影片主角是一(yī )个78岁的(de )英(📼)国(guó )著名(míng )作(zuò )家，他身(shēn )患重病却(🛍)仍(réng )(🔱)然(rán )酗(🤢)酒成性，口不(bú )择言。夜晚不时陷(xiàn )于(yú )噩梦的缠(chán )绕(rào )中，令(lìng )(👋)他想入非(fēi )非，一边琢(😎)磨着他(tā )最后一部(👑)作品(pǐn )的情(🛍)节构思，一边回忆着他(tā )的(🚉)往事(🚥)。于是，噩梦、他的想象加上往事的回忆(🥀)相互混(😱)淆(xiáo )在一起，共同(🌙)构成(chéng )了他(tā )作品(🌚)的故事框架(jià )。　　影片将(jiāng )文学(🌊)创(㊗)作的过程跟幻想、愤怒(🏂)等(🙌)融(róng )为一(🌞)体，制造了一个精致的(🈴)弗(fú )洛伊(yī )德哑谜。这是雷奈的(de )(😍)第(dì )一部用英语拍摄的影片(🚴)。剧本(⚾)比较拗(niù )口(🗳)罗嗦，有较重的文(wén )学味，影(yǐng )片(piàn )被认为是雷奈(nài )的杰作(⛏)，博加德(🤷)的演出(💅)尤为精湛，但(💯)一(😝)般(bān )观(🏒)众(🙎)可能会(🐡)觉(jiào )得单调乏味(🤥)。　　Clive Langham (Sir John Gielgud) spends one tormenting night in his bed suffering from health problems and thinking up a story based on his relatives. He is a bitter man and he shows, through flashbacks, how spiteful, conniving and treacherous his family is. But is this how they really are or is it his own vindictive slant on things