The Pursuit of Love《追爱》

尤安·富兰克林

Many of the best period dramas are social satires， beautifully disguised. Nancy Mitfords interwar classic The Pursuit of Love goes further： mirthfully and tragically dismantling the very idea of love among the British upper classes. Relic actor Emily Mortimer writes， directs， produces， and stars in this new BBC adaptation， which feels much more liberated than the regular output of stiff， Austenian scenarios.

Were between the World Wars， following the lives of the sensibly shy Fanny （Emily Beecham） and her passionately extroverted best friend Linda （Lily James）. As teenagers， they discuss their romantic fantasies of bagging1 the Prince of Wales or the local farmer： their imaginations confined to the family manor， Alconleigh. Once their adolescence reaches adulthood， they pursue more realistic options—but Linda never lets go of her fairytale perceptions of love.

The very English social fears ripple through， but the lavish Jazz Age atmosphere spills with cocktails and parties and a rockin soundtrack. Mortimer pursues a more modern， sexy， and freewheeling style： painted with entertaining freeze frames and calligraphic titles2， skirting3 the likeness of a Baz Luhrmann film.

But unlike Luhrmann， Mortimer doesnt dance enough in that world and creates a scattered pace that arbitrarily brakes and accelerates. Some characters are even left stranded4 at the side， with little context around them. The series wouldve benefited from another episode， just to dwell in that company for longer and understand them better.

Lily James （The Dig） plays the fun and flighty5 Linda， who is， by far， the most open and radiant member of the Radlett family. Fanny narrates her life， dictating Mitfords funny and delectable prose. Their friendship is the stuff of dreams， an unbreakable bond that endures so many aches and never falters. But Linda doesnt fully appreciate that， choosing instead to ‘aspire to true love， the kind which only comes once in a lifetime and lasts forever.

These unreasonable aspirations engender relationships with a stuffy conservative （The Crowns Freddie Fox）， a serious socialist （Creation Stories6 James Frecheville）， and a Parisian playboy （Call My Agents Assaad Bouab）. Its easy to mock Linda， especially considering the grown-up company around her， but you cant help but fall in love with her childish ideals.

James carries Lindas anxieties beautifully， keeping a perfectly composed face in front of others but often breaking in their absence. She has a frustrating yet infectious energy， which spreads to her friends and family—even her comically traditional and furiously xenophobic7 father （brilliantly played by Dominic West）.

Jamess sunny limelight is almost stolen by the glorious Andrew Scott， who plays the attractively eccentric Lord Merlin. Hes Linda and Fannys first encounter with the bohemian lifestyle， filled with booze and art and creative abandon—releasing the women from the rigor mortis8 of Radlett living. Its a shame there isnt more of him， as he provides a spirited9 voice of reason in Lindas life.

Although these characters come and go quickly， to the series detriment10， you come to love all their vivacious personalities. The Pursuit of Love is a short， sharp and opulent shot of the interwar social scene. Its richly charming， but annoyingly scattered—much like Linda.

许多最优秀的年代剧都是社会讽刺作品，只是不易察觉。南希·米特福德以一战和二战之间為时代背景的经典作品《追爱》则尤为入木三分：通过欢笑与悲剧，拆解了英国上流阶层的爱情观。在BBC改编的这部新版短剧中，出演《遗落家庭》的埃米莉·莫蒂默身兼编剧、导演、制片和主演，让这个版本与一贯较为刻板的奥斯汀式场景不同，令人感觉大为开放。

我们跟着镜头来到两次世界大战之间。故事讲述了腼腆而理智的范妮（埃米莉·比彻姆饰）和其好友，性格热烈外向的琳达（莉莉·詹姆斯饰）两人的生活。在十几岁的时候，她们就讨论彼此的浪漫幻想，臆想把威尔士亲王或那个当地农民据为己有：她们的想象仅限于居住的阿尔康利庄园。一满十八周岁，两人就开始追寻更为现实的对象——但琳达从未抛弃对于爱情的童话式幻想。

当时的英国社会涌动着对于战争的恐惧，但觥筹交错的鸡尾酒会和派对，搭配摇滚乐背景，展现爵士乐时代的纸醉金迷，冲淡了这种氛围。莫蒂默利用逗趣的定格及在荧幕上投放书法字体的演职员表，采用一种更具现代性、更加性感迷人、也更为不拘一格的风格，有点像巴兹·吕尔曼的电影。

但莫蒂默并未像吕尔曼那样充分展现上流世界的浮华，而是使得剧情忽而停滞忽而快进，节奏杂乱无章。有些人物甚至被搁置一旁，不知来龙去脉。这部剧如果再加一集可能会更好，至少让那群人在屏幕上停留的时间更久一点，对他们的了解更全面一些。

莉莉·詹姆斯（此前出演《发掘》）饰演搞笑善变的琳达，显然是拉德列特家族最为坦率单纯、热情洋溢的成员。范妮叙说琳达的生活，言语中让人感受到米特福德幽默迷人的文笔。两位主角的友情是梦想赖以存在的基础，是历经磨难始终不渝的牢固情感。但琳达并未充分意识到这一点，反而“渴望追求真爱，那种一生只能遇到一次却可永世长存的爱”。

正是基于这种不切实际的幻想，琳达经历了几段恋情，分别是和古板的保守派（出演《王冠》的弗雷迪·福克斯饰），严肃的社会主义者（出演《CREATION唱片：颠倒传奇》的詹姆斯·弗雷舍维尔饰），以及巴黎的花花公子（出演《找我经纪人》的阿萨德·布阿卜饰）。嘲笑琳达不难，尤其考虑到她身边的那些成年人，但你还是会忍不住爱上她天真的理想。

莉莉·詹姆斯出色地表现了琳达的焦虑：人前维持一脸镇定，却常在人后崩溃。琳达精力充沛，虽让人懊恼不满，却又富于感染力，朋友和家人均受其影响，甚至连她那古板到可笑，同时又极端憎恨外国人的父亲（由多米尼克·韦斯特精彩演绎）也不例外。

安德鲁·斯科特扮演行事古怪但富有魅力的梅林勋爵，表现抢眼，差点盖住了詹姆斯所饰开朗主角的光芒。梅林让琳达和范妮初次见识了放荡不羁的生活方式：终日痛饮，醉心艺术，肆意放纵，把两位姑娘从拉德列特家族的死气沉沉中解放出来。剧中未对梅林有更多刻画，这不免让人遗憾，毕竟他是琳达生活中坚定理性力量的来源。

尽管这些人物匆匆登场又匆匆退场，影响了全剧效果，但你最终会爱上他们朝气蓬勃的个性。《追爱》展示了两次大战之间的社会场景，体量短小但影像清晰、场面华丽，足够引人入胜，但剧情散漫凌乱，令人恼火，这点堪比琳达。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）