則為你如花美眷，似水流年......

則為你如花美眷，似水流年......

In an Artist's Studio

One face looks out from all his canvases,
One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans:
We found her hidden just behind those screens,
That mirror gave back all her loveliness.
A queen in opal or in ruby dress,
A nameless girl in freshest summer-greens,
A saint, an angel - every canvas means
The same one meaning, neither more nor less.
He feeds upon her face by day and night,
And she with true kind eyes looks back on him,
Fair as the moon and joyful as the light:
Not wan with waiting, not with sorrow dim;
Not as she is, but was when hope shone bright;
Not as she is, but as she fills his dream.

- Christina Georgina Rossetti

戀物與自戀──《單身男人》

（我看《單身男人》當然是為了 Colin Firth ，不過坦白說 Colin Firth 欠缺神采，我甚至不認為他夠資格做影帝......)

假如要以一個形容詞概括《單身男人》，那必然是「自戀」。

故事簡單直接：中年教授在同居十六年的同性情人身亡後，頓覺失卻生存意義，寂寞無處排遣，雖然有摯友扶持，身邊也有其他男子出現，仍暗暗決定了結殘生……沒有千迴百轉的相思，沒有切烈的悲痛，也沒有曖昧纏綿的情慾，就是調情、接吻都簡潔、節制，總知一切乾淨，抽離。

影片格局恰如哥連卓夫一身熨貼的西裝，工整得有點過份，劇情比較習作式，包含起承轉合；而美術、攝影、構圖、當然特別是服裝陳設，則全都一絲不苟。影片的美術經營一如 Tom Ford 的時尚觸覺，別具格調且無可挑剔，因此場面亦幾近賞心悦目的超班時尚廣告，對「物」的戀慕俯拾皆是，樹叢中的玻璃屋、平治房車、時鐘、眼鏡、香煙、火機、西裝、領帶、女人的洋裝濃妝與嘴唇，甚至手鎗等等的蒙太奇，優雅簡潔而不俗艷，比男性胴體更具挑逗意味。

當然，Tom Ford 的電影美學亦有獨到之處，他沒有耽於唯美，鏡頭也沒有故弄玄虛，反而傾向低調，以一部初試啼聲的首作來看，一切都算是恰到好處。佐治下課後駕車離開學校，畫面正有點《迷魂紀》的味道，汽車便停泊在一幅巨型的《觸目驚心》海報跟前，女主角珍妮李的半張臉呈海藍色涵蓋了整個畫面，便是異色懾人的一幕，也呼應後來佐治在浴室的一場戲，是別出心裁的致敬。

影片前半段以淡色調拍攝，酷似脫色的六十年代菲林，目的自然是襯託佐治乾涸的内心──只有在與情人阿占相對時，影片的燈光方温潤起來，佐治也才見血色。王家衞的《花樣年華》以現代人的眼光想像六十年代的人情與情慾，色彩瑰麗誇張，《單身男人》在這方面則更貼近當時人的眼光，極力重塑一種更寫實的懷舊。不過這種對時代氛圍的掌握，只停留在視覺上：影片的背景是古巴飛彈危機時期，亦是存在主義流行的時代，影片算是在校園發生，然而美國社會瀰漫的虛無感，其實拍得蜻蜓點水。特別的是，佐治與學生堅尼在海灘夜泳時，因為佐治心態豁然開朗，不但燈光回復活力，演員的氣質神態也脫離了身處的時代，時空儼然忽爾拉到現代，也許是一種永恆的表示。

雖然《單身男人》的重點不是同性愛，甚至不是愛情，就如 Tom Ford 所言，是人所共有寂寞與疏離，然而「情」還是劇情肌理很重要一環，偏偏這亦是影片最弱的地方。正因為 Tom Ford 對畫面鋪排的一絲不苟，及潔癖一般的偏執，佐治與阿占相對的場面便似硬照般生硬拘謹，兩個男人各有各表現自己的魅力，缺乏情感交流，他們邂逅時缺少激情，日常生活的點滴中也不見共渡十六年的溫馨與默契；後來佐治邂逅西班牙美男子、與學生共渡一宵，亦欠缺火花，不覺銷魂，與《魂斷威尼斯》那種焦渴，貪戀，艷羨與執迷，不能同日而語。佐治擁抱的其實是他自己──或許應該說，Tom Ford 只是陶醉於塑造哥連卓夫飾演的佐治，或這個潔淨、矜貴、講究、有教養（假如同時帶點憂鬱）的中年男人形像（一如他自己？）。

影片最動人的，反而是佐治與舊情人夏莉的知心。兩人喝醉後細說前塵，翩翩起舞，他對她體貼入微，是片中最親蜜（intimate）的時光（當然亦暗帶男同志的刻薄：女人？我可以對你溫柔，然而就是不愛你），彼此完全坦誠，兼有一種放任的享樂精神──我必須申報，這並非因為我是女觀衆，而正正因為這一段沒有誘人的小伙子，只有一個失婚婦人，Tom Ford 似乎無須刻意經營演員們的坐姿、方位、表情、語調，正好成就一種自然美。夏莉雖然被身為同志的Tom Ford 刻劃為一個可悲（pathetic）的女人，她的陰性（femininity）卻絕對滋潤了影片。

說起上來，這部同志導演拍的同志戲，竟然不覺陰柔。同性戀本來有自戀的特質：對自身的戀慕，投射到情人身上；《單身男人》的基味，大抵就在自戀。

（連 Ebert 也說，這樣[自戀]的人才不會自殺 such a man will never kill himself 。弔詭的是， Tom Ford 的主角最終未赴黃泉，倒是 Alexander McQueen 先行一步。我就覺得他比較是性情中人，果然......RIP）

（原載香港電影評論學會網頁）

淡極始知花更艷。

淡極始知花更艷。

Tasmania a Wild Peace-land

一到埗，便愛上 Tasmania 。

Tasmania 是澳洲南部的一個島，自成一角，並不是熱門的旅遊地區，我稱之為未被旅遊業污染的世外，保留著它獨有的質樸和粗野，我希望它一直如此，因為它將會是我們日後常到的地方。

I fall in love with Tasmania immediately.

Tasmania is a lovely island in the South of Australia, staying in is splendid isolation from the overwhelming influence of tourism because it is not among the most popular tourist spots. Not just some countryside but a wild land that retains its rusticity and naturalness. I wish it would always retain such beauty because it will be the place we are going to visit from time to time.

有點像電影裡看過的美國西部，天與地連成一綫，一丁點城市氣息都沒有（除了一兩個港口附近比較大規模的市鎮），只有烈日當空、大片的平原、罌粟田、稻麥田、不修邊幅的車道—— Tim 的父親 Moss 特意不走高速公路，好讓我多看自然風景——、路上常會見到被撞斃或野獸噬咬過的動物屍骸，他們稱之為 Road Kills 。 Tim 的父母05年初次來渡假，一見傾心，當即買下一塊地，連同一大片樹林， Moss 親自建了一座小屋（！），每年到那裡小住三兩月。小屋位處山上，面向廣闊的草原和農地，寧靜的 Mountain Roland 座落遠方，守護著這一片風景。屋外鳥聲蟲鳴不絕，晚上還會有野兔、刺蝟、負鼠、沙袋鼠和貓頭鷹四出活動；晚飯後把骨頭丟到屋外，第二天起來已不知所蹤。

Just like the landscapes I saw in some Western movies, there is no trace of city/urban life at all (except perhaps one or two major towns). All that we have are enormous plains, opium fields, wheat fields right below the high noon, alongside the rough and sometimes twisty roads – Tim’s father Moss stayed away from the highways on purpose so that I can enjoy more views - , and road kills are but a casual view you catch every day. Tim’s parents went to Tasmania for the first time in 2005 and fell in love with the place immediately that they bought a piece of land on a hill with a handsome little forest. Moss built a house with his own effort (!) and they travelled down to Tassie for vacations every year. Every morning I woke up to be greeted by a beautiful view of plains, lawns, trees and farmlands with the tranquil Mountain Roland standing at the far end, looking after this beautiful view. The birds’ chirping and the insects’ chanting composed an enjoyable piece of music all through the day and when night fell, little rabbits, echidnas, possums, wallabies and even owls would creep out to enjoy the millions of silver-white stars, if also the food and the bones we left in the bushes, with us.

屋外風景

傍晚（還是清早？），另一景像

屋外的樹林

屋外的樹林

初到埗的黃昏，我們坐在游廊上吃芝士，喝Tim 買的香檳，看日落，我想起普魯斯特在到到巴爾貝克（Balbec）的火車上看到的平靜鄉郊風景。普魯斯特常提到 veranda ，他看海濱少女，他的 Albertine 的地方，我一直當作是陽台，這次去 Tasmania 和 Brisbane ，看過他們的房子，終於知道 veranda ——通常是客廳外有蓋的游廊，在日本房子也常見。有些人家會在游廊封上玻璃窗，變得密不透風，明顯我們並不喜歡那樣做。怎麼捨得把空氣與樹木的氣味，午後的陽光排除在外？在最自然的地方寫作、看書、吃茶、看風景，是我們的 luxury。

We sat at the veranda on the first evening and watched the sunset while enjoying good cheese and Jacob’s Creek rose champagne (which becomes one of my favourite). The view reminds me of Proust’s account of the country views he saw on the train to Balbec. Veranda, veranda is one of Proust’s favorite place in his beloved Balbec where he often settles to look at the shadow of young girls in flower, his Albertine…. Due to my limited experience and exposure I used to imagine a veranda to be something sort of a balcony, only to learn what it is after this trip to Tasmania and Brisbane. Some people like to cover up the veranda with glass windows but Moss and Elsie’s houses all have “open” verandas which are exactly the way Tim and I enjoy. The smell of the air and the bushes and the natural sunlight make it an ideal place for tea, reading, writing or simply being idle.

Tasmania 的氣候變幻莫測，今天萬里無雲，碧日晴空，第二天早上起來卻可以變得濃霧氤氳。那兒的霧卻是清新的，一點不覺霧靄沉沉——或許因為我們身處的地勢高，有一種朦朧的仙氣，那霧濃得觸手可及，四野淡白，美得令人出神。

Weather in Tasmania is capricious, ranging from a chilly cold like the day we arrived to a sweating heat in the day that follows, and one morning after a fine bright day we woke up to find ourselves in the midst of a thick fog gently pervading from the veranda and balcony. Unlike that in London (or in Hong Kong recently) which often conjures up melancholy, the fog - perhaps due to our location in a highland- was light and poetic, and it evokes a celestial lightheartedness.

我們在 Tasmania 住了八天。 Moss 每天駕著一輛七十年代的 Kingswood 汽車，帶我們穿越 Tassie 北部近十個小鎮。 Kingswood 令我興奮的是前座可坐三人，Moss 讓我坐在中間，兩個可愛的男人—— Tim and Moss 在我兩旁， Elsie 則在後排。每個小鎮都有它的特色，規模都很小，只有基本的士多、雜貨店、餐聽，賣日常食品用品，絕對絕對沒有 luxuries 。當然也有一些賣紀念品的店鋪，也有各種古董店，玻璃彩繪店，而且貨品價值不菲，不過你不會見到旅遊城市排山倒海的商業味。

During our 8 days of stay, Moss drove an old Kingswood (which captured me at first sight) to drive us across more than 10 towns in Northern Tasmania. As if in a movies in the 60’s or the 70’s, I was so spoilt they let me sit at the front with two lovely men at both sides, whereas Elsie reigned the back and impressed us all the time with her wits. Moss was a sweet husband he always asked if Elsie is doing fine at the back. Shops are minimal in towns, selling mostly daily necessities and luxuries have absolutely no place here (YEAH). Of course, there are shops selling souvenirs and Moss and Elsie had brought us to some really fascinating novelty shops, murano shops and antique shops where the prices are HIGH, but like I said, there is hardly any disturbing harassment of commercialization and consumerism.

兩老本來有意思把小屋賣掉，已經跟地產商接洽，不過見我玩得這樣興奮，他們說，現在不賣了！

And the most exciting news being, Moss and Elsie has given up their idea of selling this lovely lovely house!

接下來再按圖寫一點點。待續。
To be continued with more stories with pictures.

My Recent Addictions: Incense and Timber

I am a fan of the Kyoto incense store Shoyeido (松榮堂), but am recently addicted to this set of "four season" incense from Tim:

(The Haru one is in my office)

Particularly because the aroma resembles so much those he brought to Brunswick Heads Brunswick heads - yea they are actually produced from the same workshop in Japan.

Not the sort of pure incense like aquilaria agallocha or sandal wood I used to have, they are incenses blended with different sorts of pure essential oils, and the effect is rustic and bohemian. All these formulars are designed by Tim's best friend Sal the Sicilian who runs Perfect Potion.

Haru: This handmade traditional incense blended with pure essential oils of geranium, grapefruit, petitgrain and rosemary captures the spirit of Spring.

Natsu: This handmade traditional incense blended with pure essential oils of aniseed, benzoin, lemon myrtle, rose absolute, palmarosa and ylang ylang captures the spirit of Summer.

Aki: This handmade traditional incense blended with pure essential oils of atlas cedarwood, nutmeg, black pepper, hyssop, coriander, frankincense, fir and lime captures the spirit of Sutumn.

Fuyu: This handmade traditional incense blended with pure essential oils of lavender, juniper berry, sweet marjoram, clary sage, orange, bergamot and sandalwood captures the spirit of Winter.

* * *

And here comes another addiction of Mine: Timber



This little refined timber box was hand crafted by Tim's Dad Moss. I didn't have a chance to ask him the material of it because I picked it up from his workshop in Brisbane after we left Tassie, but I do believe it is blackwood. He is such a timber lover and he has a genuine respect for the craft he would polish all the works to the very extreme.

I have bought a piece of raw Leatherwood in Tassie and when I go back next time, Moss is gonna teach me how to turn it into a bowl or something.

Among all the timber that I know I think I like the scent of Cypress Pine most, but there is so much to learn from Moss in the days to come.

And the little cutting board underneath was made of different Tasmanian timbers.

I am pleased to announce that I am now officially a timber lover.

In Memory of Rohmer@Brunswick Heads

就如同《沙灘上的寶蓮》的開端，我下車打開大閘，我們駛進 Brunswick Heads 的小屋。白色欄栅外便是湖，到埗後的黃昏，我們在湖邊一躺不知多久，看鵜鶘海鷗飛翔、捕食，直到天色漸變猩紅，又轉灰藍，悄悄入黑。湖上有座小橋，過了橋便是海灘，只數步之遙，每天早上換了泳衣跑出去，游泳後赤腳回家，在庭園沐浴，也享受日光的洗禮。晚上到海灘散步，只有我們兩人，靜極了，然海浪聲如嚎；天空清朗，舉頭滿目是星，更可以看到銀河的軌跡，似灑了一層銀白的光，遠處有 Baron Bay 燈塔的點點閃光。他說，第二天一早再來看日出，不料我如常一睡睡到日上三竿——其實日出時有醒來過的，但見他熟睡，不想吵醒他，便又倒頭睡去。他卻說，他也醒來過，看見滿天是雲，不會看到甚麼，而我又睡得呼呼，便沒有喚我。

Just as the opening of Pauline on the Beach, I got out from the car, opened the gate, and we drove in this lovely little house in Brunswick Heads, just a few steps from the lake, with the beach across it. We lay beside the lake in the evening; there, pelicans and seagulls were flying around, picking at their prey from time to time while night was slowly emerging. We walked out every morning in swim suits and came back bare feet after swimming, then enjoyed a shower under the sunlight on the lawn. In utter darkness we strolled to the beach again and lay down: the sky was so crystal clear that millions of stars were visible, even the silver white Milky May, along with the blinking light from the lighthouse in Byron Bay many miles away. We were the only two there, and it was so silent we could hear the waves dashing loudly, loudly. He said we would return in the next morning for sunrise. Turned out I slept in, as usual...I did wake up when the first ray of light was coming out, but seeing that he was deeply asleep, I went back to sleep right away. Yet he said, he got up around that time too, noting that it was so cloudy that we wouldn't see a thing, and that I was soundly asleep, he decided not to wake me.