VOA常速英语2019--电影《小丑》引发人们对暴力的关注

Film ’Joker’ Raises Concerns of Violence

I have some bad news for you.

我有一些坏消息 

This is the last time we’ll be meeting you.

“这是我们最后一次见面” 

You don’t listen.

“你没明白我的意思。” 

As Gotham city’s public mental health program gets the axe¹, Arthur Fleck² medicines of counseling are canceled.

当哥谭市的公共心理卫生项目遭到否决，亚瑟·弗莱克便无法进行药物咨询。 

His work as a clown is a dead end and he’s constantly bullied³ by angry people in a gritty city teeming⁴ with division and dissatisfaction.

他的小丑工作走到尽头。在这座分化巨大，幸福指数低的城市里，亚瑟·弗莱克时常还会遭受处在气头上的人欺负。

However Arthur is trying to live up to his mother’s belief that he was born to spread laughter in the world, an expectation that feeds into his delusions⁵ of grandeur⁶.

然而，亚瑟仍在努力不辜负妈妈的期望，那就是他生来就是要为世界带来欢乐。正是这一期望，让他误以为自己自命不凡。

But after he gets mocked and kicked one time too many, he fires the gun that opportunity puts in his hands.

但在他多次遭受他人嘲笑和殴打后，他开了手中偶然得到的那把枪。 

His transformation⁷ to the menacing joker has begun.

他开始变成一个恐怖的小丑。 

Critics are divided of the joker.

对于《小丑》，评论家看法不一。 

Some see the film as an artful portrayal⁸ of a man’s descent into insanity⁹,

有人认为这部电影巧妙地描写了一个男人如何走向疯狂， 

but many say the film empathizes with the lone¹⁰ shooter as a victim of circumstances and then elevates him to an iconic vigilante.

但也有许多人认为这部电影主要讲的是这个孤独的枪手实质是社会环境的受害者，并把他升华为偶像式的社会治安员。

One of those critics is George mason university film professor May Santiago.

乔治梅森大学的电影系教授的George mason university也参与了对这部电影的评判。 

She calls Warner Brothers studio and filmmaker Todd Phillips decision to make such a film irresponsible after a slew¹² of mass shootings in the country by men exhibiting behaviors similar to that of the joker.

她称华纳兄弟工作室和导演托德·菲利普斯决定拍摄这样一部电影的行为是极不负责的，因为在此之前美国发生的一系列枪击案中枪手和电影中小丑的行为十分相似。

We are traumatized society.

我们的社会已经遭受到很多创伤。 

And you’re really going to throw in a blockbuster film, a film with millions, hundreds of millions dollars behind it.

而现在你们还投入数亿美元拍一部大片。 

I’m sorry, but now it’s not that easy.

我感到很悲哀，因为现在这部电影没那么简单。 

And with one of the most iconic characters and the cultural lexicon¹³, you don’t get away with it that easily.

这其中最具代表性的一个角色，一个文化词汇，绝不只是这么简单。” 

Movie theaters around the country have increased security and banned masks from being worn by movie-goers.

全国上下的电影院已增加了安全措施，并且禁止电影粉丝戴面具。 

Los Angeles Police department is aware of the historical significance and the public concern around the premiere of the Joker.

洛杉矶警察局知道这部电影的历史意义，也明白人们对于电影首映典礼的担忧。 

While there are no credible¹⁴ threats in Los Angeles area, we do encourage Angelenos to be vigilant¹¹.

尽管在洛杉矶还没有发现确实威胁，我们还是鼓励本地居民提高警惕。” 

In 2012, James Holmes killed 12 people and injured 70 during a midnight screening of another Joker film, Christopher Nolan’s batman blockbuster The Dark Knight¹⁵ Rises.

2012年， 在克里斯托弗·诺兰拍摄的另一部小丑系列大片《蝙蝠侠·黑暗骑士崛起》午夜首映现场上，James Holmes杀了12个人，并导致70人受伤。

So far, Joker has won three top awards at the Venice film festival and Joaquin Phoenix¹⁶ is already garnering¹⁷ Oscar buzz for his performance.

目前为止，《小丑》在威尼斯电影节上已揽获三项大奖，杰昆·菲尼克斯本人也因自己精彩的表演赢得奥斯卡大奖。

Usually characters motivations are so clearly defined that we’re telling the audience precisely¹⁸ what to feel and when.

通常来说，电影中角色的动机都十分明晰，我们会一五一十地告诉观众怎样感受，何时感受。 

And what I like about this movie is it’s really up to interpretation¹⁹.

我喜欢这部电影的一点就是它给人很大的阐释空间。 

Art shouldn’t be made in a vacuum.

“艺术不是凭空产生的。” 

May Santiago says we should hold art accountable to our social values.

May Santiago表示我们应该让艺术对我们的社会价值观负责。 　 

It’s been less than a month since our last mass shooting by a white man.

上次的白人大型枪击案过去还不到一个月。 

You know, that’s just a society we live in and until gun laws start changing and there’s more of a monumental shift in American society.

这就是我们所生活的社会。除非枪支法律有所改变，美国社会发生更多巨大的转变。 

We should be defensive²⁰. We have to be defensive.

我们应该加强防备，我们也必须这样做。” 

1 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

2 fleck   

n.斑点，微粒 vt.使有斑点，使成斑驳

参考例句：

• The garlic moss has no the yellow fleck and other virus. 蒜苔无黄斑点及其它病毒。
• His coat is blue with a grey fleck.他的上衣是蓝色的，上面带有灰色的斑点。

3 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

5 delusions   

n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想

参考例句：

• the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
• She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行，她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句

6 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

7 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

8 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。

9 insanity   

n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐

参考例句：

• In his defense he alleged temporary insanity.他伪称一时精神错乱，为自己辩解。
• He remained in his cell,and this visit only increased the belief in his insanity.他依旧还是住在他的地牢里，这次视察只是更加使人相信他是个疯子了。

10 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

11 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

12 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

13 lexicon   

n.字典，专门词汇

参考例句：

• Chocolate equals sin in most people's lexicon.巧克力在大多数人的字典里等同于罪恶。
• Silent earthquakes are only just beginning to enter the public lexicon.无声地震才刚开始要成为众所周知的语汇。

14 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

15 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

16 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

17 garnering   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• And at the forefront was Bryant, garnering nothing but praise from his coaches and teammates. 而站在最前沿的就是科比，他也因此获得了教练和队友的赞美。 来自互联网

18 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

19 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

20 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。