VOA标准英语2012--Eternal City Shines in 'To Rome With Love'

 

Eternal City Shines in 'To Rome With Love'

The film begins with the camera moving past ancient ruins, classic fountains and modern skyscrapers¹ while the 1950's hit, "Volare," plays in the background. A Roman policeman directing the notorious traffic turns to greet the audience.

Then, Allen presents tourists and locals falling in love, a business executive who becomes a celebrity², and an opera-singing undertaker, each in separate vignettes.

"A terrible title, incidentally," Allen says. "My original title was "The Bop Decameron" and nobody knew what "The Decameron" was, not even in Rome. Even the Italians didn't know."

"The Decameron" is a 14th century Italian novel which consists of 100 tales.

The script for Allen's 43rd film partly grew out of random³ ideas he'd squirreled away on his desk.

"There will be a little note written on a matchbook or on a piece of paper that says, for example, 'A man who can only sing in the shower,'" Allen says. "It will occur to me at the time that this could make a funny story."

Italian tenor⁴ Fabio Armiliato plays the man who sings in the shower but loses his voice on stage in front of an audience.

Another vignette features newlywed Antonio, whose honeymoon⁵ is interrupted by Anna, a voluptuous⁶ prostitute who mistakes him for a client she was paid to entertain.

"She is a character that has no filter in her brain and says everything the way that she feels," says actress Penelope Cruz, who portrays⁷ the prostitute. "It is so liberating⁸ and refreshing⁹ to be able to play somebody like that."

"To Rome With Love" features Allen's return to the big screen in an acting¹⁰ role, something he hasn't done in his past six films.

"Only because there was a part for me," he says. "When I write a script, if there's a part for me, then I play it."

Allen says he chose Rome for practical reasons because backers put up the money for a film to be shot there.

Co-star Alec Baldwin believes the locale created a light, breezy atmosphere.

"I think Italy and Rome have more of a sense of humor than a lot of other places I've been," he says. "I mean every cliche¹¹ I'd heard about it was true. It was so pleasant and relaxed to shoot there."

"To Rome With Love" also features Italian comic star Roberto Benigni, Australian actress Judy Davis and rising young Americans Jesse Eisenberg and Greta Gerwig. 

1 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

2 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

3 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

4 tenor   

n.男高音（歌手），次中音（乐器），要旨，大意

参考例句：

• The tenor of his speech was that war would come.他讲话的大意是战争将要发生。
• The four parts in singing are soprano,alto,tenor and bass.唱歌的四个声部是女高音、女低音、男高音和男低音。

5 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。

6 voluptuous   

adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的

参考例句：

• The nobility led voluptuous lives.贵族阶层过着骄奢淫逸的生活。
• The dancer's movements were slow and voluptuous.舞女的动作缓慢而富挑逗性。

7 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

9 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

10 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。

11 cliche   

n./a.陈词滥调(的)；老生常谈(的)；陈腐的

参考例句：

• You should always try to avoid the use of cliche. 你应该尽量避免使用陈词滥调。
• The old cliche is certainly true:the bigger car do mean bigger profits.有句老话倒的确说得不假:车大利大。