Big win for black history
奥斯卡最佳影片《绿皮书》反映的真实年代
US writer Margaret Lee Runbeck once wrote, "Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling." But traveling is not always happy, at least for the buddies in the movie Green Book. The popular film won Best Picture at the 91st Academy Awards on Feb 25.
美国作家玛格丽特·李·瑞贝克曾写道，“所谓幸福，不是取决于你到了哪一站，而是取决于旅行的方式。”但旅行并不总是开心的，至少对于电影《绿皮书》中的两位伙伴是这样。2月25日，这部受欢迎的电影被评为第91届奥斯卡最佳影片。

"It is a warm and heartfelt look at a remarkable friendship, brought to the screen at a moment where its story of love, compassion, and shared humanity deeply resonates," NBR President Annie Schulhof said in a statement.
“影片温暖真诚地洞悉了一段非凡的友情，并将其搬上了大银幕，讲述了一个关于爱，同情和深刻引发人们共鸣的人性故事，”美国国家评论协会主席安妮·舒胡弗在声明中表示。
The movie was adapted from the true story of a road trip through the southern US in the early 1960s. In the film, the black pianist Don Shirley hires Italian-American Tony Vallelonga to drive him to performances, but they face problems because of Shirley's skin color. These problems lead them to form a special friendship.
该片改编自发生在上世纪60年代美国南部的一段驾车旅行的真实故事。影片中，黑人钢琴师唐·谢利雇佣意大利裔美国人托尼·瓦莱隆加做司机，一路开车南下巡演。但是由于谢利的肤色，他们遇到了种种问题。而这些问题却使两人建立了一段特殊的友情。
"There's something so deeply right about this movie, so true to the time," wrote US film critic Mick LaSalle at the San Francisco Chronicle.
“电影中有些地方是非常正确的，对那个时代而言是很真实的，”美国影评人米克·拉萨尔在《旧金山纪事报》上写道。
The time LaSalle is talking about was between late 1870s and 1960s, a very different period in US history. Many parts of the country had Jim Crow laws, which allowed racial segregation.
拉萨尔所说的时代是十九世纪七十年代晚期到二十世纪六十年代，这是美国历史上一个非常不同的时期。那时，美国很多地方都存在允许实行种族隔离的《吉姆·克劳法》。
These laws made life and travel dangerous for African-Americans. They couldn't use certain hotels, restaurants, or even gas stations. They had to be indoors after sunset or they might go to jail. Even black celebrities had to follow the laws.
由于有这样的法律，非裔美国人在生活和出行上都十分危险。某些酒店，餐厅甚至是加油站都禁止他们进入。天黑之后，他们不得不待在室内，否则就有可能坐牢。即便是黑人名人也要遵守这样的法律。
But in 1936, a black mail carrier named Victor H. Green had an idea. He made a list of friendly businesses in New York City. He published the list as a small book with a green cover. The Green Book helped African-Americans travel more safely. Then, in 1964, Jim Crow laws went away. The book went away, too.
然而在1936年，一位名叫维克多·H·格林的黑人邮差想到了一个办法。他列出了纽约市友善的企业名单，并出版了一本绿色封皮的小本子。《绿皮书》为非裔美国人的安全出行提供了帮助。之后，在1964年，《吉姆·克劳法》被废除，《绿皮书》也就不需要了。
Today many US people still remember the time of Jim Crow. But they probably don't know about The Green Book. It's a forgotten part of the story. Thanks to this movie, maybe people can remember it again.
如今，很多美国人还记得《吉姆·克劳法》存在的那个年代，但是他们可能不知道《绿皮书》。它是这个故事被遗忘的部分。正因为这部电影，人们才可能再次记起它的存在。