2006年VOA标准英语-The Notorious Bettie Page Returns on the B

By Alan Silverman
Hollywood
16 April 2006

A new film exposes an icon¹ of 1950's pop culture in the United States: a pin-up model whose provocative² photographs, though tame by today's standards, created an uproar³ all the way to the halls of Congress.

"What do you think of all this business?"
"Oh, I enjoy acting⁴."

Gretchen Mol in "The Notorious Bette Page"  
  

The first time Bettie Page appears in the film, she is in a demure⁵ suit and proper white gloves, waiting outside a Capitol Hill hearing room in Washington, D.C. Inside the chamber⁶, Senators wave about photographs showing the stunningly⁷ beautiful young woman wearing little, if any, clothing at all as they investigate - and gain political advantage from - the impact of such photos: what one witness decries⁸ as "a greater menace to America than Communism."

It is 1955 and just six years since Bettie arrived in New York from her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Fresh-faced and optimistic, like so many before her, she came to the big city to find fame as an actress; but, following another well-worn path, the only work she can get in front of a camera is as a photographic model for pictures that were then considered pornographic:

"Hi, I'm Bettie."
"I'm Art. Step this way. Did Jerry tell you what the set-up is? You can change in there. The other girl has a half hour to go. That's Maxie. You can learn from her. She knows all about the three essentials: clothes, pose and expression."
"Clothes, pose and expression."
"Do you think you can do it?"
"Well, I can sure try."

The clothes and poses were less revealing and graphic⁹ than the typical perfume ad in today's magazines, newspapers or prime-time television; but at the time they were considered so provocative, they could not be sent through the U.S. Mail. Men who were interested in such artistic¹⁰ photography joined private clubs to snap their own pictures of professional models in lingerie; and in that surreptitious setting, Bettie Page quickly became a sensation.

"First of all, I think she did have a kind of natural talent in front of the camera, where she really came alive," says Gretchen Mol, who portrays¹¹ the title character and explains that the apparent contradictions in many of those pictures, such as Bettie's bright, wholesome¹² smile while posing in fantasy outfits¹³, provided her insight into the character. "I felt a lot of responsibility to Bettie, really, and I can only hope she is pleased with the performance and with the depiction¹⁴ of herself. That was probably one of the bigger challenges, but it was also really wonderful to take on a character who was so fascinating and there was so much material. There was an infinite number of photographs and (film) loops. Everything that I uncovered and that I found about her kept kind of butting¹⁵ up against each other. There were so many dichotomies," she says.

"It's like when you're in church."
"Uh huh."
"Sometimes with the preaching and the singing and all you get lifted up out of yourself. It's like you're taken to another place."

"Here was a place where the camera really loved her. It was completely loving and respectful where she seemed to create a bubble around herself when she would do her posing. She was in her own world. She didn't seem to need to get something out of it. Instead, she was just completely there giving," says Ms. Mol.

"The Notorious Bettie Page" is co-written and directed by Mary Harron, who chose to shoot much of the film in black and white to match the tone of those famous original photos. "In a way I wanted to do the story of Bettie Page like a 1950's black and white movie, but somehow breaking the conventions of those movies ... because I think they would have done it more as a melodrama¹⁶. It has a lot of the stylistic conventions of the movies of that era, but I think the story works out in a more unexpected way ... and, in a way, also more ambiguous," she says.

"It takes all types to make a world."
"What kind of types?"
"You see, the customers who want this stuff are very respectable, very high quality people: doctors, lawyers, diplomats¹⁷ ... even a judge. They're not people like us. The pressures they've got ... they're not the 'average Joe.' So what if they want something that seems a little strange. If it makes them happy, sure."

"It is not a 'message picture' in terms of trying to teach. It is more opening a door on a world that was kind of hidden," says Ms. Harron. "We sometimes have a view of the 1950's as this 'Disney-fied,' wholesome, pristine¹⁸ place; but, even if that is the public image of a society, there are usually many, many dark undercurrents and whether it's above ground or you keep it hidden, those things will be there. The vision that people have of the '50's is not necessarily how the 50's really were."

Shortly after those Senate hearings, the real Bettie Page dropped from the public eye until the late 1970's when her earlier pin-up photos inspired a new generation of artists and models. She survived many personal tragedies and devoted¹⁹ her life to Christian²⁰ missionary²¹ works, but never denounced or denied the iconic image that brought her fame as a young woman. Now in her eighties, she no longer allows her face to be photographed, saying she would rather be remembered as she was when she was The Notorious Bettie Page.

"Will you take a picture of me? It's silly ... people take pictures of me all the time, but I don't know how to take one of myself."

1 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

2 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

3 uproar   

n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸

参考例句：

• She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。
• His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 demure   

adj.严肃的；端庄的

参考例句：

• She's very demure and sweet.她非常娴静可爱。
• The luscious Miss Wharton gave me a demure but knowing smile.性感迷人的沃顿小姐对我羞涩地会心一笑。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 stunningly   

ad.令人目瞪口呆地；惊人地

参考例句：

• The cooks, seamstresses and other small investors are stunningly vulnerable to reversals. 那些厨师、裁缝及其他的小投资者非常容易受到股市逆转的影响。
• The production cost of this huge passenger liner is stunningly high. 这艘船城造价之高令人惊叹。

8 decries   

v.公开反对，谴责( decry的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Mr Basescu decries communism as criminal, but Bulgarian leaders only mumble. 巴塞斯库总统将共产主义比作犯罪，而对这个问题，保加利亚的领导人却避而不谈。 来自互联网
• A staunch materialist,he decries economy. 一个坚定的唯物主义者公开谴责经济。 来自互联网

9 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

10 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

11 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

13 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

14 depiction   

n.描述

参考例句：

• Double rhythms, resounding through the lyric depiction and connecting with each other, indicate the thespian place of mankind and the cognition of the writer to this thespian place. 这双重旋律互为表里，表明了人类的某种悲剧性处境以及作家对这种悲剧性处境的感受和认识。
• A realistic depiction of scenes from everyday domestic life. 日常家居生活的写实画。

15 butting   

用头撞人（犯规动作）

参考例句：

• When they were talking Mary kept butting in. 当他们在谈话时，玛丽老是插嘴。
• A couple of goats are butting each other. 两只山羊在用角互相顶撞。

16 melodrama   

n.音乐剧；情节剧

参考例句：

• We really don't need all this ridiculous melodrama!别跟我们来这套荒唐的情节剧表演！
• White Haired Woman was a melodrama,but in certain spots it was deliberately funny.《白毛女》是一出悲剧性的歌剧，但也有不少插科打诨。

17 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

19 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

20 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。

21 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。