天降財神

天降財神
(The Man Who Fell To Earth)

尼可拉斯羅吉 Nicolas Roeg
1976|Color|USA|139 min

播映時間與地點
11/10 (二) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋

---

這部電影翻譯成「天降財神」說實在有點怪，因為電影裡並未真的讓人感受到「財神」的存在，只有為了拯救自己乾旱的星球與家人，不得不來到地球找水源，並靠高超的外星科技賺錢以建造太空船，帶自己回家的外星人。而這個外星人其實根本不熱衷於商賈，他厭倦地球上的俗世紛擾，同樣地也為隱瞞自己的真實身分而努力喬裝、保持低調，但最後結局仍邁向毀滅的外星人悲劇。

電影改編自沃爾特‧特維斯(Walter Tevis)的小說，導演是英國的尼可拉斯羅吉(Nicolas Roeg)。尼可拉斯羅吉在當導演前曾是攝影師，楚浮(François Truffaut)的《華氏451度》(Fahrenheit 451)就是由他擔任攝影。尼可拉斯羅吉較為人所知的商業電影是他1990年與安潔莉卡休斯頓(Anjelica Huston)合作的《女巫》(The Witches)。《天降財神》(The Man Who Fell To Earth)雖是尼可拉斯羅吉的代表作，但因為其手法繁複、充滿導演自我風格，因此當年雖獲得柏林影展金熊獎的提名，但一般觀眾的接受度不高，影評家對此電影也是褒貶不一。但若要在藝術電影和科幻電影間找尋獨特的模糊美感，《天降財神》則為必看經典。

性愛和電視畫面大量充斥著139分鐘的電影，這兩類都是現在人生的必備品，但在大量執行時卻又充滿荒謬感。中年男子用性愛來證明自己的青春，但同時卻又感到空虛；外星人可同時閱覽大量的電視畫面，但他卻不相信人類，也不讓人類認識他。性愛是最親密的接觸，電視是最直接的傳播，二者理應最貼近生活，但在《天降財神》裡，過度的感官刺激卻顯得諷刺而荒謬。

瑪莉露口口聲聲說愛著湯瑪斯(Thomas)，但當她第一次看見湯米的真面目時卻嚇得尿褲子。湯米愛著他的妻子和家人，但他在地球依然對女性軀體感到渴望與孤寂。湯米寧願一口氣看數十種不同的電視頻道，也不願意和瑪莉露(Mary-Lou)談心。酒精在《天降財神》有點類似亞當與夏娃的禁果，當湯米的外星人本尊不幸被揭發而被囚禁時，他能喝的就只有酒精類飲品。爾後他的地球人偽裝不但再也取不下來，連故鄉也回不去，只能頹廢地酗酒，完全「墜落」在地球上。

尼可拉斯羅吉最擅長的手法就是把時空切割，任意穿插在劇情裡。以及用肉體關係來反映角色的內心變化，這點在1980年的《性昏迷》(Bad Timing)裡被使用得更淋漓盡致。

本片另一個有趣的點是男主角大衛鮑伊(David Bowie)，他和披頭四、皇后合唱團並列為英國20世紀最重要的搖滾巨星，近年最讓人熟悉的電影角色是《頂尖對決》(The Prestige)裡的英國科學家特斯拉(Tesla)，並參與《搖滾世代》(Glastonbury)的紀錄演出。《天降財神》時期的大衛鮑伊已經不再玩華麗搖滾，就在他的興趣逐漸轉向德國樂壇前，他的專輯「Station to Station」給他帶來另一個暱稱：「The thin white duke。」這個暱稱是描述因當時依賴毒品而顯得蒼白且經常穿著白襯衫、西裝背心舞台裝的大衛鮑伊形象。此外，「The thin white duke」也被視為是他在電影《天降財神》角色的延伸，這正好是大衛鮑伊的過度期，而這段過度轉化的時光在某種程度上也影響──或說間接完美──了他在《天降財神》裡的演出。The thin white duke時期的大衛鮑伊徹底把一個陌生而顯得過度小心翼翼的外星人，轉化成對人類、愛情、友誼失望，缺乏信任且酒精中毒的太空墮落者。

（撰文：章聿珩）

Thomas (David Bowie) seems no different from other people, but as a matter of fact, he is a human being from another planet with a highly developed civilization. Thomas has his own family, relatives and friends from his planet. Once he finds that the Earth is a planet full of water, he leaves the waterless planet of his and comes to the Earth out of fascination with water. Here, Thomas uses the advanced technology with which he is familiar to find a company and quickly becomes a millionaire. However, the longer he stays on Earth, the more he misses his home planet. Still, the Earth is too tempting. How will Thomas make his choice in the end?

If we look at "The Man Who Fell to Earth" in today's perspective, the standout characteristic of the film is its avant-garde nature. It has been 33 years since its making, yet the scenes, the characters' costumes, and the storyline are not the least bit out of date. In other words, if not told the release date of the movie, you will undoubtedly consider it to be released recently.

Of course, the focus of the film is mostly on David Bowie, one of the most important figures in the history of rock music, the rock chameleon. It is thus very suitable for him to play a strange alien. Being sickly, eccentric, and a bit nervous are our impression of the extraterrestrial rock star's common characteristics.

An alien, due to his fascination with water, leaves his wife and children behind and comes to the Earth. With all the riches and success he achieves on Earth, he has trouble accustoming himself to many things on Earth while he is attracted to the TV, his lover, among others. On the other hand, he misses his family on another planet. He is lured, attracted, and tortured. Eventually he chooses this well-to-do life on Earth, but his heart is filled with great regret. Precisely, this movie reflects the great suffering of modern people from numerous external temptations.

（撰文：彭中嬿）

影片片段：

靈異象限

靈異象限
(Signs)

奈沙馬蘭 M. Night Shyamalan
2002|Color|USA|106 min

播映時間與地點
11/07 (六) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋

---

印度籍的導演奈沙馬蘭(M. Night Shyamalan)的作品一向讓人又愛又恨，原因是他說故事的方式總是和觀眾的期待相反，也因此他的作品（特別是近期的作品）往往評價兩極。

《靈異象限》(Signs)就是這麼一部作品，很多人訝異在沙馬蘭推出《靈異第六感》(The Sixth Sense)後，怎麼會做出這麼一部讓人有點說不出滋味為何的電影。雖然在本次的科幻影展裡，《靈異象限》並不是一部多麼突出，甚至在科幻電影史上具備代表性的作品，但卻是少數用「小視角」看「大事件」的電影。

大多數的科幻電影，主角群不是身兼政府機關要職就是本身是事件發展重心。這種以「大視角」說故事的手法容易帶給觀眾快感，這就像是第一手的SNG車LIVE報導，事件的最新發展觀眾永遠都是第一個知道，因此故事的未來發展等，往往都在觀眾的期待範圍內，即便結局大翻盤，也是以既有的資訊做為轉換的條件。

可是奈沙馬蘭卻不一樣，他愛用「小視角」來看大事情，他的電影主角都是無名小卒，我們未曾看見國家級科學家或特種部隊成員、未來救世主等人物出現在他的電影裡。如此一來，多處時間劇情是處在未知的恐懼感裡，資訊有限、一切猶如霧裡看花，因此觀眾看他的電影容易得不到滿足甚至發怒。但換個角度來看，這樣的敘事方式似乎才是最貼近「現實」的手法。畢竟若現實世界發生外星人入侵，升斗小民在家裡坐困愁城的可能性遠比衝鋒陷陣打擊罪惡大得多。但這樣的手法卻也因此不吃香，因為觀眾看電影往往是找尋悠閒與享受，只要稍有偏差，小視角觀看大事件的手法就不容易獲得青睞。

《靈異象限》雖然是一部外星人入侵地球的科幻片，但主題卻是以一個破碎且失去信仰的家庭，如何在這次危機中重新尋回自己的信念。因喪妻之痛讓梅爾吉勃遜(Mel Gibson)放棄神職，不再對上帝禱告，但是在外星人入侵後，「必然」與「偶然」之間呼應共鳴，以及家人各自秉持的執著，讓他重新對信仰有了新的看法。

此外這部電影也點出以外星侵略為主題的故事重點：捍衛家園。無論是《ID4：星際終結者》(Independence Day)或把戰場挪到太空殖民地的《異形》(Alien)系列，其主題都是保護生存的權利。但《靈異象限》把這個主題特別濃縮成一個結構簡單的農場家庭與小鎮，他說出平凡人類的無助、說出面對滅亡恐懼前的膽顫，並訴說戰士對抗外星人的初衷並非要當個英雄，他只是想保護自己的家。

與登上戰鬥機投射核彈轟炸飛碟的劇情相比，上述這些理應更貼近觀眾的生活。只是電影多次利用過往記憶和太過瑣碎的對白穿插，反而容易使企圖傳達給觀眾的訊息變得零散失焦，甚至顯得沒有重點，是其較為可惜的地方。

（撰文：章聿珩）

The Hess family lives on a farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a former priest who lost his faith after the car accident that killed his wife. He lives with his children Morgan (who suffers from asthma) and Bo and also his younger brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix). They have been leading a quiet life until crop circles are found in their cornfield. Following the advent of crop circles are strange voices and mysterious scenes near their house. News has it that people all over the world are spotting aliens. While visiting Ray Reddy, the driver who hit his wife by truck, Graham is told that aliens do not like water and witnesses a captured alien. After he comes home, the Hess reaches the consensus to stay at home instead of going to the lake as their neighbors do. Eventually they would be directly confronted with the aliens, fighting against whom as if battling with the demons of their past.

"Signs" takes the audience onto a soul-searching journey in which the ghosts of hope loom in the distance. The dense atmosphere keeps the audience hanging with the plot development. The audience would leave the theater with a sigh of relief and start to hope for better things.

（撰文：彭中嬿）

影片片段：

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）

影片片段：

無底洞

無底洞
(The Abyss)

James Cameron
1989|Color|USA|170 min

播映時間與地點
10/31 (六) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋

★1990年美國影藝學院奧斯卡金像獎最佳效果、最佳視覺效果

---

1945到1990年，因美、蘇兩國在政治、外交和軍事上的角力，使得這55年被世人稱為冷戰。《無底洞》(The Abyss)推出的年代就在冷戰末期，因此在今年清大夜貓子電影院的科幻影展裡，《無底洞》和《地球末日記》(The Day the Earth Stood Still)就形成了有趣的對比：後者是冷戰前期的科幻電影，未知生物來自太空；前者則是冷戰即將結束的科幻作品，不明生物則來自深淵。《地球末日記》是相對嚴肅又冷峻的電影，整部電影可說沒有絲毫冷場，與之相比，用夫妻回溫的愛情和深海恐懼症發作的軍人鋪陳的《無底洞》，其立場似乎就顯得有些尷尬。不過，這並不影響《無底洞》在電影史或特效史上的地位。

本次影展的主題為「接觸」，《無底洞》有著實質上的接觸，同時他也是新舊特效技術交替的銜接點。由於詹姆斯卡麥隆(James Cameron)拍攝了《無底洞》，利用電腦特效成功描摹出一種透明、像水一樣任意變化的外星生物，而這種技術則成就了他接下來可堪稱經典的電影《魔鬼終結者2》(Terminator 2: Judgment Day)。
詹姆斯卡麥隆對於海洋生物、物理學、太空科技甚至是漫畫都有相當的熱情，但是受到庫柏力克(Stanley Kubrick)《2001：太空漫遊》(2001: A Space Odyssey)的感召，他立志要成為電影導演。《無底洞》或許不是卡麥隆最優秀的作品，甚至和他前後兩部電影（《異型2》(Aliens)、《魔鬼終結者2》）相比，似乎也有些冗贅部分。但《無底洞》卻是了解卡麥隆這位導演相當好的入門，因為它幾乎囊括了卡麥隆熱愛的電影要素。
女強人、對未知科技或生物的恐懼、驚悚與災難、暴力與和平、溝通與理解，甚至是些許浪漫。雪歌妮薇佛(Sigourney Weaver)和琳達漢彌頓(Linda Hamilton)是卡麥隆鏡頭下最佳女強人代表，《無底洞》裡則有瑪麗伊莉莎白瑪斯楚湯妮奧(Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)飾演的女工程師。當美國核子潛艇因不明原因沉沒於深淵，軍方對未知訊息的恐慌所衍生的過度臆測，差點導致核武危機。同樣的，困在深海裡的美軍，面對美麗但卻奇異的生物機械，直覺式地把對方視為蘇聯的高科技，並意圖用核彈毀滅。他們（美軍）從未思索過「溝通」，從未考慮過「接觸」和「了解」彼此，當誤會產生，災難亦隨之爆發。

雖然是老調重彈的「人類應該和平相處」，但《無底洞》在利用誤解和暴力衝突彰顯和平可貴的手法確實是比多數同類型電影來得有層次。故事緊連冷戰末期的社會氣氛，那是最緊繃也最讓人焦慮的時代，表面上美國雖然取得冷戰的勝利，但背後卻付出許多代價，特別是在政治、經濟、文化和教育上留下深刻的恐懼和消極的影響。也因此電影裡數次以身陷深淵的人們觀看即時新聞畫面來傳達真實與認知的落差。大戰或許一觸即發，事實真相卻被阻絕在深海裡，雖然艾德哈里斯(Ed Harris)最後的行為出發點是美國英雄式的犧牲，但導演反而用幽默、責任和愛情誤解的冰釋來刻劃深海裡的核彈危機，使電影多了分浪漫、少了分冷冽，也更貼近現實。

（撰文：章聿珩）

Bud (Ed Harris) and Lindsey (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) are a divorced couple engaged in deep-sea exploration work. They are forced to help the U.S. Navy find and rescue a nuclear submarine. Together with Lt. Hiram Coffey (Michael Biehn) and the U.S. Military, they dive deeply into the ocean. In the "abyss" where the sunrays cannot reach, the crew has become targets of attack. In adversity, the love between Bud and Lindsey slowly regain. The film director James Cameron found his idea through the Great Falls of Nicaragua, and 40% of the scenes in the movie were shot underwater. The grand style and stunning special effects are also found in Cameron's later work "Titanic".
"The Abyss" is actually an anti-war movie intended to raise environmental awareness but wrapped up with underwater expedition, military operations, and contact with the extraterrestrial. As with all of Cameron's sci-fi screenplays, behind the technology lies a distinctively human element. This enables "The Abyss", despite the extraterrestrial encounters, to approach the audience on their level and suck viewers into the film. The character of Coffey is a great obstacle character because he is losing his mind and is getting engulfed by paranoia to the point where he cannot trust anyone. The way Cameron uses Coffey to build up suspense is very effective and the culmination of it is one of the most frantic underwater chases ever be. Spectacular is the only word that comes to mind.
The movie takes the style of a disaster film in the beginning, then develops into marine adventures, and finally ends on a optimistic and humane note. The nearly three hours of viewing experience leads the audience continuously to new developments. Cameron directs the film with a sturdy pace, and adorned with its amazing special effects, "The Abyss" is a must-see for all movie connoisseurs.

（撰文：彭中嬿）

影片片段：

X檔案:征服未來

X檔案:征服未來
(The X Files)

Rob Bowman
1998|Color|USA|121 min

播映時間與地點
10/27 (二) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋

★1999年ASCAP獎Top Box Office Films

---

若說是什麼在90年代重新燃起世人對外星人的狂熱，美國影集《X檔案》(The X Files)絕對功不可沒。雖然《X檔案》推出的兩部電影評價都不算好，但因為它對科幻影片的貢獻實在太高了，因此《X檔案：征服未來》入選本次影展片單。

《X檔案：征服未來》的劇情時間是穆德(Mulder)和史考莉(Scully)已搭檔多年後，因奇怪的大樓恐嚇爆炸案使得穆德和史考莉面對被調查甚至拆夥的危機。為了洗刷兩人的冤屈，穆德和史考莉深入調查整個爆炸案件，才發現一切居然是一個和政府有關、巨大的秘密組織所策劃的陰謀，目的是隱藏他們利用外星人統治地球的計畫。
本片除了穆德對神祕事件緊追不捨的主要路線外，更加上了他和史考莉之間的感情問題。此外，企圖與外星人合作的神祕組織也發生內訌，開始有人懷疑這樣的計畫是絕佳的武器還是會變成反噬的兩面刃？而史考莉也因為案件的撲朔迷離和周遭的反對聲浪，開始對自己的工作與能力產生質疑。

整部電影無論是人物關係或點子都可說是影集的延伸，但導演羅伯包曼(Rob Bowman)和編劇克里斯卡特(Chris Carter)似乎忘了他們這次創作的不是影集而是電影。《X檔案：征服未來》的步調和節奏都太像電視影集了，而特效的處理和最後收尾也缺乏電影應有的規模，反而使整個「外星殖民者」計畫和龐大神秘組織的人體實驗失去了電影開始鋪陳的驚悚與神秘。

或許《X檔案》電影版的表現差強人意，但若論「接觸」外星的影視題材，《X檔案》系列絕對具有它獨特的代表地位。

（撰文：章聿珩）

"X Files: the Movie" is based on the popular TV-series produced by Chris Carter. The movie begins with FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigating a case of the explosion of an office building in Dallas and being unintentionally swept into a mysterious conspiracy. A group of aliens emerge out of a big hole underground in northern Texas, killing three people on earth and possessing the body of the fourth.

Three bodies are found in the very building where the suspected terrorists have placed bombs. The assumption that aliens have taken control of the Earth thus comes around, and Mulder goes to as far as Antarctica to save Scully... David Duchovny plays Fox Mulder, the serious but extremely smart FBI agent who believes in the existence of aliens. His partner Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) is a medical doctor, so she can maintain a suspicious attitude towards the mysterious things Mulder believes in.

The movie version of X-files creates an unprecedented momentum for the series. As movies are more popularized than TV series, the mysteries of X-files can be viewed by more people. Moreover, it is not a movie which can only be enjoyed by X-files fans but everyone. The audience may be surprised at an alien life form as something roaming in underground caves as well as their plan to colonize the Earth. The movie inherits the paranoia, horror, and blood-curdling suspense from the series, and these elements of a great mystery will attract the heart of many.

（撰文：彭中嬿）

影片片段：

E.T.外星人

E.T.外星人
(E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)

Steven Spielberg
1982|Color|USA|115 min

播映時間與地點
10/24 (六) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋

★1983年美國影藝學院奧斯卡金像獎最佳音樂、最佳音效、最佳視覺效果

---

《E.T.外星人》(E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial) 於1982年6月11日於美國首映，而這一天也成為官方制定的E.T.生日。20多年後，美國電影學院（AFI，成立於1967年）召集了1500名電影藝術專業者，經過投票後在十種類型電影裡選出對電影發展百年來影響重大的10大電影代表。在這次票選活動裡，《E.T.外星人》獲得了10大科幻電影第三名的殊榮。

E.T.是the Extra-Terrestrial的縮寫，它幾乎可是影史上最普及的科幻家庭片，相信大多數的電影觀眾都看過這部電影。一般而言觀眾會因為《E.T.外星人》的故事內容而把其視為家庭片、娛樂片或兒童片，似乎覺得這部電影科幻成分不似《2001太空漫遊》(2001: A Space Odyssey)、《發條橘子》(A Clockwork Orange)、《阿爾伐城》(Alphaville)或較近代的《駭客任務》(The Matrix)系列等科幻電影來得強烈，甚至會懷疑AFI的成員為何如此看重這部電影。

或許論深度和精緻度，AFI會員選出的其他九大科幻電影，甚至是其他電影迷們耳熟能詳的經典科幻片，都遠遠超出《E.T.外星人》。但卻幾乎沒有一部電影和本片一樣可同時具備科幻、懸疑、溫馨等發人省思的特質。
在那個年代裡，《E.T.外星人》是少數把外星人設定成醜陋、充滿皺紋但卻善解人意又愛好和平的神奇生物。大多數的外星人電影裡，外星人都必須擔當侵略者或掠食者，不然就是代替上帝來懲罰作惡多端的人類。可《E.T.外星人》完全拋棄這些沉重的包袱，史蒂芬史匹柏(Steven Spielberg)深知外太空未知領域對人類（特別是對孩童）的魅力，因此把與外星接觸視為赤子之心的表現，電影裡不那麼純真的大人似乎是「反派」，天真的孩童則是最佳的溝通橋樑，但反派卻也不是真的那麼壞，大人也曾經懷抱夢想，如此一來故事就變得層次豐富又感人肺腑。

但在拍攝本片時，史蒂芬史匹柏刻意在電影開頭使用夜景、模型、長鏡頭等效果描繪出未知外星生物的神秘感，並利用倉庫的幽暗、狗吠聲等類驚悚片元素來交代小男孩與E.T.的相識。懸疑的氛圍出來後，再現的卻是溫馨的互動和傷心的別離。

一般電影拍攝並不會照著劇本順序拍，但因為《E.T.外星人》的主要演員都是小孩子，為了讓孩子們對E.T.這虛構的角色產生感情，史匹柏刻意如演舞台劇一樣，順著劇本拍攝電影。

《E.T.外星人》幾乎已成了多數人的共同記憶，它具備讓觀眾笑、哭、傷心、雀躍、尖叫等元素，整個故事並不會因為情感容量過多而讓故事顯得鬆散。也因為《E.T.外星人》娛樂性、啟發性兼備，劇情亦突破傳統外星人電影風格，才能在影史擁有如此獨特的地位。


（撰文：章聿珩）

Have you ever thought of the possibility of an extraterrestrial visitor suddenly arriving at the face of the earth, in your hometown? What kind of a story will it be like?
War breaks out, blood flows like a river, and families are torn apart. Things such as these can happen, but you are overlooking the possibility of another kind.

More than twenty years ago, the world's movie fans were crazy for a movie, which immediately became a classic and touched the heart of countless people. From the beginning with heavy suspense to its thought provoking ending, the movie is thoroughly amazing. It is not only an important work in the American film history but also becomes a part of American culture. This movie is director Steven Spielberg's classic "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial".

This touching story describes the sincere friendship between a little boy and an alien. Elliott is a lonely little boy growing up in a single-parent family in California. One day he meets an alien from the outer space. He finds that the funny-looking alien is both good-natured and intelligent. Therefore, he decides to help this alien whom he calls "E.T." to contact his planet and escape from the pursuit of government agencies and scientists. Since then they have embarked on treacherous adventure.

Sometimes people will become stronger after tremendous changes and disasters, and they will be more courageous to face things in life. However, when people are confronted with the pure, the naive and the beautiful, they may become unusually fragile, isolate themselves for fear that their complexities will taint the innocence. This movie is simple like a fairytale, so innocent that we cannot suppress a cry after watching it.


（撰文：彭中嬿）

影片片段：

突變第三型

突變第三型
(The Thing)

John Carpenter
1982|Color|USA|109 min

播映時間與地點
10/20 (二) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋

---

本片是約翰卡本特(John Carpenter)和寇特羅素(Kurt Russell)合作的電影裡最具代表性的作品。上世紀70、80年代是卡本特最風光的時候，那時好萊塢電影工業尚未如此倚賴電腦特效技術，因此許多知名恐怖片多半利用低成本模型打造即可，《突變第三型》(The Thing)就是這麼一部經典的科幻恐怖B級片。

他以雷利史考特(Ridley Scott)的《異形》(Alien)為尊，用大約一千萬美元的成本拍攝此片。以現今的角度來看，《突變第三型》的特效實在很假，但是該流汁流血的、該肚破腸流的場面，電影依然毫不馬虎。整部電影之所以精彩乃因卡本特抓住恐怖電影的要素：一群人被困在冰天雪地的荒原裡孤立無援，卻又彼此猜忌、不曉得誰才是要命的外星異種。

由於《突變第三型》師法雷利史考特的《異形》，因此二者確實具備某些雷同的客觀條件：密閉空間（探險屋／太空船）、孤立無援（南極／外太空）、外星異種（擬化繁殖／異形），但這不代表約翰卡本特走不出自己的電影味道。

卡本特不玩弄無謂的恐嚇或驚悚，他高明之處在於一直幫觀眾打預防針、你以為你已經自信滿滿有所準備絕對不會被嚇到時，他卻又給你一記駭人的回馬槍。你以為不是怪物的人下一秒卻成為異形、你以為是反派份子的角色最後卻可能拉了主角一把。

雖然卡本特的《突變第三型》成為異形類電影的代表之一，他也在1978年推出《月光光心慌慌》(Halloween)，成就了面具殺人魔的螢幕典範，電影公司亦在2007年推出翻拍的新版。但有趣的是卡本特本人在上世紀拍了如此多的恐怖電影，但他本人卻不相信現實生活中的靈異或恐怖現象，他認為「電影銀幕」才是最恐怖也最能締造恐怖的地方。

（撰文：章聿珩）

In the desolate, barren, and sparsely populated Antarctica, a group of American scientists go on a scientific expedition there, but their activities are interrupted by a group of Norwegians who are hunting down a dog maniacally. The dog finally escapes into the American scientists' research station. Two Norwegians suddenly die in a plane crash, and the matter becomes an unresolved case with no way to find any explanations. That night, the dog begins to mutate and starts to attack the other dogs and the team of scientists, some of which have unidentified objects on them. The scientists soon realize that the dog is a kind of extraterrestrial life and it can control other biological bodies. The problem now is that they have no idea who is already being controlled...

The film is a remake of the same-titled 1951 movie. As this is a remake three decades after the original version, the visual effects have come a long way. What is more worth mentioning about the film is that it contains hints of the Cold War, of fear of Communist infiltration and the metaphor of McCarthy-style white terror. The dark side of people mistrusting each other is portrayed effectively.

The protagonist, film star Kurt Russell used to be a popular American action movie hero. In "The Thing", he creates the image of a justice defender beyond the social, legal, and moral constraints. His performance in the film is perfectly mingled with the dark and offbeat aura of the movie. He, along with the other actors, enhances the feeling of fear and chaos but also brings out the hopes and trusts of human nature amid great sufferings.

（撰文：彭中嬿）

影片片段：

2009科幻影展預告片熱騰騰上映

He is always among us ...

天外魔花

天外魔花
(Invasion of the Body Snatchers)

Don Siegel
1956|B&W|USA|80 min

播映時間與地點
10/17 (六) 20:30
蘇格貓底二手書咖啡屋

★1994年美國國家電影保護局典藏

---

《天外魔花》(Invasion of the Body Snatchers)改編自傑克芬尼(Jack Finney)的科幻小說，講述的是類似豆莢的外星人企圖利用細胞附身人類以征服地球的故事。這部電影在1956年獲得成功好評，並在1994年列入美國國家電影名冊，並在推出後半個世紀內擁有四個翻拍版本。

第一個翻拍是1978年的菲利浦考夫曼(Philip Kaufman)的《變形邪魔》(Invasion of Body Snatchers)，第二個翻拍版是1993年的《異形基地》(Body Snatchers)，第三版是1998年《老師不是人》(The Faculty)，第四版是2007年妮可基嫚(Nicole Kidman)主演的《恐怖拜訪》(The Visiting)。
四個翻拍版，只有菲利普考夫曼的版本成功，1993和1998甚至是2007年的評價都非常普通。原因在於1956和1978年的版本都適時地反映了當時的美國社會，與其說他們是科幻電影，不如說他們是政治諷刺電影。1956年的背景是對共產主義滲透的恐懼與麥卡錫白色恐怖的迫害，1978的美國則背負水門事件的陰影與越戰傷痕。兩個不同的年代都因某些政治事件導致社會的不信任感，也因此豆莢人的入侵造成難分敵我的恐懼成為現實生活的投射。

但1993年與1998年的美國正處太平盛世，因此這種電影只能淪為單純的科幻恐怖或商業娛樂片，無法引發共鳴或更深層的思考，特別是1998年的校園版，除了敵我難分的概念相同外，整部故事的架構與目的已淪為單純的young age異形追殺片，加上傳統邪不勝正的happy ending，除了異形和虐殺電影顯得沒有重點。2007年的美國則是懼怕恐怖主義和伊斯蘭教的反攻，因此電影裡「模仿、擬真」的滲透就和現實的恐懼不成對比，加上電影沒有更強力、更突出的變化，使得2007年的改編版慘遭滑鐵盧。

導演唐席格(Don Siegel)在處理《天外魔花》時，把原著的喜劇結尾改成凱文麥卡錫(Kevin McCarthy)嘶吼的問號。表面上這似乎是反共的宣導電影，暗示「匪諜就在你身邊」，豆莢人的冷靜、和諧似乎會替世界帶來和平，但這種烏托邦的背後卻忽略基本人權，甚至以類似狩獵邪教的暴力行為排除異己。且類似植物構成的外星人雖然模仿人類唯妙唯肖，可本質卻是冷酷而機械的，看似和平卻完全抽離了「人」的本質，以集體意識呼應寡頭政治，並以剔除異議人士諷刺白色恐怖，連獨善其身者也難逃一劫。

由於《天外魔花》在政治社會的暗示，使他對後來的電影產生相當大的影響。1978的《變形邪魔》不但刻劃了美國人的越戰傷痕和水門事件後的互不信任，電影找來《天外魔花》的男主角凱文麥卡錫客串，重現他在1956年的驚惶失措，原始版的導演唐席格也在本片客串了一位計程車司機，讓電影頗有承先啟後的意味。同時，1978的版本也增添了原著裡外星人發現外來者時所沒有的尖聲嘶吼，使電影增添了一股妖氣，而這特色也被1993年的《異形基地》拿來使用。

（撰文：章聿珩）

Dr. Miles Bennel (Kevin McCarthy) returns to his hometown to practice and finds that several of his patients suffer from the same paranoid delusion, claiming that their friends and relatives are imposters. Bennel is skeptical at first, but later he finds that these alleged imposters are able to answer many detailed personal questions about their victims' lives. Thus, he begins to believe that things are wrong. Bennel then receives a friend's phone call asking him to take a look at his pool table, on which a number of strange but perfectly-shaped human bodies appear, worrying him further. People around him are transformed one by one during their sleep. Can he stay awake and come up with a plan to rescue himself and his beloved? This sci-fi classic, directed by Don Siegel, is undoubtedly one of the most horrifying movies in film history.

"The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" is as much a sci-fi horror movie as a political thriller, even though the original story writer Jack Finney as well as the director denied this interpretation. The audience can watch the movie in two perspectives. It may symbolically refers to oligarchy through people's collective consciousness, foreshadowing the terror of communism behind the Iron Curtain. The director added the part that the protagonists are reported by everyone in town to the military and the police as they are the only ones that have not been transformed, creating a scene of horror which possibly would appear in a Communist society.

On the other hand, "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also raises an interesting question on whether the so-called "peace" can be achieved only based on a certain degree of sacrifice as well as the blind obedience to the state apparatus. Such submission shuts emotions and makes human beings soulless. Can it be that if not for the heterogeneity in society, there would not be famine or war crimes? Can the doom in the eyes of Bennel be the most perfect blueprint for Utopia? This logical dilemma constitutes this movie's unique appeal.

（撰文：彭中嬿）

影片片段：