參選奧斯卡最佳外語片,廣電總局挑中誰?

The question that hounds every major Chinese film director was asked of Jiang Wen at a news conference earlier this month in Beijing. Mr. Jiang and his business associates had organized the event to generate buzz over the upcoming "Gone with the Bullets," a gangster film set in 1920s Shanghai that is a follow-up to "Let the Bullets Fly," the top earner in the Chinese film industry four years ago.

本月初，姜文和他的商業合作伙伴們在北京舉辦了一次新聞發佈會，爲他即將上映的電影《一步之遙》造勢。這是一部以20世紀20年代的上海爲背景的黑幫片，是四年前位居中國電影票房之冠的《讓子彈飛》的續集。在發佈會上，姜文被問到一個問題，這個問題困擾過中國的每一位著名導演。

The question, of course, had to do with a certain gold-plated statuette that gets handed out every year on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. A film from mainland China has yet to win one, and Chinese officials are eager for the cultural validation that an Oscar brings.

當然，這個問題與大洋彼岸每年頒發一次的奧斯卡小金人有關。中國大陸的影片從未獲得過奧斯卡獎，中國的官員們渴望通過該獎獲得文化上的認可。

"As far as I know, for a film to compete for an Oscar, it needs the recommendation of the country's film bureau," Mr. Jiang said at the news conference on Sept. 1, according to Chinese news reports. "You can compete for an Oscar only with that recommendation. I can't decide that. Or should I make the recommendation for them? I'm not sure whether they would mind that."

中國的新聞報道稱，9月1日姜文在新聞發佈會上說，“據我所知，奧斯卡需要電影所在國的主管部門推薦。電影局要是推薦，你就能去。我可做不了主。我倒是希望推薦，但是他們不一定聽我的。”

Mr. Jiang then turned to officials from the national film bureau who were sitting in a front row.

然後姜文把頭轉向了坐在前排的電影局官員。

"How about just sending us?" he said with some mirth. "Who else could represent China at the Oscars?"Among observers of the Chinese film industry, two other films have been mentioned as possible contenders to be an official Oscar entrant from China this year or next: "Coming Home," directed by Zhang Yimou, arguably the most famous Chinese director; and "Wolf Totem," directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, a Frenchman. Each year, China's sole entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film is selected by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, which regulates the Chinese film industry.

“要不推薦我們吧？”他笑着說道，“要不誰代表咱們中國去呢？”中國電影業的觀察者們提到了另外兩部影片，認爲它們有可能在今年或明年成爲中國官方推薦的奧斯卡參賽影片：一部是中國最著名的導演張藝謀執導的《歸來》；另一部是法國導演讓-雅克·阿諾(Jean-Jacques Annaud)執導的《狼圖騰》。中國每年唯一能參加奧斯卡最佳外語片獎評選的影片是由中國國家新聞出版廣電總局挑選的。

Critics of the Chinese film system say the selections are capricious and hobbled by censorship restrictions. Last year, the widely praised "A Touch of Sin," directed by Jia Zhangke, was never allowed by the film bureau to be released in Chinese theaters, presumably because of its depictions of violence and economic disparities in contemporary China. That meant, of course, that China did not submit it as an Oscar entry, and a World War II drama, "Back to 1942," directed by Feng Xiaogang, was chosen instead.

中國電影體系的批評者們稱，這樣的挑選很隨意，而且受到審查制度的限制。去年，賈樟柯導演的《天註定》獲得普遍讚揚，但是中國電影當局不允許該片公映，可能是因爲它描述了當代中國的暴力事件和經濟兩極化。當然，這也意味着中國不會推薦該片角逐奧斯卡，而是選中了馮小剛導演的“二戰”影片《1942》。

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, says that to be eligible for the category of Best Foreign Language Film for the award given in 2015, a film must have been shown for seven consecutive days in a theater between Oct. 1, 2013, and Sept. 30, 2014, and the submission of a single film must be made by Oct. 1, 2014.

頒發奧斯卡獎的美國電影藝術與科學學院規定，2015年奧斯卡最佳外語片獎的參選資格是：必須於2013年10月1日至2014年9月30日期間在影院內連續上映七天，必須在2014年10月1日前提交。

Of the three films mentioned recently as potential contenders, the only one that has been released so far is Mr. Zhang's "Coming Home," which had its worldwide premiere at the Cannes Film Festival last May and features Gong Li, Mr. Zhang's longtime collaborator. Mr. Jiang's film is expected to be formally released in China before the end of this year, and Mr. Annaud's film probably will not be released until early 2015, though there is a chance it could be shown before the new year.

在最近提到的三部可能參選的影片中，目前唯一上映的是張藝謀的《歸來》，該片今年5月在戛納電影節上舉辦了全球首映，主演是張藝謀的老搭檔鞏俐。姜文的電影預計今年年底在中國正式上映，阿諾的影片很可能要到2015年初才上映，不過也有可能在新年前上映。

Mr. Zhang has long been a favorite filmmaker of the Communist Party and is known in China as much for directing the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as for his formidable cinematic oeuvre, which includes "Red Sorghum," "Ju Dou," "Raise the Red Lantern," "To Live" and "Hero." But the Oscar for Best Foreign Film has long eluded Mr. Zhang. His 2011 film, "The Flowers of War," starring Christian Bale as a con man turned reluctant hero in wartime Shanghai, was an official Oscar entry from China, but it got little love from film critics in the United States. In the Oscar race, it did not even make the shortlist of nine films in the Best Foreign Language Film category, from which five nominees are selected.

張藝謀長期以來是中國共產黨最青睞的導演，他在中國的名氣不僅源於擔任2008年北京夏季奧運會開幕式的導演，而且源於他令人驚歎的電影作品，包括《紅高粱》、《菊豆》、《大紅燈籠高高掛》、《活着》和《英雄》。不過他一直與奧斯卡最佳外語片獎無緣。他2011年的影片《金陵十三釵》是中國官方推薦的奧斯卡參選影片，克里斯蒂安·貝爾(Christian Bale)在片中扮演戰時上海的一個騙子，後來變成了一個不情願的英雄，但是美國的電影評論家們不喜歡這部影片。在奧斯卡角逐中，它甚至沒能入選最佳外語片類別的入圍名單，入圍名單上的九部影片中會產生五部提名影片。

At Cannes this year, a Chinese reporter asked Mr. Zhang about his "Oscar complex."

在今年的戛納電影節上，一位中國記者在採訪張藝謀時問起了他的“奧斯卡情結”。

"If you take a look at all my interviews in the last decade, you'll see that what I have said on this has never changed," he said, according to an article in Guangzhou Daily. "The right to recommend Oscar entries is not in my hand. You have a script and feel it could be a winner, but a year later when you've finished the shooting, how can you ensure that Sapprft will recommend you?"

根據《廣州日報》的報道，當時張藝謀說，“你把這十年的訪談拿出來看，這個話題我說的都沒變過。奧斯卡的推薦權，不在我手上。你拿了劇本，說這個能得獎，等你拍出來，第二年了，你怎麼肯定廣電總局就推薦你？”

"There is only one chance — that is you finish it well, then luck strikes and you are recommended," he said. "Then luck strikes again, and five out of nine, you're among the Oscar finalists. Then only when luck strikes again can you win. You need three lucky strikes in a row."

他說：“只有一種可能，就是你拍完了覺得不錯，然後運氣很好，你被推薦了，然後你運氣更好，九進五，你進了名單，運氣再好，你才能拿，你這是要連中三元啊。”

"Coming Home" is a love story set in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, as a husband and wife try to rekindle their relationship after a long separation and the emotional trauma of one of modern China's darkest periods, one that is often addressed only obliquely in historical material by the Chinese Communist Party.

《歸來》講述的是“文革”後的一個愛情故事。一對夫妻在現代中國最黑暗的一段時期長期分離，情感遭受創傷，“文革”結束後想要重續前緣。“文革”通常只在中國共產黨的歷史資料中被隱晦提及。

In an email interview, Shelly Kraicer, a film critic and festival programmer who until recently lived in Beijing, said the view of history reflected in Mr. Zhang's latest film conformed with official norms, and so the film could well get the Oscar nod from the film bureau.

電影評論家、電影節策劃人謝楓(Shelly Kraicer)在郵件採訪中說，張藝謀最新影片中體現的歷史觀與中國官方的基調一致，所以該片很有可能獲得電影局推薦申報奧斯卡獎。謝楓曾在北京居住，前不久才離開。

"Given Zhang's film's obvious consonance with the CCP's current line — history is something to be celebrated when it reflects on the glory of the party, but is something to be ignored and buried to the extent that it questions the CCP's legitimacy — and also given Zhang's (distressingly long-legged) continuing reputation in the West as one of China's prime name-brand cultural exports, I wouldn't be at all surprised if ‘Coming Home' ends up being China's official Oscar entry," Mr. Kraicer said.

“張藝謀的電影明顯與中共目前的路線一致——歌頌中共輝煌歷史的要多宣傳，質疑中共正當性的要忽視和掩藏——而且張藝謀在西方的長久聲譽（長得讓人有點憂慮）是中國最重要的文化出口品牌，所以如果《歸來》最後成爲中國官方推薦的奧斯卡參賽影片，我一點也不會感到意外，”謝楓說。

Another prestigious film whose producers are aiming to capture a wide international audience is "Wolf Totem," based on a popular contemporary novel by Lü Jiamin, who writes under the name of Jiang Rong. The novel is a commentary on the settled nature of Chinese civilization and its weaknesses, in contrast to the robust culture of nomads roaming the vast Asian steppes. The protagonist is an ethnic Han intellectual who lives among Mongolian herders in the northern grasslands during the Cultural Revolution.

另一部呼聲很高的影片是《狼圖騰》，該片的製作人們意在吸引國際觀衆。它是根據姜戎（原名呂嘉民）的當代同名暢銷小說改編的。這部小說把中華文明與遊蕩在廣闊亞洲草原上的遊牧民族的強悍文化進行對比，講述了中華文明的固有本質與弱點。主人公是“文革”時期與蒙古族牧民一起生活在北方草原上的一位漢族知識分子。

A main backer of the project is China Film Group, the largest state film production and distribution enterprise. The choice of Mr. Annaud as director was an interesting one, given that he had previously directed "Seven Years in Tibet," which portrays the friendship between an Austrian climber, Heinrich Harrer, and the 14th Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 due to the Chinese occupation.

這部影片的一個主要投資方是中國最大的國營電影製作和發行公司——中國電影集團。選擇阿諾擔任導演的決定很有意思，因爲他之前導演過《西藏七年》，這部影片講述的是奧地利登山運動員海因裏希·哈勒(Heinrich Harrer)和十四世達賴喇嘛之間的友誼，後者在1959年中國政府實際控制西藏後逃離了那裏。

Mr. Annaud and other people involved in the film held a news conference in Beijing on Aug. 29. No date has been announced for the film's release, though La Peikang, chairman of China Film Group, said at the news conference that it might not happen until early 2015, around the Lunar New Year. Depending on release dates, "Wolf Totem" could end up vying with "Gone with the Bullets" to be China's Oscar entry next year.

8月29日，阿諾和該片的其他工作人員在北京舉辦了一個新聞發佈會。該片的上映日期尚未公佈，不過中國電影集團董事長喇培康在發佈會上說，該片可能會在2015年初春節前後上映。從上映日期看，《狼圖騰》可能會和《一步之遙》競爭明年的奧斯卡選送影片。

"I think there is a big possibility that this film will bid for the Oscar next year," Mr. La said, according to a report in Guangzhou Daily. "The rules state that each country can send only one film, and in China that final selection is made by the film bureau. Which film will it pick in the end? I don't know, but I am hopeful about ‘Wolf Totem.' And since ‘Wolf Totem' is a joint production by China and France, it could represent not just China but also France in vying for the Oscar. That is to say, ‘Wolf Totem' has two chances to go to the Oscars."

據《廣州日報》的報道，喇培康說，“我認爲這部影片很有可能申報明年的奧斯卡。但根據規定，一個國家只能申報一部。在中國，具體申報的影片是由電影局決定的。最終電影局會選擇哪一部，現在我沒法回答。但是我覺得《狼圖騰》是很有希望的。因爲《狼圖騰》是中法合拍片，所以不僅可以代表中國選送奧斯卡，也可以代表法國。也就是說《狼圖騰》有兩個報送奧斯卡的可能性。”

The film has a built-in audience in China since the book has sold five million copies there, and perhaps double that if counting pirated copies. Total book sales outside of China are in the six figures.

可以預見該片在中國會有龐大的觀衆羣，因爲這本小說在中國銷售了500萬冊，如果把盜版書也算進去的話，這個數字可能還會翻倍。這本小說在國外的銷量也達數百萬冊。

"My own sense is that the film is likely to do very well in China, based on the popularity of the book," said Jo Lusby, managing director of Penguin Books China, which has foreign rights to the novel. "For all concerned in the movie — the local film company, the publishers, the author — the main priority though was to make a movie that would cross over and become a mainstream success internationally."

“我個人感覺這部電影很可能會在中國大賣，因爲原著小說很暢銷，”企鵝（北京）諮詢有限公司的董事總經理周海倫(Jo Lusby)說。該公司擁有這本小說的海外版權。“對於當地電影公司、出版社和作者等所有和這部電影有關的方面來說，最重要的是拍攝一部能夠跨越大洋、在國際主流世界獲得成功的影片。”

Despite the movie's potential global appeal, Isabelle Glachant, a French producer who works in China, said she would be surprised if Chinese film officials selected "Wolf Totem" to be the official Oscar entry, since "many countries only propose films that have been directed by their national directors."

儘管這部電影有可能吸引國際觀衆，但是在中國工作的法國電影製片人伊莎(Isabelle Glachant)說，如果中國電影局選擇《狼圖騰》作爲官方推薦的奧斯卡參賽影片，她會感到意外，因爲“很多國家只推薦本國導演執導的影片”。

"Knowing how China decides on their submission, somehow I doubt that they will ask a French director to represent China," she said.

“我知道中國是怎樣決定選送影片的，但是不知怎麼，我猜他們不會讓一個法國導演去代表中國，”她說。

Weighing the chances of Mr. Zhang and Mr. Jiang, Ms. Glachant said she believed Mr. Zhang was a more probable choice, since Mr. Jiang's "Let the Bullets Fly" was "a big political question mark for the authorities," given the many ways in which viewers interpreted the film, an allegory set in pre-Communist China. She also pointed out that Mr. Jiang had been "banned from acting and directing at a point of his career," referring to his fate after he presented his second feature film, "Devils on the Doorstep," at Cannes in 2000 without official permission. The film, a farce about a Chinese village during the closing days of World War II, won the Grand Jury Prize there.

在估量張藝謀和姜文的入選機會時，伊莎女士認爲張藝謀的機會更大，因爲姜文的《讓子彈飛》“對當局來說是個巨大的政治問號”，因爲該片是一個寓言故事，以共產黨統治之前的中國爲背景，觀衆用很多方式來解讀它。她還指出姜文“一度被禁止進行表演和導演”——她指的是2000年，他未經官方許可在戛納電影節上展映自己的第二部長片《鬼子來了》之後的遭遇。《鬼子來了》講述的是“二戰”末期一箇中國農村的鬧劇，獲得了戛納電影節評審團大獎。