好莱坞黄金时代的精华两年：1. Sleepless in Seattle
The 2-year Essence of Hollywood's Golden Age: 1. Sleepless in Seattle
好莱坞的电影制片业自1908年兴起以来，总体上是长盛不衰的，票房收入一直在增长（2020年新冠受到重创，恢复中）。然而从影片的质量来看，有人认为认为好莱坞的黄金时代是 1990 年代，但有人不同于这种说法，认为真正的好莱坞黄金时代起于上世纪 20 年代，而终止60 年代。我不懂什么电影理论和流派，对大明星、大导演的了解也很有限。我只知道电影必须“好看”，否则在电影院里坐两个小时会后悔。而且不像看电视，遇到没意思的电影不能中途关机走人，这是一种懊恼的感觉。
Hollywood's film industry, since its rise in 1908, has generally thrived, with box office revenues consistently growing (though it suffered a severe blow in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on the road to recovery). However, when it comes to the quality of films, opinions differ on Hollywood's golden age. Some argue that it occurred in the 1990s, while others believe the true golden age spanned from the 1920s to the 1960s. Personally, I don’t have much knowledge of film theories and genres and having limited understanding of major stars and directors. What I care most is that a movie must be "good" to avoid regretting two hours spent in a cinema. Unlike watching TV, it's inconvenient to leave midway through a boring movie in a theater, resulting in a frustrating feeling.
我个人同意1990 年代是好莱坞的黄金时代，而且认为这其中，距今整整30年前的1993-1994年是最精华的两年，出现了许多经典佳片。就在昨天，我问我刚满18岁的女儿和她的一位来玩的同学，知不知道下面这10部93-94年的片子：Schindler’s list （《辛德勒的名单》）、Jurassic Park（《侏罗纪公园》）、The Fugitive（《亡命天涯》）、Sleepless in Seattle（《西雅图不眠夜》）、The remaining of the day（《告别有情天》）、The Lion King（《狮子王》）、The Shawshank Redemption （《肖申克的救赎》）、Pulp Fiction（《低俗小说》）、 Speed（《生死时速》）和Forest Gump（《阿甘正传》）。她们的回答令我吃惊，她们熟知其中的6-7部，而且口气不是We heard about them，而是Of course we know！须知，这一代人是在社交媒体和快餐文化的影响下成长起来的。对不再“时新”的东西，他们大多不了解、也不惜一顾。
I personally agree that the 1990s were Hollywood's golden age, and I believe the pinnacle was the two years precisely 30 years ago in 1993-1994, which produced many classic films. Just yesterday, I asked my just-turned-18 daughter and her friend if they knew about the following 10 films from 1993-94: Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, The Fugitive, Sleepless in Seattle, The Remains of the Day, The Lion King, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Speed, and Forrest Gump. Their surprising response was that they were familiar with 6-7 of them, and they confidently said, "Of course, we know!" It's important to note that this generation has grown up under the influence of social media and fast-paced culture. They often lack interest in and disregard things that are no longer "trendy."
那两年问世的佳片显然是跨越时代的。这些电影我当初在国内时候大多看过，后来到美国来以后又重温。我其实不是一个爱看电影的人，而且对片子很挑剔。30年前在北京时，离我们单位不远的一个什么机构，有一个很小的礼堂，在一段时间里，这里每周都放国外的“内部观摩片”，其实就是盗版挣外快。外人须出示工作证买票，几毛钱就看一部。上面这些片子有些就是这么看的。它们为我那段蹉跎、不安的岁月增添了些许安慰和梦想。
The films from those two years clearly transcended their time. I watched most of these movies when I was in China, and later, after coming to the United States, I revisited some of them. I'm not a movie enthusiast, and I'm picky about films. Thirty years ago in Beijing, not far from my workplace, there was a small auditorium in some institution that regularly screened foreign "internal observation films," essentially bootlegs making extra money. Outsiders had to show work IDs to buy tickets, and you could watch a film for less than one Yuan. Some of these movies were seen there. They added a bit of comfort and dreams to the few wasted and restless years in early 1990s.
聊聊这几部电影吧。现在过节，就先说最轻松浪漫的一部 — 公映于1993年夏天的Sleepless in Seattle（《西雅图不眠夜》）。其实它的成功有点出乎人们的意料。它的预算为0.21亿美元，很平常。然而公映以后，受到观众的热情追捧，票房收入高达2.28亿美元，列1993年的第四位，俨然成了一部“大片”，也成了影响甚远的爱情喜剧经典。
Let's talk about these movies. Since it's the holiday season, let's start with the lightest and most romantic one — Sleepless in Seattle, released in the summer of 1993.Actually, its success was somewhat unexpected. Its budget was 21 million dollars, quite ordinary. However, after its release, it was enthusiastically embraced by the audience, and its box office revenue soared to 228 million dollars, ranking fourth in 1993. It truly became a "blockbuster" and a classic romantic comedy with far-reaching influence.
这部片子的导演是一位中年大妈Nora Ephron。她虽不是像斯皮尔伯格那种名声显赫的大导演，但却集编辑和导演才能于一身。她创作的三部爱情轻喜剧都颇有名气： When Harry Met Sally（《当哈利遇到莎莉》，1989年），Sleepless in Seattle（《西雅图不眠夜》，1993年）和You've Got Mail（《电子情书》，1998年）。第一部她光写（与他人合作）不导，而后两部她则是导演兼编剧（之一）。三部片子的女主角都是Meg Ryan，而后两部的男主角都是Tom Hanks。Hanks于Ryan的合作可能是这部片子（以及后来的You've Got Mail）成功的重要因素之一。形象甜美、俏皮的Meg Ryan当时被人称为America's Sweetheart。由她来扮演好幻想、有些任性固执的女主角Annie相当合适。Tom Hanks不算俊男，却给人以踏实、可靠的感觉。由他去扮演男主角Sam，恰可平衡一下Annie的个性，让人觉得两人一旦走到一起，他会对多梦想、情绪化的Annie给予理解和包容。
This film was directed by a middle-aged woman, Nora Ephron. While not as renowned as directors like Spielberg, she possessed both editing and directing skills. Three romantic comedies she created gained fame: When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and You've Got Mail (1998). She only wrote (in collaboration with others) the first one, and for the latter two, she directed and wrote (with others). Meg Ryan was the female lead in all three, and Tom Hanks was the male lead in the latter two. Their collaboration may have been a crucial factor in the success of this film (and later You've Got Mail). Meg Ryan, often referred to as "America's Sweetheart," portrayed the idealistic, somewhat stubborn character Annie perfectly. Tom Hanks, not conventionally handsome but exuding a solid, reliable vibe, balanced Annie's personality, making audiences believe that once they came together, he would understand and tolerate her dreams.
芝加哥的建筑师Sam的妻子患癌症去世了，他独自带着8岁的儿子Jonah。他觉得真爱只有一次，谢绝了朋友让他很快再恋爱结婚的建议。为了调整情绪，他离开了芝加哥，搬到西雅图去开始了新的生活。在第二年的一个晚上，东部城市巴尔的摩的女记者Annie开车去华盛顿，到未婚夫那里去过圣诞节。她在汽车上闲听脱口秀节目，正好听到Jonah自作主张打电话给主持人，说想给爸爸找一位妻子。山姆非常恼火，但在主持人的劝导下，他最终敞开心扉。他说他明白Jonah需要一个母亲，但他很难再有过去那样完美的家庭了。Annie被Sam的经历和言辞深深触动，于是故事开始了。
The film follows the story of Sam, an architect in Chicago, whose wife died of cancer. He is left to raise his 8-year-old son, Jonah. Believing in one true love, Sam rejects the advice of friends urging him to quickly find love and remarry. To cope, he leaves Chicago and moves to Seattle to start a new life. One night in the year next, Annie, a journalist from the Eastern city of Baltimore, drives to Washington DC to spend Christmas with her fiancé. While listening to a talk show in the car, she hears Jonah calling the host, expressing his desire to find a wife for his father. Sam is initially irritated, but with the host's guidance, he opens up. He acknowledges that Jonah needs a mother but admits he would very unlikely recreate the perfect family he had before. Annie is deeply moved by Sam's story, and thus, the story unfolds.
这个片子的一个有趣之处在于，男女主人公在整个片子中同框的时间可能只有两分钟，其他时间大多是话分两头，各表一支。其中包括Sam与一位叫Victoria的同事有一段约会，但Jonah不喜欢她。还有Annie到西雅图来，在Sam全然不知的情况下想来见他，却因误会而擦肩而过。Anni对她的未婚夫的感情已经起了变化，未婚夫平静地接受了她退还的戒指。经过一系列的跌宕起伏，最后，还是由于Jonah的行动，三日最终在纽约帝国大厦的顶楼相见，Sam与Annie圆满牵手。
One interesting aspect of this film is that the main characters share the screen for only about two minutes throughout the entire movie. Most of the time, they each have their separate scenes. This includes Sam going on a date with a colleague named Victoria, whom Jonah dislikes. Annie also comes to Seattle to meet Sam without his knowledge, but doesn’t go ahead due to a misunderstanding. Annie's feelings for her fiancé have changed by this point, and he calmly accepts the ring she returns. After a series of ups and downs, finally, because of Jonah’s action, the three meet on the top floor of the Empire State Building, and Sam and Annie successfully hold hands.
这是一个喜剧片，是不能仔细推敲其“逻辑”的。比如，本片缘于Annie的“恋爱脑”，但她简直到了走火入魔的程度，把温和英俊、财力也应该在Sam之上的未婚夫给抛弃了。而此时她尚未与Sam说过一句话。这女孩也太情绪化、太不靠谱了！还有人批评Annie对未婚夫的做法在道德上也是不妥的，特别是对少年儿童，是一个不好的引导。又比如，作为一个8岁的孩子，Jonah如此独立、成熟，有时比他爸还当机立断，这也不合逻辑。对此，女主角Meg Ryan有一段话间接地回答了这些疑问，她说: “爱情喜剧不是正剧，不能按真实的世界来表现；它又不是闹剧，不能冲着搞笑让观众爆笑的方向去表现。而是处于中间的一个童话故事。”
This is a comedy, and one should not scrutinize its "logic" too closely. For example, the film revolves around Annie's "love brain," but she abandons her kind and handsome fiancé without having a chance to talk even one sentence with Sam. She becomes too emotional and unreliable! Some criticize Annie's actions towards her fiancé as morally inappropriate, especially for young children, as it sets a bad example. Additionally, it's illogical for an 8-year-old like Jonah to be so independent and mature, sometimes more decisive than his father. Meg Ryan indirectly addressed these concerns with a statement: "Romantic comedies are not dramas; they cannot portray the real world. They are not farces either, directed solely towards making the audience laugh. Instead, they are in the middle, a fairy tale."
是的，别太当真。从某种意义上说，人们去电影院，就是去“上当受骗”的。在有限的两个小时里，让自己的思绪跟着“童话故事”里王子和公主的喜怒哀乐走，让自己去相信爱情、命运和缘分，也不坏。何况现在正是大过节的。
Yes, don't take it too seriously. In a sense, people go to the movies to be "deceived." In those limited two hours, let your thoughts follow the joy and sorrow of the prince and princess in the "fairy tale," believe in love, fate, and destiny—it's not a bad thing. Especially during the holiday season.
[Edited from ChatGPT translation.]
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