葬禮上的死亡＝完美結(jié)局？

Director 導(dǎo)演：

Frank Oz 弗蘭克#8226;奧茲

Leading Cast 主演：

Matthew Macfadyen 馬修#8226;馬克菲德恩

Keeley Hawes 凱莉#8226;霍斯

Andy Nyman 安迪#8226;奈曼

Daisy Donovan 戴西#8226;多諾沃

Genre 類型：Comedy/Drama 喜劇/戲劇

Runtime 片長：90分鐘

Distribution出品：MGM 米高梅電影制片公司

Plot Outline故事梗概

認(rèn)真負(fù)責(zé)的孝順兒子Daniel忙前忙后地張羅父親的葬禮，可一切從一開始就不順利，這邊送來的居然不是父親的遺體，那邊從紐約趕回來的作家弟弟不僅違背諾言不分擔(dān)葬禮的費(fèi)用，還連悼詞也不準(zhǔn)備只知道在一旁調(diào)情。不過這還不是最糟的：葬禮上突然冒出一個(gè)小矮子自稱是過世父親的“秘密情人”，他對Daniel恐嚇要挾；表親Martha帶未婚夫來參加葬禮，未婚夫卻意外服用了Martha弟弟的迷幻藥而失去意識(shí)大鬧葬禮；而另一個(gè)本來就神經(jīng)兮兮的表弟不幸受到坐輪椅還老罵人的叔叔的無盡折磨，痛苦不堪。本來就很沮喪的Daniel面對一堆突然間發(fā)生的意外近乎崩潰！他原本希望為父親操辦的莊重葬禮就這樣變成了一場熱鬧的“馬戲團(tuán)演出”。

Erick Peterson's Review 艾眼看片

艾瑞克#8226;皮特森是一名居住在上海的美國作家，他畢業(yè)于中央華盛頓大學(xué)哲學(xué)系。他熱衷電影，尤其鐘愛西方的“黑色電影”，但同時(shí)又為張藝謀和巴斯特#8226;基頓的電影傾倒。他喜歡閱讀、旅行，也喜歡和電影圈中的好友暢談電影、生活和人生。

Go to the birthday of a middle-aged man， and you may well hear the old codger claim that life doesn't begin until 40 or 50. For Daniel， life doesn't begin until death - the death of his father， that is. In the outrageously hilarious film Death at a Funeral， a family gathers to say their final goodbyes to their patriarch. Everything that can go wrong， however， does go wrong， and hardly a moment passes without a shocking incident or startling revelation upsetting the solemn occasion.

參加中年男人的生日，你也許會(huì)聽到過生日的老頭子宣稱生活是從40或者50歲才真正開始的。但對Daniel來說，生活是在死亡后——他父親的死亡，才真正開始的。在這部讓人捧腹大笑的電影中，家族成員一起參加族里年長者的葬禮。但是，任何可能出錯(cuò)的地方都出錯(cuò)了，在這個(gè)肅穆的場合中，時(shí)不時(shí)發(fā)生一些聳人聽聞的意外。

Filmmaker Frank Oz doesn't hold back in the horrors he forces upon his characters in this movie. They suffer everything from accidental drug consumption and embarrassing public nudity to a brawling session with a midget， and more. Much more. In one scene， a hypochondriac inadvertently dirties his hand while helping an old man to the toilet. The filth covering his hand is just as unbelievable to him as it is to the viewer. But then， when he tries to wash the waste from his fingers， he ends up covering his face in it， and a moment that was already grotesque becomes ten times more so. The whole film is like this， a collection of appalling moments coming one after another， each one topping the last until there is nowhere left to go.

導(dǎo)演不遺余力地把一些糟糕的東西扣在片中人物身上。他們有的因意外磕藥而當(dāng)眾裸體出丑，有的和參加葬禮的侏儒爭吵，還有很多其它匪夷所思的意外。有這樣一場戲：一名憂郁癥患者在幫一名癱瘓的老人上廁所的時(shí)候不小心把手弄臟了。手上的污物不僅讓他難以忍受，連觀眾都會(huì)覺得惡心。但是當(dāng)他想把手洗干凈的時(shí)候，污物又濺到了他臉上，這樣的結(jié)局讓怪異感發(fā)展到了極點(diǎn)。然而，整部片子都是這樣的風(fēng)格，不可思議的荒誕事件接踵而來，一個(gè)比一個(gè)厲害。

But therein lies a problem. The action grows so big that the characters lose credibility. For example， Daniel is portrayed as a loving everyman for most of the film. In fact， he stands as the film's moral center， the dignified， loving caretaker who wants nothing but a peaceful sendoff for his dear father. Suddenly， however， he takes a turn， and is actually helping to tie up and gag another person. When this person dies， Daniel's previous high-mindedness doesn't keep him from tossing the body in his father's casket. Later， Daniel returns to business as usual， acting like nothing happened. Such a break in the integrity of the character is unforgivable， even in a comedy， and it would have been better had Daniel shown more remorse for his actions.

這就產(chǎn)生了一個(gè)問題：意外事件掩蓋了人物的光芒。例如，Daniel是整部影片中唯一一個(gè)讓所有人都喜歡的人。事實(shí)上，他站在了全片的道德中心點(diǎn)上，是個(gè)高尚又樂觀的管理者，他唯一想要的就是給親愛的父親舉辦個(gè)平靜的葬禮。但是，他突然就轉(zhuǎn)變了，竟然將另一個(gè)人捆綁起來。而當(dāng)這個(gè)被捆綁的人“死”后，他之前的高尚品德并未阻止他將“死者”放入父親的棺木中。之后，Daniel又恢復(fù)了常態(tài)，裝作什么也沒發(fā)生過。對于人物本身正直性格的突然扭曲是不可原諒的，就算在喜劇中也一樣，如果事后Daniel懊悔過就好了。

Still， even with its faults， Death at a Funeral is a very funny and entertaining film. More than that， however， its quirky characters， carefully plotted action， over-the-top comedy， and sly clever moments make it distinctively British and a proud entry to that nation's comic tradition.

雖然該片也有瑕疵，但還是一部樂趣無窮的電影。更重要的是，古怪的人物、精細(xì)的劇本、不間斷的笑料和機(jī)智的小段子讓人見識(shí)了真正的英國電影，而這也讓英國人為自己的喜劇傳統(tǒng)而驕傲。

Dialogues精彩對白

一 陰差陽錯(cuò)

Martha偕同男友Simon去參加葬禮，但男友很害怕見到未來的岳父大人，一路上戰(zhàn)戰(zhàn)兢兢。無奈之下，Martha讓他吃下了弟弟Troy放在桌上的藥，不料，該藥并不是她以為的鎮(zhèn)靜劑而是迷幻劑。

Troy: I'll get'em to you this evening. No， can't do it this afternoon. I got a funeral. Yeah， my uncle died. Yeah， tragic. No， I'm telling you mate. This is really powerful stuff. You really only need to take half. Trust me. You're gonna blow your fucking head off. I gotta go. My sister's in. I'll take them with me and give them to you in the bar after the funeral. Ok， catch you later. Bye. (Troy puts hallucinogen into a pillbox and puts the pillbox on a table) Hang on! Hi. How's it going?

Martha: Troy you're not ready? Come on， we're gonna be late.

Troy: I put on my trousers and I'm done. Are you guys okay?

Martha: Simon is a bit freaked out. Some asshole almost drove us off the road.

Troy: Really? Fucking bastards. Make yourselves comfy. I'll be out in two minutes.

Simon: Look at these pills all over the place.

Martha: Troy is studying to be a pharmacist. Are you okay?

Simon: I'm a bit shaky. Not much， just a little bit…

Martha (take hallucinogen out of the pillbox): Take one of these. It will calm you down.

Simon: You sure?

Martha: Absolutely. It's just Valium. I used to take them all the time. It will make you feel better. Honestly. Come on. Open wide.

Troy: I'm ready.

Language Focus 語言點(diǎn)

1. You're gonna blow your fucking head off.

“blow head off”在國外的警匪片中很常見，意思是“槍斃”。在電影中，Troy說這句話是形容他制造的迷幻藥藥力很強(qiáng)，足以讓人服用后失去理智用槍自殺。

2. freaked out

“freak out”是個(gè)常見短語，有“反常的”意思，也有“緊張的”意思，對白中的意思是后者。

3. comfy

這是個(gè)非正式口語，意思和“comfortable”一樣，“舒服、愜意”的意思。

二 共商大計(jì)

Daniel得知父親生前竟是小矮子Peter的同性愛人后大驚失色，而讓他更難以接受的是Peter還敲詐他1.5萬英鎊。情急之下，他匆忙找弟弟Robert共商計(jì)策。

Daniel: Hey Robert， can I talk to you?

Robert: Not now.

Daniel: It's important. Give me a second， it's okay， Excuse us.

Robert: What are you doing?

Daniel: Remember the little guy from before that we didn't recognize ...the little guy， the short guy.

Robert: Yeah?

Daniel: I was just with him in the study.

Robert: Yeah? And he showed me these pictures.

Robert: Yeah?

Daniel: Of him and Dad.

Robert: Right.

Daniel: Of him and Dad together.

Robert: Right.

Daniel: Of him and Dad together at parties in Kensington…

Robert: Daniel， is this going anywhere? 'Cause…

Daniel: He was shagging Dad.

Robert: Fuck off. You shitting me?

Daniel: I'm not shitting you. I'm telling you. He showed me the pictures. I feel sick.

Robert: What are you saying? Dad was a gay?

Daniel: Yeah， that's what I'm saying.

Robert: And he was cheating on Mom?

Daniel: Evidently.

Robert: With that little...

Daniel: Yes. I know it's a bombshell but the concern right now is that he wants money.

Robert: What do you mean?

Daniel: He wants money. He wants 15，000 pounds.

Robert: Tell him to go fuck himself.

Daniel: Don't you understand? He's got the pictures. If we don't give him the money he's gonna tell everybody here the most intimate details of their sex life.

Robert: Well I don't want to hear those intimate details.

Daniel: Exactly. What're we gonna do?

Robert: Shit.

Daniel: Think then.

Robert: Ah， okay， alright...

Language Focus 語言點(diǎn)

1. Daniel， is this going anywhere?

在電影中，Daniel試圖委婉地告訴Robert父親是同性戀的事情，但是Robert始終無法明白他的意思，在一次又一次的迷惑中，Robert終于忍不住說了這句話，意思是Daniel說的話讓人費(fèi)解，讓人不知道他到底要表達(dá)什么意思。

2. You shitting me?

“shit somebody”和“kid somebody”的意思相近，都是“開某人玩笑、欺騙某人”的意思。

3. bombshell

意思是“炸彈、令人震驚的人或事”，電影中指的是“令人震驚的人或事”。

三 談判破裂

在書房中，Daniel和Robert與Peter談判，打算支付他1.5萬英鎊來換取父親和Peter的情色照片。但是Daniel無法忍受Peter對自己小說的評價(jià)，他撕毀了支票，談判徹底破裂。

Robert: So you're the blackmailing prick.

Daniel: Hey， hey， hey what're you doing with that? It's my manuscript. It's not to be read by anyone.

Peter: Well， you shouldn't leave it lying around， Daniel， if you don't want people to read it.

Daniel: This is my office.

Robert: Guys! Can we just get to the point?

Peter: Fine by me.

Daniel: I'll write you this check and that's the end of it. Yes? You give us the photos and you stay

out of our lives for ever. That's the deal， yeah?

Peter: That's the deal.

(Daniel writes the check)

Peter: Is that your first attempt?

Daniel: What?

Peter: That's your first novel， isn't it?

Daniel: Yeah. So?

Peter: No， nothing. I tried to write once. It didn't work for me either. I think it's like a gift. You either have it or you don't. It must be hard for you though， Daniel...living up to your brother's reputation. Always living in the shadow of a sibling like that. (to Robert) By the way I read your latest novel. Really good stuff.

Robert: Thanks.

Daniel: Alright. That's it.

(Daniel tears the check)

Robert: Daniel， what the hell are you doing?

Daniel: There's no way I'm giving this twat a penny of my money.

Robert: Don't be ridiculous.

Daniel: Why should I? He comes in here in the day of our father's funeral， he tries to blackmail us and bad mouths my novel. Who does he think he is?

Robert: He has the photos.

Daniel: Let him show the photos. I don't care.

Robert: Daniel.

Daniel: No Robert. I give up， okay? I give up. I can't take anymore. If that's what he's going to do， then fine， let him do it.

Peter: Fine.

Robert: What? Wait， wait…

Peter: Please， get out of my way.

Robert: Let's discuss this a minute.

Peter: There's nothing to discuss. Get out of my way.

Language Focus 語言點(diǎn)

1. prick和twat

這兩個(gè)詞語在日常生活中比較粗俗，和“jerk， bastard”的意思相近。

2. he tries to blackmail us and bad mouths my novel.

“bad mouth someone”是個(gè)固定搭配，意思是“說別人的壞話”。

四 完美告別

Daniel和Robert誤以為昏迷的Peter意外死亡，就將其放入父親的棺木，孰料，清醒過來的Peter在Daniel致葬禮結(jié)束詞的時(shí)候從棺材中跳出來，而照片也散落一地，現(xiàn)場頓時(shí)亂作一團(tuán)。最終，Daniel穩(wěn)住了來賓，以聲情并茂的致辭維護(hù)了父親的名譽(yù)。

Priest: Sit down everybody， as quick as you can. We're ready to go. Come along. Come on. That's it. Quickly! Come on， come on. Come on! Come on! Come on! I'd like to apologise on behalf of the family for all of the distractions and that everyone is ready to continue with the service and Daniel would like to say a few words about his father. Go on Daniel. Quickly.

Daniel: My father was an exceptional man…

(Peter knocks inside the coffin)

Daniel: My father was an exceptional man…

(Peter knocks again)

Daniel: He was born in 1938 just a year before the war. And I'll never forget...

(Peter knocks again)

Davis: What the hell is going on?

A Woman: There's someone in there.

Simon: I knew it!

(Peter out of coffin)

Robert: What the hell are you doing in my dad's coffin?

Peter: Edward. No， no... Edward. Edward! No.

(The photos about Peter and Edward spill on the floor)

Sandra: You little bastard!

Davis: Oh God.

Daniel: My father was an exceptional man. He may not have been a perfect man. But he was a good man. And he loved us. All I wanted to do today was to give him a dignified send-off. Is that really so much to ask? So， maybe... Maybe he had some things he liked to do. Life isn't simple. It's complicated. We're all just thrown in here together... in a world full of chaos and confusion. A world full of questions and no answers. With Death always lingering around the corner. And we do our best. We can only do our best， and my dad did his best. He always tried to tell me you have to go for what you want in life because you never know how long you're gonna be here. And whether you succeed or you fail， the most important thing is to have tried. A parent can only guide you in the right direction. In the end though you've got to run for yourself. You have to grow up yourself. So when you leave here today， I'd like you to remember my father for what he really was. A decent and loving man. If only we could be as giving and generous and understanding as my father was.

Then the world would be a far better place.

Language Focus 語言點(diǎn)

1. on behalf of

固定搭配“代表”的意思。

2. All I wanted to do today was to give him a dignified send-off.

“send-off”和“see off”的意思相似，都是送別的意思，但是前者更有“永別”的意味，而后者則是普通的送別。

3. go for

固定搭配，“獲得、取得”的意思。

Behind the Scenes

幕后揭密

Why Are You Laughing?

Death at a Funeral and the Humor of Western Cinema

你為何開懷大笑？——論《葬禮上的死亡》與西方電影的幽默

What makes something funny? This question is ancient and the answer is hardly universal. In Frank Oz's film Death at a Funeral， one character climbs up to the roof of his fiancé's family home and then threatens to jump to the ground. During this scene， I was laughing myself silly. My Chinese wife， however， was perplexed. \"Why are you laughing?\" she asked. \"That man is going to kill himself.\" It was hard to answer her. The scene I was watching was instinctively humorous to my Western eyes， and I couldn't help but laugh. She， on the other hand， couldn't help but feel anxious because of the same situation.

什么是笑料？這個(gè)問題古來有之，但答案不近相同。在Frank Oz的《葬禮上的死亡》中，一個(gè)男人爬上未婚妻家的房頂，揚(yáng)言要跳下去?？吹竭@個(gè)場景時(shí)，我笑彎了腰。我的中國妻子困惑地問：“你笑什么呢？”“那個(gè)男人要自殺。”我很難解釋給她聽。這樣的場景對于我們這些西方人來說是非?？尚Φ模仪椴蛔越醺勾笮?。而作為東方人的她卻會(huì)因這樣的場景而替人物命運(yùn)擔(dān)憂。

In watching Death at a Funeral， or any Western film， it is necessary to understand that some things are simply funny to us foreigners. Maybe we're crazy， and you can excuse our enjoyment as a shared insanity. Still， some of these things might also be funny to you， and the cultural gap between us may be smaller than I think. Consider the following list of things that many Westerners consider funny， things present in the film Death at a Funeral， and then decide for yourself.

看《葬禮上的死亡》或者任一西方電影，真有必要懂得其中一些西方的幽默。也許東方人會(huì)覺得西方人是瘋了，那就當(dāng)我們在看電影時(shí)精神錯(cuò)亂了吧。但有些東西對東方人來說也是很有趣的，所以我覺得我們之間的文化差異就小了很多。看看下面的西方人覺得是笑料的清單然后再自己想想是不是真的有那么好笑。

1. Death 死亡

How did you feel when you watched Titanic? Do you find it strange that some people laughed during the movie? I saw the movie in the theater seven times. Each time that I went， people laughed as a man fell from the upturned end of the ship. The moment was incredibly tense， and the falling body looked silly tumbling end over end on its descent to the ocean. Similar moments in war films， where a character is unexpectedly blown up can also be funny. Many people watching Death at a Funeral will find it funny when one character splits his skull on a glass coffee table， though this will seem insensitive to some.

看《泰坦尼克號》時(shí)你是什么感覺?你會(huì)不會(huì)因有人看這部電影哈哈大笑而奇怪？我在電影院中看了7遍。每次看的時(shí)候，總有觀眾因看到有人從翻轉(zhuǎn)過來的船上掉下海而笑個(gè)不停。這個(gè)場景是營造緊張氣氛的，但墜海的人在墜落的過程中卻像在翻筋斗。這樣的問題也出現(xiàn)在戰(zhàn)爭片中：一個(gè)人意外地被槍決也是很可笑的。很多人在《葬禮上的死亡》中看到其中一個(gè)角色一頭撞上了玻璃咖啡桌，覺得很搞笑，不過也有很多人不這么覺得。

2. Sex 性

Sex plays a major part in every adult comedy. As with death， sex is funny because of the gravity involved. Sex， after all， is the consummation of romantic love， the union of two bodies， and the act that leads to new life. The more serious we are about sex， the funnier it becomes. So in the upright and haughty culture of the British upper-class， even a naked male butt can be funny. The man who climbed up to the roof was naked. The camera dwelled on the man's backside. So even though he was threatening suicide， the mere appearance of his rear was a signal for viewers to laugh， or at least to not take the moment seriously.

性在每部成人喜劇電影中都扮演著重要的角色。和死亡一樣，性和莊嚴(yán)肅穆聯(lián)系在一起時(shí)也是非常有笑點(diǎn)的。畢竟，它是浪漫愛情的成果，是兩個(gè)人水乳交融的見證，是通向新生活的道路。但當(dāng)我們對性越認(rèn)真的時(shí)候，就會(huì)變得越搞笑。因此在正直又高傲的英國上層階級中，即使是一個(gè)裸體男人的臀部也很好笑。爬上屋頂?shù)哪腥耸锹泱w的，攝影機(jī)只拍他的后面。因此，即使他威脅說要自殺，他裸露的臀部已經(jīng)成為了引發(fā)觀眾大笑的笑料或者至少讓這一幕不那么嚴(yán)肅。

3. Stupidity 愚蠢

Stupidity comes in many forms. It can be a moment of ignorance or misunderstanding， as when characters mistake acid， a very powerful drug， for valium， a much weaker one. Stupidity can also come in the form of political incorrectness. Political correctness refers to polite social rules that we all learn as children. Don't be racist， homophobic， sexist， or judgmental of people different from yourself. These rules are strong and lead to a great deal of social tension. So when someone stupidly breaks these rules， as when Death at a Funeral makes fun of homosexuals and little people， this is funny.

愚蠢有很多表現(xiàn)形式。它可以由因忽略或誤解造成，比如片中的角色錯(cuò)將迷幻藥當(dāng)做鎮(zhèn)靜劑。同樣，愚蠢也可能由政治錯(cuò)誤造成。政治的正確性指得是我們小時(shí)候就學(xué)過的禮貌社交規(guī)則。千萬別成為種族主義者、恐同者、男權(quán)主義者，也別批判和你不同的人。這些是社交的規(guī)矩。因此一旦有人打破了這些規(guī)矩，就如《葬禮上的死亡》中對同性戀和侏儒的嘲諷，就能制造笑料。

4. Bodily wastes/noises 和肢體有關(guān)

Possibly the lowest form of humor， however， comes from the embarrassing things that come out of our bodies. Nearly every children's movie， and many adult movies， include a joke about farting. Once again， the humor comes from the seriousness. We try to conceal the most disgusting aspects of our bodies. When they appear on the screen， as they do in Death at a Funeral， they make us laugh.

這也許是幽默的低級形式，來自由我們的身體產(chǎn)生的令人尷尬的東西。幾乎每部兒童電影和大多數(shù)的成人電影中都有和放屁有關(guān)的笑話。同樣，也是由認(rèn)真的態(tài)度產(chǎn)生的幽默。我們試圖掩蓋我們體內(nèi)最讓人厭惡的部分，但當(dāng)這個(gè)部分出現(xiàn)在熒幕上時(shí)，就如《葬禮上的死亡》一樣，笑料就產(chǎn)生了。