今年夏天,我开车沿80号高速路自西向东横穿美国中部,一边听着英语歌曲,一边不时地扫视着空旷的中部大平原。农场,奶牛,粮仓。高速路笔直通向天边,很容易地给人带来倦意。经过Des Moines 不远,忽然看到路牌上写着Madison County。心里边一怔,莫非是电影《廊桥遗梦》(The Bridges of Madison County) 的拍摄地?以前看过这部电影两次,但没注意这方面的细节。还有,其它州也有Madison County。容不得多想,车已经驶出了高速路。走了一英里多,便在路边看到了一座廊桥。果然如此!下车,拍照。这是一座八十多英尺长的木桥,紫红颜色,桥的两边和顶上都用木板遮盖了。读了桥的介绍,才明白这是为了防雨以延长桥的寿命。此桥建于1870年,现在看来依然很结实。介绍上显示,Madison County的这一带有六座这样的桥。究竟哪一座是电影里的那一座呢?
四百米不远,就是旅游中心,是一座教堂改建的。进到屋里,见到各种各样的《廊桥遗梦》纪念品。说实话,我本来不是一个《廊桥遗梦》迷,是那首主题歌《此情永不移》(Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You) 把我带到了一个好似不太真实的现实。我买了一本电影画册,两瓶“廊桥”葡萄酒, 拿到地图,问清大致方向,便去寻找那座感动过世界的廊桥。
汽车行驶在铺满白色碎石的乡村公路上,车后是一遍白茫茫的灰尘。这时播放着歌曲《此情永不移》,旋律非常甜美。"If the road ahead is not so easy / Our love will lead the way for us / Like a guiding star..." 此情此景,心里充满着激动和祈望。二十来英里的路程好像很漫长,田野树林到处是一遍单调的碧绿, 而高高低低的丘陵和弯道倒是增添了一些驾驶的乐趣。不时有路牌指向Roseman Bridge。这不,到了。
拐过最后一个急弯,一座几乎平顶的紫红色廊桥映入眼帘。紫红色的桥身与桥头很长的白色栏杆形成鲜明对比。走近廊桥,看到廊拱上方牌子上写着:ROSEMAN BRIDGE BUILT 1883。这座桥大概有一百多英尺长,十来英尺宽,但只有横跨河上的那一段修了拱廊。与最初看到的那座桥相比,除了尖顶平顶的区别外,没有太多其他差异。这时我脑子里面想的更多的是,电影里的情节是在哪个角度拍的。于是从桥的这一头转到那一头,反复拍照。在桥的另一头,搞清了Clint Eastwood在剧中的拍摄位置,是在桥边右斜坡的草地上。在这里遇到一对从Oklahoma来的夫妇。他们堪称是真正的《廊桥遗梦》迷。这是他们第三次来廊桥,车上带着影碟机,一路走一路看影碟,反复分析电影中的每一个情节的拍摄位置。我笑他们, “你们都可以演电影了”。男的马上从地上折了几支野花,学着电影里的样子递给女的。女的假装躲开,说They are poisonous。大家一阵哈哈大笑。回到桥上,有几个女人在又比又划,其中一个用笔在纸上写着什么,然后把纸条贴在桥头的拱廊左侧,几个人在纸条旁合了影。不用说,这又是电影里的情节。她们走后,我把贴纸条的地方拍了照,那木板上已有不少针孔, 不知道哪一个是拍电影用过的。
回到来的桥头,左面的树林里有一栋小房子,那是卖纪念品的地方。我买了一本这部电影的英文小说,还有一件T恤衫。T恤上面印着这座廊桥,还有一段电影里的经典台词:This kind of certainty only happens once in a lifetime。与店员小聊了一下,得到了一点更多的信息。电影里汽车在乡间公路上行驶时的灰尘很小, 是因为拍摄时汽车开得特别慢, 然后在制作时把速度加快到正常。剧中Francesca的家原是一栋废弃的很大的farmhouse,拍电影时装修了前面的三间屋子。电影完成后的第二年,有人放火把这栋房子烧了,估计这人对电影里的婚外恋情节不满,这给很多慕名而来的观众带来很大的遗憾。2002年,一场火灾烧毁了六座廊桥中的一座。还好,不是电影里的这一座。当地人习惯了六座廊桥,缺了一座就象缺了魂。于是当地政府筹资七十六万美元,重修了这座桥。让人听了不无感慨。
发表于1992年而连续三年成为最畅销书的小说The Bridges of Madison County,和拍摄于1995年而获奥斯卡提名奖的同名电影,给Iowa这个以前鲜为人知的小县城带来了巨大的旅游效益。那个拍过Robert和Francesca喝咖啡的小店,经常是游客满座。我没有时间去那里喝咖啡,也没有时间去看那座被烧毁又新修的桥。匆匆看过另外两座顺路的廊桥后,又回到80号高速路上。音乐还在播放着《此情永不移》,这时的旋律听起来有些伤感。我心里明白,从世界各地旅游到Madison County来的人,不只是为了在这里喝上一杯咖啡,也不只是为了看一座桥。
此情永不移
Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You
电影<廊桥遗梦>主题歌
If I had to live my life without you near me
The days would all be empty
The nights would seem so long
With you I see forever oh so clearly
I might have been in love before
But it never felt this strong
Our dreams are young and we both know
They'll take us where we want to go
Hold me now, touch me now
I don't want to live without you
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through
But nothing's gonna change my love for you
If the road ahead is not so easy
Our love will lead the way for us
Like a guiding star
I'll be there for you if you should need me
You don't have to change a thing
I love you just the way you are
So come with me and share the view
I'll help you see forever too
Hold me now, touch me now
I don't want to live without you
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through
But nothing's gonna change my love for you
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through
But nothing's gonna change my love for you
Nothing's gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
I'll never ask for more than your love
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