Adapted from Miles Franklin’s eponymous novel published in 1901, which was written while the author was still a teenager, MY BRILLIANT CAREER, Aussie director Gillian Armstrong’s feature debut made when she was 29, not only puts a young Judy Davis on the map as a formidable thespian, but also is immanent in effusing the story’s heartening feminist viewpoint, and with hindsight, it is an inviting, robust production orchestrated with sublime delicacy and forward-looking brio.
Our heroine Sybylla (Davis), a young girl living with her family in the outback in the late 19th century, is the eldest of the brood, she is an unruly force of nature who aspires to a life steeped in literature, music and art, which sounds detrimentally airy-fairy for her strapped parents, they float the idea of a domestic job to her, as a way to shuck off another mouth to feed, and it enrages her. So when her well-heeled matrilineal grandmother’s invitation arrives, it brings immense elation to her, maybe, finally she can be delivered from the sticks and all the menial labor.
Ensconced in a modestly plush rural estate, Sybylla has to stomach the affront that her plain looks are being openly addressed, often in front of her presence, a below-par trait doesn’t fall in with the family’s old money grandeur, and she is the ugly duckling, but swimming against the tide, she has no desperation/illusion to become a swan, she won’t bat an eyelid to an oleaginous suitor for whom she has no affection, and unthinkingly returns bold backchat to her stern grandma Mrs. Bossier (Britton) when marriage is propounded because she is nubile, she doesn’t want to get married, as later she confides to Harry Beecham (Neill), a childhood friend of gilded youth to whom she grows closer and vice versa, she must discover herself first, before even considering of becoming a part of someone else’s life. This isn’t exactly an earth-shattering idea of a woman's liberation, but here, owing to Ms. Davis’ electrifying performance, Sybylla’s rite-of-passage shapes into a page-turner, implacable in its torrid mobility (a pillow fight with Harry in the lush garden is a shorthand of their youthful exuberance) and undertows (her pertness can be read as a coping mechanism countervailing her entrenched low self-esteem because of her unassuming appearance).
No one can negate there is love between Sybylla and Harry, but as she contests, why love must lead to marriage? There are alternatives, and she firmly stands her ground, especially after the stint as a governess to teach a bunch of illiterate children of a farmer family, she finds her vocation in words and literature, wherein she starts her brilliant career as a writer.
One of the most incredible merits of this Antipodean pastoral is that it doesn’t come off as cloying or priggish out of its constant-trodden storyline of a young woman’s unorthodox choice with regards to love, life and self-discovery. Around a pyrotechnic Judy Davis, whose glints of emotion are so sharp-edged and entrancing, the peripheral players are also cracking: a young Sam Neill is the projected prince charming but is also seethed with a farrago of contradictions and mix-feelings in mooning over a jolie-laide; Wendy Hughes is pretty radiant as the benign aunt Helen, whose caring nature doesn’t prevent her from giving one of the wisest nuptial advice: the best marriage is a friendship marriage. Aileen Britton and Patricia Kennedy (as Harry’s aunt Gussie), both hold sway withpoise and majesty as two august dowagers, whereas the latter graces her comportment with conspiratorial discernment, the former carries more weight in her role as the high priest of tradition.
On the whole, MY BRILLIANT CAREER belongs to the high rung of period filmmaking and more extraordinarily, it is done with economy and Ms.Armstrong’s scrupulous attention to all the niceties, many kudos to this criminally undervalued female filmmaker.
Referential points: Gillian Armstrong’s LITTLE WOMEN (1994, 6.2/10), OSCAR AND LUCINDA (1997, 6.0/10)
重看。只希望中国何时能有此笔触写中国女星作家。
she said to her “Loneliness is a terrible price for self- independence", however,she did not believe it!
这不是现代女性面临的“如何平衡家庭和事业”的问题,而是女主角为了成为自己付出了巨大的牺牲,但最后她写下的每一个字都照亮了自己。
相继错过了SFF和MIFF的放映,能够最终有幸看到今年NFSA才完成的修复真的是感动哭。冷寂冰凉的山庄与荒漠是每一个古早澳大利亚影史经典故事的开始。我的璀璨一生,有对自我的固执和坚守,有对这个家庭所作出的反抗,还有在爱情中不卑不亢不要忘了自爱。这个古老守旧的社会或许曾隔绝了我一人的幸福,但书本和文字却永远不能阻挡所有人前进的脚步。Eleanor Witcombe的文字被化为一声最有力的控诉,打响了袋鼠国某种意义上的“第一枪”。
无聊的上流社会乏善可陈的感情故事
这个片子比较适合少女去看吧,应该还是有一定的启发性的,但是对我来说就不是特别适用了。女主角一直在讲,想要去找寻自己的意义,但直到最后才点出是想当一个作家,与此同时在这个观影过程中,感受不到这种强烈的欲望。而且男主角最开始与女主角相识,他误认为她为佣人,然后拍了一下她的屁股,之后爱情的弧光有可能可以使人忘却这件事。但是,潜意识里对下位女性丝毫不掩盖的蔑视性,我是耿耿于怀的。
澳洲盛产妮可那种大鼻子硬玫瑰
从女性奋斗片骤然变成爱情片
跟芭芭拉史翠珊的《燕特尔》同题。
好矛盾的女人~
她靠自己的手营建出璀璨生活,画面和服装都美极
当年复兴时期最具代表性的三部澳洲女性"遗产电影",《悬崖上的野餐》《The Getting of Wisdom》和这部,往往成为"委员会类型片"的代表(甚至成了当年影展上澳洲片的一种刻板印象),是将英伦维多利亚遗产与澳式野性相融合的结果。因此,我更愿意将其看做一种跨国遗产电影的文化实践。影像上也是这种杂糅,一边是牧场物语的荒野生存,一边是雷诺阿式永不结束的午后阳光下的维多利亚恋爱。不过,年轻的朱迪·戴维斯与山姆·尼尔就是能有那种化学反应,是绅装与长裙遮不住的Aussie狂野(还互道一声mates)。这就同一般英国遗产电影中的爱恋不同了。私以为牧场的戏都比富人的戏有趣。这也是本片灵魂所在,女主最后宁择物质的贫困,也要精神的独立与创作自由。
独立与孤独相随,结尾她说我不能为别人失去自己的生活,但我还没有真正活过。女性主义电影。与简爱等同,但比简爱彻底。澳大利亚的荒凉美丽。
“I don't want to be part of anyone.” 好喜欢女主角,特别又可爱,像一头小鹿,在她身上可以看到无限的生机与力量。开场的第一幕戏真好,随着女主角的独白,我们看到她在室内读着或许是自己写的文章,随即点题“my brilliant career”,她没有被屋外的风沙影响,沉浸在自己的世界里,紧接着母亲的几次呼唤将她拉回现实,观众立刻看出她热爱幻想的特质,与她所生活的环境的不协调。影片的结尾真好,独白与开头呼应,最后她没有选择婚姻,而是投下了充满希望的包裹,开始她未知的人生新篇章。不知道新版的《小妇人》多少有没有借鉴这部影片(查了发现这是薇诺娜版小妇人的导演,非常理解为什么选她来指导《小妇人》)。
巴顿芬克里的judy davis小时候原来长这样。一点也不像。
觉得故事还应该讲下去。。。书出版于1901年,影片公映于1979年。那年Judy Davis才24岁,演得真不错!
1. I am not sorry for being egotistical... —— Neither am I ;P 2. Why does it always have to come down to marriage? Loneliness is a terrible price to pay for independence. Don't throw away reality for some impossible dream. It's not impossible! —— Felicitation. U made it.
judy davis is brilliant!然而更叫人惊艳的是。。sam neill!大叔年轻的时候原来这么帅!
哦哦,女性主义到比较彻底的一部。想想和女士画像有什么区别呢?看来女性的独立是要从精神独立开始。若是从物质独立开始,而精神上疲弱不设防的话,独立只是空谈。
前半段弄得有點像傲慢與偏見的澳洲版,後面覺得女主成熟獨立起來。現代,可以結婚或同居但又不犧牲自我,而當時,當妻子就意味著要為丈夫奉獻,所以女主選擇孤獨但獨立,是可以理解的。但也讓人有點唏噓,唉,女性崛起之路就一定要註定孤獨麽?