翻譯練習：Benedict Cumberbatch//Of Monsters and Men

原文網址

雜誌 MORE INTELLIGENT LIFE，舞台劇科學怪人，訪問兩位演員Benedict Cumberbatch和Jonny Lee Miller。

Of Monsters and Men

↑標題：在人類與怪物之間。

為BC中文論壇譯的交稿題。

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Danny Boyle's sold-out production of "Frankenstein" is a thrilling theatrical take on Shelley's classic. James Taylor talks to the two actors breathing life into this dark parable ...

Danny Boyle大賣座的驚悚舞台劇科學怪人(Frankenstein)，根據Shelley的經典改編。James Taylor訪問主演的兩位演員飾演這個黑暗角色的時光……


Within five years of its publication, Mary Shelley’s novel, "Frankenstein", was adapted for mass audiences. There were stage melodramas, burlesques and even parodies. The name “Frankenstein” (usually mistakenly referring to the monster rather than the doctor who created him) was well known in the English-speaking world for more than a hundred years before Universal’s famous film version in 1931. For the past three generations, the image of a green-hued Boris Karloff has been the popular face of Frankenstein, but this year—80 years after James Whale’s film appeared—another filmmaker has re-imagined Shelley’s parable for both the stage and the cinema.

Mary Shelley的小說「科學怪人(富蘭肯斯坦Frankenstein)」，出版五年來不斷被以各種方式改編重現：舞台短劇、滑稽戲，甚至是戲仿諷刺劇。被選為書名的名字「富蘭肯斯坦(Frankenstein)」(通常被誤以為就是科學怪人本人，而不是那個創造出它的科學家)，早在1931年，國際知名的電影版本出來前，就在英語世界裡流傳了百年之久。三個世代以來，Boris Karloff的綠色臉孔成為科學怪人最為人熟知的形象，不過今年－－在James Whale的電影建立起的那個形象的80年後－－另一名導演，在舞台劇上和電影上，都重塑了Shelley的小說形象。


Danny Boyle has made his name in the film world with dazzling camera work and whiz-bang editing, in features such as "Trainspotting", "Slumdog Millionaire" and the recent "127 Hours". But with "Frankenstein"—which is nearing the end of its sold-out run at the National Theatre in London—Boyle’s coup de theatre is much more simple. He has the two actors who portray Dr Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation alternate roles every other night.

Danny Boyle在電影界以出色的電影作品和令人驚豔的剪輯工作著名，代表作如"Trainspotting", "Slumdog Millionaire"，和最近的 "127 Hours"。而這部「科學怪人」－－在倫敦國家劇院大賣座，幾乎一票難求－－Boyle採用的戲劇簡單直接多了。他讓兩名演員分別飾演Victor Frankenstein博士，和每隔一天晚上，博士會切換的科學怪人人格，他自己創造出可怕詛咒。


The result is a production that for all its theatrical bravura (London’s usually jaundiced critics have called it “spectacular,” “stunning,” “mesmerising”) puts the focus on the psychological and moral dramas that first shocked audiences almost 200 years ago.

這樣的安排造成的效果，讓它展現的劇場魅力，呈現的心理刻畫和道德探討，(倫敦那些通常尖酸刻薄的評論稱其為："壯觀的"、"令人嘆為觀止的"、"引人入勝的")再現兩百年前帶給觀眾的轟動。


Boyle’s "Frankenstein" (adapted by Nick Dear) is also the NT’s grandest effort in its own mad experiment in bringing live theatre to cinemas around the world via HD Broadcasts. More Intelligent Life spoke separately with both actors, Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch, about what makes this story so timeless, and the challenge of preparing for not one but two big roles for an audience of millions.

Boyle的「科學怪人」(由Nick Dear改編)同時也被NT以HD高畫質轉播給世界，他們花了很大的心力來實行這個瘋狂的計畫：將舞台劇搬上大銀幕。我們(More Intelligent Life)分別訪問兩位演員：Jonny Lee Miller和Benedict Cumberbatch，他們覺得是什麼讓這個故事永垂不朽，和如何準備角色，把這個形象：不單只是一個，而是兩個經典的角色形象，對全世界的觀眾展現。



Why a new Frankenstein?

怎麼會產生這個全新的科學怪人形象？


Jonny Lee Miller: It came from Danny and Nick [Dear]. As far as they’re concerned no one has ever really tried to tell the story from the creature’s point of view. Obviously Boris Karloff and his wonderful portrayal is what sticks in peoples minds.  However that film takes the voice away from the creature, which is contrary to the book, which has whole passages narrated by the creature.


The play opens with the creature (Dear’s text specifies that he is a “creature” not a “monster”) in an extended, almost wordless, sequence.  Is the creature the star of this Frankenstein?

Jonny Lee Miller: Danny和Nick(Dear)的點子。他們認為目前為止沒有人嘗試過從科學怪人，這個生物的角度來描寫這個故事。的確，Boris Karloff和他完美的詮釋深入人心，但那部電影並未把重點放在科學怪人上，和原著小說正好相反，小說中科學怪人的獨白無所不在。


這部戲以"這名生物"為開場(Dear的劇本特別以"這名生物"取代"怪物"的描述)，這個是個進階的、幾乎可說是世界獨一無二的場景排序。這部科學怪人的主角，就是"這名生物"嗎？



Benedict Cumberbatch: The creature is an extraordinary mountain and feast and gift for an actor. The discovery of what the creature is, his extraordinary physical education, the discovery of his body, but then also his mind, the alacrity with which he eats language with the force and hunger that he has for food, with the same strength, he’s extraordinary—but you can’t do it every night.


And Victor is a wonderful, equally visceral character, but in a very different way.  He’s this fantastic, sociopathic child who has become obsessed and compartmentalises his life at the cost of all love and tenderness and communication with others and the other sex. Victor on the page is a more recognisable type for me. The revelations came about the versatility you can get in playing him, the levels of vulnerability, arrogance and complete naiveté and extraordinary knowledge and power. All of those thing eeked out slowly, but no less so.


It was vital to me to do both. It’s a shortish evening, only an hour and three-quarters, so it was mentally and physically possible to take on the workload.

Benedict Cumberbatch：這個角色，"這名生物"，對一個演員來說是艱鉅得像高山一樣的挑戰，同時也是像盛宴一般棒的禮物。探討這名生物的本質，學著習慣他生理上巨大的轉變，探索他的新身體，也探索他的心靈；他就像需求食物一樣對語言文字狼吞虎嚥，以和生理上同樣的強度，那是多麼不可思議的能力－－不過這魔法並不會每晚發生。


而Victor博士也是個很棒的角色，也是個內斂的角色，但內斂的方式很不一樣。他是個令人驚嘆又擁有反社會人格的孩子，中了魔，封閉自我，放棄愛人、關懷人、與外界溝通的機會和能力。文字描述的Vitcor對我來說是較容易辨識出形象的類型。而當你進到戲中扮演他的時候，會進一步發現他的多變性，這角色的層次：脆弱、自大、不諳世事、非凡的知識與力量。你會緩慢的、一點一滴發現這些特質，他絕不是個單純的角色。


同時扮演這兩者對我而言很重要。表演時間不長，只有一小時又四十五分鐘，在精神上或體力上，都是我能應付得來的工作量。


*他們是在說綠巨人嗎？不是綠色的綠巨人…
  還是綠巨人多多少少也參照這個版本改出來的……


When did the concept of two actors come about?

什麼時候知道劇中打算使用由兩個演員來飾演這個概念？


BC: Danny mentioned it as a possibility in our first meeting. I said I would only be interested if that was going to happen. I think it makes such perfect symmetry to the piece, and it balances out the workload.

BC：我們第一次討論的時候，Danny就盡可能說明了。我告訴他如果他打算實行這個概念，我才會對演出感興趣。我認為這是很好的分配工作方式，也分擔了工作量。


JLM:  Victor and the creature only have two big scenes together in the play. It doesn’t feel like that, but that’s the reality of it. There are these two great scenes that you have together that are always fantastic to play, which ever way round you play them, so it's not a competition for us, in either of the parts. It’s a fascinating question of support and encouragements. Being there, it’s nice to have it both ways around, and not get too exhausted or bogged down by one or the other parts. You get to see the play inside-out, really.

JLM：Victor博士和生物同台演出的只有兩幕大場景。感覺上沒那麼少，但事實的確只有兩幕。這兩幕，不管表演幾次，對戲效果總是非常精采，我們各自的演出並不是和對方的競爭。它是表達支持和鼓勵的美好質疑。這樣雙管齊下的表演方式很不錯，也不會因為趕戲而太過緊張或陷入困境。你得從內在的角度來看待這部舞台劇。

BC: Alternating the roles has been done a few times, but it’s been a while, "True West" did it [on Broadway in 2000, with John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman], Gielgud and Olivier did it as Mercutio and Romeo [at the New Theatre in 1935], but it is an unusual thing to do. Any chance to do it for actors, it’s just a gift. It just keeps everything fresh, it keeps people on their toes.

BC：這樣交換角色的演出有過前例，不過有點年代了。"True West"這樣做過(2000年在百老匯，由John C. Reilly和Philip Seymour Hoffman搭檔演出)，Gielgud和Olivier在Mercuito and Romeo(1935年在Nwe Theatre演出)也這樣做過。不過它仍是滿特別的演出方式。任何演員得到這樣的機會，都像得到禮物一樣。它讓一切保持新鮮感，也抓住觀眾的注意力。

*keep on toes


It’s certainly interesting, but are there difficulties as well?

這樣有意思的演出方式，執行上也很困難？


BC: It's tough, our bodies are all in pain. It’s a fascinating, sort of crippling ourselves doing this. I’ve spent time in X-ray today; I’ve got my hips coming out of joint, my wrist are developing into ankles, 'cause of work I do at the beginning. We’ve had all sorts of injuries, back problems and neck problems. It’s a hard show to do, but it’s also been wonderful. Thank God I like Johnny Lee Miller.

BC：很困難。我們全身上下都在痛。這是很精彩的表演，但我們為了做好它也累癱了。我今天去照了X光，髖關節脫臼，折到手腕，因為一開始的表演工作造成的傷害。我們大大小小受了不少傷，拉傷背啊，頸子啊。很困難的表演，但也非常精彩。感謝上帝，我喜歡Johnny Lee Miller。


JLM: To be able to stand back during rehearsals, when it was daily and all the time we were switching it around, to be able to stand back and watch another actor do the work you’ve just been working on—once you get over the initial weirdness of that—it’s fascinating, because you get to see things that you think are working, and things that aren’t working.


We were very generous, open-minded and open-hearted, me and Benedict, in not being precious.  We’d ask, “I like this that you’re doing, can I take that?” And then you pick and choose. You try not to use the other person’s ideas too much, but it inevitably happens, because you realise that they’re right, you know? So that’s been an amazing thing, to sit and watch—and I’m not sure that all actors—could do that. It took us a long long time, 'cause you’re working on two parts, it takes a lot longer to feel comfortable with them, but we had that time.


JLM：彩排期間，能夠旁觀－－我們每天都在練習交換角色，而抓到空檔能旁觀另一個人演出你剛剛詮釋的那幕，那感覺一開始很詭異，但詭異感過去之後：它棒到不行！你能看到你達成了什麼樣的效果，和沒有表現出來的效果。


Benedict和我的合作中，我們不對對方藏私，我們很大方，開放，樂於接受對方的意見。我們會這樣問：「我喜歡你的詮釋方式，我可以用相同的方式詮釋嗎？」然後選出最好的表演方式。你會盡量不要用到太多對方的表演方式，不過這無法避免，尤其當你意識到他的方式是正確的時候，你知道嗎？所以當個旁觀者是很棒的經驗－－而我不確定是不是所有的演員－－都能做到這一點。我們花了很多時間培養默契，我們得合演一個角色，這得花費額外的心力來適應，不過我們做到了。



How important was it to Danny Boyle and Nick Dear to be faithful to the original source?

Danny Boyle和Nick Dear重視忠於原著的程度？


JLM: The book was important, but not exactly. Our version does away with a large chunk of the beginning of the book and just wants to tell the story from the creature’s point of view. [We all] felt that you could say much more by telling his story.

JLM：小說當然佔了重要的地位，但並非完全照本宣科。我們的版本花了很大的篇幅在刻畫小說開端上，為了以「那個生物」的角度來講述這個故事。我們都認為從這個角度來描述，能傳達出更多東西。


BC: Everyone is sick of the idea that Frankenstein is the monster. Everyone gets that cliché wrong. Frankenstein is the scientist—and it should be equally about him. Yes, the monster has been rather graceful (in the form of Karloff, Christopher Lee and others), but it mutes a presence, this physical destructive force that’s confused in its innocence and kills without knowing, and doesn’t really understand its own strength. This stumbling giant with bolts in his neck just had to be sourced to the book; there’s this incredible mirror held up to nature, the nature of a man, and what “nurture” is. That duality, that parity between the creator and the created, is so strong in the book, and the voice the creature has in the book is so strong. It's madness that it hasn’t been dramatised like this before.


BC：Frankenstein是個怪物，這個梗已經老到大家都不想看了。但大家都誤解了這個老梗，Frankenstein是那個科學家－－以公平的角度來說這故事應該是科學家的故事。當然，怪物這主意更吸引人(在Karloff, Christopher Lee,等其他人的版本裡)，但它消去了另一個人的聲音，生理上得到的強大破壞力，因而困惑的純真心靈，殺了人但自己不自知，也不了解自己擁有的真正力量。這個脖子上栓著螺絲，困惑的巨大生物形象，必需忠於原著的精神；它就像一面呈現天性的不可思議的鏡子，人類的天性，以及探討「培育」是什麼。在「創造者」和「被創造者」之間的對比和獨立，小說裡很強烈的表達了這點，小說中，被創造的「那個生物」的聲音無所不在，也很強烈的被表達出來。很難相信之前竟然沒有任何戲劇表現出這點。



Was there been a moment when you realised, “ah, this double cast experiment works?” A sort of “It’s Alive!” moment?

有過突然想「喔，這樣的雙主角實驗演出成功了嗎？」像是「它活生生的展現在我面前了！」的時候嗎？


JLM: No. We’re not made to be watching it. We are the performers of the piece, it's ours to inhabit.  What I do know is that I feel I bleed some of the creature into Victor, quite a lot, Victor being the parent really in my view, but it’s difficult to say from an audience perspective. We can only gauge how we’re doing from their reaction, and that’s seems to have been quite positive.

JLM：沒有。沒人逼我們去看成品。我們在整部戲當中負責演員這部分，我們就歸屬於那部分。我知道的只有我把部分的「那個生物」的精神也代入Victor裡，代入非常多，在我看來Victor就是那個生物的父親，但觀眾們看到什麼，很難說。我們只能從他們的反應推測我們表現得怎麼樣，目前看起來都還是滿正面的評價。



Besides the pedigree of the material, and of course, the presence of Danny Boyle, why do think the production has been such a hit?

除去這部作品的經典性，以及，當然的，Danny Boyle這樣的大手執導，這以外，你認為為何這部戲能獲得如此大的成功？

B.C.: It strikes an enormous chord for people. The story speaks to so much, it has everything to do with acceptance sexually or racially, everything to do with parenting, being a child. [Then there is] the visceral thrill of the spectacle of the show that it really takes people by surprise, the emotional force of it. There is a deep humanity to the story that is very moving…reading all about Shelley, Byron and Mary—that very destructive triumvirate—and how at the core there’s this extraordinary 18-year old writing about a male world going wrong. So it’s all there.

BC：它帶來前所未有的轟動。這故事呈現出很多東西，所有的接受議題：性別上的、種族上的，所有的養育問題，身為父母，身為孩子。再來是它的舞台效果帶給觀眾震撼的內心衝擊，強烈的情緒。故事呈現出深刻的人性探討並且非常動人……在你閱讀Shelly, Byron和Mary－－他們三人共同激盪出的鉅作－－故事的核心，這個不平凡的18歲生物，紀錄下他所見到的失控的男人的世界。這些東西，全都表現出來了。



Given how theatrical this production is, is it hubris on the order of Frankenstein's for the National Theatre to try and put live theatre in cinemas?

既然這是部以舞台劇為主要設計構想的作品，國家劇院試著把它搬到大銀幕上轉播這樣的動作會不會顯得太過自以為是？


JLM: It’s a strange one. I’m highly suspicious of it. You know this production is designed to grab to by the hair in the theatre, and there’s a whole other layer of people now technically involved in getting that for the cinema audience. It’s a tricky one, because we’re playing to the Olivier theatre every night and we’re trying to make our performances hit the back of this enormous space. And it's staged in a way so that you can see everything that’s going on all the time. When you step inside that with cameras and stuff, I hope it translates as much as it ever could.

JLM：這是個奇怪的舉動。我抱持高度的質疑態度。你知道，這部戲本來是依劇院來設計種種效果，好吸引劇院裡的觀眾的，而現在，技術上來說多了完全不同層次的觀眾，他們要在大銀幕上觀賞這部戲。這是個詭異的問題，我們每晚在Olivier劇院演出，另一方面，又同時試著讓我們的表演傳到千里之外。但它畢竟是舞台劇，是個舞台，所以你同時能看到所有作業流程。當你走上舞台，看著那些鏡頭和轉播器材，我希望它能盡所有可能的忠實轉播現場。


BC: It will probably change the focus, slightly, but it will be near as damn the same experience as you get seeing in the cinema I‘ve never seen one, so I don’t really know what I’m talking about; I’m just getting ready to do one… It’s all been a bit of a blur, probably will be nerve wracking on a very unusual scale. [But] you have to treat it like any other show. It’s live theatre. Anything can happen.


BC：我想小部分的，它轉移了注意力。但它很接近，該死的，觀賞一部我從沒見過的電影的經驗，所以我不真的明白我到底說了什麼，我只是準備好，上台演出……那些東西似乎都混在一起，大概就像在一個很不尋常的情況下雞蛋裡挑骨頭，神經緊張。不過你得把它當成就是另一場演出，是個現場版的劇院表演。什麼都有可能發生。


*恩，你不懂你在說什麼，我也不是很懂你在說什麼囧


Have you watched any of the production on tape yet?

你們看過當時轉播的錄影了嗎？

JLM: No, they don’t let us watch them. But we did have monitors in the wings, so we’ve seen a little bit here and there. I’ll probably wait until everything’s said and done before watching anything, because I’m highly susceptible to paranoia.

JLM：沒有，他們不讓我們看。不過我們在左右兩側都能看到螢幕，所以我們多多少少看了一點。我可能等到一切塵埃落定後才會去看，因為我對這種事敏感到偏執的地步。


After playing both roles, who’s more of a monster: the scientist or his creation?

扮演過兩個角色之後，覺得哪個比較接近怪物：科學家，還是他創造的生物？


B.C.: I think it shifts. The obvious thing to say is that the creator is the monster, or that “Victor is a bit of a dick”. But I think that denigrates it, makes it too two-dimensional. I think Johnny and I started playing Victor as a villain, it takes away from the innocent child and the tragedy of his youth. With the creature, he hates what he has to do, and he does know what he’s done. He knows there’s no going back. How much is it nature, how much is it nurture?


With this show, some will go out saying, “Ooh, Victor he’s so nasty”. But audiences come away being moved by both plights, by the fact that both men can only meet their ends by their mutual destruction. That’s what makes a complete evening out of it.


BC：我想它是輪流的。當然你一眼看到的會是創造者是個怪物，或「Victor有點像個混蛋」；但我認為那個想法會破壞它，讓它只呈現單純的黑白兩面對立。我想我和Johnny一開始將Victor當做一個惡棍來詮釋，和他的童心未泯以及少年時的悲劇遠遠不相干。而他創造的生物出現後，他痛恨他必需完成的事，他也明白他做了什麼。他知道自己沒有退路。這個生物呈現出的，有多少是它的天性，又有多少是自己培育出來的？


有些人，在看了演出之後會說：「喔，Victor是個噁心又下流的人。」但觀眾最後還是會因他們的困境而感動，看著他們只能透過相互毀滅來達成彼此的願望。這增添了全劇的複雜性。



"Frankenstein" is being performed at the National Theatre through May 2nd. Advance tickets are sold out, but day tickets are available for every performance. The fimed version is playing in select theatres.

"Frankenstein"將於5/2起在國家戲劇院演出，目前預售票已完售，但每場演出仍有現場票可當天購買。電影版本則會在特定的電影院播出。


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官網連結；點下去有預告片，之前看到的時候覺得還滿震撼的。


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嚴禁不知會我轉走。


推廣我很歡迎，但是不要不告訴我，不附出處，無斷轉載。
所有我要求的，也不過就是告訴我一聲而已。請維持最基本的尊重。