1. 《王冠》的成功
《王冠》(The Crown)是一部关于当代英国女王伊丽莎白二世生平的传记剧情(biographical drama)电视连续剧。该剧由彼得·摩根(Peter Morgan)编剧兼导演,由左岸影业公司(Left Bank Pictures)和索尼影视公司(Sony Pictures Television)为奈飞公司(Netflix)制作,第一季和第二季分别于2016年11月4日和2017年12月8日播出。《王冠》的第一季以伊丽莎白(Elizabeth)与爱丁堡公爵菲利普亲王(Philip, Duke of Edinburgh)1947年的婚礼开始,以1955年伊丽莎白的妹妹玛格丽特公主(Princess Margaret)被迫解除与王室侍卫官彼得·唐生(Peter Townsend)的婚约为止。第二季则从1956年的苏伊士运河危机(Suez Crisis)开始,以1963年麦克米伦首相(Harold Macmillan)因阁员涉及间谍和色情丑闻而被迫辞职为止。第三季则从1964年写到1976年,对应工党首相威尔逊(Harold Wilson)的两届任期。第四季则重点讲撒切尔(Margaret Thatcher)担任首相期间查尔斯(Prince Charles)与戴安娜(Princess Diana)的关系。第五季和第六季尚在筹划中。
《王冠》脱胎于摩根2006年创作的电影《女王》(The Queen)和2013年创作的舞台剧《观众》(The Audience),计划拍摄六季共60集,涵盖从伊丽莎白与菲利普亲王结婚(1947年)到现在约70年的当代英国王室史,是个雄心勃勃的计划。第一季由奈飞公司于2016年11月4日首播,获得了压倒性的好评。影评人對演员的表演、摩根的导演、剧本撰写、摄影、制作价值以及相对真实和准确的历史人物和事件均赞扬有加。饰演年轻女王的克莱尔·福伊(Claire Foy)和饰演丘吉尔的约翰·利特高(John Lithgow)尤其受到好评。《王冠》和其主演因此获得许多大奖或大奖提名,例如,第23届演员工会(Screen Actors Guild Awards)最佳男演员和最佳女演员奖、第69届黄金时段艾美奖(Primetime Emmy Awards)最佳戏剧、最佳编剧和最佳导演奖。
大众影评烂番茄网站(Rotten Tomatoes)51篇影评的平均好评率为90%,平均打分为十分制的8.7分。该网站的一致性评价是:“精彩的表演与奢华的摄影成就了《王冠》一流的制作,完全配得上这一宏大的题材。”(“Powerful performances and lavish cinematography make The Crown a top-notch production worthy of its grand subject.”)另一家重要的大众影评网站Metacritc基于29篇影评给予该剧百分制的81分,表明比较一致的好评(“universal acclaim”)。
英国《卫报》(The Guardian)电视影评人曼甘(Lucy Mangan)认为投资超过一亿英镑的《王冠》是奈飞公司迄今取得的最大成就:“Netflix can rest assured(放心)that its £100m gamble has paid off. This first series, about good old British phlegm(镇定)from first to last, is the service’s crowning achievement so far.”英国《每日电讯报》(The Daily Telegraph)专栏作家劳伦斯(Ben Lawrence)评价王室温莎家族是通过《王冠》进行形象公关宣传的最大赢家:“The Crown is a PR triumph for the Windsors, a compassionate piece of work that humanizes(使人性化)them in a way that has never been seen before. It is a portrait of an extraordinary family, an intelligent comment on the effects of the constitution on their personal lives and a fascinating account of postwar Britain all rolled into one.”英国《星期日邮报》(The Mail on Sunday)电视影评人斯蒂芬(Jaci Stephen)赞扬《王冠》系列无懈可击的完美:“Faultless is the only word for The Crown with its exquisite(细腻的)writing and magnificent acting.”美国《波士顿环球报》(The Boston Globe)影评人吉尔伯特(Matthew Gilbert)评价《王冠》从叙事、摄影、表演到历史事件的展现都是一流的:“The show, created and written by Peter Morgan of The Queen and Frost/ Nixon(《对话尼克松》)is thoroughly engaging(引人入胜的), gorgeously shot, beautifully acted, rich in the historical events of postwar England, and designed with a sharp eye to psychological nuance(细微差别).”美国《好莱坞报道》(The Hollywood Reporter)影评人费恩博格(Daniel Fienberg)也高度评价《王冠》第一季做到了自始至终的引人入胜,尤其是披露不为人所熟知的年轻女王的情感生活与英国王宫中的礼仪规矩:“The first chapter of Peter Morgan’s chronicle(编年史)of the rule of Queen Elizabeth II remains gripping across the entirety of the 10 episodes made available to critics, finding both emotional heft(重要性)in Elizabeth’s youthful ascension(上升)and unexpected suspense in matters of courtly protocol(礼节)and etiquette.”
Peter Townsend: (Ushering in Churchill ) Mr. Churchill, Your Majesty.
Churchill: (Shaking hands with the King) Your Majesty.
George VI: The people have spoken. Your party has won the election, and as... as their Sovereign(元首), I invite you to form a government in my name.
Churchill: An honor I gratefully accept.
George VI: My dear Winston. Congratulations.(Shake hands with Churchill ) Would it be terribly unconstitutional(违反宪法的)of me to say how happy I am? I’ve missed our weekly chats. Your predecessor(前任,指艾德礼)is a fine parliamentarian(议员). A good man. But, well, as company, as a companion...
Churchill: An empty taxi pulled up at the House of Commons(下议院), and Mr. Attlee(工党首相艾德礼)got out.
George VI: Quite. Now you may congratulate me in return.
Churchill: What for?
George VI: My rapid recovery(此前国王刚做过肺叶切除手术).
Churchill: Oh, yes.
George VI: I seem to have bounced back(恢复)a lot quicker than people expected.
Churchill: Yes.
George VI: Not sure I ever imagined what breathing through one lung would feel like. Turns out there’s barely any difference.
Churchill: Good, good.
George VI: Though... probably wise to let the Princess Elizabeth undertake the Commonwealth(英联邦国家组织)tour? Hm? What say you?
Churchill: Is she up to it?(她能胜任吗?)
George VI: Yes, I’d say so. Besides... we have to start breaking her in(訓练她)gently, don’t we?
Churchill: Do we?
George VI: Keep one eye on the future. The distant future.
B. Churchill and His Wife Talk About the Ill King and the Future
Mrs. Churchill: How was the king?
Churchill: He talked a great deal about his recovery. Lots of mentions of “Bouncing back”. Which always makes one fear the worst. Not to mention the make-up(化妆). He was wearing rouge(胭脂,口红).
Mrs. Churchill: Poor man.
Churchill: It’s cancer.
Mrs. Churchill: What? Who knows?
Churchill: No one. Least of all him(至少他不知道). Mrs. Churchill: So he’s dying?
Churchill: We’re all dying. That’s what defines the condition of living. Will he die tomorrow? No.
Mrs. Churchill: What about the day after tomorrow? And the day after that? The country needs to be led by someone strong.
Churchill: Well, I’m strong!
Mrs. Churchill: You are also tired, Winston. We both are. A situation like that would require enormous energy.
Churchill: And I won’t lie to you. I have considered resigning for Anthony’s(后来接替丘吉尔出任英国首相的艾登)sake. For your sake. But then I realized a situation like that would also require statesmanship(治国之才). The party needs me. The country needs me. She(指伊丽莎白公主)needs me.
Mrs. Churchill: Who? Churchill: Her!
Mrs. Churchill: Oh, her.
C. King George VI Talks to Philip About His Duty Regarding Elizabeth
King: You understand, the titles, the... dukedom(公爵封號). They’re not the job.
Philip: Sir?
King: She is the job. She is the essence of your duty. Loving her. Protecting her. Of course, you’ll miss your career. But doing this for her, doing this for me... there may be no greater act of patriotism(爱国情怀)or love.
Philip: I understand, sir.
King: Do you, boy? Do you really.
Philip: I think so.
16世紀的法国作家蒙田说,治愈孤独有三种可能的方法:恋爱、交友和阅读。但他进一步阐释:性爱上的欢愉转瞬即逝,而背叛稀松平常;友情更佳,却会随着其中一方的死亡戛然而止。因此,唯一能伴随终生的疗法就是与文学为伴。原以为阅读只是逃离自我的一种方式,但其实我们是在探索自己内心深处的世界。 The understanding that literature can comfort, console and
It’s very you. 它很适合你。 你去服裝店买衣服,挑了一件很符合自己气质的衣服,朋友看到就会说:“It’s very you.”意思是“这件衣服很适合你。” It’s too loud. 颜色太鲜艳了。 这一句的意思可以是“声音太大了。”但也可以用来形容衣服颜色过火。当你看到朋友穿了一件大红色的衣服时,你可以说:“It’s too loud.”意思是“衣服颜色太鲜艳了。”
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