美国国家公共电台 NPR A Slow-Moving Disaster Of Immodesty: Cameron's 'Titanic,' 20 Years Later

 

RAY SUAREZ, HOST:

Twenty years ago today, the film "Titanic¹" opened in theaters. Titanic the ship sank in 1912. "Titanic" the movie was a huge success. NPR's pop culture critic Linda Holmes takes us back to 1997.

LINDA HOLMES, BYLINE²: "Titanic" eventually won 11 Oscars, including best picture, best director for James Cameron and, of course, best original song.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MY HEART WILL GO ON")

CELINE DION: (Singing) Near, far, wherever you are...

HOLMES: It made Leonardo DiCaprio a huge star. It made Kate Winslet a huge star. It made every goofball on every cruise ship you've ever been on stand on the bow and say, well, you know.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TITANIC")

LEONARDO DICAPRIO: (As Jack³ Dawson) I'm the king of the world. (Yelling) Woo-hoo, woo (ph).

HOLMES: The film grossed more than $650 million domestically and an iceberg⁴-shattering 2 billion-plus worldwide. And it did great things for the pennywhistle.

(SOUNDBITE OF CELINE DION SONG, "MY HEART WILL GO ON")

HOLMES: Years later, some people will tell you that the whole thing is pretty corny - the rich young woman with a dastardly fiance, the brave young dreamer who sweeps her off her feet, the nude⁵ sketch⁶, the descent into steerage, where all the real fun is had. But most of the second half of the film - nearly an hour and a half of screen time - concerns the sinking of the ship after it collides with the iceberg. Apologies for what is perhaps the greatest spoiler in history.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TITANIC")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character, yelling) It's going to hit.

(SOUNDBITE OF CRASH)

HOLMES: And say what you will about the kissing and the twirling, the sinking of the ship is harrowing. It's tactile⁷, it's terrifying, and it's technically⁸ impeccable filmmaking, particularly from 1997. But perhaps the most enduring lesson from the story of Titanic - the thing that still makes it timely is that it's a slow-moving disaster of immodesty. The people who built the ship cannot see, will not see its flaws. By the time they figure it out, it's too late. There's no miracle. There aren't enough lifeboats. Twenty years later, all we can do is wonder. Rose, couldn't you have fit two people on a floating door? I'm Linda Holmes.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MY HEART WILL GO ON")

DION: (Singing) You're here. There's nothing...

1 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

2 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。

3 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。

4 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

5 nude   

adj.裸体的；n.裸体者，裸体艺术品

参考例句：

• It's a painting of the Duchess of Alba in the nude.这是一幅阿尔巴公爵夫人的裸体肖像画。
• She doesn't like nude swimming.她不喜欢裸泳。

6 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

7 tactile   

adj.触觉的，有触觉的，能触知的

参考例句：

• Norris is an expert in the tactile and the tangible.诺里斯创作最精到之处便是，他描绘的人物使人看得见摸得着。
• Tactile communication uses touch rather than sight or hearing.触觉交流，是用触摸感觉，而不是用看或听来感觉。

8 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。