《Changeling》　换子疑云　尘埃落定不代表真相大白

No.016　《Changeling》　换子疑云　尘埃落定不代表真相大白

英文导读

Changeling is a 2008 American drama film directed by Clint Eastwood and written by J. Michael Straczynski.Changeling explores female disempowerment, political corruption, child endangerment, and the repercussions of violence. Ron Howard intended to direct, but scheduling conflicts led to his replacement by Eastwood. Howard and his Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer produced Changeling alongside Malpaso Productions' Robert Lorenz and Eastwood. Universal Pictures financed and distributed the film.

Inspired by actual events that occurred in 1920s-era Los Angeles, Clint Eastwood's The Changeling tells the story of a woman driven to confront a corrupted LAPD after her abducted son is retrieved and she begins to suspect that the boy returned to her is not the same boy she gave birth to. The year was 1928, and the setting a working-class suburb of Los Angeles. As Christine (Angelina Jolie) said goodbye to her son, Walter, and departed for work, she never anticipated that this was the day her life would be forever changed. Upon returning home, Christine was distressed to discover that Walter was nowhere to be found. Over the course of the following months, the desperate mother would launch a search that would ultimately prove fruitless. Yet just when it seemed that all hope was lost, a nine-year-old boy claiming to be Christine's son seemed to appear out of thin air. Overcome with emotions and uncertain how to face the authorities or the press, Christine invites the child to stay in her home despite knowing without a doubt that he is not her son. As much as Christine would like to accept the fact that her son has been returned to her, she cannot accept the injustice being pushed upon her and continues to challenge the Prohibition-era Los Angeles police force at every turn. As a result, Christine is slandered by the powers that be, and painted as an unfit mother. In this town, a woman who challenges the system is putting her life on the line, and as the situation grows desperate, the only person willing to aid her in her search is benevolent local activist Reverend Briegleb (John Malkovich).

After hearing about the case from a contact at Los Angeles City Hall, Straczynski spent a year researching the historical record. He said he drew 95% of the script from around 6,000 pages of documentation. The shooting script was Straczynski's first draft and his first produced film screenplay. Several actors campaigned for the lead; Eastwood cast Jolie partly because he felt her face fit the period setting. The film also stars Jeffrey Donovan, Jason Butler Harner, John Malkovich, Michael Kelly, and Amy Ryan. Most of the characters were based on real life people, while some were composites. Principal photography began on October 15, 2007, and concluded in December 2007; filming took place in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California. Eastwood's low-key direction led actors and crew to note the calmness of the set and the short working days. In post-production, scenes were supplemented with computer-generated skylines, backgrounds, vehicles and people.

Changeling premiered at the 61st Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2008, to critical acclaim. Further festival appearances preceded a limited release in the United States on October 24, 2008. The film opened in general release in North America on October 31, 2008, in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2008, and in Australia on February 5, 2009.

The film earned $113 million in box office revenue worldwide, of which $35.7 million was earned in the United States and Canada.

Changeling was nominated for three Academy Awards in 2009, including Best Actress in a Leading Role (Angelina Jolie), Best Art Direction (James Murakami, Gary Fettis) and Best Cinematography (Tom Stern).

获奖情况

2009年第81届奥斯卡：最佳女主角提名、最佳摄影提名、最佳艺术指导提名。

影片信息

导演：克林特·伊斯特伍德

编剧：J·迈克尔·斯特拉辛斯基

主演：安吉丽娜·朱莉、加特林·格里菲斯、米歇尔·冈、约翰·马尔科维奇

类型：剧情、悬疑、惊悚

制片国家（地区）：美国

上映日期：2008-10-31（美国）

片长：141分钟

又名：《陌生的孩子》《换命谎言》《调包婴儿》《换婴记》《换亲子迷雾》

剧情简介

在电话局接线台工作的克莉斯汀·柯林斯（安吉丽娜·朱莉　饰），独自抚养着儿子沃特（加特林·格里菲斯　饰），这样的生活简单而幸福。

然而，他们的生活很快被打乱。某天当克莉斯汀下班后，发现儿子不见了。她寻求警察的帮助，却被以“在24小时内不接受报案”的借口拒绝。24小时之后，警方接手案件，却迟迟没有进展，一直杳无音信，这一现象引起了广大民众的质疑。

在公众舆论的压力下，腐败的洛杉矶警方在5个月后找回沃特，但克莉斯汀发现这并不是自己的儿子。她一再跟警方解释，要求警方澄清事实，帮其寻找真正的沃特，却一次次受到阻挠和指责。最后，甚至以妨碍警方公务的罪名被送入精神病院。

在这里，克莉斯汀才发现精神病院里关着很多和她一样、与警方作对的女人们。一向以揭露警方暴行为己任的牧师古斯塔夫·布里格拉伯（约翰·马尔科维奇　饰），为这个可怜女人的不幸遭遇奔走呼告。

另一方面，探员莱斯特在侦办一件偷渡案时，无意中发现了一起重大的连环儿童杀人案。少年沃特的失踪案似乎渐露眉目……

克莉斯汀的儿子沃特会回到她的身边吗？还是另有隐情？

制作花絮

本片是2008年戛纳电影节的参赛片。

本片是克林特·伊斯特伍德自1997年以来第一次拍摄华纳兄弟公司以外的电影。

《换子疑云》本来并不在戛纳电影节的竞赛名单之内，直到伊斯特伍德本人确认可以出席参加电影节，影片才被确定会参赛，而此时离电影节开幕还有一周的时间，影片仍在剪辑室里进行后期制作。

重点学习

A nine-year-old boy claiming to be Christine's son seemed to appear out of thin air

文中的out of thin air常常用于口语表达中，它是“荒唐无稽；无中生有，凭空地；不知道从什么地方”的意思，比如：The magician waved his wand and a rabbit appeared out of thin air.（魔术师把他的小棒一挥，一只兔子突然出现了。）

Continues to challenge the Prohibition-era Los Angeles police force at every turn

At every turn是英语中的一个固定短语，做副词使用，是“事事，处处；每次，经常，老是”的意思，比如：In fact most people with disabilities face obstacles at every turn in their lives.（事实上，患有残疾的大多数人都会在其生活的每一个转折点遇到障碍。）

单词时间

endangerment[inˈdeindʒəment] n. 危害，受到危害

repercussion[ˌri:pəˈkʌʃən] n. 反响；弹回；反射

violence[ˈvaiələns] n. 暴力；侵犯；激烈；歪曲

fruitless[ˈfru:tlis] adj. 不成功的，徒劳的；不结果实的

injustice[inˈdʒʌstis] n. 不公正；不讲道义

slander[ˈslɑ:ndə] vt. 诽谤；造谣中伤

benevolent[biˈnevələnt] adj. 仁慈的；慈善的；亲切的

documentation[ˌdɔkjumenˈteiʃən] n. 文件，证明文件，史实

principal[ˈprinsəpəl] adj. 首要的；最重要的

calmness[ˈka:mnis] n. 冷静，镇静；平静，安宁

supplement[ˈsʌplimənt] vt. 补充，增补

skyline[ˈskailain] n. 地平线；空中轮廓线；架空索