Film predicts a future London

BBC Learning EnglishLondon LifeFilm predicts a future LondonAmber: Hello, I'm Amber¹, and you’re listening tobbclearningenglish.com.
　　In London Life today, we zoom² forward in time to consider avision of London in the year 2027!
　　How is that possible? You ask. Well, we’ll be listening toa review of a new film set in a dark and dangerous London-of-the-future.
　　Children of Men is a science fiction thriller³ set in Londonin the year 2027, and the human race is dying out. Globalinfertility means no babies have been born for 18 years.
　　The film follows a character called Theo, played by CliveOwen. He’s a rather reluctant hero! A pregnant woman hasbeen found – the human race’s last hope of survival –and it’s Theo’s job to keep her alive!
　　Children of Men is based on a novel by the British thrillerwriter P D James and it’s directed by acclaimed⁴ Mexicanfilm-maker Alfonso Cuaron.
　　As you’ll hear, the critic Nigel Floyd thinks the film’sstrength is that it’s really concerned with life today,even though it’s set in the future. It’s a warningabout the terrible things that could happen.
　　Nigel Floyd says it’s a very exciting film with plenty offast action – it’s ‘a chase movie’ – and it movesforward like ‘a shark’! Sounds frightening, doesn’t it?
　　Try to catch the term Nigel Floyd uses to describe the film– what kind of‘tale’, or story, is it?
　　Nigel Floyd‘The funny thing about it is: like all science fictionfilms, it’s not actually about ‘then’, it’s about ‘now’. And what you do is – by way of a cautionary tale –you say to people: Now look, if we allow things to continuethe way they’re going now, it will get this bad. So it isabout ‘today’, and it digs in, it really does addressthose issues on a big scale – it’s not just a chasemovie. I mean it is mainly a chase movie! Because the wholething moves forward like a shark! It’s like it has to keepgoing forward in order to live.’
　　Amber: So Nigel Floyd says Children of Men is a cautionarytale – it’s a warning. And if that’s not enough to makeyou tense, listen to what he says next about the way themovie is filmed. There are fast sequences filmed with ahand-held camera following the characters. You feel as ifyou’re on some kind of fast fairground ride without asafety rail to protect you!
　　Try to catch the expression Nigel Floyd uses to describehow the audience behaves when it watches a tense, fast-moving movie.
　　Nigel Floyd‘What keeps this film going - and what keeps the audienceon the edge of its seat - is that it moves forward all thetime. There are amazing hand-held camera scenes where thecamera actually sort of dives in through the front of abuilding, follows the characters up the stairs, through aseries of rooms, down corridors, out the window, out intothe garden … and it all appears to be one continuous shot.
　　It’s almost as if the camera’s become like anothercharacter in the film – like a rather curious characterthat’s following the action. That sucks you in. And thenevery now and then, there’s a setback⁵ - there are theseplot switches - that absolutely take your breath away andyou sit there, and you think: Oh, my God, someone hasremoved the safety rails!’
　　Amber: Nigel Floyd says the audience is ‘on the edge ofits seat’ – if you’re on the edge of your seat when you’re watching a film, you feel completely involved in theaction and probably rather scared! And it sounds as ifthere is a lot to be frightened ofwhen it comes to the setting of this movie - London in theChildren of Men is a place torn apart by violence andanarchy.
　　Nigel Floyd begins his last speech by making a joke aboutseeing a future London in a film as very grey, dreary⁶ andfrightening. But what does he say is still running?
　　Nigel Floyd‘Nice to see London getting a bit down and dirty in thefuture! There are still double-decker buses running, butthere’s almost no energy left. So the place seems verygrim, it seems very sort of broken down. There are variousanarchist groups and right-wing groups who are battling itout on the streets of London. People are trying to go abouttheir business, but what’s the point?’
　　Amber: So even in this dreadful London of 2027, there arestill red double-decker buses running!
　　Here again is some of the language from today’s programme:
　　a chase moviea cautionary talehand-held camera scenesto be on the edge of your seatMore news stories and language explanations next time atbbclearningenglish.com

1 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

2 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

3 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

4 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

5 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

6 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。