The title and explanations of its meaning
The title is something of a non sequitur in that nowhere in the novel does a postman appear, nor is one even alluded to. The title's meaning has therefore often been the subject of speculation. William Marling, for instance, suggested that Cain may have taken the title from the sensational 1927 case of Ruth Snyder. Snyder was a woman who, like Cora in Postman, had conspired with her lover to murder her husband. It is recognized that Cain used the Snyder case as an inspiration for his 1943 novel Double Indemnity; Marling believes it was also a model for the plot and the title of Postman. In the real-life case, Snyder said she had prevented her husband from discovering the changes she had made to his life insurance policy by telling the postman to deliver the policy's payment notices only to her, and instructing him to ring the doorbell twice as a signal indicating he had such a delivery for her.
In the preface to Double Indemnity, however, Cain gave a specific, and entirely different, explanation of the origin the title for The Postman Always Rings Twice, writing that it came from a discussion he had had with screenwriter Vincent Lawrence. According to Cain, Lawrence spoke of the anxiety he felt when waiting for the postman to bring him news on a submitted manuscript—specifically noting that he would know when the postman had finally arrived because he always rang twice. Cain then lit upon that phrase as a title for his novel. Upon discussing it further, the two men agreed such a phrase was metaphorically suited to Frank's situation at the end of the novel.
With the "postman" being God, or Fate, the "delivery" meant for Frank was his own death as just retribution for murdering Nick. Frank had missed the first "ring" when he initially got away with that killing. However, the postman rang again, and this time the ring was heard: Frank is wrongly convicted of having murdered Cora, and then sentenced to die. The theme of an inescapable fate is further underscored by the Greek's escape from death in the lovers' first murder attempt, only to be done in by their second one.
In his biography of Cain, Roy Hoopes recounts the conversation between Cain and Lawrence, only he extends Lawrence's remarks. He did not merely say that the postman always rang twice, but rather that he was sometimes so anxious waiting for the postman that he would go into his backyard to avoid hearing his ring. It was no good, however, for if the postman's first ring was not noticed, his second one, even from the backyard, would be.
This is the explanation offered in the 1946 film adaptation of the novel.
转自豆瓣同名书籍词条下论坛
第20届法罗岛电影节第4个放映日为大家带来《邮差总按两次铃》,下面请看前线在因果报应中恶有恶报的男男女女的评价了!
果树:
极度失望,全片毫无灵气,只是中规中矩地完成了一部死气沉沉的叙事片。
保嵩:
你说是改编自水浒传,我肯定会信的。
曲有误:
因果报应总会降临,美丽脆弱但又蒙上不可磨灭的阴影
Morning:
早期忽略心理的情节电影,有时是为了一波三折而一波三折的处理,情节就泼出去的水一样,价值很快被蒸发掉,故事缺乏了某些重心,人物更加成为最重要的依靠,这一定程度上给后期的此类电影做了先写人物的示范,不过这部里的几个演员的面相及表演风格现在看来都过于“当下”,并不狡黠,这个故事很像如今网络上的法制民生故事,暗处里有你预感发生的不寻常关系,但影片只是匆匆的交待了情节而已。
Not Here:
情节推动设计好弱,男女主都好造作。看多了这些片子,想吐槽一句异性恋好幼稚哈哈哈哈哈。
子夜无人:
把一个精心设计的犯罪故事讲得如此漂亮,一路推导下去不断展现、放大出来的电影情绪就是“怀疑”。从男女关系之间的至亲至疏到最终发展成为拷问上帝,这种转折居然完成得一气呵成,尤其是被杀死的那个“绊脚石”,作为功能性角色完全可以顺拐式地写得更加恶劣讨嫌,但他真的就只是个乐呵呵的无辜老好人,这种负罪感上的煎熬从一开始就被释放出来,直到他死去之后彻底崩塌倾覆,堆砌成因果循环的怪圈。
我们敏熙:
在庭审戏前不过是千篇一律的妻子勾搭男人谋害丈夫的桥段,但其后剩余的令人惊讶的时长便透露出一些端倪。情感上的不信任与交锋为这个必然的时代限制下恶有恶报的结局增添了情感的色彩,竟摇身一变成了动人的爱情片,最后点题的一席话,其情感深度与神性让人想到《扒手》与《一九五一年的欧洲》。
SONGMJ23:
依旧是典型的好莱坞叙事,了不起的地方在于真正驱动故事发展的不是任何公式化的剧本设计,也不是一味地复现原著,而是导演对男女主关系中每个重要瞬间细致的影像呈现,是镜头下人物本身的能量赋予了故事极强的现实感染力。
FranzCamus:
如果讓Gene Tierney來演女主或許我會更喜歡這部電影。
给艾德林的诗:
要是能不那么黑色戏剧就好了
#FIFF20#第4日的场刊将于稍后释出,请大家拭目以待了。
一开始我觉得故事核心和《双重赔偿》太像了,还抱怨片子没选好,影响阅片体验,结果线路沿着我想不到的方向一开再开。本来我觉得Nick不坑他们一下说不过去,结果Nick还真就是个炮灰。本来我以为故事会转向检察官和律师斗智斗勇相爱相杀,结果他们居然莫名其妙达成了一致。插一句,贵国那年头过失杀人不判刑吗?本来我以为Cora和Frank中途会为了活命或者早有预谋地你来我往互相设计对飙演技,结果都被情绪——Frank被恐惧,Cora被愤怒——牵着走。这走向一般人看不透啊。除了最后五分钟我笃定他俩放下猜疑,皆大欢喜之后会有意外,其他时候一度怀疑我是不是点错了片子,这和邮差敲门有什么关系?原来结尾才点题。
唯一一个符合我思路的就是二人第一次私奔的情节:不等光鲜亮丽的衣服变得褴褛,只要让她在地上走一遭,身上沾些尘土,她就不会再拿安逸换爱情。
若说加缪在看完《邮差总敲两次门》之后受启发写下《局外人》我是绝对相信的。海里游泳敲定互相信任的结局确实是罗曼蒂克的,在此之前,哪一处不让人怀疑人性?结尾Frank坚决不愿以杀害Cora的罪名被判刑更是表明他们之间确存爱情——一种美好的人类感情。敏感的文学家由此故事联想到人生的荒诞,最后缔结出新的意义,是很说得通的。
报应啊~我还是相信报应的~
头戴一项软帽,上身穿着那件曲线毕露的“著名”毛衣,下身一条40年代风行的紧身裤,满脸一副目空一切的表情。在玛丽莲·梦露以前的日子里,简直无人可以遮掩透纳的妖艳。
还是书更好啊。。。以及那些带小朋友来看这片的家长到底是怎么想的?!
杀夫之后的情节过于仓促。邮差总按两次铃,命运无法逃脱。
厨房,厨房的那一幕——堪称影片限界的经典。
起初以为智谋惊悚片,因奸除夫…后发现就俩神经病,看得烦人。前半段表现还趋于正常,只是唐突冒失了些,男主总要在主人跟前做危险动作;中段开始抽疯:女主法庭暴怒、自供、庭审对律师惊咋;后段简直发癫,俩莫名其妙的时好时坏,上句拔枪下句亲密,跳脱得有如剪切不接。哪怕老片不细腻讲究也别糊弄啊
古典好莱坞中的“古典”,一个反奥德修斯的现代案例。和81年尼克尔森那版不同,这一部中绝对且唯一的枢纽是Lana Turner饰演的老板娘。白衣黑衣,黑衣白衣,所有人都围绕着皇后旋转,一切像漩涡般缓慢有力地毁灭着。皇后最终以白衣的姿态死去,但黑衣的Lana Turner呢?
欲望会将你拉近无穷深渊,怎么也无法逃脱。拉娜特纳总是一身素色服装,确实勾引人犯罪啊。
情节层次丰富简单明了,看的不累。话说拉娜·特纳真美真风骚。
让人相信“人在做,天在看”。。。
那个年代的黑色电影中亡命鸳鸯还真多,还是宿命论,非常喜欢最后这句话:这就像你期待的一封急于得到的信一样,你徘徊在门前,生怕会听不见门铃声,你从来都没有意识到他会按两次门铃,上帝就像邮差,他总是按两次铃,你通常都在后院,总要等到第二次按铃的时候才能听见。
粗俗
出来混,迟早要还的
“黑色电影(film noir)”是不是还有个名字叫“祸水电影”?
直到最后才明白片名的意思捏。。。我才知道yellow是胆小的意思啊,以前对coldplay的那首歌意思全理解错鸟
经典中经典啊
我也喜欢女主角
正反打很少,倒是不少侧面双人镜。
Lana Turner的女主角塑造得很好,说真的她和男主角deserve each other,我怎么觉着浪漫呢...结尾并不仓促,但那人命的相互偿还和细节的铺垫相当值得玩味。比起杀了人的“痴情”男女,律师们的嘴脸更是丑恶
2014年一刷,但前半部有字幕,后半部没有,所以没看完。去年刷完给了4星,再刷81版,发现这版缺点太多(多半是法典因素),改成3星(就怕货比货)。拉娜和女主的人设太违和,十指不沾阳春水的派头和装扮,哪儿像个天天在后厨做粗活的老板娘?这一点就很减分。尼克尔森演技太赞,甩加菲一条街。46版过于含蓄晦涩(也是无奈),有些戏剧性的冲突无法呈现,然而不拍出来整个气氛就上不去。