The rise and fall of the award-winning white-saviour film

屡获殊荣的白人救世主电影的兴衰

They are making way for films in which non-whites are their own heroes

这些白人救世主电影正在为非白人英雄电影让路

THERE was a time when Hollywood studios didn’t tell any stories about race. Then they did, and for a while, people were satisfied. In 1962, President John Kennedy opined on civil rights in his state-of-the-union speech, and later that year, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Lawrence of Arabia” were released. Off-screen, the civil-rights movement was led by black activists, but as Hollywood became concerned with the plight of African-Americans, Native Americans, Latinos and others, it told stories about benevolent white men (they were usually men) who fought to lift them out of subjugation and poverty. The “white saviour” film was born.

好莱坞电影曾经有一段时间没有讲述有关种族的故事。之后他们开始排种族主题的电影，在一段时间内，人们觉得很满意。1962年，约翰·肯尼迪（John Kennedy）总统在他的国家工会演说中就公民权利发表了意见，同年晚些时候，著作《杀死一只知更鸟》和《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》面世。银幕以外，黑人活动家领导了民权运动，但随着好莱坞开始关注非洲裔美国人、印第安人、拉美人及其他有色人种的困境，它却讲述了友善的白人（通常是男人）帮助有色人种脱离奴役和贫困的故事。 “白人救世主”电影诞生了。

In the 1980s and 1990s, the white-saviour narrative grew so fast in popularity that it quickly became a cliché. There was the white teacher in an inner-city classroom (“The Principal” [1987] and “Dangerous Minds” [1995]); the white coach who helps black athletes realise their potential (“Wildcats” [1997], “Cool Runnings” [1993] and “The Air Up There [1994]); and, taking a page from “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the white lawyer who defends unfairly accused black clients (“A Time To Kill” [1996] and “Amistad” [1997]).

在20世纪80年代和90年代，白人救世主的剧情风靡一时，很快就成为陈词滥调。这时期的电影人物有市中心教室里的白人老师（1987年的《铁腕校长》、1995年的《危险游戏》）；有帮助黑人运动员发挥潜能的白人教练（1997年的《野猫》、1993年的《冰上轻驰》、1994年的《灌篮高手》）；以及与《杀死一只知更鸟》情节相似的为受到不公指控的黑人客户辩护的白人律师（1996年的《杀戮时刻》、1997年的《勇者无惧》）。

These films did not all succeed, but critics and moviegoers appreciated them as earnest attempts to start conversations on race. Over the last decade, however, they have been pejoratively reclassified by critics and activists. If a film depicts non-whites as dependent on whites, the thinking goes, then it reinforces the systems it claims to be fighting.

这些电影并不都是成功的，但批评者和观众赞赏他们开始认真尝试种族话题的行为。然而在过去的十年中，这些电影却被批评者和活动家贬斥了。如果一部电影描绘的是有色人种依赖白人的话，其思想反而强化了它宣称要对抗的体系。

As critics have turned against the white-saviour genre, more movies have shown people of colour acting as their own heroes, like Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” (2014), or in which everyday racism is cleverly dissected, like Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” (2017). “Hidden Figures” (2016) and “12 Years a Slave” (2013), both outright hits, may have featured white saviour characters—played respectively by Kevin Costner and Brad Pitt—but these stars were relegated to supporting less well-known black actors in the lead roles.

由于批评人士反对白人救世主的题材，越来越多的电影向人们讲述有色人种自己当英雄的故事，如2014年艾娃·杜维尼（Ava DuVernay）导演的《塞尔玛》的“Selma”（2014），或者解剖日常种族主义的故事，如2017年乔丹·皮尔（Jordan Peele）导演的《逃出绝命镇》。2016年的《隐藏人物》和2013年的《为奴十二年》虽然作为有白色救世主角色（分别由凯文·科斯特纳（Kevin Costner）和布拉德·皮特（Brad Pitt）扮演）的电影也都大获成功，但这些大明星都成了不知名的黑人演员的配角。

Certainly, fewer white-saviour movies are being made, and the ones that do sneak through are held up to scrutiny. Last year, the seemingly innocuous “La La Land” was the early front-runner for a best-picture Oscar, but after critics complained about the optics of a film in which a white man saves jazz, it lost momentum and eventually the race. This year, two films with the genre’s typical elements came and went with relatively little fanfare. “Wind River” (pictured), the directing debut of Taylor Sheridan, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter (“Sicario”, “Hell or High Water”), is about the murder of a Native American teenager on a reservation in Wyoming. The case is investigated and—spoiler alert—eventually solved by a grizzled Fish and Wildlife Service officer (played by Jeremy Renner) and a green FBI agent (played by Elizabeth Olsen). Financed in part by the Tunica-Biloxi Tribal Nation, the film features prominent Native American characters and actors—including Graham Greene, a member of the Oneida nation—but they are a backdrop to the white actors in every single scene. Despite being well-reviewed, “Wind River” won no Oscar nominations.

当然，白人救世主主题的电影越来越少，那些偷偷制作的电影就会收到严格的审查。去年，看似无伤大雅的的电影《爱乐之城》本来是奥斯卡最佳影片的强劲候选，但当评论家抱怨该电影讲的是白人拯救爵士乐的主题之后，该电影就失势并最终于奖项无缘。今年，有两部改风格的电影上市，但几乎没有大规模的宣传。《猎凶风河谷》（剧照是本文主题头图）是导演泰勒·谢里登的处女作，该导演曾因《边境杀手》和《赴汤蹈火》获得奥斯卡最佳原创剧本提名。该电影讲的是一个原住民青少年在怀俄明州保留区被谋杀的故事。（以下内容有剧透）案件由一名头发斑白的鱼类和野生动物保护局官员（由杰瑞米·雷纳Jeremy Renner扮演）及FBI新人探员（有伊丽莎白·奥尔森Elizabeth Olsen扮演）调查并最终侦破。这部电影的部分内容由图尼卡·比洛克西部落民族组织提供，其中有著名的原住民角色和演员，包括奥奈达族的格雷厄姆·格林（Graham Greene），但他们只是充当每个场景中白人演员的背景。因而尽管该电影广受好评，却也并没有获得奥斯卡提名。

Similarly, the sci-fi comedy “Downsizing” engages in the white-saviour trope through the journey of its lead character, a white-collar midwesterner (Matt Damon) who utilises new technology to shrink himself and live in the luxurious Leisure Land, a micro-community, with others who have “gotten small”. His plans for early retirement change, however, when he sees that the luxuries of his life are propped up by the immigrants who live on the outskirts of town and work menial jobs. He falls in love with one of them, a Vietnamese refugee (Hong Chau), who enlightens him as to the real cost of his bourgeois lifestyle. It’s an earnest, inventive film by Alexander Payne—a frequent Oscar favourite—but after being criticised for its white-saviourism, the film has been ignored by the Academy.

同样，科幻喜剧《缩小人生》也是该类白人救世主主题。由马特·达蒙（Matt Damon）扮演的美国中西部白领是该片主角，他利用新技术使自己缩小，和其他“小人”生活在微缩的奢华休闲地。当他发现自己的奢华生活是建立在郊区移民的卑贱工作支撑起来时，他改变了自己提前退休的想法。他爱上了由周洪扮演的越南难民，也是她让他意识到剥削资产阶级生活的真实代价。这部电影是由奥斯卡常客亚历山大·佩恩（Alexander Payne）的作品，但当该电影因白人救世主主题收到批判后，该电影也与奥斯卡绝缘了。

“Wind River” and “Downsizing” recall an era in Hollywood in which white artists making movies with white characters for white audiences was the norm. That norm is now making room for some much-needed diversity. But that doesn’t mean these films have no value. They raise issues that would otherwise not receive the attention. A film chiefly about immigrant workers would never get the high-profile release that “Downsizing” did. Native Americans are so invisible to much of white society today that many Americans hardly think of them when they think of persecuted groups; there has never been a mainstream film populated entirely by Native Americans. Even the best of the genre, like “The Last of the Mohicans” (1992) and “The New World” (2005), have white protagonists.

《猎凶风河谷》和《缩小人生》是好莱坞历史时期的回顾，那时白人艺术家制作给白人观众看的白人电影是常态。这种常态现今正在为急需的多样性让步。但这并不“意味着这些电影没有价值。这些问题若没有它们提出，根本不会受到关注。一部主要讲述移民工人的电影永远不会受到《缩小人生》那样的关注度。美国原住民对于今天的白人社会几乎是隐形的，以至于人们谈论到受迫害的群体时几乎想不到这群人。主流电影中从来没有一部是完全由原住民出演的。即使是该类型里最好的电影，如1992年的《最后的莫希干人》和2005年的《新世界》里也都有白人主演。

These films may seem antiquated by today’s standards, but they pushed boundaries when they came out. Clearly, white-saviour movies of eras past led to some progress for people of colour. Even better, they provided great roles for actors of colour. “Dances with Wolves” (1990) introduced America to Mr Greene. “The Help” (2011) did wonders for the careers of Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, while “42” (2013) made a star of Chadwick Boseman (next seen in the title role of Marvel’s “Black Panther”). “Downsizing” may yet make a star of Ms Chau, whose dynamic performance is the only thing in the film critics can agree on.

这些电影现在看起来可能已经过时了，但再当时，它们起到了推动边界的作用。显然，之前的白人救世主电影时代推动了有色人种的进步。它们甚至为有色人种的演员提供了很好的角色。1990年的《与狼共舞》让美国人认识了格林先生。2011年的电影《相助》则为维奥拉·戴维斯（Viola Davis）和奥克塔维斯·斯宾瑟（Octavia Spencer）创造了演艺生涯的奇迹，2013年的《42号传奇》则造就了查德威克·博斯曼（Chadwick Boseman，将饰演漫威电影《黑豹》的主角）的明星地位。《缩小人生》则可能让周小姐成为明星，她的表演是该电影中影评人唯一称道的一点。

The two kinds of racial films aren’t mutually exclusive. Voices of colour need to be elevated without ignoring the conversations that “Downsizing” and “Wind River” start. In this time of racial conflict, white people need to be listening, but they also need to be talking to each other, identifying blind spots and examining prejudices. That’s what these movies do. They should be watched and not applauded. They should be made but not lavished with awards. There is nothing wrong with a white-saviour movie, as long as it’s not the only way Hollywood takes on race.

这两种种族的电影不是相互排斥的。有色人种的呼声需要进一步提升，但《缩小人生》和《猎凶风河谷》提到的问题也不应该被忽视。在这个种族冲突的时代，白人需要聆听，但也需要互相交流，找出盲点，审视偏见。这就是这些电影所做的。他们应该被观看，而不是获得掌声。他们应该被制作出来而不是获奖。白人救世主主题的电影只要不是评奖时唯一参赛的类型，这个类型就没有任何问题。

文中影片豆瓣评分排序

《与狼共舞》       8.9分      1990年（豆瓣电影Top No. 250）

《相助》       8.8分      2011年

《阿拉伯的劳伦斯》    8.7分      1962年

《冰上轻驰》       8.7分      1993年

《隐藏人物》       8.6分      2016年

《杀死一只知更鸟》    8.5分      1962年

《爱乐之城》       8.3分      2016年

《勇者无惧》       8.2分      1997年

《42号传奇》      7.9分      2013年

《为奴十二年》    7.9分      2013年

《赴汤蹈火》       7.9分      2016年

《猎凶风河谷》    7.7分      2017年

《最后的莫希干人》    7.6分      1992年

《危险游戏》       7.6分      1995年

《杀戮时刻》       7.5分      1996年

《边境杀手》       7.5分      2015年

《逃出绝命镇》    7.5分      2017年

《灌篮高手》       7.2分      1994年

《塞尔玛》    7.2分      2014年

《新世界》    6.8分      2005年

《缩小人生》       5.5分      2017年

《铁腕校长》       -.-分      1987年

《野猫》       -.-分      1997年