VOA英语2010年-Family Struggles Could Dash Man's Dream in '

Oscar nominations¹ could go to Mark Wahlberg and co-star Christian² Bale for their performances in a new drama directed by David O. Russell and based on the true story of a boxing champion from a working-class Boston neighborhood. Here's a look at The Fighter.

"This is my younger brother. I taught him everything he knows .....I'm still his trainer."

Dickie Ecklund and his half-brother Micky Ward³ were local heroes in Lowell, Massachusetts in the 1980s. Dickie, "the pride of Lowell," had a brief, promising⁴ boxing career, but his addiction⁵ to drugs knocked him out of contention⁶. Then the spotlight⁷ moves to Micky. With Dickie as his trainer and their mother Alice as manager, Micky steps into the ring, but he seems constantly mismatched and destined⁸ to lose every fight.

"Look at the size of that guy! He's got 20 pounds on me, Dickie."
"If you don't fight nobody gets paid."

 

 
JoJo Whilden
Left to right: Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward and Amy Adams plays Charlene Fleming in THE FIGHTER.
Battered⁹ and bruised¹⁰ and more than a little disillusioned¹¹, Micky, encouraged by his girlfriend Charlene, decides he has to stand up to his family and get out of the game.

"I'm quitting, Charlene. I'm done fighting. I don't need it any more."
"It's sad that you let them take it away from you."
"I was embarrassed. I told everybody I was going to win that fight and get back on track. I'm sick of being a disappointment."

But then he gets another chance ..... with a condition attached: his family has to stay out of his career:

Micky gets his title shot, but not until he reconciles with his family and gets Dickie back in his corner.

 

 
JoJo Whilden
Left to right: Christian Bale plays Dicky Eklund and Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward in THE FIGHTER.
Mark Wahlberg stars as Micky Ward and, growing up in Massachusetts not far from where the brothers live, he knew their story would make he good film; but Wahlberg had to learn how to fight .. not only in the boxing ring, but also in the studio executive suites¹² .. to get the film made.

"I had already promised Micky, Dickie, Alice, Charlene and everybody else involved that we were going to get this movie made; and it seemed, at first glance, like it was a 'no-brainer' " Wahlberg explains, "amazing parts, what a wonderful story, a really new and interesting world that you're not familiar with .....and it just wasn't meant to be so I just had to grab hold of it and force it to happen through sheer will and determination, very much like Micky's journey to winning the title. He just had to go and make it happen."

 

 
JoJo Whilden
Amy Adams plays Charlene Fleming in THE FIGHTER.
Amy Adams plays the sassy, outspoken¹³ Charlene who finds herself caught between Micky and his family:

"She was just a girl trying to make good .....trying to deal with what she had," says Adams. "You know what struck me about Charlene was you had all these huge personalities¹⁴ and she never once [said] 'let me tell you my side of the story.' She never did. She was not about drawing attention to herself. She was really happy that Micky's story was being told and she was really supportive of that."

 

 
JoJo Whilden
Left to right: Mickey O'Keefe plays himself, Mark Wahlberg plays Micky Ward, and Christian Bale plays Dicky Eklund in THE FIGHTER.
Christian Bale plays Dickie who has to overcome his self-destructive habits before he can really become the support that his brother needs.

"I think that he was an absolute source of inspiration initially¹⁵ and then I think he became an absolute confusion for his younger brother because it is an immensely loyal family and they are immensely loyal brothers," Bale says. "Once Dickie was able to say it is no longer his time, it's Micky's time now ...and then convince the rest of the family of that, which took some doing ...after that Dickie was no end of help for Micky [and] I don't think it could have happened without the one or the other. This movie wouldn't exist without that beautiful relationship between the two brothers."

 

 
JoJo Whilden
Left to right: Mark Wahlberg (as Micky Ward) with Director David O. Russell on the set of THE FIGHTER.
Although the film recreates some key bouts¹⁶ from early in Micky Ward's career, director David O. Russell says the family's struggle is really what The Fighter is about.

"Christian and I initially agreed that Dickie should be somebody that you love," Russell says. "Mark and I knew that Micky was somebody that you love because he is taking all the heat for the whole movie that is swirling¹⁷ around him and it was a question of how you could plug into Mark's emotions, feeling that and understanding why he would put up with it and why he needed it. That is the heart of the story: why Micky wanted these powers that forced him into the championship. That's the crucible¹⁸ that put him there - Charlene and the family and his brother. He got the discipline from the cop in his corner and he got the inspiration from an older brother who could give him the mantle¹⁹. You can't get better inspiration than that. "

"Micky has a chance to do something that I never did and he needs me."
"Okay, I'll see you in Micky's corner."

Micky Ward won the IBF light welterweight championship in 2000. He retired²⁰ from the ring in 2003. The Fighter features Melissa Leo as the overbearing, but well-meaning mother Alice; former police officer Mickey O'Keefe plays himself as Micky's trainer during his career comeback. Much of the film was shot on location around Micky and Dickie's hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts.

1 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 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。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

6 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

7 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

8 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

9 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

10 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

11 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。

12 suites   

n.套( suite的名词复数 )；一套房间；一套家具；一套公寓

参考例句：

• First he called upon all the Foreign Ministers in their hotel suites. 他首先到所有外交部长住的旅馆套间去拜访。 来自辞典例句
• All four doors to the two reserved suites were open. 预定的两个套房的四扇门都敞开着。 来自辞典例句

13 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

14 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

15 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

16 bouts   

n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作

参考例句：

• For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

18 crucible   

n.坩锅，严酷的考验

参考例句：

• The alliance had been forged in the crucible of war.这个联盟经受了战争的严峻考验。
• Put the required amount of metal into the crucible.把适量的金属放入坩埚。

19 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

20 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。