如果說去年的娛樂圈盛行“奧斯丁熱”,那么2008則很可能會變成“勃朗特姐妹年”。全新的電影版《簡·愛》及《呼嘯山莊》都將于今年投入制作。紛紛嚷嚷的傳言中,當屬愛倫·佩基可能成為新一代簡·愛的消息最吸引眼球了——“朱諾”真的能當好我們熟悉的那個家庭女教師嗎?
The net has witnessed heated debates since BBC Films announced an adaptation of Charlotte Bronteuml;’s Jane Eyre and attached Page to play one of the most famous heroines in the history of English literature. This love story between the governess[家庭女教師] and her employer is so classic and enduring[不朽的] that it’s
usually too hard for filmmakers and audiences to
resist; and they rarely have. It is said that there have been at least 20 TV or film versions made, and BBC just did a TV adaptation in 2006. The last big-screen version appeared in 1996 – Charlotte Gainsborough starred and Franco
Zeffirelli directed. The most
famous one, though, is the 1944 version, starring Joan Fontaine as Jane and Orson Welles as Mr. Rochester. It’s agreeably
Gothic[哥特式風格的]; it’s very
dramatic[戲劇性的]; it does the job quite well.
See? This could be an
interesting casting decision.
On the one hand, I can see Page physically in the role – she looks very like Jane in the ancient hardcover[精裝的] edition I inherited[繼承] from my great-grandmother. And she’s certainly proven that she has the acting skills to take on a
serious role.
On the other hand, she’s become
so identified with[視……為一體] teenage
roles, such as Juno, that it may be a bit hard to wash the modern, smart-mouthed
teen out of our impressions. I’ve
just got this bizarre[怪異的] mental picture of Page saying, “Yo, Mr. Rochester? Can you hang on a minute? I’m on my hamburger phone注...” I’m
kidding. Maybe Page is taking on Jane because
she doesn’t want to get stereotyped[模式化], which could be quite a good move.
But this new Jane could make casting Rochester tricky[棘手的]. You need someone who’s
got the Gothic handsomeness, plus the world-
weariness[厭世的憤世嫉俗] the role calls for, but it also has to be someone who won’t look like a child molester[猥褻者] next to Page. See what I mean? Chemistry[感情關系] is really important here.
Now, what do you think?
Pros
Michele: Ellen Page is perfect for this part.
Being the regular little spitfire[烈性子]
that she is, she could completely handle the character’s passion. And with her role in Juno, she’s convinced most of the globe that she’s more than able for anything.
Jenny: It’s a big step for Page. She has usually played those wiser-than-her-years-type characters, so having her play a mousy[毫不起眼的], 19th-century governess will be a great challenge. And if she can nail[(俚)抓住] this role, she is likely to have a wider variety of roles in the future.
Kate: I think Ellen is good. She is cute, but she isn’t extraordinarily beautiful, which works because Jane Eyre is
described as being plain[平凡的] in
appearance in the book. Ellen is also good with sharp dialogue, so I believe she can handle Jane’s entertaining
exchanges[交流] with Rochester really well.
Cons
Elizabeth: I’m pretty sure we will find this new movie super-familiar. The novel has
already been made into a film or TV series 20 times. TWENTY TIMES! Do we seriously
need another one of these things?
Puck: Most producers just keep stealing Bronteuml;’s material and making lame love
stories out of it, essentially ignoring the larger themes and dense[密集的] threading[主線]. Page is all right for many roles, but when it comes to thinking of her in a Bronteuml; adaptation, what a chuckle[咯咯笑] I get…
Liz: Are they going to have her do a
British accent? Some actors are quite good at accents but others aren’t, so for me that would be the biggest concern.
BBC電影公司宣布他們將改編夏洛蒂·勃朗特的《簡·愛》,該公司還找到愛倫·佩基,希望后者飾演英語文學史上最有名的女主人公之一,這個消息讓網民議論紛紛。這位家庭女教師和雇主之間的愛情故事如此經典難忘,電影人和觀眾往往都難以抗拒它的魅力;他們對此無任歡迎。據說小說已被改編成電影或電視劇不下20次,BBC在2006年才拍了一部改編電視劇。前一個大銀幕版本出現在1996年——當時由夏洛特·甘斯布主演,
佛朗哥·澤菲雷里執導。而最著名的改編電影則是1944年版,瓊·芳登飾演簡·愛,奧遜·威爾斯飾演羅切斯特先生。那部片子洋溢著怡人的哥特風,極具戲劇性,深得原著神韻。
明白了吧?這次的選角也許會很有意思。
一方面,佩基在形象上很符合角色——她外形非常像曾祖母傳給我的那本舊精裝版里的
簡·愛。她本人也向世人證明了自己的演技足以擔當嚴肅的角色。
但另一方面,她和朱諾這樣的青少年角色簡直融為一體了,要將我們印象中那個伶牙俐齒的摩登少女抹去可不太容易。