英文杂志-Magazine：Great films that aren't really about

Canada?You can’t see much of Canada in American films like in the 1953 film 'Niagara' (1953). For me, Canada is a place that starts somewhere on the other side of that enormous¹ waterfall.

Like most people I suppose, I know the USA from watching American films. I think my view of Canada is nearly the same, the only problem is that you can’t see much of Canada in American films. Marilyn Monroe became a star after the 1953 film “Niagara”. In it, she visits the falls on her honeymoon² and plans to kill her husband. Like in that film, Canada for me is a place that starts somewhere on the other side of that enormous waterfall.

From Toronto you can drive to Niagara Falls in about 2 hours. It lies between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario on the border between The United States and Canada. There are lots of fun things to do there. If you are interested in the waterfall itself you might like to go on “The journey behind the fall” a tunnel in the rock behind the water. The place is also popular with lovers³. Actually the tradition of honeymoon journeys was started as a way to promote Niagara Falls as a tourist destination. The spot also attracts crazy people who want to throw themselves over the edge. These days it’s not bad if you like casinos. The latest one to open is called Fallsview casino, which, they say, is more luxurious⁴ and sophisticated⁵ than the Casino Niagara.

I have a two-sided DVD which is my main source of information for this article. There’s a film called “Bowling⁶ For Columbine” on one side, and on the other “Owning Mahowny”.

Bowling for Columbine is a film about the United States. More specifically⁷ about a mysterious something that makes it such a violent society. Canada appears for comparison⁸. In Canada 165 people are killed by guns every year, in the United States 11,127.

Is violence caused by unemployment? Well that’s higher in Canada.

Is it caused by having lots of guns? In Canada there are about 10 million families and about 7 million guns. They are a nation of hunters.

Guns are easy to buy in The States – but the same seems to be true in Canada too.

The film doesn’t exactly solve the mystery, but it seems to have something to do with politics.

Mahowny, the main character in the other film, is Canadian, and the film is based on the real story of the biggest fraud⁹ ever committed in Canada. It begins with a very short shot of a huge powerful waterfall, if you watch to the end of the film and still remember those first few seconds you might realise that this is Niagara Falls. Mahowny is being interviewed by a psychotherapist, and the words come up on the screen “Based on real events in Toronto, 1980-82”… but then we go right back to the beginning of the story. Mahowny works¹⁰ in a bank, and seems to be doing well, but we quickly learn that he has serious problems. He can’t stop gambling¹¹, and he’s getting further and further into debt.

Instead of trying to save and pay back the money, he starts flying to Atlantic City and gambling his bank’s money in a casino. Of course this doesn’t help. He takes more and more from the bank. It’s a sad and painful process to watch. He is unpleasant to everyone, especially his girlfriend. She waits for him at home and he always disappoints her. He takes her for a weekend in Las Vegas and she thinks they are going to get married – but he spends the whole time in the casino. He doesn’t care about anything except the results of his bets¹².

On Mahoney’s last trip to the States he flies with the ladies from the casino. One of them says Niagara Falls looks “just fantastic”.

“I’ve never been” he says, “I guess I don’t want to use up all of Canada too soon.”

Of course in the end he goes to prison, but there is some hope for the future, if not exactly a happy ending. He takes his girlfriend to Niagara Falls.
 

1 enormous   

adj.巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• An enormous sum of money is injected each year into teaching.每年都有大量资金投入到教学中。
• They wield enormous political power.他们行使巨大的政治权力。

2 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

3 lovers   

爱好者( lover的名词复数 )； 情人； 情夫； 情侣

参考例句：

• They were off-screen lovers. 他们是真实生活中的情侣。
• Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet 罗密欧和朱丽叶这一对莎士比亚笔下命运多舛的恋人

4 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

5 sophisticated   

adj.老练的，精密的，尖端的，高雅的

参考例句：

• She has become very sophisticated since she went to live in London.移居伦敦后她变得世故多了。
• This is a very sophisticated machine.这是一台非常精密的机器。

6 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

7 specifically   

adv.明确地，具体地；特别地，特意

参考例句：

• The book was written specifically for children.这本书是特地为儿童编写的。
• I told you specifically not to do that.我明确地告诉你不要那样做。

8 comparison   

n.比较，对照；比拟，比喻

参考例句：

• They make a comparison of New York to a beehive.他们把纽约比作一个蜂巢。
• This dress is really cheaper by comparison.比较起来，这件衣服确实便宜。

9 fraud   

n.骗子，欺骗，欺诈，诡计

参考例句：

• We will introduce legal safeguards against fraud.我们将推行防止欺诈的法律条款。
• The prosecutor accused the defendant of fraud.原告控告被告犯有欺诈罪。

10 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

11 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

12 bets   

v.敢说，八成儿( bet的第三人称单数 )；打赌(on,against,with)；敢断定；敢说

参考例句：

• Place your bets now—the race begins in half an hour! 现在可以下赌注——赛事于半小时后开始。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But he did not enter all the losing bets in the accounts-book. 但输家交来的赠金，他并不全部登记入册。 来自辞典例句