约翰尼-德普(Johnny Depp)在片中扮演配角----阿里纳斯的狱中难友，一个凶残的军官----维克特中尉。西恩-潘(Sean Penn)则在片中一改戏路，扮演屈科-桑切斯，其它诸如奥列佛-马丁内兹(Olivier Martinez)和安德列亚-迪-斯特凡诺(Andrea Di Stefano)等在片中也均有上乘表演。
这部影片在2000年威尼斯电影节和多伦多电影节上多次获奖，并受到了广泛的赞誉。

　　《当黑夜降临》是根据古巴同性恋作家雷纳多 阿里纳斯93年出版的自传小说改编，以他一生的故事为题材探讨了生命的真谛和艺术的本质。由于此片的题材涉及同性恋内容，带有一定禁忌性，因此未上映时已倍受瞩目，而且获奖呼声很高。影片最终不负众望，先后在威尼斯影展、欧洲电影节和哥伦比亚电影节上获奖。

　　影片取得这样骄人的成绩，除了选材和导演的因素外，贾维尔 伯登对雷纳多这个个性鲜明又压抑痛苦的角色充满激情的表演才是关键。曾有评论认为该片在威尼斯影展上所获的评审团大奖完全是沾了贾维尔出色表演的光。

　　在12月7日揭晓的美国国家影评奖上，贾维尔 伯登再次获得最佳男主角的肯定。(这里)

《夜晚降临前》威尼斯电影节受瞩目(这里)

http://ent.sina.com.cn 2000年09月07日16:48 南方网

　　本报讯：9月4日，留着豪迈大胡子的美国导演朱利安-萧贝尔，带着新作《夜晚降临前》在威尼斯亮相，他在记者会直言拍这部以古巴作家雷纳多-阿里拉斯丰富的一生为题材的电影，主要在于表现生命和艺术的本质，不像一般好莱坞“大片”，全为了搞噱头、赚钱。他的豪迈也表现在稍后的首映式上，穿裙子的他和男主角哈维尔-柏登当众热情接吻，让大家看傻了眼，手中的快门完全停不下来。

　　《夜晚降临前》3日晚间在威尼斯上演，座无虚席。西班牙知名男星哈维尔-柏登饰演雷纳多-阿里拉斯，从他年少轻狂的双十年华，演到移民至纽约又老又病的颓废模样，哈维尔-柏登都有自然且精准的诠释。雷纳多-阿里拉斯身具作家和同性恋两种身份，令他在古巴的生活倍加艰难，曾经是“西班牙奥斯卡”哥雅奖影帝的哈维尔-柏登表示，他是西班牙人，雷纳多-阿里拉斯的故事对他来说很陌生，他接下这个角色后，开始大量阅读他的作品，透过录影带观摩他说话的神情，愈发觉得这是个非演不可的角色。

　　导演朱利安本身也是画家，他找来曾获威尼斯影帝的西恩-潘客串演出捡雪茄屁股抽的小混混，约翰尼-戴普饰演男扮女装、外型妖冶的同性恋，让这部电影增加了不少国际星光。《夜晚降临前》是竞赛片，哈维尔-柏登的演技被看好有机会拿影帝。

　　美国演员约翰尼-戴普在片中饰演一名女性化的古巴军官，与哈维尔饰演的主角有多场同性恋情节，由于此片的题材有禁忌性，未上映已备受瞩目，得奖呼声也非常高。(如)

Reinaldo Arenas (July 16, 1943 -?December 7, 1990) was a Cuban poet, novelist, and playwright who despite his early sympathy for the 1959 revolution, grew critical of and then rebelled against the Cuban government.

Life

Arenas was born in the countryside, in the northern part of the Province of Oriente, Cuba, and later moved to the city of Holguin. In 1963, he moved to Havana to enroll in the School of Planification and, later, in the Faculty of Letters at the Universidad de La Habana, where he studied philosophy and literature without completing a degree. The following year, he began working at the Biblioteca Nacional Jose Marti. ^{[1][dead link]} While there, his talent was noticed and he was awarded prizes at Cirilo Villaverde National Competition held by UNEAC (National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists). ^[2] Interestingly, his Hallucinations was awarded "first Honorable Mention" in 1966 although, as the judges could find no better entry, no First Prize was awarded that year. ^[3]

His writings and openly gay lifestyle were, by 1967, bringing him into conflict with the Communist government. He left the Biblioteca Nacional and became an editor for the Cuban Book Institute until 1968. From 1968 to 1974 he was a journalist and editor for the literary magazine La Gaceta de Cuba. In 1973, he was sent to prison after being charged and convicted of 'ideological deviation' and for publishing abroad without official consent. He escaped from prison and tried to leave Cuba by launching himself from the shore on a tire inner tube. The attempt failed and he was rearrested near Lenin Park and imprisoned at the notorious El Morro Castle alongside murderers and rapists. He survived by helping the inmates to write letters to wives and lovers. He was able to collect enough paper this way to continue his writing. However, his attempts to smuggle his work out of prison were discovered and he was severely punished. Threatened with death, he was forced to renounce his work and was released in 1976. ^{[4][dead link]} In 1980, as part of the Mariel Boatlift, he fled to the United States. ^[5]

Writings

Despite his short life and the hardships imposed during his imprisonment, Arenas produced a significant body of work. His Pentagonia is a set of five novels that comprise a "secret history" of post-revolutionary Cuba. It includes the poetical Farewell to the Sea, Palace of the White Skunks and the Rabelaisian Color of Summer. In these novels Arenas鈥?style ranges from a stark realist narrative to absurd satiric humor. He traces his own life story in what to him is the absurd world of Castro's Cuba. In each of the novels Arenas himself is a major character, going by a number of pseudonyms. His autobiography, Before Night Falls was on the New York Times list of the ten best books of the year in 1993. In 2000 this work was made into a film, directed by Julian Schnabel, in which Arenas was played by Javier Bardem.

Death

In 1987, Arenas was diagnosed with AIDS, but he continued to write and speak out against the Cuban government. He mentored many Cuban exile writers, including John O'Donnell-Rosales. After battling AIDS, Arenas committed suicide by taking an overdose of drugs and alcohol on December 7, 1990, in New York. In a suicide letter written for publication, Arenas wrote:

Due to my delicate state of health and to the terrible depression it causes me not to be able to continue writing and struggling for the freedom of Cuba, I am ending my life. . . . I want to encourage the Cuban people out of the country as well as on the Island to continue fighting for freedom. . . Cuba will be free. I already am. ^[6]

Before Night Falls 詳述了古巴詩人與小說家Reynaldo Arenas 一生的故事。
1943 年出生於古巴Oriente 貧窮小鎮的Areans 由於童年的環境對於海洋與水有著無比的熱愛。青春期搬到哈瓦納的Arenas 與一群懷抱著對政治改革有夢想的藝術家.作家在一起。

他的第一本小說　Singing from the Well"在哈瓦納出版，而這也是他在自己的國家裡出版的唯一一本小說，由於卡斯楚的政治壓迫，經常批判政府並且是同性戀的Arenas 自然成了政府的眼中釘，在一次被指控的莫虛有罪名下，Arenas 被捕入獄，關在El Morro　。
受盡各種不人道的待遇後，Arenas 被釋，而由於在古巴國內，精神病與同性戀必須要被送走，所以Arenas 也因此離開古巴在１９８０年到達自由之土美國，紐約。但是在紐約的生活並不如Arenas 原先想像一般美好，而在１９９０年因為 ＡＩＤＳ病逝，享年 ４７歲。(这里)

　　生日：1951年10月26日　出生地：美国纽约布鲁克林

施纳贝尔出生在纽约，年幼时是随父母迁往德州布朗斯维尔，1973年取得了休斯顿大学的美术学士学位，随后向纽约的惠特尼博物馆提交了独立学习计划申请。学习之余，施纳贝尔在格林威治村的餐馆中作快餐厨师。1973年，施纳贝尔在休斯顿的当代美术馆举办了自己的第一次画展。随后的几年间，他赴欧洲旅游，并深受多位艺术大师的影响。1979年，施纳贝尔在纽约著名画廊Mary Boone举办个人画展，1980年，他参加了意大利双周展，到80年代中期，施纳贝尔已然成为“新表现主义”运动的重要代表人物。时至今日，他的作品在纽约、伦敦、巴黎和洛杉矶等地的各大美术馆中都能找到。

　　1996年，施纳贝尔初执导筒，拍摄了讲述美国街头画家吉恩·米切尔·巴斯奎特(Jean-Michel Basquiat)成名经历的影片《轻狂岁月》，影片获威尼斯电影节金狮奖提名。2000年，施纳贝尔将古巴著名作家雷纳多·阿里纳斯(Reinaldo Arenas)的人生历程拍成电影《夜幕降临前》，该片不仅获得独立精神奖提名，还在威尼斯电影节被授予评审团特别大奖。2007年的作品、根据前《ELLE》杂志主编、记者让·多米尼克·鲍比生平改编拍摄的《潜水钟与蝴蝶》在第60届戛纳国际电影节上斩获最佳导演大奖；又评些作品在第65届金球奖电影类最佳导演奖。

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