2006年VOA标准英语-World Trade Center Movie Hits Theaters

By Kane Farabaugh
New York City
10 August 2006
 
watch Oliver Stone's Movie

Oliver Stone's movie "World Trade Center" opens in the United States this week.    It's the second movie from Hollywood this year to document the events on September 11, 2001.  The film is being released just four weeks ahead of the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks. It is drawing critical acclaim¹ from movie critics and mixed feelings from some of the families of those who died.  VOA's Kane Farabaugh attended the New York premiere to talk to the stars about why they made the film, and to the families about how this affects their lives.

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Carie Lemack   
  
Going to the movies this year has been difficult for Carie Lemack.  Her mother died during the September 11th, 2001 terror attacks. "I didn't want to have to see my mom's murder.  I didn't want to have to re-experience it every time I went to a movie." Just seeing the previews for the World Trade Center movie was enough to draw out her emotions. 

But the focus of "World Trade Center" is not Carie Lemack's mother, or the reasons or consequences of the worst terror attack on the United States. 

It is the story of two Port Authority police officers -- Will Jimeno and Mike McLoughlin -- who against all odds² lived through the collapse³ of the twin towers.  They were two of the last people to be pulled out of the rubble⁴ alive.

 
Will Jimeno, retired⁵ Port Authority police officer
  
Will Jimeno, now retired, says, "Our story is no different than anyone else's. The only difference is we were buried under there and we were the only two -- we didn't find out until a year later that we were the only two guys -- that survived from under it."

Filmmaker Oliver Stone   
  
The film's director is Oliver Stone, known for his controversial political dramas such as "JFK" and "Nixon."  But controversy⁶ is noticeably absent in "World Trade Center."  Stone says it's just a story about two people who survived an event that is fading from memory only five years later.

"I think already many things have been forgotten," he says.  "There are many details in the film that will remind people."

His effort to remind people blended with a commitment to historical accuracy.  Not only was Will Jimeno the central character in the film, he and Mike McLoughlin were technical advisors⁷ on the set. Jimeno says the story accurately⁸ depicts⁹ what happened. "Hollywood -- Oliver, Paramount¹⁰, Double Feature Films -- they all hung up their agendas, they all hung up their egos¹¹ and they said, 'You know what, with our talent we [have] got to get this right, not only for America, but for the world,' and they did."

Nicholas Cage (l) and Mike McLoughlin  
  
Actor Nicholas Cage attended the film's premiere in New York alongside Mike McLoughlin, the man he plays.  Many of the other people portrayed¹² in the film also got their first glimpse at the completed movie.  

 
Scott Fox, a first responder on September 11
  
Scott Fox was one of the first responders to rescue Will and Mike from the rubble.  "This little nice world that we live in can be taken away from us at any time, and this is a film that will just remind you, you know?  I think it will keep you from ever getting complacent¹³ and I think it's a good picture."

Screenwriter Andrea Berloff says that's the most important kind of praise. "I'm just so pleased that all of the cops and all of the firemen who were involved are happy with it.  You know, we had one fireman who told us that this brought him closure.  You know, that really gets me."

One person still looking for closure at the film's premiere is the man who led the city through the crisis, former Mayor Rudy Guliani.

We asked Mr. Guliani, "You walked through it and you lived it yourself.  Is it something that's stressful and traumatic for you to watch again on the screen?

Mr. Guliani said, "I find that it's helpful to relive it.  So for me, maybe it's a form of therapy, or getting over it, or dealing¹⁴ with it, or I find it's useful to talk about it.  So I think it's a good thing to have people reminded of it.  And I think it's important to face reality. This is reality and it's important to face it and deal with it."

Advance screenings of the film have drawn¹⁵ critical praise for the depiction¹⁶ of events.  Many family members of September 11th victims have indicated they plan to see the movie. 

 
Monica Iken
  
Some, such as Monica Iken, would like to see more of the profits benefit September 11th organizations. "If they do well, if the movie is well received, to give some more money towards the memorial and the museum which needs to sustain the test of time and needs the money to do that."

Paramount Pictures says it will donate10 percent of the box office receipts from the first five days to several September 11th charities.

The film opens this week in the United States, and internationally in September.

1 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

2 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

3 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

4 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

7 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

8 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

9 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

10 paramount   

a.最重要的，最高权力的

参考例句：

• My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国，摧毁奴隶制度。
• Nitrogen is of paramount importance to life on earth.氮对地球上的生命至关重要。

11 egos   

自我，自尊，自负( ego的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their egos are so easily bruised. 他们的自尊心很容易受到伤害。
• The belief in it issues from the puerile egos of inferior men. 这种信仰是下等人幼稚的自私意识中产生的。

12 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

14 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

15 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

16 depiction   

n.描述

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。