一直知道韵文很有表现力,但从来没有任何一篇韵文比这电影的唱词更让人明白韵文的力量。几个例子:
Look down, look down, don't look at them in the eye
Look down, look down, you're here until you die
At the end of the day you're another day older
and that's all you can see for the life of the poor
It's a struggle, it's a war
And there's nothing that anyone's giving
One more day standing about
What is it for
以及无比戳泪点的结尾——
Do you hear the people sing lost in the valley of the night
It is the music of a people who are climbing to the light
For the wretched of the earth, there is a flame that never dies
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise
Will live again in freedom in the garden of the Lord
We will walk behind the ploughshare, we will put away the sword
The chain will be broken and all men will have their reward
Will you join in our crusade who will be strong and stand with me
Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see
Do you hear the people sing? Say, do you hear the distant drums
It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes
虽然法国的故事用英语唱出来略有违和感,但不得不说英文唱词写得真的非常非常好。无论是节奏感还是韵律,乃至内容本身,都极富表现力。
Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see
Look down, look down, you'll always be a slave
Here they sang about tomorrow, and tomorrow never came
这句tomorrow never came,让多少人泪流满面
然而对于英语不太好或者完全不懂英语的观众,这电影也依然充满魅力,所以其实我是想趁机表扬下字幕组(以下讨论的全部为影院版字幕,不是人人也不是破烂熊也不是风软悠悠鸟blablabla)。首先是硬功夫,网上下不到影院版的字幕,于是凭印象记得最清楚的就是主教那句See in this some higher plan,被翻成了离地三尺有神灵。在那个场景中格外贴切。相比之下人人字幕的“请把这看成上帝的安排”,很贴合原文,但略显呆板。此外影院版字幕大量用四字格,应该是经过仔细润色的,虽然免不了有雷点,但真的已经是最近看到的相当不错的字幕了。
其实结构方面没有太多可说的,我主要想说那震撼人心的革命前夜。由ONE DAY MORE的曲子撑起来的几分钟,冉阿让逃亡的迫切,珂赛特跟马瑞斯分别的情意,艾波尼参加革命的决心,革命党汹涌的热情,贾维尔为代表的当局破坏革命的筹划,统统在那几分钟里,在那几句ONE DAY MORE里,交织的画面,快速的片段,配合唱词风格不断变化的音乐,全部在那几分钟,全部在那几分钟。然后,等到天亮,革命来了。
最后说几个印象深刻的片段吧——
开篇已经谈过,10分,不再赘言
冉阿让决定开始新生活,at the end of the day的旋律第一次响起,从贫民窟到工厂,那一段旋律的快节奏,唱词的快语速,加上贫民窟部分画面色调的阴暗,整个这一小段节奏感相当强,也是从这里开始坐我旁边那位不停地感叹合唱部分真好,合唱部分真好。是的,合唱部分真好。整个电影的合唱部分都真好,真好,真好。这段给9分。
不管是他第一次从大象头上钻出来,然后跳进贵族马车,配上逢底层悲愤必出现的look down, look down的旋律,叫着these are my people, here's my patch. 还是他帮马瑞斯把信交给冉阿让,然后理直气壮伸手,something for me, something for you, who needs charity?,抑或是后来革命党情绪低落,他独自坐在路障上,清唱起do you here the people sing. 加夫罗契小朋友是本片最大的亮点,没有之一。
接下来是马瑞斯重伤苏醒,一同革命的朋友们都已魂归地府,他坐在空荡荡的房子里,没有任何配乐的开始清唱。
Empty chairs at empty tables
now my friends are dead and gone
Here they talked of revolution
Here it was they lit the flame
Here they sang about tomorrow
And tomorrow never came
From the table in the corner
they could see a world reborn
And they rose with voices ringing
and I can hear them now
the very words that they had sung
became their last communion
on this lonely barricade at dawn
Oh, my friends my friends, forgive me
that I live and you are gone
There's a grief that can't be spoken
There's a pain goes on and on
...
Empty chairs at empty tables
where my friends will meet no more
...
What your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
where my friends will sing no more