Sunday, November 1, 2009

第三類接觸


第三類接觸
(Close Encounters of the Third Kind)

Steven Spielberg
1977|Color|USA|132 min

播映時間與地點
11/03 (二) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋




★1978年美國影藝學院奧斯卡金像獎最佳電影藝術、特別成就獎(音效)



《第三類接觸》(Close Encounters of the Third Kind)講述外太空的不明飛行物體在地球上空徘徊,使專家們集合在一起找尋飛碟可能降落的地點。同時身為電力公司的維修工程師的羅伊(Roy),因為一場戶外維修意外,讓羅伊心中不停湧起一個奇特的景象,以及五個特殊音符組成的旋律。為了弄清楚不明飛行物給予自己的訊息真相,羅伊開始廢寢忘食地找尋相關線索,最後他終於找到政府的調查基地,與外星人進行最直接的接觸。
70年代末期美、蘇兩方仍在冷戰,兩方劇烈的國防與太空科技戰爭到後期愈演愈烈,因此有著軍事陰謀橋段、太空科幻議題的《第三類接觸》曾讓部分觀眾認為有影射冷戰的嫌疑,但整個故事雖然帶著奇異甚至略顯驚悚的氛圍鋪陳,最終仍以善意和平的交流收場,對那個戰戰兢兢的年代而言,身為科幻片的《第三類接觸》劇情安排的確和平溫馨地令人意外。在史蒂芬史匹柏(Steven Spielberg)的心中,外星人一向是最具魅力也最具幻想的代表,在多數作品醜化未知外星生物,或是將浩瀚無涯的太空描述成步步危機的恐怖世界時,史蒂芬史匹柏卻一反常態地將外星人變成人類的友好對象。如果1982年的《E.T.外星人》(E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)是闔家觀賞的溫馨科幻片,1977年的《第三類接觸》則是還給大孩子童年幻想、帶點未知刺激甚至驚悚氛圍的冒險科幻電影。

《第三類接觸》結合人性、科幻、靈異的議題,讓三者以熱絡又不失和平的方式交流。此外,特殊攝影所營造出的氛圍,也影響不少後來的靈異或科幻電影,因此在1998年經美國影藝學院(The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)票選,《第三類接觸》列入美國影史100大名單中,排名第64位,因為它文化、歷史與美學上的經典地位,被選為美國國家電影保護局(National Film Preservation Board)典藏。除了攝影成就,《第三類接觸》的配樂也是讓它擁有影史不凡地位的原因。

本片另一經典之處是約翰威廉斯(John Williams)的配樂。雖然當時劇本還沒完成,但是概念已經有了,史匹柏表示《第三類接觸》是一部描述地球人類和外星生物間「良性溝通」的電影,由於雙方語言不通,因此希望電影配樂利用「訊號」的概念,希望威廉斯的配樂能夠結合聲音與訊號的關係,並堅持以五個音符作為配樂的基礎。由於史蒂芬史匹柏對「五個音符」的概念相當堅持,讓威廉斯對配樂傷透了腦筋,因為音符愈多愈好發揮,但史匹柏並不希望這部電影的配樂聽起來像個流暢的旋律,而是一種「訊號」、一種「符碼」、一種「標誌」,如果主旋律的音符太多會使整部電影的氣氛潰散,因此花了很久的時間威廉斯才搞定《第三類接觸》的電影配樂。

除了音符和訊號的結合,電影還運用了手勢、光影變化和節奏感間的搭配作為溝通橋樑。此概念來自於聽障者傳遞訊息的方式,由於外星生物和地球人的生理構造不同,二者在交流上對於訊息的接收方式必定不同,所以改以光線與音樂的節奏變化,面對面時甚至搭配不同的手勢,以表達不同族群間釋放善意的良性溝通。搭配不同的節奏感,不同的燈光變化,以五個音符為訊號基礎,約翰威廉斯與史蒂芬史匹柏在《第三類接觸》一起展開了科幻史上最完美的「對話」。

(撰文:章聿珩)

More than 20 years ago, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", together with the "Star Wars" films set off an upsurge of extraterrestrial sci-fi films. It is also Steven Spielberg's signature work in showing a childlike and friendly attitude towards extraterrestrial civilizations before "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). The movie has several parallel storylines, describing a number of people of different ages witnessing the mysterious sights of UFOs in their local areas. All of them are hypnotized and coincidentally gather in the Mojave Desert in the United States to welcome the arrival of aliens. A quasi-religious atmosphere is created, the sci-fi scenes attaining a magnificent momentum. The scene of flying saucers landing is easily the best part of the movie. As for the actors, in addition to Richard Dreyfuss, the great French director François Truffaut also plays the part of a scientist.

In 1945, according to a piece of news report, an airplane suddenly disappears. The pilot of a commercial flight is disturbed by an indescribable bright object. One night, when Roy Neary is loading his truck, he is suddenly enveloped by a mysterious light, followed by a strange illusion and five musical notes that saturate his mind. Can he discover the meaning of this illusion and who places it in his mind? At the same time, the U.S. government has been in contact with the extraterrestrial visitors to determine the location of their landing. In order to cover up the truth, the government asks people to stay away from the location. However, a group of people with their common encounters with the mysterious, including Neary, come to the desert.

On the interim base built by the air force in the desert, the aliens come as promised. Their colorful spacecraft radiating brilliant rays lights up half of the sky. People play the music decoded from aliens' messages previously as a way of communication. The door of the spacecraft opens, and all Earth people who were abducted before return home. A number of short aliens walk among the people to communicate with the mind...

There are no extraterrestrial monster with ghastly eyes, no anatomy of the experiment on a flying saucer, and no high-tech battle between humans and aliens. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" is a story of a goodwill-filled and peaceful meeting between the two species. Music is the universal language. The technology of creating the scene with luminous extraterrestrial spacecrafts was ahead of its time in the era of the 1970s.

(撰文:彭中嬿)

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