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学界虽然未必是象牙塔,但人们往往认为是。因此以学界为背景的影视剧很少,毕竟影视剧属于大众文化。大学之外的人们很难理解,有些人就是讲讲课,享受寒暑假,还抱怨收入低。就是他们知道大学中人要做项目写论文申经费,他们也不理解那些活动到底意味着什么,甚至受过大学教育的人也是如此。
回忆一下看过的影视。“少则得,多则惑。”因为看得少,所以有些印象,包括没有完整看的。电视连续剧《围城(1990)》和《半边楼(1992)》看过些片段。《围城》的小说看过很多遍,内容太熟悉。《半边楼(1992)》写陕西某高校的故事,当年感觉一地鸡毛,兴趣不大,虽然那时候我已经是高校教师。电影《死亡诗社(Dead Poets Society, 1989)》很感人,但主人公是中学教师不是大学教师。看过多遍的《老友记(Friends, 1994-2003)》中有位在博物馆工作的博士Ross,是六位主人公中我最喜欢的人物。同样看过多遍的《生活大爆炸(The Big Bang Theory, 2007-2018)》主人公有科学家和工程师等,并涉及他们的职业侧面,虽然比较有限。其他的就是些传记片,似乎不能算学界电影了。
“往者不可谏,来者犹可追。”以后有空除了重新看《半边楼》(或者读该剧本)外,可以找下列英美电视剧和电影看看。
大卫·洛奇的“校园三部曲”我很喜欢,后两部拍成电视系列剧,英国6集系列电视剧《小世界(Small World, 1988)》和4集系列电视剧《美好的工作(Nice Work, 1989)》。电影还有美国喜剧片《录取(Accepted, 2006)》和美国伦理片《教授(The Professor, 2018)》。最新的美国6集系列电视剧《系主任(The Chair, 2021)》。这些我都没有看过,网上找到的剧情简介附在后面。因为来源不同,详略有别。但都有剧透,慎看。
附影视内容简介
Small World(1988)
Small World is a 1988 British television miniseries based on David Lodge's 1984 novel Small World: An Academic Romance. A young academic travels the world attending university conferences, in the hope of finding the woman of his dreams. Structured as six one-hour episodes, its producer was Steve Hawes, and its director was Robert Chetwyn. Howard Schuman wrote the screenplay, in consultation with Lodge. The titles of the six episodes are: * Part 1 - 'April Is the Cruellest Month' * Part 2 - 'The Lady of Situations' * Part 3 - 'Unreal Cities' * Part 4 - 'What Shall We Do Tomorrow?' * Part 5 - 'Throbbing and Waiting' * Part 6 - 'Hurry up Please, It's Time' Each episode opens with Persse McGarrigle speaking into a tape recorder at the underground chapel at Heathrow Airport, for communication to his mentor Professor McCreedy. Stuart Laing has described various changes and simplifications in the transition of the novel to the TV series.
Nice Work(1989)
Dr Robyn Penrose is a lecturer in English at Rummidge University. Vic Wilcox is the Managing Director of Pringle's, an engineering firm in Rummidge. They meet when Robyn is told by her Head of Department to "shadow" Vic as part of Industry Year. They are initially hostile to each other but gradually come to understand each other's point of view.
Accepted (2006)
Going to college is an important role in everybody’s life. Unfortunately, not many people can actually go to college due financial differences and long hours of studying. But what if some students thought in their minds, “What if I created my own college where everyone can learn whatever he/she wants to learn and make accessible for all?” Thus you get the basic premise for the 2006 comedy from Universal Studios “Accepted”. Sure, the movie generates a couple of laughs, but for the most part it feels very predictable. “Accepted” is a comedy that has an audience, mainly students who are in high school, but ultimately is calculable in its production.
The plot of the film involves a young man named Bartleby Gains (Justin Long). He just finished high school, and he is unhappy, as Bartleby has just been rejected from all the major colleges in Ohio. One day, Bartleby comes up with an idea: what if he and his friends started up a fake college, and only they know about it? So Bartleby and his friends transform an old, rundown mental hospital into the South Harmon Institute of Technology (meaning you know what). They even get someone to pose as the dean of the school (played perfectly by Lewis Black). Everything is going fine until almost 300 students show up to the fake college. It also doesn’t help that the neighboring North Harmon campus wants to destroy building so that they can expand their area. Bartleby must find a way to solve this problem and keep his fake college running smoothly so that nothing gets out of hand.
“Accepted” is an okay film. It’s not perfect, and it’s not terrible, it’s just all right. But there are some flaws with the film. First of all, the whole production is average to say the least. The humor that is presented in the film is hit-and-miss, meaning some jokes work and some don’t. Secondly, the pacing of the film was a bit too fast. Then again, you can only put so much for a PG-13 rated movie. But the biggest problem that came to me was with the story. It’s very predictable, especially at the end of the film where Bartleby is making this big speech about how the main purpose of college is to showcase a student’s creativity. Another problem with the story is that most of the jokes are aimed at a high school crowd. That’s fine, but would have worked better if there were some adult material thrown in as well. The bottom line is if the story had not been too predictable and the script had thrown in some adult content, then the movie would have been good.
Now with that said, there are some good things about “Accepted”. The script offers a good “what if” scenario, and they use the idea to the fullest. The characters that the actors and actresses portray are likable, even though some just fall flat, they still do good performances. Finally, the movie knows who its audience is for students in high school. This film will definitely attract to that certain crowd.
In conclusion, “Accepted” is a mixed bag of sorts. On the one hand, you have a comedy that has an audience going for its subject matter, and pretty decent scenario. On the other hand, you get a very predictable film that falls short of its expectations. The movie tries to present itself as an example is going to be like, but it’s more fun and games. If the film tried a more serious approach towards college life, then it would have become a decent drama. But as it stands, “Accepted” is an uneven and predictable comedy.
The Professor (2018)
Richard Brown, an English professor at a New England college, is in the office of his doctor and is told that he has advanced stage 4 cancer of his lungs, which has spread throughout his body and is terminal. His life expectancy is set by the doctor as being six months without treatment, which might be extended to 12–18 months with cancer treatment. Richard is devastated by the news and breaks down.
Upon arrival at home for dinner, Richard decides to tell his wife Veronica and daughter Olivia, but Olivia interrupts and announces that she is a lesbian. Veronica dismisses this as a phase, which causes their daughter to storm out. Veronica then confesses that she is having an affair with Henry Wright, the dean of the college where Richard works. Stunned, Richard does not tell her the truth about his diagnosis.
The next day, Richard starts weeding out the students whom he feels are not truly dedicated to English and reading. He offers everyone a C if they walk out the class as being of no interest to them, leaving him with a small core group of students. He dismisses them saying he is going on a 72-hour bender.
At home Richard and his wife agree to live their lives as they please but discreetly to spare their daughter. Veronica asks to try his drugs thinking they are recreational prescription drugs rather than cancer medication. Olivia arrives home with her new girlfriend and is embarrassed to find both parents drunk and high.
Richard asks his friend, Peter Matthew, his department's chairman, to arrange for an immediate sabbatical. Peter tells him that it is impossible on such short notice but relents when Richard tells him of his terminal illness. Peter says he will try his best to get him the time off work.
Richard vents his frustration to his students and encourages them not to fall into the traps that he has. The students are highly responsive, with one of the students, Danny, later offering Richard some pot brownies and a sexual tryst in Richard's office.
Peter persuades Richard to go to a therapeutic group for people with terminal cancer but Richard walks out calling it a circle-jerk and wishing everyone well with their impending deaths. The two end up in a bar where Claire, one of his students arrives. She tells them she is the dean's niece. Peter goes home drunk but Richard stays with Claire and tells her he has cancer. She invites him to slow dance with her.
Richard's reliance on alcohol and recreational drugs becomes progressively worse. In one instance, he passes out and needs to be hospitalized because of his extreme intoxication. He is told to go to Henry's office, presumably for a verbal warning about his behaviour on campus, but he gets one over on Henry by saying he knows about his affair and that he has broken faculty rules by giving Veronica college funds for her sculptures. Soon afterwards, Richard is told he will get his sabbatical.
At a final seminar, Claire observes from her reading that love is a way to try and know another person. Richard likes this and gives his final words (and grades) to his students, he stresses the importance of seizing one's own existence, acknowledging the fact that we are all going to die, and appreciating the (little) time we have left.
At a faculty dinner, Richard is seated at a table at the back of the room, separate from his wife. Richard eloquently berates the dean, tells his wife that for what it’s worth he loves her, and announces to the whole faculty and families that he is dying, which mildly surprises his wife and the other guests.
At home, Olivia comes in crying since her girlfriend has cheated on her with a boy. Richard comforts her and tells her that he is proud of her, then says he is dying. He decides to leave his home and family for his sabbatical. In the final scene, Richard comes across a fork in the road but decides to take neither and creates an alternative, driving on across a field into the night, with his dog by his side.
The Chair (2021)
Professor Ji-Yoon Kim is the newly appointed chair of the English department at Pembroke University. The first woman chosen for the position, she attempts to ensure the tenure of a young black colleague, negotiate her relationship with her crush, friend, and well-known colleague Bill Dobson, and parent her strong-willed adopted daughter.
"Brilliant Mistake"
At the English department meeting, Ji-Yoon talks to her colleagues about the low enrollments in their courses. The dean tells Ji-Yoon she must remove three members from her department due to low enrollment. Ji-Yoon tells Yaz to combine her lecture section with Elliot's, who is supposed to be chairing Yaz's tenure case. In the combined class, Elliot treats Yaz like a teaching assistant rather than a co-professor. Bill becomes intoxicated after his daughter leaves for college, shows up late for his class, and accidentally shows an intimate video of his deceased wife to the students. The next day, Bill again arrives late to class, then uses the Nazi salute in teaching absurdism and fascism. Some students record this gesture on their phones. Ji-Yoon tells Joan she will file a Title IX report because her office was moved to the basement. Joan gets into a verbal argument with the Title IX investigator. At home, Ji-Yoon's father tells her Ju Ju's teacher wants her to go into therapy for a disturbing picture she drew of Ji-Yoon dying.
"The Faculty Party"
Dafna, the student who gave Bill a ride to school in the previous episode, leaves a pie at his doorstep. Ju Ju scares her new babysitter away, forcing Ji-Yoon to leave her with her father Habi so she can attend the faculty party. Ji-Yoon smokes a joint with Bill outside at the party and then has to deliver a speech, where she impulsively announces Yaz will receive the distinguished lectureship this year. Ji-Yoon's father calls to inform her that Ju Ju is missing. When they find her walking in the town, Ju Ju yells that Ji-Yoon is not her real mother and that Habi is not her real grandfather. Ji-Yoon and Bill take Ju Ju bowling while students start circulating the video of Bill doing the Nazi salute to each other. Bill kisses Ji-Yoon, but she stops him from going any further. He comes to her office the next day to ask her to reconsider, and they see students outside Ji-Yoon's window protesting against Bill.
"The Town Hall"
At the disciplinary proceeding, Bill refuses to write a public apology for the Nazi salute. Instead, he talks to the students, saying he is proud of their dissent. He compares himself to professors who fled Nazi Germany and says the students are misinterpreting what he did. After being asked to apologize, he apologizes for other people's feelings, and the students jeer him and continue to protest. During a discussion about Herman Melville in Yaz and Elliot's class, a student asks about allegations of Melville beating his wife. Elliot refuses to discuss the matter, but Yaz says she will do so in her section. Joan reads her students' poor reviews of her teaching, lights a few reviews on fire, and nearly burns down her office. Ji-Yoon is told the distinguished lecturer will be David Duchovny even though she would ordinarily be the one who chooses the lecturer, and she had already chosen Yaz. Ji-Yoon argues with the dean over the choice, who says the school needs a guest lecturer that will increase enrollment.
"Don't Kill Bill"
Ji-Yoon tells Bill that he is suspended, not allowed on campus, and must write a formal apology. Bill babysits Ju Ju, who's been suspended from school, and they bond while helping each other write apology letters. Ju Ju says she prefers her nickname over her full name of Ju-Hee, even though she was named after Ji-Yoon's mother. Two students meet with Ji-Yoon, concerned that Yaz may not be given tenure and noting that another non-white professor was denied tenure. Ji-Yoon advocates for Yaz to Elliot, which Elliot pushes back on. Yaz leads animated discussions about Melville and Moby-Dick , with Elliot looking on sadly as an outsider. That evening, Elliot shares his sadness with his wife, uncomfortable with the world he now lives in and his aging body. The dean tells Ji-Yoon that Duchovny will teach Bill's class for the rest of the semester. When Ji-Yoon pushes back, the dean reminds Ji-Yoon she should act more like the chair of the department, not like Bill's peer. Yaz criticizes Ji-Yoon's leadership, saying she should not allow Duchovny to teach and should not express more sympathy for Elliot, who has had tenure for decades, than for her. Joan meets with the IT guy to figure out who is posting negative reviews of her online. Joan confronts the negative reviewer outside the library.
"The Last Bus in Town"
Ji-Yoon is asked to make a statement about Bill's Nazi salute. She is also told to disclose if she is romantically involved with him, which she says she is not. Bill takes pills from his late wife's medicine cabinet. He attends Ju Ju's cousin's birthday party with her, gets drunk, and disrupts the traditional Korean doljanchi ceremony. Habi and his family members take Bill home, where Ju Ju helps him complete a Day of the Dead ritual for his late wife, a tradition that honors Ju Ju's biological Mexican heritage. Ji-Yoon goes to visit David and tells him that she already promised the distinguished lectureship to someone else and that his research work is obsolete. Yaz tells Elliot their classes have been merged because he is on the list for forced retirement. Elliot, Joan, and John think Ji-Yoon is only protecting Bill because of her feelings for him and is not looking after the entire department. Yaz tells Ji-Yoon she has accepted a distinguished lectureship at Yale and is interviewing for a job there, as well.
"The Chair"
Joan, John, and Elliott tell the dean they will be giving a vote of no confidence against Ji-Yoon as chair. Bill's attorney advises he take a settlement and move to New York City. The attorneys for the university tell Ji-Yoon she must speak out against Bill. Dafna goes to Bill's home to ask him to read a draft of a book she has written. He sees a newspaper article criticizing Ji-Yoon and goes to visit her. He asks her to move to Paris with him if he agrees to a settlement. They kiss, and she tells him she needs to fire him. He accuses her of not supporting him, and she accuses him of using his wife's death as an excuse for behaving badly. At the hearing, Ji-Yoon tells Dean Larson that firing Bill will not change the underlying culture at the school. She recuses herself from the panel since she recognizes she is not an impartial party. Bill loses the hearing and is kicked out of the university. At the department meeting, Elliott tells Ji-Yoon about their vote of no confidence. The majority votes against Ji-Yoon and she nominates Joan to replace her as chair. Later, we see Joan happily ensconced in the chair's office. Ji-Yoon, back in her role as professor, is happier. Bill tells Ji-Yoon he refused the settlement offer and will fight to get his job back, because he would rather be a teacher than rich. In the meantime, he offers to babysit Ju Ju to make ends meet.
附:已经贴出学界小说丛谈
今朝放荡思无涯—学界小说丛谈之《方方文集·白梦》(非学界故事)
休对故人思故国—学界小说丛谈之《悬空的十字路口》
艰难苦恨繁霜鬓—学界小说丛谈之《方方文集·白梦》(力学家故事)
“我们”与“我”及其超越—学界小说丛谈之《精神隧道(下):心界》
红尘染尽春衫色—学界小说丛谈之《女招商局长》(学界故事部分)
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