电影汇报：美国丽人(英文版).doc

Social dramaAmerican beauty一Basic elements of social drama（社会问题片） 1.Definition（定义）:1) Its an adverse condition affecting a significant number of people.(这个问题必须是对规模较大的一群人产生负面影响的某种环境)2) It is something that can only occur if those concerned about the problem have enough power and influence to bring it to public attention.（它必须足以构成一个问题，即关心这个问题的人必须有足够的权利和影响力来吸引公众注意）3) If the appropriate measures are takenthe problem can be solved.（人们必须相信，只要采取合理的措施就能解决问题） 2.Characteristics（特点）:1） Identify a social ill(发现一种社会疾病)2） Find a method to cure the disease(找到治愈这种顽症的方法)3.Typical example(典型影片):1）One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest(飞越疯人院)探讨精神治疗制度2）Philadelphia(费城)探讨艾滋病问题3）American history X(野兽良民)探讨种族歧视的原因4）Traffic(毒品网络)探讨毒品问题5）American beauty(美国丽人)探讨男性危机问题二Film reportAmerican beauty1.General introductionType ：Social drama Show time ：Oct.1 1991 Main award ：The 72th OscarChinese name：美国丽人English name：American Beauty Region： America Director：Sam MendesProtagonist：凯文史派西 Kevin Spacey .Lester Burnham 安妮特贝宁 Annette Bening .Carolyn Burnham 索拉伯奇 Thora Birch .Jane Spacey 韦斯本特利 Wes Bentley .Ricky Fitts 米娜苏瓦丽 Mena Suvari .Angela Hayes 克里斯库柏 Chris Cooper .Col. Frank Fitts, USMC 2.Detonator(引线): Lester (main role) was dyingQuestion: Why was he dead? How did he dead? Who killed him?3.Synopsis(故事梗概):American beauty tells the story of Lester, a middle-aged man who lives a sedated(平静的) life with his family in American suburbia(市郊)。One day ,Lester is pressured by his wife Carolyn to attend a performance at their daughters local school. When watching the performance ,Lester is mesmerized (迷住) by his daughter s best friend Angela. Lesters meeting with Angela awakens in him a vitality he has not known for years .With the assistance of his neighbors son-Ricky Fitts, he begins to rediscover the pleasures of his youth. Lester quits his meaningless office job ,at the same time he begins to work out(健身) .Meanwhile, his wife betrays him ;his daughter Jane begins to make friend with Ricky. One day ,Lester witnesses his wifes infidelity(不忠);his daughter Jane falls in love with Ricky at the same time.Colonel Fitts misunderstands the relationship between Lester and his son and he accosts(引诱) Lester. Finally Lester is shocked.4. Introduction of roles and their relationships in the film:1)Lester(protagonist): In his mid-age, lived in a terrible and depressed life, not only in his family but also in his work. His wife and daughter despised him since he is incapable, his boss blamed him and intend to dismiss him, even he himself ignored his existence. Then, what would his life be2)Carolyn wife Lester: A strong woman, always blamed Lester for his incapability(无能).She has strong husband vanity(虚荣),seek for money, lived with his own strong will and excessively independent, refuse to be a victim but was weak in her inner heart.3)Jane daughter Lester: Lived in a depressed family and a dark life. Always thought being ignored by herfather parents, couldnt feel her own existence, and feel deserted by the world. Hate her father for his weakness. Longing for concerning(关注) and care（关心）.4)Angela friend Jane daughter Lester:A beautiful and sexy girl, Lester fall in love with her at the first sight, she accosted(诱惑) Lester. Lester did all the changes because of her. And she associated with rose petals(玫瑰花瓣) in the film.5)Ricky love Jane daughter Lester: A handsome young man, fond of filming(拍摄) DV to record beautiful things. He deeply loved Jane, always filming Jane secretly(偷拍). He was the spokesman for“beauty” in this film, and Lester was his disciple(追随者) .He had his own perspective(视角) of life .He was satisfied with his living style which followed his heart. 6)Fitts father Ricky love Jane daughter Lester：He is rough and rude, a colonel(上校),always brought his military values to life-in particular the idea that“you cant just go around doing whatever you feel like”.He is also a violent homophobe(同性恋憎恶者) and arch-conservative(极端保守者),which merely limits the free expression of his own homosexual interests.5. Typical clips and analysis:Question 1:Lester did all the things since he want to sleep with Angela, however, as he got the opportunity, he didnt. Why?My answer: All the changes Lester did were for Angela, he exercised everyday , worked hard to whale on pecs(练胸肌), ignored his wifes infidelity(外遇)， began to discover the pleasures of his youth, quit his meaningless office job and started to smoking marijuana again, in flight from the restraints of his marriage. However, as he really has the chance to possess Angela, he suddenly came to realize what he really wanted are the beauty of life, the interest and pursuit of beauty, and the struggling to fight for freedom to regain his masculinity(男性气概).And he succeeded, he regained what he want and satisfied with his current condition, so he appreciated Angela for waking him up, and began to talk with Angela.Question2:Who killed Lester eventually?Answer: As weve saw, Carolyn angrily took her gun out and drove her car to kill Lester; Fitts went back after he failed to accosts Lester; Jane hated Lester and intended to kill him, Ricky wanted to kill him since he was Janes boyfriend. It seems that Carolyn had the maximum possibility to shoot Lester, while she didnt. As he saw Lester watching their family photos, they still have emotion in their marriage, so she regretted to cry after heard the shot(枪声).Actually, he was killed by Fitts, he misunderstood that Lester was a gay(同性恋), and expose himselfa gay to Lester. Feeling ashamed and resentful(悲愤),he shot Lester in the head.Question 3: Lester laughed when he was dying, Why ?Answer: At the moment of his death, Lester finally relives the most beautiful moments of his life, and comes to realize what it is that he has been seeking all long.6. The art of the film6.1.The shot(镜头)1）Two functions of the overhead shot (俯视镜头)A: reinforce the films critique of American suburbia as a dull and soporific environment.(强化电影展开的批判：美国市郊的生活沉闷，让人昏昏欲睡)- examples: show Lester in lying in bedB: give a kind of Gods -eye view of the suburban streets where Lester has lived his life.(创造一种效果，好像上帝在注视着莱斯特生活的市郊街区)2)Angles of the camera(镜头的角度)Function: exaggerate the contrast of the rolesstatus (突出角色身份对比)Lester shots from a high angle meets withBrad and Buddy shots from a low angel 6.2. typical narrative pattern (典型叙事结构)three-act structure (三幕式结构)1）act :Lester first sets eyes on Angela2）act :Lester smashes the plates during dinner with his family3）act :the attempted seduction(引诱) and then murder of Lester by Colonel Fitts6.3. symbolic things in the film1) Rose petals (玫瑰花瓣) :American Beauty is a specific kind of rose the appears(出现)of rose petals(花瓣)first time: at the end of Janes performancesecond time: one night, in Lesters dreamthird time :Lester fantasizes about Angela bathing in rose petalsforth time: Angelas kiss leaves a single rose petal in his mouthQuestion 1: What is rose petals in this film represents?Answer: Obviously, the rose petals are clearly associated with Angela-Lesters fantasy of Angela. It had 3 symbolic values:A: passionate love (热烈的爱情). Angela associated with rose petals was a savor of Lester, she gave him the hope of beauty and conducted his changes and pursuit of beauty.B: a beauty that is dangerous in some way compromised.(危险的美，或者有某种不足).C: the beauty of youth is always short-lived.(青春转瞬即逝的美丽).This meaning also hints Lesters death. Not long after he had realized what was real beauty in life, he dead2) Rickys video tapeQuestion : Ricky said“ Its the most beautiful thing Ive shoot(拍摄)”.Whats your understanding of beauty after you viewed his video?My understanding: In my opinion, beauty represents freedom, which means live with your heart and set your soul free. As the plastic bag, it flies with the wind lightly, without any burden and fetter(束缚). We, as individuals live in the society, band up by many things not only substantially but also mentally band, however, we should following our heart and decide which are the things you really lake and willing to do. Only in this way can you release yourself, lead a happy and relaxed life and fight for what you really want with full passion, and then comes the hope!6.Film review(影评：)1.美国丽人 American Beauty 英文影评 review by Peter Keough 简介：Nothing beats death for establishing a detached, omniscient point of view, and from the very beginning of Sam Mendess haunting and accomplished debut feature (and one of the years first significan .Nothing beats death for establishing a detached, omniscient point of view, and from the very beginning of Sam Mendess haunting and accomplished debut feature (and one ofthe years first significant films), its made clear that its hero, middle-aged, middle-class lost soul Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is a goner. Lesters flashback voiceover narration has the sardonic serenity of the beyond, an anarchistic wisdom as he observes himself jerking off in the shower (This will be the highlight of my day), spies on wife Carolyn (a strident and fragile Annette Bening) tending the title roses (See how her clogs match the handles of her pruning shears? Its not a coincidence.), or looks in on sullen and unhappy daughter Jane (Thora Birch, with soulful, accusing eyes) surfing the Internet for breast augmentation sites (Id tell her things get better, but I dont want to lie). His secret? In less than a year, Ill be dead. . . . But in a sense, Im dead already.Who actually kills Lester is a mystery. Is it Jane, whos shown on video saying her dad is a lame-o who should be put out of his misery? Carolyn, who takes out her frustrations at the shooting range? Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper), the new neighbor with the militant right-wing views and the extensive firearms collection? In the end, it makes no difference. As for Lesters spiritual death, its one of the most common themes in American literature and film, and Mendes and first-time writer Alan Ball deserve credit for bringing this hollow man to life. Mostly, though, its Spaceys movie, as his impeccable timing, coy superciliousness and rueful knowingness provide the tone and tension that illuminate it. Like the gimpy loser he played in The Usual Suspect, his Lester starts out unimpressively, embarrassing himself in front of his wife and daughter both in social settings and at the dinner table. But Spaceys diabolical smile suggests that his days as suburban doormat adrift in a 90s updating of John Cheevers white-collar wasteland (the film is reminiscent of that writers The Country Husband) will not be for long.His rebirth begins at a high-school basketball game where he and Carolyn, in a misconceived attempt to be better parents, watch Jane run through a new dance routine with the cheerleading squad. His patient gaze changes to ardor as the camera singles out the nubile features of Angela (vivid newcomer Mena Suvari), whose insinuating smile seems meant just for him. Mendes, however, overplays the moment: a spotlight shines on Angela, everyone else in the gym disappears, and she opens her blouse to unleash a cascade of rose petals, the hallmark of Lesters fantasy sequences, and one of the films less compelling metaphors for beauty.Mendes is more restrained in Lesters second epiphany, when at a shindig for Carolyns real-estate job he slips out back with Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley, like a laconic Christian Slater with spooky presence), the colonels son, whos catering the affair. Tiny figures framed by a blank wall and the asphalt of a parking lot, the two get loopy and hilarious on the dope that is the real source of Rickys income. I think youre become my new personal hero, says Lester when Ricky quits and tells his intruding boss to get lost.In effect Ricky becomes the films hero, too, since he embodies the youth, idealism, and poetry that Lester abandoned along with his dream of owning a 1970 Firebird. Ricky also embodies much of the visual sense that distinguishes the style of this director (whos known for his striking stage productions of Cabaret and The Blue Room). Oppressed by his fascist dad (one of the films few stereotypes that fails to transcend itself), Ricky buys video equipment with his dope money and shoots random moments of morbid beauty, such as a dead bird, a whirling plastic bag in a leaf-littered alley, and Lesters bruised-petal daughter. Its the beginning of a courtship between Ricky and Jane, and the interplay of self-conscious imagery, voyeurism, and desire recalls Steven Soderberghs sex, lies and videotape and Krzysztof Kieslowskis A Short Film About Love.Lester, meanwhile, pumps iron while stoned to get buff for Angela, extorts a years severance pay from his soul-destroying job, and is mostly amused when his wife has an affair with Buddy Kane (a graying Peter Gallagher, looking like a monstrous fusion of George Hamilton and Michael Dukakis), the real-estate king. The details of the dead mans ultimate fate are a bit of a letdown, but as he posthumously notes, its hard to stay mad when theres so much beauty in the world, and in that regard, this near-masterpiece is true to its title.2.美国丽人 American Beauty review by Roger EbertAmerican Beauty is a comedy because we laugh at the absurdity of the heros problems. And a tragedy because we can identify with his failure-not the specific details, but the general outline. The movie is about a man who fears growing older, losing the hope of true love and not being respected by those who know him best. If you never experience those feelings, take out a classified ad. People want to take lessons from you.Lester Burnham, the hero of American Beauty, is played by Kevin Spacey as a man who is unloved by his daughter, ignored by his wife and unnecessary at work. Ill be dead in a year, he tells us in almost the first words of the movie. In a way, Im dead already. The movie is the story of his rebellion.We meet his wife, Carolyn (Annette Bening), so perfect her garden shears are coordinated with her footwear. We meet his daughter Jane (Thora Birch), who is saving up for breast implants even though augmentation is clearly unnecessary; perhaps her motivation is not to become more desirable to men, but to make them miserable about what they cant have.Both my wife and daughter think Im this chronic loser, Lester complains. He is right. But they are not without their reasons. At an agonizing family dinner, Carolyn plays Mantovanian music that mocks every mouthful; the music is lush and reassuring, and the family is angry and silent. When Lester criticizes his daughters attitude, she points out correctly that he has hardly spoken to her in months.Everything changes for Lester the night he is dragged along by his wife to see their daughter perform as a cheerleader. There on the floor, engrossed in a sub-Fosse pompon routine, he sees his angel: Angela (Mena Suvari), his daughters high-school classmate. Is it wrong for a man in his 40s to lust after a teenage girl? Any honest man understands what a complicated question this is. Wrong morally, certainly, and legally. But as every woman knows, men are born with wiring that goes directly from their eyes to their genitals, bypassing the higher centers of thought. They can disapprove of their thoughts, but they cannot stop themselves from having them.American Beauty is not about a Lolita relationship, anyway. Its about yearning after youth, respect, power and, of course, beauty. The moment a man stops dreaming is the moment he petrifies inside and starts writing snarfy letters disapproving of paragraphs like the one above. Lesters thoughts about Angela are impure, but not perverted; he wants to do what men are programmed to do, with the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.Angela is not Lesters highway to bliss, but she is at least a catalyst for his freedom. His thoughts, and the discontent they engender, blast him free from years of emotional paralysis, and soon he makes a cheerful announcement at the funereal dinner table: I quit my job, told my boss to - - - - himself and blackmailed him for $60,000. Has he lost his mind? Not at all. The first thing he spends money on is perfectly reasonable: a bright red 1970 Pontiac Firebird.Carolyn and Jane are going through their own romantic troubles. Lester finds out Carolyn is cheating when he sees her with her lover in the drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant (where he has a job he likes). Jane is being videotaped by Ricky (Wes Bentley), the boy next door, who has a strange light in his eyes. Rickys dad (Chris Cooper) is a former Marine who tests him for drugs, taking a urine sample every six months; Ricky plays along to keep the peace until he can leave home.All of these emotional threads come together during one dark and stormy night, when there is a series of misunderstandings so bizarre they belong in a screwball comedy. And at the end, somehow, improbably, the film snatches victory from the jaws of defeat for Lester, its hero. Not the kind of victory youd get in a feel-good movie, but the kind where you prove something important, if only to yourself.American Beauty is not as dark or twisted as Happiness, last years attempt to shine a light under the rock of American society. Its more about sadness and loneliness t