(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Faith Lapidus.
And, I'm Steve Ember with People in America in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about actor Marlon Brando. Many critics say he was the greatest actor of all time. And many actors say he influenced them more than any other person in the film industry.
There was no public service to honor Marlon Brando when he died in two thousand four at the age of eighty. The actor's sister, Jocelyn Brando, said he would have hated such an event. The family held a small private ceremony instead.
Brando did not seek public attention when he was alive. He protected his private life. But he was a huge star. This, combined with his personal tragedies and his politics, made him a special target of the press.
Marlon Brando was born in Omaha, Nebraska in nineteen twenty-four. He was named after his father, a salesman, but his family called him Bud. His mother, Dorothy, was an actress in the local theater. He had two older sisters.
Marlon Brando's childhood was not happy. His parents drank too much alcohol and argued often. Dorothy Brando blamed her husband for the failure of her acting career. The older Marlon Brando did not have a good relationship with his son. In a book about his life, the actor wrote that his father never had anything good to say about his son.
The Brandos moved many times when Marlon was young. His parents separated when he was eleven, but they re-united after two years. Young Marlon was always getting into trouble at school. His father decided to send him to a military school in Minnesota. Marlon did not do well in classes there. But he did find support for his interest in theater. A drama teacher urged him to begin acting in plays there and he did. But he was expelled from the school for getting into trouble.
Marlon Brando moved to New York City when he was nineteen years old in nineteen forty-three. He took acting classes at the New School for Social Research. One of his teachers was Stella Adler, who taught the "Method" style of realistic acting. The Method teaches actors how to use their own memories and emotions to identify with the characters they are playing.
Marlon Brando learned the Method style quickly and easily. Critics say he was probably the greatest Method actor ever. One famous actress commented on his natural ability for it. She said teaching Marlon Brando the Method was like sending a tiger to jungle school.
Marlon Brando appeared in several plays. He got his first major part in a Broadway play in nineteen forty-seven, at the age of twenty-three. He received great praise for his powerful performance as Stanley Kowalski in the Tennessee Williams' play, "A Streetcar Named Desire."
His fame grew when he acted the same part in the movie version, released in nineteen fifty-one. Brando plays an angry working-class man. His wife's sister, Blanche, comes to visit them in New Orleans, Louisiana. Blanche's family used to be rich landowners but they lost all their property. Now she is mentally unstable. Stanley treats Blanche unkindly and insults her. Here, he tells Blanche what he thinks about women.
"I don't go in for that stuff."
"What stuff?"
"Compliments to women about their looks. I never met a dame yet didn't know if she was good-lookin' or not without bein' told. And there's some of them that give themselves credit for more than they've got. I once went out with a dame who told me, 'I'm the glamorous type'…she says 'I am the glamorous type.' I says 'so what?'"
"And what did she say then?"
"She didn't say nothin'. I shut her up like a clam."
"Streetcar" was Brando's second film. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the performance. He was nominated for Oscars for his next two films as well. In nineteen fifty-two he played Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata in the movie "Viva Zapata." The following year he played Marc Antony in "Julius Caesar."
Marlon Brando did not win an Oscar for Best Actor until nineteen fifty-four for the movie "On the Waterfront." Many critics consider it his finest performance. The film's director, Elia Kazan, said it was the best performance by a male actor in the history of film.
Brando plays Terry Malloy, a failed boxer. He informs on organized crime leaders, including his brother, Charlie. His brother had made him lose fights on purpose so Charlie could make money gambling on the fights. But now, Terry expresses his regrets about losing the fights.
"You don't understand. I could'a' had class. I could'a' been a contender. I could've been somebody instead of a bum which is what I am. Let's face it."
Marlon Brando acted in about forty movies. He was nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards. In his movies, he played a Japanese translator, a German Nazi military officer and the father of Superman. He even sang in a movie musical called "Guys and Dolls."
His real life was as colorful as his many movie characters. His love life was especially active. He married actress Anna Kashfi in nineteen fifty-seven. The marriage had problems from the start. Their child, a son named Christian, was born a few months after they married. They separated the next year.
In nineteen sixty, Brando married Movita Castenada, a Mexican-American actress. They had two children before they separated in nineteen sixty-two. The same year, he married a Tahitian actress, Tarita. The two had met while filming the movie "Mutiny On the Bounty."
Brando's marriage to Tarita lasted ten years. But his love of Tahiti never ended. In nineteen sixty-six, he bought a small island near Tahiti. Brando divided his time between his island and his home in California for the rest of his life.
Critics say Marlon Brando began to suffer professionally during and after his work on "Mutiny on the Bounty." Hollywood directors and producers considered him difficult to work with. Some critics said the actor appeared to be tired of acting.
But that changed in nineteen seventy-two when Brando appeared in "The Godfather." At first, the film studio officials did not want Brando in the movie. But the director, Francis Ford Coppola, chose him for the part. The film was a major critical and financial success. Brando was praised for his performance as the Godfather, Vito Corleone, the powerful head of a criminal organization in New York City. He speaks to a man who wants the Godfather to have someone killed.
"If you'd come to me in friendship then this scum that ruined your daughter would be suffering this very day. And if by chance an honest man like yourself should make enemies then they would become my enemies. And then they would fear you."
Marlon Brando won the Best Actor Oscar for "The Godfather." But he rejected it. He sent a woman named Sasheen Littlefeather to speak for him at the Academy Awards ceremony. She said that Brando could not accept the award because of the way the American film industry treated Native Americans. The people at the Academy Awards ceremony did not like the speech. But some experts think the action helped change the way American Indians were shown in movies.
Marlon Brando was also active in the civil rights movement. He spoke out against racism often and forcefully. He marched in demonstrations. And he gave money to civil rights groups.
Marlon Brando had two family tragedies. In nineteen ninety, his son, Christian, shot and killed a Tahitian man at the family's home in California. The victim, Dag Drollet, was the boyfriend of Brando's daughter, Cheyenne. Christian Brando said the killing was accidental. He was found guilty of responsibility in the death and served almost five years in prison.
During the trial, Marlon Brando told the court that he and Anna Kashfi had failed Christian as parents. He also apologized to the Drollet family and said he wished he could trade places with their son.
In nineteen ninety-five, Marlon Brando's daughter Cheyenne killed herself. She had struggled with mental problems and was still depressed about the killing of her boyfriend.
Marlon Brando never made public statements about the death of his daughter. But reports said he blamed himself. He did not attend his daughter's funeral in Tahiti.
In the following nine years, he made just four more movies. And the parts he played were small. But his influence on the American film industry was huge. When Marlon Brando died, many famous actors expressed regret. One of them said simply: "He was the best."
重点解析
1.influence 影响
He is trying to improperly influence a witness.
他正试图不适当地影响一名证人。
2.the press 新闻界
The press is unmuzzled at last.
新闻界终于获得言论自由。
3.blame责备
They blamed him for the accident.
他们责备他出了事故。
4.Young Marlon was always getting into trouble at school.
get into trouble 陷入麻烦
If you get into trouble, I’ll step out and help you out.
如果你遇到麻烦，我一定站出来帮助你走出困境。
5.The Method teaches actors how to use their own memories and emotions to identify with the characters they are playing.
identify with跟…产生共鸣
I believe that most readers will identify with the author.
我相信大多数读者会与作者产生共鸣。
6.His brother had made him lose fights on purpose so Charlie could make money gambling on the fights.
on purpose 故意地
Every bit of content advertises something, whether on purpose or not.
每一丁点的内容都在替什么做宣传，不管是有意还是无意。
参考译文
我是菲丝·拉伯蒂斯。我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们将讲述演员马龙·白兰度的故事。许多影评人说他是有史以来最伟大的演员。许多演员则表示在电影行业，他对自己的影响最大。2004年80岁的马龙·白兰度去世时，并没有为他举行公众纪念仪式。这位演员的姐姐乔斯林·白兰度说他讨厌这种仪式，而仅由家人为他举行了一个小型的私人仪式。白兰度生前就不追求公众注意力。他保护着自己的私人生活，但他却是一位巨星。这一点加上他的个人悲剧和他的政治立场，使他成为新闻界的关注焦点。
1924年，马龙·白兰度出生于内布拉斯加州奥马哈市。他以父亲的名字取名，他的父亲是一名推销员，但是在家里，大家都叫他巴德。他的母亲多萝西是当地一家剧院的演员。他有两个姐姐。马龙·白兰度的童年过得很不开心。他的父母酗酒且经常吵架。多萝西·白兰度指责她的丈夫破坏了她的演艺事业。成年的马龙·白兰度和儿子的关系也不是很好。在一本关于他生平的书中，这位演员写到，他的父亲从未对自己的儿子说过温馨的话语。在马龙小的时候，白兰度一家搬家数次。在他十一岁的时候，他的父母分开了，但是两年后，他们又重聚了。
年轻的马龙在学校总惹麻烦。他的父亲决定将他送到明尼苏达州的一所军校。马龙在那里表现也不好。但是他在剧院里找到了兴趣支持。一名戏剧老师劝他在剧中表演，他同意了。但是因为惹麻烦，他被学校开除了。1943年，19岁的马龙·白兰度候搬至纽约城。他在新学院学表演。教他的老师之一是斯特拉·阿德勒，教授的课程是体验派表演方法。体验派表演方法是教演员们如何利用自己的记忆和情感分辨他们所扮演的角色。马龙·白兰度轻松快速的掌握了体验派表演方法。影评人称他大概是迄今为止最伟大的体验派演员。一名著名女演员评价他的天赋称，教马龙·白兰度学习体验派表演方法就像是把一只老虎送进了丛林学校。
马龙·白兰度出演了几部戏剧。1947年，23岁的他首次在百老汇舞台剧中担任主要角色。他在田纳西·威廉斯的作品《欲望号街车》中成功出演斯坦利·科瓦尔斯基一角而受影评人赞誉。当他出演电影版《欲望号街车》同一角色时，他名声大振。该电影于1951年上映。白兰度饰演一名愤怒的工人阶级。他妻子的妹妹布兰奇来到美国路易斯安那州的新奥尔良来看他们。布兰奇的家庭曾经是富裕的地主，但是他们失去了所有财产。现在她的精神很不稳定。斯坦利对布兰奇很不友好还辱骂她。在这里他告诉布兰奇自己对女性的看法。
“我不会惨和进这种事情里去。”
“什么事情？”
“赞美女人的相貌。我没见过好看的，也不知道什么是好看什么是不好看。一些人还瞎夸。我曾经和一位女人出去，她告诉我“我属于好看的哪一种”...她说‘我很漂亮。’我回答‘那又怎样？’
“那她怎么说？”
“她什么也没说。我让她哑口无言了。”
《欲望号街车》是白兰度的第二部电影。他还被提名奥斯卡奖。接下来的两部电影也让他获得奥斯卡提名。1952年，他出演电影《萨巴达传》，饰演墨西哥革命领袖埃米利亚诺·萨帕塔。第二年，他出演电影《尤利乌斯·凯撒》中的马克·安东尼一角。直到1954年，马龙·白兰度才因电影《码头风云》而获得奥斯卡最佳男演员奖。许多影评人认为这是他最好的一次表演。该电影导演伊利亚·卡赞说这是电影史上，最好的男演员表演。白兰度饰演特里·马洛伊，一名失败的拳击手。他检举了犯罪集团头头，其中就包括他的哥哥查理。他的哥哥故意让他输掉比赛，这样查理就能通过买比赛输赢挣钱。但是现在，特里后悔自己输掉比赛。
“你不明白的。我本来能获得等级的。我本科成为一名竞争者。我本可以成为冠军而不是像现在这样的失败者。面对现实吧。”
马龙·白兰度出演过40多部电影，共被提名8次奥斯卡奖。在他的电影中，他演过日本翻译、德国纳粹军官、以及超人的父亲。他甚至还在音乐剧《红男绿女》中献声。
他真实生活和他演绎的许多角色一样丰富多彩。他的爱情生活尤为活跃。1957年，他和女演员安娜·卡士菲结婚。这段婚姻从一开始就有问题。几个月后，他们的儿子克里斯汀出生了。第二年，他们就分开了。
1960年，白兰度和墨西哥裔美国女演员莫维塔·卡斯塔尼达结婚。在1962年分开前，他们有两个孩子。同年，他和塔希提女演员泰丽塔结婚。在出演电影《邦蒂号叛变事件》，两人认识。他们的婚姻维系了十年。但他对泰丽塔的爱从未结束。1966年，他在塔希提岛附近买下了一座小岛。余生，白兰度的生活徘徊小岛和加利福尼亚的家之间。
影评人说在拍摄《邦蒂号叛变事件》中后期，马龙·白兰度开始忍受专业性的痛苦。好莱坞导演和制片人认为他很难共事。一些影评人称这位演员变得厌倦演戏了。但是1972年，白兰度出演电影《教父》让一切变得不同。起初，电影工作室官员并没有想让白兰度出演电影。但是弗朗西斯·科波拉导演选择了他。这部电影在影界和票房上都取得了关键性的成功。白兰度因出演教父维托·柯里昂一角而受赞誉，他饰演的是纽约城总一个犯罪集团的掌权者。以下是他和一名希望教父被杀死者之间的对话。
“如果你以朋友身份来找我，那么伤害你女儿的杂碎当天就会受到折磨。你这种诚实人的敌人也就是我的敌人。那么他们就会怕你。”
因电影《教父》，白兰度获得了奥斯卡最佳男演员奖。但是他却拒绝领取这个奖项。他派了一名叫做萨奇恩·利特尔菲瑟的女性来到奥斯卡颁奖电影为他发言。她说白兰度无法接受这个奖，因为美国电影业对对待美洲原住民的方式。出席颁奖礼的宾客不喜欢这个演讲。但是一些专家认为这个举动帮助改变了美国印第安人在电影里的形象。
马龙·白兰度也活跃在民权运动之中。他常常激烈地公然反对种族主义。他加入示威者的队伍之中，并赞助民权组织。马龙·白兰度遭遇过两起家庭悲剧。1990年，他的儿子克里斯汀在加利福尼亚的家中枪杀一名塔希提人。受害者Dag Drollet是白兰度的女儿夏延的男朋友。克里斯汀·白兰度说这是一起意外。他因涉嫌谋杀而被判在监狱服刑将近5年。审判期间，马龙·白兰度告诉法庭，作为父母，他和安娜·卡士菲是失败的。他还向Drollet的家人道歉并表示他希望死的那个是他。1995年，马龙·白兰度的女儿夏延自杀。她患有精神问题并对男友的死深感绝望。马龙·白兰度从未公开说过女儿的死亡。但是报道称他很自责。他并未参女儿在塔希提岛的葬礼。
接下来的九年里，他只拍了四部电影而且都是小角色。但是他对美国电影行业的影响是巨大的。马龙·白兰度去世时，许多著名演员都表示遗憾。其中一个简单说到：“他是最棒的。”
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