美国国家公共电台 NPR Unconscious Prejudice Meets Real-World Horror In 'The Exception'

 

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Berlin, 1940. A young German officer is given a new mission. The Reich is sending him to Holland to guard the exiled former German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE EXCEPTION")

ANTON LESSER¹: (As General Falkenberg) This posting is a great honor.

JAI COURTNEY: (As Stefan Brandt) Yes, general. Thank you, general. General, if the Kaiser's in Holland, how am I supposed to guard him?

LESSER: (As General Falkenberg) At dawn this morning, our forces invaded Belgium and the Netherlands. The fuehrer thinks of everything.

BLOCK: That's from the opening of a new feature film titled "The Exception." What follows is a World War II spy story with steamy sex, intrigue² and history rolled in. Its director is David Leveaux, who joins me now from London. Welcome to the program.

DAVID LEVEAUX: It's a great pleasure to be here.

BLOCK: And let's start by talking about Kaiser Wilhelm. He's played in the film with gusto by the great Christopher Plummer. Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated⁴ the throne in 1918 under duress⁵, lived out his life in exile in the Netherlands. Does he strike you as a complicated figure?

LEVEAUX: He is a complicated figure, certainly, seen from the outside, in the sense that you clearly have a man who bears a large part of responsibility for the conflagration⁶ that was the First World War as much through negligence⁷ as anything else. But it's interesting that a man carrying that degree of guilt⁸ on his shoulders - at the same time as being almost unremittingly hubristic⁹ and, you know, reflexively, culturally anti-Semitic - all the things that, you know, he had about him, you know, make him quite a complex character to tell a story about simply because he is neither good nor wholly bad.

BLOCK: Yeah. And, as you mentioned, he is - he knows he's blamed for Germany's dire³ losses in World War I.

LEVEAUX: Yeah.

BLOCK: He's aggrieved¹⁰. He's resentful. And he gets especially outraged¹¹ about this when he's been drinking. Let's listen to part of one scene where this is what's going on.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE EXCEPTION")

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER: (As Kaiser Wilhelm) Am I to blame for every misfortune on this earth? I gave my life to the Fatherland, and this is my thanks? Nobody cares. My navy betrayed me. Nobody remembers my army fell apart. Ludendorff, Bethmann, Tirpitz - where were they? Where were they? Where were they? After all I've done for them, they stabbed me in the back.

BLOCK: Christopher Plummer there as Kaiser Wilhelm II, who has dreams of resurrecting both his reputation and the monarchy¹².

LEVEAUX: Yes, indeed. That is the premise¹³ of the film, which is that with the ascendancy¹⁴ of National Socialism and Hitler in Germany - the completely delusional¹⁵ notion that, possibly, they might want their former empire back even in a sort of symbolic¹⁶ way. And the film turns very much ultimately on the Kaiser coming to recognize that Germany as represented by National Socialism and the Nazis¹⁷ has nothing whatsoever¹⁸ in common with the Germany of his own memory and of his own history.

BLOCK: Talk a bit about directing Christopher Plummer in this role. He really dives into the part with his military carriage and his medals and braids and bars and his closet full of uniforms.

LEVEAUX: He was really quite fearless about wanting to play, sometimes, some of the ludicrously foolish aspects of this old man.

BLOCK: Like what?

LEVEAUX: You know, you just played a part of a scene there when he's yelling at the dinner table. And, of course, it is sort of hubristic and, in a way, rather sort of tragic¹⁹. But there's also something absolutely ridiculous about it. I mean, it's a man who has a hundred uniforms but hasn't made a decision since 1918 about anything except possibly what's for dinner.

And Christopher's sense of the theatrical²⁰ nature of the man - in other words, a man wearing the outer garments of power but with no power himself - you know, was also an inherently comedic idea, which is sort of - are tearily woven through, you know, what is also a tragedy, really, about a man reaching old age and realizing that he has made a mess of his entire life and lost his country. And it was really quite extraordinary to see. And, also, by the way, he was known very fondly by the younger actors as one-take Plummer...

BLOCK: (Laughter).

LEVEAUX: ...Rather enviously²¹ by them because they were trying to work out how it was possible that Christopher could in one take land something so complicated that would take them, they thought, three or four or five takes.

BLOCK: We do see the Kaiser's softer side in a number of scenes when he's feeding the ducks. But we also hear him voice his own anti-Semitism. And I want to play a bit of one scene. He's talking about Otto von Bismarck, the so-called Iron Chancellor²² whom the Kaiser has forced out.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE EXCEPTION")

PLUMMER: (As Kaiser Wilhelm) But I must say the old boy knew how to deal with troublemakers²³, Freemasons, Bolsheviks, Jews - the unholy alliance that we have to face, which is exactly why a strong monarchy, the physical manifestation²⁴ of God's will on earth, is more vital now than ever.

BLOCK: I gather, David that, in truth, the exiled Kaiser had far more rabid things to say about Jews than we hear in this film. How much did you tone him down?

LEVEAUX: I wouldn't describe as toning it down. We felt it was very important to be clear and honest about the fact that that man had an almost knee-jerk, reflexive - and I'll call it cultural - anti-Semitism. He grew up with it. It was part of his set of beliefs.

But one of the things we were also aware of is that, you know, in the entire time of his reign²⁵, there was never directly, you know, specifically organized campaign made against the Jewish community in Germany. That honestly came with the rise of National Socialism. And the reason why I'm putting it in those terms is because it was passionately²⁶ important to me and to Christopher to be able to show what happens when a person harbors any form of an interrogated²⁷ racism²⁸ or bigotry²⁹.

What happens when that person encounters a person who is willing to take that reflex prejudice and bigotry to the next level? - that level being a practical one and in the case of Heinrich Himmler, who comes to dinner, involves Himmler describing very precisely³⁰ and very calmly the industrialization of the murder of children.

BLOCK: Yes.

LEVEAUX: If you like, I had on my mental postcard that I wanted it to be a film about two Germanies colliding. So we weren't really in the business of turning anything down. But I was interested in delving³¹ into the psychological processes of a lethal³² kind of bigotry and the way it can lie dormant³³ in a character like the Kaiser, who thinks of himself as being Christian³⁴ and good and being, you know, ultimately for the good of the country. And, of course, he has to learn that lesson in our film in a shocking moment.

BLOCK: David Leveaux directed the film "The Exception." Mr. Leveaux, thanks so much.

LEVEAUX: You're most welcome. Thank you.

1 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

2 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 abdicated   

放弃（职责、权力等）( abdicate的过去式和过去分词 )； 退位，逊位

参考例句：

• He abdicated in favour of his son. 他把王位让给了儿子。
• King Edward Ⅷ abdicated in 1936 to marry a commoner. 国王爱德华八世于1936年退位与一个平民结婚。

5 duress   

n.胁迫

参考例句：

• He claimed that he signed the confession under duress.他说他是被迫在认罪书上签字的。
• These unequal treaties were made under duress.这些不平等条约是在强迫下签订的。

6 conflagration   

n.建筑物或森林大火

参考例句：

• A conflagration in 1947 reduced 90 percent of the houses to ashes.1947年的一场大火，使90%的房屋化为灰烬。
• The light of that conflagration will fade away.这熊熊烈火会渐渐熄灭。

7 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。

8 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

9 hubristic   

adj.傲慢的，目中无人的。

参考例句：

• The results of this investment are sometimes hubristic, but often impressive. 这一投资的结果有时是高傲的，但通常是令人印象深刻。 来自互联网
• A hubristic America, however a trap of its own making by invading Iraq in 2003. 无论如何，一个傲慢的美国，2003年入侵伊拉克的行动让它自食苦果。 来自互联网

10 aggrieved   

adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. 他因没被选到队里感到愤愤不平。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She is the aggrieved person whose fiance&1& did not show up for their wedding. 她很委屈，她的未婚夫未出现在他们的婚礼上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

12 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

13 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

14 ascendancy   

n.统治权，支配力量

参考例句：

• We have had ascendancy over the enemy in the battle.在战斗中我们已占有优势。
• The extremists are gaining ascendancy.极端分子正逐渐占据上风。

15 delusional   

妄想的

参考例句：

• You became delusional and attacked several people trying to escape. 你产生了错觉并攻击了许多人还试图逃走。 来自电影对白
• He is incoherent, delusional, suffering auditory hallucinations. 他出现无逻辑的，妄想的，幻听的症状。 来自电影对白

16 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

17 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

19 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

20 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。

21 enviously   

adv.满怀嫉妒地

参考例句：

• Yet again, they were looking for their way home blindly, enviously. 然而，它们又一次盲目地、忌妒地寻找着归途。 来自辞典例句
• Tanya thought enviously, he must go a long way south. 坦妮亚歆羡不置，心里在想，他准是去那遥远的南方的。 来自辞典例句

22 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

23 troublemakers   

n.惹是生非者，捣乱者( troublemaker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was employed to chuck out any troublemakers. 他受雇把捣乱者赶走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers. 她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 manifestation   

n.表现形式；表明；现象

参考例句：

• Her smile is a manifestation of joy.她的微笑是她快乐的表现。
• What we call mass is only another manifestation of energy.我们称之为质量的东西只是能量的另一种表现形态。

25 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

26 passionately   

ad.热烈地，激烈地

参考例句：

• She could hate as passionately as she could love. 她能恨得咬牙切齿，也能爱得一往情深。
• He was passionately addicted to pop music. 他酷爱流行音乐。

27 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

28 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

29 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。

30 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

31 delving   

v.深入探究，钻研( delve的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He has been delving into the American literature of 20th century. 他一直在潜心研究美国20世纪文学。 来自互联网
• In some ways studying Beckett is like delving into Shakespeare's words. 在某些方面，研究Beckett的戯好像是深入研究莎士比亚的语句。 来自互联网

32 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

33 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

34 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。