---- Subtitled by @londreterreando ----

英文字幕由@londreterreando 提供

As a filmmaker, Christopher Nolan always wants to walk a fine line.

電影導演諾蘭敘事手法向來精準

If there's one fundamental theme that suffuses his entire filmography

若要說有項主題貫穿他所有作品

is that cinema, as a shared narrative,

那便是，電影除了集體敘事的功能外

can be a hugely powerful cultural force.

也能對文化帶來無比衝擊

I'm far from the first to notice

許多人先前便提過類似觀點

or mention that many of his films

我絕非首位

reference film itself that, for example,

他在電影裡頭常提及電影

the Inception team bears a strong resemblance to a film crew.

《全面啟動》造夢小組便像是電影拍攝團隊

But interestingly, though a lot of his work

不過最有趣的一點是

could be called metacinematic,

他在許多作品裡大玩後設手法

Nolan is extremely careful

但他又極其謹慎

about avoiding metacinematic images in his work.

避免讓觀眾觸及後設影像

For example, in the established Batman continuity,

舉例來說，《蝙蝠俠》漫畫裡的布魯斯．韋恩一家人

Bruce Wayne and his parents are out to see

原本外出觀看的是電影《蒙面俠蘇洛》

"The Mask of Zorro" film

原本外出觀看的是電影《蒙面俠蘇洛》

before the faithful double murder

不料遇襲導致雙親俱亡

that incites the Dark Knight's whole saga.

黑暗騎士的故事就此開展

In Batman Begins, however,

不過在《開戰時刻》裡

Nolan's retelling of that origin:

諾蘭卻更改場景

the Waynes are out to the opera "Mefistofele" instead.

將電影改為歌劇「Mefistofele」

That change is a purposeful one.

他接受訪問時表示

As Nolan has said in an interview:

這樣的變動有其用意

(Narrator reading)

「之所以不讓年幼的韋恩看電影，是因為電影裡的人物觀看電影與漫畫人物看電影不同，會對觀眾帶來解構效果，這是我們試圖想避免的。」

The reason Nolan tries to avoid this

諾蘭之所以極力避免解構效果

is because over and above everything,

是因為在他的電影裡

his cinema has always been about immersion,

他總試圖讓觀眾沉浸其中

bringing you into a story so fully

讓觀眾全心投入於故事裡頭

that the edges disappear

分不清真實與虛構

and you're carried along by the narrative momentum.

隨著情節發展心情為之起伏

This is the line that Nolan wants to walk;

這便是諾蘭試圖達成的手法

he wants to be immersive and metacinematic at the same time.

他想在「沉浸」與「後設」間取得巧妙平衡

In other words, he wants to hide in plain sight.

換句話說，「魔力就藏在平凡裡」

Hiding in plain sight is essentially the subject matter

這正是諾蘭第五部作品的主題

of Nolan's fifth film and my favorite,

這部片也是我心頭最愛

"The Prestige".

那便是《頂尖對決》

You could almost call this film meta-metacinematic

你幾乎可說這部片是「後設之王」

in that it functions as a kind of rule book

精彩演繹出「後設」的真義

for how to achieve this immersive effect

用諾蘭自己的話來說

without seeming deconstructionist to use Nolan's words.

那便是「在解構與沉浸間遊走自如」

Just take the first sequence.

以電影第一個片段來說

The first thing you see is the film title over a mysterious shot

你先是看到電影片名

of several misled top hats in the woods.

背景是神秘黑色高帽散置於樹林裡頭

The text here is, of course, the title card.

這裡的文字當然是片名

But, if you know the film,

不過若你看過這部片

you know that this text also has a literal function,

便知道這些文字也有功能

because these hats are the prestige of the prestige itself.

因為後頭的黑帽，正是片中「化腐朽為神奇」的體現

The second clue is in their number:

第二個線索在於帽子的數量

doubles, copies, multiplicity.

雙面、複製、多重性

It's the key to understanding the tricks of this film,

這對於破解該片魔術極為重要

and this is echoed in the second shot as well,

而第二個片段再次呼應

with bird cages full of identical canaries.

鳥籠裡的金絲雀，每隻看來都極為相仿

From here, Michael Caine's character goes on to describe

接著，米高．肯恩飾演的角色開始敘說起

how a magic trick works.

如何施展魔術

"Every magic trick consists of three parts or acts:"

「每個魔術都包含三個部分」

The pledge, the turn and finally, the prestige.

以虛代實、偷天換日，以及化腐朽為神奇

The sequence carefully sets up the film's own pledges,

藉著兩位主角吉爾與波登過招

that is Borden and Angier,

分別由休傑克曼與克里斯汀貝爾飾演

played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, respectively,

導演慢慢地建立起本片「以虛代實」的招數

illustrating its method through Michael Caine's voice-over

同時透過米高肯恩變魔術給小女孩看的口白

and his trick for the little girl.

道破魔術箇中神秘

But the film is playing its own tricks here, through editing.

但本片卻透過剪輯手法施展魔力

But the film is playing its own tricks here, through editing.

但本片卻透過剪輯手法施展魔力

Where is this voice over coming from?

到底這口白從何而來？

Usually in film, a voice-over means

一般來說

someone commenting on the events being shown

電影口白通常是某人敘說先前情節

from sometime in the future.

電影口白通常是某人敘說先前情節

When the scene ends,

但當該片快結束時

it cuts to the courtroom scene of Borden's murder trial

卻接回波登謀殺受審一案

picking up the last phrase,

米高肯恩這段口白

as if Michael Caine's whole explanation was testimony.

如今聽來像是法庭供詞

It's not until the very end of the film

直到片尾，我們才恍然大悟

that we learn that the bird trick with the girl

原來一開始小女孩觀看的金絲雀消失魔術

is chronologically the last moment in the film.

竟然是故事的結尾

Nolan reverses the temporal relationship

諾蘭顛倒時序

between the voice-over and the scene under it.

重組口白與場景

And this kind of displacement is the key mechanism

這樣的時空錯置手法

for the whole movie.

正是全片玄機所在

"The Prestige" is all about a trick

「化腐朽為神奇」的關鍵

that moves its object through time and space instantaneously.

在於超越時空限制

This is exactly what all film editing does.

這正是電影剪輯的效果

Most of editing cuts between short distances and continuous times,

大多數的剪輯手法，連接的場景空間相近

indeed with a simple cut.

時間也相當緊密

That's what most people expect.

這符合多數人觀影期待

But that same simple cut can traverse great distances also

但這樣簡單的剪輯手法，卻也能穿越距離藩籬

and great lengths of time in either direction.

打破時間界線

Nolan has described learning the power of this

諾蘭自述說道

by watching Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line",

他在觀看泰倫斯·馬利克執導的《紅色警戒》後，體驗到這手法威力無窮

in which Malick cuts to memories simply

馬利克在片中隨意跳接記憶

without blurs or fades or wavy lines

全片看不到模糊、淡出或波紋技法痕跡

and the powerful effect this can have on a viewer.

卻帶來無比觀影震撼

"The Prestige" exploits this power to the extreme,

諾蘭在《頂尖對決》將這種技法發揮到淋漓盡致

cutting between multiple different nested memories.

不斷跳剪記憶片段

Nolan sets up this device with Borden and Angier's journals.

他先以吉爾與波登閱讀日記建立起這種手法

But once these devices are established,

等到觀眾熟悉這套模式後

he cuts between the narratives, at will, and without warning.

他便開始隨心所欲地跳接劇情

In this way, "The Prestige" demonstrates

如此一來，《頂尖對決》體現電影獨樹一格的能力

a unique capacity of film

如此一來，《頂尖對決》體現電影獨樹一格的能力

without compromising the audience's suspended disbelief.

卻又不致破壞觀眾的想像力

The complex narrative structure is totally subservient

不論多複雜的故事情節

to the story Nolan wants to tell.

諾蘭都能精準掌控

It's necessary to keep its twist secret

謎團何時揭曉

until the film wants to reveal them.

一切導演說了算

This is Christopher Nolan's great gift as a filmmaker.

諾蘭不愧是天才型的導演

He's so in tune with the dynamics of film narrative

對於說故事的技法嫻熟無比

that he can construct the plot with so much forward momentum,

他能編出一段引人入勝的情節

that even when he gives you all the clues

就算把所有線索都擺在眼前

you remain at his mercy until the very final shot.

你還是會被耍得團團轉，直到片尾真相大白

Now, if this was the only lesson of "The Prestige",

光是這一點

I'd be satisfied in calling it a great film.

我已心滿意足、大讚《頂尖對決》是部好電影

But there's one scene here easily missed

但依我所見，有個片段大家很容易忽視掉

that adds a final important point.

但對於全片卻極其重要

- He killed him. - What?

他殺了小鳥 -什麼？

- No, he killed him.

他殺了小鳥

- See? He's alright. He's fine. Look at him.

-你看呀？小鳥沒死，還在這呢

- But where's his brother?

那他哥哥去哪了？

You can watch "The Prestige" and enjoy the story for what it is.

看《頂尖對決》時，你可以盡情享受裡頭的精彩情節

That's what Nolan wants for us;

諾蘭想要我們沉浸投入其中

he wants us to be amazed.

他想讓我們感到驚艷

And as the film itself says, most of us want to be fooled.

如同片中所說，大多數的人只想被矇騙

But all films, even one as tightly wound as this,

但所有的電影作品，包括這部精心打造的傑作在內

invite a probing eye as the boy sees into the bird trick.

都值得我們細細探索，如同小男孩看穿小鳥何以消失

We can see into cinema.

我們也能探究電影本質

We're accustomed to taking most editing for granted,

對於大多數剪輯手法，我們早已視為理所當然

but the way stories are told,

不過，如何述說故事

the tools of any storytelling medium

如何運用各式技法說故事

in large part determine the way we construct our own memories,

常影響著我們如何組建自己的記憶

shared or personal.

不論是集體或個人的記憶都是如此

This is all to say that studying film doesn't kill its magic.

也就是說，細細探究電影不但無損於電影魅力

It feeds that magic back

反而能滋養我們真實的世界

into the real world.

反而能滋養我們真實的世界

Hey, everybody. Thanks for watching.

大家好，感謝收看

And thank you again to Squarespace for sponsoring this video.

也要謝謝Squarespace

I am just really fortunate to have Squarespace

我很幸運得到Squarespace的贊助

hoping to funding this channel

得以繼續這個頻道

like everybody out there who is pledging on Patreon,

就像所有小額捐款

allowing me to put all my energy into just making new videos,

都讓我得以全心投入、無後顧之憂

which is all I want to do and I think makes for the best possible content.

能夠專心製作新的影片，這是我想做的事，也希望做到最好

And Squarespace is actually really great.

Squarespace真的很不錯

If you don't know it's like sleek professional intuitive looking websites.

非常專業、時髦的好用網站

We don't have to no coding to make one.

不必知道如何編碼就能做出漂亮的網站

And you can get a free domain if you sign up for a year.

加入一年會員可以得到免費網域

Get start that trial today at Squarespace.com.

在squarespace.com可試用

It's a free trial,

免費的喔

and if you use the offer code "nerdwriter",

使用代碼「Nerdwriter」

you can get 10% off of your first purchase.

首次消費可打9折，試試Squarespace吧

Thanks guys. See you next week!

感謝收看，下禮拜見！