(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Mary Tillotson. And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
Today we tell about Billy Wilder. He was the director of some of the greatest American movies. Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had. He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment and adult sexual situations. Wilder was one of the first directors to do this. Between the middle nineteen thirties and the nineteen eighties, Billy Wilder made almost fifty movies. During that time he received more than twenty nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He won six of the Oscar awards. His movies have been seen by people around the world.
Wilder made famous movies like "Sunset Boulevard", "Some Like It Hot", and "Double Indemnity." He also directed "The Lost Weekend", "The Apartment", and "The Seven Year Itch." Samuel Wilder was born in nineteen-o-six in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. His birthplace is now part of Poland. His mother had enjoyed spending several years in the United States when she was young. So she called him Billy because she thought it sounded American. Billy Wilder started law school in Vienna, Austria. Then he decided not to become a lawyer. Instead, he began reporting for a Vienna newspaper. By the nineteen twenties, he was writing movies in Germany. However, the Nazis had risen to power in the nation. Wilder was Jewish, and he recognized that he had no future in Nazi Germany.
In nineteen thirty-three, he went to Paris. There he directed a movie for the first time. It was called "The Bad Seed." Then he received word that producers in the United States had accepted one of his scripts. Billy Wilder left Europe for America. Billy Wilder had only eleven dollars when he arrived to settle in the United States in nineteen thirty-four. He decided to live in the center of American movie making, Hollywood, California. At the time, many people who had left Germany were working there. They helped Wilder get jobs. After a while he formed a writing team with Charles Brackett. The two writers created many films together.
Wilder and Brackett wrote several successful movies. One was the nineteen thirty-nine movie, "Ninotchka", starring Greta Garbo. Ernst Lubitsch directed the film. Wilder always praised this man as a friend and teacher whose humor and expert direction greatly influenced his work. In his love stories, Billy Wilder did not follow the Hollywood tradition of sweet boy-meets-girl situations. He had an unusual way of showing relations between men and women. For example, one of his most successful films was "Hold Back the Dawn." The French actor Charles Boyer plays a refugee in this nineteen forty-one film. He marries an American woman so he can enter the United States.
In nineteen forty-four, Billy Wilder made a film called "Double Indemnity." Some critics said this movie established him as one of the greatest Hollywood directors. It told a vicious story about a married woman and her boyfriend. They plot the death of her husband. Charles Brackett thought the story was not moral. So the famous American mystery writer Raymond Chandler was asked to help write the script.
As a director, Billy Wilder often violated Hollywood customs about social issues. For example, someone who drinks too much alcohol had rarely been a movie subject. Then Wilder directed "The Lost Weekend" in nineteen forty-five. Charles Brackett returned to work on the movie with him. They developed the script from a book by Charles Jackson. Ray Milland plays the part of an alcoholic writer in the movie. It shows that alcohol rules his life, yet he does not admit it. He hides alcohol in his home and says he is not drinking. Reports at the time said manufacturers of alcoholic drinks tried to suppress the movie. They did not succeed. The public and critics praised "The Lost Weekend" for its painful honesty. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave Ray Milland the best actor award. Billy Wilder won two Academy Awards. One honored his part in writing the script. The other honored his direction. "The Lost Weekend" also won the first Grand Prix – first prize -- of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
World War Two ended in nineteen forty-five. Wilder had become an American citizen in nineteen thirty-nine. After the war, Wilder was asked by the United States Army to go to Germany to help re-organize the movie industry and radio media. The Nazi government had used both for its propaganda. While in Germany, Wilder learned that the Nazis had murdered his sister, his mother and his mother's husband.
In nineteen fifty, Wilder made "Sunset Boulevard." This movie told of an aging actress in silent movies. She plans to return to movies. Gloria Swanson played this star. More than fifty years later, movie-lovers can still repeat some of her lines. In one of the famous lines in "Sunset Boulevard," Miz Swanson remembers telling the famous director Cecil B. DeMille that she is prepared for him to start filming: "Sunset Boulevard" won three Academy awards. One honored the writing team of Wilder, Brackett and D. M. Marshman Junior. The movie marked the last time Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett wrote together. Wilder also was highly praised for "Stalag Seventeen", which he both produced and directed. The movie mixes humor and wartime realism. William Holden plays a dishonest American war prisoner in a World War Two German camp for Allied servicemen.
Holden won the nineteen fifty-three Academy Award for his part. Wilder was nominated for best director.
In nineteen fifty-four, Billy Wilder became an independent producer. He left Paramount Pictures, the motion picture company he had worked with for many years. He left after company officials cut many anti-Nazi comments from a version of "Stalag Seventeen." That version was to be shown in Germany. The next year, Wilder's first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success.
It was "The Seven Year Itch." He developed the movie from a play by George Axelrod. In this movie, a married man wants to cheat on his wife with a beautiful golden-haired young woman. Marilyn Monroe played the young woman. The part launched her as a major Hollywood success. Some critics said Marilyn Monroe gave her best performances under Billy Wilder's direction. In nineteen fifty-nine, Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular. I. A. L. Diamond joined Wilder in writing "Some Like It Hot." It tells about two jazz musicians being chased by criminals. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis play the musicians. They decide to wear women's clothes and join a band in which all the musicians were women. Marilyn Monroe plays one of the band members. She wants to make Lemmon and Curtis believe she is a musician.
(MARILYN MONROE: "I'm Sugar Kane. My mother was a piano teacher and my father was a conductor")
Billy Wilder continued to make interesting movies through the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies. As usual, he filled his movies with social comment and sexual situations. Over the years, however, other writers and directors also did this. By the nineteen eighties Wilder no longer was considered the most unusual, creative moviemaker in Hollywood. In recent years, however, Billy Wilder received many more awards and honors. Critics praised his gifts to movie making.
In nineteen eighty-seven, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences gave him the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. It is the highest award a producer can receive. Wilder died in March, two thousand two. He was ninety-five. A current Hollywood producer said: "Billy Wilder made movies that people will never forget."
重点解析
1.sharp 严厉的
"Don't contradict your mother," was Charles's sharp reprimand.
“不要顶撞你的母亲，”查尔斯严厉的斥责。
2.settle in 安顿下来
I haven't settled in yet.
我还没安顿下来。
3.praise 称赞；赞扬
He praised her for her courage.
他赞扬她很勇敢。
4.As a director, Billy Wilder often violated Hollywood customs about social issues.
violate违反
She violated the terms of the contract repeatedly.
她三番五次地违反合同条款。
5.Reports at the time said manufacturers of alcoholic drinks tried to suppress the movie.
suppress镇压；禁止
The rebellion against the government has been suppressed by the government troops.
反政府的叛乱已被政府军平定了。
6.The Nazi government had used both for its propaganda.
propaganda 宣传
The party adopted an aggressive propaganda campaign against its rivals.
该党采用了一场对抗其对手的咄咄逼人的宣传运动。
参考译文
我是玛丽·蒂洛森。我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们要讲的是比利·怀尔德。他是诸多美国最伟大电影的编剧之一。
许多专家称比利·怀尔德改变了美国电影史。他常被称为好莱坞有史以来最棒的电影制作人。他制作的电影包含尖锐的社会评论和成人大尺度场景。怀尔德是第一代导演中首位触及这些话题的。1930年代中期到1980年代之间，比利·怀尔德制作了将近50部电影。在那段时期，他收到电影艺术与科学学院的20多项提名。获得过6次奥斯卡奖。全世界都在看他的电影。怀尔德制作的著名电影包括《日落大道》、《热情如火》、《双重赔偿》。他还指导过多部电影—《失去的週末》、《公寓春光》以及《七年之痒》。
缪赛尔·怀尔德1906年出生于前奥匈帝国，他的出生地现属波兰。她的母亲年轻时在美国呆过几年，所以她称他为比利，因为她认为这听起来像美国人。比利·怀尔德在奥地利维也纳上法学学校，他并不想当律师。相反他开始为一个维也纳报纸报道新闻。直到1920年代，他在德国写电影。但是纳粹掌权该国。怀尔德是犹太人，他意识到他在纳粹德国是没有前途的。1933年，他去往巴黎。在那里他首次执导电影—《坏种》。之后他得知美国的一些出品人接了他的剧本，比利·怀尔德离开欧洲前往美国。
1934年，当比利·怀尔德抵达美国时，他只有11美元。他决定住在加利福尼亚好莱坞，美国电影制作的中心地带。那时，许多离开德国的人都在这里工作。他们帮助怀尔德获得了一份工作。不久他和查尔斯·布拉克特组了一个写作团队。两名作家共同创作了多部电影。怀尔德和布拉克特写了几部成功的电影，其中一部是1939年的电影《妮诺奇嘉》，由葛丽泰·嘉宝主演。恩斯特·刘别谦是该电影导演。怀尔德总是称赞这位导演是良师益友，他的幽默和专业极大地影响了他的作品。在他的爱情故事中，比利·怀尔德并没有延续好莱坞传统模式—男女相遇的甜蜜场景。他以一种特殊的方式展现了男女之间的关系。例如，他最成功的电影之一《良宵苦短》。在1941年的电影中，法国演员查尔斯·博耶扮演一位难民，为了进入美国，他和一名美国女性结婚。1944年，比利·怀尔德制作了一部电影《双重赔偿》。一些影评人表示，这部电影奠定了他做为好莱坞最伟大导演之一的地位。电影讲述了一个已婚女性和她男朋友的罪恶故事。他们策划了这位已婚女性丈夫的死亡。查尔斯·布拉克特认为这个故事不道德。所以他们让著名美国推理作家雷蒙德·钱德勒帮忙写剧本。
作为导演，比利·怀尔德常违反好莱坞关于社会问题的惯例。例如，很少有以酗酒者为电影主题的。1945年怀尔德指导了《失去的週末》。查尔斯·布拉克特回来帮助他制作电影。他们将查尔斯·R·杰克逊的一本书改编成电影。雷·米伦在电影中扮演一位酒鬼作家。电影展示了酒精掌控了他的生活，但是他却不承认。他在家里藏着酒，并称自己没有喝酒。那时的报道称酒精饮料制造商试图打压这部电影，但没成功。民众和评论家赞扬了《失去的週末》中痛苦的正直。美国电影艺术与科学学会授予雷·米伦最佳男演员奖。比利·怀尔德获得两项奥斯卡奖，其中一个是因其剧本，另一个他的指导。《失去的週末》还获得了法国戛纳电影节头等奖。
1945年，二战结束。1939年，怀尔德成为一名美国公民。战后，美国陆军要求怀尔德前往德国帮助重组电影行业和电台媒体。纳粹政府利用其做宣传。在德国时，怀尔德了解到纳粹杀死了他的姐姐、母亲和她的丈夫。1950年，怀尔德制作电影《日落大道》。这部电影讲述了无声电影的一名老去的女演员，她计划重返电影业。格洛丽亚·斯旺森扮演了这位明星。50多年后，电影爱好者仍在重复她的台词。在《日落大道》的著名台词中，斯旺森记得她已告知著名导演塞西尔·德米尔，她准备好开始拍摄了：《日落大道》获得三项奥斯卡奖，其中一个是授予怀尔德、布拉克特和D. M. Marshman Junior的剧本团队。该电影是比利·怀尔德和查尔斯·布拉克特最后一次共同写剧本。
怀尔德还因《Stalag 17》而受到高度赞扬，这部剧中，他担任出品和导演。这部电影混合了幽默和战时现实主义。威廉·霍尔登在电影中扮演二战德国同盟军人集中营中的一名囚犯。霍尔登获得1953年奥斯卡奖，怀尔德提名最佳导演。1954年，比利·怀尔德成为一名独立制片人。他离开派拉蒙影业，他为这个公司工作多年。公司高层剪掉了电影《Stalag 17》中许多反纳粹言论，他就离开了公司。那个版本在德国上映。第二年，怀尔德最为独立电影制作人的第一部电影取得巨大成功。这部电影是《七年之痒》。该电影由乔治·阿克塞尔罗德的一部戏剧改编。在这部电影中，一个已婚男人欺骗了他的妻子，出轨一位美丽的金发年轻女孩，玛丽莲·梦露出演这位年轻女孩。这部电影是她在好莱坞的一个主要成功。一些影评人称玛丽莲·梦露在比利·怀尔德的指导下，贡献了她最好的表演。
1959年，怀尔德制作了一部很热门的喜剧电影。I·A·L·戴蒙德加入怀尔德共同写剧本《热情如火》。电影讲述了两名爵士音乐家被罪犯追捕的故事。杰克·莱蒙和托尼·柯蒂斯扮演这两名音乐家。他们决定穿女装并加入一个女音乐家乐队。玛丽莲·梦露出演其中一名乐队成员。她想要让莱蒙和柯蒂斯相信她是一名音乐家。
玛丽莲·梦露：“我是休格·凯恩。我的母亲是一位钢琴老师，我的父亲是一名指挥。”
1960年代和1970年代，比利·怀尔德继续制作喜剧。和之前一样，他在电影中加入了社会评论和大尺度场景。但多年来，其他作家和导演也如此。直到1980年代，怀尔德不再被认为是好莱坞最不同寻常、最具创造力的电影制作人。但近些年，比利·怀尔德获得很多奖项和荣誉。影评人称赞他有制作电影的天赋。1987年，美国电影艺术与科学学会授予他欧文·G·托尔伯格纪念奖，这是一名制片人能获得的最高奖项。2002年3月，95岁的比利·怀尔德去世。一名现在的好莱坞制片人说：“比利·怀尔德制作的那些电影，人们永远不会忘记。”
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