仁心与冠冕

As far as a sociopath goes, Louis D’ Ascoyne Mazzini (Price), the 10th Duke of Chalfont, is not entirely a disagreeable person, although, you might not want to be associated with him at all events, his murderous intent is motivated by accountable vengeance, and he simply wants what is his birthright, only the rub is, there are precisely eight prior dukedom candidates still breathe the same air like him, with which he is bent on doing away.

This Ealing studio’s Edwardian dark comedy is most renowned for the gimmick that Sir Alec Guinness plays all the 8 toffs bearing the D’Ascoyne names (ranging from fop, banker, clergyman, admiral to a suffragist dame) who would one by one, obliviously or not, all too facilely reduce to Louis’ victims, though some of the characters are rather sketchy, Guinness is distinctly pleasurable in donning different garbs, accoutrements and cosmetics, braving his characters’ repetitive pending perdition, again and again, without batting an eyelid.

But the backbone of this morbid affair is irrefutably rooted in Louis, and Price acquits himself superbly with an impeccable layer of politesse, even if when it comes to blows, yet, wearing his heart tangibly on his sleeve, every cunning pensée, every flickering of trepidation or concealed elation, is registered in perfect modicum, and his cool, calm and collected guise is almost too delectable and very nearly, blots out the repugnant aftertaste of the death-dealing practices his Louis perpetrates with cold-blooded precision and aloofness (if not at all practical or plausible).

While the overall performance from the cast defers rigorously to the deadpan seriousness borne out of unalloyed British dignity, which is tonally apposite for a comedy with a darker spine, its pungent irony thrusts deeper into the frothy surface, as we are all led to believe that Louis, who is introduced in the beginning as an inmate on the death row, gets his comeuppance for his dastardly acts, the reveal is that he is indeed wrongfully sentenced for a crime he didn’t actually commit (by his peers in the House of Lords, no less), and moreover, he can get away with that in the eleventh hour if he connives to exact another dispatch which transmutes his solitary derring-do to a folie à deux with his mistress Sibella (a throaty Greenwood is not mincing words to be a faux-naif but with a lethal difference), who outfoxes him for her own social-climbing scheme, they make an adorable pair!

Finally, waffling between his demure wife Edith (a high-toned Hobson) and Sibella, Louis suddenly apprehends that his seemingly brighter future is hanging by a thread as the confessional memoir he minutely composes has been mislaid in the prison cell, and open to anyone who might discover it. This cunningly ambiguous coda is delivered as a timely curveball to a satirical sophistication making the most of the contrast between the prim and proper demeanor and the vile and egocentric ego, a deathless treat for those who consider murder quite a laughing matter in the medium of fiction.

referential entries: Henry Cornelius’ GENEVIEVE (1953, 6.9/10); Alexander Mackendrick’s THE LADYKILLERS (1955, 7.7/10).

无他，想记录下Louis对Sibella说的那番话：

“我会说你身上完美结合了一切不完美的特征，我会说你的鼻梁有点太短，你的嘴有点太宽，但你的面容，是一个男人只有在梦中才能窥到的美景；我会说你自负自私、残忍虚伪，我会说你讨人喜爱，

我会说你是Sibella。”

这段电影台词甚至和毛姆《面纱》里的著名句子有些异曲同工。

只不过无论是Sibella还是Louis都是欲望胜于一切的人物，这一点点真心在荣华富贵面前便一文不值了。讽刺的是，算计来算计去，到最后，两人既没有仁心，也没有冠冕。

本来以为今年看过最好的喜剧片莫过于《贼博士》，谁知横空炸出了这部《仁心与冠冕》，巧合的是两部影片的主演都是同一个人——亚力克·基尼斯，然而在本片中的卖相可以说是英俊优雅迷人的典范，而仅仅是6年后1955年的《贼博士》里，却是极尽猥琐可憎卑鄙于一身。论演技当属《贼博士》中的凶狠骗子更胜一筹，而本片胜在情节的跌宕起伏，而演员并未发挥出角色本身的多面性。

故事讲述了贵族家庭之女爱上了一个意大利穷歌手并与之私奔，家族不仅和他们断绝关系，她和儿子路易斯的公爵身份也都被家族剥夺，前半生穷困潦倒的路易斯发誓要向本家——德·阿斯科尼家族——报复，杀掉每个在他封爵之路上的绊脚石。然而，就在他如愿以偿被封为公爵同时公布于贵族女子婚约的消息时，一桩莫名其妙的谋杀罪名悄悄找上了他......

整部影片以临终回忆录的形式叙事，公爵从穷屌丝白手起家，凭借自身才华和努力慢慢改善生活，但强烈的复仇愿望和对荣誉的野心令他改变初心，除了谋杀第一个人的时候尚且心怀愧疚，之后手法日渐娴熟且毫无压力。结尾一波三折简直精彩到拍案叫绝，同样也许是时代局限性，本来可以是开放式的暗黑结局被染上了天网恢恢疏而不漏的光明色彩。

《仁心与冠冕》的喜剧效果在于本来是残忍的连环至亲谋杀，在一心盯在公爵宝座的路易斯眼中只是为母申冤、为己讨回公道，于是全片沉浸在了一种小人物讨小聪明求大利益的欢快气氛中，杀人仿佛是计谋得逞的附加条件，明亮的色彩和凶手的智谋给影片涂上了犯罪喜剧的荒诞氛围中，而随着路易斯越接近上流社会、举动的优雅和行动的残忍也同步增强，也讽刺对上流社会的虚伪行径。观众看着残忍的凶手假扮成彬彬有礼的绅士，其实就是在看跳梁小丑的过程。最可笑的是，罪行累累的路易斯最后却被污蔑了另一桩杀人案而定罪，何其荒谬离奇！

路易斯第一次出现在观众面前时，是警官进屋前从猫眼窥视这位公爵，这位即便在监狱中也保证穿着得体丝绸在身的公爵以奋笔疾书的背影出现在观众面前，也预示着我们只能从一个角度观察这位公爵。如同影片全片为我们展示的那样，我们只能看到路易斯每一次谋杀近乎离奇的顺利、他的举止谈吐优雅尊贵不同凡人，如同那个背影一样。这是维持本片黑色幽默的关键，也是一个弊端，就是对几乎谋杀了整个家族的路易斯心理刻画过于单薄，人物形象不够立体。

看绅士淑女撕逼比看普通老百姓吵架有意思的多，彼此都知道在玩心机，却还要在言语上维持尊严，行动上也不会让自己成为大庭广众之下的笑柄，格调之高让人喜爱。在双方一言不合就将公众甚至法律玩弄于股掌之中时也是一大亮点，英伦式的克制简直是犯罪喜剧片的春药。最后，一白一黑两位女人的等待也颇令人回味，走向白衣贵族，人生无非复仇得胜后的伪装，等待良心的复苏；走向黑衣情妇，互相握有把柄，却能让未来更刺激有趣。

片中出现了路易斯家族的族规：仁心比冠冕重要，信仰比贵族血液重要。这句箴言就像一把利剑，刺穿了这个家族的真面目。让我记忆尤甚的是贵族中的一个女公爵，以女权运动为己任，利用热气球逃脱警察追捕后，却恰好给了路易斯射箭谋杀的机会。这已经不是不分青红皂白的立场，这位女权主义者明显被一名男性饰演（有可能之前被杀的几个人都是同一个人饰演的），这种反差也烘托了那个时代男性对女权主义者的黑化和蔑想。