美国国家公共电台 NPR Harper Lee's Estate Sues Aaron Sorkin Over 'To Kill A Mockingbird' Broadway Adaptation

 

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

The lawyer Atticus Finch¹ in "To Kill A Mockingbird" is among the most famous and beloved characters in American fiction. In the novel by Harper Lee, who died in 2016, Atticus Finch defends a black man falsely accused of rape² in a small, southern town in the 1930s. Here's Gregory Peck's portrayal³ of Finch in the film version.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD")

GREGORY PECK: (As Atticus Finch) I'm simply defending a Negro - Tom Robinson. Now, Scout⁴, there's been some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about defending this man.

MCCAMMON: But the late author's estate is unhappy with how Atticus Finch is portrayed⁵ in an upcoming Broadway play by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and Lee's estate is suing over it. Alexandra Alter is a reporter with The New York Times who's been following this story. She joins us now from her office in New York. Hello.

ALEXANDRA ALTER: Hi.

MCCAMMON: So you've read the complaint from Harper Lee's estate about this adaptation by Aaron Sorkin. Break it down for us. What is the complaint here?

ALTER: This complaint is very unusual because what they're asserting is that - although Harper Lee herself agreed to have Aaron Sorkin adapt her work, the estate is now saying that the contract stipulates⁶ that the script must be true to the novel and true to the characters. And they're arguing that this adaptation deviates⁷ too far from the original and therefore violates the contract. Now, if you look at the actual contract, it does say that Harper Lee has the absolute right to review the script and make comments which shall, quote, "be considered in good faith by the playwright⁸." That is not giving her a ton of power or her estate a ton of power to actually demand changes. But the language that her estate is pointing to - and her estate is run by Tonja Carter who is her lawyer - says that, quote, "the play shall not derogate⁹ or depart in any manner from the spirit of the novel nor alter its characters." And that's fairly subjective¹⁰, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

MCCAMMON: You spoke¹¹ with the play's producer Scott Rudin, who's been part of these discussions with Harper Lee's estate. What is he saying?

ALTER: He was very adamant¹² that the play does adhere to the spirit of the novel and is true to the novel. And he feels that when it's finally - you know, at the moment, it's a work in progress. They're just starting workshops. But he feels that once it evolves into the final product, fans of the novel will be very happy with it.

MCCAMMON: This isn't the first time in recent years that Harper Lee and "To Kill A Mockingbird" have generated headlines. The publication of "Go Set A Watchman," which happened not long before Lee died in 2016, was also controversial because it portrayed Atticus Finch differently than fans of the original novel expected. Is it really such a surprise that Sorkin's adaptation would take some artistic¹³ license¹⁴ with this character as well?

ALTER: I didn't think it was a huge surprise. And I read an interview that Aaron Sorkin gave to New York Magazine last fall in which he sort of explained, in a way, why he was doing this. To dramatize something that is in print onto the stage, you sort of need to put a character's evolution into action. And so his idea was to take Atticus Finch and have him evolve from sort of a naive¹⁵ apologist for the racial status quo into the morally-upstanding kind of civil rights crusader that he is in the novel. And so according to the complaint, you see this happen in the play largely through interactions that Atticus Finch has with Calpurnia who is their housemaid. He wasn't interested in - essentially¹⁶ in this sort of flat, completely good character. I think he wanted somebody a little more complex and nuanced.

MCCAMMON: What does all of this mean for the Sorkin adaptation of "To Kill A Mockingbird?" Is there any chance the play just doesn't go forward?

ALTER: That's a very good question, and I'm not sure how it will play out. You know, based on the sort of legal descriptions that I've seen, it does seem that Aaron Sorkin and Scott Rudin, the producers of the play essentially, are the ones that are - get to decide how close it is to the original and whether it's true to the spirit of the novel. The contract doesn't really give that right to Harper Lee or her estate.

MCCAMMON: Alexandra Alter covers publishing for The New York Times. Thank you.

ALTER: Thanks for having me.

(SOUNDBITE OF ELMER BERNSTEIN'S "MAIN TITLE")

1 finch   

n.雀科鸣禽(如燕雀，金丝雀等)

参考例句：

• This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch.这种行为常常可以在几种雀科鸣禽中看到。
• In Australia,it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch.在澳大利亚，它主要还是被称之为胡锦雀。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

4 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。

5 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 stipulates   

n.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的名词复数 )；规定，明确要求v.（尤指在协议或建议中）规定，约定，讲明（条件等）( stipulate的第三人称单数 )；规定，明确要求

参考例句：

• The trade contract stipulates for the settlement of balances in RMB. 贸易合同规定余额以人民币结算。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The contract stipulates for the use of seasoned timber. 合同上订明用干透的木料。 来自辞典例句

7 deviates   

v.偏离，越轨( deviate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The boy's behavior deviates from the usual pattern. 这个男孩子的举止与一般人不同。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The limit occurs when the ordinate deviates appreciably from unity. 这个限度发生在纵坐标明显地从单位1偏离的时候。 来自辞典例句

8 playwright   

n.剧作家，编写剧本的人

参考例句：

• Gwyn Thomas was a famous playwright.格温·托马斯是著名的剧作家。
• The playwright was slaughtered by the press.这位剧作家受到新闻界的无情批判。

9 derogate   

v.贬低，诽谤

参考例句：

• Such conduct will derogate from your reputation.那样的行为有损你的名誉。
• The parties may not derogate from or vary the effect of this article.各当事人不得减损本条或改变其效力。

10 subjective   

a.主观(上)的，个人的

参考例句：

• The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
• A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

13 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

14 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

15 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

16 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。