伯尔尼的奇迹

德意志民族始终是世界民族之林里巍巍傲立的一支。历史上他们以好战闻名，德意志人天生刻板、严谨、冷酷，性格里缺乏盎格鲁撒克逊人的幽默感和浪漫随性。体育是和平年代的战争，告别了“一战”和“二战”，德国人在历届奥运会上的成绩都是可圈可点的，尤其是前东德，受益于举国体制，他们很多届竟然排名金牌榜第二。德国男足号称“战车”，先后三次获得世界杯足球赛冠军，获得亚军和打入四强的次数超过全世界所有国家。但德国向来缺乏娱乐明星，我们知道英国的披头士，美国的好莱坞，甚至也会唱法语歌曲《伊莲》，却唯独对德国的当代娱乐产品乏善可陈。纵然我们喜欢那么多部德语小说，钟爱那么多位苦思“禅定”的德国哲学家……

但有一部德国电影能够证明德国人同样能玩好当代艺术。这部电影的名字叫《伯尔尼的奇迹》。影片以前联邦德国足球队参加１９５４界世界杯足球赛的历程为线索，将伦理、亲情、友谊、团队精神、民族主义、励志、代际差异、护生情愫、地域文化等各种元素贯穿剧中，使得全片结构完备、叙事从容、节奏舒缓、氛围凝重、场景温馨、情感饱满，牵着读者的心和眼泪一起奔走、一起沸腾……

小主人公马蒂亚斯自幼酷爱足球，他敬慕国脚昂，为了看昂踢球他宁可给昂当球童、当佣人，以至于天天早晨到昂的楼下提醒他开始早操了……马蒂亚斯是个腼腆内向、不爱张扬和言语的小孩，平时伙伴们在当街踢黑糊糊、鸡毛乱溅的野球时只让他救火队员－－－谁缺席了，才让马蒂亚斯替补上去踢一会儿。马蒂亚斯的爸爸鲁班斯基是被苏联囚禁的前纳粹战俘，１１年后在受尽饥饿和虐待之后才和为数不多幸存下来的战友们一起被释放回国。而在这１１年里，他的大儿子爱上了音乐，他的小儿子爱上了足球，他的女儿百依百顺、不怕操劳地协助妈妈经营好自家开的小酒吧。重归故里的鲁班斯基对儿女们的许多在他看来无比偏激的做法（大儿子在酒吧卖唱、女儿与军人跳舞、小儿子马蒂亚斯到教堂为国脚好友昂祈祷）看不惯，他屡次与儿女们发生情绪和语言上的激烈冲突，最终逼得大儿子离家出走、小儿子离家出走未遂、女儿连续数日不搭理他……其间的很多画面如马蒂亚斯内弛外张的神态心理变化，他父亲的作风在母亲的规劝下发生的由专制粗暴到温蔼柔情的转变，鲁班斯基杀死小儿子心爱的两只白兔悉心地给老婆熬汤过生日、他在妻子的生日宴席上向孩子们赠送礼物全都拍摄得颗粒细腻、唯美婉转。马蒂亚斯在受委屈时常常到兔笼里向两只小兔倾诉心声，当他在垃圾筒里终于找到被父亲屠戮零碎随手抛弃的兔子皮毛、下水（上面还有苍蝇盘桓）时，禁不住号啕大哭并最终感动父亲，令鲁班斯基从教堂借来一辆汽车载着马蒂亚斯前往瑞士首都伯尔尼为国家足球队、为球星也是好哥们儿的昂加油助威……

主人公们都生活在德国重工业发达的鲁尔地区。鲁班斯基获释后下井挖煤当炭工，他的妻儿生活在用黑色砖头筑成的房子里，他们的社区被大烟囱和炼煤炉、炼钢炉所包围，整天浓烟蔽日。看到１９５０年代的德国，就想到了２０１０年代的中国，同样的百业待兴、重工业立国，德国以１９５４年国家足球队捧得世界杯、国民民族主义热情高涨为契机，大力振兴了经济；而中国的奥运梦倒也一次次照进现实，可环境污染照旧、国民素质依然。

瑞士的风光真的很旖旎，国脚们在碧波荡漾的湖滨训练，累并惬意着。当鲁班斯驾车载着马蒂亚斯穿越中欧的高山和森林时，我们不但感到了父子情干戈化玉帛的震撼，也领略到了大自然化解卑微人性、融会复杂人生的功力。还有小酒吧里人们边看电视里的球赛边手舞足蹈、呜嗷喊叫、穿着一身灰色工作服的矿区工人。他们挣的不多，可单调的生活因足球而刺激满足，他们的神经因足球而瞬间松弛……

看来追星是无国界的，只不过我国长期以来追的只是政治明星、学术明星，而在西方受宠的影视明星、民间达人少一些。刻板的德国人在最被规则束缚的足球项目上寻求并取得突破，这也说明他们的纪律性、组织性都是坚定而强韧的。而他们不到结束绝不松懈、更不放弃的一根筋精神韩国人已经学去并取得２００２年世界杯足球赛的第四名。华夏民族出的汉奸多，德国人、英国人里出的战俘多，我却从没听说其中的哪个俘虏当了叛徒。

影片中还刻画了一个行为拘谨、文质彬彬、态度认真、体贴老婆的男体育记者形象。从他的角度上我们更加客观的认识了德国人对运动的狂热和对英雄的喜欢，以及他们强悍背后的精细与柔软……

影片一头一尾互相呼应的两段台词耐人寻味。开头鲁班斯基训斥儿子迷足球时打了马蒂亚斯一巴掌，还顺口带出一句“联邦德国的孩子没有哭的习惯”；结尾当鲁班斯基从小儿子手里接过大儿子离家出走的诀别信深情读毕泪如雨下、呜呜啜泣时，马蒂亚斯安慰了他这样一句：联邦德国的孩子可以有少哭一会儿的习惯……父子心相印，破涕球为媒。

孩子们对一种事物与生俱来的那种单纯的热爱让人动容。这种热爱是无价的，是成年以后不会重来的。伯尔尼创造的足球奇迹激励了战后一代德国人励精图治，化悲痛为力量，在废墟上重建家园、重拾自尊的努力行动。他们澎湃波折的心路历程上凝聚着屈辱和挣扎，激昂着对过去辛酸的洗雪、对未来疯狂的憧憬……

The Miracle of Bern (German title: Das Wunder von Bern) is a German film made in 2003, directed by Sönke Wortmann. The film is based on a true historical event. It tells the story of the West German soccer team that miraculously won the title in the 1954 FIFA World Cup held in Switzerland. The film was released in the year after Germany was defeated by Brazil in the 2002 World Cup final co-hosted by South Korea and Japan. When the film was greeted with immense popularity. The film unfolds the story through the perspective of a young boy, Matthias Lubanski, from Essen, West Germany. Matthias’s father served in the Nazi military and was imprisoned in a POW camp in Russia for about 10 years. In his absence, Matthias’s mother runs a local pub and supports three children. Also, Matthias befriends a member of the West German soccer team, Helmut Rahn, who ends up scoring 2 goals in Germany’s victorious final match against Hungary and becoming the hero of the nation. The film contains two main storylines, Matthias’s family and the German National soccer team. The film uses various techniques to connect the experience of the Lubanskis and the entire nation together. Not only does The Miracle of Bern tell the story of the West German soccer team winning the World Cup. It also tells the story of West Germany walking out of the shadow of WWII. Matthias Uecker noted that the Miracle of Bern constructs a nostalgic sentiment toward the period of the economic boom in West Germany after WWII and also the glory of winning the World Cup. In the subtitle of the film Jedes Kind Braucht einen Vater. Jeder Mensch braucht einen Traum. Jedes Land braucht eine Legende. (English: Every child needs a father. Every person needs a dream. Every country needs a legend.), the individuals and West Germany as a nation are already linked. (Uecker) First of all, the family, the Lubanskis, at the centre of the story is representative of West Germany at that period of time. The Lubanskis are set in Essen, a city located in the Ruhr Metropolitan Region, the most import industrial district in West Germany and the pillar of the West German economy. During WWII, a lot of industrial infrastructures were destroyed in the bomber raids in Germany. The economy was also devastated. After the war, the United States government carried the Marshall Plan, intended to help western European countries recover from the war economically. Over 17 billion USDs were provided to rebuild the European economy and modernize the industry. In the first half of the 19th century, large-scale mining and steel production began in Ruhr and Ruhr took off as one of the largest and most famous industrial regions in the world. Alongside the prosperity of Ruhr, many of Europe’s oldest industrial cities started to take shapes, such as Dortmund, Essen, Duisberg and Bochum. Also, during WWII, the heavy industry in Ruhr played a significant role in the German economy. It provided a material and economic basis for the Nazi war machine. After the war, Ruhr played an important role in the economic recovery too. Ruhr can be seen as an icon of German industry and the frontier of economic reconstruction at that period of time. Moreover, the protagonist, Matthias is an average German boy from an average German family. The Lubanskis are representative of the German working-class families at that historical period. Matthias, like many German boys, is enthusiastic about soccer. He is not the most popular kid in school, and he is not very good at soccer either. His father, like many men of that age, served in Nazi military forces. Many of them were killed in action, and the survivors were imprisoned in POW camps all over Europe and Russia. Matthias’s father, Peter Lubanski, survives the war. He is imprisoned in POW camps in Russia. The father encounters a hard time when he just comes back to his family from the Russian POW camp. He sees a different world than the last time he was home. The country he served for no longer existed and he sees a son that he does not recognize. Upon his return, the father still carries the former Nazi ideology. He believes that everyone in the household should follow his rules, fear and obey him. He is also frustrated seeing the family is functioning just fine without him and the women in the household are working. However, the father is traumatized by the war, therefore he is not able to work and provide for the family because the sound of a jackhammer reminds him of a machine gun. What even worse is that he is not able to get compensation from the government. When the father is locked away in Russia, his mother runs a local pub and supports Matthias, his sister and his brother. Like many women who lived in that period of time, she has to be the breadwinner in the household. Almost all men at their prime in that period of time served in the military. A great number of them were killed on the battlefield and many of the ones who returned were unable to work and provide for their family due to severe injury or psychological trauma, like Peter Lubanski. The women in Germany at that time had to step in and provide for their families. In addition, Matthias’s brother and sister are also representatives of the situation in Germany at that period of time. After the war, Germany was split into East and West. East Germany was found in the Soviet occupation zone, and West Germany was established on the former US, British and French occupation zone. The two German states subscribe to different ideologies. Like Germany was divided in two, the two older siblings of Matthias are under foreign influences too. The sister, Ingrid, goes to a party and dances with G.Is. The older brother, Bruno, plays on a band that plays American music. Also, he is angered by his father’s cold, fascist behaviour when the father just returns from the POW camp as well as his Nazi history. He runs away to East Berlin because he believes in everyone is treated equally in the communist state. The split of the Lubanskis in a way signifies the separation of the two German states. Furthermore, not only is the working class of West Germany represented, the middle and upper class also shows up in the film. Annette and Paul Ackermann represent the middle and upper class in Germany after the war. Paul works for a newspaper and writes the sports page. Annette is a spoiled daughter from a wealthy family with high social status. She inherited property from her family and was planning a honeymoon trip to North Africa. The Ackermanns are newly married before the 1954 World Cup. Paul is assigned to cover the World Cup in Switzerland and Annette decides to come with even and take the trip to Switzerland for their honeymoon even though she is no fan of soccer and has no previous knowledge. Moreover, although the odds are not in the West German team’s favour, even the German head coach believes so, Annette demonstrates great confidence in the team and pride as a German, as the soccer team represents her country. Also, the players on the national team are from different places in Germany. The commentator is specific on where each player comes from so everyone in Germany, not only where Matthias lives, is included and represented by the national team. To sum up, soccer is used as an equalizer between rich and poor, men and women, soccer fans or non-soccer fans, estranged fathers and sons. Soccer does not only break the barrier between social classes but also brings people from different parts of Germany altogether. Even when Matthias’s father, who is a very difficult man when he just returns from the POW camp, can get along harmoniously with the son he has never met before through the trip to the World Cup final. The film elaborately uses the story of the Lubanskis and the Ackermanns before and during the World Cup to connect the experience of individuals to the entire nation. Every German celebrates the achievement of the soccer team in the World Cup altogether, as if WWII, which ended only 9 years ago, and its aftermath are already behind them. Unlike the Nasty Girl (German title: Das schreckliche Mädchen), The Miracle of Bern does not raise any heavy questions such as what the people around us were doing during the Nazi period. On the other hand, the Miracle of Bern constructs nostalgic sentiments and creates the illusion of happiness and harmony in postwar West Germany. Throughout the course of the film, music is used to guide the emotion of the audience, during the heated match between the West German team and the Hungarian team or the thrilling moment when Matthias finds his pet rabbits are made into his mother’s birthday dinner. The film resembles a typical Hollywood commercial film and it successfully gained high popularity in Germany, yet the audience is manipulated and absorbed into the story through film techniques. It is made for people’s entertainment instead of meant to trigger critical thinking of the history from the audience.