2006年VOA标准英语-Man of Steel Back in "Superman Returns"

By Alan Silverman
Hollywood
01 July 2006

The original comic book super-hero is back on the big screen in a rip-roaring adventure directed by Bryan Singer, who made the first two "X-Men" movies. Alan Silverman spoke¹ with the director and his stars for this look at Superman Returns.

---------------

Superman has been gone for five years, but, suddenly and mysteriously, he returns. At the Daily Planet, that great metropolitan² newspaper, editor Perry White wants the story.

Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) is unaware³ that Clark Kent (Brandn Routh) is also the love of her life, Superman  
  
Lois Lane got the scoop⁴ last time, but when he left he broke her heart. She found a new boyfriend and even had a baby; and Lois also won a Pulitzer - American journalism's top honor - for her editorial titled "Why the world does not need Superman:"

Over the past decade or so, there have been several attempts to get a new Superman movie off the ground; but he finally flies again under the guidance of director Bryan Singer who says the new film had to respect the original 1978 hit that starred the late Christopher Reeve. "I learned a lot of that doing the "X-Men" films: there is a certain kind of history that came before me and will live long after me and it's kind of my responsibility as a custodian⁵ of this universe of "Superman" that I have to be respectful of that. At the same time, I try to bring some of my own point of view to the character; but I'm not in any way trying to re-invent the wheel. I'm just trying to re-invigorate it," he says.

Brandon Routh stars as the man of steel in Superman Returns   
  
Singer insisted a newcomer play Superman [and, of course, his secret identity Clark Kent]. He chose a tall, handsome young actor from the Midwestern state of Iowa, Brandon Routh, who admits just putting on the tights-and-cape costume was daunting⁶. "The first time I wore it I hadn't really trained yet, I hadn't read the script and I hadn't really worked on the character at that point. I was standing⁷ there in a room full of costume designers and some other people and everybody was judging me right away. I said 'don't make your judgment⁸ on if this is Superman or not just yet' because I hadn't done all the work that I would later do. But then I was able to track the process of my growth as I did more work on the character ... and I really did grow into it," he said.

Kate Bosworth co-stars as Lois Lane, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who somehow never figures out that her mild-mannered colleague Clark, who also mysteriously disappeared for five years, is actually Superman disguised only by a pair of glasses. "Oh come on, that's the fun of the film," she says. "If we really wanted to be serious about that, it's ridiculous. It's part of Superman. That's how it was written. That's the fun. That's the magic. That's the way it is."

Of course Superman needs a super-sized villain⁹: Lex Luthor, played by Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey. "There's no question that Lex Luthor is a big, iconic, almost theatrical¹⁰ character," he says, "and there are times when you think 'was that a little over the top? Can they see the mugging from a helicopter?'"

By definition, Superman is a larger-than-life character; but in "Superman Returns," director Bryan Singer adds some unmistakable Christian¹¹ imagery to the legend. "We always viewed the first movie as very much the story of Moses: they send the child away, down the river, to find his destiny. In this story, yes ... you grow up in the Judeo-Christian culture and the Christian allegory and those influences are not in any way lost to me or in the making of this film. I think in a very celebratory, meaningful and beautiful way it recognizes that," he says.

"Superman Returns" also features James Marsden as Lois's steadfast¹² new boyfriend, the nephew of editor Perry White, who is played by Frank Langella; and Eva Marie Saint is Clark's foster mother, Martha Kent. Watch for cameo appearances by two stars of the 1950's Superman TV series, Noel Neill and Jack¹³ Larson; and the late Marlon Brando is back - through sequences shot for the 1978 film - as Jor-El, Superman's father from the planet Krypton.

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

3 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

4 scoop   

n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出

参考例句：

• In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
• Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。

5 custodian   

n.保管人，监护人；公共建筑看守

参考例句：

• Benitez believes his custodian is among the top five in world football.贝尼特斯坚信他的门将是当今足坛最出色的五人之一。
• When his father died his uncle became his legal custodian.他父亲死后，他叔叔成了他的法定监护人。

6 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

9 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

10 theatrical   

adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的

参考例句：

• The final scene was dismayingly lacking in theatrical effect.最后一场缺乏戏剧效果，叫人失望。
• She always makes some theatrical gesture.她老在做些夸张的手势。

11 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

12 steadfast   

adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的

参考例句：

• Her steadfast belief never left her for one moment.她坚定的信仰从未动摇过。
• He succeeded in his studies by dint of steadfast application.由于坚持不懈的努力他获得了学业上的成功。

13 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。