You're throwing away happiness with both hands. And reaching out for something that will never make you happy.你把自己的幸福拱手相讓,去追求一些根本不會讓你幸福的東西。
Land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for. Because it's the only thing that lasts.土地是世界上唯一值得你去為之工作,為之戰鬥,為之犧牲的東西,因為它是唯一永恆的東西。
I wish I could be more like you.我要像你一樣就好了。
Whatever comes, I'll love you, just as I do now. Until I die.無論發生什麼事,我都會像現在一樣愛你,直到永遠。
I think it's hard winning a war with words.我認為紙上談兵沒什麼作用。
I never give anything without expecting something in return. I always get paid.我做任何事不過是為了有所回報,我總要得到報酬。
In spite of you and me and the whole silly world going to pieces around us, I love you.哪怕是世界末日我都會愛著你。
If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill, as God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again!即使讓我撒謊,去偷,去騙,去殺人,上帝作證,我再也不要挨餓了。
Now I find myself in a world which for me is worse than death. A world in which there is no place for me.現在我發現自己活在一個比死還要痛苦的世界,一個無我容身之處的世界。
Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all, tomorrow is another day.家,我要回家。我要想辦法讓他回來。不管怎樣,明天又是全新的一天。
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文章轉載自公眾號中國日報雙語新聞