2021年经济学人 传奇影星葛丽泰·嘉宝的两幅面孔

Books and Arts -- Book Review

文学与艺术——书评

Cinema royalty¹ -- Two faces of a star

电影皇族——一个明星的两面

Garbo. By Robert Gottlieb.

《嘉宝》，作者：罗伯特·戈特利布。

She was everything on screen and not much off it.

她在银幕上光芒万丈，但在银幕外就不是这样了。

That is the conclusion to be drawn² from Robert Gottlieb’s biography of Greta Garbo, the legendary³ film star of the 1920s and 1930s.

这是从罗伯特·戈特利布为20世纪二三十年代传奇影星葛丽泰·嘉宝撰写的传记中得出的结论。

“Was she even an actress, or was she merely a glorious presence?” he asks.

“她真的能算是个演员吗，还是说，她仅仅是一种光彩夺目的存在？”他问道。

Readers’ assessments⁴ of her glory may depend on their view of how much personal morality matters.

读者对她的辉煌成就的评价可能取决于他们认为个人道德有多重要。

A millionaire many times over, on her death in 1990 Garbo bequeathed a pittance⁵ to her live-in maid; she failed to increase her annual tip to the doorman of her building in Manhattan for 37 years.

嘉宝曾多次成为百万富翁，而在1990年离世时，嘉宝给她的住家女佣留下了一笔极其微薄的遗产；住在她曼哈顿公寓的37年来，她一直未曾给门卫增加新年小费。

Luxuriously⁶ attired⁷ as Anna Karenina or Mata Hari, Garbo shone for the camera.

嘉宝奢华地打扮成安娜·卡列尼娜或玛塔·哈里的模样，在镜头前闪闪发光。

She swooned, she wept, she ravishingly died, a vision of unknowable Swedish beauty.

她昏倒了，她哭泣了，她令人神魂颠倒地死去了，这是一种道不明的瑞典之美。

The costumier at MGM remarked that no one else wore gowns with such ease.

米高梅的服装师说，没有人能像她那样如此自在地穿着礼服。

Her grey-blue eyes were her best feature and dazzled even in black and white.

她那灰蓝色的眼睛是她五官中最漂亮的一处，即使是在黑白照片中也令人倾倒。

As a teenager she beguiled⁸ the director Mauritz Stiller, who helped make her famous.

十几岁的时候，她曾骗过帮助她成名的导演莫里茨·斯蒂勒。

“There is something quite extraordinary about that girl,” he said. “I must discover what it is.”

他说：“那个女孩身上有一些非常特别的东西。”“我必须弄清楚那是什么。”

Mr Gottlieb, a former editor of the New Yorker and a distinguished⁹ book publisher, is a trenchant¹⁰ critic and not easily impressed.

戈特利布是一位尖锐的批评家，不易被打动，他曾是《纽约客》的编辑，也是一位杰出的图书出版商。

He listened to surreptitious recordings¹¹ of Garbo’s phone calls “until I was so bored I couldn’t bear to go on”.

他偷听嘉宝的电话录音，“直到我无聊到无法继续听下去”。

Yet Garbo herself makes him giddy.

然而嘉宝本人却让他兴奋陶醉。

She reminds him “that life is not only difficult and painful but also worth living”.

她提醒他“生活不仅是艰难和痛苦的，而且是值得活下去的”。

That is high praise from the editor of Toni Morrison’s novels and the biographer of Balanchine, a choreographer¹² of genius.

这是来自托尼·莫里森小说的编辑和天才编舞巴兰钦的传记作者的高度赞扬。

A paradox¹³ runs through this astute¹⁴ and entertaining book.

在这本机敏而有趣的书中贯穿着一个悖论。

It is a portrait of a celebrated¹⁵ actor whose films are mostly terrible.

它描绘了一位著名的演员，而她的电影大多很糟糕。

“Susan Lenox” is a “hodgepodge of nonsense”, says Mr Gottlieb; “Two-Faced Woman” is “a ghastly mess”.

戈特利布说，《苏珊·伦诺克斯》是“胡言乱语的大杂烩”；《两面派女人》是“一个可怕的烂摊子”。

Only “Camille” and “Ninotchka” receive enthusiastic praise—but even Garbo’s best films now come across as gauzy melodramas¹⁶ at best, camp spectacles at worst.

只有《卡米尔》和《尼诺奇卡》受到了热烈的赞扬——但即使是嘉宝最好的电影，往好了说是平平无奇的情节剧，往坏了说就是一些做作的表演。

She is the main reason to watch any of them.

人们观看这些电影的主要原因就是为了看她。

Even in an account as engaging as this, though, she appears vapid¹⁷ in her private life.

然而，即便是在如此动人的叙述中，她的私生活也显得索然无味。

She lacked intellectual curiosity, the author reports, and was not especially witty¹⁸.

作者写道，她缺乏求知欲，也不是特别风趣。

She collected Renoirs but kept them wrapped in cheesecloth.

她收集雷诺阿的作品，但她把它们包在粗棉布里。

Her friends and lovers (reputedly of both sexes) were tossed away like handkerchiefs.

她抛弃朋友和情人（据说男女都有）像扔手绢一样随意。

Mr Gottlieb’s judgment¹⁹ is questionable²⁰ in its generosity²¹: “Certainly she used people ruthlessly, but people wanted to be used by her.”

戈特利布的评判过于宽容值得怀疑：“虽然她无情地利用人们，但人们希望被她利用。”

After professing²² an interest in the UN she was given a private tour, during which she opined on the colour of the carpets.

在声称对联合国感兴趣后，她被安排了一次私人参观，期间她对地毯的颜色评判了一番。

Tellingly, Mr Gottlieb compares Garbo to two other movie stars: Marilyn Monroe and Meryl Streep.

值得注意的是，戈特利布将嘉宝与另外两位电影明星相比较：玛丽莲·梦露和梅丽尔·斯特里普。

Although he praises Garbo’s acting²³, today anyone watching her embrace a bouquet²⁴ of flowers in “A Woman of Affairs” may think she was overdoing²⁵ it.

虽然他称赞嘉宝的演技，但今天任何人看到嘉宝在《风流韵事的女人》中抱着一束鲜花的表演，都会认为她演过头了。

She seems better paired with Monroe, remembered most for her allure²⁶ and mystique, than with Ms Streep, a masterful thespian²⁷ with chameleonic²⁸ powers.

与斯特里普女士相比，她似乎更适合与梦露相比较，梦露最为人所熟知的是她的魅力和神秘感，而斯特里普女士则是一位拥有变色龙能力的大师级演员。

Garbo was an icon²⁹ rather than an artist, famous for who she was rather than what she did.

嘉宝是一个偶像而不是一位艺术家，她出名是因为她是谁，而不是因为她做了什么。

“Maybe she wasn’t really very interesting,” Mr Gottlieb concludes of his elusive³⁰ subject. “Who could tell?”

“或许她并不是特别有趣，”戈特利布在总结这个难以捉摸的话题时说道。“但谁又能搞清楚呢？”

1 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

4 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

5 pittance   

n.微薄的薪水，少量

参考例句：

• Her secretaries work tirelessly for a pittance.她的秘书们为一点微薄的工资不知疲倦地工作。
• The widow must live on her slender pittance.那寡妇只能靠自己微薄的收入过活。

6 luxuriously   

adv.奢侈地，豪华地

参考例句：

• She put her nose luxuriously buried in heliotrope and tea roses. 她把自己的鼻子惬意地埋在天芥菜和庚申蔷薇花簇中。 来自辞典例句
• To be well dressed doesn't mean to be luxuriously dressed. 穿得好不一定衣着豪华。 来自辞典例句

7 attired   

adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bride was attired in white. 新娘穿一身洁白的礼服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It is appropriate that everyone be suitably attired. 人人穿戴得体是恰当的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 beguiled   

v.欺骗( beguile的过去式和过去分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等）

参考例句：

• She beguiled them into believing her version of events. 她哄骗他们相信了她叙述的事情。
• He beguiled me into signing this contract. 他诱骗我签订了这项合同。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

10 trenchant   

adj.尖刻的，清晰的

参考例句：

• His speech was a powerful and trenchant attack against apartheid.他的演说是对种族隔离政策强有力的尖锐的抨击。
• His comment was trenchant and perceptive.他的评论既一针见血又鞭辟入里。

11 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

12 choreographer   

n.编舞者

参考例句：

• She is a leading professional belly dancer, choreographer, and teacher. 她既是杰出的专业肚皮舞演员，也是舞蹈设计者和老师。 来自辞典例句
• It'stands aside, my choreographer of grace, and blesses each finger and toe. 它站在一旁，我优雅的舞蹈指导，并祝福每个指尖与脚尖。 来自互联网

13 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

14 astute   

adj.机敏的，精明的

参考例句：

• A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。
• The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾，足以对付侦探的机智。

15 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

16 melodramas   

情节剧( melodrama的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It was the operatic version of the Chinese costume melodramas so loved by television audiences. 这是电视观众最喜爱的一个中国故事的歌剧版本。

17 vapid   

adj.无味的；无生气的

参考例句：

• She made a vapid comment about the weather.她对天气作了一番平淡无奇的评论。
• He did the same thing year by year and found life vapid.他每年做着同样的事，觉得生活索然无味。

18 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

19 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

20 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

21 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

22 professing   

声称( profess的现在分词 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉

参考例句：

• But( which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 只要有善行。这才与自称是敬神的女人相宜。
• Professing Christianity, he had little compassion in his make-up. 他号称信奉基督教，却没有什么慈悲心肠。

23 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

24 bouquet   

n.花束，酒香

参考例句：

• This wine has a rich bouquet.这种葡萄酒有浓郁的香气。
• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。

25 overdoing   

v.做得过分( overdo的现在分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度

参考例句：

• He's been overdoing things recently. 近来他做事过分努力。 来自辞典例句
• You think I've been overdoing it with the work thing? 你认为我对工作的关注太过分了吗？ 来自电影对白

26 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。

27 thespian   

adj.戏曲的；n.演员；悲剧演员

参考例句：

• If you enjoy acting in plays,join your school's thespian club.如果你喜欢戏剧表演，就加入你学校的戏剧社团。
• The actress demonstrated thespian talents at her first audition.这位女演员第一次试镜就展现出戏剧天分。

28 chameleonic   

adj.变色龙一样的，反复无常的，轻浮的

参考例句：

29 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

30 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。