《我是女人》:一部關(guān)于海倫?瑞迪及其成名曲的自傳電影
海倫?瑞迪的經(jīng)典曲目《我是女人》(I Am Woman)可謂是20世紀(jì)70年代女性解放運(yùn)動(dòng)的非官方主題曲。這首歌曾經(jīng)榮登各大排行榜榜首,也讓海倫?瑞迪在1972年獲得格萊美最佳流行女歌手獎(jiǎng)。
現(xiàn)在,《我是女人》這首歌和瑞迪之間的故事被改編為同名自傳電影,從9月11日起可通過視頻平臺(tái)觀看。這部影片由恩朱?穆恩指導(dǎo),由蒂爾達(dá)?格哈姆?哈維飾演海倫?瑞迪,由埃文?彼得斯(曾經(jīng)出演過《美國(guó)恐怖故事》)飾演瑞迪的前夫兼經(jīng)紀(jì)人杰夫?沃爾德,由丹妮爾?麥克唐納(曾經(jīng)出演過電影《帕蒂蛋糕$》和《餃子公主》)飾演瑞迪的朋友兼記者莉蓮?羅森。
“海倫?瑞迪的故事太棒了,她的故事竟然從未被搬上大熒幕。”格哈姆?哈維對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志說,“在看劇本前我就知道《我是女人》這首歌,也聽過海倫?瑞迪這個(gè)名字,但對(duì)她的生平不是非常了解。”
格哈姆?哈維查找了關(guān)于海倫?瑞迪的資料,讀了她的自傳《The Women I Am》,看了她的訪談和表演,直到電影拍攝尾聲才與瑞迪本人見面。為了在電影中更好地捕捉到瑞迪的特質(zhì),格哈姆?哈維接受了關(guān)于聲音和舉止的輔導(dǎo),甚至上了關(guān)于呼吸的培訓(xùn)課,讓自己“像歌手一樣呼吸”。
“在拍攝當(dāng)天我是真唱的,雖然我的歌聲沒有被收錄在影片中?!彼忉尩?。
雖然格哈姆?哈維和海倫?瑞迪同來自澳大利亞,但想要模仿瑞迪講話的口吻并不簡(jiǎn)單。
“她有著那個(gè)年代特有的口音,說話的韻律也很特別,模仿起來非常具有挑戰(zhàn)性。”她說,“雖然我們都是澳大利亞人,但模仿她說話像學(xué)習(xí)另一種口音。”
穆恩在前些年與瑞迪接觸過一段時(shí)間,因此她也能夠?yàn)檠輪T們提供一些幫助。
“在開始創(chuàng)作劇本前,我經(jīng)常和海倫在一起?!蹦露髡f。她們一起散步、吃午飯、旅行。在開始創(chuàng)作劇本后,瑞迪和她的家人與電影拍攝人員們有了很多接觸。
“我想讓瑞迪知道,我們并不是拍一部紀(jì)錄片?!蹦露髡f,“但我也對(duì)她說了:‘海倫,我一定在影片中展示出你的精神、你的過往,以及你的音樂給人們帶來的影響?!?/p>
影片講述了瑞迪在20世紀(jì)60年代作為單身母親前往美國(guó)的故事,在發(fā)表成名曲成為明星前經(jīng)歷了種種困難,以及她與前夫沃爾德之間分分合合的感情。還講述了她與好朋友羅克森之間的故事,羅森是一位定居在美國(guó)的澳大利亞人,她在1969年出版過《莉蓮?羅森的搖滾百科》(Lillian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia)。格哈姆?哈維將電影中兩人之間的友情稱之為“另一種愛情”,拍攝這兩個(gè)女人的故事是“電影拍攝過程中很美好的經(jīng)歷”。
剛好麥克唐納和兩位閨蜜住在一起,特別是在新冠疫情封鎖隔離期間,這是件非常幸運(yùn)的事,因此她對(duì)影片中描述的閨蜜情誼非常能感同身受,
“我很高興能夠看到如此令人震撼的友情可以呈現(xiàn)在大屏幕上,這讓我似乎也看到了自己。從她們之間的友情中我們會(huì)學(xué)到很多,讓自己變得更加成熟。”她說。
由麥克唐納飾演的羅森與她以往飾演的很多角色大相徑庭,雖然過往飾演過的角色也具有女強(qiáng)人特質(zhì)。
“這個(gè)人物是有一定年紀(jì)的,她在那個(gè)階段已經(jīng)想通了很多事?!丙溈颂萍{說。她在過往飾演的角色大多處于走向成熟的階段?!袄蛏徥且粋€(gè)很直率的人,她總是信心滿滿、直言直語(yǔ),她是紐約地下?lián)u滾圈的女王?!?/p>
“她坦率而忠于內(nèi)心,非常了解自己。”她繼續(xù)說道,“在飾演這個(gè)角色時(shí)既覺得有趣又感到害怕,因?yàn)槲矣X得我在嘗試看清一些東西。莉蓮可以洞察一切,而‘我還差得很遠(yuǎn)’。能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)這一點(diǎn)就很有趣,這個(gè)過程也很令人享受?!?/p>
雖然這部電影主要講述了瑞迪在美國(guó)生活中很重要的一段時(shí)期,但整部電影基本由澳大利亞班底拍攝,并且基本在澳大利亞拍攝,僅有幾天是在洛杉磯拍攝。
穆恩生活在美國(guó),而其它拍攝團(tuán)隊(duì)成員也走訪過美國(guó),了解美國(guó)一些特別的建筑和場(chǎng)景。因此他們最終能夠通過各種方式重新打造過往的美國(guó)及某些美國(guó)城市的樣子。
“我們?cè)诎拇罄麃喯つ崤臄z大街小巷、市內(nèi)郊區(qū),試圖打造出一個(gè)美國(guó)的景象。很多美國(guó)人根本不知道這部電影是在澳大利亞拍攝的。”穆恩還補(bǔ)充說道,拍攝中最大的難題是盡量不要穿幫,不要讓人發(fā)現(xiàn)澳大利亞的鳥。“這的確是個(gè)難題。你想要拍出身在洛杉磯的效果,而背景中有一只澳大利亞的笑翠鳥?!?/p>
麥克唐納在美國(guó)定居,經(jīng)常和美國(guó)制作團(tuán)隊(duì)一起工作,對(duì)她而言,在澳大利亞拍攝電影是一種福利?!拔倚哪恐械拿绹?guó)與澳大利亞合二為一了?!彼拿绹?guó)朋友在她在澳大利亞拍攝電影時(shí)拜訪了她?!拔疫^去經(jīng)常在美國(guó)拍電影,但這是我首次在我的家鄉(xiāng)拍攝,我的家人會(huì)來現(xiàn)場(chǎng)看我?!蔽疑钸^的兩種世界混合在一起——生活和藝術(shù)表達(dá)交織在一起,這是如此地特別。
穆恩認(rèn)為瑞迪的生平是很“經(jīng)典的澳大利亞人故事”,很多澳大利亞人心懷夢(mèng)想,背井離鄉(xiāng)來到好萊塢。“她是第一個(gè)這樣做的澳大利亞人,為后來者鋪平了道路。”穆恩說。
演員們認(rèn)為,瑞恩的故事也與當(dāng)今的女性有關(guān)。
“我們應(yīng)該關(guān)注那些女性前輩,她們?cè)?jīng)付出過很多才得到了一定的成就?!备窆?哈維說,“如果不是有像海倫這樣敢于拼搏的女性,就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的‘Me Too’和‘Time’s Up’這樣的行動(dòng),讓我們的生活充滿了可能性。”
“當(dāng)我們回看過去,會(huì)從中學(xué)到很多東西,獲得很多鼓舞?!丙溈颂萍{說,“在我拍攝電影期間,我能夠感受到:‘我更想被人們聽到我的聲音,更想表達(dá)我自己。’”
“我希望影片的觀眾也可以感受到同樣的力量?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
從9月11日起,電影《我是女人》可以在視頻平臺(tái)觀看。
譯者:楊超
海倫?瑞迪的經(jīng)典曲目《我是女人》(I Am Woman)可謂是20世紀(jì)70年代女性解放運(yùn)動(dòng)的非官方主題曲。這首歌曾經(jīng)榮登各大排行榜榜首,也讓海倫?瑞迪在1972年獲得格萊美最佳流行女歌手獎(jiǎng)。
現(xiàn)在,《我是女人》這首歌和瑞迪之間的故事被改編為同名自傳電影,從9月11日起可通過視頻平臺(tái)觀看。這部影片由恩朱?穆恩指導(dǎo),由蒂爾達(dá)?格哈姆?哈維飾演海倫?瑞迪,由埃文?彼得斯(曾經(jīng)出演過《美國(guó)恐怖故事》)飾演瑞迪的前夫兼經(jīng)紀(jì)人杰夫?沃爾德,由丹妮爾?麥克唐納(曾經(jīng)出演過電影《帕蒂蛋糕$》和《餃子公主》)飾演瑞迪的朋友兼記者莉蓮?羅森。
“海倫?瑞迪的故事太棒了,她的故事竟然從未被搬上大熒幕。”格哈姆?哈維對(duì)《財(cái)富》雜志說,“在看劇本前我就知道《我是女人》這首歌,也聽過海倫?瑞迪這個(gè)名字,但對(duì)她的生平不是非常了解?!?/p>
格哈姆?哈維查找了關(guān)于海倫?瑞迪的資料,讀了她的自傳《The Women I Am》,看了她的訪談和表演,直到電影拍攝尾聲才與瑞迪本人見面。為了在電影中更好地捕捉到瑞迪的特質(zhì),格哈姆?哈維接受了關(guān)于聲音和舉止的輔導(dǎo),甚至上了關(guān)于呼吸的培訓(xùn)課,讓自己“像歌手一樣呼吸”。
“在拍攝當(dāng)天我是真唱的,雖然我的歌聲沒有被收錄在影片中。”她解釋道。
雖然格哈姆?哈維和海倫?瑞迪同來自澳大利亞,但想要模仿瑞迪講話的口吻并不簡(jiǎn)單。
“她有著那個(gè)年代特有的口音,說話的韻律也很特別,模仿起來非常具有挑戰(zhàn)性?!彼f,“雖然我們都是澳大利亞人,但模仿她說話像學(xué)習(xí)另一種口音?!?/p>
穆恩在前些年與瑞迪接觸過一段時(shí)間,因此她也能夠?yàn)檠輪T們提供一些幫助。
“在開始創(chuàng)作劇本前,我經(jīng)常和海倫在一起?!蹦露髡f。她們一起散步、吃午飯、旅行。在開始創(chuàng)作劇本后,瑞迪和她的家人與電影拍攝人員們有了很多接觸。
“我想讓瑞迪知道,我們并不是拍一部紀(jì)錄片?!蹦露髡f,“但我也對(duì)她說了:‘海倫,我一定在影片中展示出你的精神、你的過往,以及你的音樂給人們帶來的影響?!?/p>
影片講述了瑞迪在20世紀(jì)60年代作為單身母親前往美國(guó)的故事,在發(fā)表成名曲成為明星前經(jīng)歷了種種困難,以及她與前夫沃爾德之間分分合合的感情。還講述了她與好朋友羅克森之間的故事,羅森是一位定居在美國(guó)的澳大利亞人,她在1969年出版過《莉蓮?羅森的搖滾百科》(Lillian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia)。格哈姆?哈維將電影中兩人之間的友情稱之為“另一種愛情”,拍攝這兩個(gè)女人的故事是“電影拍攝過程中很美好的經(jīng)歷”。
剛好麥克唐納和兩位閨蜜住在一起,特別是在新冠疫情封鎖隔離期間,這是件非常幸運(yùn)的事,因此她對(duì)影片中描述的閨蜜情誼非常能感同身受,
“我很高興能夠看到如此令人震撼的友情可以呈現(xiàn)在大屏幕上,這讓我似乎也看到了自己。從她們之間的友情中我們會(huì)學(xué)到很多,讓自己變得更加成熟。”她說。
由麥克唐納飾演的羅森與她以往飾演的很多角色大相徑庭,雖然過往飾演過的角色也具有女強(qiáng)人特質(zhì)。
“這個(gè)人物是有一定年紀(jì)的,她在那個(gè)階段已經(jīng)想通了很多事?!丙溈颂萍{說。她在過往飾演的角色大多處于走向成熟的階段。“莉蓮是一個(gè)很直率的人,她總是信心滿滿、直言直語(yǔ),她是紐約地下?lián)u滾圈的女王?!?/p>
“她坦率而忠于內(nèi)心,非常了解自己。”她繼續(xù)說道,“在飾演這個(gè)角色時(shí)既覺得有趣又感到害怕,因?yàn)槲矣X得我在嘗試看清一些東西。莉蓮可以洞察一切,而‘我還差得很遠(yuǎn)’。能夠發(fā)現(xiàn)這一點(diǎn)就很有趣,這個(gè)過程也很令人享受?!?/p>
雖然這部電影主要講述了瑞迪在美國(guó)生活中很重要的一段時(shí)期,但整部電影基本由澳大利亞班底拍攝,并且基本在澳大利亞拍攝,僅有幾天是在洛杉磯拍攝。
穆恩生活在美國(guó),而其它拍攝團(tuán)隊(duì)成員也走訪過美國(guó),了解美國(guó)一些特別的建筑和場(chǎng)景。因此他們最終能夠通過各種方式重新打造過往的美國(guó)及某些美國(guó)城市的樣子。
“我們?cè)诎拇罄麃喯つ崤臄z大街小巷、市內(nèi)郊區(qū),試圖打造出一個(gè)美國(guó)的景象。很多美國(guó)人根本不知道這部電影是在澳大利亞拍攝的?!蹦露鬟€補(bǔ)充說道,拍攝中最大的難題是盡量不要穿幫,不要讓人發(fā)現(xiàn)澳大利亞的鳥。“這的確是個(gè)難題。你想要拍出身在洛杉磯的效果,而背景中有一只澳大利亞的笑翠鳥?!?/p>
麥克唐納在美國(guó)定居,經(jīng)常和美國(guó)制作團(tuán)隊(duì)一起工作,對(duì)她而言,在澳大利亞拍攝電影是一種福利。“我心目中的美國(guó)與澳大利亞合二為一了?!彼拿绹?guó)朋友在她在澳大利亞拍攝電影時(shí)拜訪了她?!拔疫^去經(jīng)常在美國(guó)拍電影,但這是我首次在我的家鄉(xiāng)拍攝,我的家人會(huì)來現(xiàn)場(chǎng)看我?!蔽疑钸^的兩種世界混合在一起——生活和藝術(shù)表達(dá)交織在一起,這是如此地特別。
穆恩認(rèn)為瑞迪的生平是很“經(jīng)典的澳大利亞人故事”,很多澳大利亞人心懷夢(mèng)想,背井離鄉(xiāng)來到好萊塢?!八堑谝粋€(gè)這樣做的澳大利亞人,為后來者鋪平了道路。”穆恩說。
演員們認(rèn)為,瑞恩的故事也與當(dāng)今的女性有關(guān)。
“我們應(yīng)該關(guān)注那些女性前輩,她們?cè)?jīng)付出過很多才得到了一定的成就?!备窆?哈維說,“如果不是有像海倫這樣敢于拼搏的女性,就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的‘Me Too’和‘Time’s Up’這樣的行動(dòng),讓我們的生活充滿了可能性?!?/p>
“當(dāng)我們回看過去,會(huì)從中學(xué)到很多東西,獲得很多鼓舞?!丙溈颂萍{說,“在我拍攝電影期間,我能夠感受到:‘我更想被人們聽到我的聲音,更想表達(dá)我自己。’”
“我希望影片的觀眾也可以感受到同樣的力量?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng))
從9月11日起,電影《我是女人》可以在視頻平臺(tái)觀看。
譯者:楊超
Helen Reddy’s “I Am Woman” was the unofficial anthem of the women’s liberation movement in the 1970s. It was a chart-topping hit that earned the singer a Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female Grammy award in 1972.
Now the song and Reddy’s story are at the center of a new biopic, I Am Woman, which will be available to watch via video on demand Sept. 11. Directed by Unjoo Moon, the film stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey as the singer, Evan Peters (American Horror Story) as Reddy’s former husband and manager Jeff Wald, and Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$, Dumplin’) as Reddy’s friend, journalist Lillian Roxon.
“It’s such an extraordinary story. I was just so shocked that a movie hadn’t been made about her,” Cobham-Hervey tells Fortune. “Before I read the script, I knew the song ‘I Am Woman’; I knew the name Helen Reddy, but I did not know much about her life.”
Cobham-Hervey, who only met Reddy toward the end of filming, researched the singer by reading her autobiography The Woman I Am, looking up materials online, and watching old interviews and performances. She also worked with voice and movement coaches to make sure she captured the right energy while portraying Reddy on film, even taking a lesson with a breathing coach “to breathe like a singer.”
“I sang live on the day, even though my [singing] voice isn’t in the film,” she explains.
Though Cobham-Hervey is Australian, just like the singer, imitating Reddy’s speech patterns wasn’t the easiest task.
“She has such a particular accent of that time and such particular rhythm to her voice that in some ways, that was very challenging,” she says. “It really felt like doing an accent even though we’re both Australian.”
Moon, who had spent time with Reddy in previous years, also served as something of a resource to the actors.
“I spent a lot of time with Helen even before we started writing the script,” says Moon, adding that they’d go for walks, get lunch together, and that she was able to join Reddy during something of a revival tour. Once the scriptwriting process began, Reddy and her family left it to the filmmakers.
“I was really able to let her know that I wasn’t going to be making a documentary,” Moon says. “But I did say to her, ‘Helen, I absolutely promise you that I will honor the spirit of who you are, the life that you have, and the impact that your music has had on people.’”
The film details Reddy’s move to the U.S. as a single mother in the 1960s, the struggles she encountered before recording her hit tune and becoming a star, and the volatile relationship she had with Wald. It also depicts her friendship with Roxon, a fellow Australian living stateside and the writer of the groundbreaking Lillian Roxon’s Rock Encyclopedia, which was published in 1969. Cobham-Hervey describes the friendship as “the other love story” in the movie, saying that doing the scenes involving the two women was a “l(fā)ovely part of the filmmaking experience.”
Macdonald, who happens to live with two of her “best girlfriends”—which she describes as a lucky situation amid pandemic-related lockdowns and quarantines—feels the same way.
“I love that we get to see how impactful friendships are on-screen and what it does for us, and how we learn and grow from them,” she says.
For Macdonald, playing Roxon was something of a departure from her other roles, even though those parts have also involved portraying strong female characters.
“She’s a little older, so she kind of just seems to have it a little bit more figured out,” Macdonald says, adding that other characters she’s played often seem to be on a journey of growth. “With Lillian—she has it in spades. She was confident, she was outspoken, she was kind of the queen of the underground New York rock music scene.
“She really just kind of owned it, owned herself, knew herself,” she continues. “And that was fun to play and also kind of scary to play because I still feel like I’m trying to figure it out. Lillian just seems like she knows it all, and I’m like, ‘I’m still not there yet.’ But it was fun to bring that out and just relax into it.”
Though the film follows a significant period of Reddy’s life in the U.S., it is very much an Australian production through and through—and was filmed in Australia as well, with the exception of a couple of days in Los Angeles.
Moon has lived in the U.S. herself, and other members of the filmmaking team had also spent time there and grown familiar with particular architecture and settings, so they were ultimately able to find ways to re-create previous eras of the U.S., as well as certain cities.
“We pretty much shot through all the streets and suburbs of Sydney, Australia, to re-create America. It’s interesting because a lot of Americans have no idea we shot in Australia,” Moon says, adding that one major obstacle—though the crew found ways to cut around them—involved Australian birds. “I mean that was super annoying. Because you’re supposed to be in Los Angeles and suddenly you’ve got a kookaburra in the background.”
Making the movie in Australia was something of a treat for Macdonald, who has been living in the U.S. and working on American productions. “My America and my Australia collided,” she says, while mentioning that her American friends visited her while she was on set in Australia. “I’m only used to filming in the States. So this is the first time filming at home, and my family was on set. It really felt like a melding of my two worlds—life was imitating art there for sure, and it felt special.”
Moon describes Reddy’s story as “quintessentially Australian,” pointing to Australians who leave home and go to Hollywood with big dreams. “She was the first and paved the way,” Moon says.
It’s also a story that has relevance to women today, the actors say.
“I think it’s a really important thing to just look back at the women that came before us and celebrate all that they did,” says Cobham-Hervey. “I don’t think that we’d have things like the Me Too movement and the Time’s Up movement if it wasn’t for people like Helen who fought for things that have made my life possible, the way it is today.”
“It’s kind of amazing to see our past and our history and learn from it,” says Macdonald. “I felt inspired. When I was doing the film, I was like, ‘Yes, this makes me want to be vocal. This makes me want to speak up.’
“I hope that people get that feeling out of it.”
I Am Woman is available to watch on VOD starting Sept. 11.