圣保罗炮艇

三个小时 干点什么不好
但我喜欢这部电影
他们都曾经存在过 在那个时候在那个地方 又自己的原则 面对当时的情况 作出自己的选择
你会愿意 你会有耐心看这个三个小时的故事吗
你的耐心会得到回报的
不要快进 经典需要细心体验

这是中译名。我在社区图书馆胡乱借来。还是依赖英文字幕。
电影长达2小时55分钟。中间还有场休。看前半集，心痛难忍。大哭起来。
百度的介绍说，
“影片以一艘在1925年航向中国的美国炮艇为故事舞台。主人翁贺曼是艇上的海员，喜欢躲在底层的机房工作，不料炮艇驻守中国之后却逼令他跳到甲板上跟各方面的政治和文化压力周旋，复杂的局势发展改变了他独善其身的个性。”
可是，我看到的，是中国人。
苦难，无救，可恶，奴才，忘恩，诬陷……
中国人在电影中的形象让我难过，不是因为歪曲，而是因为真实。

阮次山说，阿扁就是台南小流氓的性格，叫着“来啊，来扁我啊”。
而当美国大兵被三倍于他们的北伐军队包围，北伐军“护送”他们回船时，夹道相送的中国人，个个喊着“洋鬼子，怎么不开枪啦？”“开枪啊，怎么不开枪啦？”反复出现的背景便是如此。

看到美国大兵，叫着“Master”，卑贱的面孔。
看到炮艇演习，拍掌叫好，全然不知道自己的演习的针对对象。
互相倾轧，出卖。
木枘的黄浦学生军，死在原本可以教他们怎么用磨面粉机的人手中。
于是他们开始报复。杀害留下来教他们学习的神父。

只看见仇恨，却未见到自尊。
只看见疼痛，却未见到醒来。

不管怎样，我不要我的祖国再回到那样的场景中去了。再也不要。

一个美国朋友推荐我看此片，另外还有the painted veil,这是看后的回复：

Dear Jim,

Thank you for the movies you lent me. Both are great
movies. But if I were American, I would enjoy it more
because these movies are very American in the way
heroes are defined and made.

But as a Chinese, Sand Pebbles sometimes upsets me
because it seems to make Chinese look like nothing but
mobs who twist situations for their goal (such as the
killing of the pregnant woman). The movie makes it
look like there is less humanity in the Chinese than
in the Americans who are aboard this ship. Chinese at
this time were made to look like intimidating forces
threatening Americans, but one cannot help wondering:
Why is the ship there in the first place? Our
description of history tells us a story much from the
perspective similar to that of Jamerson. Our
collective memory tells exactly the opposite things:
we thought that the foreigners at this time in these
military or polictical missions were provocative, and
are unfairly privileged, and caused us great
sufferings, which jeopardizes the good will and good
work that could have been done, such as teaching and
mission work. And as you recall from Madam Jiang
Kai-shek's article in the Atlantic Monthly, China was
struggling with issue of foreign exploitation at this
time of national awakening.

We thought that is the exploitation and all the unfair
treaties that lead to all the anti-foreign sentiments.
 The movie is very true on this level. Usually the
Chinese governments are quite docile in front of
foreign powers in spite of all their slogans for
national interests (except during Mao's time). It's
the people that can turn against foreigners because
they are frustrated that their governments are not
doing enough to protect them against foreign invasion
or intrusion. I see the same thing here in the US.
All administrations start with China bashing of some
sorts to get votes, but once in power, they went on to
get along fairly well with China. Yet it is the
people who turn against China, Chinese people or
Chinese goods. Unless that changes, the two nations
cannot actually get along with each other. It is
great if the peoples find ways to get along with each
other, because that matters more.

I am a little puzzled that the nationalists government
are turned against the foreigners at this time. I am
not sure if that is true to history, because the close
alliance with the Americans is what the communist
party often faults the nationalists with. And it is
pretty well known later on that the nationalists used
US-armed forces against the communists in the
nationalist-communist civil war. The nationalist
takeover of Nanjing should not have been a cause for
distress for Sand Pebbles. I am wondering if there is
a time in history when the nationalists are against
the US as well. Because the other movie (painted
veil) seems to say the same thing. I need to look
into that. I remember the Pearl Buck book says
something about that as well?

That's a lot of reflections for now. But both movies
are very much thought-provoking. Thanks for sharing
them.

Have a great week!

Berlin