尋找功夫女王 傳說中的明星(下)

She was the first female kung fu star — name above title, said J. Hoberman, a longtime movie critic who now writes about video for The New York Times.

她是第一位女性功夫明星——想當初，她可是相當大牌，資深影評人、目前在爲《紐約時報》(The New York Times)撰寫DVD影評的J•霍伯曼(J. Hoberman)說。

He has fond memories of seeing Ms Mao’s movies on triple bills at Times Square grindhouse theaters in the 1970s.

他還保留着上世紀70年代的美好記憶：他貓在時代廣場(Times Square)的磨坊戲院裏，觀看三場連放的由茅瑛主演的影片。

She basically had one act, which was going from an obedient character to a machine-like avenger, he added.

她基本上總是演這樣的角色：從一個逆來順受的人，變成冷酷無情的復仇者，他補充道。

A lot of people saw her films as feminist statements the same way as Pam Grier films.

很多人都覺得她的電影和帕姆•格利爾(Pam Grier)的電影一樣，是女性主義者的宣言。

Ms Mao’s career coincided with the over-the-top, often impolitic exploitation era in film.

茅瑛的職業生涯恰好與電影史上那個毫無節制且常常不顧政治正確的剝削片時代重合。

The narrator for an American trailer of her 1972 film Hapkido declares: Watch out for the pigtail that whips you up and wipes you out.

在她1972年主演的電影《合氣道》的美國版預告片中，旁白宣稱：小心那條大辮子，它會讓你心蕩神搖，也會把你徹底摧毀…

… Lady Kung Fu: the unbreakable China Doll who gives you the licking of your life.

…功夫女王：堅不可摧的‘中國娃娃’給你好看。

She was born Mao Ching Ying in 1950 and grew up in Taiwan, the third of eight children, to a family of entertainers for the Peking Opera House.

茅瑛原名茅復靜，1950年生人，在臺灣長大，出身於京劇院的藝人家庭，在家中八個孩子中排行老三。

Like her siblings, she started training for the opera at a young age, taking voice lessons when she was 5.

和兄弟姐妹們一樣，她很小的時候就學起了京戲，從5歲開始吊嗓子。

She also studied martial arts, specifically hapkido, rising to the level of black belt — a prowess that later distinguished her from other action stars, who merely choreographed their fight scenes.

她還學習了武術，尤其是合氣道，練到了黑帶水平——這方面的造詣後來讓她從衆多動作明星中脫穎而出。其他人在打鬥場景中通常只是耍耍花架子。

In her 20s, she moved to Hong Kong, where a thriving film industry was based, but she was hardly romantic about it.

二十幾歲的時候，她搬到了電影產業蓬勃發展的香港，但她對電影幾乎沒有任何浪漫幻想。

To be honest, the money was just better in movies, she said.

說實話，拍電影收入更高一些，她說。

I had to support my family.

我必須養家。

Most of the money I made I gave to them.

我把大部分收入都給了家裏。

This is the Chinese tradition.

這是中國人的傳統。

Leading female roles were rare in Hong Kong at the time.

想當年在香港，女性主角還很罕見。

Mr Meyers, the fan who met with Ms Mao at Lincoln Center, is the author of Films of Fury, a comprehensive history of the kung fu movie genre.

在林肯中心見到了茅瑛本人的影迷邁爾斯，是《狂怒電影》(Films of Fury)一書的作者，該書全面記錄了功夫類電影的發展史。

Ms Mao, he said, was the first woman to star in her own action films without having to defer to a male star.

他說，茅瑛是第一位身爲動作片主演且在片中不必屈居男影星之後的女性。

Men ran things, he explained.

男性曾掌管一切，他解釋道。

Hong Kong had lots of machismo then.

當時的香港盛行大男子主義。

Women were considered ‘jade vases.’ They didn’t speak on screen.

女性被視爲‘玉花瓶’。

They were considered decoration.

她們在電影裏通常不出聲，被當成擺設。

When asked about this epithet, Ms Mao snapped, I was never anybody’s ‘jade vase.’

當被問及對這個詞的看法時，茅瑛厲聲說道，我從來都不是任何人的‘玉花瓶’。

She shifted in her seat.

她在座位裏挪動了一下身子。

Moments later, she dispatched her son to tend to a customer she noticed from the corner of her eye.

片刻過後，她打發兒子去招呼她用眼角餘光瞥見的一位客人。