BBC向來擅長改篇女作家的文學作品, 單是將Jane Austen 的小說再三重拍, 可謂前無古人. BBC亦繼續衝破過往的成功陰影, 希望再創新經典. BBC曾在75年拍攝《North & South》, 04年再將《North & South》重新拍攝.《North & South》並不是Jane Austen時代的小說, 成書於Jane Austen 死後30餘年, 作者Elizabeth Gaskell不見經傳. 其實她是《簡愛》作者Charlotte Brontë的文友, 以撰寫Charlotte Brontë的傳記聞名後世, 而她創作的「工業流派小說」也令她獨步於英國文壇.
《North & South》明顯而簡潔地點出了故事的命題: 北方與南方之間的岐見. 18世紀的英國北方是工業革命重地 (《North & South》的虛構城市Milton有影射Manchester之意) , 也是商人勢力抬頭之時. 而以倫敦為首的南方, 則以貴族階層的上流悠閒生活見稱. 北方人認為南方人懶散、好逸待勞; 南方人認為北方人粗魯、缺乏教養、急功近利. Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) 的父親原是牧師, 因無法遵從教會的僵化教條, 決意脫離教會, 意味著失去了原有的社會地位和教會俸祿. Mr Hale 帶著妻女從南方的溫暖小鎮Helstone , 搬到北方冰冷的Milton投靠朋友. 出身世家的Mrs Hale (Lesley Manville) 無法適應環境轉變, Margaret也坦言人在Milton, 猶如置身「白色地獄」(形容棉絮飛揚的廠房).
為著尋找住所, Margaret隻身到棉廠找房東─年輕的廠主John Thornton (Richard Armitage) 理論. Margaret對Mr Thornton的第一印象極度惡劣: 她目睹Thornton毒打並趕走一名屢勸不聽、企圖吸煙的工人, Thornton卻是為了防止再次出現棉廠失火、導致童工死亡的事故. Margaret雖懾服於Thornton的氣度, 但也從此認定對方是含著金鎖匙出生、蠻不講理、虐待工人為樂的魔鬼老闆. Thornton絕非Margaret心中認定的紈絝子弟. Thornton的父親因投機買賣失利而自殺, 年幼的Thornton被迫輟學打工. 多年後還清所有債務, 並晉身成為商人階級. 地位和威望又使Thornton成為當地的地方執行官 (類似法官的公職). Thornton被Margaret的率直敢言而傾倒. 只是兩人互有嫌隙, 每次碰面往往爭辯得不歡而散.
好學的Thornton成為Mr Hale的學生, 風雨不改往Hale一家上課 (多少也有近水樓台的用意) , 但Margaret 並沒有因此改變對Thornton的看法. Thornton的母親 (Sinéad Cusack) 一向以兒子的能幹和堅忍而傲, 精明的她亦看穿兒子對Margaret 的心意. 但 Mrs Thornton對Hale一家、尤其是對北方嗤之以鼻的Margaret完全沒有好感.
Margaret 結識了Thornton旗下棉廠工作的Nicholas Higgins和他的女兒Bessy. Bessy在別的棉廠工作, 吸入過多棉絮而得了無藥可治的肺病. 城中大部份工廠東主不重視工人權益, 只有Thornton洞悉先機, 在廠房裝上抽棉機, 保障了工人的健康. 但Thornton立場強硬, 為防廠房周轉不靈, 寧可引入愛爾蘭勞工, 也不願加薪予工人. Higgins領導工會, 爭取棉廠工人薪酬, 原意希望以溫和的罷工方式抗爭, 最後卻演變成暴亂事件, 工會運動失敗收場. 意外捲入事故的Margaret為Thornton擋下暴動者的石頭, Thornton深受激動, 驅使自卑的他向Margaret表白. Margaret認為Thornton 此舉只是基於維護個人聲譽以及同情自己的家庭處境, Margaret拙劣和固執的辯駁 (她不承認自己愛上Thornton) , 令Thornton既失望又傷心, 拂袖而去.
Mrs Hale病重, Margaret秘密寫信召回因叛艦事件流亡西班牙的兄長Frederick. 期間Thornton造訪不果, Margaret支吾以對、Thornton又目睹Margaret送別兄長時的擁抱, 誤以為Frederick是她的情人. Margaret為了保護兄長, 更牽涉一宗兇殺案, Thornton以地方執行官的權力, 為Margaret洗脫嫌疑. Margaret解除了對Thornton的成見, 卻不願透露兄長的身份. Thornton自此對Margaret的態度轉趨冷淡.
經Margaret無心的穿針引線下, Thornton與Higgins理解彼此的問題和立場, 握手言和. 外遊的Mr Hale在睡夢中去世, 舉目無親的Margaret由姑姑帶回倫敦, Thornton無奈目送Margaret 離去. 此時Thornton的生意出現問題, 加上他拒絕參與投機買賣, 廠房被迫關閉. 機緣巧合下, Margaret得到教父的龐大遺產. Margaret重臨Milton, 打算幫助Thornton渡過難關. Thornton獨自到Helstone看看Margaret成長的地方. 兩人身處一北一南, 緣慳一面, 卻在火車站月台上相遇.
當年BBC對《North & South》(一共4集) 這套迷你電視劇集並不看好, 認為劇集收視低迷 (為什麼BBC又要製作?). BBC播出《North & South》第一集後, BBC官方網站留言版被網民的留言塞得水洩不通, BBC有關方面要暫停留言版功能. 這段逸事聽上去充滿喜劇性, 但也反映了《North & South》擊中觀眾心坎的喜悅. 參與《North & South》演出的Richard Armitage與Daniela Denby-Ashe一直默默無聞, 《North & South》卻成為他們的代表作, 甚至有人認為Richard Armitage的演繹足與1995年《傲慢與偏見》(1995) 的Colin Firth看齊. 有份演出的Lesley Manville和Sinéad Cusack亦來頭不少, 都是英國影壇上早已認同的演技實力派. (Lesley Manville曾是Gary Oldman的妻子, 近作是《Another Year》自招麻煩的老姑婆. 而Sinéad Cusack就是《Eastern Promise》中飾演Naomi Watts的母親. 她的丈夫是Jeremy Irons) 前者飾演Margaret柔弱的母親, 後者一反戲路, 以強硬姿態示人.
《North & South》故事架構與Jane Austen的《傲慢與偏見》並無相似之處 (Charlotte Brontë只看過Jane Austen兩部小說, 並狠評Jane Austen沒有才情), 只是男女主角的對立關係, 實在令人想到《傲慢與偏見》的Mr Darcy與Elizabeth Bennett.《North & South》比《傲慢與偏見》優勝之處, 不僅將衝突集中男女對立的關係, 更放到社會層面上. Margaret與Thornton的出身和立場, 注定彼此水火不容: 前者出身上流社會中的知識份子家庭, 同情低下階層, 但觀點過於單純, 難改貴族階層的傲慢; 後者是火速冒起的中產階級, 曾在社會低下層掙扎求存, 比一般財大氣粗的商賈, 更懂得在勞資之間平衡, 但身為商人就不能單純同情工人. 工廠營運偶有不慎, 勞資雙方只會兩敗俱傷. 劇中Mrs Thornton 為此憤憤不平: 「一旦有人努力成為僱主, 其他工人只想將他趕下來」. 可見Thornton這種在Margaret 眼中的「暴發戶」, 空有社會地位, 營商的艱難不足為外人所道, 更要面對各方壓力, 不得不小心翼翼經營.
Thornton也不屑南方人的「怠慢懶惰」, 他心儀的Margaret起初就是捍衛南方精神的人 (幸而她受到父親的良好影響, 對低下階層尚算平等對待). 兩人之間的感情隨爭辯和衝突而緊連在一起: 當Thornton向Margaret示好, Margaret聲稱對方會錯意; 當Margaret 自知對Thornton有所誤解而企圖解釋, Thornton耿耿於懷而疏遠她. 兩人就像磁石一樣互相排斥、相吸一樣. 正如南方與北方在時代巨輪的推動下, 終究會磨合為一體.
Margaret與Thornton的結合與其是出於個人因素, 其實更像時代的縮影. Margaret的父親Mr Hale不服從教會而選擇脫教, 但他的決定顯然忽略了妻子的感受, 以致柔弱的Mrs Hale憂患成疾. Mr Hale的學問在Milton變得無用武之地, 無論商人或工人都認為他的道理不合時宜. Margaret實際上是Hale一家的支柱. 北方樸實的生活使Margaret擺脫了南方的虛浮作風. 回到南方後, 反而不習慣昔日的悠閒生活, 她更向親戚表示自己對南方的社交應酬再提不起勁. Margaret與教父重回故鄉Helstone, 更證明人面全非的事實.
《North & South》對Thornton的著墨更多, 也歸巧於Richard Armitage的細膩演出. 劇集以Margaret的視點出發, 還未定神, Thornton已展現「第一印象」, 讓Margaret/觀眾愕然非常. 隨著劇情的推進, 逐步拆解Thornton背後的不為人知的一二. Thornton與Margaret的配對, 的確有Mr Darcy/Elizabeth Bennett的影子. Mr Darcy與Elizabeth Bennett被傲慢與偏見阻隔之餘, 當中也有惺惺相惜、旗鼓相當的成份. 但Thornton與Margaret的關係, 其實並不對等: Thornton深深為自己的出身而自卑 (如果不是家道中落, 他應該是屬於Margaret前半生置身環境的同類人), 認為像Margaret這樣有教養的女子不會看中自己. 但相比過於主觀而被偏見蒙閉的Margaret, Thornton處世精練, 當機立斷, 甚至有點心狠手辣. Margaret的家庭背景似勝Thornton一籌, 然而在Milton生活的日子, Margaret一家處處不如人, 連僕人都輕視他們的存在.
Margaret的勇敢和直率令Thornton刮目相看, 也因為Margaret是Thornton歷盡滄桑後的理想投射: 強人般的母親是他的榜樣, 妹妹市儈至上, Thornton受到父親生意失敗的教訓, 自然不會選擇為金錢利益而結合的婚姻. Margaret既有Mrs Thornton的硬朗, 亦有著他所景仰的精神世界, 切合他揀偶的條件. 可是Margaret的矜持和偏見, 幾乎斷送兩人原可諒解、繼而發展的機會. Thornton運用自己的權力維護Margaret的清白, 再次面對Margaret時, 一臉寒霜的譴責Margaret, 讓她無地自容. Margaret要離開Milton, 他又表現得難捨難離. 兩人的關係像海浪般此起彼落, 直到Margaret種下好人有好報的善果 ─ 工人Higgins揭開Margaret哥哥的真正身份, Thornton才真正解開心結. 完場前在火車站月台上, Thornton再次表露心跡, Margaret也從心忠於自己的抉擇, 跟隨Thornton「回家」─俗套點解釋, 就是「只要兩人互相扶持, 去到哪裡都是家」.
BBC的《North & South》將原著的精神發揮得比文本更為出色 (劇集的結尾由編劇Sandy Welch杜撰). 難怪能夠像95年《傲慢與偏見》一樣受到觀眾熱愛. Sandy Welch是編劇高手. 07年《勸導》(Persuaion) 和09年《愛瑪》 (Emma) 均出自她的手筆, 處理Elizabeth Gaskell的冷靜、Jane Austen的內斂或跳脫, Sandy Welch都交出成績. 當然演員也是重要一環. 《North & South》、《勸導》和《愛瑪》選用演技紮實的演員. 加上無從置疑的製作水平 (Martin Phipps主理的配樂十分出色) , BBC的「古裝劇集」肯定是質素保證.
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