倒计时

《倒计时》讲述的是什么故事？

《倒计时》The story appears simple on the surface, but is revealed, especially after multiple viewings, as more multi-layered and textured than Cassavetes at his best. Ostensibly it concerns a 14-year old Catholic girl, Wynne (Agutter) growing up in this post-modern wasteland, who develops a crush on her much older adoptive brother (Marshall)- a crush which perversely deepens and grows into infatuation once she starts to believe he is the local sex killer. This is in itself an idea that makes you sit up and jolt, but as the narrative develops, it continues not necessarily along a linear path but in several confusing and fascinating directions: the family's history, (detailed effectively in chilling flashback during an improvised seance) is a chequered one, and has suffered at least one major relocation and upheaval in the last ten years.
At the crux, however, it's the depiction of socialal changes that make I Start Counting so fascinating and elevate its language far beyond the confines of the standard horror film. The major subtext- that teenage girls were maturing more quickly than before, and developing full sexual and romantic appetites (even if in thought rather than deed) but were not possessed of enough discretion to make the right choices- was a step forward for a genre in which its young females had previously been portrayed as bimbo victims (Cover Girl Killer and The Night Caller spring to mind), but not one that all viewers would necessarily agree with.
But most striking of all, and possibly the most enduring image which the viewer will take away with them, is of the masterful symbolism with which director Greene invests every shot. Every inch of the Kinch family's world- their house, their walls, their TV, Agutters underwear, bedroom furniture and toys, Sutcliffe's clothes, Marshalls van, the local Catholic church, their town centre, their record shop) - is painted a bright, scintillating white- a white which, by inference, is slowly becoming smudged and corrupted with the dirt of the outside world. White also symbolises, of course, purity and innocence (two qualities Catholic schoolgirls are supposed to hold dear), and it is into this world of innocence that the ever-present red bus (a symbol of violation and penetration), conducted by the lecherous yet similarly juvenile Simon Ward, makes regular journeys. The allegory is further expanded in one scene where Agutter believes she sees the Christ figure in church weeping blood: by the time we acknowledge it, its gone, but the seed has already been planted. Rarely in a genre production has the use of colour and background been so important or effective in creating a uniformity of mood.
I Start Counting is as near-perfect an end to a decade as one could hope for, and exactly the kind of film people should be making now- which is, of course, exactly why they never will. A genre essential.
by D.R. SHIMON@lounge.moviecodec.com

一、《倒计时》是哪一年上映的？

《倒计时》是大卫·格瑞尼于1969年拍摄的一部经典剧情片。此片开创英国当代剧情片的先河，《倒计时》上映时票房稳坐前三，创下当年纪录。当时珍妮·艾加特,布莱恩·马歇尔,Clare Sutcliffe,西蒙·沃德均为最佳主角，珍妮·艾加特,布莱恩·马歇尔,Clare Sutcliffe,西蒙·沃德以精彩演技和突出形象，奠定在英国影坛地位。珍妮·艾加特,布莱恩·马歇尔,Clare Sutcliffe,西蒙·沃德饰演角色造型多年后仍为人所模仿。大卫·格瑞尼之前曾被人怀疑其能力，而《倒计时》却奠定大卫·格瑞尼剧情片风格。《倒计时》首映时曾获海外剧情片和媒体广泛称誉，被认为其优秀程度，是足以与同时期（指1969年代）英国优秀剧情片齐名。

二、被称为剧情片的开先河之作的《倒计时》，是大卫·格瑞尼最好的作品吗？

从大卫·格瑞尼斩获剧情片最佳导演开始，很多观众就觉得这部《倒计时》是他极具代表性的剧情片。虽然大卫·格瑞尼后来还拍出过评价很好的作品，但是《倒计时》依然常被认为是他剧情片创作中的重要代表。

三、《倒计时》为什么可以成为经典？

提起英国，不少观众都会想到《倒计时》的名字。这部由大卫·格瑞尼导演，珍妮·艾加特,布莱恩·马歇尔,Clare Sutcliffe,西蒙·沃德主演的《倒计时》，在当时凭借鲜明的人物塑造和紧凑的剧情片叙事获得了不错反响。正是人物命运、情绪推进和故事节奏之间的相互配合，让《倒计时》在同类型作品中具有较高辨识度，也让观众对其中的情节留下深刻印象。

四、如何评价《倒计时》？

《倒计时》口碑表现稳定，深受广大观众喜爱。不仅珍妮·艾加特,布莱恩·马歇尔,Clare Sutcliffe,西蒙·沃德的表演有看点，而且该剧情片故事情节紧凑，影院2（2.hnttlq.cn）观看起来流畅，同时还能保持较强的剧情吸引力。虽然不同观众对《倒计时》的评价各有侧重，但该片目前的受欢迎程度已经名列同类作品前茅。

五、《倒计时》剧情片的主要内容

《倒计时》是一部剧情片作品，由导演大卫·格瑞尼执导，珍妮·艾加特,布莱恩·马歇尔,Clare Sutcliffe,西蒙·沃德主演。影片围绕主要人物的经历展开，通过人物关系、情节推进和情绪变化，呈现出一段具有观看价值的剧情片故事。

《倒计时》The story appears simple on the surface, but is revealed, especially after multiple viewings, as more multi-layered and textured than Cassavetes at his best. Ostensibly it concerns a 14-year old Catholic girl, Wynne (Agutter) growing up in this post-modern wasteland, who develops a crush on her much older adoptive brother (Marshall)- a crush which perversely deepens and grows into infatuation once she starts to believe he is the local sex killer. This is in itself an idea that makes you sit up and jolt, but as the narrative develops, it continues not necessarily along a linear path but in several confusing and fascinating directions: the family's history, (detailed effectively in chilling flashback during an improvised seance) is a chequered one, and has suffered at least one major relocation and upheaval in the last ten years.
At the crux, however, it's the depiction of socialal changes that make I Start Counting so fascinating and elevate its language far beyond the confines of the standard horror film. The major subtext- that teenage girls were maturing more quickly than before, and developing full sexual and romantic appetites (even if in thought rather than deed) but were not possessed of enough discretion to make the right choices- was a step forward for a genre in which its young females had previously been portrayed as bimbo victims (Cover Girl Killer and The Night Caller spring to mind), but not one that all viewers would necessarily agree with.
But most striking of all, and possibly the most enduring image which the viewer will take away with them, is of the masterful symbolism with which director Greene invests every shot. Every inch of the Kinch family's world- their house, their walls, their TV, Agutters underwear, bedroom furniture and toys, Sutcliffe's clothes, Marshalls van, the local Catholic church, their town centre, their record shop) - is painted a bright, scintillating white- a white which, by inference, is slowly becoming smudged and corrupted with the dirt of the outside world. White also symbolises, of course, purity and innocence (two qualities Catholic schoolgirls are supposed to hold dear), and it is into this world of innocence that the ever-present red bus (a symbol of violation and penetration), conducted by the lecherous yet similarly juvenile Simon Ward, makes regular journeys. The allegory is further expanded in one scene where Agutter believes she sees the Christ figure in church weeping blood: by the time we acknowledge it, its gone, but the seed has already been planted. Rarely in a genre production has the use of colour and background been so important or effective in creating a uniformity of mood.
I Start Counting is as near-perfect an end to a decade as one could hope for, and exactly the kind of film people should be making now- which is, of course, exactly why they never will. A genre essential.
by D.R. SHIMON@lounge.moviecodec.com