Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle once made a film depicting London as a postapocalyptic wasteland overrun by virus-carrying zombies. For the beginning of Friday evening's Olympic opening ceremony, Mr. Boyle has something a bit gentler in mind: sheep, horses and geese.
曾获奥斯卡最佳导演奖的丹尼•博伊尔(Danny Boyle)曾经拍过一部电影，影片将伦敦描绘成一座世界末日降临之后被携带病毒的僵尸占领的荒城。不过，博伊尔构思的本周五晚奥运会开幕式的开篇场景会稍稍温和一点：会有羊、马和鹅等动物登场亮相。
Mr. Boyle, the English director of gritty films like 'Slumdog Millionaire,' 'Trainspotting' and the zombie classic '28 Days Later,' is the man who faces the unenviable task of following China's gargantuan spectacle that opened the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
由于此前2008年北京奥运会的开幕式壮观盛大，英国导演博伊尔此次承担的重任可谓无人羡慕。博伊尔此前曾执导励志影片《贫民窟的百万富翁》(Slumdog Millionaire)、《猜火车》(Trainspotting)以及经典僵尸电影《28天毁灭倒数》(28 Days Later)。
Part of Mr. Boyle's answer is an opening set for the ceremony inspired by the U.K.'s 'green and pleasant land,' a reference to the words of William Blake in the British anthem 'Jerusalem.' Throughout the show, his aim is to capture key elements of Britain, including its rich history, contemporary culture, playful sense of humor and propensity to churn out rock stars.
为完成这项艰巨任务，博伊尔为开幕式精心设计了一个开篇，其构思受到英国是“绿色宜人土地”(green and pleasant land)这一提法的启发。“绿色宜人的土地”一语出自英国爱国歌曲《耶路撒冷》(Jerusalem)的歌词，英国诗人威廉•布莱克(William Blake)是歌词的作者。博伊尔希望通过开幕式演出捕捉到英国的关键元素，其中包括丰富的历史，当代文化，有趣的幽默感以及总能盛产摇滚明星这一特点。
The challenge is to make a show that will appeal both to a British audience and the expected billion or more viewers around the world. Mr. Boyle last month said he knows he won't be able to please everyone with the show. 'You're bound to fail,' he said good-naturedly. But, he added, 'We'll try very hard not to.'
博伊尔面临的挑战在于，他要执导一场既能吸引英国观众又能取悦全球数十亿电视观众的开幕式演出。博伊尔曾在上个月表示，他知道开幕式演出无法做到让每个人都满意。他和蔼地说，你注定要失败。不过他又说，我们将尽最大努力保证不失败。
Among dignitaries due to attend the show, which is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. local time, are U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Mr. Boyle and others have briefed the prime minister on the show, which, Mr. Cameron said, will contain 'one or two moments I think people will find really spine-tingling.'
出席奥运会开幕式的政要包括美国第一夫人米歇尔•奥巴马(Michelle Obama)和英国首相卡梅伦(David Cameron)。开幕式定于伦敦当地时间晚上9点开始。博伊尔和其他人此前已向卡梅伦简要介绍了开幕式演出的情况。卡梅伦说，我认为演出的一两个瞬间将令观众感到震撼。
The first set is a pastoral scene: a cricket match, meadows covered in real grass and live animals-including some 70 sheep, a dozen horses and an assortment of geese and other farmyard stock. Later are expected to be tributes to the industrial revolution and Britain's state health-care system-as well as the nation's future in a digital age. Even the royal family gets a look-in with an expected prerecorded segment inside Buckingham Palace. A spokeswoman for the queen declined to comment.
开幕式演出的第一幕是田园风光：板球比赛，真草铺就的草地以及活生生的动物，其中包括大约70只羊，12匹马，各式各样的鹅及其它家养牲畜。预计接下来的几幕分别是工业革命、英国的国家医疗保健体系以及英国数字时代的未来等。预计英国王室也会“出镜”，开幕式上会播放在白金汉宫(Buckingham Palace)提前录好的一些片段。英国女王的发言人拒绝置评。
Music also will play a prominent role, from composer Edward Elgar's 'Nimrod' to two pieces written by electronic band Underworld, who made their breakthrough after their song 'Born Slippy' was used in Mr. Boyle's 'Trainspotting.' The final act is expected to involve former Beatles member Paul McCartney leading a singalong.
音乐也将在开幕式中扮演重要角色，其中既包括作曲家爱德华•埃尔加(Edward Elgar)的作品，也包括电子乐队Underworld的两首歌。该乐队因一首博伊尔电影《猜火车》(Trainspotting)中的片尾曲Born Slippy而名声大噪。预计开幕式的最后一个节目是前披头士(Beatles)乐队成员保罗•麦卡特尼(Paul McCartney)领唱的大联唱。
Another set feature: a 27-ton bell whose chimes will open the ceremony and is inscribed with a quote from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest:' 'Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises.'
开幕式上的另一个特色是一口重达27吨的大钟，其钟声将宣布开幕式的正式启动。钟上刻有一句莎士比亚剧作《暴风雨》(The Tempest)中的话：不要恐惧，岛上已充满了躁动。
With this event dubbed the austerity Olympics-and with the U.K. in its worst double-dip recession in 50 years-Mr. Boyle wasn't going to have the checkbook required to match Beijing's waves of dancers, percussionists and other performers, some 14,000 in all, including 9,000 from the People's Liberation Army. While China hasn't disclosed how much it spent on the event, it is considered to have been many multiples of the roughly £27 million ($42 million) the U.K. has budgeted for its ceremony.
由于这场盛会被戏称为节俭奥运，再加上英国经济处于50年来最严重的二次衰退之中，博伊尔没有那么多的预算，无法搞出像北京奥运会那样的人海表演。参加北京奥运会开幕式演出的舞者、打击乐手和其他表演者共有约1.4万人，其中9,000人来自中国人民解放军。虽然中国没有披露过北京奥运会开幕式的花费，但外界认为应该是伦敦奥运开幕式的若干倍。英国对这场开幕式给出的预算大约是2,700万英镑(合4,200万美元)。
Still, Mr. Boyle hopes to make his show warmer, humorous and more inclusive, including areas of the set where members of the public will be able to stand. There will be a 'mosh pit' for some, a nod to the famed Glastonbury music festival, and a similar enclosure inspired by the annual classical-music concert series, the Proms. The media have dubbed the twin standing areas 'the mosh and posh pits.'
尽管如此，博伊尔仍希望让自己执导的这场开幕式更温暖、幽默且更具包容性，演出场地上设置了公众可以站立的场区。开幕式将为部分人辟出一个“狂舞池”，这一设计灵感来自知名的格拉斯顿堡音乐节(Glastonbury music festival)，而一个类似舞池的设计灵感则来自年度古典音乐会Proms。媒体将这两个站立区称为“狂舞和优雅舞池”。
One challenge is hard to control: keeping 10,0000 Olympic athletes moving at a brisk clip as they savor their parade into the stadium. Says Mr. Boyle: 'they understandably want to take their time.'
伦敦奥运会开幕式也有一个不好控制的难题：如何在10万名奥运会参赛运动员尽情享受进场的悠闲时，让他们走快点。博伊尔说，他们希望慢慢走，这是可以理解的。