司馬勤

打頭陣的是瑪麗娜· 阿布拉莫維奇（Marina Abramovic），接著是莫妮卡· 貝魯奇（Monica Bellucci），最近的一位是安吉麗娜· 朱莉（Angelina Jolie）。其實(shí)，要是你真的深層挖掘歷史，在此之前還有佐伊· 考德威爾（Zoe Caldwell）、帕蒂· 盧波恩（Patti Lupone）、迪克西· 卡特（Dixie Carter）、泰恩· 戴利（Tyne Daly）、芬妮· 阿爾丹（Fanny Ardant）、費(fèi)伊· 唐納薇（Faye Dunaway）……以及很多很多——但她們都屬于久遠(yuǎn)的20 世紀(jì)90 年代， 且僅出演過個別場次，暫且忽略不計(jì)。

唯一能將上述各式各樣的舞臺及銀幕上女星歸結(jié)在一起并產(chǎn)生交集的，是她們都曾扮演過瑪麗亞· 卡拉斯（Maria Callas）——這位毫無爭議的20 世紀(jì)地位最崇高的歌劇女伶。盡管她于1977 年去世，享年只有53 歲，時至今日這位女高音在歌壇的影響力仍然舉足輕重。雖說她的百歲冥誕（12 月2 日）即將到來，她死后有關(guān)她的藝術(shù)創(chuàng)作卻絲毫沒有放緩的跡象。

20 世紀(jì)90 年代，美國劇作家特倫斯· 麥克納利（Terrence McNally）可謂是追捧卡拉斯的開荒牛， 風(fēng)頭一時無兩。他最初于1989 年創(chuàng)作的戲劇《里斯本茶花女》（The Lisbon Traviata ），劇中人都是歌劇鐵粉，卡拉斯自然就成為臺上的熱門話題。后來，他在《大師班》（Master Class ）里塑造的女主角就是卡拉斯——在故事中，她一邊為年輕的聲樂學(xué)生授課，一邊經(jīng)歷著自己人生的大起大落——那些最光輝的時刻以及最坎坷的日子，在倒敘中噴涌而出。《大師班》是不是一部偉大的話劇，定論不一。但是， 業(yè)界公認(rèn)這是眾多女演員所夢寐以求的、畢生最渴望擔(dān)綱的角色。起碼有十多位女演員——如果算上戲劇工作坊的話，可能會高達(dá)幾百位——曾有機(jī)會身臨其境地在戲劇氛圍下“活”在卡拉斯的“軀殼”里。

令人惋惜的是，30 年前的麥克納利雖然占得先機(jī)，但他卻沒有等到卡拉斯百年誕辰演出季的來臨。這位劇作家于2020 年因新冠肺炎并發(fā)癥而去世。若麥克納利還活著，今天的他必定欣喜若狂，因?yàn)榭梢砸娮C卡拉斯的藝術(shù)傳承在全球范圍開花結(jié)果。

2018 年，一輪新的展現(xiàn)卡拉斯風(fēng)采的項(xiàng)目開始登上舞臺——你可把它們稱為“與先人的合作” （necrollaborations）。帶頭的是《在音樂會里的卡拉斯》（Callas in Concert ），“現(xiàn)場”投影了卡拉斯的三維全息影像來演繹歌劇曲目（這種手法也曾用于邁克爾· 杰克遜和羅伊· 奧比森等已故流行歌手的音樂會）。同一年又出現(xiàn)了《卡拉斯：為愛而聲》（Maria by Callas ），這部紀(jì)錄片是攝影師兼導(dǎo)演湯姆· 沃爾夫（Tom Volf）的作品。他收集并剪輯了大量已被遺忘的歷史影音片段并為它們重新著色， 制作出來的影片的高清視覺體驗(yàn)令人賞心悅目。

而“行為藝術(shù)之母”瑪麗娜· 阿布拉莫維奇將舞臺與銀幕藝術(shù)結(jié)合起來的《瑪麗亞· 卡拉斯的七次死亡》（7 Deaths of Maria Callas）更耐人尋味?！都~約時報(bào)》稱之為“一部分混合錄音帶、一部分是降神會”?！镀叽嗡劳觥返穆?lián)合委約方包括巴伐利亞國家歌劇院、希臘國家歌劇院、德國歌劇院、巴黎歌劇院與那不勒斯圣卡洛歌劇院（這個制作本月剛好在英國國家歌劇院巡演），作品時長90 分鐘。阿布拉莫維奇在該劇中重新塑造了卡拉斯在舞臺上最標(biāo)志性的死亡場景（以及卡拉斯去世時的情景）。每一部歌劇的詠嘆調(diào)（威爾第的《茶花女》與《奧賽羅》、普契尼的《托斯卡》與《蝴蝶夫人》、比才的《卡門》、多尼采蒂的《拉美摩爾的露契亞》、貝利尼的《諾爾瑪》）都請來了歌唱家現(xiàn)場演唱，并且同步放映7 部短片，主演正是阿布拉莫維奇與威廉· 達(dá)福（Willem Dafoe）。

相比之下，莫妮卡· 貝魯奇在各地巡演的獨(dú)角戲《瑪麗亞· 卡拉斯：書信與回憶》（Maria Callas： Letters & Memoirs）就簡單得多：她只需要誦讀這位女高音曾經(jīng)寫下的篇章即可。最令人熱議的是編劇與導(dǎo)演——又是湯姆· 沃爾夫——竟然說服了這位電影明星把卡拉斯的精神呈現(xiàn)在舞臺上（貝魯奇穿的是從私人收藏家借過來的一條卡拉斯曾穿過的圣羅蘭小黑裙）；不過，我們中的一些人確實(shí)記得，貝魯奇在電視劇《叢林中的莫扎特》（Mozart in the Jungle ）第三季中曾飾演過一個卡拉斯味十足的角色。

如果我們真的要比較的話，智利導(dǎo)演帕布羅·拉雷恩（Pablo Larraín）的新電影《瑪麗亞》（Maria ）即將進(jìn)入立項(xiàng)宣傳期，這項(xiàng)大新聞將此前的卡拉斯項(xiàng)目徹底比了下去，讓它們僅淪為紀(jì)念活動的序幕罷了。帕布羅·拉雷恩的早期作品包括聚焦杰奎琳·肯尼迪的《第一夫人》（Jackie ）與戴安娜王妃的《斯賓塞》（Spencer ）。這部由安吉麗娜·朱莉主演的《瑪麗亞》，將全方位探視這位歌唱家的職業(yè)生涯與私人生活，編劇史蒂芬· 奈特（Steve Knight）在好萊塢編劇罷工潮之前就完成了劇本。

***

《瑪麗亞》定于今年12 月初開拍，以紀(jì)念卡拉斯一百周年誕辰；我們還不知道電影正式上映的日期。不過，與此同時，“倫納德· 伯恩斯坦”已經(jīng)在臺側(cè)“候場”——他早準(zhǔn)備好了。

影片《大師》（Maestro ）講述美國這位最負(fù)盛名的音樂巨匠的一生，于9 月在威尼斯電影節(jié)首映，隨后亮相各大國際電影節(jié)。電影將于11 月底在影院限量發(fā)行（limited theatre release），并將于年末的圣誕新年假期登陸網(wǎng)飛（Netflix）進(jìn)行全流媒體播放。這部電影是布萊德利· 庫珀（Bradley Cooper）在疫情期間專注的項(xiàng)目，他一人身兼數(shù)職：參與編劇——另一位編劇是奧斯卡得主約書· 辛格（Josh Singer）、負(fù)責(zé)導(dǎo)演、擔(dān)任主角。曾經(jīng)參與過《大師》但后來退出的幕后推手都是響當(dāng)當(dāng)?shù)拇笸螅菏紫葮?gòu)思這部電影的是馬丁· 斯科塞斯（Martin Scorsese）；史蒂文· 斯皮爾伯格（Steven Spielberg），繼2021 年重新拍攝《西區(qū)故事》后， 有意拍攝一部關(guān)于伯恩斯坦生平的故事片。斯皮爾伯格甚至已經(jīng)接洽了庫珀來擔(dān)綱男主角，直至看過庫帕自導(dǎo)自演的《一個明星的誕生》（A Star is Born ） 后，斯皮爾伯格把導(dǎo)演一職也交了給庫帕。（斯科塞斯與斯皮爾伯格兩人仍然是《大師》的監(jiān)制。）

有趣的是，跟卡拉斯一樣，伯恩斯坦同樣吸引了不少聚焦他傳奇一生的項(xiàng)目，而大多數(shù)都在伯恩斯坦誕生百周年（2018 年）時期出現(xiàn)的?！洞髱煛飞踔敛皇俏ㄒ灰徊空谥谱髦械暮萌R塢故事片：杰克· 吉倫哈爾（Jake Gyllenhaal）在差不多同一時期策劃了另一套伯恩斯坦電影。但因?yàn)槟撤N原因—— 可能是覺得同步發(fā)行兩部好萊塢電影會削減它們的影響力——伯恩斯坦家族決定支持庫帕。在過去幾年里，無論是卡內(nèi)基音樂廳或騰格烏爾德的觀眾們， 會在不知不覺中有機(jī)會碰上低調(diào)的庫帕與他的助理在現(xiàn)場收集資料，或撰寫筆記。

到目前為止，伯恩斯坦家族的選擇顯得很明智。盡管《大師》至今只在電影節(jié)以及一些私人場合放映過，但效果很好并受到觀眾追捧——這些觀眾不限于古典音樂愛好者。評論家贊揚(yáng)電影表現(xiàn)出伯恩斯坦心中備受折磨的復(fù)雜情緒——重心應(yīng)該是在作曲還是擔(dān)任指揮，抑或是如何取舍家庭生活和性取向問題？——飾演費(fèi)利西亞· 蒙特阿里格勒（Felicia Montealegre，即伯恩斯坦夫人，她自身也是舞臺及電視演員）的英國明星凱莉· 墨里根（Carey Mulligan）演技精湛——在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活里，蒙特阿里格勒早已知道未婚夫不為人知的那一面。

當(dāng)影片大范圍的發(fā)行后，大概一勞永逸地解決關(guān)于演員化妝修補(bǔ)學(xué)的爭議。庫帕和《大師》這部電影都因他那提高了的面部造型而備受抨擊——早期的宣傳照顯示了庫帕配上了一個酷似伯恩斯坦的大鼻子。在當(dāng)前美國身份政治敏感的氛圍中，“猶太臉”的呼聲和對非猶太裔的庫帕沒有資格扮演伯恩斯坦的抱怨，幾乎蓋過了電影本身——盡管反誹謗聯(lián)盟和伯恩斯坦家族很快出面支持庫帕。（大女兒杰米· 伯恩斯坦的回應(yīng)基本上是：“是的，爸爸有一個大鼻子。有些人很喜歡它。”）

相比之下，盡管朱莉沒有任何希臘血統(tǒng)，她飾演卡拉斯的宣傳劇照卻沒有受到任何批評。甚至有一些早期的評論十分正面，贊揚(yáng)朱莉放棄了她天生的魅力，轉(zhuǎn)而去捕捉年輕卡拉斯略顯土氣的形象。

從我個人的角度來說，首先我很樂意觀看幾部與漫威漫畫無關(guān)的電影。也許廣大的電影觀眾們最終會意識到，古典音樂界中也有不完美的超級英雄。不過，我們可以輕易借鑒的一樣?xùn)|西，那就是漫威漫畫世界的概念——在漫威世界里，在前一部電影中塑造出的角色在另一個角色的故事里卷土重來是很稀松平常的事情。

在這種情況下，曾經(jīng)拍攝過一部關(guān)于杰奎琳· 肯尼迪影片的電影制作人現(xiàn)在把注意力集中到瑪麗亞· 卡拉斯的身上——卡拉斯當(dāng)年的主要情敵正是杰奎琳· 肯尼迪?？ɡ乖谒箍ɡ瓌≡韩@得最大的成功是她親自制作的《美狄亞》，指揮正是倫納德· 伯恩斯坦。

所以是的，我們終于有幾部電影可以期待了。現(xiàn)在也是提出這個疑問的好時機(jī)：我們可以塑造出像漫威世界一樣的特許經(jīng)銷電影系列嗎？

First it was Marina Abramovic， then Monica Bellucci， and most recently Angelina Jolie. Well， if you really want to dig back further， there was also Zoe Caldwell， Patti Lupone， Dixie Carter， Tyne Daly， Fanny Ardant， Faye Dunaway...I could go on. But that was back in the 1990s， and for a single show.

Perhaps the only thing that couldve brought togeth?er such diverse actresses from stage and screen is that theyve all been cast as Maria Callas， without question the 20th centurys reigning operatic diva. Despite her death in 1977 at age 53， Callass presence still looms large， and approaching the centenary of her birth on December 2， her posthumous career shows no signs of slowing down.

Back in the 1990s， though， the American playwright Terrence McNally had the field pretty much to him?self. Having already used Callas as a hot topic for his opera-obsessed characters in his 1989 play The Lis?bon Traviata ， McNally later made Callas herself the main character in Master Class ， where in the midst of coaching young singers the soprano finds her own life—triumphs and tragedies alike—gushing forth in flashbacks. Not everyone agreed it was a great play， but it was the role of a lifetime， with dozens—probably hundreds， if you include public readings—of actresses spending some theatrical time in Callass shoes.

For a man nearly 30 years ahead of the curve， the real tragedy is that McNally didnt live to see Callass centenary season; the playwright died in 2020， due to complications of Covid-19. Now， surely beyond McNal?lys wildest dreams， the Callas legacy has blossomed to international proportions.

A new wave of projects channeling the spirit of Cal? las—call them necrollaborations—started in 2018， first with Callas in Concert ， featuring a “l(fā)ive” performance by way of three-dimensional holograms （similar proj?ects featured Michael Jackson， Roy Orbison and other popular singers）. That same year also saw Maria by Callas ， a documentary film by photographer-director Tom Volf that culled and colorized a wide array of largely forgotten archival footage into a high-definition visual experience.

Stage and screen came together in 7 Deaths of Maria Callas ， Marina Abramovics rather enigmatic production that the New York Times labeled “part mixtape， part sé?ance.” Co-commissioned by the Bayerische Staatsoper， the Greek National Opera， Deutsche Oper， the Paris Opera and Teatro San Carlo （and appearing this month at English National Opera）， Abramovics 90-minute portrayal recreates seven of Callass most iconic stage deaths （as well as the sopranos own）. Arias from each of the operas （Verdis La Traviata and Otello ， Puccinis Tosc a and Madame Butterfly ， and Bizets Carmen， Doni?zettis Lucia di Lammermoor and Bellinis Norma） were performed by singers live， in tandem with seven short films starring Abramovic and Willem Dafoe.

By comparison， Monica Belluccis one-woman tour?ing show Maria Callas： Letters & Memoirs ， consisting of Bellucci reading the sopranos own writings， was the picture of simplicity. Much was made of the plays writ?er and director—again， Tom Volf—convincing the film actress essentially to channel Callass spirit onstage （while wearing the sopranos actual black Yves Saint Laurent dress， which Volf borrowed from a private col?lector）; some of us， though， do remember that Bellucci also played a very Callas-like character in Season 3 of the TV series Mozart in the Jungle .

But compared to Maria ， the new project an?nounced from Pablo Larraín， the Chilean filmmaker previously responsible for Jackie （about Jacqueline Kennedy） and Spencer （about Princess Diana）， the rest of the Callas pieces are mere prelude. Maria ， starring Angelina Jolie， promises to be a compre?hensive look at the singers professional and per?sonal life， scripted by Steve Knight shortly before the Hollywood writers strike.

***

Filming on Maria is scheduled to begin in early De?cember， marking the actual centenary of Callas birth; but we still have no idea yet when the film will be re?leased. In the meantime， though， Leonard Bernstein is ready and waiting in the wings.

Maestro ， recalling the life of Americas most iconic musical figure， had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September before continuing on the festi?val circuit. Now set for limited theatre release in late November and full streaming on Netflix in time for the holidays， the film was essentially a pandemic proj?ect for Bradley Cooper， who directed， co-wrote （with Oscar-winning screenwriter Josh Singer） and stars. Maestro ， though， is equally famous for the people who dropped out： Martin Scorsese， who originally conceived of the film， and Steven Spielberg， who later planned to direct as a follow-up to his 2021 remake of Bernsteins musical West Side Story . Spielberg even approached Cooper to star， but later handed it to him directly once he saw Coopers debut as both actor and director of A Star is Born . （Both Scorsese and Spielberg are still on board as producers.）

Interestingly enough， Bernstein—like Callas—has also been the subject of several biographical proj?ects， many of which surfaced during Bernsteins own centenary celebrations back in 2018. Maestro was not even the only feature film in the works： a compet?ing project by actor Jake Gyllenhaal seemed to be running neck-and-neck for a while. But for some rea?son—probably because they thought two films would cancel each other out—the Bernstein family placed their bets on Cooper. Audiences at Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood could often find an unobtrusive Cooper sitting in the background with a couple of assistants taking notes.

So far， the bet seems to have paid off. Though Maestro has only played at festivals and a few private screenings， the film has proved to be a hit—and not just with classical music lovers. Reviews have cited not only Bernsteins complicated torments—torn between composing and conducting， as well as between his marriage and homosexual inclinations—but also Carey Mulligans portrayal of Bernsteins wife， the actress Felicia Montealegre， who was well aware of her hus?bands other life even before their nuptials.

A wide release should also finally bury once and for all the controversy over prosthetics. Both Cooper and his project took a hit over his new high-profile profile， when early stills revealed a nose made to resemble Bernsteins. In the current climate of US identity poli?tics， cries of “Jewface” and complaints that Cooper was unqualified to play Bernstein because he didnt share the maestros ethnic identity nearly overshad?owed the film itself—though both the Anti-Defamation League and the Bernstein family quickly weighed in Coopers favor. （Elder daughter Jamie Bernsteins response was essentially， “Yeah， Dad had a big nose. Some people liked it.”）

By contrast， no criticism at all was leveled at Jolie for her early stills as Callas， despite the actress not having not a trace of Greek blood. Early comments were even favorable， commenting that Jolie put aside her natural tendency for glamor in favor of capturing Callass frumpier youth.

I， for one， will simply be happy to see a couple of films that have nothing to do with Marvel Comics. Maybe the film audience at large will finally real?ize that classical music， too， has its share of flawed super heroes. One thing we could easily borrow， though， is the concept of the Marvel Comics Uni?verse， where characters previously established in one film think nothing of turning up in another char?acters story.

In this case， the filmmaker who once made a film about Jackie Kennedy is now focusing on Maria Callas， whose main romantic rival was…Jackie Kennedy. Cal?lass biggest triumph at La Scala was her own hands-on production of Medea ， which was conducted by… Leonard Bernstein.

So yes， we finally have a couple of films to look for?ward to， but is an ongoing franchise really too much to ask？