泰坦尼克号上的大副
2011-11-21 19:56阅读：
铭记一生的角色。除了他特有的古典和儒雅气质，更重要的是他的责任。（呵呵，对这种有点冷的MAN比较有兴趣！）
饮弹自刎的一瞬间，仿佛世界都已凝固，本来混乱喧嚣的场景，变得格外的宁静。他用生命偿还了被误杀的乘客，或许他也将海难的责任归于自己。他没有错，他只是在尽自己作为船员的责任。
真实的泰坦尼克大副威廉·默多克并非自杀而亡，当然遇难时也尽到了一个船员，一个大副应尽的责任，在整个沉船过程中，将自己的生命置之度外，竭尽全力营救船上的乘客。他沉稳的指挥乘客登艇脱险，并奋力将甲板上的椅子抛向海中，以便使那些在刺骨的海水中挣扎的人们抓到一根“救命草”，最终随泰坦尼克长眠深海，据说因为如此的改编，詹姆斯·卡梅隆还遭到了默多克后人的投诉，认为这样会把他塑造
成一个懦夫。而事实恰恰相反，这样的改编让他变为了一个英雄，一个勇士，还有什么能比舍弃生命更能诠释勇敢的含义。是《泰坦尼克》中光彩四溢的人物之一。相比片中那些贪生怕死的小人，更加凸显了他的伟大。
如果不是《泰坦尼克号》，我不会认识Ewan Stewart。如果不是《泰坦尼克号》，我也不会永生难忘Ewan Stewar
t。
一辈子哪怕只塑造一个角色，一个让人铭记一生的角色，作为一个演员，足矣....
英文：Ewan Stewart
生日：1957-10-8
国籍：英国
身高：175 CM
职业：演员
Titanic
(1997)
Scottish actor Ewan Stewart as Murdoch
As the highest grossing and most expensive film of all time,
James Cameron’s Oscar award winning epic film has become a legend
in itself. As the screenplay writer, editor, producer and
director, James Cameron’s objective was to achieve the most
accurate rendition of Titanic than had ever been done before.
His efforts at accuracy required diving down to the real
wreck to get actual footage, an almost full-scale model of Titanic
that was gradually sunk and extensive computer-generated special
effects. But did he, in the light of evidence considered,
give an accurate portrayal of Murdoch?
Titanic’s officers, from left: Sixth Officer Moody
(Edward Fletcher), Second Officer Lightoller (Jonny Philips), First
Officer Murdoch (Ewan Stewart), Captain Smith (Bernard Hill), Chief
Officer Wilde (Mark Lindsay Chapman) and Fifth Officer Lowe (Ioan
Gruffudd)
For the first time since
A Night to Remember (to which
Cameron admittedly pays homage) the First Officer was played by an
actor with at least certain aesthetic accuracy, Ewan Stewart
fitting the general look and age of the real Murdoch. And,
the first time ever on film, the role of the First Officer was not
a minor one. He appears in several important scenes,
beginning with a dramatic day shot of Titanic sailing through
Atlantic waters. On the starboard wing, Captain Smith
(played by Bernard Hill) turns to Murdoch and says: “Take
her to sea Mister Murdoch. Let’s stretch her legs” at which
the First Officer walks into the bridge and moves the engine
telegraph lever to “All Ahead Full”. After a montage of
images showing the ship building in speed, Murdoch is seen from an
aerial shot stepping out of the bridge and walking up to the
Captain. This is in fact a computer generated Murdoch!
In close-up, he then reports back to Smith with good news:
“Twenty-one knots, sir!”
Above, left to right: Computer generated image of
First Officer Murdoch walking up to Captain Smith on the starboard
wing bridge;
view of the bow; “Take her to sea, Mr. Murdoch. Let’s
stretch her legs.”
The iceberg collision scene is certainly one of the most
exciting seen on film. Murdoch is first shown taking over
from Lightoller at 10pm. He is wearing a thick overcoat
-indicating the drop in temperature- and positioned on the
starboard wing. As he walks out onto the wing he asks
Lightoller: “Did you ever find those binoculars for the
lookouts?” to which Lightoller replies: “I haven’t seen them since
Southampton.”
At the time of the sighting of the iceberg, Murdoch appears
momentarily distracted, possibly looking at some light on the
horizon, with his back towards the bow (he has turned his back
after seeing fictional characters Jack and Rose kissing on the
forward well deck below, a sight which causes him to smile warmly
to himself!). On hearing the lookout bell ring four times, he
swings round to see the iceberg appear through the haze.
The rest of the action and dialogue was taken from relevant inquiry
transcripts, adhering word-for-word, although showing little extra
elements such as Murdoch, in his hurry to enter the bridge and
throw the ship full astern, knocking a cup of tea out of the hands
of Sixth Officer Moody. Unlike other films, Murdoch’s
reactions are shown as not merely one of ordering commands, but he
is seen rushing frantically around the bridge, shouting
instructions and vigorously switching the engine room telegraph to
“Stop” and then “Full Speed Astern.”
Murdoch then rushes back to the starboard wing and calls out
to Moody: “Is it hard over?” Moody replying that it is.
The First Officer’s frustration at the slow rate of turn is
seen as he verbally wills (under his breath) the ship to turn.
In the screenplay Cameron writes: “MURDOCH’S jaw
clenches as the bow turns with agonizing slowness. He holds
his breath as the horrible physics play out.” (James
Cameron’s Illustrated Screenplay, p.84). As the collision
occurs, Murdoch glances down at his gloved hand on the starboard
wing’s wooden rail, to see it vibrate as the iceberg scraps past
the hull. He then shouts “Hard-a-port!” and taking another
horrified look as the massive iceberg passes, rushes back into the
wheelhouse and pushes the alarm bell and watertight door lever
almost simultaneously (as Richard Edkins suggests probably would
have happened).
Above: Murdoch relieves Lightoller at 10pm; looking
out from the starboard wing bridge
Below: On the forward well deck below Murdoch spots
Jack and Rose kissing; turning away, he smiles warmly to
himself.
Above: James Cameron directing Ewan Stewart on the
starboard wing bridge, explaining the First Officer’s reaction to
the iceberg. Right picture shows Cameron staring down the
iceberg, like Murdoch does in the final cut.
Once the collision is all over, Murdoch is in a state of
shock, his face whitened and glistening with sweat. The
screenplay describes the scene:“CLOSE ON MURDOCH.
The alarm bells still clatter mindlessly, seeming to
reflect his inner state. He is in shock, unable to get a
grip on what just happened. He just ran the biggest ship in
history into an iceberg on its maiden voyage.” (James Cameron’s
Illustrated Screenplay, p.86)
The ensuing conversation with Smith is again word-for-word
from Quartermaster Hichen’s evidence, Murdoch following the Captain
out onto the wing bridge where they look astern for the iceberg.
The Captain then orders Murdoch: “Find the Carpenter and
get him to sound the ship.”
Later, Murdoch is in the chartroom when Thomas Andrews
relays the shocking news to Captain Smith that the ship will indeed
sink. The Captain turns to the First Officer and asks:
“And how many aboard, Mr. Murdoch?” Murdoch, still
displaying signs of shock, replies: “Two thousand two
hundred souls aboard, sir.” This piece of dialogue was
probably attributed to Murdoch to confirm his sense of unavoidable
responsibility for what has happened. Correct to history,
Murdoch is seen loading and lowering the first lifeboat to be
launched, No.7. Since it is true that many of the crew were
unfamiliar with the equipment, Cameron shows one end of the boat
suddenly dipping down too fast and Murdoch corrects them, shouting
orders, “hold the left side!… lower away together!”
Top picture: “Two thousand two hundred souls aboard,
sir”;
Above: “Any more women and children?”; lowering lifeboat
No.7
However, it is Murdoch’s next appearance that is the
beginning of much controversy. It involves fictional
character Caledon Hockley (Billy Zane) supposedly bribing Murdoch
to gain a place in one of his lifeboats. Loosely based on
the fact that Murdoch did allow more men into boats on his side
than Lightoller (some estimate “100 of 131 surviving male
passengers entered a starboard lifeboat” –refer to “Starboard
Evacuation” and
Men on the Starboard Side),
Cameron takes this a little further with Cal and his manservant
Lovejoy (David Warner) conspiring to escape. Lovejoy says
to Cal: “There are still some boats forward. Stay
with this one… Murdoch. He seems quite…practical” as
Murdoch is seen in the background trying to keep the crowd at bay
as lifeboat No.15 is lowered, shouting “Stand back!”
(James Cameron’s Illustrated Screenplay, p.118).
The so-called bribery scene in the screenplay is as
follows:
Cal sees Murdoch turn from the davits of boat 15 and starts
walking toward the bow. He catches up and falls in beside
him.
Cal: Mr. Murdoch, I’m a businessman, as you know,
and I have a business proposition for you…
Water pours like a spillway over the forward railing on
B-deck. CAMERA SWEEPS UP past A-deck to the Boat Deck where
Murdoch and his team are loading collapsible C at the forward-most
davits…
The crowd here is sparse, with most people still aft.
Cal slips his hand out of the pocket of his overcoat and
into the waist pocket of Murdoch’s greatcoat, leaving the stacks of
bills there.
Cal: So we have an understanding then?
Top: “I have a business proposition for you…”
Fictional character Caledon Hockley pays Murdoch a sum of
money to ensure a place aboard a lifeboat. However, Murdoch
does not verbally accept the offer. Above:
“We had a deal damn you!” Caledon Hockley is incredulous as
Murdoch throws his money back in his face: “Your money
can’t save you any more than it can save me.”
Although in the screenplay Murdoch was to have replied “As
you’ve said” this reply was eliminated from the film and as staged
Murdoch makes no reply, gives Cal a look bordering on disdain and
then moves off. Cameron explains that he did not
want Murdoch accepting Cal’s bribe outright: “It’s ambiguous
territory. I wanted to imply that he was too preoccupied
with other matters to deal with it at that moment.” (James
Cameron’s Illustrated Screenplay, p.119)
With the loading of collapsible C almost complete, Murdoch
then calls out “Women and children? Anymore women and
children? (Glancing at Cal) Anyone else then?” However,
Cal, having been informed that Rose is on the port side, decides
against his better judgment and walks away. Ismay, standing
by, looks around, and then takes his chance and steps into the
boat. Murdoch turns around to see the President of the
White Star Line now seated in the collapsible and with a tone of
almost disappointment says: “Take them down.” Thus,
Cameron makes a connection between Cal’s attempted bribery and
Ismay’s escape, showing that Murdoch allowed men into boats based
on whether there is room left, not just on financial
gain.
The fact that in the film First Officer Murdoch is not shown
accepting the bribe is emphasised in the scene that has caused the
most controversy: Scene 221, the suicide. Although not in
the screenplay, Murdoch -upon Cal stepping up to him and saying “We
had a deal, damn you”- responds by flinging the bribe money in
Cal’s face and saying bitterly: “Your money can’t save you any more
than it can save me.”
Consequently, it is incorrect to allege that Cameron’s film
has Murdoch outrightly accepting a bribe. Yes, Murdoch’s
acceptance was in the original script, but it was changed for a
more reasonable portrayal in which the First Officer is far
too busy,
frustrated or confused to handle the matter
instantly, later throwing the money back in the face of the briber.
The question remains: Did bribery ever take place?
At present there is no evidence to suggest that it did (except for
rumours regarding the Duff Gordons in No.1 who may have ‘paid’
their lifeboat crew). Of course, that is not to say nothing
of the sort occurred. Indeed, the ship had many wealthy and
influential men and women accustomed to employing their money to
get their way, with “tips” a common practice in most European
countries and the United States. It is possibly a fine line
between a “tip” and a “bribe” in such circumstances. And if
such a business arrangement was ever made, it would no doubt have
been done discretely, with little evidence as a
consequence.
Scene 221: The
Suicide
Top left: Murdoch firing his revolver into the
crowds. Top right: Murdoch salutes the crowds before taking
his own life. Both of these photographs were taken
during the filming of the suicide sequence. Above: A rare
photograph of a rehearsal for the suicide scene. Director
James Cameron later rearranged the action to take place with
Murdoch having his back to the ocean (or possibly due to the fact
that it was filmed on the port side and then reversed to look like
that it took place on the starboard side).
The most controversial aspect of the film is the suicide
scene. Cameron places this event as Murdoch tries to get
collapsible A ready for launch. Oars are first placed
against the side of the officer’s quarters and the lifeboat slides
down, the wooden oars snapping, the boat finally sitting upright on
the deck. Murdoch jumps down from the roof and then looks
down the stairwell to the deck below to see water rushing up.
He realises there is little time and begins shouting: “Get
these davits straightened up and the falls hooked
up!”
As the crowds see that this is one of the last boats, panic
ensues and Murdoch is forced to bring out his Webley revolver.
The script describes it in this way:
“Murdoch, at collapsible A, is no longer in control.
The crowd is threatening to rush the boat. They push and
they jostle, yelling and shouting at the officers. The
pressure from behind pushes them forward, and one guy falls off the
edge of the deck into the water less than ten feet below.”
(Titanic, James Cameron’s Illustrated Screenplay,
p.128)
An Irishman by the name of Tommy shouts: “Give us a
chance to live, you limey bastards!” at which Murdoch levels his
gun at the crowd. “I’ll shoot any man who tries to get past
me!” he shouts. “Get back!” At this point Cal steps
up to him and says: “We had a deal, damn you.” In
response, as already related, Murdoch flings the money back into
Cal’s face, saying bitterly, “Your money can’t save you any more
than it can save me.” He shoves Cal back into the
crowd.
All of a sudden a man is pushed forward and, instinctively,
Murdoch fires his gun in defence. Tommy the Irishman is
also knocked forward and Murdoch shoots him down. Suddenly
realising what he has done, Murdoch turns a shade of pale. Looking
down to see blood flowing down the tilt of the deck, then to the
seaman preparing the falls and then to the passengers, he is
overwhelmed by what he has just done.
“Murdoch turns to his men and salutes smartly.
Then he puts the pistol to his temple and… BLAM! He
drops like a puppet with the strings cut and topples over the edge
of the boat deck into the water only a few feet away.” (Titanic,
James Cameron’s Illustrated Screenplay, p.128)
As depicted in the film, Chief Officer Wilde (Mark Lindsay
Chapman) calls out “No, Will!” on seeing Murdoch with a gun to his
head only moments before the gun is fired. From that point
on Wilde is depicted as trying to launch collapsible A. Murdoch is
last shown landing in the water face down.
In analysis, it is clear that Cameron intended to underscore
the despair Murdoch felt at his unavoidable situation. His
actions on the bridge when an iceberg was spotted were instinctive;
his actions on the boat deck were also. However, both ended
in death, even though his objective was to save people. It
was a natural reflex action, not premeditated murder. His
objectives were admirable –he was not firing his gun out of
personal protection or vengeance. It was to maintain order
and control so that the last lifeboat could be safely launched.
But it did not transpire as expected, the exact opposite
occurring. Everything was going wrong. His line to
Cal in which he says nothing can “save” him indicates that he was
already at a dead end, up against a brick wall. James
Cameron summarises this:
“I re-wrote the scene because I wanted to make it clearer
that Murdoch saw his own situation as hopeless. He’s
accepting full responsibility for the chaos around him.
Murdoch was an honorable man who felt the burden of responsibility
for the deaths which were to come.” (Titanic, James Cameron’s
Illustrated Screenplay, p.127)
According to Cameron, then, his depiction of Murdoch is not
of a man ‘gone bad,’ a ‘cowardly murderer,’ but of an “honorable
man” who accepts full collective responsibility for the predicament
they are in and for the death of 1500 that were shortly to occur.
He is overwhelmed by feelings of desperation and makes the
ultimate payment by sacrificing his own life. His intention
was not to portray Murdoch as a ‘murderer’ as actor Paul Young
suggests, but the very opposite (for more information on the
suicide sequence, please refer to
SUICIDE SEQUENCE
PICTORIAL ,
James Cameron’s Titanic and
Murdoch and also
Don Lynch Titanic Advisor
).
“Murdoch was an honorable man who felt the burden
of responsibility for the
deaths which were to come.”-James
Cameron, Film Director
Cameron’s high opinion of Murdoch is revealed when he says,
“I’m not sure you’d find that same sense of responsibility and
total devotion to duty today. This guy had half of his
lifeboats launched before his counterpart on the port side had even
launched one. That says something about character and
heroism” (James Cameron’s Titanic, p.129). This is maybe
why Murdoch has the privilege of being among those seen in Rose’s
‘dream sequence’ at the end of the film. He is standing
next to Thomas Andrews, smiling as Rose drifts by and clapping
along with the rest of the crowd of happy onlookers as Rose and
Jack kiss.
However, not all viewers received the same message.
Some felt that Murdoch was being branded a bribe taker, a murderer
and a coward. Their response is analysed in
The Dalbeattie
Apology.
Top: Titanic in her final moments, before her hull
splits in two. Above: In the “dream sequence” at
the end of the film, the last two characters Rose sees before
ascending the grand staircase to meet Jack are First Officer
Murdoch (far left) and Thomas Andrews. This is the last
time Murdoch is seen in James Cameron’s Titanic, and to date, the
last time to be seen portrayed in film.
泰坦尼克号沉没真相：舵手听错命令
一个被隐瞒了百年的真相
据悉，莱特勒是“泰坦尼克号”上的二副，也是从那场沉船灾难中幸存下来的身份最高的船员。路易丝·帕顿称，她祖父从“泰坦尼克号”沉船灾难中获救后，就沉船原因先后接受了英国和美国官方调查小组的两次调查，但却刻意隐瞒了“泰坦尼克号”舵手希契斯听错命令转错舵的真相，因为他担心真相曝光会令他的老板白星航运公司破产，从而使他在该公司的同事们全部失业！
路易丝·帕顿是英国保守党前教育大臣约翰·帕顿勋爵的妻子，路易丝·帕顿称，莱特勒只向自己的妻子西尔维娅一人透露了“泰坦尼克号”撞上冰山沉没的真正原因。莱特勒去世后，他的家人担心说出“泰坦尼克号”沉没真相会有损他二战英雄的名声，所以在过去几十年中一直都对此守口如瓶。
一个被错误理解的指令
路易丝·帕顿在新书中披露，“泰坦尼克号”舵手希契斯之所以会发生“转错方向舵”的低级错误，是因为1912年的航海业正处于一个巨大的变革时期，当时航海业正从帆船时代转到蒸汽船时代，这一巨大的改变导致产生了两种完全不同的掌舵系统和掌舵指令。以前的帆船使用的是古老的“舵柄指令”，而先进的蒸汽船使用的却是更为现代的“方向舵指令”，“泰坦尼克号”上的一些船员熟悉“舵柄指令”，而另一些船员则更熟悉先进的“方向舵指令”，可最最关键的是，这两种掌舵系统的指令含义有时是完全相反的！
譬如一个“右满舵”命令，在帆船的“舵柄指令”中意味着将船头往右转，可在当时蒸汽船的“方向舵指令”中，这个命令的含义却是控制船只向左转。当“泰坦尼克号”大副威廉·默多克发现远在两英里外的冰山时，他立即向舵手罗伯特·希契斯发出了“右满舵”的命令，如果希契斯按照指令正确操作，“泰坦尼克号”完全有足够时间避开迎面而来的冰山！然而，希契斯在慌乱之中，竟理解错了默多克的指令转错了方向舵！他没有按照命令将船头向左拐，而是将船头往右拐！虽然大副默多克发现了希契斯的错误，并命令他立即纠正错误，可为时已晚。
一个雪上加霜的错误
路易丝·帕顿称，当“泰坦尼克号”撞上冰山时，她祖父莱特勒并不在值班，不过当“泰坦尼克号”开始下沉时，包括莱特勒在内的4名高级船员在大副船舱内举行了最后一次紧急会议，莱特勒正是在那时得知了舵手希契斯转错方向舵的致命错误，莱特勒同时还获知了另一个更加“雪上加霜”导致“泰坦尼克号”加速下沉的低级错误！
据悉，当“泰坦尼克号”撞上冰山后，“泰坦尼克号”的老板、白星航运公司主席布鲁斯·伊斯梅竟说服船长史密斯继续驾船航行，于是“泰坦尼克号”又在大西洋上继续慢慢航行了10分钟！这一错误行为导致海水通过损坏的船壳更快地涌进船舱中，从而大大加速了邮轮的下沉速度！如果“泰坦尼克号”撞上冰山后立即停船，根据一开始的下沉速度，它完全可以赢得好几个小时时间，并等到救援船只的到来！伊斯梅后来乘救生艇逃过了沉船灾难，他也被伦敦社会称做是历史上“最大的懦夫”之一。
路易丝·帕顿说：“伊斯梅坚持要求‘泰坦尼克号’继续航行，毫无疑问是因为担心他会失去自己的投资，损坏公司的声誉。最近的救援船只在4小时的距离外，如果当时立即停船不动，‘泰坦尼克号’可能就会在海面上静静漂浮，并一直等到救援船的到来。”
