應該不只是關於一個想跳芭蕾的男孩吧

繼兩次世界大戰之後，對於英國來說，最大的一次衝擊莫過於1984年的礦工大罷工事件。從1984年3月到1985年3月，在當時英國最強大的礦業工人聯合會的帶領下，數以萬計的礦工離開了他們工作了一輩子的礦場，加入到了抵制礦場自由市場化的大罷工當中。而這也應該算是柴契爾夫人鐵娘子稱號的最佳代表事件，長達一年的罷工最終仍然以失敗告終，保守黨以其堅定的態度向所有居住在英國北部的礦業工作者傳達了一個訊息，政府永遠是強硬的。這和前一段時間的學生罷課示威遊行在某種程度上有異曲同工之妙。而在罷工事件早已平息的15年之後，一部電影悄然喚醒了那些曾經受傷的心靈。沒有人問過為什麼最後這些堅毅的北方漢子最終選擇了下礦而不是繼續抵抗，或者可能這是一個不需要嚴明的默契，是為了孩子。在英國北方寒冷的冬日，電影裡面billy的爸爸用斧頭砍碎了老婆留下來的鋼琴，只是因為曠日持久的罷工已經讓全家連買柴燒火的錢都沒有了。可是還有更多的billy，以及更往北部的城市... ...

電影裡面最動人的幾個畫面，都跟父親有關，父親第一次看到自己的兒子有可能是一個跳舞的天才瘋狂的衝向舞蹈老師的家裡，父親為了過聖誕節砍了家裡的鋼琴，父親得知兒子錄取了興奮得跑向工會活動中心，父親和billy一起去皇家芭蕾學校面試的時候被問及是否有什麼問題的時候尷尬的樣子，當billy說如果我後悔了還能不能回來父親說，你是在開玩笑嗎？我們已經把你的屋子租出去了，以及多年之後父親看到billy作為天鵝湖的主演一躍而起的時候感動的神情。英國北方男人的形象應該就是這樣吧，永遠都是挺著胸膛，永遠不會說一句溫柔的話，但是卻會在最關鍵的時候犧牲一切為了自己的孩子。

2005年，這部片子被改成音樂劇之後更是給倫敦的西區帶來了無限的感動~無數的獎項，無數的電視轉播，5年過去了，比利 Elliot已經在倫敦，紐約，多倫多，墨爾本四地公演~不可否認的是，Elton John這個G確實是個天才，他改變的音樂劇應該說在某種程度上還要超過電影本身。其中幾首歌曲應該說抓得太準確了~

The Stars Look Down（第一幕）

比利
Take me up and hold me gently
Raise me up and hold me high
Through the nights under darkness
Will come a day when we will fly
And although we've been rejected
And although we've been outcast
We will find a new tomorrow
When we come to rest at last
And we will stand there proudly
And we will never walk alone
And we will be returned
Back to our home

Grandma's Song（第三幕）

I hated the sod - for thirty three year
We should never have married of that I'm quite clear
He spent the housekeeping money on whisky and beer
And never lifted a finger
Times were hard, but the swine rolled back pissed
So we'd fight and he'd swing and he rarely missed
So I'd clobber the sod when he couldn't resist:
Asleep, you can't life a finger.

But we'd go dancing...and he'd hold me tight
He was air, He was water, He was breath, He was light
And he would hold me there, with all his might.

And it was bliss for an hour or so
But then they called time to go
And in the morning we were sober.


The Letter（比利和母親的一段）

And I will have missed you growing,
And I'll have missed you crying
And I'll have missed you laugh
Missed your stomping and your shouting,
I'll have missed telling you off,
But please 比利,
Know that I was always there.
I was with you through everything.
And please, 比利... ...

But please, 比利
know that I will always be.
Proud to have known you.
Proud that you were mine
Proud in everything
And you must promise me this, 比利

In everything you do
Always be yourself, 比利
And you always will be true

Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher（下半場開場）
算是對於柴契爾時代的最好紀念了，歡樂中的悲傷，光看詞是體會不出來的

Electricity（我最喜歡的一幕）
ORIGINAL LONDON RECORDINGS是由Liam Mower，最早的三個比利的扮演這種年齡最小的billy錄製

I can't really explain it
I haven't got the words
It's a feeling that you can't control
I suppose it's like forgetting, losing who you are
And at the same time something makes you whole
It's like that there is music playing in your ear
And I'm listening, and I'm listening and then I disappear

And then I feel a change
Like a fire deep inside
Something bursting me wide open, impossible to hide
And suddenly I'm flying,flying like a bird
Like electricity, electricity
Sparks inside of me
And I'm free, I'm free

經濟蕭條的時候需要的是勵志的人物，可是每一個理智人物的背後都是一個辛酸的家庭，一個悲傷的故事。電影裡有一幕，舞蹈老師讓billy帶著自己的東西來練習，billy帶了一封媽媽死之前寫給他的信，舞蹈老師讀了之後說出了一句大人都會說的話，she must have been a special woman，而billy說，no she's just me mum