经济学人99:一部不大可能成为大片的喜剧

 　　Books and Arts; Book Review;New French film; Friends united;An unlikely comic hit;

　　文艺；书评；新法国电影；朋友一心；一部不大可能成为大片的喜剧；

　　French film-makers are good at turning out silly comedies that foreigners find unwatchable. They have a better export record with highbrow, low-plot movies, set in chic¹ apartments with parquet² floors, that feel moodily³ French. Just occasionally, however, they come up with a comic gem⁴. “Intouchables”, directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, is one of those cleverly pitched, well-scripted, feel-good comic films typically crafted in Hollywood; it is a delight to see that the French can sometimes pull them off too. With more than 4m tickets sold since it opened earlier this month, the film is set to be a boxoffice smash.

　　法国影人善于制作外国人觉得没什么看头的无厘头喜剧。他们在出口平铺直叙的、设定在镶木地板的现代公寓里的、让人感受跃动法兰西的文艺片方面有着较好记录。但他们也偶尔出产喜剧精品：由奥利弗·纳卡切与埃里克·托勒达诺执导的《不可触及》就是那种巧妙定位、精心编写、让人感觉不错的通常是由好莱坞制作的喜剧片。我们乐见法国人有时也能赢得如此评价。自本月上旬首映以来，随着票房超过400万，该片必将成为大热。

　　Based on a true story, it follows the improbable relationship between Philippe, a quadriplegic aristocrat⁵ (Fran?ois Cluzet), and Driss (Omar Sy), a gregarious⁶ Senegal-born youth from the banlieues, the grim housing estates that ring Paris. On his release from prison, Driss is hired by Philippe in a moment of recklessness as a live-in help at his Paris mansion⁷. Philippe is warned that banlieue youths have “no pity”. No pity, replies the wheelchair-bound former paraglider wryly⁸, is just what I want.

　　取材于真实故事的影片围绕四肢瘫痪的贵族菲利佩（弗兰科斯·库泽特饰）与来自暴力街区（环巴黎的糟糕的居民区）的爱跟人打交道的塞内加尔裔青年迪瑞斯（奥马尔·塞饰）之间本没什么交集的关系展开。出狱后，菲利佩毅然雇佣迪瑞斯为他巴黎宅邸里的全职护工。有人警告菲利佩说暴力街区的青年不值得“怜悯”。这位在轮椅上动弹不得的前滑翔伞运动员反唇相讥：不值得“怜悯”的青年正是我要的。

　　Less deftly⁹ handled, the treatment of such a subject could have fallen into a number of traps. Instead, the film’s light touch finds comedy in both men’s handicaps: the one physical, the other social. Each, in his own unsentimental way, understands the other better than do those around them. This unlikely chemistry is captured in the opening sequence, when Driss roars through the streets of night-time Paris, funk music at full blast and Philippe in the passenger seat, giving his employer the thrill of the Maserati he owns but cannot drive.

　　如果不巧妙处理，这样的题材可能会落入很多固定套数。相反，影片在两个人的缺陷中触及到了喜剧元素：一个是身体上的；一个是社会上的。抛开感情色彩，他们比他们周围任何人都更了解对方。这种不太可能的化学反应发生在开场一幕：迪瑞斯将朋克音乐开到最大音量，驾驶着玛莎拉蒂轰鸣着穿过夜晚的巴黎街道时，他为他的雇主、坐在乘客位子上的菲利佩带来了这部他拥有的却没法开的豪车所带来的快感。

　　French critics have been thoroughly¹⁰ charmed. Le Figaro newspaper called the film “faultless”. Paris-Match described it as “the best scripted, best acted, funniest and most moving that we have seen in a long time”. It has surely launched Mr Sy, a black comedian¹¹ best-known for a short nightly sketch¹² on Canal Plus, a television channel, on the way to stardom. Bob and Harvey Weinstein, two Hollywood producers, have acquired the rights for America and Britain. Here’s hoping that English-language audiences will get to see the original French version, and not just a remake.

　　法国评论家们完全被迷倒了。《费加罗报》称这部电影“完美无瑕”。《巴黎竞赛画报》将它描述为“有史以来我们看过的编得最好、演得最好、最搞笑、最感人的电影。”这部戏肯定会将塞先生，这位因法国加号频道（canal+）晚间短片出名的黑人喜剧演员推向星光大道。两位好莱坞制片人鲍勃和哈维·温斯坦已经获得英国和美国版版权。英语国家的观众也希望看到法国原版，而不仅仅是翻拍版。

1 chic   

n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的

参考例句：

• She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
• The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。

2 parquet   

n.镶木地板

参考例句：

• The parquet floors shone like mirrors.镶木地板亮得象镜子。
• The snail left a trail of slime along the parquet floor.蜗牛在镶木地板上留下一道黏液。

3 moodily   

adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地

参考例句：

• Pork slipped from the room as she remained staring moodily into the distance. 阿宝从房间里溜了出来，留她独个人站在那里瞪着眼睛忧郁地望着远处。 来自辞典例句
• He climbed moodily into the cab, relieved and distressed. 他忧郁地上了马车，既松了一口气，又忧心忡忡。 来自互联网

4 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

5 aristocrat   

n.贵族，有贵族气派的人，上层人物

参考例句：

• He was the quintessential english aristocrat.他是典型的英国贵族。
• He is an aristocrat to the very marrow of his bones.他是一个道道地地的贵族。

6 gregarious   

adj.群居的，喜好群居的

参考例句：

• These animals are highly gregarious.这些动物非常喜欢群居。
• They are gregarious birds and feed in flocks.它们是群居鸟类，会集群觅食。

7 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

8 wryly   

adv. 挖苦地，嘲弄地

参考例句：

• Molly smiled rather wryly and said nothing. 莫莉苦笑着，一句话也没说。
• He smiled wryly, then closed his eyes and gnawed his lips. 他狞笑一声，就闭了眼睛，咬着嘴唇。 来自子夜部分

9 deftly   

adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. 他灵巧地将打有字的纸折好重新放回信封。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At last he had a clew to her interest, and followed it deftly. 这一下终于让他发现了她的兴趣所在，于是他熟练地继续谈这个话题。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

10 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

11 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

12 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。