文/勞麗·伯德 譯/孟潔冰

By Laurie Boeder

沒有哪類影片比西部片更能體現(xiàn)美國特色。多年以來，經(jīng)典西部片渲染了舊日西部的浪漫色彩，貶低丑化美洲原住民，美化定居者形象，此后又顛覆了所有傳統(tǒng)的故事模式。從無聲電影到夸張惡搞，西部片出現(xiàn)了各種各樣的類型。下面推薦的十大經(jīng)典西部片值得一看。

《正午》，1952年

《正午》由加里·庫珀和光彩照人的格蕾絲·凱利主演，講述匪幫來到小鎮(zhèn)尋仇、現(xiàn)任警長盡忠職守卻被懦弱居民拋棄的故事。本片情節(jié)簡單，節(jié)奏緊張，近乎實時敘事。警長不顧朋友和熱愛和平的貴格會教徒妻子的反對，決定留下來戰(zhàn)斗的場景，濃縮了傳統(tǒng)西部片的精華。雖然有各種各樣的解讀，比如宣揚自由主義的寓言、麥卡錫時代的隱喻，以及對美國卷入朝鮮戰(zhàn)爭和第二次世界大戰(zhàn)的評價，不過本片首先是部出色的經(jīng)典西部片。

《碧血煙花》，1939年

這部1939年的電影佳作講述了不愛帶槍的警長的故事。作為最先惡搞西部片的電影之一，《碧血煙花》具備了各種經(jīng)典元素：無法無天的小鎮(zhèn)、出千騙人的賭徒、品行正直的民眾和舉止粗野的牛仔，還有風情萬種的舞廳老板娘、“墮落天使”瑪琳·黛德麗。（她在片中唱了三首歌曲，包括《看看幕后英雄會怎樣》。）身材修長、討人喜歡的吉米·斯圖爾特飾演充滿魅力的戴斯屈，這位性格溫順、講話慢條斯理的警長給小鎮(zhèn)帶來了安寧。

《日落狂沙》，1936年

導演約翰·福特拍攝的《日落狂沙》以猶他州紀念碑谷的壯麗景色為背景，講述了定居者與印第安人激烈戰(zhàn)斗的悲壯故事。約翰·韋恩往往飾演親切友好的牛仔和英氣勃勃的軍人，在本片中塑造的角色卻更陰暗復雜。這位復仇勇士多年來單槍匹馬，對殺害哥嫂、擄走侄女的印第安人窮追不舍。

雖然本片放在今天未必成功，不過故事情節(jié)依然引人入勝、層次分明。約翰·韋恩在本片中的表演達到了巔峰。

《灼熱的馬鞍》，1974年

《灼熱的馬鞍》由梅爾·布魯克斯執(zhí)導，這部深受觀眾喜愛、令人捧腹的西部惡搞片還有句宣傳口號：“永遠不要給傳奇機會。”本片荒唐可笑，情節(jié)粗俗，毫無政治正確性可言，放在今天沒人敢拍這樣的電影。該片講述品格高尚的黑人警長在懶散的醉鬼槍手、舞廳妖姬（馬德琳·卡恩的滑稽表演借鑒了瑪琳·黛德麗的形象）和頭腦簡單的邊野莽漢（前橄欖球聯(lián)盟明星亞歷克斯·卡拉斯飾演）的幫助下，努力贏得了當?shù)孛癖姷膿碜o。僅憑人們圍著篝火吃豆子放屁的場景，這部電影就足以名留影史。（推薦觀看。）

《虎豹小霸王》，1969年

這部反傳統(tǒng)的西部片拍得引人入勝，由好萊塢最英俊迷人的兩位電影明星——保羅·紐曼和羅伯特·雷德?！椦菪郧闇睾偷呐f式匪徒，講述他們設法在日益文明的邊疆謀生的故事。影片根據(jù)威廉·戈德曼活潑俏皮的劇本，拍攝了布奇和圣丹斯一路向南闖蕩的傳奇經(jīng)歷。本片大致參照真實強盜的生活改編而成。斯特羅瑟·馬丁在片中也有出色的表演。

《豪勇七蛟龍》，1960年

《豪勇七蛟龍》翻拍自黑澤明導演的日本經(jīng)典影片《七武士》，講述墨西哥小村莊屢屢遭到強盜洗劫，村民的收成被搶走，婦女被強奸，于是雇用尤爾·伯連納率領的槍手來保護村子。本片敘事平淡，演員陣容卻極為豪華，埃里·瓦拉赫、詹姆斯·柯本、史蒂夫·麥奎因、羅伯特·沃恩和查爾斯·布朗森等明星都貢獻了精彩的表演?；羲固亍ぐ涂嘶魻柶濓椦莸摹捌婵啤被鴿鈯y，有點兒讓人難以接受，不過影片故事感人，這一點也可忽略了。

《黃金三鏢客》，1966年

這是最具代表性的意大利式西部片，只要聽到恩尼奧·莫里科內(nèi)創(chuàng)作的配樂，就會讓人想到《黃金三鏢客》?？肆痔亍ひ了固匚榈?、李·范克里夫和埃里·瓦拉赫分別扮演“好人、壞人和丑人”。絞索、寶藏、殘酷暴力、黑色幽默、雙重交易和巧妙的情節(jié)，讓本片成為必看的西部片。作為賽爾喬·萊昂內(nèi)執(zhí)導的“鏢客三部曲”（前兩部為《荒野大鏢客》和《黃昏雙鏢客》）的第三部，本片奠定了伊斯特伍德西部片明星的地位。

《小巨人》，1970年

《小巨人》是部情節(jié)離奇的反傳統(tǒng)諷刺片，塑造了美洲原住民的理想形象，顛覆了經(jīng)典西部史詩片的模式。達斯廷·霍夫曼的表演極為出色，他飾演的白人定居者年幼時被印第安人掠走，由他們撫養(yǎng)長大，突然被“解救”回到白人社會。他在兩種文化中度過了漫長的一生，見識了各種荒唐事和悲劇，成為卡斯特最后戰(zhàn)役中唯一幸存的白人。費·唐娜薇飾演狡猾強悍的牧師之妻。奇夫·丹·喬治飾演小巨人的印第安祖父，簡直把這個角色演活了。

《碧血金沙》，1948年

在這部以美國南部邊境為背景的經(jīng)典影片中，亨弗萊·鮑嘉的表演達到了巔峰水準，他飾演見利忘義的美國淘金者，因貪婪多疑而變得瘋狂。導演約翰·休斯頓的父親沃爾特·休斯頓飾演頭發(fā)花白的淘金客，與兩個美國流浪漢合伙在荒山野嶺挖礦致富，他憑借本片獲得了奧斯卡獎。這部影片有句經(jīng)典臺詞：“警徽？我們用不著給你看什么臭警徽！”

《女賊金絲貓》，1965年

很少有人以喜劇表演榮獲奧斯卡獎，李·馬文卻憑借本片獲此殊榮。在這部滑稽搞笑的西部片中，他一人分飾兩角：沒出息的醉鬼基德·謝利恩和壞蛋槍手“銀鼻子”。納特·金·科爾和斯塔比·凱這對奇怪的搭檔演唱了數(shù)首插曲，也為影片增添了歡樂的氣氛。本片以簡·方達飾演的漂亮女教師為主角，對傳統(tǒng)西部片（從不法之徒到鐵路大亨）的搞笑模仿也極為有趣。 □

No film genre is more distinctly American than the western. Over the years, classic western movies have romanticized the Old West, vili fied native Americans, idealized settlers and then switched all the stereotypes around again. Westerns come in all forms, from silent movies to full-on spoofs1spoof 戲仿。. Here are ten classic westerns that are worth a look.

High Noon, 1952

With Gary Cooper and a radiant Grace Kelly, High Noon is the tale of a dutiful sheriff deserted by the cowardly townspeople he has served as a gang of desperadoes descends on the town. Spare, tense, and told almost in real time, the film pares the conventional western to its bones as the sheriff stays to fight over the protests of his friends and his paci fist Quaker wife. Interpreted variously as a preachy liberal fable, an allegory of the McCarthy era and as a commentary on U.S. involvement in both Korea and WWII, it stands first and foremost as a fine, classic western movie.

Destry Rides Again, 1939

One of the great movies of 1939,Destry Rides Again is the story of a sheriff who doesn’t like to carry a gun.One of the first movies to spoof the western genre, it has the requisite lawless town, cheating gamblers, upright townsfolk, and rowdy cowpokes, along with the best dancehall hostess/fallen angel ever, Marlene Dietrich. (She gets three musical numbers, including “See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have.”) Lanky, likable Jimmy Stewart is irresistible as Destry, the peaceable,slow-talking sheriff who tames the town.

The Searchers, 1936

Shot by director John Ford against the spectacular vistas of Utah’s Monument Valley, The Searchers is a bleak tale of the violent struggle between settlers and Indians. John Wayne, who more often played genial cowboys and dashing soldiers, plays a darker, more complex role here as a vigilante who spends years in a single-minded, relentless search for the Indians who killed his brother’s family and kidnapped his niece. While not all of it holds up to-day, it remains a compelling, layered story. Wayne was never better.

Blazing Saddles, 1974

Mel Brooks’ beloved, laugh-out-loud western spoof Blazing Saddles was marketed with the tagline: “Never give a saga an even break.” Silly, crude and so politically incorrect no one would dare film it today, it features a noble black sheriff trying to win over the locals with the help of a laid-back drunken gunfighter, a dancehall floozy (Madeleine Kahn in a hilarious take on Marlene Dietrich) and former NFL great Alex Karas as a simple-minded frontier thug.It’s famous for the beans-around-thecamp fire flatulence scene alone. (Watch it anyway.)

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,1969

Something of a counterculture western, this beguiling film pairs two of Hollywood’s most watchable stars—Paul Newman and Robert Redford—as peaceable, old-school bandits trying to make it on the increasingly civilized frontier. With a warm, clever script by William Goldman, the movies follows Butch and Sundance as they seek adventure farther and farther south.Loosely based on the lives of real outlaws, the movie also features a standout2standout突出的。performance by Strother Martin.

The Magni ficent Seven, 1960

A western remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese classic The Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven has Yul Brynner leading a band of gunslingers hired to protect a tiny Mexican village from the ravages of bandits who come to steal the crops and rape the women.Sparely told, it features standout performances from the exceptional cast,including Eli Wallach, James Coburn,Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughan and Charles Bronson. Horst Buchholz in heavy makeup as “Chico” is a little hard to take, but forgivable in an otherwise moving story.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 1966

The most iconic of Italy’s “spaghetti”westerns, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly can be conjured in the mind with just a few notes of Ennio Morricone’s score. There’s Clint Eastwood (the good). Lee Van Cleef (the bad), and EliWallach (the ugly). A noose, a treasure,brutal violence, dark humor, doubledealing and a clever plot make this a must-see. The third in Sergio Leone’s“dollars” trilogy ( A Fistful of Dollars,For a Few Dollars More), it assured Eastwood’s place as a western movie star.

Little Big Man, 1970

A quirky, counterculture satire that idealizes native Americans, Little Big Man turns the classic western epic upside down. Dustin Hoffman is superb as a young white settler kidnapped by the Indians and raised as one of them,who is abruptly “rescued” to return to the white world. He spends his long life between the two cultures, swinging between folly and tragedy, the only white survivor of Custer’s last stand. Faye Dunaway is a slyly lusty preacher’s wife, and Chief Dan George3奇夫·丹·喬治憑借《小巨人》獲得了奧斯卡最佳男配角提名。all but walks away with4walk away with輕易取勝；輕易獲得。the movie as Little Big Man’s Indian grandfather.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre, 1948

Humphrey Bogart was never better as he plays a venal American fortune hunter driven to madness by greed and suspicion in this classic set on the South American frontier. John Huston directed his own father, Walter Huston,to an Oscar for his performance as a grizzled prospector who teams with two American drifters and strikes it rich in the mountain wilderness. It features the classic line: “Badges? We don’t have to show you no stinkin’ badges!”

Cat Ballou, 1965

A rare Oscar for a comic performance went to Lee Marvin for his dual role as hopeless drunk Kid Shelleen and villainous gunslinger Silvernose in this fun, silly western spoof, enlivened by songs from the odd duo of Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye. Starring Jane Fonda as the pretty schoolmarm, it’s an enjoyable send-up of the western genre,from outlaws to railroad barons. ■