我的璀璨生涯

Adapted from Miles Franklin’s eponymous novel published in 1901, which was written while the author was still a teenager, MY BRILLIANT CAREER, Aussie director Gillian Armstrong’s feature debut made when she was 29, not only puts a young Judy Davis on the map as a formidable thespian, but also is immanent in effusing the story’s heartening feminist viewpoint, and with hindsight, it is an inviting, robust production orchestrated with sublime delicacy and forward-looking brio.

Our heroine Sybylla (Davis), a young girl living with her family in the outback in the late 19th century, is the eldest of the brood, she is an unruly force of nature who aspires to a life steeped in literature, music and art, which sounds detrimentally airy-fairy for her strapped parents, they float the idea of a domestic job to her, as a way to shuck off another mouth to feed, and it enrages her. So when her well-heeled matrilineal grandmother’s invitation arrives, it brings immense elation to her, maybe, finally she can be delivered from the sticks and all the menial labor.

Ensconced in a modestly plush rural estate, Sybylla has to stomach the affront that her plain looks are being openly addressed, often in front of her presence, a below-par trait doesn’t fall in with the family’s old money grandeur, and she is the ugly duckling, but swimming against the tide, she has no desperation/illusion to become a swan, she won’t bat an eyelid to an oleaginous suitor for whom she has no affection, and unthinkingly returns bold backchat to her stern grandma Mrs. Bossier (Britton) when marriage is propounded because she is nubile, she doesn’t want to get married, as later she confides to Harry Beecham (Neill), a childhood friend of gilded youth to whom she grows closer and vice versa, she must discover herself first, before even considering of becoming a part of someone else’s life. This isn’t exactly an earth-shattering idea of a woman's liberation, but here, owing to Ms. Davis’ electrifying performance, Sybylla’s rite-of-passage shapes into a page-turner, implacable in its torrid mobility (a pillow fight with Harry in the lush garden is a shorthand of their youthful exuberance) and undertows (her pertness can be read as a coping mechanism countervailing her entrenched low self-esteem because of her unassuming appearance).

No one can negate there is love between Sybylla and Harry, but as she contests, why love must lead to marriage? There are alternatives, and she firmly stands her ground, especially after the stint as a governess to teach a bunch of illiterate children of a farmer family, she finds her vocation in words and literature, wherein she starts her brilliant career as a writer.

One of the most incredible merits of this Antipodean pastoral is that it doesn’t come off as cloying or priggish out of its constant-trodden storyline of a young woman’s unorthodox choice with regards to love, life and self-discovery. Around a pyrotechnic Judy Davis, whose glints of emotion are so sharp-edged and entrancing, the peripheral players are also cracking: a young Sam Neill is the projected prince charming but is also seethed with a farrago of contradictions and mix-feelings in mooning over a jolie-laide; Wendy Hughes is pretty radiant as the benign aunt Helen, whose caring nature doesn’t prevent her from giving one of the wisest nuptial advice: the best marriage is a friendship marriage. Aileen Britton and Patricia Kennedy (as Harry’s aunt Gussie), both hold sway withpoise and majesty as two august dowagers, whereas the latter graces her comportment with conspiratorial discernment, the former carries more weight in her role as the high priest of tradition.

On the whole, MY BRILLIANT CAREER belongs to the high rung of period filmmaking and more extraordinarily, it is done with economy and Ms.Armstrong’s scrupulous attention to all the niceties, many kudos to this criminally undervalued female filmmaker.

Referential points: Gillian Armstrong’s LITTLE WOMEN (1994, 6.2/10), OSCAR AND LUCINDA (1997, 6.0/10)

观影场次：2018悉尼电影节

时隔39年，该影片被电子化修复后，在悉尼电影节重新播映

导演在现场Q&A

昨晚看完的特别场次，难得的是导演本人也到了现场。外表上看不出来已经是六十多岁的老太太了，但岁月还是不饶人，导演变得絮絮叨叨了呢。

她说当时首映这部影片的电影院现在也已经不存在了，她自己也已经39年没有在大荧幕上再看过这部片子了。这是她本人执导的第一部片子，还好选了个小说，名字叫做“my brilliant career" : P. 那时候她才27岁。那也是澳洲历史上第一次有女性担任一部片子的导演。现在看来有很多不足，但是的确，也许这部片子的社会意义大于她片子本身的意义吧。

同年还有另一位男性导演——Phil也要出一部关键的片子，她说，如果Phil的片子出来反响不好，那么人们只会说，Phil失败了。但如果我当时这部片子出来反响很差的话，人们会说，女人们根本不能当导演。

澳洲女权运动历史

插播一段澳洲女权的历史。

1894年，尚属殖民地的南澳，紧随新西兰，是历史上第二个给所有妇女选举权的地区（但原住民群体仍被排除在外）。1895年，南澳地区的妇女更进一步获得了参选议员的资格。1903年，澳洲成了第一个给全国女性选举权的独立国家。这也是本片故事发生的时期。随后，20世纪初爆发的一次世界大战，则实际上给女权发展制造了一个历史契机。

一战时期的海报，鼓励妇女在全民公投中支持征兵

一战爆发时，妇女们也急切地想要以各种方式支援国家。越来越多的妇女开始外出工作。但只有极少数妇女可以开始从事那些传统上属于男性工作的行业。大部分女性还是供职于服装、饮食、印刷等行业。当时，澳洲女性也非常踊跃地投入志愿者服务活动，比如红十字，来支持前线作战的男士们。

二战时期支援海外战场的女护士。

二战时期，因为大量的男性被征兵参战，澳洲女性最终开始大量涌入各行各业，以填补劳动力空缺。Australian Women's Land Army 在当时成立，旨在征集女性去参加农场工作。Australian Women's Army Service 则征召了上千名女性进入军队工作。更有许多澳洲护士去到全球各地战场救助伤员。有许多护士在战争中被俘虏，更有71位死于战争之中。

1961年，避孕药在澳洲被合法化，此举虽然在当时受到许多道德传统派的反对。但却在实际上给了女性更大的职业自由。女性不再需要被迫选择到底是要家庭还是工作。

缺点：剧本、人物发展

不得不说本片许多的人物都显得很扁平化，或者性格的转变很突然没有逻辑，还有好多角色对于情节毫无推动作用。

更糟糕的是，在现代的语境下看来，男主人公的很多行为完全可以被ME TOO运动所拉黑，归为骚扰。比如见面的第一幕。但也许导演是非常忠诚的遵循了原著小说。那么就的确可以说，这么100年来，女性们的抗争到底还是产生了进步的。

演员的表演，可以说在现在的语境下去看有些不自然。就是眉宇间非常有戏，但你总觉得是在用力演。

优点：服化道

服化道永远是我钟情于这一类西方历史剧的原因，再枯燥的片子，光是看看衣服和场景也能满足。再加上钢琴配乐，整个的观影体验还是很好的。

导演在现场还揭秘说，其实当时获得奥斯卡提名的服装师并不是真正应该被creidt to的那个人。当时好像是有另一个人帮忙，但是后期有些问题，没有把那个真正的负责人加上去。而且拍的时候只是想着说在澳洲境内小规模放一下就好了，大家都没想计较太多——但最后居然被奥斯卡提名了！导演想和奥斯卡主办方更改提名人，但奥斯卡官方表示只能跟着电影发行的版本走。不过好在那个真正应该得奖的设计师事后还是凭借很多片子拿了不少奖项。

当时代不允许的时候，我们只有拒绝世俗的幸福美满，才能保持清醒

从小我最喜欢的作家就是简奥斯汀。初中的时候看过电影《成为简奥斯汀》，唏嘘了好久觉得为什么简奥斯汀笔下的女主最后都可以圆满幸福，而作家自己却是这样遗憾的结局。终身未嫁，我以为那是命运刻意给伟大人物的修饰。

而今，我开始意识到，也许不是不得已而错过，其实更多的是一种清醒的自我选择式的放弃。因为非常明白，如果在那一秒我有了犹豫，选择了过上世俗的生活。这就是人向既定规范屈服的开始，最后只会一步步慢慢陷入男性社会规定好的道路。

这也就是本片女主让一些人觉得拧巴的地方吧。为什么不可以即嫁给爱自己的人又继续写作呢？事实是——在一个尚需要靠反抗社会规定而争取女性权益的时期，必须有一群人保持清醒和自觉。可以看到本片中各个女性形象，不管外表的美丑和社会地位的高低，一旦她们选择婚姻，最后的结果都是变成了社会的弱者。

这大概也是女主，还有简奥斯汀这样独身的女性早就想明白了的地方。因为我们都还没有伟大的可以反抗环境因素，所以如果真的想要有所不同，我们能做的，只可以是固执的选择不一样的环境。

庆幸自己跳过了那个为什么不能两个都要的陷阱。在温暖的火炉边坐久了，只会昏昏欲睡。即使在寒冬的雪夜，还是要继续赶路的。