Tuesday, May 4, 2010

[叶问2] : 钻石的价值

我对宝石一窍不通,但连我也知道,一颗钻石的价值,除了在色泽(color)、纯淨度(clarity)和克拉(carat weight)都要讲究之外,还有一个很重要的一点,就是它的车工,或称切割(cut)。

切割往往是最能影响钻石的品量及价值的一个指标,但是它却没有单一的分级方法。很多人把切割和形状混为一谈,其实切割指钻石瓣面的安排,无论任何形状的钻石,均需依靠精确切割,才能光芒尽显。

一颗切割精美的钻石,无论是那一种形状都可以凝聚更多的光线,反射更多的光芒,也赋予鑽石更高的身价。切割过深或过浅的钻石都会令光芒由底部流走,失去光采,因此,切割比例得宜的鑽石价值自然较高,切工好,绝对会让鑽石更闪亮。

上面这段文字是我从网络上东拼西凑过来的(点击进去可以看到来源出处);目的只在证明我的常识没错。

言归正传,拿钻石来比喻电影的话,我觉得导演的功力就像钻石的车工。如果说《叶问2》的剧本是颗未经琢磨的金刚石,而且还是天生条件不是那么好的金刚石;那么叶师傅(叶伟信师傅,不是叶问师傅)的功夫是不是能够化腐朽为神奇,就很关键了。而在我看来,导演叶伟信这一次,还真有点像功夫不太到家的车工打磨师傅。

我是看到这剧本里头是有些可以发扬光大的地方的,但可惜叶师傅下错了刀。他下刀的地方,是早期被殖民族群的仇恨心态。所以我们在戏里看到拳王辱华的丑陋嘴脸,我们看到洪震南明明把手放开就可以逃过一命却死也不肯放开的情节,看到肥波警官随便告一告发就可以把洋上司拉下马(既然如此为何不早点去告发)等等的煽情剧目。叶师傅(再次声明,是叶伟信师傅,不是叶问师傅)认为这一刀切下去,必定敛聚众人的目光,绽放无限影视光芒,我却仿佛回到70年代重看《精武门》。

当台上叶问一面回想洪震南被拳王揍到血流满面,一面兜头兜脸拳如雨下的狠击龙卷风鼻梁的时候,我居然听到台下的掌声和喝彩声。这叫我心下暗自一惊--原来这一套还是有人吃的。

我不吃这一套,因为我觉得世界早就剧烈的改变着。现今文化冲突固然还有,但想用当年“闭塞”的民族情绪来操纵现代观众的观感是很不智的。因为当今的观众,已经懂得看见其中的culture shock。而多了那么一分的同理,相对就会少了那么一点代入感。当抽离的感觉出来,就会觉得那种情绪的酝酿和经营太过刻意。

特别是在我们马国,进场观戏的M朋友还不少,大家只是来看Donnie Yan和Sammo Huang的拳脚功夫,什么辱华、什么侮辱中国武术就不行的台词,对他们来说简直无关痛痒。最糟糕的是,他们不但看不到《叶问1》的精湛武术(除了那个广被抄袭的快拳),还要忍受一堆吊威的动作场面。这一点真叫我不甚唏嘘,当我回看洪金宝当年《人吓人》时,发现那个年代连宵小之辈的拳脚功夫都甚有看头。但来到这个年代,若不靠吊威和电脑特效,身手好脸蛋正的武打明星,实在是买少见少了。

我刚是说这颗金刚石是有其可以发扬光大的地方。这个地方,是叶问和洪震南从两虎相斗的彼此敌视,转为识英雄重英雄的转折过程。可惜的是,叶伟信这一面切割得太浅了,根本反射不出多少光芒,简直轻描淡写、暴殄天物,让我有种恨铁不成钢的内伤。

另一个值得打磨的面,是叶问对大弟子的那一番话:“你觉得我很能打吗?过了二十年后,你不费吹灰之力便能将我打倒,这世界上并没有谁是最能打的。我们习武之人,贵在中和,不争之争。”叶问想教给黄梁的,是武术精神更甚于武打招式。我觉得这一段是瑰宝,也是可以突显叶问个人修身养性最好的切入点。但是电影来到最后叶问还是以“武打招式”压制敌人--说到底,要制服敌人,武打招式还是比较方便的工具;至於武术精神嘛,闲来无事自己人聊聊就好。这也是另一次暴殄天物,或说,自打嘴巴。

让我周身不舒服的情节安排还有一处。洪拳弟子眼红咏春声势日益壮大,跑到人家楼下来寻衅滋事;两派弟子从此结下梁子。但到后来,两派弟子又为什么会冰释前嫌,化干戈为玉帛,团结一致呢--因为共同的敌人出现了。

“联合次要敌人,打击主要敌人”本来就是政治上最常被把玩的伎俩;我国领袖也很擅长来这套。例如U党里出了事,领袖地位岌岌可危,马上就会有人无中生有,拿另一政党M党来开刀,说该政党如何侵犯他们的主权。于是本来乱成一团的U党,立刻团结起来,枪口一致对外。

再不然,国家领袖捅出了个娄子,眼看就要被弹劾了。立刻就有忠心耿耿的臣子矛头一转,说邻国如何欺压我国。于是乎,全国人民立刻团结起来了,一起向对岸叫嚣咆哮,暂时把国家领袖的罪状放一边。

所以龙卷风在促进香港华人武术圈团结是很有功的,应该被记上一笔,好好表扬。但这种要靠着历史的伤痛–而且一定要有人壮烈牺牲了–才能把嫌隙暂放一边的团结,我还真的觉得悲哀。

但不管再怎么说,甄子丹还是我的偶像。对我来说,整颗金刚石里最高的价值,还是他。

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

An Inconvenient Truth

It seem to be good to start the 1st day of 2008 to know some truth about the earth we are living, so I watched the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" this afternoon. Turn out it's not about earth, it's about what we, as human being, has done to the blue planet.

Al Gore goes around the whole US and places in Europe, China, Japan, Korea. Presenting his slide show thousands times, he has brought up much awareness of global warming. His slides presenting the scientific data to display how's the temperature going up over the past 15 years and the consequence of glacier's melting, rising of sea levels. And with the increasing of CO2 and pollution, the temperature is still keep going up. If we didn't face the fact and act on it, we are going to face a serious climate threat in 50 years ahead.

I have heard about it since a few years ago. Al Gore got a lot of resistance on the acceptance of the threat from medias, related energy or utilities corporates, and opposite political party. There are many who doubt about it and call global warming might not be something "proven" yet. Michael Crichton's book "State of Fear" seem to be one of the reference, although it's a fiction. I found this to be interesting, as Michael claimed he spent 3 over years to read through tons of articles/documents (the book has 20+ pages of reference citing articles from scientific reference) and he has his view point that the cause to the warming is yet unknown and not proven.

(disclaimer: I have not yet read "State of Fear", I learn this from people who have read it and some search on Internet)

Now, without further study or research, how do we as a ordinary person to judge? Obviously, Al Gore seem having more hard proof/data, he's awarded Nobel Piece Prize of 2007, and he has a supportive team to study and help to educate/dispatch the truth. And yet Michael Crichton is on his own, I still seeing some people arguing on newsgroup to stand on his point!

All I wanted to say is, I find this amazing. The story telling is always a more powerful and convincing channel to convince people. The changes of weather is pretty obviously observed and the disasters in recent years show us something is really happening. It's probably a matter of dispute of whether CO2 is the main cause or is that again some conspiracy theory against big corp/government. I should go to read the book and figure it out.

Note: Wikipedia's "State of Fear" entry contains links of scientists's refuting of the inaccuracies in the book. Nevertheless, it should still worth a read.

失去的是什么?

《每個大人心里都住著一個孩子;而每個小孩心理,都有個未來的成人靜靜等候。》
Image of 失物之書



可是大人再也不會有“從此過著幸福快樂的日子”的期待,童話也不是個多好的逃避場所。“失物之書”讓我想起了小時候讀童話的快樂,也考驗我的記憶力 -- 不過我實在很多都猜不出來,只隱約記得故事的輪廓,細節不復考究。。

或許考查原本的童話故事會有個愉快的回憶,作者的顛覆會更有意義。可是我很懶,我只想拾回閱讀的樂趣、享受它出人意料的曲折。 比起像電影“Shrek"的”童話的另一面", 失物之書要說的似乎更多。我不是很了解書里更深層次的一面。 它讓我所想起,所了解的,是我喪失的想像力 -- 那些隨童話,童年玩樂而去的創造力。 每個人小時候或都會有那么一本小冊子,或者都儲在小腦袋里;那里裝著你辛苦收集來的小石,動物標本。。。每一樣東西都有它自己的故事-- 一個你賦以它的故事,一個你認真無比創編出來的故事。。。那時候的想象力真是無窮無盡啊,這是大人心里住著,等著蹦出來的孩子嗎?