《聖誕頌歌》是由羅伯特·澤米吉斯執導,金·凱瑞、加裡·奧德曼、科林·費斯主演的奇幻家庭電影,於2009年11月6日在美國上映。該片根據查爾斯·狄更斯經典短篇小說《聖誕頌歌》(A Christmas Carol, 1843)改編,講述了刻薄冷酷的埃比尼澤·斯克魯奇在聖誕節遭遇了各種驚奇事件,讓他從一個守財奴轉變為慈善家的故事。
性情刻薄、冷酷的守財奴埃比尼澤·斯克魯奇面對溫暖的聖誕節,表現出討厭周遭的一切慶祝活動。聖誕臨近,他仍在想盡辦法去剝削他那忠誠老實的僱員鮑勃·克萊切特,以及他的侄子弗萊德。埃比尼澤本來就無心享受假期,只想像平常那樣獨自一個人待在家裡。埃比尼澤夢見剛逝去的合伙人約瑟夫·馬利的鬼魂,約瑟夫告訴埃比尼澤,在他之後還會有三個幽靈來拜訪他。很快,這三個分別被稱為聖誕節的"過去之靈"、"現在之靈"和"未來之靈"的鬼魂就找到了他,喚醒了他人性的另一面。
「過去之靈」看起來就像是一團耀眼的火焰,帶著埃比尼澤一起回到了過去的一些重要時刻,讓埃比尼澤看到了年輕時的自己,給埃比尼澤帶來非常深刻的影響(人之初,性本善;要不忘初心啊)。在孤單寂寞的童年生活中,他的姐姐對他倍加關愛的情景,以及他當學徒時,仁慈善良的老闆菲茨威格在聖誕之夜和大家一起開心跳舞,款待員工。他的心開始被軟化,後悔自己對待僱員的態度,也對自己從一個貧窮卻快樂的年輕人變成一個富有卻失去親情的老闆感到懊悔。"現在之靈"是穿著長袍的快樂的巨人,他為了展示埃比尼澤現在過的是一種什麼樣的生活,他們一起去了員工鮑勃的家裡,目睹了困境中的鮑勃一家人的聖誕聚會。鮑勃是一個拿著可憐薪水的小職員,沒有聖誕禮物,沒有火雞,可每位家人的臉上都洋溢著幸福的微笑。"未來之靈"看起來更像是一片幻像,將埃比尼澤帶到了未來。他看到在他衰老之後病臥在床, 連聖誕節也沒有親人朋友來看望的孤苦景象。當埃比尼澤離開人世的時候,身邊卻沒有人露出悲傷的神情,只是在討論如何瓜分他的財產。埃比尼澤·斯克魯奇開始重新思考生活的意義,才發現原來施與比接受更快樂。這一切漸漸喚醒他人性的另一面——同情、仁慈、愛心及喜悅。瞬間,他的自私及冷酷迅速崩塌,消失殆盡,從此變成了一個樂善好施的人。於是在鬼魂拜訪過的第二天早上,也就是聖誕節的早晨,儘管僱員鮑勃上班遲到了,他不但沒生氣的,還對鮑勃說:「我的好夥計,祝你聖誕快樂!我要給你加薪,而且還要盡力去幫助你貧困的家庭。快點把火生著,再去買一個煤筐。」接著他又買了一隻特別大的火雞叫人給鮑勃家送去。隨後,他第一次去拜訪了自己的外甥,在街上逢人便招呼道「聖誕快樂」,而人們也都報以和善的微笑。斯克魯奇平生第一次感到了真正的快樂。「他的心在笑」,從樂善好施中他真正體會到了生命的樂趣。
該片是迪士尼公司第一部以IMAX 3D方式發行的影片。3D技術、動態捕捉技術和IMAX格式等元素,讓該片成為了一部技術派的電影。該片有著極為豐富的鏡頭表現力,大動態的畫面呈現也頗多,在3D觀看模式中有著很強烈的視覺衝擊該片是導演羅伯特·澤米吉斯繼電影《極地特快》和《貝奧武夫》後,第三次使用"表演捕捉"技術。3D效果下四周漂浮的鬼魂和過山車一般的特效帶來持久的刺激。英國倫敦的牛津街和攝政街在2009年的聖誕舉行以狄更斯為主題的紀念活動,為了配合當地的活動,該片的首映式特別安排在了倫敦。金·凱瑞為演好角色,觀察了很多老年人的行動的姿勢,歸納出來一套特別的表演方法。作家狄更斯:
狄更斯(1812—1870),繼莎士比亞之後對於世界文學影響最大的作家之一。其高超的、富有節奏感的敘事方式,生動記錄社會現實(英國維多利亞時代)的能力以及作品中積極倡導的人道主義精神,都是狄更斯的標誌性特色。代表作包括《匹克威克外傳》(1837)、《霧都孤兒》(又名《奧列弗·特維斯特》1838)、《老古玩店》(1841)、《馬丁·瞿述偉》(1844)、《大衛·科波菲爾》(1850)、《艱難時世》(1854)、《雙城記》(1859)、《遠大前程》(1861)等。
從1843年到1848年間,狄更斯幾乎在每年聖誕節都發表一個與節日有關的中篇小說,《聖誕頌歌》(A Christmas Carol ),《鐘聲》(The Chimes ) 和《爐邊的窸蟀》(The Cricket on the Hearth)。被稱為狄更斯的聖誕三部曲。其中《聖誕頌歌》具有極其特殊的地位。在《聖誕頌歌》出版的維多利亞時代,聖誕節並不為很多英國人所知。然而,書中的情節和人物在西方家喻戶曉後,故事中的一些情節成了聖誕節的約定風俗,諸如家庭團聚、互換禮物、聖誕餐飲。一百多年來積聚的「人氣」使其成為狄更斯的小說中最深入人心的一部。文學評論家認為,《聖誕頌歌》的發表是狄更斯的創作生涯中的重大轉折點;而社會學家則相信,這部作品深刻地改變了現代聖誕節在西方世界的地位和價值,甚至「聖誕快樂」(Merry Christmas!)的說法也是由此而得以流行的,狄更斯本人也因此被稱為「發明聖誕節」的人。
狄更斯不工詩,不談玄,只是把小說的根基簡簡單單、扎紮實實地植於人性的大悲大喜、大是大非中:對善的無盡潛力始終抱定信心,對惡的危害也瞭然於胸。狄更斯的作品是呈現給大眾的。
Plot
In 1843, on Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old moneylender at a London counting house, does not share the merriment of Christmas. He declines his cheerful nephew Fred's invitation to a Christmas dinner party, and rejects two gentlemen's offer to collect money for charity. His loyal employee Bob Cratchit asks Scrooge to allow him to have a day off on Christmas Day to spend time with his family, to which Scrooge reluctantly agrees before leaving. In his house, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his deceased business partner Jacob Marley, who warns him to repent his wicked ways or he will be condemned in the afterlife like he was, carrying heavy chains forged from his own greediness. Jacob informs Scrooge that he will be haunted by three spirits, who will guide him out of his misery.
First, Scrooge is visited by the candle-like Ghost of Christmas Past, who takes him back in time to his childhood and early adult life. They visit Scrooge's boarding school and Scrooge sees his sister Fan, who became the mother of Fred. Scrooge later begins a successful career in business and money lending as an employee under Fezziwig, and he becomes engaged to a woman named Belle. However, the Ghost shows Scrooge how Belle left him when he became obsessed with wealth. A devastated Scrooge extinguishes the spirit with its candle snuffer cap.
Next, Scrooge meets the merry Ghost of Christmas Present, who shows him the joys and wonder of Christmas Day. Scrooge and the Ghost visit Bob's house, learning his family is content with their small dinner. All the while, Scrooge starts to take pity on Bob's ill son Tiny Tim. The Ghost abruptly ages, commenting that Tiny Tim will likely not survive until next Christmas. The Ghost warns Scrooge about the evils of "Ignorance" and "Want"; Big Ben begins tolling midnight as "Ignorance" and "Want" manifest themselves before Scrooge as two wretched children who grow into violent, insane individuals, leaving the spirit withering away, dying at length when midnight strikes.
Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come arrives, appearing as a dark shadow, and takes Scrooge into the future. He witnesses a group of businessmen discussing the death of an unnamed colleague; saying they would only attend the funeral if lunch is provided; Scrooge recognizes his charwoman Mrs. Dilber selling the stolen possessions of the deceased. Shortly afterwards, Scrooge sees the aforementioned colleague's body on a bed, followed by a vision of a family who is relieved that he is dead, as they have more time to pay off their debt. The spirit transports Scrooge to Bob's residence, discovering that Tiny Tim has died. Scrooge is then escorted to a cemetery, where the Ghost points out his own grave, revealing Scrooge as the man who died. Scrooge decides to change his ways just as the Ghost forces him to fall into his empty coffin lying in a deep grave that sits above the fires of Hell.
Waking up in his own room on Christmas Day, with love and happiness in his heart, a gleeful Scrooge decides to surprise Bob's family with a turkey dinner, and ventures out with the charity workers and the citizens of London to spread happiness in the city, and later attends his nephew's annual Christmas dinner, where he is warmly welcomed. The following day, he gives Cratchit a raise and becomes a father figure to Tiny Tim, who escapes death. A changed man, Scrooge now treats everyone with kindness, generosity, and compassion; he now embodies the spirit of Christmas.
狄更斯小說A Christmas Carol介紹:
A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. A Christmas Carol recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols and newer customs such as Christmas trees. He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several establishments for London's street children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a selfish man to redeem himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this was a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory.
Published on 19 December, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve; by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Most critics reviewed the novella favourably. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844; Dickens took legal action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, further reducing Dickens's small profits from the publication. He went on to write four other Christmas stories in subsequent years. In 1849 he began public readings of the story which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been translated into several languages; the story has been adapted many times for film, stage, opera and other media.
A Christmas Carol captured the zeitgeist of the mid-Victorian revival of the Christmas holiday. Dickens had acknowledged the influence of the modern Western observance of Christmas and later inspired several aspects of Christmas, including family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games and a festive generosity of spirit.
The book is divided into five chapters, which Dickens titled "staves".
Stave one:
A Christmas Carol opens on a bleak, cold Christmas Eve in London, seven years after the death of Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley. Scrooge, an ageing miser, dislikes Christmas and refuses a dinner invitation from his nephew Fred—the son of Fan, Scrooge's dead sister. He turns away two men who seek a donation from him to provide food and heating for the poor and only grudgingly allows his overworked, underpaid clerk, Bob Cratchit, Christmas Day off with pay to conform to the social custom.
That night Scrooge is visited at home by Marley's ghost, who wanders the Earth entwined by heavy chains and money boxes forged during a lifetime of greed and selfishness. Marley tells Scrooge that he has a single chance to avoid the same fate: he will be visited by three spirits and must listen or be cursed to carry much heavier chains of his own.
Stave two:
The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes of Scrooge's boyhood, reminding him of a time when he was more innocent. The scenes reveal Scrooge's lonely childhood at boarding school, his relationship with his beloved sister Fan, and a Christmas party hosted by his first employer, Mr Fezziwig, who treated him like a son. Scrooge's neglected fiancée Belle is shown ending their relationship, as she realises that he will never love her as much as he loves money. Finally, they visit a now-married Belle with her large, happy family on the Christmas Eve that Marley died. Scrooge, upset by hearing Belle's description of the man that he has become, demands that the ghost remove him from the house.
Stave three:
The second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to a joyous market with people buying the makings of Christmas dinner and to celebrations of Christmas in a miner's cottage and in a lighthouse. Scrooge and the ghost also visit Fred's Christmas party. A major part of this stave is taken up with Bob Cratchit's family feast and introduces his youngest son, Tiny Tim, a happy boy who is seriously ill. The spirit informs Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die unless the course of events changes. Before disappearing, the spirit shows Scrooge two hideous, emaciated children named Ignorance and Want. He tells Scrooge to beware the former above all and mocks Scrooge's concern for their welfare.
Stave four:
Black and white drawing of Scrooge and Bob Cratchit having a drink in front of a large fire. The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shows Scrooge a Christmas Day in the future. The silent ghost reveals scenes involving the death of a disliked man whose funeral is attended by local businessmen only on condition that lunch is provided. His charwoman, laundress and the local undertaker steal his possessions to sell to a fence. When he asks the spirit to show a single person who feels emotion over his death, he is only given the pleasure of a poor couple who rejoice that his death gives them more time to put their finances in order. When Scrooge asks to see tenderness connected with any death, the ghost shows him Bob Cratchit and his family mourning the death of Tiny Tim. The ghost then allows Scrooge to see a neglected grave, with a tombstone bearing Scrooge's name. Sobbing, Scrooge pledges to change his ways
Stave five:
Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning a changed man. He makes a large donation to the charity he rejected the day before, anonymously sends a large turkey to the Cratchit home for Christmas dinner and spends the afternoon with Fred's family. The following day he gives Cratchit an increase in pay and begins to become a father figure to Tiny Tim. From then on Scrooge treats everyone with kindness, generosity and compassion, embodying the spirit of Christmas.
Social influences:
Dickens was touched by the lot of poor children in the middle decades of the 19th century. In early 1843 he toured the Cornish tin mines, where he was angered by seeing children working in appalling conditions. The suffering he witnessed there was reinforced by a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several London schools set up for the education of the capital's half-starved, illiterate street children.
In February 1843 the Second Report of the Children's Employment Commission was published. It was a parliamentary report exposing the effects of the Industrial Revolution upon working class children. Horrified by what he read, Dickens planned to publish an inexpensive political pamphlet tentatively titled, An Appeal to the People of England, on behalf of the Poor Man's Child, but changed his mind, deferring the pamphlet's production until the end of the year. In March he wrote to Dr Southwood Smith, one of the four commissioners responsible for the Second Report, about his change in plans: "you will certainly feel that a Sledge hammer has come down with twenty times the force—twenty thousand times the force—I could exert by following out my first idea".
In a fundraising speech on 5 October 1843 at the Manchester Athenaeum, Dickens urged workers and employers to join together to combat ignorance with educational reform, and realised in the days following that the most effective way to reach the broadest segment of the population with his social concerns about poverty and injustice was to write a deeply felt Christmas narrative rather than polemical pamphlets and essays.