by Prince Albert II
如果你問一個少女長大以后想當(dāng)什么,你得到的答案很可能是電影明星、公主或王妃。但有多少少女能真的成為電影明星,又當(dāng)上王妃呢?這世上恐怕只有格蕾絲·凱利(1929-1982)能做到。
在那場致命的車禍之前,格蕾絲·凱利過著童話般的生活:她生于美國費(fèi)城的富有之家,有著傾國傾城的美貌和超凡脫俗的氣質(zhì);一到好萊塢就備受追捧,和她合作的男演員皆為影壇數(shù)一數(shù)二的巨星——加里·庫珀、克拉克·蓋博、加里·格蘭特、詹姆斯·斯圖爾特等;最后與摩納哥親王蘭尼埃三世結(jié)婚,成為名副其實(shí)的王妃。
她是優(yōu)雅的女神;她的熱情、她與生俱來的性感、她的浪漫氣質(zhì),這一切交織在一起,使她成為人們心目中的一代偶像。
Grace Kelly, known the world over as the epitome[集中體現(xiàn)] of Hollywood style, and as Her Serene Highness注1 Princess Grace of Monaco, was also my mother. To her children, a mother is a unique, incomparable[不能比較的] woman. And indeed my mother was beautiful, enchanting[迷人的] and, of course, graceful, an exceptional[非凡的] woman in every way.
But Grace Kelly was already exceptional before taking her place in Monaco. An Academy Award注2-winning actress and one of the most sought-after stars of her day, Grace Kellys imprint[烙印] on Hollywood is unmistakable still. Its amazing that she only made 11 feature films during her entire career.
My mother was fascinated by the arts at an early age. Her uncle, George Kelly, whom she adored, was a Pulitzer Prize注3-winning playwright[劇作家], and it was his success that may very well have inspired her ambitions[抱負(fù)] to become an actress. Once in Hollywood, she quickly made her mark[出人頭地], starting with her second film, High Noon. In this classic western, she plays a principled[有原則的] Quaker注4 wife to the heroic lawman[警官] Gary Cooper注5.
Early in my mothers career, one photographer dismissively[輕蔑地] called her, “nice, clean stuff.” I find this an amusing[有趣的] but inaccurate[不準(zhǔn)確的] opinion of my mother, because she simply defied description[無法形容], especially the characterization[描述] of the icy-cool blonde, that was so often attributed to[認(rèn)為是……的屬性] her in the films she made for director Alfred Hitchcock注6. He made three pictures with her, and he took full advantage of her rich and bewitching[使人著迷的] personality. He called her “a snow-covered volcano.”
To Catch a Thief was my mothers third and final film with Alfred Hitchcock, but she remained his everloyal[忠誠的] friend for the rest of his life. It was in this film, during a celebrated[著名的] masquerade[化裝舞會] party sequence[電影片斷], that Grace Kelly dressed like a princess. Little did anyone know that her life would soon imitate[模仿] her art. My mother loved and admired her co-star in this picture, Cary Grant注7, a cherished colleague who was, above all, a dear friend. And he adored her for her constant[不變的] professionalism[職業(yè)水準(zhǔn)] and for a personal quality that he called “serenity[平靜].”
It was this serenity, this unruffled[沉著的] repose[靜止] in the jumbled[亂七八糟的] light of fame, that helped her win and keep the heart of the Monegasques[摩納哥人] after she had already captured my fathers heart. Once she had made the momentous[重大的] decision to leave her home and Hollywood at the pinnacle[頂點(diǎn)] of her success, the world never saw any hesitancy[遲疑] or doubt on her part, only the assurance that she was destined for Monaco, for my father, my sisters and for myself.
It was difficult in the years after my mothers passing to watch her wonderful films, dancing in The Swan, laughing in High Society, earning her Oscar for The Country Girl, not just because I missed her, but because, when she introduced them to me, she was seated right next to me, often explaining what the scenes were all about, or how she had felt while making them. So, when I revisit her films, I not only see the moving image of my mother, but I welcome the memory of her affectionate[摯愛的] presence[存在] and her loving words spoken softly to me, a rapt[全神貫注的] audience of one. To hear her voice, to see the tenderness[柔和] in her eyes, is to know but[僅僅] a hint of her radiant[容光煥發(fā)的] beauty,the enormous[巨大的] generosity[慷慨] and the greatness of her soul. Behind her regality[王位] lay an extremely sensitive[敏感的] woman and a deeply loving mother whose sense of art and beauty engaged her in a permanent[永久的] quest for perfection.
In his eulogy[悼詞] for my mother, James Stewart注8 said of her, “Grace brought into my life as she brought into yours, a soft warm light every time I saw her. And every time I saw her was a holiday of its own.”
格蕾絲·凱利,這位世人皆知的好萊塢風(fēng)格的化身,以及摩納哥王妃格蕾絲殿下,亦是我的母親。在孩子眼中,母親是一個獨(dú)一無二、無可比擬的女人。的確,我的母親美麗動人,優(yōu)雅迷人,無論在哪個方面都是一位出類拔萃的女性。
不過,格蕾絲·凱利在成為摩納哥王妃之前就已經(jīng)相當(dāng)出眾。作為奧斯卡獲獎女演員和那個年代最炙手可熱的明星之一,格蕾絲·凱利在好萊塢留下的印記如今依然歷歷在目。令人驚奇的是,在整個職業(yè)生涯中,她只拍攝過11部影片。
我的母親在幼年時期就被藝術(shù)深深吸引。她所崇拜的叔叔——喬治·凱利是曾經(jīng)獲得普利策獎的劇作家,他的成功很可能激發(fā)了她當(dāng)演員的志向。一到好萊塢,她就開始拍攝她的第二部電影《正午》,并且很快嶄露頭角。在這部經(jīng)典西部片里,她飾演一個極有原則的貴格派妻子,與飾演英勇警長的加里·庫珀演對手戲。
在我母親的職業(yè)生涯早期,曾有一位攝影師不屑地稱她為“漂亮、干凈的東西”。我發(fā)現(xiàn)這種看法挺有趣,但并不準(zhǔn)確,因?yàn)樗緹o法用言語形容,特別是導(dǎo)演阿爾弗雷德·希區(qū)柯克在電影中經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)的那種對她的描述,那種高貴冷艷的金發(fā)美女的定位。希區(qū)柯克與她合作過三部電影,他把她豐富迷人的個性發(fā)揮得淋漓盡致。他稱她為“冰雪下的火山”。
《捉賊記》是我母親和希區(qū)柯克合作的第三部也是最后一部電影,此后她一直是他終生的忠實(shí)朋友。在這部影片那場廣為人知的化裝舞會場景中,格蕾絲·凱利以一身王妃裝扮出場。很少人知道,她的生命很快就會效仿她的藝術(shù)之路。我的母親愛戴并欽佩與她在片中演對手戲的加里·格蘭特——他是她珍重的一位同事,更是她的摯友。格蘭特喜歡她始終如一的專業(yè)素養(yǎng)和被他稱為“寧靜”的個人品質(zhì)。
在俘獲了我父親的心以后,正是這種寧靜,這種在浮光掠影的名利場中的淡定從容,幫她贏得并牽牢了摩納哥人民的心。當(dāng)她做出在成功的巔峰離開自己的家和好萊塢的重大決定之后,人們從未看到她有任何猶豫或疑慮,只看到她一心一意地(把精力)傾注在摩納哥、我的父親、我的姐妹和我身上。
在母親去世多年后,重看她的精彩電影——看她在《天鵝》里跳舞、在《上流社會》里歡笑、因《鄉(xiāng)下姑娘》而贏得奧斯卡,這一切對我而言確實(shí)有點(diǎn)難以承受。不單是因?yàn)槲蚁肽钏?,也因?yàn)樗谙蛭医榻B這些影片時就坐在我的身旁,常常為我講解這些場景,說著她拍片時的感受。所以,在我重看她的電影時,我看到的不僅是母親活動的影像——她深情的存在和輕柔慈愛的話語隨著記憶撲面而來,而我就是那個聚精會神的唯一觀眾。聽到她的聲音,看到她眼里的溫柔,只不過是對她光彩奪目的美麗、寬廣的胸懷和偉大的靈魂的驚鴻一瞥。在她的王室身份背后,是一個極為敏感的女人和慈愛的母親,她的藝術(shù)感和美感使她永遠(yuǎn)都在追求完美。
詹姆斯·斯圖爾特在致我母親的悼詞中說:“每次我看到格蕾絲,她總是為我的生活帶來一縷和煦溫暖的光,如同她帶給你們的一樣。每一次與她的見面,本身便是一個節(jié)日?!?/p>
注1:His/Her Serene Highness這個稱呼今天主要用于列支敦士登和摩納哥的王室成員。
注2:學(xué)院獎是美國電影藝術(shù)科學(xué)院頒發(fā)的年度獎項(xiàng),即奧斯卡金像獎。
注3:普利策獎也稱為普利策新聞獎,是1917年根據(jù)美國報業(yè)巨頭約瑟夫·普利策的遺愿設(shè)立的獎項(xiàng),現(xiàn)已發(fā)展成為美國新聞界的最高榮譽(yù)獎。
注4:基督教新教的一個派別。
注5:加里·庫珀(1901—1961),美國知名演員,曾獲得兩次奧斯卡最佳男主角獎(《約克軍曹》和《正午》)與一次金球獎最佳男主角,他也在1961年獲得奧斯卡終身成就獎。
注6:阿爾弗雷德·希區(qū)柯克(1899—1980),著名電影導(dǎo)演,尤其擅長拍攝驚悚懸疑片。
注7:加里·格蘭特(1904—1986),美國著名英國裔影星,他出演過的經(jīng)典電影有《美人計》、《捉賊記》、《西北偏北》等,是著名電影大師希區(qū)柯克的御用男主角之一。
注8:詹姆斯·斯圖爾特(1908—1997),美國電影巨星,美國空軍準(zhǔn)將。1941年憑借《費(fèi)城故事》獲得第13屆奧斯卡金像獎最佳男主角獎。他也是希區(qū)柯克的御用男主角之一,與其合作過多部經(jīng)典作品,如《后窗》、《迷魂記》等。
格蕾絲·凱利代表作
鄉(xiāng)下姑娘(The Country Girl,1954年)
該片講述了一名酗酒的名歌星在醫(yī)生和妻子的幫助下重新振作、東山再起的故事。該電影獲得了1955年的奧斯卡最佳女主角和最佳改編劇本兩項(xiàng)金像獎。
上流社會(High Society,1956年)
上流社會名媛將要舉行一場世紀(jì)婚禮,她的前夫聞風(fēng)而來企圖攔截,風(fēng)趣的新聞記者則趁機(jī)挖掘八卦內(nèi)幕,使婚禮被迫中斷。賓客們都想知道,到底女主人要在眾多追逐者之中選擇誰作為丈夫?該片是格蕾絲·凱利嫁入摩納哥王室之前拍的最后一部電影。
后窗(Rear Window,1954年)
由阿爾弗雷德·希區(qū)柯克執(zhí)導(dǎo),詹姆斯·斯圖爾特、格蕾絲·凱利主演。該影片成功地制造出恐怖與懸念的氣氛,形象地發(fā)掘出個人內(nèi)心深處隱藏著的偷窺心理與欲望。
正午(High Noon,1952年)
經(jīng)典西部片之一,描寫一名小鎮(zhèn)警長在無法尋得助手之下,雙手對抗四個前來報仇的惡徒。加里·庫珀扮演的執(zhí)法官已年近退休,而且剛?cè)⒘四贻p美貌的妻子(格蕾絲·凱利扮演),但他為人太正直,執(zhí)法太嚴(yán),不討人喜歡?;槎Y的那一天,被他送進(jìn)監(jiān)獄的一名惡棍出獄,并揚(yáng)言要報仇。鎮(zhèn)上沒有人愿意助執(zhí)法官一臂之力,只有新婚妻子陪伴身旁。正午時分,一場槍戰(zhàn)一觸即發(fā)。