美国国家公共电台 NPR What's The Issue With Nitrate Film Stock? It's Combustible

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Audiences had an unusual opportunity over the weekend to see classic movies the way they were originally projected. The TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood played movies on old-style nitrate film. It's very rare and beautiful and flammable. Here's Beth Accomando of member station KPBS.

BETH ACCOMANDO, BYLINE¹: Nitrate film stock has been praised for the beauty of its images and for truly allowing cinematographers to paint with light. Whites pop off the screen, blacks are deep and rich, and gray tones shimmer².

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "CASABLANCA")

DOOLEY WILSON: (As Sam, singing) You must remember this. A kiss is just a kiss. A sigh is just a sigh.

ACCOMANDO: "Casablanca" was the first film Genevieve McGillicuddy saw projected on nitrate. McGillicuddy is director of the TCM Classic Film Festival which sponsored the screenings.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "CASABLANCA")

HUMPHREY BOGART: (As Rick Blaine) Sam, I thought I told you never to play...

GENEVIEVE MCGILLICUDDY: I felt like I was seeing Humphrey Bogart for the first time. Ingrid Bergman never looked better. And the outfits³ popped off the screen.

ACCOMANDO: Color nitrate been described as equally breathtaking. Dennis Bartok manages the Egyptian Theatre, where the films are playing. He says his single most unforgettable screening experience was watching a Technicolor nitrate print of the movie "Black Narcissus."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BLACK NARCISSUS")

DENNIS BARTOK: So a lot of people will compare them to, say, an illuminated⁴ manuscript or something like that. All I can say is that watching "Black Narcissus" really is a spiritual experience for people who love cinema.

ACCOMANDO: But there's physical danger involved in nitride film. It's unstable⁵, combustible⁶ and contains a substance that was also used in explosives. Kodak stopped making it in the early 1950s, when it was replaced by more stable film stock.

TCM wanted to screen some of the nitrate prints that exist in archives at its festival, so it worked with Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation. Together, they brought the projection⁷ booth at the Egyptian Theatre up to fire code. And Bartok says they also modified two vintage 35 millimeter projectors⁸.

BARTOK: In the event, God forbid, of a fire, the projectionist⁹, you know, hits the emergency button which is now clearly displayed on the wall between the two projectors. That will immediately stop the projectors, and the metal fire shutters¹⁰ slam down into place.

ACCOMANDO: Good thing because if nitrate film stock does catch fire, it will continue to burn even if you douse¹¹ it with water.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "LAURA")

DANA ANDREWS: (As Det. Lt. Mark McPherson) Somebody was murdered in this room. Do you have any idea who it was?

ACCOMANDO: TCM screened the film noir classic "Laura," Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and the musical "Lady In The Dark," in addition to "Black Narcissus." The Egyptian Theatre will continue to show nitrate films from time to time. For NPR News, I'm Beth Accomando in Hollywood.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 shimmer   

v./n.发微光，发闪光；微光

参考例句：

• The room was dark,but there was a shimmer of moonlight at the window.屋子里很黑，但靠近窗户的地方有点微光。
• Nor is there anything more virginal than the shimmer of young foliage.没有什么比新叶的微光更纯洁无瑕了。

3 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

4 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

5 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

6 combustible   

a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物

参考例句：

• Don't smoke near combustible materials. 别在易燃的材料附近吸烟。
• We mustn't take combustible goods aboard. 我们不可带易燃品上车。

7 projection   

n.发射，计划，突出部分

参考例句：

• Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
• The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。

8 projectors   

电影放映机，幻灯机( projector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Energy projectors fired and peeled off the ships' armor in a flash. 能量投射器开火然后在一阵闪光后剥离了飞船的装甲。
• All classrooms equipped with computers, projectors, video and audio booth, broadcasting equipment. 全部教室配备电脑、投影仪、视频展台和音响、广播设备。

9 projectionist   

n.电影放映员，幻灯放映员

参考例句：

• The projectionist runs the film back at the end of every performance. 放映员把每部影片都重新卷绕到开头。
• The projectionist was panning the camera attentively. 放映员在聚精会神地移动摄影机。

10 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

11 douse   

v.把…浸入水中，用水泼；n.泼洒

参考例句：

• Men came with buckets of water and began to douse the flames.人们提来一桶桶水灭火。
• He doused the flames with a fire extinguisher.他用灭火器把火焰扑灭。