VOA文化艺术2024--War and Peace at the Oscars

War and Peace at the Oscars

　　American film Oppenheimer was the big winner at the Academy Awards Sunday in Los Angeles, California. The Academy honored the film about a creator of the atomic bomb with seven Oscars.

　　The televised event presented a usual mix of moods and messages. There was a reminder¹ of the recent death in a Russian prison of opposition² leader Alexei Navalny. Demonstrators called for a cease-fire in Gaza at a protest outside the Dolby Theatre where the event took place. And there was a bit of election-year politics from ceremony host Jimmy Kimmel.

　　But there was also joyful³ fun, as when actor Ryan Gosling performed I'm Just Ken⁴, a nominated song from the film Barbie.

　　The night, though, belonged not to Barbie but to its partner in the cultural event known as "Barbenheimer."

　　Oppenheimer's seven wins include the top prize of best picture. Director Christopher Nolan also took home the Oscar for directing while the film's star Cillian Murphy received the best actor award. And Oppenheimer's Robert Downey Jr won the Oscar for best supporting actor. It is his first Academy Award.

　　Many of those wins were expected, but the Oscars did hold some surprises. The race for the best actress was considered very close this year. And, Emma Stone looked shocked when her name was called for her performance in the movie, Poor Things.

　　Stone won her first Oscar, also for best actress, in 2017 for La La Land.

　　Here are some more of the night's notable moments:

　　Jimmy Kimmel was hosting the Academy Awards for a fourth time. Late in the show he presented a social media post about the ceremony from former president Donald Trump⁵.

　　"Thank you for watching," Kimmel said, adding, "isn't it past your jail time?"

　　A call for peace In Ukraine...

　　Associated Press reporter Mstyslav Chernov, was one of the filmmakers accepting the best documentary Oscar for 20 Days in Mariupol. He noted⁶ that it was the first Oscar in the history of his country, Ukraine. He said he was honored – but then added: "Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I'd never made this film." The film is an account of the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

　　Chernov called on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. "We can make sure that the history record is set straight ... and those who have given their lives, will never be forgotten," he said.

　　And in Gaza

　　Jonathan Glazer⁷'s The Zone of Interest takes place during World War II. It is about the family of a Nazi⁸ commandant living next to the Auschwitz death camp. But it was a current war that the writer-director spoke⁹ about when accepting his Oscar for best international film.

　　"Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst," Glazer said, before speaking about the conflict in Gaza. "Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust¹⁰ being hijacked¹¹ by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people," he said. "Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing¹² attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist?"

　　A sad reminder

　　"If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong." Those words from Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, began the memorial to industry members who died over the year. He was the subject of last year's winning documentary, Navalny. His wife stood on the Oscar stage that night and spoke directly to him: "Alexei, I am dreaming of the day when you will be free and our country will be free," Yulia Navalnaya said.

　　Nolan's ‘incredible journey'

　　Winning his first directing Oscar, the 53-year-old Nolan noted that cinema is just over 100 years old. "Imagine being there 100 years into painting or theater. We don't know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think that I'm a meaningful part of it means the world to me."

　　Words in This Story

　　refute — v. to say that something is not true

　　cinema — n. the film industry

　　incredible — adj. difficult or impossible to believe

　　journey — n.

1 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

4 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 glazer   

n.上釉工人，加光工人

参考例句：

• There's no set figure from the Glazer family [for transfers]. 格拉泽家族没有设置限制。 来自互联网
• The Glazer family have insisted that Manchester United are not for sale. 格雷泽家族已经强调曼彻斯特联是非卖品。 来自互联网

8 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

9 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。

10 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

11 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

12 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。