唐顿庄园

未看《唐顿庄园》时，以为它是一道精致的古典英式小点，看完后惊喜的发现：原来是一道口味纯正、十足过瘾的华丽英伦大餐。

《高斯福德庄园》的编剧大人Julian Fellowes这一次走得更远，索性连打幌子的谋杀都去掉了，《唐顿庄园》俨然像是一部没有谋杀、不乏人性的阿婆小说剧集版。

仔细想想，如果把阿加莎•克里斯蒂小说中最吸引眼球的谋杀去掉的话，读者在这个乡村那个庄园里看到的是什么——无外乎是财产争夺，丑闻流言，欺瞒历史，恩怨情仇，还有某些秘而不宣的爱情。这些在《唐顿庄园》中一样不缺，还讲得娓娓动听，波折起伏，保证让你如玛波小姐所言——“看到各种各样的人性”。

《唐顿庄园》第一季由泰坦尼克号沉没始，至第一次世界大战爆发终，将一处仿佛世外田园的庄园镶嵌进大时代风云的画卷中。一场冰海沉船让唐顿庄园的Grantham伯爵一家失去了继承人，由于伯爵膝下只有三位千金，于是庄园和财产将由一位从未谋面的远方亲戚继承。英国人自缚手脚的古板规定给了故事摇曳生姿的可能，自家的财产要传给外人，心有不甘的人多了去了。于是楼上与楼下，老贵族与新中产，各种利益关系、情感纷争交织，一副二十世纪初叶的英国浮世绘就此显现。

跟随镜头和故事推进，观众不时就拥有了大侦探波罗锐利的眼，或是玛波小姐“道听途说”的耳。在这个庄园里，无论是楼上的贵族还是楼下的仆人，每个人都有不足为外人道却终归会有人知晓的小秘密，每个人也都需要结成各式的利益或情谊伙伴。财产与阶级，婚姻和爱情，这些永不过时的故事要素将众人汇成复杂的人际关系网，看似一派平和安详的庄园里，涌动着各种情感暗潮。

虽然故事里不免蜚短流长、勾心斗角，但整部剧中除了极个别滋生戏剧冲突的“反派”外，绝大多数人物都堪称有趣。没有人是完美的，最重要的是将人物的可爱与可恨拿捏得恰到好处，本剧在此方面堪称范本。当然做到这一点，除了剧本的出色，演员的表现同样功不可没。在倨傲直率、威风可爱的Maggie Smith 老太的带领下，一班熠熠生辉的演员们奉献出芸芸众生、世间百态的精彩群像。不要说楼上，就是楼下的仆人们都透着一种日不落的高贵精致。而那些门第高贵者的孤芳自赏、煞有介事里面，又何尝没有流露出某种执着的可爱。

《唐顿庄园》的故事背景正处于新旧之交。电灯、电话这些现代文明开始渗透进古老的庄园，行将继承庄园的中产颇不适应穿衣还要有仆人伺候的贵族作派，女仆也不甘心一辈子伺候人……旧时代与新观念的冲突在剧中处处显现。然而这种冲突绝非你死我活的激烈，反而不时流露出幽默的玩味，让人从骨子里体味旧时代某些依旧值得人们去怀念的含蓄。也正是这种趣味才是那种说不清也道不明的英伦风范的精髓所在。

《唐顿庄园》是大处极尽富丽繁华，小处不弃细枝末节。要品位、要气质，一样不缺；讲人性、讲世故，玲珑剔透。这一次，一贯喜欢在古典风上出新出奇的ITV，奉献了一部比BBC还BBC的杰作。

第三集里玛丽遭遇了土耳其大使猝死的悲剧后和管家的一番对话一直萦绕不去，她说：人生有时真是不公，是吧？前一秒还笙歌鼎沸，下一秒就曲终人散了。你有没有感到自己的人生正在悄然逝去，而自己却无力回天。奇怪的是，我却是第一次明白了，什么叫幸福。可我却注定无法拥有。
什么是幸福呢？我们都有权利获得幸福。但因为我们每个人对幸福的定义不同，我们所感受到的幸福也不尽相同吧。
在看这部电视剧的时候，我又突然想起了那部充满了莺歌燕舞，华美衣裳的电影《玛丽皇后》，在那些金碧辉煌的宫殿中，彼时的她还不知道这些精美于斯的到头来都是浮云。电影的最后一个镜头是国王问玛丽皇后，你喜欢这条林荫大道是吗？玛丽皇后说，我只是在向它道别。
细数自己看过的英国电影，在我所看过的所有电影中，只占据这一小部分，但是它们却是不可或缺的，因为里面寄托着一个梦想，一个对所有逝去的、美好的事物的追忆与幻想。像是最经典的《傲慢与偏见》《理智与情感》，繁花落寞的《故园风雨后》，体会人情冷暖的《美丽曲线》，表现作家的《王尔德的情人》《闪亮的星》。里面所有的英国人都是那样优雅与从容，如果，你认为英国现在也许不再是这样了，那就看看他们表现校园生活的电影吧，《如果》《同窗之爱》，关于伊顿公学的哀伤往事，就会知道为什么英国有些东西是永远不会改变的。人，一旦习惯了一种生活方式就很难再改变了吧。所以现代的傲慢与偏见《BJ单身日记》里的达西先生还是要让他未来的孩子去伊顿公学。看着电影里那些美好的东西走向毁灭，就会明白为什么波兰斯基说，“我喜欢电影里的阴影，但现实中不是。”因为现实中的痛苦是难以承受的。面对无论怎样的痛苦，看着里面的英国人，他们好像都是波澜不惊的，不会为所有的事情大惊小怪，凡事要合乎礼节体统，喜怒哀乐都要克制。举手投足不经意的细节，眉眼之间传递的秘密，都埋藏着一些或者是暧昧、或者是假象、或者是仇恨、或者是怨艾。而他们又是等级分明的，所有把上流社会区别于下层社会的标志都是那样滴水不漏，一丝不苟，一个鼻烟壶或者一对袖扣，都能彰显他们的品味和地位。我想这就是为什么在经济危机的今天，在所有的规则早已经被打破，这样一部传统的电视剧会这样吸引住我们目光的原因吧。我们哪个人没有对往日生活的追忆，对逝去美好的缅怀呢？我们谁不怀念那样一个把我们紧密相连的纽带，把我们的生命彼此紧紧缠绕的年代呢？也许里面关于上流社会的浮华，下流社会的卑贱带给我们更多的关于平等自由的思考，但我们是否有一个瞬间，就感到自己成为了那样一个不真实的暗流涌动庄园的主人，一个乌托邦、一个太阳城。是否有一个瞬间，我们感到即使我们不能控制所有的事情，却也真切的参与着他们的生活，体会着他们的感情，发现着他们的秘密呢？
无论这个世界有多大，这个庄园有多大，人心也许比它们都大，但那里面总有一个角落，用来盛放着我们的爱。所以所有的故事最终都是关于爱的，只是有些爱的深情，有些爱的绝望。最近在看一部美国家庭肥皂剧《兄弟姐妹》，这个家庭也充满了秘密、矛盾、纷争、纠葛，但是只有死亡能把这个家庭分开，因为维系他们的是爱，是骨肉相连、血脉相承的爱。
看完了唐顿庄园。虽然结尾并不完满，但知道这个故事还没有结束，所以还是有一种莫名的期待，期待着这个故事最终会像简奥斯汀笔下的那些故事一切最终都会变好吧。我们也是，生活改变你，也改变了我。虽然不知道这些改变带给了我们什么。
我们也曾经为一张白纸，等待着开始人生崭新的一页。可是慢慢，这张纸已经发黄老旧，上面刻满了光阴的痕迹。这时才发现，这张纸已经不能再写上一个字了。人生在刚开始的时候充满了无限的可能，但白驹过隙，很多事情都未完成。一个人无论处于什么阶层都会经历过漫长的自我思考，然后自我认同，最终才实现自我价值的吧。我想身为一个同志对此更是深有体会。不知为什么，我又想起了唐顿庄园里的一些细节。比如，当马修向庄园主罗伯特提出他并不需要一个贴身男仆时，罗伯特说这对仆人也是一种不公平，因为在这个社会中，我们各司其职，每个人都有实现自我价值的权利。还有第二男仆威廉对玛丽说他的母亲希望他出人头地，玛丽不屑的说，成为一个男仆吗？威廉说他的的理想是成为第一男仆。还有不甘心做女仆的葛文对三小姐说，我和你们不一样，看看我吧，我只能一辈子做一个女仆，我还有什么不满足的呢？我妄想找到一份工作，可是谁会要我呢？还有休斯太太，她终于有机会得到幸福，嫁给曾经的青梅竹马，但最终她放弃了。她觉得她的一生已经献给了唐顿。这些人卑微的愿望在很多英国古典电影电视里从未被提起，但是在这部剧里，我看到了原来每一个都在追寻自己的理想，或卑微，或远大。他们都听从着自己内心的声音生活着。
人其实都是差不多的，渴望着爱与理解。无论何时何地。无论境遇好坏。为什么我们会祈祷，也许就是因为当上帝与我们同在，我们就不再是孤单一人。有一个人在那里，听着你的倾诉，分享着你的快乐和痛苦。他知道你是怎样走来的，也知道你是怎样走去的。这才是最重要的吧。只是这个世界太大，而我们太渺小。很多时候我们不知道上帝能不能听到我们的声音呢？

拖出来又看一遍，因为发现里面的英文很美。

虽然有些说法可能很old fashion。现实世界是用不上了，不过就是超级elegant。

再看一遍，发现其实叙事真的是简洁又紧凑，好多事前面都是有埋伏笔的。


（更新中）

Episode 1

Nothing in life is sure

What ever you say, I know it

You are a darling

I’m not as sad as I should be, that’s what makes me sad.

I won’t be doing you a favor in the long run if it is too much for you

It’s a bloody business, but I can’t see any way round it.

- So he slipped the hook.
- At least I’m not fishing with no bait.

- How was I to know he wouldn’t take her without the money?
- Don’t pretend to be a child because it suits you.
- Do you think she would have been happy, with a fortune hunter?


Episode 2
Is it your place to do so?

-I’m sorry Mary was rather sharp this evening.
-I doubt if Cousin Mary and I are destined to be close friends.

They won’t make a match between them, if that’s what they’re thinking.

We’re running out of options.

We all have different parts to play, and we must all be allowed to play them.

Do you find me very ridiculous, putting on airs and graces I’ve no right to?

Episode 3

Mary won’t take Matthew Crawley, so we’d better get here settled before the bloom is quite gone off the rose.

It’s not brilliant, but I’m pleased

She wants to keep it private, not secret.

I said you could go for a drink of water, no a trip up the Nile.

- Don’t you read the papers?
- I’m too busy living a life.

When it comes to Cousin Mary, she’s quite capable of doing her own flirting, I assure you.

Sometimes we must endure a little pain in order to achieve satisfaction.

It seems we must brush up on our powers of fascination

I will not repeat your words to my father since I should hate to see you cast out into the darkness, but can we agree to consider them unsaid?

We must have a care for feminine sensibilities, they are finer and more fragile than our own.

There are plenty more fish in the sea than ever came out of it.

Life can be terribly unfair, can’t it?

Everything seems so golden, one minute, then turns to ashes, the next.


Episode 4
Women like me don’t have a life. We choose clothes and pay calls and work for charity and do the season. But, really, we’re stuck in a waiting room until we marry.

I’m not quite sure how to phrase it when I tell her.

- something to remind you of me.
- I don’t need help to remember you.


I’d rather wait a week for the right anser, than get a wrong one in a hurry.

I was right when I said she was looking sparkly eyed.

I’d never marry any man that I was told to. I’m stubborn. I wish I wasn’t, but I am.

I took a lover with no thought of marriage.

When I’ve ruined myself, I must have a powerful protector to hide behind.


Episode 5
Then she’s barking up the wrong tree.


-What about Anthony Strallan?
-Anthony Strallan is at least my age and as dull as paint. I doubt she’d want to sit next to him at dinner, let alone marry him.

Turn the tables on him, before he has the chance to nail you.

It’s easy to be generous when you have nothing to lose.

- Well, watch out. I think she has big plans for you.
- Then she’s in for an equally big disappointment

- Perhaps Mr. Patrick did love her back, he just couldn’t say.
- Why ever not?
- Sometimes we’re not at liberty to speak. Sometimes it wouldn’t be right.


She seems to think that you are in possession of some knowledge that is uncomfortable for you. Because if that is the case, then I don’t think it fair on you. Why should you be burdened with Mary’s secret?

- His position may not be quite like Papa’s, but it would still make a force for good in the county.
- Mama, not again. How many times am I to be ordered to marry the man sitting next to me at dinner?
- As many times as it takes.

I suppose you didn’t want him when he wanted you, and now it’s the other way round.


Episode 6

You are not in any trouble, or any danger of trouble.


If you really like an argument, we should see more of each other.

I always thought this family might be approaching dissolution. I didn’t know dissolution was already upon us.

That can’t be the whole story.

- Are you a creature of duty?
- Not entirely.
- When you laugh with me or flirt with me, is that a duty? Are you conforming to the fitness of things? Doing what’s expected?
- Don’t play with me. I don’t deserve it. Not from you.


Episode 7
If it is a boy, you should see it as a release, not a disappointment.

- Mrs. Bird, Lord Grantham has rather a favor to ask of you.
- I’m surprised Lord Grantham knows that I exist, sir.

It will be no surprise to you that Miss O’Brien has been unwilling to let things drop.

- Please tell me that this account is false, at least in part.
- I wish I could.

- So ask Mathew to wait until the child is born. If it is a girl, you can wed him happily and all will be as it was before.
- But if I delay, won’t he think I’m only after him for his position? Besides, I’m not sure I want to put him off even without the title.

Oh, come along, Mary, be sensible. Can you really see yourself dawdling your life away as the wife of a country solicitor?

- If you take Mathew now, when his whole future is at risk, he will love you to the end of his days.
- Why, Granny, you’re a romantic!
- I’ve been called many things, but never that.

Do you love me enough to spend your life with me?

- Will you miss me?
- Try not to miss me. It will be a good practice.

Don’t pretend Mary’s sudden reluctance can’t be traced back to you.
Be careful, my lad. Or you’ll end up with no job and a broken heart.

- Would you’ve stayed, if I’d accepted you?
- Of course.
- So I’ve ruined everything?
- You’ve shown me I’ve been living in a dream. It’s time to return to real life. Wish me luck with it, Mary. God know I wish the best for you.

I’m afraid your meddling has cost Mary the only decent offer she’ll ever get.