美国国家公共电台 NPR 'Green Book' Is About Race — And Also Friendship, Class And Masculinity

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Don Shirley could have been one of the most famous concert pianists in the world had it not been for the color of his skin. As a black man in 1962, Shirley was excluded from many of the great American music venues¹ of the day. And when he decided² to tour the Deep South, not only did he have to play less desirable stages and styles, he also needed a white bodyguard³ to get him safely from club to club. That's the story behind the new film "Green Book," starring recent Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as Don Shirley, also known as Doc.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GREEN BOOK")

VIGGO MORTENSEN: (As Tony) Yeah.

DON STARK⁴: (As Jules) Some guy called over here - a doctor. He's looking for a driver. You interested?

MAHERSHALA ALI: (As Don) I am not a medical doctor. I'm a musician. I'm about to embark⁵ on a concert tour in the Deep South. What other experience do you have?

MORTENSEN: (As Tony) Public relations.

MARTIN: That's the voice of Viggo Mortensen as Doc Shirley's driver/bodyguard. This film is about what it was like to travel while black in the Jim Crow South. It's also all about this particular relationship between Don Shirley and Tony Vallelonga. I talked with Mahershala Ali recently about the film. And he told me why Doc Shirley felt compelled to go south.

ALI: It would've been too easy for him to stay up North or to go to Europe and tour and travel and make money. I think he was seeking to penetrate⁶ the stereotypes⁷, especially once you cross that Mason-Dixon line. Doc Shirley wanted to expose himself to that environment for the good of changing minds and hearts.

MARTIN: He knows it's going to be hard, though. He knows...

ALI: Yes.

MARTIN: There's going to be trouble...

ALI: Yes.

MARTIN: ...Which is why he decides to hire a driver.

ALI: (Laughter).

MARTIN: Not just any driver - he wants, like, a bruiser.

ALI: Yes.

MARTIN: (Laughter) He wants a body man. Enter Tony Vallelonga...

ALI: Yes, yes.

MARTIN: ...Known as The Lip.

ALI: Yeah.

MARTIN: We're made aware pretty early that Tony is a racist⁸.

ALI: Yeah. Yes.

MARTIN: What does Dr. Shirley make of him?

ALI: Don Shirley really was intrigued⁹ by him. He thought of him more as something to observe. And you tolerate and you deal with him. But he was a bit entertained by how off-putting Tony could be at times.

MARTIN: Is there any part of him, though, that feels like it is just yet another indignity¹⁰? - that he's got to be escorted around given this kind of white cover in order to get into places where he's likely to experience even more indignities¹¹.

ALI: Perhaps, but I would also say that I don't think at that time - I don't know if he would have even thought he could find someone else that would be that different. If you think about a white man agreeing to work for a black man in 1962 and driving him around in the South, it would have been challenging to find someone who could check all the boxes.

MARTIN: Right.

ALI: And I think that he approached it - and I'm guessing a bit. But I believe he would've approached it from the standpoint of believing that he would be able to be in control of the space in the car because he is the boss. And he tolerates it because, you know, for him to complete this tour, he needs his presence. But Tony needs Doc as well.

MARTIN: It's really interesting because this is a film about friendship and about race and about class. But I thought it was also about, to some degree, masculinity and what it meant then to be a man and what it means now. And it seems - I don't know. I'd be interested in what you thought. But is it fair to say each of these men, in their own way, is trying to figure out that?

ALI: Yeah. Thank you for saying that. I - it's really true. It is a lot about masculinity and identity and also giving people space to define that for themselves. You know, there's a lot of pressure on all of us, culturally, to - as we're born, we're constantly having this negotiation¹² between who we feel we are or what we feel we are with what the world is saying and guiding us to be so that we all fit nicely into, you know, our categories. It's so much more complicated than that.

And I haven't seen Don Shirley's archetype before. And that was something that was really attractive to me because he was multi-dimensional. If you look at Nina Simone - as much as we love and appreciate Nina Simone and her contribution to music and art, Nina Simone was never the Nina Simone that she wanted to be. She wanted to be a classical pianist. Don Shirley wanted to be a classical pianist. That's the experience of the black artist in this country - constantly being pointed¹³ and steered¹⁴ towards what is commercially profitable or where, socially, you're acceptable but not necessarily towards your talent and your freedom and therefore, eventually, the fulfilling of your own potential.

MARTIN: What about you? You're a black artist.

ALI: Yes.

MARTIN: Do you feel like you are fulfilling your potential? Do you feel like you have been able to do the things you want to do?

ALI: You know what? I realize, even doing this project now, looking at - you know, from my father to my grandfather, you know, grandmother, like, my family - you inherit a little bit of the struggle. It means that I have to - even post-Oscar, I have to advocate for myself, you know? And I've done that. I had to advocate for my first lead opportunity. And that went extraordinarily¹⁵ well. But I - it doesn't mean that you - here's this trophy¹⁶ and then here's a leading role.

It's - the conditions still are what they are. But you might have to say, hey, that second lead that you've, you know, handed me the script for, that's a cool part. But I've done so much of that in my life. This leading part, I really want to play that part. That's the part I want to play. And I don't say that in a - I'm proud. And I feel fortunate to be in that place where I am in a position to speak up on certain things and perhaps change things, not only for myself but for a whole community of people at times, you know? And any and all of us in those type of positions when we have that kind of platform have to be very conscious of having that responsibility and do our best to do good and be responsible with it.

MARTIN: The film is called "Green Book." It stars Mahershala Ali as Dr. Don Shirley. Mahershala, thank you so much for talking with us.

ALI: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

(SOUNDBITE OF DON SHIRLEY'S "THE LONESOME ROAD")

1 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 bodyguard   

n.护卫，保镖

参考例句：

• She has to have an armed bodyguard wherever she goes.她不管到哪儿都得有带武器的保镖跟从。
• The big guy standing at his side may be his bodyguard.站在他身旁的那个大个子可能是他的保镖。

4 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

5 embark   

vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机

参考例句：

• He is about to embark on a new business venture.他就要开始新的商业冒险活动。
• Many people embark for Europe at New York harbor.许多人在纽约港乘船去欧洲。

6 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

7 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

9 intrigued   

adj.好奇的，被迷住了的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的过去式)；激起…的兴趣或好奇心；“intrigue”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You've really intrigued me—tell me more! 你说的真有意思—再给我讲一些吧！
• He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了。

10 indignity   

n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑

参考例句：

• For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
• She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。

11 indignities   

n.侮辱，轻蔑( indignity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The soldiers who were captured suffered many indignities at the hands of the enemy. 被俘的士兵在敌人手中受尽侮辱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• What sort of indignities would he be forced to endure? 他会被迫忍受什么样的侮辱呢？ 来自辞典例句

12 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

13 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

14 steered   

v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导

参考例句：

• He steered the boat into the harbour. 他把船开进港。
• The freighter steered out of Santiago Bay that evening. 那天晚上货轮驶出了圣地亚哥湾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

16 trophy   

n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品

参考例句：

• The cup is a cherished trophy of the company.那只奖杯是该公司很珍惜的奖品。
• He hung the lion's head as a trophy.他把那狮子头挂起来作为狩猎纪念品。