FADE INEXT. IOWA LANDSCAPE - DAYRolling green hills, lush farmland, vast open space. Not ahouse or sign of life in sight. On a long dusty road, a TRUCKis driving across the screen. Clouds of dirt follow in itstracks -- its motor, the only sound we hear.
INT. TRUCK - DAYFRANCESCA JOHNSON is sitting in the front seat of the pick-uptruck. Her expression is distant. Her eyes are sad, as ifhiding a burden she can hardly bear. Her husband, RICHARDJOHNSON, is driving.
RICHARDYou feeling better Franny?
FRANCESCAYes. I'm fine. It's just this heat Ithink.
He nods, satisfied. He turns on the radio as the VOICE OFDINAH WASHINGTON sings a bluesy, haunting love song, "I'LLCLOSE MY EYES."DINAH WASHINGTON(SINGS)"I'LL CLOSE MY EYES... TO EVERYONEBUT YOU... AND WHEN I DO... I'LL SEEYOU STANDING THERE..."(CONTINUES)RICHARD(surprised)What station is this?
FRANCESCAIt's a Chicago station. I found itthe other day.
RICHARDKinda pretty. Is this uh... jazzkinda singing?
FRANCESCA(nicely)I don't know. Can we turn it off? Ihave such a headache.
RICHARDSure.
Richard shuts it off. Francesca turns her face away from himto look out at the vast expanse out of the countryside.
EXT. JOHNSON HOUSE - DAYThe truck stops in front of an isolated FARM HOUSE. A woodengate stands twenty yards from the front door. A barn and ahot house sits on either side, surrounded by acres and acresof beautiful pasture.
CAROLYN JOHNSON, a sixteen-year-old girl, steps out from thevegetable garden with an arm full of vegetable. She watchesher parents exit the truck.
Francesca carries her groceries, walking briskly through thefront gate and entering the house.
Richard grabs a bag of feed from the flatbed and strolls moreleisurely. When he walks through the front gate, he noticessomething on the ground and picks it up. It is a BUTTON withRED NATURAL surrounding it. As if it had been torn from apiece of clothing. His daughter approaches him.
RICHARDYour mother isn't feel well. I wantyou to help her out tonight withdinner.
(she nods)Tell Michael to put this feed away.
He puts the feed bag down. She exits. He enters the house.
INT. FRONT HALL - DAYRichard enters the front hall opposite the stairs to thesecond floor. To his left is the living room. To his right,through an archway is the kitchen. He moves towards the stairwhen he suddenly hears the kitchen radio turned on and "I'LLCLOSE MY EYES" continues. It puzzles him. He looks to thekitchen. Francesca is obviously there but we can't see her.
He is about to call to her when his son, Michael, yells:
MICHAEL (O.S.)Dad! You bought the wrong feed!
RICHARD(irritated)What?!
He exits through the house to the back door.
INT. KITCHEN - LATERThe family-- Francesca, Richard, Carolyn and their seventeen-year-old son MICHAEL -- are eating supper. No one speaks.
FRANCESCASo what are you going to do with theprize money?
CAROLYNI don't know. I might save up for oneof those hi-fi stereo players likePeggy has.
Francesca nods. Silence again. She asks her son:
FRANCESCAAre you seeing Betty tonight?
MICHAEL(eating)Nah.
Silence. She is used to her son's one syllable answers.
RICHARDOh! Frannie, is this yours?
He places the button with red material on the table. Hidingher surprise, Francesca takes the button.
FRANCESCAYou found it! I got my dress caughton that damn gate. You must have eyeslike a hawk.
FRANCESCA (cont'd)You must all be tired. You got homeso early. What time did you leaveIllinos this morning?
RICHARD'Bout 4:30.
FRANCESCAWell you should all go to bed early.
I'll do the cleaning up.
This last remark she addresses to her daughter. Everyonereturns to their silent eating.
INT. JOHNSON HOUSE - NIGHTThe house is asleep and dark except for a bright light comingfrom the kitchen. Carolyn quietly exits her bedroom in hernightclothes. She was awakened by noises coming from thekitchen downstairs.
INT. KITCHEN -She enters to find the lights are on. An empty cake pan anda half-used bowl of frosting sitting unwashed in the sink.
She hears the motor of the truck being turned on. She movesto the front hall and looks out through the door to see:
The truck driving away. She calls out:
CAROLYNMom!
But she gets no response. She stands there wondering whereher mother could possibly being going this time of night, aswe -DISSOLVE TO:
THIRTY YEARS LATER - SAME LOCATIONCarolyn, thirty years older, stands in the same doorway ofthe same house thinking back to that evening her mother actedso strangely.
A LAWYER is unpacking a briefcase in the living room off thefront entrance.
Carolyn sees a car with Florida plates driving up to thehouse. She smiles.
从开满蝴蝶花的草丛中,从千百条乡间道路的尘埃中,常有关不住的歌声飞出来.本故事就是其中之一.一九八九年的一个秋日,下午晚些时候,我正坐在书桌前注视着眼前电脑荧屏上闪烁的光标,电话铃了.
线路那一头讲话人是一个原籍依阿华州名叫迈可.约翰逊的人.现在他住在佛罗里达,说是依阿华的一个朋友送过他一本我写过的书,他看了,他妹妹卡洛琳也看了这本书,他们现在有一个故事,想必我会感兴趣.他讲话很谨慎,对故事内容守口如瓶,只说他和卡洛琳愿意到依阿华来同我面谈.
他们竟然准备为此费这么大劲,倒引起了我的好奇心,尽管我一向对这类献故事的事抱怀疑态度.于是我同意下星期在梅得音见他们.在机场附近的一家假日旅馆中寒喧过后,尴尬的局面缓和下来,他们两人坐在我对面,窗外夜幕渐渐降临,正下着小雪.
他们让我作出承诺:假如我决定不写这故事,那就绝对不把一九六五年在麦迪逊县发生的事以及以后二十四年中发生的与此有关的任何情节透露出去,行,这是合理的要求.毕竟这故事是属于他们的,不是我的.
于是我就注意倾听,全神贯注地听,也问一些难以回答的问题.他们只管讲,不断地讲下去,卡洛琳几次不加掩饰地哭了.迈可强忍住眼泪.他们给我看了一些文件,杂志剪页和他们的母亲弗朗西丝卡的一部分日记.
客房服务员进来又出去,一遍一遍添咖啡.随着他们的叙述我开始看到一些形象,先得有形象,言语才会出来.然后我开始听到言语,开始看见这些语言写在纸上.大约到半夜刚过的时分,我答应把这故事写下来-或者至少试试看.
他们下决心把这故事公之于众,对他们不是一件轻易的事.情况很微妙,事关他们的母亲也触及他们的父亲.迈可和卡洛琳承认,把故事讲出来很可能引起一些粗俗的闲言碎语,并且使理查德与弗朗西丝卡.约翰逊夫妇在人们心目中留下的印象遭到无情的贬低.
但是在方今这个千金之诺随意找破,爱情只不过是逢场作戏的世界上,他们认为这个不寻常的故事还是值得讲出来的.我当时就相信这一点,现在更加坚信不疑,他们的估计是正确的.
在我研究和写作的过程中,又要求会见过三次迈可和卡洛琳.每次他们都毫无怨言地到依阿华来,因为他们切望这个故事能得到准确的叙述.有时我们只是谈,有时我们缓缓驱车上路,由他们指给我看那些在故事中占一席之地的场所.
除了迈可和卡洛琳的帮助之外,我以下要讲的故事的依据是:弗朗西丝卡.约翰逊的日记在美国西北地区,特别是华盛顿州的西雅图和贝灵汉作的调查,在依阿华州麦迪逊县悄悄进行的的寻访,从罗伯特.金凯的摄影文章中收集到的情况.各杂志编辑提供的帮助,摄影胶卷和器材制造商提供的细节,还有同金凯的故乡俄亥俄州巴恩斯维尔的老人们意味隽永的长谈他们还记得金凯的童年.
尽管做了大量调查,还是有许多空白点,在这种情况下,我用了一些想象力,不过只是在我作出合理的判断时才这样做.这判断力来自我通过调查研究对金凯与弗朗西丝卡的深刻了解.我确信我对实际发生的事已了解得差不多了.
有一个空白点是关于金凯横穿美国北部的一些旅行的详情.根据随后陆续发表的一系列摄影图片,弗朗西丝卡日记中简短的提及以及他本人给一个杂志编辑的亲笔短笺,我们知道他确实作了这次旅行.以这些材料为线索,我沿着我认为是金凯一九六五年八月从贝灵汉到麦迪逊县的路线作了一次旅行,在行程终了时,我觉得自己在很多方面变成了罗伯特.金凯.
不过,想要抓住金凯其人的本质,还是我写作和研究中最大的难题.他是一个让人捉摸不透的人物.有时好像很普通,有时又虚无缥缈,甚至像个幽灵.他的作品表现出精美绝伦的专业修养.然而他把自己看成是一种在一个日益醉心于组织化的世界中正在被淘汰的稀有雄性动物.他有一次谈到他头脑中时光的"残酷的哀号".弗朗西丝卡形容他生活在"一个奇异的,鬼魂出没的,远在达尔文进化论中物种起源之前的世界里.'
还有两个吸引人的问题没有答案:第一,我们无法确定金凯的摄影集的下落.从他的工作性质来看,一定有成千上万帧照片,却从来没有找到.我们猜想-而这是与他对自己在这个世界是的地位的看法一致的----他在临死前都给销毁了.
第二个问题是关于他一九七五年到一九八二年这段时期的生活.能得到的情况极少.我们只知道他有几年在西雅图靠肖像摄影勉强维持生活,并且继续不断地拍摄皮吉特海峡.此外就一无所知.有一点有意思的是,所有的社会保险部门和退伍军人机构寄给他的信都有他的笔迹写的"退回寄信人",给退了回去.
准备和写作这本书的过程改变了我的世界观,使我的思想方法发生变化,最重要的是,减少了我对人际可能达到的境界所抱有的愤世观.通过我的调查研究结识了弗朗西丝卡.约翰逊和罗伯特.金凯之后,我发现人际关系的界限还可以比我原以为的更加拓展.也许你读这本书的过程中也会有同样的体验.
可这不是一件容易的事.在一个日益麻木不仁的世界上,我们的知觉都已生了硬痂,我们都生活在自己的茧壳之中.伟大的激情和肉麻的温情之间的分限线究竟在哪里,我无法确定.但是我们往往倾向于对前者的可能性嗤之以鼻,给真挚的深情贴上故作多情的标签,这就使我们难以进入那种柔美的境界,而这种境界是理解弗朗西丝卡.约翰逊和罗伯特.金凯的故事所必需的.我知道我自己最初在能够动笔之前就有这种倾向.
不过,如果你在读下去的时候能如诗人柯尔律治所说,暂时收起你的不信,那么我敢肯定你会感受到与我同样的体验.在你冷漠的心房里,你也许竟然会像弗朗西卡一样,发现又有了能跳舞的天地.