百年50部英文烧脑电影赏析：[4]Changeling 换子疑云

In 1920s Los Angeles, single mother Christine Collins(Angelina Jolie)returns home late from work to discover her nine-year-old son, Walter Collins(Gattlin Griffith), is missing. The Reverend Gustav Briegleb(John Malkovich)publicizes Christine's plight and rails against the Los Angeles Police Department(LAPD)for its incompetence, corruption, and the extrajudicial punishment meted out by its “Gun Squad”，led by Chief James E. Davis(Colm Feore), Several months after Walter's disappearance, the LAPD tells Christine that he has been found alive. Believing the positive publicity will negate recent criticism of the department, the LAPD organizes a public reunion. Although “Walter”(Devon Gonti)claims he is Ghristine's son, she says he is not. Captain J. J. Jones(Jeffrey Donovan), the head of the LAPD's Juvenile Division, insists the boy is Walter and pressures Christine into taking him home “on a trial basis”.

After Christine confronts Jones with physical discrepancies between “Walter” and her son, Jones arranges for a medical doctor to visit her. He tells Christine that “Walter” is shorter than before his disappearance because trauma has shrunk his spine, and that the person who took Walter had him circumcised. Briegleb tells Christine it was planted by police to discredit her. Walter's teacher and dentist give Christine signed letters confirming “Walter” is an impostor. Christine tells her story to the press; as a result, Jones sends her to Los Angeles County Hospital's “psychopathic ward” She befriends inmate Carol Dexter(Amy Ryan), who tells Christine she is one of several women who were sent there for challenging police authority. Dr. Jonathan Steele(Denis O'Hare)deems Christine delusional and forces her to take mood-regulating pills. Steele says he will release Christine if she admits she was mistaken about “Walter”; she refuses.

Detective Lester Ybarra(Michael Kelly)travels to a ranch in Wineville, Riverside County, to arrange the deportation of 15-year-old Sanford Clark(Eddie Alderson)to Canada. The boy's uncle, Gordon Northcott(Jason Butler Harner), has fled after Ybarra unwittingly alerted him to his visit. Clark tells Ybarra that Northcott forced him to help kidnap and murder around 20 boys and identifies Walter as one of them. Jones tells Briegleb that Christine is in protective custody following a mental breakdown. Jones orders Clark's deportation, but Ybarra makes Clark reveal the murder site. Briegleb secures Christine's release by showing Steele a newspaper story about the Wineville killings that names Walter as a possible victim. “Walter” reveals his motive was to secure transport to Los Angeles to see his favorite actor, Tom Mix, and says the police told him to lie about being Christine's son. The RCMP capture Northcott in Vancouver, Canada. Christine's attorney(Geoff Pierson)secures a court order for the release of the other unfairly imprisoned women.

On the day of the city council's hearing into the case, Christine and Briegleb arrive at Los Angeles City Hall, where they encounter thousands of protesters demanding answers from the city. The hearing is intercut with scenes from Northcott's trial. The council concludes that Jones and Davis should be removed from duty, and that extrajudicial internments by police must be reviewed. Northcott's jury finds him guilty of murder and the judge sentences him death by hanging. Two years later，Christine has not given up her search for Walter. Northcott sends her a message saying he is willing to tell her what happened to Walter on condition that Christine meet him before his execution. She visits Northcott, but he refuses to tell her if he killed her son. Northcott is executed the next day.

In 1935, David Clay——one of the boys assumed to have been killed——is found alive. He reveals that one of the boys with whom he was imprisoned was Walter, who courageously came back to help David get through the barbed wires. David, Walter and two other boys escaped, but were separated. David does not know whether Walter was recaptured, giving Christine hope he is still alive.

在20世纪20年代的洛杉矶，单身母亲克莉丝汀·科林斯(安吉丽娜·朱莉饰)工作到很晚才回家，发现她9岁的儿子沃尔特·科林斯(加特林·格里菲斯饰)不见了。牧师古斯塔夫·比尔格勒(约翰·马尔科维奇饰)公开宣扬了克莉丝汀的遭遇，并痛斥洛杉矶警察局(LAPD)和以主管詹姆斯· E ·戴维斯(科鲁姆·费奥瑞饰)为首的进行法外执法的“枪队”的无能与腐败。几个月后，LAPD告诉克莉丝汀，他们发现了沃尔特，他还活着。LAPD相信一次正面的公关活动可以消除最近公众对LAPD的批评，于是组织了一个公开见面会。虽然这个男孩(戴文·孔蒂饰)声称自己就是克莉丝汀的儿子沃尔特，克莉丝汀则说他不是。LAPD的少年部负责人，队长J · J ·琼斯(杰弗里·多诺万饰)，坚持认为这个男孩就是沃尔特，并强迫克莉丝汀把他带回家“试一试”。

克莉丝汀发现了这个所谓的“沃尔特”与他儿子之间存在一些生理上的区别之后，就去质问琼斯。琼斯给她安排了一个体检医生。医生告诉克莉丝汀，所谓的“沃尔特”比他丢失前矮，是因为他的脊柱受损，而且那个绑架他的男人对他实施了割礼。比尔格勒告诉克莉丝汀，警方设计了这一切来使得她让人不可信。沃尔特的老师与牙医给克莉丝汀提供了签名信，用于证明所谓的“沃尔特”是冒名顶替的。克莉丝汀把这些都告诉了记者;结果，琼斯把她送人了洛杉矶的精神病室。她要好的一个室友卡罗尔·德克斯特(艾米·莱安饰)告诉克莉丝汀，她是因为挑战警方权威而被送进来的几名妇女中的一个。乔纳森·斯蒂尔医生(丹尼斯·欧哈拉饰)确认克莉丝汀有妄想症，并强迫她服用控制情绪的药片。斯蒂尔说，如果克莉丝汀承认在“沃尔特”的问题上是她错了，就释放她，但她拒绝了。

侦探莱斯特·亚巴拉(迈克尔·凯利饰)去河边县的怀恩威尔牧场，准备把15岁的桑福德·克拉克(艾迪·阿尔德森饰)驱逐到加拿大。男孩的叔叔戈登·诺斯科特(杰森·巴特勒·哈纳饰)知道后就逃跑了。克拉克告诉亚巴拉，诺斯科特强迫他绑架并杀害了20名男孩，沃尔特则是其中的一个。琼斯告诉比尔格勒，克莉丝汀因为精神崩溃而被保护性拘留。琼斯决定驱逐克拉克出境，而亚巴拉则披露了谋杀地点。比尔格勒向斯蒂尔出示了一份关于怀恩威尔谋杀案的报纸，上面把沃尔特列为一个可能的受害者，并以此要求释放克莉丝汀。“沃尔特”承认他的动机是为了能够安全到达洛杉矶看他最喜欢的演员汤姆·麦克斯，并说警方让他谎称是克莉丝汀的儿子。RCMP在加拿大的温哥华逮捕了诺斯科特。克莉丝汀的代理律师杰夫·皮尔森向法庭要求释放其他受到不公平待遇的被囚禁妇女。

在市议会举行关于这个案件的听证会这天，克莉丝汀和比尔格勒到达洛杉矶市政厅后，这里已经聚集了数以千计的要求真相的示威者。诺斯科特的审讯镜头与听证会的镜头交切进行。市议会认定琼斯与戴维斯应该被革职，警方的非法拘禁行为必须进行审查。诺斯科特的陪审团认定他犯有谋杀罪，法官判决他绞刑。两年后，克莉丝汀并没有放弃寻找沃尔特。诺斯科特送来一个消息，说如果克莉丝汀在他的死刑执行前来见他，他愿意告诉她沃尔特到底怎么样了。克莉丝汀去见了诺斯科特，但他拒绝告诉克莉丝汀是否杀害了她的儿子。克莉丝汀在第二天被执行了死刑。

1935年，认为已经被杀害的男孩之一，戴维·克雷，被发现还活着。他透露，沃尔特是与他一起被囚禁的男孩之一。沃尔特勇敢地回去帮助戴维穿过铁丝网。戴维，沃尔特和另外两个男孩逃了出来，但分开了。戴维不知道沃尔特是否被抓回去了，而这让克莉丝汀有了沃尔特还活着的希望。

incompetence[in'kɔmpitəns]n. 无资格，不胜任;无能力;不适当;不熟练

extrajudicial[ˌekstrəʤu:'di∫əl]adj. 法庭职权以外的

discrepancy[dis'krepənsi]n. 不符;矛盾;相差

discredit[dis'kredit]vt. 不信;使丢脸

unwittingly[ˌʌn'witiŋli]adv. 不知不觉地;不知情地;不经意地

protester[prəu'testə]n. 抗议者;反对者;持异议者

internment[in'tə:nmənt]n. 拘留;收容

courageously[kə'reiʤəsli]adv. 勇敢地

重点掌握

■ … who courageously came back to help David get through the barbed wires.

在英语中，get through是一个非常常用的词组，在文中是“通过”的意思，另外，它可以用于表达“通过考试;达到标准;通过法案(或议案等)”，比如：The woman was so fat that she couldn't get through the doorway. 这女人胖得连门都通不过。

get through还可以指“(电话等)接通;(使)被理解;(使)被接受;度过，熬过(困难时期等)”等意思，比如：I don't know how they get through these cold winters. 我不知道他们是如何熬过这些寒冷的冬天的。

Angelina Jolie Interviewed by Stella Papamichael

This is a harrowing film to watch. Was it a harrowing film to make?

“It was a harrowing film for all of us to make and, at the same time, because it was a true story ——this woman went through so much — it was very inspiring,”

Christine is quite passive, initially, after the police fob her off. Was it frustrating to play that aspect of her character?

“Yeah, it was the hardest thing. It wasn't just that she trusted in them, but she just wouldn't have gotten anywhere if she hadn't tried to ‘keep her place’. She had to walk a very fine line and when she did speak up is when they locked her in an institution. And she was a single mother in 1928 [which]didn't command any respect at that time. The way I relate to it is through my mum. Her name was Marcheline but we'd call her Marshmallow, because she was just the softest, most gentle woman in the world. She was really sweet and would never get angry, but when it came to her kids, she was really, really fierce and so this is very much her, and her story in that she was the woman who I relate to who had that elegance and strength in just knowing what was right.”

这是一部看起来很悲惨的电影。要打造的是一部悲惨的电影吗?

“对我们来说，是要打造一部悲惨的电影，同时，因为这是一个真实的故事，这个女人经历了那么多，它很激励人。”

最初，警方欺骗了她之后，克莉丝汀很被动。在表演她的性格方面，是令人沮丧的吗?

“是的，这是最难的事。这不只是她相信他们的问题，而是如果她没有试着保持她自己的立场，那么她就不会得到任何立场。她不得不走这样的路线，当她大声说话时，当他们把她关在精神病院时。1928年，作为单身母亲的她很难赢得他人应有的尊重。我是通过我妈妈来深入理解这个角色的。她的名字叫玛瑟琳，但我们叫她棉花糖，因为她就是世界上最温柔，最文雅的女人。她真好，从不会生气，但涉及到她的孩子，她会表现得很强势。所以，她和故事里的人物太像了，让我更好地读懂这个角色所拥有的优雅与明辨是非的力量。优雅又强烈，知道什么是对的。”

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。