从“内向化”和时代性看《犬之力》对传统西部片的颠覆

The Subversion of "The Power of the Dog" to the Troditional Western Film from the Perspective of "In troversion" and Epoch

新西兰女导演简·坎皮恩的《犬之力》片如其名,弥漫神秘诱人的气息,细腻情感,矛盾张力,以及呼之欲出的对决都是其独特艺术特色。电影中壮丽景色、人物定位、历史背景和主题设置都符合类型化要素;但不同于典型西部片,《犬之力》展现的却是“内向化”(inwardness)气质,神话被神秘替代,开拓沦为退化,枪战变成去脏术,幼稚病与婴儿性反倒成了特色,拓荒精神(frontier spirit)更多象征疆界极限而非掠夺进取。此风格的形成不仅和坎皮恩个人一贯擅长的心理塑造有关,还有深层次的社会、文化思潮影响,尤其是对新冠、反全球化与各种偏见的时代反思。

The Power of the Dog, directed by Jane Campion, has already reaped many film awards internationally. As mysterious and appealing as its title, the artistic value of the film features extremely fine emotions, intensive tensions, and popping-up confrontations. While it presumably belongs to the western genre, including its scenic sites, characterization, historic background, and thematic arrangement, the movie uncannily differs from the typical western. This has been embodied in the form and essence of“ inwardness ”in that myth is replaced by deconstruction, exploration being degenerated, gunfight retrograded to evisceration, adulthood turning into infantilism, and more importantly, the once core frontier spirit not symbolizing expansion and advancement as much as border containment. This particular style, for one thing, derives from Campion ’s personal artistic and psychological pursuit, but it also reflects a deep insight into an ever-changing world in the age of pandemic, anti-globalism, as well as neoliberalism.