While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott), an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.
Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue (Virginia Gilmore), foreman Pat Grogan (Minor Watson), and assistant Homer Kettle (Chill Wills).
Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake (Robert Young), a Harvard-educated engineer as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.
After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.
Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.
Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.
Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes but arrives back too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process.
After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.
#71st Berlinale# 评审团大奖。9分。滨口龙介真香！剧作实在精妙，《魔法》可能稍弱而且更洪常秀一些，不过《开着的门》真是神了，完全是从不可能的角度展开了神来之笔。《再来一次》虽说不免让人想到[花样年华]，不过这一段是全片视听上最出色的（倒影以及电梯的精彩调度）。制片规模控制得当，精致又轻巧，当然舞台感还是有点过强……
它可以是再来一次，她终于记起了恋人的名字，她眼里的那道光，彷佛生命被再一次点燃，习惯于平淡如常不代表那些过去已经不存在，情感的喷薄往往只需要一个窗口，就会再次闪耀光芒。
《魔法》＝《开着的门》＞《再来一次》
用力过猛，结尾可删，停留在反转为止。中途笑点其实不多。我觉得这是悲剧。bgm好听，很能催泪……不得不说我想到了chloe，要是这种电影和她看就好了。
#11thBJIFF#最爱第三段故事，在这些阴差阳错的偶然中，你我究竟寻求些什么，是彼时的不甘，还是一个契机去面对最难以面对的自己？三段故事是滨口的文本实验，并且用推镜头“大法”向洪尚秀致敬。
喜欢顺序3、2、1，都是日常生活中的巧合，佐以想象，对抗庸常的生活。想起陈绮贞的《偶然与巧合》，我们的选择会不会改变了世界？改变了某个人？拍的氛围感十足，台词、摄像机角度，太喜欢了。
三个短片，三段由偶然产生的邂逅，又是三段没有终点的旅程，未来的道路是怎么样的，都留给了银幕前每个观众自己去想象
2021/12/7（二）16：30高雄電影館，第三部份很難看，還有LGBT混入！
滨口确实能写 三个故事描画了因为偶然因素被从压抑中释放出来的情绪：控制、欲望、遗憾。三者都透过想象（假如破坏前男友的现任关系、假如美女学生是色情段落的主角、假如错认的对方是中学的旧爱）来得以在画面与思维中实现。无论是重复性结构、对白的核心地位、拉镜头的情绪运动，还是对想象与现实的模糊都无不在直白地致敬洪常秀，但同时滨口的角色又更具道德色彩 在那即将越界的时刻打住 让想象的思绪介入 即便第二个故事人物很惨却依然是很干净的 这是洪电影里的渣男渣女所不具备的。第二个故事其实对三个短片做了总结：滨口和教授一样在做着结构主义大师的工作 让意义透过非人格主体的结构关系呈现出来 而非个人化的书写。第一个故事一直在心疼车钱 但最喜欢最后一个故事 陌生人的偶然相遇所激发出的温暖 其实最后在天桥远景结束更佳
去电影院迟到了。进去看了没一会儿就开始流眼泪，沈腾出来那段停了一会儿，到贾玲和年轻的她妈喝酒说心里话的那段又开始，再到字幕打出来“我记忆中妈妈一直是个中年妇女，我想她也曾是花季少女”，哭着走出影厅。本来以为是一厢情愿，后来告诉你是互相配合表演，这个妈看到女儿做这么多让自己开心，觉得这么选一切都值了，这辈子很幸福，作为观众我觉得圆满了，逻辑什么的就无所谓了。这些喜剧演员太勇敢了，把自己亲身经历讲给你，然后当着大家的面把心里话说出来。电影里那种工厂的氛围、劳动的氛围，时代浪潮化成无数细节遍布周遭，那时一切都是欣欣向荣，积极向上，无限可能，加上卡拉OK风格浓郁的配乐，我感觉这些东西是从小刻在我骨子里的，太熟悉。
精彩，可以看成是后疫情时代的三则寓言，共同点是都在讲埋藏或压抑在内心深处的情感，力量层层递进。第一则侧重剧力，第二则侧重技法，第三则将力量推到顶点（尘封已久的感情爆发最强大的力量。进行到角色扮演部分是本片的绝佳Magic时刻，大题小题一起点，力透纸背）。它们是三则寓言，也可以是一则寓言，还可以是现实世界的某种缩影。也因此我们看到每个寓言故事里的人们表面上在不断地说话、交流，实则完全处于失语状态（好似戴着面具的假人，卡萨维蒂从未显得如此重要），迷失在自身所处的尴尬境地里，一如当下的我们，看上去已然恢复到正常生活，其实这层口罩早已成为我们的交流屏障，语言、思想以及太多重要的东西被无情地阻隔。时过境迁，一切都回不去了。
第三部窃译为《相逢何必曾相识》，有种艳阳下想哭的氛围：在错误“相逢”中说出20年来遗憾未曾说出口的表白，想起暗恋对象的名字，对生活失去了热情的日常态却从邂逅的陌生人身上重获温暖，在热烈的拥抱中感受到爱的偶然和诗意的想象。
9/19@天幕新彩云 喜欢次序231，2的出挑在于想象权力的博弈最后反制于偶然的规则。有候麦趣味的滨口龙介，随机的对白写得很诚实（东亚普遍弱项），演员也精准。可惜余味不足，有点限于束手束脚的致敬。计划补起前作。
最喜欢第三段。一次偶然的邂逅，两人分别扮演了对方想见的那个人，向对方说出了当年说不出口的话。
3. 再一次。每一次重演的勝利：日常擊敗生活，但又是用日常擊敗創作的創作
滨口龙介是神！以「偶然」与「想象」切入细碎生活中的「魔幻时刻」，犹如对前两部长片的一次萃取与融合。在他这里，戏剧性与日常化完全兼容，甚至可以说「共生」。大段的对白并不影响整体的轻盈质感，而言语未及的部分又比海更深，所以观者好像彻底代入进人物完全认同与理解，却又像隔着玻璃窗一般似近实远从未真正知晓她们的隐秘想法。《夜以继日》之后，《魔法（比魔法更不真切）》又一次精准掐中我某个阶段的情感状态，除了五体投地之外还能说什么呢。
隔开角色的橱窗玻璃和打开却隐闭的门都成为了情色的纵容者，选择的词语和模拟的声音潜行入骨，引领观众进入想象的结界。这在第三个短片中得以升华，当显性的展示演变成一段偶然的关系，あや扮演昔日恋人与夏子进行对话时，她们所处的位置便是在落地窗同侧（与前两部相对），此时某种联结正通过透明的感官记忆滋生蓬勃，甚至从对名字的改写和赋予中，她们身上涌现出了结合的冲动。最后当唤醒记忆中的姓名，再次面对此前提出的对于幸福的疑问，便可如同三次错误而大胆的行为一样，指向「望み」本身。这不是magic，这是miracle！
《魔法（比魔法更不真切）》《开着的门》《再来一次》。好像短篇小说啊，甚至都可以想象文字印在纸张上。第二个故事，好希望邮件收件人写对啊，原本是一个多么温暖的故事。“我不知道你的人生里发生了什么，但如果你周围的人让你觉得自己一文不值，不妨勇敢反击，统治者试图控制你时，不妨大胆拒绝，去拥抱只有你自己知道的专属于自己的价值。单枪匹马是很痛苦，不过你必须这样做，因为只有做到这一点我们才有可能在某个瞬间和某个人，产生奇迹般的共鸣，但如果没有人做自己，它就肯定不会发生。”最后一个故事好感动，错认但是相互代入，解开彼此的心结，真好啊。
被稀释的侯麦（或洪尚秀），只有偶然，唯有最后一篇才有「想象」。〈Once Again〉3+，像一篇村上调的短篇小说，奇迹般的相遇。记忆并不总像是我们以为般牢靠，正如MLA所唱，世间所有情爱的事，不过是我们浪漫的想象所致。角色扮演的灵感，应该是来源于Celine and Julie Go Boating？
冲着和大鹏的《吉祥如意》对比去看的，果然比较下来，贾玲的纯粹和真诚更打动我。
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