從英國到中國：《見字如面》節(jié)目讓大眾重溫寫信時光

From UK to China: Letters Brought Back to Life

Letters as a way of communication have long given way to phone calls and WeChat messages in China.But a TV show called Letters Alive, is helping bring this old way to keep in touch back into the present.

Letters Alive took its idea from a UK program with a similar name, Letters Live, which premiered in 2013. Both shows feature famous actors and actresses, but there is no gossip, no eye-catching visual effects or any regular showbiz activities. Instead, it’s just one person walking up to a microphone and reading a letter.

But these are not just any letters. They are selected from a wide time span and a diverse range of subjects. There is, for example, a passionate letter that famous painter Huang Yongyu wrote to playwright Cao Yu 30 years ago to criticize his lack of creativity. There is also a heartfelt note from Spring and Autumn Period written by two ordinary young soldiers to their elder brother to report their lives in the war zone.

Every letter is like a small piece of history. By hearing them being read, it’s as if we are being sent back in time to experience a moment that we would otherwise never have had the chance to.

“Letters Live makes us pause and imagine the lives behind the letters,” UK actor Benedict Cumberbatch, one of the readers on the UK show, told The Guardian. “It allows people from all ages and all walks of life to experience a moment of time in someone else’s life for a brief moment.”

Compared to published texts, letters also come with a personal touch.

One example from Letters Live was a note of thanks from the mother of a dying child to JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. It read: “Mrs Rowling, Cancer threatened to take everything from my daughter, and your books turned out to be the fortress we so desperately needed to hide in.”

According to Guan Zhengwen, the director of Letters Alive, it is this kind of humanity behind every letter that strikes a chord with the audience. It is also what made the show a big hit in China ever since its fi rst episode aired on Dec 5, 2016.

在中國，信件這種溝通方式早已被電話和微信所取代。但《見字如面》這檔電視節(jié)目正將這一保持聯系的老方式帶回到現代人的視野。

《見字如面》的想法源于一檔類似的英國節(jié)目Letters Live，該節(jié)目于2013年首播。兩檔節(jié)目沒有八卦、沒有抓人眼球的視覺效果或是任何常規(guī)的演藝活動。僅僅邀請一些著名演員，走到麥克風前朗讀信件。

但這些信并非隨機選擇的。被篩選出來的信件涵蓋了很長的時間跨度，主題也十分多樣化。例如，節(jié)目里有一封30年前著名畫家黃永玉寫給劇作家曹禺的充滿激情的信件，批評他缺乏創(chuàng)造力。還有一封春秋時代兩名普通年輕戰(zhàn)士為兄長講述戰(zhàn)地生活的家書。

每封信就像一片小小的歷史碎片。聽信時，我們仿佛回到過去，身臨其境。

“Letters Live讓我們停下來，想象信件背后的生活，”該英國節(jié)目的朗讀者之一，英國演員本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇在接受《衛(wèi)報》采訪時表示，“它讓不同年齡、各行各業(yè)的人們在短暫的時間中經歷了其他人生活的片刻時光?！?/p>

與其他出版文字相比，信件帶有一種個人感觸。

Letters Live節(jié)目中就有個例子，一個生命垂危的兒童的母親給《哈利·波特》作者J·K·羅琳寫了一封感謝信。信中，她這樣寫道：“羅琳女士，癌癥威脅著要帶走我女兒的一切，但是你的書籍卻像一座堡壘，讓我們迫切地想要藏身其中。”

中文版《見字如面》節(jié)目的導演關正文表示，正是這種隱藏在每封書信背后的人性光輝，引發(fā)了觀眾的共鳴。這也是節(jié)目從2016年12月5日首播后就在中國大熱的原因。 (China Daily供稿)