Lana Del Rey: The Paradise

第二次在這兒寫上Lana Del Rey，相信大家對這個名字已經不陌生。Born To Die大碟好評如潮，我也聽了不下百次。不過好評是指歐洲吧，美國人仍然不怎麼為她著迷，就是那麼一次的SNL失準便置她於冷宮。我想她對於唱現場的非議是滿不在乎的，她對SNL抨擊的反應是"I look beautiful and I feel fine"。我也不太在乎，因為我對Lana Del Rey的偏愛仍然持續。這精緻的外表，卻有著Hollywood sadcore，正中我下懷。
　

唱片公司為打造Lana Del Rey的強勢，今年緊接推出Born To Die的Paradise edition。這次EP收錄的歌曲，部份是來自Lana仍名為Lizzy Grant的遺珠作品，部份是翻唱。個人覺得這EP太出色了，比大碟還要動聽。喜歡她，是因為那電影式的氣氛，大碟每首歌曲也能讓你想起那些黑白畫面。這種戲劇音樂出自Lana口中卻有一股淡淡的爵士味，再次佔據你的聽覺。
　

看track 8 Bel Air。沉淪拉扯的歌詞呈現眼前，也許會被嫌棄不夠深度，不過喜歡Lana Del Rey就是喜歡她的自我、她的氛圍，大抵許多的旋律都是我們心底裡的情感反射。

專輯內我最喜歡的是track 7 Yayo，記得上一張專輯一句"Heaven is a place on earth with you"太令人著迷，到現在Yayo裡一句"Hello, heaven"也弄得我很敏感。說她不能唱的人大可聽聽Yayo，她絕對是位唱將。track 5 Blue Velvet短短的，我也很喜愛，總覺得velvet的質感完全符合她給我的感覺，不太流行不太老舊，恰好有一點姿態。
　

Lana Del Rey也是時裝界的寵兒，今年除了拍攝 H&M 廣告外，兩度登上Vogue的封面，也成為了Versace的代言人，看見她出席活動笑得高興的樣子我有點溶化了。
　

最後，其實主打歌Ride我喜愛得不得了，10:10的微電影滲透濃濃的美國西部味道，意識大膽，畫面非常到位。這個女孩究竟在想什麼，透過剖白式的對白我們已經知道，我一直好想將整段放上來，看到她說"I was a singer, not a very  popular one"就有點想哭的感覺。她這一路走來並不容易，看她訪問，說起話來很靦腆，絲毫沒有鏡頭前那種自信、傲氣的感覺。其實她也只是一個小女孩。

"I was in the winter of my life — and the men I met along the road
were my only summer. At night I fell asleep with visions of
myself dancing and laughing and crying with them.
Three years down the line of being on an endless world tour
and my memories of them were the only things that sustained me,
and my only real happy times.

I was a singer, not a very popular one,
who once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet —
but upon an unfortunate series of events,
saw those dreams dash and divided like a million stars in the night sky
that I wished on over and over again —
sparkling and broken.
But I didn’t really mind because I knew that
it takes getting everything you ever wanted
and then losing it to know what true freedom is.

When the people I used to know found out what I had been doing,
how I had been living — they asked me why.
But there’s no use in talking to people who have a home,
they have no idea what it’s like to seek safety in other people,
for home to be wherever you lie your head.

I was always an unusual girl,
my mother told me I had a chameleon soul.
No moral compass pointing due north, no fixed personality.
Just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean.
And if I said that I didn’t plan for it to turn out this way,
I’d be lying — because I was born to be the other woman.
I belonged to no one —
who belonged to everyone,
who had nothing —
who wanted everything with a fire for every experience
and an obsession for freedom that terrified me
to the point that I couldn’t even talk about —
and pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me.

Every night I used to pray that I’d find my people —
and finally I did —
on the open road.
We had nothing to lose, nothing to gain, nothing we desired anymore
— except to make our lives a work of art.

Live fast. Die Young. Be Wild. And Have Fun.

I believe in the country America used to be.
I believe in the person I want to become.
I believe in the freedom of the open road.
And my motto is the same as ever —
I believe in the kindness of strangers.
And when I’m at war with myself — I ride. I just ride.

Who are you?
Are you in touch with all of your darkest fantasies?
Have you created a life for yourself where you’re free to experience them?
I have.
I am fucking crazy.
But I am free."

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

不喜歡肢體派的笑片，喜歡那些別出心裁的喜劇。說白點，我是不喜歡草根層次的愉快場面，大抵是因為匿藏快樂背後的悲哀，總讓我替主角感到窘態百出，看在眼裡也只有難為情。The Philadelphia Story不會令你捧腹大笑，卻是一部優雅的喜劇。

故事非常通俗，說穿了其實是二女三男的愛情爭奪戰。男女角粒粒皆星，女王Katharine Hepburn演一個上流社會的女強人，甩了第一位丈夫Gary Grant後結識了第二個男友 John Howard 又準備結婚，後來又認識了James Stewart，一個報社記者，女王也不知道她該情歸何處。華麗陣容固然為電影增添可觀性，每人也有完美演技，連配角小妹都很出色。

不過還是覺得，站在Katharine旁，連Gary Grant也黯淡下來。說回來，Gary Grant本有選擇男角的權利，他就是選擇了這個沒什麼發揮的首任丈夫，也間接令James Stewart憑此立體鮮明的角色摘下奧斯卡最佳男主角。對此我沒什麼意見，是演得好含蓄，但我一直看一直覺得「他長得好像牙籤，念台詞也像嘴裡叼著牙籤」，哈哈，果然還是喜歡健碩的Gary Grant。各位都風采不輸，只是Katharine Hepburn戲裡戲外都光芒四射吧。而且這部戲難演極了，又是舞台劇改編，所以對白又像機關槍掃射般，字裡行間的語氣也豐富多變。 

電影也不是純粹的愛情片，反正它一點也不浪漫，James好不容易跟Katharine一起，可是兩人卻不能永結同心。或許他倆壓根兒談不上同心，那只是一時好奇。這三個男人，一個無趣，一個縱使可恨，總不能跟僕人一起吧? 電影藉此也探討了何為human being的愛情。真正的愛情無關階級、性別，只是做自己的同時又有憐憫之心而已。這也道出了保守的智慧，導演始終覺得Katherine跟James一時的感情終究不可靠，性格的補足才能造就長久美滿的婚姻。這不正是我們抉擇時的思路嗎。畢竟人類是軟弱的動物，有時還需要理性的保護。

附上我很喜歡的情節，是我剪輯後上傳上youtube的！連小妹妹也進入成人遊戲，貌似聰明，但卻露出愚蠢，很是可笑。

最後Katharine和Cary Grant重婚，也算是水到渠成，讓人歡喜，有道德逆襲的意味，卻正是喜劇的精髓，不過更為優雅。 有時想，其實舊片跟現在的荷里活大片是沒有分別的，甚至遠遠超勝，真不由得感嘆這是荷里活黃金時代的獨有產物。