[出走地平線：Quasimodo]
Flattening The Curve: Quasimodo
我只拍過一齣劇情片《海灘的一天》。
他們便頒發金馬獎最佳攝影給我。
怎可能呢？
我一竅不通。他們怎會不知道？
但怎樣學習得比較好？
我曾經試過報讀法國電影學校，但對方沒有取錄我。
多得法國朋友的穿針引線，我被請去幫一個女學生導演的處女作《黑與白》掌鏡。
我不懂法語，但女導演Claire Devers似乎不在意。
她在片場經常全速用法語指揮大局，我大部份時間都不明白她說甚麼，而且她常把 “Quasimodo，Quasimodo”掛在咀邊。
我以為自己一直在拍一齣同志黑白片，不是重拍《鐘樓駝俠》。那Quasimodo是怎麼一回事？電影裡沒有駝子，在劇本也找不到Quasimodo這個字。（Quasimodo，加西莫多原是 《鐘樓駝俠》主角的名字）
我當時的法國女友Gabrielle也一頭霧水，所以有天她來片場看個究竟。
Gabrielle觀察導演不出十分鐘，竟然捧腹大笑，把我拉到一旁。「Quasimodo不是一個角色」她解釋「這齣戲也不是《歌聲魅影》實驗版，更不是《鐘樓駝俠》。」
「那甚麼是Quasimodo?」我問。
Gabrielle向我派定心丸。「你的導演接受過古典教育，時不時想賣弄一下。『Quasimodo』 是拉丁文，導演跟她的同學從小學便學會了。她說『Quasimodo』，其實就像我們想說，你知的……差不多啦。這個字就像我們想帶出……自己沒法子用詞語表達實際想說甚麼的意思。」
I had shot only one feature film “That day on the Beach”.
They gave it Golden Horse Best Cinematography award.
How could that be?
I knew nothing. How come they didn’t notice?
But how best to get to know something?
I tried to get into French film school. They wouldn’t have me.
But French friends pulled a few strings and I was asked to photograph a woman student director’s first film "Noir et Blanc".
I didn’t speak French, but director Claire Devers didn’t seem to notice.
She kept talking full speed ahead giving directions I mostly couldn't follow, and “ Quasimodo , Quasimodo” was her signature phrase.
I thought we were making a black and white gay film, not a remake of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. So what’s all this Quasimodo stuff ? There are no hunchbacks in the cast and I can’t find “ Quasimodo ” in the script . (Quasimodo was the main protagonist of the The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. ）
French girlfriend Gabrielle couldn’t work it out either. So she came by to sort it out.
After ten minutes on set listening and watching my director, she burst out laughing, then took me aside. Quasimodo is not a character ” she explained “ this is not an experimental version of Phantom of the Opera and the set is definitely no Notre-Dame. ”
“ So what’s Quasimodo ? ” I asked.
Gabrielle re-assures me: “ Your director has had a Classic education, and she likes to show it off. ‘ Quasimodo ’ is Latin, which her class of students studied since primary school. She says “Quasimodo” when most of us would say something like, you know … actually means MORE OR LES. It’s when we say something like…. like when we can’t quite find the words to express what we really want to say. “
#黑與白 #NoiretBlanc #ClarieDevers
圖：《鐘樓駝俠》（1939）劇照
Photo：Still from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1939)
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