看了小说才知道，电影原来跟原著风马牛不相及啊。OK，也不是不相及，而是pervert掉了。
据说Capote自己就十分不赞同Audrey Hepburn演女主角Holly Golightly，而是认为Marilyn Monroe更合适。其实我不免私下猜想，他真的在乎女主角被篡改成什么样了？他自己在故事里的化身男主角才改得狠呢，从女人最要好的弯蜜变成了俗套至极的男主角，从道德上拯救堕落的掘金小娘，真是老母鸡变鸭，全不是那么回事了。
在小说里，Holly虽然也勾搭有钱人，但并不象影片里表现的那样是个纯粹的掘金小娘一心只为嫁个＂上等人＂，跻身豪门。书里的Holly更多些江湖气。她所解释的Tiffany's对她的吸引，并非来自高价珠宝，让她眼红让她垂涎让她盼着阔佬来买给她抬高自己。书里的Holly的确是爱胡思乱想的，也爱＂说服＂自己中意有钱的老男人，但是作者说服了我（虽然我这人对掘金和虚荣变态地敏感），她追求的并不是钱，甚至也不是虚荣。她所形容的＂mean reds＂情绪，我颇有点儿心领神会。但是改编成电影的那些人完全不明白，他们明白的只是掘金和攀阔佬，所以他们笔下的Holly也就跟他们世界观范围内的普通的拜金主义一个样儿了。
Hepburn作为一个演员我从来没"get"，看不出有什么特别出色的地方，长相又不是我喜欢的类型，在这部电影里面倒有些变态的合适，因为整个原著的情节和人物都被好莱坞的编剧们给＂塑料＂化了，拿消毒水彻底浸泡变质以后，散发着透心的假，每个细节都失去了纽约特有的活力劲头，而是南加州大太阳下的漂白粉味儿，一切丝丝入扣地迎和看paperback romance的观众的理解和期待，皆大欢喜，一点儿也不得罪谁，一点儿不舒服的危险也没有。真TMD纯洁安全。
小说里的叙述者根本是Capote毫不掩饰的自己，没有一丝喜欢女人的痕迹，跟女主角之间的关系，清清楚楚地交代为非肉体的亲人一样的相依为命。小说甚至反复提到dike这个词，就差没承认男主角带男人回来过夜了。电影非要扯成他跟Holly是男欢女爱的浪漫关系，也是＂塑料化＂安抚大众的手段之一。好笑的是，小说里还有一段讽刺电影作为解释／庸俗化文学作品的桥段。
读这个中篇小说时比较让我倒吸一口气的地方是它和In Cold Blood 的强烈对比。它从头到尾透着一个轻飘飘半调侃的口气，跟传说里Truman Capote的社交圈内的形象和做派相当一致；而In Cold Blood里面冷酷客观到让人汗毛倒竖的风格，几乎是截然相反的voice。我有点疑心，他或许感到正统文学评论有点瞧不起他平日的调侃语气和风格，所以故意在自己的绝世之作里拿出极度严肃的样子。
其实涅，虽然小说前三分之二是轻飘飘的，有点＂小道谣传＂的口气，到了后面，揭示出Holly Golightly 的真实历史和她面对自己的历史时的态度言行，我忽然被真正地感动了。因为她的历史其实就是Capote自己的寄托和伤心史和他妈妈的伤心史。漂亮光鲜的外表，玩世不恭的口气，漫不在乎的态度，都是自我保护的盔甲和外壳，底下是热腾腾血淋淋的痛，不能面对又无法逃避。Holly is Truman，而小说的结尾是一个欢喜的结局－－我确信－－是他自己的白日梦。
Marilyn Monroe其实真的是最合适的人选，倒不是因为她多次演过的掘金小娘and/or半痴的人物，而是因为她的历史和现实跟Holly/Capote自己颇为相似，嘻嘻哈哈光鲜讨喜只为了拼命压下去内心的mean reds，迷人的假笑底下藏着难以想象的恐怖绝望的历史。
[读书报告] Breakfast at Tiffany's
[读书报告] Breakfast at Tiffany's
Last edited by Jun on 2007-07-22 21:37, edited 2 times in total.
一定是因为我这里是早上的缘故。
Marilyn Monroe and Truman Capote had so much similarity in their childhood and lives it's almost eerie. And their deaths also resemble each other. No matter how successful they were, how rich and popular and loved, they still self-destructed. Couldn't escape the demons inside, I guess.
Audrey Hepburn seems to be loved more by women than by men. I rarely heard her referred to as a sex symbol. She was never a pin-up girl for the average men, and I suspect most men who are "into" her are ... uh ... gay. On the contrary, she represented an almost asexual (or "spiritual") ideal image.
In the novella, the narrator "I" had several totally chaste naked moments with Holly. Even in their first encounter she called him by her brother's name, clearly telling you she considered him like a brother.
In the movie, Holly seems a bit stupid and clueless, and materialistic. Actually in the movie she's more dreamy and restless. Her dream was to run away from her past and her demons, not to possess millions of dollars worth of jewelry. The movie is a load of ... uh ... crap.
No wonder writers have such hatred for Hollywood. Raymond Chandler called it evil.
Audrey Hepburn seems to be loved more by women than by men. I rarely heard her referred to as a sex symbol. She was never a pin-up girl for the average men, and I suspect most men who are "into" her are ... uh ... gay. On the contrary, she represented an almost asexual (or "spiritual") ideal image.
In the novella, the narrator "I" had several totally chaste naked moments with Holly. Even in their first encounter she called him by her brother's name, clearly telling you she considered him like a brother.
In the movie, Holly seems a bit stupid and clueless, and materialistic. Actually in the movie she's more dreamy and restless. Her dream was to run away from her past and her demons, not to possess millions of dollars worth of jewelry. The movie is a load of ... uh ... crap.
No wonder writers have such hatred for Hollywood. Raymond Chandler called it evil.