美国国家公共电台 NPR Political Subtext In Wes Anderson's 'Isle Of Dogs' Is More Bark Than Bite

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Wes Anderson's new animated¹ puppet movie is called "Isle² Of Dogs." I'm saying that carefully because if you say "Isle Of Dogs" quickly, it comes out sounding a lot like I love dogs. And of course I only feel OK about dogs, but Wes Anderson really likes them. Critic Bob Mondello says the director is also fond of movie classics.

BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE³: Filmmaker Wes Anderson makes contraptions as much as he makes movies, little cinematic worlds that look as if they've been conceived as dollhouses and that operate by their own peculiar⁴ rules. Think "Fantastic Mr. Fox" or "The Grand Budapest Hotel." And then think again because this one is, well, more so. It asks you to imagine a Japanese city where dogs have been banned after an outbreak of snout fever. The mayor, a dead ringer for "Seven Samurai" star Toshiro Mifune...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

KUNICHI NOMURA: (As Mayor Kobayashi, speaking Japanese).

MONDELLO: ...Has exiled all dogs to an offshore⁵ garbage dump that's a dead ringer for the one in Pixar's "Wall-E." It's called Trash Island, and it's populated entirely⁶ by dogs - hungry, grouchy⁷ dogs.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

EDWARD NORTON: (As Rex) I don't think I can stomach any more of this garbage.

BOB BALABAN: (As King) Exactly.

BILL MURRAY: (As Boss) Same here.

JEFF GOLDBLUM: (As Duke) Took the words out of my mouth.

MONDELLO: An on-screen note says that while human speech won't be translated, all barking will be rendered in English - helpful when, say, dogs approach a bag of fresh garbage, spoiling for a fight.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

NORTON: (As Rex) Wait a second. Before we attack each other and tear ourselves to shreds⁹ like a pack of maniacs¹⁰, let's just open the sack first and see what's actually in it. It might not even be worth the trouble.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) I'm not sure.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) Maybe.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) All right.

NORTON: (As Rex) A rancid apple core, two worm-eaten banana peels, a moldy¹¹ rice cake, a dried-up pickle¹², a tin of sardine¹³ bones, a pile of broken egg shells, an old smushed-up rotten gizzard with maggots all over it.

BRYAN CRANSTON: (As Chief) OK, it's worth it.

MONDELLO: That last voice is Bryan Cranston, top dog among the film's best-in-show vocal¹⁴ talent - Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Edward Norton.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

CRANSTON: (As Chief) You're Rex. You're King. You're Duke. You're Boss. I'm Chief. We're a pack of scary, indestructible alpha dogs.

MONDELLO: Indestructible to a point - the mayor has decided¹⁵ to rid even Trash Island of dogs, a plan that has his 12-year-old ward⁸, Atari, desperately¹⁶ crash landing a turbo prop¹⁷ plane on the island...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

KOYU RANKIN: (As Atari, speaking Japanese).

MONDELLO: ...To save his exiled pooch Spots.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

RANKIN: (As Atari, speaking Japanese).

MONDELLO: The visual style for all this is a mix of retro robotics, origami, 19th century Japanese woodcuts, 20th century model train sets and something I'm hesitant to call pup-petry (ph), but I kind of can't resist - handmade hounds surrounded by trash detailed¹⁸ enough to make you want to stop the stop-action entirely so you can examine, say, a doggie crate¹⁹ mountain or a hideout constructed of cast-off sake bottles or the sheen of a former show dog's once-silky coat. As voiced by Scarlett Johansson, Nutmeg...

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: (As Nutmeg) Will you help him...

MONDELLO: ...Is Lady to Chief's Tramp.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

JOHANSSON: (As Nutmeg) ...The little pilot?

MONDELLO: And Chief is Bogie to her Bacall.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

CRANSTON: (As Chief) Why should I?

JOHANSSON: (As Nutmeg) Because he's a 12-year-old boy. Dogs love those.

MONDELLO: For all the sly movie jokes and intricate visuals, the one thing this film isn't is cutesie. These mutts are scruffy²⁰ critters who absolutely look like they've been living on a trash heap. They have matted fur, fleas²¹, scabs from fighting.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ISLE OF DOGS")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #3: (As character) Sheesh, Igor, I think he chewed your ear off.

MONDELLO: There's also a political subtext that's unusual for Wes Anderson - an anti-science government hiding the findings of its own scientists, a militaristic leader trying to tamp²² down student protests - nothing dogmatic, more bark than bite perhaps. But it's there. On the other paw, you can enjoy the film just for its laid-back vocals²³, toybox visuals and quirky haikus that never descend²⁴ into - forgive me - doggerel²⁵. In case I've not made it clear, I love "Isle Of Dogs." I'm Bob Mondello.

1 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

2 isle   

n.小岛，岛

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The boat left for the paradise isle of Bali.小船驶向天堂一般的巴厘岛。

3 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。

4 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

5 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

6 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

7 grouchy   

adj.好抱怨的；愠怒的

参考例句：

• Grouchy people are always complaining for no reason.满腹牢骚的人总是毫无理由地抱怨。
• Sometimes she is grouchy, but all in all she is an excellent teacher.有时候她的脾气很坏，但总的来说她还是一位好老师。

8 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

9 shreds   

v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件）

参考例句：

• Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds. 将胡罗卜削皮，切成丝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want to take this diary and rip it into shreds. 我真想一赌气扯了这日记。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

10 maniacs   

n.疯子（maniac的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Hollywood films misrepresented us as drunks, maniacs and murderers. 好莱坞电影把我们歪曲成酒鬼、疯子和杀人凶手。 来自辞典例句
• They're not irrational, potentially homicidal maniacs, to start! 他们不是非理性的，或者有杀人倾向的什么人！ 来自电影对白

11 moldy   

adj.发霉的

参考例句：

• She chucked the moldy potatoes in the dustbin.她把发霉的土豆扔进垃圾箱。
• Oranges can be kept for a long time without going moldy.橙子可以存放很长时间而不腐烂。

12 pickle   

n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡

参考例句：

• Mother used to pickle onions.妈妈过去常腌制洋葱。
• Meat can be preserved in pickle.肉可以保存在卤水里。

13 sardine   

n.[C]沙丁鱼

参考例句：

• Every bus arrives and leaves packed as fully as a sardine tin.每辆开来和开走的公共汽车都塞得像沙丁鱼罐头一样拥挤。
• As we chatted,a brightly painted sardine boat dropped anchor.我们正在聊着，只见一条颜色鲜艳的捕捞沙丁鱼的船抛了锚。

14 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

15 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

16 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

17 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。

18 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

19 crate   

vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱

参考例句：

• We broke open the crate with a blow from the chopper.我们用斧头一敲就打开了板条箱。
• The workers tightly packed the goods in the crate.工人们把货物严紧地包装在箱子里。

20 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

21 fleas   

n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求）

参考例句：

• The dog has fleas. 这条狗有跳蚤。
• Nothing must be done hastily but killing of fleas. 除非要捉跳蚤，做事不可匆忙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 tamp   

v.捣实，砸实

参考例句：

• Then I tamp down the soil with the back of a rake.然后我用耙子的背将土壤拍实。
• Philpott tamped a wad of tobacco into his pipe.菲尔波特往烟斗里塞了一卷碎烟叶。

23 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

24 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

25 doggerel   

n.拙劣的诗，打油诗

参考例句：

• The doggerel doesn't filiate itself.这首打油诗没有标明作者是谁。
• He styled his poem doggerel.他把他的这首诗歌叫做打油诗。