刚从学校电影院看完迪斯尼去年发行的Enchanted回来，随便写几句算是看论文前的休息。

 

既然是饱受好评的电影，我对影片的总体印象也不免随了大流。从最低的眼界来看的话，这至少是一部不会让大多数人觉得闷的电影。作为定位为音乐剧电影的Enchanted来说，做到这一点已经算是小小的成功。影片的故事连贯，情节紧凑，传统的“线性”叙事手法虽然有些老套，但也恰巧保证了电影的易读性，和大部分的迪斯尼电影一样是老少咸宜的佳作。视觉方面，除了频繁地运用2D和3D的场景切换以强化“童话”的效果，导演对色彩和镜头的运用也是可圈可点。尤其是在结尾的舞会部分，多组极具张力的全景镜头和饱满的人物近镜头交换几乎把胶片的效率发挥到了极至。恶龙的动画设计稍显粗糙，但因为出镜时间不长，也就算是瑕不掩玉，一笔带过了。

 

但就像题目写的，Critique，那当然就要批判一下。就像我们这些小毛头平时上课批判大经济学家的论文一样，只是学院传统，大经济学家还是大经济学家，大导演还是大导演，我们还是爱批评的学生。

 

批评一：你到底想说什么？(What message are you trying to deliver?)

电影从头到尾都在说“真爱”，女主角吉塞尔(Giselle)先是一直坚信爱德华(Edward)是自己的王子，结果最后又爱上了罗伯特(Robert)。爱德华也最终和罗伯特的女友南希(Nancy)结婚。从某种意义上说，这几乎是对迪斯尼传统的“真爱永恒”概念的彻底颠覆。虽然有人可以从这两段关系的发展出发提出最终的搭配才是“真爱搭配”的论断，那如果吉塞尔没有落到纽约呢？她是不是应该和爱德华在一起？如果所谓“真爱”是可以随环境变化而变化的话，那我们是不是有足够的理由怀疑“真爱”的真实性呢？想想，也许有一天吉塞尔去了巴黎，是不是又可以找到她的下一个“真爱”呢？似乎这种真爱本身就包含了严重的逻辑缺陷。那或者迪斯尼想说的根本就不是真爱？也许影片要传达的只是小摩根(Morgan)说的“男人都只想要一件东西(...men, they all are only after one thing...)。”(影片在此处暗示男人只想要性)用这个主题的话影片的设计似乎能够说通，但一部迪斯尼的电影，就是要说这个吗？

 

批评二：种族歧视？(Racial Discrimination?)

这个指控听起来似乎有些过于严重，但在公共事务学院读了两年书，对这种事情不免要（过度）敏感。片中充斥着美国白人至上的价值观念，金发碧眼的帅哥美女都是正人君子，坏人和下等人的角色几乎都是以少数民族的身份出现。黑人的街头乐手，化妆成墨西哥人想毒死公主的奴仆，暴戾的女黑人公车司机……虽然从某种程度上说这是一种写实的手法，但考虑到迪斯尼糟糕的种族歧视史，不免让人产生相关的联想。最为突出的，影片女主角吉塞尔来到纽约后慢慢放弃了自己对传统的“一见钟情”和“歌唱爱情”的信仰，而转化为“约会观察”和“理性思考”的纽约模式。这种对个人认同的丢失在影片中最终收到了完美的效果，但现实真的是这样的吗？从我自己浅显的学院派观点来看，国际教育学中的“种族身份模型(racial identity model)”在传统上认为移民和少数民族在融入美国社会的同时应当最好保持其一定的少数民族身份认同才能更有效地在社会中生存和发展。作为“第一代移民”的Giselle，放弃自己的身份认同真的是一件可喜的变化吗？

 

以上就是我鸡蛋里挑骨头的一点批评，如果没有看过这部电影的朋友们，我还是四颗星推荐观赏（女生五颗星）。

 

如欲了解更多有关此电影的有趣内容（包括电影中所有模拟的前迪斯尼影片场景），请浏览：http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchanted_(film)

Unlike any other "Days" of different cultural basis. This is some Day you could expect every year wherever you are - your birthday. Yes, I'm turning 24 in 2008 which supposedly to be the Year of Rat. The third time in my life time in which I can legitimately wear whatever red on my body no matter how awkward it is.

 

I literarily felt a shock when I saw the big "24" on my birthday cake. Shouldn't I? If we take 72 years as a person's average "effective" age. I would have used up one third of it. I no longer fear death as much as I did when I was a kid, but I do fear not being able to achieve, even get close to what I want in my life. The only paradox is: if part of what I want is not to become a slave to work, but I wouldn't, on the other hand, be able to achieve this state without being a workholic at the first stage. Should I sacrifice? If the answer is "you have to", then, how much?

 

Deb told me (Sorry, I'm quoting you again...) "You do not choose your path of life. Life chooses it for you." I said this conception sounds too cynical and nihilistic for me to believe. However, at the same time, I have always been doubtful about how much control we really have to our life, and, to what extent, we're just justifying it.

 

"Even if you choos to be silent, you've already made a choice." So, I would still like to naively believe that I've been making choices for myself, and all these choices, have delineated the map of my life in the last 24 years.

 

There are too many critical moments that are memorable in the past year. The zenith was in the summer when I went to India, where I lived and worked in places where I would never have imagined, and also experienced and witnessed beauty and sanctitude that I would have never thought existing in the world. I walked onto that land with hopes and surprises, lived there with shocks and struggles, but left the country with love and tears. Before the India trip, I had always liked the feeling of having dreams, but never expected the holiness of shouldering others' dreams; I had always appreciated the modern culture, but never learned the power of purified indigenous knowledge. After the trip, I was the one who went into the country, but I also clearly learned, that I was no longer the one who went into the country.

 

In the last year, I have kept my academic antenna toward various topics in the field of education, with the hope of possibly pursuing a PhD degree in this area. It was by half a random selection of chosing to study education, but thank Prof. Dejaeghere for having given the fascinating lecture in my first class in this the College of Education and Human Development. My interest and work have then been devoted to a variety of projects in different educational topics, from pre-school to higher education, from program evaluation to cost-benefit analysis, from comparative theory to intercultural training...Each of them has opened to me a brand new world where I could and would like to exhaust my entire life pursuing the unreachable horizon. This feeling recalls me with Denise's words when she revised my personal statement for my master's admission application: "Think of it as something that you will really spend your life working on." I thought she was just trying to be politically correct. But given the fact that I am feeling this way now, does that mean that it is the right time for me to go for a PhD program? Without hesitation?

 

I do hesitate. I am still not sure if I am really wanting to become a "doctor" or I am just pushing back my date of getting a job. Val quoted her mom in one workshop:"Isn't it cool to be a doctor?" It probably is, but we're not spending five years in your 20s to do something simply cool, do we? Some people might, I won't. Oh yes, five years! Jipei says her brain cannot even process this...but she also said she wouldn't be surprised to call me "Dr. Peng" some day. Some day after five years? That probably is the biggest concern for me right now. A doctor is such a big and serious commitment that you feel quiver before making it. Fortunately, for this PhD issue, I still have time.

 

As usual, I would like to thank my parents for always giving me the maximum supports under whatever situations I was in, to thank my dear friends (you, i'm talking about you) for your constant understanding and carefulness, to thank anyone who has offered me warm hands and kind smiles in the past year. My life would not be this dear and appreciative without any of you. I love you all. Meanwhile, to people I might had misunderstood, hurt, or treated unfairly, I feel truely sorry. If I did something to you that is forgivable, curable, or negotiable, I would be more than glad to devote all I have to fix it. If that was something that cannot work out, please forget it, ditch me from your memory and try to be a happy person. Nobody worths your own happiness. Be happy please, everyone. I'll pray to that.

 

At last, for all who wanted but didn't or wasn't able to send me birthday gifts. Please go to any bookstore in your town, pick up a book, check it out at the register, and, most importantly, READ IT after you go back home. We haven't been reading for too long.

虽然对政治理论一贯兴味索然，但为了完成毕业的学分要求，还是不得不在这个学期注册了这门必修的“公共事务政治学”课。第一节课下课和老师交谈的时候，他信誓旦旦地和我说：“上我们这门课根本不需要对美国政治的历史有任何了解的，只要完成我布置的阅读就一定能学好的。”于是我很天真地相信他了。

 

结果第一次作业，题目是分析关于美国极右宗教势力的政治力量组成和发展，直接傻掉……原来他之前说的意思是不需要有对美国政治历史方面的专门研究，但是像我这样连基本常识都没有的人……看来这位教授大人的Cultural Sensitivity还是不够，要送去某个Intercultural Leadership Workshop训练训练才行。