98,668 views Apr 5, 2026 #robertredford #janefonda #marlonbrando

由亞瑟潘執導……一部精心編排的電影……導演手法精湛，演員們的表演精彩絕倫，毫無瑕疵……馬龍白蘭度氣場強大，奉獻了他最偉大的角色之一……而羅伯特雷德福，已然嶄露頭角……一種獨特的氣質……一種持續的緊張感……最終走向令人震撼的結局……悲劇

Exceptionnel.  1966.  Probablement in extenso.  En regardant ce film, je pensais parfois aux oeuvres et aux conférences récentes d'Emmanuel Todd.  La chute de l'occident, de la société américaine.  C'était déjà " en semence  ",  " in the making ".  Exprimé dans la fiction ...  Les grands auteurs voient loin.  Merci d'avoir diffusé cette oeuvre magistrale  -  apparemment au complet.  Et Marlon Brando, exceptionnel, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford  ...   Merci mille fois.   On n'oublie pas une oeuvre pareille.  傑作。 1966年。很可能是完整版。觀看這部電影時，我有時會想起伊曼紐爾·托德近期的作品和演講。西部的衰落，美國社會的衰落。這一切當時已經「醞釀」了，「埋下了種子」。在小說中得以體現……偉大的作家總是能預見未來。感謝您分享這部傑作——而且似乎是完整版。還有馬龍·白蘭度，精彩絕倫；珍·方達；羅伯特·雷德福……萬分感謝。這樣的作品令人難忘

 

xcellent film sur une époque révolue heureusement...les gamins étaient aussi tarés que leurs parents. Une société livrée à elle même sans le respect des autorités et vous avez devant vous un monde animal à l'instinct exacerbé s'alimentant de violence. Acteurs extraordinaires oui du grand cinéma. Merci du partage très précieux. //Excellent film about a bygone era, thankfully... the kids were just as crazy as their parents. A society left to its own devices, with no respect for authority, and you have before you a world of primal instincts, fueled by violence. Extraordinary actors, truly great cinema. Thank you for this invaluable share.這是一部關於逝去時代的精彩電影，值得慶幸的是……孩子們和他們的父母一樣瘋狂。一個社會任其自生自滅，對權威毫無敬畏，你眼前展現的是一個被原始本能驅使、充斥暴力的世界。演員們演技精湛，這部電影堪稱偉大。感謝您分享這部佳作。

 

純粹的好萊塢式宏大。精湛絕倫，震撼人心。一個令人揪心的故事，融合了社會諷刺和道德諷刺，由一群才華橫溢的年輕演員傾情演繹，他們個個都美得令人驚艷。亞瑟·佩恩執導，留下了鮮明的個人印記。一部精彩絕倫的電影，太棒了，萬分感謝分享。 Du grand, tout grand Hollywood. Magistral, accablant. Histoire terrible, qui allie satire de mœurs et satire sociale, mise en valeur par une palette de jeunes acteurs d'exception, tous beaux de surcroît. Arthur Penn à la réalisation, une signature qui imprime aussi sa marque. Fabuleux film, bravo et mille mercis pour ce partage.

 

@yvonchoffat
13 days ago (edited)
一個頹廢的國家，繼承了舊歐洲的習俗：武力、少數人的壟斷、欺騙、觸目驚心的不平等、野蠻；不幸的是，它幾十年來一直以一種連古代奇蹟宮廷都不會否認的心態主宰著世界。一部好電影，演員陣容強大。謝謝！
@yvonchoffat
13 days ago (edited)
Pays décadent, héritier des moeurs  de la vieille Europe : Pouvoir des armes, accaparements d'une minorité, duplicités, inégalités criantes, sauvagerie ; il a hélas dominé le monde pendant des décennies avec la mentalité que l'antique cour des miracles ne renierait pas. Une belle distribution pour un bon film. Merci !

???? The Chase (1966) — Core Themes Explained

The film you’re referencing is The Chase, directed by Arthur Penn, and starring Marlon Brando, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, and Robert Duvall.

It sits alongside Penn’s landmark works like Bonnie and Clyde and Little Big Man, and is often studied as a psychological and social critique of American society.

Below is a clear thematic list, organized conceptually—especially relevant to your note about the “scapegoat principle” (bouc-émissaire / 替罪羊).

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???? Major Themes in The Chase

1?? The Scapegoat Mechanism (替罪羊原則)

Core idea:
A fearful community unites by blaming one person.

In the film:

• Bubber Reeves (Redford) becomes the town’s symbolic enemy.

• Whether guilty or not becomes irrelevant—he represents everything the town fears or hates.

• The mob mentality transforms individuals into a collective force of violence.

Conceptual parallels:
This reflects the René Girard theory of the scapegoat mechanism, where societies stabilize internal conflict by sacrificing a chosen victim.

Why your quoted line fits:

“我認為這是對一個彼此憎恨的群體中『替罪羊』原則的描述。”
That reading is precise. The town’s hatred needs an outlet—Bubber becomes that outlet.

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2?? Mob Mentality vs. Rule of Law

Central conflict:
Law (Sheriff Calder) vs. Collective Violence (the mob).

Embodied by:

• Sheriff Calder (Brando) — rational authority

• Townspeople — emotional, reactionary force

Key message:
Civilization is fragile. Remove restraint, and crowds revert to primal behavior.

This aligns with comments you cited:

“A society left to itself… becomes a world of primal instincts fueled by violence.”

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3?? Moral Hypocrisy of Respectable Society

Core insight:
The town pretends to be moral—but is morally corrupt.

Examples:

• Wealthy elites manipulate justice.

• Respectable citizens secretly engage in betrayal, jealousy, and cruelty.

• Violence is masked by social decorum.

Classic American cinema motif:
Small-town virtue hides systemic rot.

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4?? Sexual Jealousy and Masculine Rage

Underlying emotional engine:
Male insecurity and wounded pride.

Manifestations:

• Romantic entanglements escalate tensions.

• Masculinity is defined through violence and control.

• Emotional humiliation turns into public aggression.

This psychological fuel helps explain why the mob forms so quickly.

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5?? Authority Under Siege

Embodied by Sheriff Calder.

He represents:

• Law

• Duty

• Rational restraint

But:

He is isolated, mocked, beaten, and abandoned.

Theme:
Authority exists—but lacks moral support from society.

Without shared values, law becomes powerless.

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6?? Social Collapse from Within

Not war.
Not invasion.
Not catastrophe.

Instead:

Internal moral decay destroys the community.

This links directly to the commentary you cited referencing Emmanuel Todd, whose work often discusses civilizational decline from internal contradictions.

Film’s implication:
Decline begins long before collapse becomes visible.

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7?? Violence as Contagion

Violence spreads socially like infection.

Progression in the film:

Fear → Rumor → Anger → Mob → Violence

This resembles behavioral contagion theory in social psychology.

Once activated, violence becomes self-justifying.

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8?? Individual Conscience vs Collective Madness

Sheriff Calder represents:

Individual moral responsibility.

The mob represents:

Collective moral surrender.

Core philosophical question:
Can one ethical individual withstand mass hysteria?

---

9?? Class Power and Economic Inequality

Powerful men in the town:

• Control wealth

• Influence justice

• Avoid consequences

Meanwhile:

Ordinary citizens become tools of elite interests.

Hidden structure:
The mob is not purely spontaneous—it is socially conditioned.

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???? The Illusion of Civilization

Perhaps the film’s deepest thesis:

Civilization is not permanent.

It is maintained behavior, not inherent nature.

Remove restraint—and society reverts.

That’s why the film feels unsettling even today.

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???? Why This Film Was So Influential

The Chase emerged during the 1960s—a period of:

• Civil rights tensions

• Social unrest

• Distrust of authority

• Cultural fragmentation

It anticipated later American cinema that explored social fracture, including:

• Bonnie and Clyde

• Taxi Driver

• Network

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???? A Useful Way to Summarize the Film

At its core, The Chase is about this:

A frightened society maintains unity not through justice—but through shared hatred.

That is precisely why the scapegoat interpretation you highlighted is so intellectually accurate.

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???? Final Analytical Summary

Primary Themes (Condensed):

1. Scapegoating and collective blame

2. Mob mentality overpowering law

3. Moral hypocrisy in respectable society

4. Fragility of authority

5. Sexual jealousy fueling violence

6. Internal social decay

7. Violence spreading socially

8. Individual conscience vs collective hysteria

9. Class dominance and inequality

10. Civilization as a fragile construct

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If You’re Studying This Film Deeply

Given your analytical style—especially your interest in social logic, causality, and moral structure—you might find it valuable to also examine:

• The final sequence as a ritual sacrifice structure

• Sheriff Calder as a Christ-like moral witness figure

• Bubber Reeves as a symbolic victim rather than merely a criminal

Those interpretations often emerge in advanced film and sociological readings of this work.