2006年VOA标准英语-A Serious Search for Comedy Among Muslims

By Jim Bertel
Washington, D.C.
16 January 2006
 
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A Hollywood star has a new movie that is as serious as it is funny.  VOA's Jim Bertel reports Albert Brooks¹ delivers laughs with a global message in his new film "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World."

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Albert Brooks is an award-winning actor, writer and filmmaker whose movies often focus on the funny side of some very serious issues. His latest film, "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World," is packed with laughs as it confronts² subjects that are dominating³ the news.

 

 
Albert Brooks 
  

In the movie Brooks plays a comedian⁴ -- named Albert Brooks -- who is assigned a high-level government mission.

MAN: “The President, as you know, has a pretty darn good sense of humor. (Laughs)  And he felt that maybe the only way to really understand somebody was to see what makes them laugh. So, we'd like for you to head up a project. Take a month and go to India and Pakistan and write a 500 page report and tell us what makes the Muslims laugh."

India, where 14 percent of the population is Muslim, provides the backdrop for much of the film, taking the comedian from a concert stage in New Delhi to the Taj Mahal. He even travels to a secret location in the mountains of Pakistan -- all to figure out what Muslims find funny.

In an interview with VOA, Brooks talked about the power of comedy and how he believes it can play a key role in bringing cultures together.

 
A scene from "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" of Brooks performing on stage
  
"It can't hurt. That's the beauty of it. (The) worst is you make somebody not laugh, like my show did in the movie,” he said. “That's the worst that happens. And if you fail at it you have no harm, nobody is going to die."

Man: A man can feel really important in an office like this.

Woman: I am so glad you said that. I was worried that you were going to think that it was tiny and sad.

Man: It is.

Woman: Sarcasm⁵. Of course. Why would you like this office? If I don't laugh at something that I'm supposed to then please feel free to just kick me so I understand.

Man: You want me to kick you?

Woman: Now I'm being sarcastic⁶.

Man: You're a fast learner.

Sheetal Sheth co-stars in the movie   
  
While the film is a comedy, it examines some very serious issues, such as the lack of understanding between many Americans and members of the Muslim faith. Brooks' co-star Sheetal Sheth told VOA she believes the movie's message is one of tolerance⁷.

"I think the movie is about learning about the whole world and realizing that we all have perceptions⁸ about each other and we have a lot to learn."

Brooks was struck by the power of personal relationships.

"What I found when I was over there, (I) saw that if I had 10 minutes with somebody and we had a nice exchange, they had a great feeling about America,” Brooks said.  “It's like you're a representative of a whole nation just being a person."

That's the theory behind many cultural exchange programs. But this is still a comedy. And while Brooks hopes it provides some true laughter as well as food for thought. 

Footage and images courtesy Warner Independent Pictures

1 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 confronts   

面对( confront的第三人称单数 )； 使面对； 使对质； 处理

参考例句：

• My house confronts his. 我的家与他的家对门。
• Extraction of humic substances from sediments is often the first task that confronts the investigator. 从沉积物中萃取腐植物是研究工作者遇到的第一个问题。

3 dominating   

adj.有领导作风的；统治的，独裁的v.控制( dominate的现在分词 )；在…中占首要地位；在…中具有最重要（或明显）的特色；在…中拥有最重要的位置

参考例句：

• He is dominating and active in manner. 他有领导作风而且能采取主动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Gradually commodity production becomes the dominating form. 商品生产逐渐地成了统治的形式。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

4 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

5 sarcasm   

n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic）

参考例句：

• His sarcasm hurt her feelings.他的讽刺伤害了她的感情。
• She was given to using bitter sarcasm.她惯于用尖酸刻薄语言挖苦人。

6 sarcastic   

adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的

参考例句：

• I squashed him with a sarcastic remark.我说了一句讽刺的话把他给镇住了。
• She poked fun at people's shortcomings with sarcastic remarks.她冷嘲热讽地拿别人的缺点开玩笑。

7 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

8 perceptions   

感知（能力）( perception的名词复数 )； 觉察（力）； 认识； 观念

参考例句：

• Her perceptions and intuitions about human nature were fascinating. 她对人性的理解和感知引人入胜。
• There was no inside to Whitman's perceptions. 惠特曼的直觉里没有内涵。