What makes the films of Hayao Miyazaki feel magical? Like any great magic trick, the secret to Miyazaki's magic hides in plain sight—in the case of "Spirited Away," in a simple moment such as this or this.
到底是什麼讓宮崎駿的電影充滿魔力呢？就像所有偉大的魔術一樣，宮崎駿的秘密其實藏在顯而易見的地方－－以《神隱少女》來說，就是像這樣簡單的瞬間，或像這樣。
On the surface, moments like this where nothing happens might seem like filler, but the six-minute sequence of Spirited Away in which nothing really happens might best exemplify the secret to why the world of Miyazaki feels so spectacularly magical.
表面上來看，這些場景看似什麼都沒發生，彷彿只是簡單的填補畫面，但《神隱少女》中有連續六分鐘看似沒有劇情可言的場景，卻最能解釋為什麼宮崎駿的世界充滿令人讚嘆的魔力。
The scene in question occurs 44 minutes into the film, the morning after our heroine, Chihiro, takes a job at a magical bathhouse for gods and spirits, which happens to be owned by the same witch who turned Chihiro's parents into pigs. Here's how the scene starts.
我們談論到的畫面出現在影片的第 44 分鐘，女主角千尋終於在魔法湯屋中得到工作的隔天早上，湯屋專為神明和神靈而設，由湯婆婆經營，剛好就是那個將千尋的爸媽變成豬的女巫。場景是這樣開展的。
Meet me at the bridge. I'll take you to your parents.
到橋上見我。我帶妳去看妳爸媽。
Here's a question: What shot would you guess comes after this? In most cases, it would look like this: cutting straight to the bridge where they had promised to meet. But instead, Miyazaki does this: painstakingly showing Chihiro's journey from the bedroom all the way to the bridge, all locations that we've seen her pass the other way around. This is why Miyazaki's world feels so real. Because as magical as it is, there is a sense of space portrayed through time, distance, and scale. That's why a quick moment that introduces a location like this is so simple yet genius. Because despite being a location we've never seen before, by the time Chihiro gets there, we know exactly where it is compared to the rest of the world.
問題來了：你猜猜下一個場景會怎麼接？大部分都會看起來像這樣：直接跳到橋上場景，也就是兩人約定要見面的地方。但宮崎駿是這樣呈現的：費心地呈現出千尋的旅程，從房間開始，一路走到橋上，所有場景都是我們看著她走過的，不過這次是完全相反的方向。這也是為什麼宮崎駿的世界讓人感受很真實。雖然看起來充滿魔力，但他透過時間、距離和範圍營造出了一種空間感。像這個畫面僅僅是在短短幾秒內帶出某個地點，卻顯得如此簡單卻天才。因為儘管這是一個我們沒見過的地點，但當千尋抵達的時候，我們卻能透過與其他已知的地點相比，確切知道那是哪裡。
Going back to the story, this specific six-minute sequence is what's referred to as a "pinch" in a screenplay—a moment that occurs approximately three-eighths of the way into a script that gives the audience a moment to breathe and reminds them what's going on, like all the side characters that will later play a vital role in the story and, most importantly, what's at stake. The short interaction between Haku and Chihiro at the farm is full of these reminders of what's at stake, like the fate of Chihiro's parents...
回到故事，這連續的六分鐘被稱做劇本裡的「間隙（pinch）」－－大概會在劇情進行到八分之三左右的時候出現，讓觀眾有喘息的空間，並讓他們回想剛剛發生過的事情，像是所有的配角都會成為故事的關鍵角色，還有最重要的，陷入危機的事情。白龍和千尋在農場裡短短的互動就提醒了觀眾什麼事情岌岌可危，例如千尋爸媽的命運...
Mom! Dad! What's wrong with them?
媽媽!爸爸!他們怎麼了？
They don't remember being human. So look hard. It's up to you to remember which ones they are.
他們不記得自己曾經是人類了。所以要仔細看。能不能夠記住他們的樣子就靠妳了。
...or Chihiro's own identity.
...或是千尋的身分。
Chihiro. That's my name, isn't it?
千尋。這是我的名字對嗎？
That's how Yubaba controls you, by stealing your name.
湯婆婆就是這樣控制別人的，偷走別人的名字。
These reminders are Miyazaki's way of easily guiding the audience through the journey, letting them know exactly what has happened and also where it's heading, which leads us to the moment that truly makes the scene magical.
這些場景的提示呈現出宮崎駿用簡單的方式帶觀眾踏上旅程，讓大家明確知道發生了什麼事情、劇情會朝哪裡推展，引領觀眾看到那些使場景迷人的時刻。
Miyazaki's films are famous for their culinary scenes, showing characters either cooking or eating in silence. It's never just a dining scene but rather a moment when characters bond with one another and also a moment that Miyazaki refers to as "ma," meaning "emptiness" in Japanese.
宮崎駿電影中的烹飪場景非常出名，讓觀眾看到劇中角色在煮飯或靜靜地吃東西。但這絕對不只是簡單的吃飯場景而已，而是角色間情感相互連結的瞬間，也是宮崎駿提到的「間（ma）」的概念，在日文中代表「空」。
In one of his interviews, Miyazaki describes it as the time between a clap, explaining, "If you just have nonstop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness. But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension."
在某場訪問中，宮崎駿描述「間」就是拍手之前的那一瞬間，他解釋道：「如果情節太過緊湊，沒有一絲喘息的空間，那就只是瞎忙。但如果能稍微暫停一下，那影片中塑造出的張力是能超越維度空間的。」
You can actually find these instances of ma in all of Miyazaki's films. A moment when time just seems to stop. Nothing really happens, yet you feel yourself absorbed by its world. Sometimes it's just watching someone eat a rice ball in tears. In a sense, this entire six-minute sequence is a perfect example of Miyazaki's ma. Nothing really happens. It's just six minutes of a world we'd already seen, reminding us of the story we already know, watching things that happen that have no real consequences. Yet it's these moments that make the films of Miyazaki so magical.
你可以在宮崎駿的電影中找出許多「間」的例子。時間似乎停止的瞬間。沒有什麼事情發生，但你會覺得自己被吸進電影裡的世界了。有時候就只是看著某個人一邊掉淚一邊吃飯糰。在某種層面上來說，這整整六分鐘就是宮崎駿所謂的「間」最好的例子。沒有什麼重大的事情發生。這六分鐘只是呈現出我們已經看過的世界，提醒我們已知的劇情，看著那些沒有確切因果關係的事情發生。然而，就是這些時刻才讓宮崎駿的電影充滿魔力。
As exciting as its final reveal is, what makes a magic trick so special is the anticipation that precedes it.
雖然劇情最後揭開秘密時很令人興奮，但就如同魔術一樣，揭開秘密之前的期待感才是最迷人的。
