英语沙龙：与历史最相左的电影(2)

The geisha coming of-age, was really more of a makeover, where she changed her hairstyle and clothes.

It did not involve her getting intimate with a client.

In the climactic scene where Sayuri wows Gion patrons with her dancing prowess, her routine which involves some platform shoes,

fake snow, and a strobe light seems more like a Studio 54 drag show than anything in pre war Kyoto.

Brave Heart Let's forget the fact that kilts were not born in Scotland until about 300 years after William Wallace's day and just do some simple math.

According to the movie, Wallace's blue eyed charm at the Battle of Falkirk was so overpowering, he seduced¹ King Edward II's wife,

Isabella of France, and the result of their affair was Edward III.

But according to the history books, Isabella was three years old at the time of Falkirk, and Edward III was born seven years after Wallace died.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age In 1585, when the movie takes place, Queen Elizabeth was 52 years old Cate Blanchett was 36 when she shot the film and was not being courted by suitors like Ivan the Terrible who was dead by then.

And though the movie has her rallying the troops at Tilbury astride a white steed in full armor with a sword,

in fact she rode side saddle, carrying a baton².

She was more of a regal majorette than Joan of Arc.

The Patriot³ Revolutionary War figure Francis Marion" The Swamp Fox" was the basis for Mel Gibson's character, but he was not the forward thinking family man they show in the flick⁴.

He was a slave owner who did not get married( to his cousin) until after the war was over.

Historians also say that he actively⁵ persecuted⁶ and murdered native Cherokees.

Plus, the thrilling Battle of Guilford Court House where he vanquishes⁷ his British enemy?

In reality, the Americans lost that one.

2001: A Space Odyssey⁸ According to this film, in year 2001 we would have had manned voyages to Jupiter, a battle of wits with a sentient⁹ computer,

and a quantum leap in human evolution.

Instead we got the Mir Space Station falling from the sky, Windows XP, and Freddy got fingered.

Apparently¹⁰ the lesson here is that sometimes it's better when the movies get the facts all wrong.

1 seduced   

诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷

参考例句：

• The promise of huge profits seduced him into parting with his money. 高额利润的许诺诱使他把钱出了手。
• His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。

2 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

3 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

4 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

5 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

6 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

7 vanquishes   

v.征服( vanquish的第三人称单数 )；战胜；克服；抑制

参考例句：

8 odyssey   

n.长途冒险旅行；一连串的冒险

参考例句：

• The march to Travnik was the final stretch of a 16-hour odyssey.去特拉夫尼克的这段路是长达16小时艰险旅行的最后一程。
• His odyssey of passion, friendship,love,and revenge was now finished.他的热情、友谊、爱情和复仇的漫长历程，到此结束了。

9 sentient   

adj.有知觉的，知悉的；adv.有感觉能力地

参考例句：

• The living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage.生还者认识到，他们不过是上帝的舞台上有知觉的木偶而已。
• It teaches us to love all sentient beings equally.它教导我们应该平等爱护一切众生。

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。