美国国家公共电台 NPR 20 Years On, 'The Big Lebowski' Reminds Us To Slow Down, Dude

 

DON GONYEA, HOST:

The Dude abides¹. OK. As iconic movie lines go, maybe it's not as iconic as here's looking at you, kid. But for fans of the film "The Big Lebowski," there are few things better than hearing Jeff Bridges say those words with such slacker indifference². And so it is that this week, the Coen brothers masterpiece marked 20 years since it first hit the theaters. It didn't exactly win rave³ reviews upon its release, but its lead character, who spends a good chunk⁴ of the film in his shorts and an open bathrobe and drinks milk right out of the carton in the dairy aisle⁵ at the grocery store, has become one of cinema's most beloved antiheroes.

He ambles⁶ through life with no ambition, except for trying to get reimbursed⁷ for that rug that a pair of thugs soiled while ransacking⁸ his apartment. Is there a lasting⁹ lesson from such a character now two decades later? "The Big Lebowski" came out in the days before smartphones and Twitter and YouTube and push notifications. And even then, it recognized that we all needed to slow down just a little bit, to just chill. That's what The Dude taught me. Now as I sit here in the year 2018, I can truthfully tell you that I didn't listen. I think none of us did. But we can still try. Go to the bowling¹⁰ alley¹¹, catch up with an old friend, like that guy at the bar with the cowboy hat and the deep voice.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE BIG LEBOWSKI")

SAM ELLIOTT: (As The Stranger) Howdy do, Dude?

JEFF BRIDGES: (As The Dude) You know, strikes and gutters¹², ups and downs.

ELLIOTT: (As The Stranger) Sure. I got you.

BRIDGES: (As The Dude) Yeah. Thanks, Gary. Well, take care, man. Got to get back.

ELLIOTT: (As The Stranger) Sure. Take it easy, Dude.

BRIDGES: (As The Dude) Oh, yeah.

ELLIOTT: (As The Stranger) I know that you will.

BRIDGES: (As The Dude) Yeah. Well, The Dude abides.

GONYEA: Oh, one other thing about The Dude - he never liked the band The Eagles, though he said so in somewhat crude language. So let's go out on one he did like.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DEAD FLOWERS")

TOWNES VAN ZANDT: (Singing) Send me dead flowers every morning. Send me dead flowers by the mail. Send me dead flowers to my wedding. And I won't forget to put...

1 abides   

容忍( abide的第三人称单数 )； 等候； 逗留； 停留

参考例句：

• He abides by his friends. 他忠于朋友。
• He always abides by the law. 他素来守法。

2 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

3 rave   

vi.胡言乱语；热衷谈论；n.热情赞扬

参考例句：

• The drunkard began to rave again.这酒鬼又开始胡言乱语了。
• Now I understand why readers rave about this book.我现明白读者为何对这本书赞不绝口了。

4 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

5 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

6 ambles   

v.（马）缓行( amble的第三人称单数 )；从容地走，漫步

参考例句：

• She ambles around the room, coming to rest before Dorothy again. 她在屋子里慢慢转悠，又走到多萝西的照片前站住了。 来自辞典例句

7 reimbursed   

v.偿还，付还( reimburse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on the firm's business will be reimbursed. 由公司业务产生的开销都可以报销。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Employees are reimbursed for any legal fees incurred when they relocate. 员工调往异地工作时，他们可以报销由此产生的所有法律服务费用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ransacking   

v.彻底搜查( ransack的现在分词 )；抢劫，掠夺

参考例句：

• She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present. 她正在彻底搜寻各家店铺，为吉姆买礼物。 来自英汉文学 - 欧亨利
• Ransacking the drawers of the dresser he came upon a discarded, tiny, ragged handkerchief. 他打开橱柜抽屉搜寻，找到了一块弃置的小旧手帕。 来自辞典例句

9 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

10 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

11 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

12 gutters   

（路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地

参考例句：

• Gutters lead the water into the ditch. 排水沟把水排到这条水沟里。
• They were born, they grew up in the gutters. 他们生了下来，以后就在街头长大。