British actress Mirren compliments Hungarian film

 　　BUDAPEST, March 7 (Xinhua) -- British actress Helen Mirren said in Budapest on Wednesday that her role in "The Door," the latest film from Academy Award-winning Hungarian director Istvan Szabo, was "one of the most challenging I've ever played."

　　The film, set in the 1960s, is based on the novel of the same name by Hungarian writer Magda Szabo (no relation to the director), and portrays¹ an evolving relationship between two women, a young rich writer played by German actress Martina Gedeck and Mirren's character, a dowdy² elderly housekeeper³ who is suspected of hiding Jewish property stolen during the Second World War.

　　Speaking at a press conference on the evening of the Budapest premiere of the movie, the 66 year-old Mirren said that in the book the character she plays is a mystery. "No-one really knows if she is telling the truth, whether she is a Nazi⁴ or a heroine. She is very buried."

　　Mirren, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2007 for her portrayal⁵ of Queen Elizabeth, said that for her, "the meaning of the film is somehow buried deep in my parents' history, my grandparents' history and the history of Europe."

　　"As it is a story about Hungary and Eastern Europe and the struggles of this part of the world in the 20th century, I felt a huge sense of responsibility as an Englishperson to correctly and truthfully inhabit the character. To appear in this film was a way of honoring the suffering, courage and nobility of those older generations who sadly we are in the process of losing," she said.

　　Mirren, whose father is of Russian background, wore no make-up for the role and said she was amazed when she put on her costume for the filming.

　　"When I wore my headscarf and heavy boots, I looked like an Eastern European. Perhaps because of my ancestry⁶, I recognized myself in some deep fundamental way," she added.

1 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 dowdy   

adj.不整洁的；过旧的

参考例句：

• She was in a dowdy blue frock.她穿了件不大洁净的蓝上衣。
• She looked very plain and dowdy.她长得非常普通，衣也过时。

3 housekeeper   

n.管理家务的主妇，女管家

参考例句：

• A spotless stove told us that his mother is a diligent housekeeper.炉子清洁无瑕就表明他母亲是个勤劳的主妇。
• She is an economical housekeeper and feeds her family cheaply.她节约持家，一家人吃得很省。

4 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

5 portrayal   

n.饰演；描画

参考例句：

• His novel is a vivid portrayal of life in a mining community.他的小说生动地描绘了矿区的生活。
• The portrayal of the characters in the novel is lifelike.该书中的人物写得有血有肉。

6 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。