2019年经济学人 电影:淡茶不易卖(2)

 

Before “Avengers: Endgame”, the world’s most successful film this year had been a Chinese science-fiction epic¹, “Wandering Earth”. But it owed this mainly to its popularity at home. By the end of its American cinema release less than 1% of its revenues came from the American box office. Western reviewers struggled to relate to a film that involved saving the planet, and in which the only speaking role for a non-Chinese was given to a Russian.

在《复仇者联盟:终局之战》之前，今年全球最成功的电影是中国科幻史诗电影《流浪地球》。但这主要归功于这部电影在自己国家的受欢迎程度。到该片在美国上映结束时，美国票房收入还不到总票房收入的1%。西方影评人很难把这部电影和拯救地球电影联系起来，这部电影中唯一非中国人的角色由俄罗斯人扮演。

Celina Horan, a Chinese-American actor, speaks with authority about the two film markets. Educated in Hong Kong and at the London School of Economics, she is fluent in Cantonese, English and Mandarin². Known professionally as Celina Jade³ and in China as Lu Jingshan, she played the female lead in “Wolf Warrior⁴ 2”, released in 2017 and to date the highest-grossing Chinese film ever.

中美混血演员卢靖姗以专业的角度谈到这两个电影市场。卢靖姗曾就读于香港中小学，大学就读于伦敦政治经济学院，她精通粤语、英语和普通话。她在电影《战狼2》中饰演女主角。《战狼2》于2017年上映，是迄今为止票房收入最高的中国电影。

It is a revealing hit. A patriotic⁵ action adventure set in war-torn Africa, “Wolf Warrior 2” depicts⁶ a lone⁷ Chinese commando rescuing Chinese and African hostages from wicked American mercenaries.

这是一部发人深省的成功之作。《战狼2》以饱受战争蹂躏的非洲为背景，讲述了一名中国突击队员从邪恶的美国雇佣兵手中营救中国和非洲人质的故事。

Chaguan met Ms Jade in Beijing after her return from a work trip to Los Angeles, as she prepared to visit Norway for a television travel show. Two years ago Hollywood producers sought projects that would work in both America and China, she says. That might involve adding a Chinese actress to an American blockbuster in a “decorative role”. Now her American meetings are “all about China”. By this she means co-productions using American know-how⁸, but squarely aimed at Chinese audiences.

卢靖姗从洛杉矶出差回到北京，准备去挪威参加电视节目，《茶馆》在这间隙采访了她。她表示两年前，好莱坞制片人正在寻找既能在美国又能在中国上映的影片。这可能要在美国大片中加入一位中国女演员扮演“装饰性角色”。如今卢靖姗在美国参加的会议都“与中国有关”。她指的是使用美国技术、但直接面向中国观众的合拍片。

The actress would not mourn if Hollywood were to drop projects crafted to appeal to all cultures, and offend in none. She compares the approval process for such films to dipping the same tea bag in ten cups, then drinking from the last. On the Chinese side, she sees studios growing less anxious about foreign success: “Why serve the global market when there’s so much demand here?”

如果好莱坞放弃那些旨在吸引所有文化的项目，并且不冒犯任何文化，这位女演员就不会如此哀叹。她将这类电影的审批过程比作把同一个茶包泡在10个杯子里，然后从最后一个杯子里喝下去。在中国方面，她看到电影公司对海外成功的担忧有所减轻:“若中国电影市场需求如此之大，为何还要为全球市场服务?”

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

3 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

4 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

5 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

6 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

7 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

8 know-how   

n.知识；技术；诀窍

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
• I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。