倒數4天

記得十多年前曾經聽過Sean Bean唸的King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table，那應該是我第一次聽英國演員唸audio book。

然後，大約五年前因為Sherlock而迷上Benedict Cumberbatch，於是在youtube不斷找他唸的東西來聽，詩、小說、兒童故事，連廣告旁白也覺得仿如天籟。

後來因為The Hobbit電影三部曲而留意Richard Armitage，更意外地發現他唸audio book非常好聽。上網查資料時才知道，原來他除了是演員，也當過配音員，怪不得聲線運用掌握得那麼好。我手機裡有他唸Percy Bysshe Shelley的Love's Philosophy，每次坐車時聽，都如痴如醉。

至於第四位聲線令我著迷的英國演員，當然就是這幾天一直提及的Tom Hiddleston。 天生一副迷人的好嗓子，加上主修古典文學，又曾在皇家戲劇藝術學院接受戲劇訓練，先天條件加上後天栽培，唸起詩來簡直令人神魂顛倒。

難得Richard Armitage和Tom Hiddleston都唸過Sonnet 116，今天就聽聽二人的不同風格吧。

SONNET 116

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,

That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come;

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

   If this be error and upon me proved,

   I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Richard Armitage版本：

Tom Hiddleston版本：

倒數5天

昨天提到當年最喜歡Shakespeare in Performance這一科，其實喜歡這科的原因之一，是喜歡這科的老師。

老師除了是學者，也是舞台劇演員和導演，所以除了會教文學科一般會教的分析技巧外，還會教透過聲音和動作去演繹文學作品的技巧。

以比較多人認識的Sonnet 18 (Shall I compare thee to a summer's day)為例，他示範了兩種讀法：

（由於本人比較懶比較忙，而且這個blog主要是自己看，所以直接把當年的筆記放上來，省卻打字的工夫。因為是一邊聽一邊抄的，字醜和有錯的地方請見諒）

Way2是較常見的浪漫讀法，Way1則是「腹黑」讀法。套用課堂筆記上的說法，則Way2讀法暗示"You will live FOREVER in my verse."，而Way1讀法則暗示"You will live forever IN MY VERSE."。

老師讀其他sonnets時也示範了不同讀法，情詩原來也可以讀得如此刻毒涼薄，如何可以不愛他？

至於跟老師同樣是在劍橋修讀文學的Tom Hiddleston，曾自認是浪漫派的他，讀的當然不是腹黑版本：

倒數6天

多得一位熱愛Shakespeare、經常在訪問中引經據典的演員，家中塵封多年的MA筆記終於重見天日。

當年讀MA時，最喜歡的一科是Shakespeare in Performance，更因此在寫畢業論文時選了關於Hamlet的題目。（這是緣份呀緣份！）

不過翻看筆記，才發現自己記性差得可怕，當年讀過的寫過的演過的，都忘得七七八八。

這科在期末有Final performance，要上台演出，我演的是Twelfth Night。當年倒背如流的台詞，現在一句也背不出來。

台詞雖然忘了，但當年既緊張又奮興的心情，至今難忘。Final performance有acting和direction兩項分數，所以學生要兼任演員和導演。重看當年構思direction時自己畫的圖，真的覺得當年很用心（而且畫功奇差)。

不過更驚喜的是，找回了當年交的演出分析。這是Final performance後要交的一篇文章，分析自己對那場戲的處理，解釋為甚麼對白會那樣唸、`為甚麼會有某些動作等等。老年痴呆的我竟然完全沒有印象得過這樣的評語：

"you will be an amazing actor!"!!!!!!

雖然連同上半句一起看的話，就知道這代表演技超爛的我只能紙上談兵，但(選擇性地)看這評語的時候還是很高興的。（記性差真好，忘記了又可以再高興多一次）

雖然無法成為 an amazing actor，但迷上Tom Hiddleston這個amazing actor也很幸福。今天就聽他唸Twelfth Night的對白吧。

If music be the food of love, play on;

Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,

The appetite may sicken, and so die.

That strain again! it had a dying fall:

O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound,

That breathes upon a bank of violets,

Stealing and giving odour! Enough; no more:

'Tis not so sweet now as it was before.

O spirit of love! how quick and fresh art thou,

That, notwithstanding thy capacity

Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,

Of what validity and pitch soe'er,

But falls into abatement and low price,

Even in a minute: so full of shapes is fancy

That it alone is high fantastical.

倒數7天

繼續聽著Tom Hiddleston的聲音倒數。

今天聽的這首詩，是他少數沒有用英倫腔和迷人聲線來唸的。扮聲又扮口音的演繹，加上這首詩本身的諷刺，令我覺得比起他唸的浪漫情詩，這首更吸引。

Life Story

BY TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

After you've been to bed together for the first time,

without the advantage or disadvantage of any prior acquaintance,

the other party very often says to you,

Tell me about yourself, I want to know all about you,

what's your story? And you think maybe they really and truly do

sincerely want to know your life story, and so you light up

a cigarette and begin to tell it to them, the two of you

lying together in completely relaxed positions

like a pair of rag dolls a bored child dropped on a bed.

You tell them your story, or as much of your story

as time or a fair degree of prudence allows, and they say,

       Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

each time a little more faintly, until the oh

is just an audible breath, and then of course

there's some interruption. Slow room service comes up

with a bowl of melting ice cubes, or one of you rises to pee

and gaze at himself with the mild astonishment in the bathroom mirror.

And then, the first thing you know, before you've had time

to pick up where you left off with your enthralling life story,

they're telling you their life story, exactly as they'd intended to all along,

and you're saying, Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,

each time a little more faintly, the vowel at last becoming

no more than an audible sigh,

as the elevator, halfway down the corridor and a turn to the left,

draws one last, long, deep breath of exhaustion

and stops breathing forever. Then?

Well, one of you falls asleep

and the other one does likewise with a lighted cigarette in his mouth,

and that's how people burn to death in hotel rooms.

倒數8天

在昨天重開此blog，除了因為千萬隻雕飛過以致按捺不住，亦因為在一月的最後一天重開的話，在二月的第一天便可以開始倒數了！

 至於倒數甚麼，倒數完大家自然會知道。(沒有人想知道...)

這幾天就一邊聽著Tom Hiddleston 的聲音，一邊倒數吧！

找mp3的時候發現，我電腦內他唸詩唸小說唸散文的檔案，合共超過2GB，足夠倒數到明年...(遠目)

今天就先聽我最喜歡的一首吧：

may i feel said he

by e e cummings

may i feel said he
(i'll squeal said she
just once said he)
it's fun said she

(may i touch said he
how much said she
a lot said he)
why not said she

(let's go said he
not too far said she
what's too far said he
where you are said she)

may i stay said he
(which way said she
like this said he
if you kiss said she

may i move said he
is it love said she)
if you're willing said he
(but you're killing said she

but it's life said he
but your wife said she
now said he)
ow said she

(tiptop said he
don't stop said she
oh no said he)
go slow said she

(cccome?said he
ummm said she)
you're divine!said he
(you are Mine said she)

雕

當年還算是熱愛電影的時候，有想過做Film Marketing方面的工作。現在可能熱情減退了，加上近年的電影宣傳方式，令我覺得當年沒有入行，也未嘗不是好事。

繼早前《Sherlock: The Abominable Bride》上映時找一班二三線暗星在宣傳紙板前拿放大鏡拍照和「叻我至叻」的雜誌標題後，又一令人心裡有千萬隻雕飛過的宣傳：

火上加油伸延閱讀:

1)情迷xyz
https://www.facebook.com/jetmagazine.hk/photos/a.150529788351971.38185.143853769019573/927928130612129/?type=3&theater

2)當你以為「失蹤罪」這個戲名已經夠爛時...

Coming (back)

soon...?

再見？

突然心血來潮，來看看這個荒廢多年的blog是否仍在。
略讀了較後期的多篇文章，很多都已經沒甚麼印象。當年看過的電影，有過的想法，寫下的文字，過了短短數年，便只剩下這些連自己都記不起的文字。
一篇篇的看，感覺自己是讀者而非作者。
以前的那個作者，應該不會再回來吧。

歸位

第一次有這種奇妙的感覺。

昨天漫無目的地由灣仔步行至銅鑼灣，途中無無聊聊地甚麼店也去看看，又無無聊聊地胡思亂想，然後突然有一刻，有一種「我返嚟喇」的感覺。

早幾天整理這個blog時，重看昔日的文章，有種現在的我不再是我的感覺。想不到放假數天，「我」竟然會歸來。

開始被現在的公司摧殘後，每天都是行屍走肉似的，連去理髮店洗髮，也不用擔心忍不了笑，因為一躺下，便累得想閉上眼睡。偶爾難得抽空跟朋友見面，都總是勉強提起精神地聊聊天。但昨晚跟友人見面時，卻罕有地精神奕奕，難怪連友人也說：「你返嚟喇。」

畢竟這個blog是「我」開的，難得「我」歸來，那麼就歸來吧。

低處未算低

前天是放大假的第一天，趁著有空，回來整理一下這裡，重看昔日的文章，才發現很多事情，我都已經忘了。雖然一直都不喜歡自己，但每次回頭去看昔日的自己，都總會覺得現在的自己比過去更不濟。不知道現在已自覺在谷底徘徊的我，若在這裡留下一點一滴，將來再看，又會否覺得現在其實已經不算太差？