HBO電視電影《菲爾·斯派特》，不可信，尤可賞

By David Bianculli

菲爾·斯派特（Phil Spector），美國(guó)著名唱片制作人，這位音樂(lè)鬼才曾制作了無(wú)數(shù)經(jīng)典名曲，影響了整整一代的流行音樂(lè)方向，他獲得過(guò)多次格萊美獎(jiǎng)，而且還在1989年入主了搖滾名人堂。與他合作過(guò)的大牌音樂(lè)人有披頭士樂(lè)隊(duì)（ The Beatles）、萊昂納德·科恩（Leonard Cohen）、正義兄弟合唱團(tuán)（The Righteous Brothers）、雷蒙斯樂(lè)隊(duì)（Ramones）、喬治·哈里森（George Harrison）等等，幾乎各個(gè)都如雷貫耳。

近期，HBO制作播出了一部以菲爾·斯派特生平故事為藍(lán)本改編的電視電影《菲爾·斯派特》（Phil Spector），講述的是2003年他被指控謀殺后的經(jīng)歷。案件歷經(jīng)六年的冗長(zhǎng)庭審，并經(jīng)陪審團(tuán)聆聽(tīng)多名控方證人的證詞，查驗(yàn)相關(guān)證據(jù)后，裁決其二級(jí)謀殺罪名成立。

大衛(wèi)·布恩庫(kù)利（D a v i d Bianculli）是TV Worth Watching網(wǎng)站的創(chuàng)辦人及編輯，于美國(guó)新澤西的羅文大學(xué)任教電視及電影歷史，是一位電視評(píng)論家。在本期的《滋味人生》中，我們一起來(lái)看看他對(duì)《菲爾·斯派特》有何評(píng)價(jià)，同時(shí)也讓我們來(lái)了解下菲爾·斯派特這位音樂(lè)天才的故事。

Terry Gross （Host）： This Sunday， HBO Films presents a new， made-for-TV movie called “Phil Spector.” Its about the famous and infamous record producer as he and his legal team prepare his defense in court， on charges of murdering a female companion. The movie stars Al Pacino as Phil Spector， and Helen Mirren as the lawyer who ends up leading his initial defense. Our TV critic David Bianculli has this review.

（Soundbite of song， “Hes A Rebel”）

The Crystals： （singing） See the way he walks down the street. Thats the way he 1）shuffles his feet. My， he holds his head up high when he goes walking by. Hes my guy... David Bianculli： The HBO movie “Phil Spector” is a production that demands attention because of the 2）heavyweight names attached. First， of course， theres the subject of the drama—Spector himself， the man who invented the [1]Wall of Sound and recorded hits for everyone from [2]the Crystals， [3]Darlene Love， and [4]Ike and Tina Turner； to [5]the Beatles and [6]The Righteous Brothers. Oh， and who also went on trial in 2007， for the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson. He claimed she shot herself with one of his many guns. The 3）prosecution argued that he put the gun 4）barrel in her mouth， and pulled the 5）trigger.

Then there are the names attached to this 6）dramatization. Barry Levinson is the executive producer. David Mamet is both writer and director. Jeffrey Tambor plays the leading defense 7）attorney， Bruce Cutler， who brings in attorney Linda Kenney Baden as a last minute co-8）counsel. Linda is played by Helen Mirren， and Al Pacino plays Phil Spector. Almost the entire movie focuses on those last two， with Linda trying to get to know Spector quickly while 9）mounting a defense and assessing whether he should be 10）put on the stand.

But what demands the most attention here， to me， isnt the subject， or the production team， or the stars. Its the opening 11）disclaimer， written by Mamet as a 12）preface to his story. Ive been a TV critic for more than 35 years now， and Ive never seen anything quite like it. Even though its based on actual people and concerns an actual event， here is the disclaimer to the movie called “Phil Spector.” Quote， “This is a work of fiction. Its not based on a true story. It is a drama inspired by actual persons in a trial， but it is neither an attempt to depict the actual persons nor to comment upon the trial or its outcome，” unquote.

Mamet may as well have written： Dont anybody 13）sue us. Im just making stuff up， using names and a few bits of court 14）testimony that are in the public record—except if you look closely at the credits for this HBO work of fiction， youll find that Linda Kenney Baden—the attorney played by Helen Mirren—serves as a consultant. So even though her exchanges with the real Phil Spector are protected by attorney-client 15）privilege， you get the feeling—at least， I do—that Mamet may not be winging it as much as he claims to be with that disclaimer.

But take that disclaimer seriously. You cant trust what you see in this HBO movie. But you can， and should， enjoy it. This “Phil Spector” movie， essentially， is a two-person play—an awkward dance between Linda and her 16）eccentric client， as he reveals his shifting psychological states by jamming his mental gears between charming remarks， challenging questions and emotional 17）rants. Pacino is an actor set at hurricane force here， and Mirren matches him by countering his fury with her calm. Mamets dialogue， as expected， is 18）crisp and 19）thought-provoking； and these two acting pros make the most of it. Heres a scene from their first meeting， when Linda visits Phils 20）mansion and he reaches for a 21）vinyl record， to put on the 22）turntable as they talk.

（Soundbite of movie， “Phil Spector”）

Helen Mirren： （as Linda Kenney Baden） As your attorney， I must counsel you not—whatever the 23）provocation， not to talk to anyone.

Al Pacino： （as Phil Spector） Theyre 24）indicting me for murder. All right， sorry. “Youve Lost That Loving Feeling”—what was it？ Are you kidding me？ What was it？ It was， it was the greatest song ever released. I sold over two and a half million copies. You say that Jews invented the music business. The Jews didnt invent the music business. I invented the music business. Seventh Avenue， New York， theres a statue， a little old Jewish guy， 25）yarmulke， bent over a sewing machine. Hes that guy invented ready-to-wear. I invented the music business. Wheres a statue of me？ Wheres the presidential medal？ （puts record on turntable） The Righteous Brothers： （singing） You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips...

Pacino： [7]Sidney Poitier broke the color barrier？ Are you kidding me？ He was playing Superman. You want to know who he was？ He was an uptight， frightened， white guys version of a black man. I put [8]the Ronettes in their home. I put black America in the white home. First time you got felt up， first time you got somebodys hand on you， guess what？ You were listening to one of my songs.

Mirren： （as Linda Kenney Baden） Did you kill that girl？

Pacino： （as Phil Spector） I thought attorneys never asked that question. Bianculli： This “Phil Spector” movie does ask that question， but never answers it， and never even tries to. 26）In essence， it reminds me of “[9]Fatal Vision，” the famous 1984 27）miniseries about preparations for the murder trial of Jeffrey MacDonald.

But even there， that storys author， Joe McGinniss， eventually came down on one side and delivered his own 28）verdict， even making himself a character in that drama. In the HBO movie “Phil Spector，” the only verdict comes at the end， when were told what the jury decided at the end of Spectors days in court. And after the movie is all over， Im left with my final verdict as well. I may not believe a lot of what I see in HBOs “Phil Spector，” but Im certainly impressed and entertained by it.

特里·格羅斯（主持）：這個(gè)周日（注：指3月17日），美國(guó)HBO電視臺(tái)推出一部全新的電視電影《菲爾·斯派特》，講述威名臭名參半的美國(guó)音樂(lè)制作人因被指控謀殺女伴而與其律師團(tuán)隊(duì)備戰(zhàn)法庭審訊的故事。劇中主角菲爾·斯派特由巨星艾爾·帕西諾飾演，而海倫·米倫則飾演最終在男主角初審中主辯的律師。我們的電視評(píng)論員大衛(wèi)·布恩庫(kù)利對(duì)這部電視電影有如下評(píng)價(jià)。

（歌曲《他是叛徒》選段）

水晶合唱團(tuán)：（歌聲）看他沿著大街走路的姿勢(shì)。那雙腳交替的步姿。天啊，他昂首挺胸地走過(guò)身旁。他就是我尋覓的男子……

大衛(wèi)·布恩庫(kù)利：HBO的電視電影《菲爾·斯派特》牽系到太多重量級(jí)的名字，是值得關(guān)注的一部大制作。首先，當(dāng)然是劇中的主角——斯派特本身，他首創(chuàng)了“聲音之墻”這種錄音技巧，為一眾歌手組合錄制無(wú)數(shù)大熱唱片，包括水晶合唱團(tuán)、達(dá)琳·洛芙、艾克和蒂娜·特納二人組合，還有甲殼蟲(chóng)樂(lè)隊(duì)和正義兄弟組合等等。噢，他還被控在2003年槍殺女演員拉娜·克拉克森而于2007年出庭受審。他聲稱是拉娜自己拿了他的其中一把槍吞槍自殺的，而控方則指是他將槍膛對(duì)準(zhǔn)她的嘴扣動(dòng)扳機(jī)的。

另外，將事件呈現(xiàn)屏幕也是些響當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)拇笕宋?。巴瑞·李文森是該劇的?zhí)行監(jiān)制。編劇及導(dǎo)演是大衛(wèi)·馬梅。杰弗里·塔伯飾演首席辯護(hù)律師布魯斯卡特勒，劇中正是他讓律師琳達(dá)·肯尼·巴登（由海倫·米倫飾演）在最后時(shí)刻與自己搭檔上庭為斯派特（由艾爾·帕西諾飾演）辯護(hù)。整部電影的焦點(diǎn)幾乎都是在這兩人身上，琳達(dá)努力在短時(shí)間內(nèi)了解斯派特，為其準(zhǔn)備辯護(hù)，同時(shí)評(píng)估是否讓他出庭作證。

但就我看來(lái)，最值得關(guān)注的不是劇中主人翁或者制作班底，也不是那些擔(dān)綱的耀眼明星。而是片頭出現(xiàn)的免責(zé)聲明，是編劇馬梅為這個(gè)故事寫(xiě)的序辭。我做了35年多的電視評(píng)論員，也是頭一次看見(jiàn)像這樣的聲明。盡管是基于真人真事，這部名為《菲爾·斯派特》的影片有如此免責(zé)聲明：“本片純屬虛構(gòu)，并非基于真實(shí)故事，雖然靈感來(lái)自法庭受審的真實(shí)人物，但本片無(wú)意描畫(huà)這些真人真事，也非意在評(píng)價(jià)整個(gè)審訊或其結(jié)果。”

馬梅還不如干脆寫(xiě)：“不要起訴我們。我只是瞎編的，借用了公開(kāi)檔案里找得到的一些名字和零碎的法庭證詞而已。”但是，只要你仔細(xì)看HBO的這部虛構(gòu)影片末尾的謝辭，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)琳達(dá)·肯尼·巴登（由海倫·米倫飾演的律師）是影片的顧問(wèn)。盡管她與菲爾·斯派特真實(shí)的對(duì)話是受到“律師與當(dāng)事人保密特權(quán)”的保護(hù)不能公開(kāi)，但你會(huì)感覺(jué)到，至少我是覺(jué)得，馬梅瞎編的程度其實(shí)不像他在免責(zé)聲明里說(shuō)的那么大。

不過(guò)，還是把那份免責(zé)聲明當(dāng)真吧。你不能完全相信這部HBO電影里的一切，但可以，也應(yīng)該會(huì)，欣賞這片子。這部《菲爾·斯派特》電影其實(shí)就是一臺(tái)二人好戲——琳達(dá)和她那乖張當(dāng)事人之間的別扭相處合作，過(guò)程中他顯露出變換不定的心理狀態(tài)，時(shí)而雋語(yǔ)警句，時(shí)而刁難詰問(wèn)，還不時(shí)失控怒吼。帕西諾是有如颶風(fēng)之勢(shì)的演員，而米倫跟他搭配起來(lái)，剛好是以靜制烈。馬梅編寫(xiě)的對(duì)話，一如所料，干脆利落，發(fā)人深思；加上兩位好戲之人的盡情發(fā)揮，對(duì)話更是一絕。以下是他們首次見(jiàn)面的場(chǎng)景，琳達(dá)到訪菲爾的大宅，他邊跟琳達(dá)說(shuō)話，邊伸手拿一張黑膠唱片，放到唱碟機(jī)上。

（影片《菲爾·斯派特》選段）

海倫·米倫：（飾演琳達(dá)·肯尼·巴登）作為你的律師，我必須勸告你，無(wú)論是怎樣的挑釁，你都不要跟任何人說(shuō)。

艾爾·帕西諾：（飾演菲爾·斯派特）他們?cè)诳馗嫖抑\殺。好吧，對(duì)不起?！赌阋咽?ài)的感覺(jué)》——這是什么？開(kāi)玩笑呀？是什么？這是發(fā)行史上最厲害的歌曲。我賣(mài)出了兩百五十萬(wàn)張唱片。你說(shuō)是猶太人開(kāi)創(chuàng)了音樂(lè)產(chǎn)業(yè)。開(kāi)創(chuàng)音樂(lè)產(chǎn)業(yè)的不是猶太人，是我。紐約，第七街，那里有座雕像，一個(gè)矮小的猶太老人，戴著頂猶太小帽，彎身縫紉機(jī)前。他是那個(gè)開(kāi)創(chuàng)成衣業(yè)的人。那我開(kāi)創(chuàng)了音樂(lè)產(chǎn)業(yè)，哪里有我的雕像？什么總統(tǒng)勛章又在哪里？（他把唱片放到唱碟機(jī)轉(zhuǎn)盤(pán)上）

正義兄弟組合：（歌聲）我吻你雙唇時(shí)你已不再緊閉雙眼……

帕西諾：說(shuō)什么西德尼·波蒂埃打破了有色人種屏障？開(kāi)什么玩笑？他演的是超人。要知道他是什么人嗎？他只是白人心目中的那擔(dān)驚受怕、緊張兮兮的黑人而已。我把朗奈特合唱團(tuán)帶到白人家里，我把美國(guó)黑人帶進(jìn)了白人家中。你第一次給人愛(ài)撫，第一次有人對(duì)你上下其手的時(shí)候，那浪漫背景音樂(lè)絕對(duì)就是我制作的歌曲。

米倫：（飾演琳達(dá)·肯尼·巴登）是你殺那個(gè)女子的嗎？

帕西諾：（飾演菲爾·斯派特）我以為律師從來(lái)不問(wèn)那樣的問(wèn)題的。

布恩庫(kù)利：《菲爾·斯派特》一片的確提出了那個(gè)問(wèn)題，只是沒(méi)有回答，也沒(méi)有嘗試去探求?？偟膩?lái)說(shuō)，影片讓我想起了1984年有關(guān)杰弗里·麥克唐納德因謀殺罪名準(zhǔn)備受審的知名系列短劇《致命幻影》。

但即便當(dāng)年，編劇祖·麥堅(jiān)尼斯最終還是有所取向，作出了自己的裁定，甚至走進(jìn)劇中，成為其中一個(gè)角色。而在HBO這部《菲爾·斯派特》中，唯一的裁決在片末出現(xiàn)，我們得知陪審團(tuán)對(duì)斯派特的法庭審訊結(jié)果的裁定。影片結(jié)束后，我也得出了自己的最終判斷。我也許不太相信HBO這部《菲爾·斯派特》里的內(nèi)容，但我絕對(duì)是為之所動(dòng)，甚得其樂(lè)。

注：

[1] Wall of Sound “聲音之墻”，一種流行樂(lè)和搖滾樂(lè)的錄音制作技巧，由音樂(lè)制作人菲爾·斯派特（Phil Spector）于20世紀(jì)60年代早期首創(chuàng)。

[2] The Crystals 水晶合唱團(tuán)，成立于紐約，被認(rèn)為是20世紀(jì)60年代前期最具代表性的女子音樂(lè)組合。

[3] Darlene Love 達(dá)琳·洛芙，美國(guó)流行歌手和演員，以20世紀(jì)60年代發(fā)布的單曲《他是叛徒》聞名于樂(lè)壇。

[4] Ike and Tina Turner 艾克和蒂娜·特納二人組合，是一對(duì)夫妻檔組合，曾被認(rèn)為是“最炙手可熱、最經(jīng)久不衰的R&B;組合”。

[5] The Beatles 披頭士樂(lè)隊(duì)，也稱為甲殼蟲(chóng)樂(lè)隊(duì)，英國(guó)搖滾樂(lè)隊(duì)，1960年成立于英國(guó)利物浦，1970年解散，被認(rèn)為是流行樂(lè)壇史上商業(yè)最成功和最偉大的樂(lè)隊(duì)。

[6] The Righteous Brothers 正義兄弟組合，成立于1963年，是一對(duì)白人靈魂樂(lè)組合，他們的歌曲《Unchained Melody》因?yàn)橛捌度斯砬槲戳恕烦蔀橐淮说挠洃洝?/p>

[7] Sidney Poitier 西德尼·波蒂埃，美國(guó)黑人演員，1958年以反種族影片《掙脫鎖鏈》（The Defiant Ones）贏得柏林影帝頭銜，并迅速成為好萊塢頭號(hào)黑人演員。1964年再以《原野百合花》（Lilies of the Field）勇奪奧斯卡最佳男主角，成為美國(guó)影史第一位黑人影帝。

[8] The Ronettes 朗奈特合唱團(tuán)，20世紀(jì)60年代風(fēng)靡美國(guó)樂(lè)壇的女子合唱組合。

[9] Fatal Vision 美國(guó)影片《致命幻影》，講述1970年美國(guó)陸軍特種部隊(duì)醫(yī)生Jeffrey MacDonald被指控在北卡羅來(lái)納州的家中殺死了有孕在身的妻子和兩個(gè)女兒。在最初相信他是清白的情況下，Jeffrey的岳父對(duì)于整件事情產(chǎn)生了疑心，于是開(kāi)始千方百計(jì)地查證，終于在9年之后讓Jeffery以殺害三條人命的重罪受到了法律的制裁。

小鏈接

HBOs “Phil Spector” Is Both Truth and Fiction

The movie is called “Phil Spector，” but dont think its a biography of the mad-genius record producer. And dont expect a docudrama[文獻(xiàn)電視片] about his sensational[轟動(dòng)的] 2007 trial for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

What is it， then？ Maybe its easier to let HBO explain what “Phil Spector，” written and directed by playwright David Mamet， is not. “This is a work of fiction，” a prologue[開(kāi)場(chǎng)白] states.“Its not ‘based on a true story. It is a drama inspired by actual persons in a trial， but it is neither an attempt to depict the actual persons， nor to comment upon the trial or its outcome.”

All right then. One more time： What is it？

“Phil Spector” is a fascinating look at the legal maneuvering[策略] to prove a man not guilty of a murder he certainly appears to have committed. Along the way， though， doubts creep in.

The movie features a wigged-out performance by Al Pacino as Spector， who created many of those great girl groups of the 1960s， produced the Beatles “Let It Be” and co-wrote the Righteous Brothers “Youve Lost That Lovin Feeling，” ranked as the most-played American song of the 20th century.

We dont meet that Spector. The Spector we first encounter， in his wacko[古怪的] Los Angeles mansion， is about to go before a jury—and TV cameras—in the death of Clarkson， who was found dead in his house， the barrel of a gun in her mouth， her brains blown out.

Sensational pretrial[審判前的] coverage[新聞報(bào)道] has already convinced the country， and probably the jury pool， that Spector has to be guilty. Desperate， attorney Bruce Cutler （Jeffrey Tambor） calls in Linda Kenney Baden， former criminal prosecutor turned high-power defense attorney.

And thats really what “Phil Spector” is about—the way Baden， played with typical brilliance by Helen Mirren， first tries to figure out how to cast doubt on Spectors guilt， and then begins to believe in his innocence.

All this time， shes battling an illness that turns into pneumonia[肺炎]. （In real life， aftereffects from the illness plagued Baden for years.） The best scenes feature Pacino and Mirren together， as Spector banters and boasts and rants. Pacino goes all out； Mirren quietly matches him in firepower. Mamet， Mirren and Baden， who served as a consultant on the film， talked about the movie with TV critics in Los Angeles in January. Pacino appeared by satellite from New York， where he was appearing in Mamets “Glengarry Glen Ross.”

Neither Mamet nor the two actors knew much about the case when starting the project， they said. Mamets interest was piqued by the documentary “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector，” by Vikram Jayanti.

Realizing that he would never know whether Spector was guilty or innocent and that“you cant indict the victim，” Mamet decided to make that the essence of the story， he said.

Pacino got that right away. When he first read the script， “He said， ‘You know， David， the funny thing is， its not my movie，” Mamet said.“‘Its Helens movie. Its Linda Kenney Badens movie. In a sense it is. Its her journey.”

Mirren， who stepped into the role after Bette Midler had to drop out because of a back injury， calls the end result “an amalgam[混合物] between a fantasy， a work of imagination， like a strange dream that youre having， and youre not quite sure whether you really dreamt that or whether its actually happened. I think the nature of Phil Spector and the life that he lived encouraged that.”

Spector was “unbelievably bright，” Baden said. “He would not win a popularity contest.（But） he did change the music industry， no matter what hes done since. So you cant take that away from him.”

But did she come to believe， as her movie character does， that he could be innocent？

Baden cant talk about anything Spector said to her because of lawyer-client privilege. She didnt tell Mamet any of that， no matter how often he asked.

But “Ive always said to myself that I thought that the forensic evidence did not prove that he had committed this crime，” Baden said.“And I think thats what this movie explores. Generally， what is the concept of reasonable doubt in a jury trial？ What does that mean both for the lawyers and the jury？”

In real life， Spector is serving 19 years to life in a California prison. Thats a fact.

As for the movie， the tag line for “Phil Spector” sums it up： “The truth is somewhere in the mix.”