《荒野猎人》中的他者想象与帝国叙事

Imaginary Indian Others and Empire Narration in The Revenant

2016年度斩获多项大奖的《荒野猎人》无论从视觉上还是从故事角度都给人以强烈的震撼感,虽然该片对印第安人表现出悲悯的情怀,但如果仅据此就将该片看作是印第安题材影片的一个突破也显然十分草率。事实上,影片更多是通过硬汉形象的塑造凸显早期定居者在恶劣环境下以及在面对"野蛮"印第安人时表现出的不屈品格,该片终究是因循对印第安人妖魔化、类型化的他者想象,完成了对美国"命定扩张"基础上的帝国神话的书写。

The Revenant,which won a number of awards in 2016,brings a strong sense of shock to the audiences,both visually and thematically.Although the film shows compassion for the Indians,it is obviously a rash to regard it as a breakthrough in Indian films.In fact,the film highlights the unyielding character of the early settlers in the harsh environment and in the face of the“barbaric”Indians through the portrayal of the tough man image.After all,the film follows the demonization and typification of the Indians and completes the writing of the Empire myth on the basis of the“destined expansion”of the United States.