VOA标准英语2009-'An Education' Generates Oscar Buzz

There is "Oscar buzz" in Hollywood for the performance of rising young star Carey Mulligan as a teenager learning some life lessons in a bittersweet film written by English novelist Nick Hornby and directed by Danish filmmaker Lone¹ Scherfig.

Alan Silverman | Hollywood 20 November 2009

 
"I think what informed her age more than anything was the way she treated people in her life," actress Carey Mulligan says.

There is "Oscar buzz" in Hollywood for the performance of rising young star Carey Mulligan as a teenager learning some life lessons in a bittersweet film written by English novelist Nick Hornby and directed by Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig.

It is 1961 and 16-year-old Jenny is bored with her life in suburban² London where everything revolves³ around school and her father's determination that she gets accepted at Oxford⁴.
But it all changes one rainy afternoon when, as Jenny struggles through the puddles⁵ with her cello⁶, David pulls up in his car and rolls down the window.

He is twice her age, but charming and worldly and does all the things Jenny is in a hurry to do herself. From that chance meeting, a relationship grows that will change her in ways she can hardly imagine.

Carey Mulligan plays Jenny and says the screenplay by Nick Hornby gave her plenty of insight into the world of a 1961 teenager.

 

 
Sony Pictures
Carey Mulligan as Jenny in An Education

"I think so much of it came from the script and how he had written her interacting with the people around her. I think what informed her age more than anything was the way she treated people in her life," she says. "I did like travelling back to the 1960's. It was great and I tried to speak to a lot of people about what it was like to be a teenager (then) …I mean aside from the costumes and all that sort of thing, there was the music and the culture and everything. We didn't do a huge amount of pre-production, but it was fun."

Director Lone Scherfig says getting the details of the era right is important, but that authenticity⁷ has to serve the story.

 

 
Sony Pictures
Director Lone Scherfig on the set of the movie

"It is a bit of a trap because in England they do a lot of period (films) and they are really good at it. They have the most wonderful prop⁸ houses and costume houses and they come in with all the dusty BBC gear and now we're going to do the period; but you've got to make sure that the emotion and the drama come first and then all the props⁹ and costumes come later. Otherwise it's going to be a museum piece," he says.

Scherfig says one of the biggest challenges was to create a sense of innocence¹⁰ - or, perhaps, naïveté - in the relationship between a teenaged girl and an older man. American actor Peter Sarsgaard plays David and believes his character genuinely cares for Jenny.

 

 Sony Pictures
Peter Sarsgaard and Carey Mulligan in scene from An Education

"It is not that they are in love, but they are 'simpatico.' They both are trying to live extraordinary lives (and) find someone else who is not willing to settle for an ordinary life. (My character), to have an extraordinary life, sometimes steal things; she, in order to have an extraordinary life, is willing to break the mold and potentially drop out of school. That's what really draws them together for me," he says.

Among the valuable lessons Jenny learns from David is how deadly secrets can be to a relationship; and Mulligan says the love-struck teenager gets a cold and bitter dose of reality.

Sony Pictures
Carey Mulligan in scene from An Education

"She goes into this thinking she can have it both ways. She can have this interesting, exciting life and then, at the same time, pass her exams and get into Oxford and either carry on this relationship or she'll meet someone else; but I can see why she'd want to escape," Mulligan admits. " Not just her own life, but London was not an interesting place to be. There were no real teenagers. It wasn't like there was any community for teenagers. No one was having any fun and she is just stuck learning things for the sake of learning them, ticking boxes, because she has this agenda to get to Oxford."

An Education also features Emma Thompson as the headmistress of Jenny's school. Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour are her well-meaning parents. Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike play David's sophisticated friends. Writer Nick Hornby adapted the screenplay from a memoir¹¹ by journalist Lynn Barber.

1 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。

2 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

3 revolves   

v.（使）旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 )；细想

参考例句：

• The earth revolves both round the sun and on its own axis. 地球既公转又自转。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Thus a wheel revolves on its axle. 于是，轮子在轴上旋转。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

5 puddles   

n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The puddles had coalesced into a small stream. 地面上水洼子里的水汇流成了一条小溪。
• The road was filled with puddles from the rain. 雨后路面到处是一坑坑的积水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 cello   

n.大提琴

参考例句：

• The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
• She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。

7 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

8 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

9 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

10 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

11 memoir   

n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录

参考例句：

• He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
• In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。