《蘭心大劇院》熱搜，說(shuō)說(shuō)婁燁！

Lou Ye, the Chinese director, has had his share of run-ins with his country’s film censors over his successful and esteemed career.

在他成功而卓越的職業(yè)生涯中，中國(guó)導(dǎo)演婁燁在中國(guó)電影審查機(jī)構(gòu)那里也遇到過(guò)不少麻煩。

There was the two-year ban on making films after showing “Suzhou River” at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the five-year ban after making “Summer Palace” and, most recently, a protracted approval process for “The Shadow Play,” which was shown in February at the Berlin Film Festival. It is almost news when Mr. Lou does not receive increased official attention.

他在鹿特丹國(guó)際電影節(jié)上放映《蘇州河》后被禁拍電影兩年，在《頤和園》后被禁五年，前不久在2月的柏林電影節(jié)上放映的《風(fēng)中有朵雨做的云》也經(jīng)歷了漫長(zhǎng)的審批過(guò)程。官方對(duì)婁燁的關(guān)注沒(méi)有繼續(xù)增加，這本身幾乎就是一條新聞。

An exception to this track record is “Saturday Fiction,” Mr. Lou’s new film set in wartime Shanghai in December 1941 and centered on a Shanghai actress embroiled in intrigue. Next week, it will have its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival.

婁燁的新片《蘭心大劇院》是個(gè)例外，它以1941年12月的戰(zhàn)時(shí)上海為背景，講述一位卷入陰謀的上海女演員的故事。下周，它將在威尼斯國(guó)際電影節(jié)上全球首映。

“I’ve been through the censorship process many times, and as a filmmaker it’s never entirely clear to me why censors react the way they do. I don’t quite know,” Mr. Lou said in a phone interview from China.

“我經(jīng)歷過(guò)很多審查，作為電影人，我從來(lái)都不清楚審查機(jī)構(gòu)為什么會(huì)有那樣的反應(yīng)，”婁燁從中國(guó)接受電話(huà)采訪時(shí)說(shuō)。

“Saturday Fiction” is one of 66 new features in the Official Selection for the Venice festival’s 76th edition, which runs from Wednesday to Sept. 7. Mr. Lou’s movie will screen alongside works by Hirokazu Kore-eda (“The Truth,” the festival’s opening-night selection), Olivier Assayas (“Wasp Network”), James Gray (“Ad Astra”), Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”), Roman Polanski (“J’Accuse”), Roy Andersson (“About Endlessness”), Pablo Larrain (“Ema”) and Steven Soderbergh (“The Laundromat”).

《蘭心大劇院》是第76屆威尼斯電影節(jié)正式競(jìng)賽單元的66部新長(zhǎng)片之一，本屆電影節(jié)將于本周三至9月7日舉行。婁燁的電影將與是枝裕和(Hirokazu Kore-eda)的《真相》(The Truth，本屆電影節(jié)的開(kāi)幕電影)、奧利維爾·阿薩亞斯(Olivier Assayas)的《黃蜂網(wǎng)絡(luò)》(Wasp Network)、詹姆斯·格雷(James Gray)的《星際探索》(Ad Astra)、諾亞·鮑姆巴什(Noah Baumbach)的《婚姻故事》(Marriage Story)、羅曼·波蘭斯基(Roman Polanski)的《我控訴》(J’Accuse)、羅伊·安德森(Roy Andersson)的《關(guān)于無(wú)盡》(About Endlessness)、帕布羅·拉雷恩(Pablo Larrain)的《厄瑪》(Ema)和史蒂文·索德伯格(Steven Soderbergh)的《洗錢(qián)事務(wù)所》(The Laundromat)一起上映。

The festival is widely regarded as a prestige showcase that raises the curtain on the fall season and the vying for ink and little gold men. The lineup this year includes the hotly anticipated “Joker” from Todd Phillips, the election drama “The Perfect Candidate” from the Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour and the Imelda Marcos documentary “The Kingmaker” from Lauren Greenfield.

威尼斯電影節(jié)被普遍認(rèn)為是一個(gè)有威望的舞臺(tái)，標(biāo)志著秋季的開(kāi)始，為爭(zhēng)奪媒體曝光和小金人的大戰(zhàn)拉開(kāi)序幕。今年的入圍影片包括備受期待的托德·菲利普斯(Todd Phillips)的《小丑》(Joker)、沙特阿拉伯電影導(dǎo)演海法亞·曼蘇爾(Haifaa al-Mansour)關(guān)于選舉的《完美候選人》(The Perfect Candidate)以及勞倫·格林菲爾德(Lauren Greenfield)關(guān)于伊梅爾達(dá)·馬科斯(Imelda Marcos)的紀(jì)錄片《國(guó)王締造者》(The Kingmaker)。

“Saturday Fiction” is not a fall release, but it features Gong Li as a famous actress involved in a theatrical production and espionage. Mr. Lou has been called “contemporary Chinese cinema’s greatest director of actors” by the critic Shelley Kraicer, and the new film’s setting on the eve of Pearl Harbor promises to match the high drama of Mr. Lou’s other historical films.

《蘭心大劇院》并非秋季檔影片，但鞏俐在片中出演了一名參與一場(chǎng)戲劇制作和間諜活動(dòng)的著名演員。婁燁被影評(píng)人謝莉·克拉克(Shelley Kraicer)稱(chēng)為“當(dāng)代中國(guó)電影最偉大的導(dǎo)演”，新片的背景設(shè)定在珍珠港事件前夕，將與婁燁其他歷史題材影片的高度戲劇性相媲美。

“Summer Palace” was set in Tiananmen Square in 1989, and “Purple Butterfly” in Manchuria and Shanghai during the Japanese occupation.

《頤和園》以1989年的天安門(mén)廣場(chǎng)為背景，《紫蝴蝶》以日本占領(lǐng)時(shí)期的滿(mǎn)洲和上海為背景。

Global events aside, Mr. Lou found a special appeal in the new film’s familiar theatrical milieu. His parents worked backstage in theater, and he fondly remembers the Lyceum Theater in Shanghai that features in the film.

撇開(kāi)全球事件不談，婁燁對(duì)這部新片中熟悉的劇場(chǎng)環(huán)境情有獨(dú)鐘。他的父母都曾在劇院的后臺(tái)工作，他很懷念電影中出現(xiàn)的上海蘭心大劇院。

“I am a product of the theatrical world,” he said. “So it was a very special experience being able to go back to Shanghai” — from Beijing, where he lives — “after a long time and shoot this movie in that neighborhood.” (The film’s title in China is “Lyceum Theater.”)

“我是戲劇世界的產(chǎn)物，”他說(shuō)。“所以過(guò)了很久之后還能”——從他目前居住的北京——“回到上海，在那一帶拍攝這部電影，是一種非常特殊的經(jīng)歷。”

The complex plot takes place over six intense days and is a mix of period drama, romantic melodrama and spy story. Like Mr. Lou’s previous work, the film follows the passions of its characters. The story was adapted from the novel “Death in Shanghai” by Hong Ying into a screenplay by Mr. Lou’s collaborator Ma Yingli, who is also a producer and director of documentaries, including a behind-the-scenes look at “The Shadow Play.”

影片復(fù)雜的故事情節(jié)發(fā)生在六天的緊湊時(shí)間里，集歷史劇、浪漫情節(jié)劇和間諜故事于一體。和婁燁之前的作品一樣，這部電影也跟隨著角色的激情前行。故事改編自虹影的小說(shuō)《上海之死》，由婁燁的合作伙伴馬英力擔(dān)任編劇。馬英力也是紀(jì)錄片制片人和導(dǎo)演，作品包括關(guān)于《風(fēng)中有朵雨做的云》幕后故事的紀(jì)錄片。

Ms. Ma, who studied filmmaking in Berlin before the wall fell, saw wartime Shanghai as a prime space to explore storytelling and structure. She said she believed the depiction of double lives like that of the lead character could resonate for many viewers.

在柏林墻倒塌之前，馬英力曾在柏林學(xué)習(xí)電影制作，她認(rèn)為戰(zhàn)時(shí)上海是探索敘事和結(jié)構(gòu)的極佳場(chǎng)所。她說(shuō)，她相信像主角那樣的雙重生活描寫(xiě)會(huì)引起很多觀眾的共鳴。

“I want to tell a story about how little things can really affect history in general and how we all have a role in life to play when it comes to things around us,” Ms. Ma said in a phone interview. “It is a good analogy for people who have lives on and offstage, with different identities and choices.”

“我想講一個(gè)故事，講一件小事會(huì)如何真正影響歷史，講一講在涉及身邊的事情時(shí)，我們?cè)谏钪卸及缪萘四撤N角色，”馬英力在接受電話(huà)采訪時(shí)說(shuō)。“對(duì)于生活在舞臺(tái)內(nèi)外、有著不同身份和選擇的人來(lái)說(shuō)，這是一個(gè)很好的比喻。”

In treacherous plot, Gong Li’s character juggles an ex-husband, an adoptive father and the temptation of escaping the war with her lover. (The international cast includes Pascal Greggory, Joe Odagiri and Mark Chao.) For Mr. Ma, the fraught moment in history unexpectedly recalled her time as a student in Germany, though the connection did not come to mind while writing.

在包含著背叛的劇情中，鞏俐飾演的角色在前夫、養(yǎng)父和與情人逃離戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的誘惑之間掙扎。(國(guó)際演員陣容包括帕斯卡·格雷戈里[Pascal Greggory]、喬·奧達(dá)基里[Joe Odagiri]和趙又廷。)對(duì)馬英力來(lái)說(shuō)，那個(gè)令人憂(yōu)慮的歷史時(shí)刻意外地讓她想起自己在德國(guó)讀書(shū)的時(shí)光，不過(guò)在創(chuàng)作劇本的時(shí)候，她并沒(méi)有想到這種聯(lián)系。

“When I was in East Berlin during the 1980s, the wall was still there,” she said. “I was surrounded. There wasn’t any freedom around me.”

“1980年代我在西柏林時(shí)，柏林墻還在，”她說(shuō)。“我被包圍著，周?chē)鷽](méi)有任何自由。”

Despite the story’s setting, the movie had a smooth process of approval by the Chinese censors. Mr. Lou and Ms. Ma attributed this to the historical nature of the film, which was shot in black and white.

盡管故事有著這樣的背景，電影還是順利通過(guò)了中國(guó)審查機(jī)構(gòu)的審查。婁燁和馬英力認(rèn)為，這是因?yàn)樵撈臍v史性，它是一部黑白片。

“In terms of the subject matter, the themes and the ideas I’m trying to deal with in this new film, I feel there are similarities with ‘The Shadow Play ’” Mr. Lou said. “They’re both movies that deal with reality versus illusion, what’s real versus what’s fake. Perhaps the distance in terms of time and space makes this movie more palatable.”

“在題材、主題和我在這部新片中處理的想法方面，我覺(jué)得它和《風(fēng)中有朵雨做的云》有相似的地方，”婁燁說(shuō)。“它們都是關(guān)于現(xiàn)實(shí)與幻覺(jué) 、真實(shí)與虛假的電影。也許時(shí)間和空間上的距離讓這部電影更容易接受。”

The approval process for Chinese releases can be unpredictable. The time frame can vary, Ms. Ma said. It begins with a screenplay review, which typically takes 20 days or less. But once the film is shot and a final cut is ready to present, it might take significantly more time. For “Saturday Fiction,” approval did not take long, to Mr. Lou’s pleasant surprise.

中國(guó)影片的審批過(guò)程可能無(wú)法預(yù)測(cè)。馬英力說(shuō)，不同影片的審批時(shí)間可能大不相同。這個(gè)過(guò)程從劇本審查開(kāi)始，通常需要20天或更少的時(shí)間。但是等到電影拍攝完成，并呈交了最終版本之后，審查可能需要多得多的時(shí)間。令?yuàn)錈铙@喜的是，《蘭心大劇院》沒(méi)過(guò)多久就獲得了批準(zhǔn)。

But the possibility of unforeseen delays or cancellation can make a festival programmer a little nervous. That is an understandable concern after the high-profile withdrawal of Zhang Yimou’s latest film “One Second” at the same Berlin festival where Mr. Lou’s “The Shadow Play” appeared.

但是，影片上映可能出現(xiàn)無(wú)法預(yù)料的延遲或取消，這種情況會(huì)讓電影節(jié)的組織者感到有點(diǎn)緊張。就在婁燁的《風(fēng)中有朵雨做的云》上映的柏林電影節(jié)上，張藝謀的新片《一秒鐘》退出引起熱議，發(fā)生這種事之后，組織者的擔(dān)憂(yōu)是可以理解的。

“Knowing that the situation in China is so complicated, we were a little bit worried,” Alberto Barbera, director of the Venice festival, said by phone. Mr. Barbera had seen the film in an early form in April, and by June was assured that it would be free to screen abroad.

“我們知道中國(guó)的情況很復(fù)雜，所以有點(diǎn)擔(dān)心，”威尼斯電影節(jié)總監(jiān)阿爾貝托·巴貝拉(Alberto Barbera)在接受電話(huà)采訪時(shí)說(shuō)。今年4月，巴貝拉已經(jīng)初步看過(guò)這部影片，到6月，他得到保證，該片可以在海外上映。

The approval means that the drama of “Saturday Fiction” should be limited to what is on the screen. But if Mr. Lou’s previous experiences with the approval process have affected his filmmaking, he is not showing it.

中國(guó)的批準(zhǔn)意味著《蘭心大劇院》的上映不會(huì)節(jié)外生枝。但是，就算婁燁之前遭受審批的經(jīng)歷影響了他的電影創(chuàng)作，至少他并沒(méi)有表現(xiàn)出來(lái)。

“When I am in the creative process, when I am focusing on creating the film, I am only focusing on that, I don’t think about the censors at all,” he said.

“當(dāng)我在創(chuàng)作過(guò)程中，當(dāng)我專(zhuān)注于創(chuàng)作電影時(shí)，我只專(zhuān)注于這件事，我根本不考慮審查，”他說(shuō)。

With two films in the spotlight in one year, Mr. Lou and Ms. Ma appear to have found a way to continue working at a high level. The proof lies in the premiere of “Saturday Fiction,” next week on the Lido.

婁燁和馬英力在一年內(nèi)拍攝了兩部電影，他們似乎找到了保持高水平工作的方法。證據(jù)就在《蘭心大劇院》下周在麗都島的首映式上。