張國榮的自保與自毀

今期明周以張國榮做封面，訪問八年前他死前最後一個見的朋友。買的原因不是喜歡哥哥，而是對死亡著迷。

這個做室內設計師的朋友Alfred,在四月一日那天早上收到張國榮電話，說要約他當天吃午飯，Alfred見他的語氣凝重，便馬上答應他。張要約Alfred吃飯的目的似乎是拿他的身份證號碼，他後來才知道張在遺囑上留了一件禮物給他，可見他死意已決。

我覺得有趣的是張的行為不像一個一般我們以為會自殺的人：他那天張穿著Jil Sander的西裝，打扮整齊；當時沙士肆虐，張戴著口罩，開門時小心翼翼不敢碰門柄，生怕染病，但幾小時後卻從文華酒店一躍而下。一方面珍惜生命，一方面要毀掉生命：這種contradiction很耐人尋味。也許要自殺的人不是想毀滅生命而是毀滅痛苦，但當痛苦太大，變成了生命的大部分，便不得不連根拔起。

Speechless--Synopsis

Speechless--Synopsis

A mysterious Westerner appears on a riverbank in a remote part of southern China one day, completely naked. He is taken to the local police station, where he refuses to speak. The police debate what to do. Strictly speaking, the man has not broken any laws. On the other hand they cannot simply let him go. Finally they decide to send the man to the hospital.

At the hospital, the Westerner still remains silent. He seems to be haunted by nightmares and scenes from his past. The doctor’s ministrations seem to make matters worse. Meanwhile, the Westerner forms a strange bond with the hospital’s orderly, Jiang. Even though they don’t share a language, they nevertheless share a common bond. When he learns that the Westerner is about to be transferred to a mental asylum, Jiang decides to rescue the Westerner.

Jiang takes the Westerner to his uncle’s village. As he plans what to do with the Westerner, Jiang accidentally discovers a secret about him that provides a key to the mysterious stranger’s past…

《無言》劇情簡介

一個年輕西方男子在中國南部一處偏僻的河岸被發現時，全身赤裸。他被帶回當地的警署問話，卻不言不語。在這種情況下，即使男子並沒有犯法，警方卻難以就這樣由他離開，於是把他送往醫院接受觀察。

男子在醫院裡依然沉默，彷彿被記憶和夢魘所困，而院方的照料似乎只導致他的情況更糟糕。在醫院裡，男看護小江對西方男子多加照顧，即使二人語言不通，卻互相感到一種莫名的親切感。

當小江知道西方男子即將被送往精神病院時，他毅然救他出來，並把他暫置在他舅舅的村裡。就在小江思巧下一步的行動之前，他意外發現西方男子的一個秘密，從而得知他不可告人的過去…

Marianne in Hong Kong

When she walked on stage my first thought was, "My, she looks old." But as soon as she opened her mouth to sing my tears began to flow. The raspy voice is still expressive and pitch perfect. I thought about the life this woman's lead, and now she's singing in this dingy concert hall maybe 70% full. How is it that a person who sang about pussies and drugs came to be in the Arts Festival? Apparently when you get to be old enough you're considered Art.

She sang all her "hits", or as she puts it, "the songs everybody likes"--Lucy Jordan, Sister Morphone, Why D'you do it, Strange Weather, Broken English, Working Class Hero and of course, As Tears Go By. I got a huge kick out of Times Square. The song perfectly captures the mood of the Seventies, the sense of disillusionment and decadance. It's a song that encapsulates her life, in a way. Wish she'd sung Fallen From Grace, though.

When she introduced her band, I thought the name of the music director and keyboard player, Kate Saint-John, rang a bell. Turns out she used to be in The Dream Academy. Now that's a band due for a reunion.

Speechless preview

The editing on Speechless is almost done. Hopefully I'll have picture lock by next week. In the meantime I want to share some screen grabs. The picture quality is amazing on the Canon 5D Mark 2.