VOA标准英语2010年-'Conviction' Portrays Sister's Unwaver

Oscar-winner Hilary Swank stars in a new drama based on the remarkable¹ true story of a woman who spent almost two decades in a quest to prove her brother innocent of the crime for which he has been sent to prison. Here's a look at Conviction.

A rough character from a working class New England neighborhood, Kenny Waters was no model citizen; but he was no murderer either ...or so he claimed ...and his sister Betty Anne believed him:

"You are innocent."
"Are you sure about that?"

She was sure and she also reminded Kenny of the promise she made when they were kids being sent to separate foster homes: she would never abandon him. So when he was convicted in 1983 and sent to prison for murder, Betty Anne, a single mom and high school dropout², set out an ambitious – some would say 'impossible' – plan.

It took 18 years, but Betty Anne became an attorney, challenged the evidence against Kenny and finally, in 2001, won a reversal of his conviction to free her brother from prison.

"It's challenging, especially when the person you are playing is still alive; you want to do justice to their story, especially when it's a story as magnificent as Betty Anne's is," explained Hilary Swank, who stars as Betty Anne Waters. "In the beginning I didn't know if I wanted to meet her right away. I knew eventually I wanted to, but I didn't want to just be parodying³ somebody. I wanted to understand her heart and understand where her passion and drive and unconditional⁴ love for her brother came from. So I listened to tons of stories that she had shared."

 
Ron Batzdorff
Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell in "Conviction"
Swank is no stranger to characters drawn⁵ from real life. She recently portrayed⁶ aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart and Swank won the first of her two Best Actress Oscars as murder victim Brandon Teena in 1999's Boys Don't Cry. Swank, also executive producer of Conviction says she is drawn to heroic characters, but she knows she is just playing the part:

"It is really hard to compare my life to Betty Anne's," she added. "I'm someone who plays heroes like Betty Anne in the movies and it's a blessing⁷ for me to be able to live my dream while portraying⁸ such remarkable people; but in the end that's all I am. I'm just an actor. My passion lies in playing characters like Betty Anne, so the Academy Award has given me the opportunity, certainly, to continue to explore areas of the human spirit and life that inspire me."

Director Tony Goldwyn was also inspired when he first heard the true story in 2001. Goldwyn then worked for more than eight years to put Conviction on film. It is not a documentary, he points out, but Goldwyn was determined⁹ that audiences get an understanding of what did really happen and of what Betty Anne Waters achieved.

"My deep hope is that people will experience this movie and think about 'what am I willing to do' for the people that I care about most in my life, that I'm most connected to, that depend on me and on whom I depend," Goldwyn said. "What made me want to make this [and] to tell this story, beyond the extraordinariness of Betty Anne's achievement, was what I imagined was the bond between these two people and the extraordinary love that they shared – her faith in him and his in her.

"I think the thing we all crave¹⁰ in our lives is that kind of human connection, so if people come away from the movie thinking about the person next to them who might be their sister or brother or spouse¹¹ or father ...'what would I do for this person?' I think that's an important question for us all to answer."

Betty Anne Waters says she is pleased with how the film portrays¹² the events that became the sole focus of her adult life – work that she continues, fighting for the rights of prison inmates¹³ and to win freedom for those, like her brother, who were wrongfully convicted. But she is also reluctant to accept the label "hero".

"I just did what I did one day at a time," Waters explained. "I never knew how long it was going to take or what turn it would take, so I don't feel like I sacrificed as much as other people think I have."

"What if the DNA¹⁴ matches Kenny's?"
"Get out. Get the hell out of my house right now!"
"No. You've got to hear this. Even if you're the most amazing fighter, the most brilliant lawyer in the world, there are forces greater than you and you may not win."
"You think I haven't thought of that?"
"No, you haven't."

Minnie Driver plays Betty Anne's law school classmate and closest friend through the whole ordeal¹⁵. Conviction also features Sam Rockwell as her brother Kenny. Melissa Leo plays the local police officer whose investigation¹⁶ puts Kenny behind bars. The screenplay is written by Pamela Gray.
 

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。

3 parodying   

v.滑稽地模仿，拙劣地模仿( parody的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• They are called deviant hypertexts parodying zero-degree hypo-texts in the intertextuality theory. 在互文性理论中，它们仿拟的零度原词即是底文，而它们自己则是偏离了的超文。 来自互联网
• Dahua shows the trivialness and absurdness of life through parodying and has deep society connotation. 大话语言通过嬉戏、调侃表现生活的琐碎、荒诞，具有较深刻的社会内涵。 来自互联网

4 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

8 portraying   

v.画像( portray的现在分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The artist has succeeded in portraying my father to the life. 那位画家把我的父亲画得惟妙惟肖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ding Ling was good at portraying figures through careful and refined description of human psychology. 《莎菲女士的日记》是丁玲的成名作，曾引起强烈的社会反响。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 crave   

vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求

参考例句：

• Many young children crave attention.许多小孩子渴望得到关心。
• You may be craving for some fresh air.你可能很想呼吸呼吸新鲜空气。

11 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

12 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》

13 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

15 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

16 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。