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Lesson 21 William S.Hart and the early‘Western’
Lesson 21 William S.Hart and the early‘Western’film
威廉·S·哈特和早期“西部”影片
First listen and then answer the following question.
听录音,然后回答以下问题。
How did William Hart's childhood prepare him for his acting role in Western films?
William S.Hart was, perhaps, the greatest of all Western stars, for unlike Gary Cooper and John Wayne he appeared in nothing but Westerns.From 1914 to 1924 he was supreme and unchallenged.It was Hart who created the basic formula of the Western film, and devised the protagonist he played in every film he made,the good-bad man, the accidental-noble outlaw, or the honest-but-framed cowboy, or the sheriff made suspect by vicious gossip; in short, the individual in conflict with himself and his frontier environment.
Unlike most of his contemporaries in Hollywood, Hart actually knew something of the old West.He had lived in it as a child when it was already disappearing, and his hero was firmly rooted in his memories and experiences, and in both the history and the mythology of the vanished frontier.And although no period or place in American history has been more absurdly romanticized, myth and reality did join hands in at leastone arena, the conflict between the individual and encroaching civilization.
Men accustomed to struggling for survival against the elements and Indians were bewildered by politicians, bankers and businessmen, and unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos.Hart's good-bad man was always an outsider, always one of the disinherited, and if he found it necessary to shoot a sheriff or rob a bank along the way, his early audiences found it easy to understand and forgive, especially when it was Hart who, in the end, overcame the attacking Indians.
Audiences in the second decade of the twentieth century found it pleasant to escape to a time when life,though hard, was relatively simple.We still do; living in a world in which undeclared aggression, war,hypocrisy, chicanery, anarchy and impending immolation are part of our daily lives, we all want a code to live by.
CARL FOREMAN Virtue and a Fast Gun from The Observer
New words and expressions 生词和短语
supreme (1.2) /su:'pri:m/adj.首屈一指的
protagonist (1.3) /pr+v't$g+nist/n.主角
outlaw (1.4) /'avtl&:/n.逃犯,亡命之徒
framed (1.4) /freimd/adj.遭到陷害的
vicious (1.5) /'viMs/adj.恶毒的
mythology (1.8) /mi'I&l+DNi/n.神话
vanished (1.8) /'v$niMd/adj.消失了的
absurdly (1.9) /+b's*:dli/adv.荒诞地
arena (1.10) /+'ri:n+/n.竞技场地
encroaching (1.10) /in'kr+vtMiR/adj.渐渐渗入的
Indian (1.11) /'indi+n/n.印第安人
bewilder (1.11) /bi'wild+/v.使手足无措
alien (1.12) /'eili+n/adj.外来的
taboo (1.12) /t+'bu:/n.戒律
disinherit (1.13) /?disin'herit/v.剥夺……继承权
undeclared (1.17) /?)ndi'kle+d/adj.未经宣布的
hypocrisy (1.18) /hi'p&krisi/n.伪善
chicanery (1.18) /Mi'kein+ri/n.诈骗
impending (1.18) /im'pendiR/adj.迫近的,迫在眉睫的
immolation (1.18) /?im+'leiM+n/n.杀戮
code (1.18) /k+vd/n.准则
Notes on the text 课文注释
1 nothing but,仅仅,只是。
2 in short,总而言之,一句话。
3 the old West,指密西西比河以西地区。
4 be rooted in,生根于。
5 join hands in,携手联合。
6 live by,靠……过活。
参考译文
威廉·S·哈特大概是美国西部电影明星中的佼佼者。他和加里·古柏、约翰·韦恩不同,他只在西部电影中扮演角色。在1914年至1924年期间,他首屈一指,独霸影坛。正是他创造了西部电影的基调,即在他自己拍摄的影片中他所塑造的主人公的形象:被认为是坏人的好人,出人意料的高尚的逃犯,诚实却遭陷害的牛仔,或因流言蜚语蒙受嫌疑的司法官。总之,主人公是一个自相矛盾,又与他的拓荒环境相矛盾的人物。
哈特与大部分同时代在好莱坞的演员不同,他确实了解西部早期拓荒生活的一些情况。作为一个孩子他曾在西部生活过,当时西部拓荒生活正在消失。他塑造的英雄人物深深地扎根于他本人的记忆和经历之中,也扎根于有关已经消失的拓荒生活的历史和神话之中。虽然在美国历史上没有任何时期或地区像西部拓荒时期那样被荒谬地浪漫主义化了,但神话和事实至少在某一个舞台上共存,也就是存在于个人与渐渐闯入的文明这两者的冲突之中。
习惯与大自然和印第安人作斗争以求生存的拓荒者被政客、银行家和商人搞得晕头转向,最后被圈地、法律和外来的清规戒律所击败。哈特扮演的被误认为坏人的好人总是一个局外人,总是一个被剥夺继承权的人。如果他认为在进行过程中有必要枪击一个司法官或抢劫一个银行,他的早期观众很容易接受,觉得应原谅他,特别是当哈特最后战胜了前来进攻的印第安人时,观众更能原谅他。
生活在20世纪20年代的观众认为,逃到一个即使艰苦但比较简朴的时代中去是件愉快的事,我们今天仍有这种感觉。如今,不宣而战的侵略、战争、虚伪、诈骗、无政府状态以及即将临头的毁灭成了我们日常生活的一部分,我们都希望有一个赖以生存的行为准则。
Comprehension 理解
Answer these questions:
1 What, according to the writer, is the basic formula of the Western film?
2 How did the spread of civilization affect the old West?
3 Why have Western films appealed so much to twentieth-century audiences?
Vocabulary 词汇
Refer to the text to see how the following words have been used, then write sentences of your own using these words: supreme (1.2); devised the protagonist (1.3); framed (1.4); in conflict (1.5); environment (1.5);contemporaries (1.6); firmly rooted (1.7); encroaching (1.10); bewildered (1.11); impending immolation (1.18).
The paragraph 段落
A Drawing your information from the first three paragraphs (lines 1-15), write a list of points in note form to answer the following question: With what justification can the claim be made that William S.Hart was,perhaps , the greatest of all Western stars?
B Read the fourth paragraph again (lines 16-19).Then, using the list of points given below, reconstruct the paragraph in your own words as far as possible.Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise:
1 Audiences----2nd decade 20th century----escape: appeal of hard and simple life.
2 We still do: world of aggression, hypocrisy----want a code to live by.
C Write a paragraph of about 200 words on one of the following subjects:
1 A short appreciation of any actor or actress who took part in a Western film you have seen.
2 Westerns.
Key structures 关键句型
A Which words could be omitted from the following sentences without affecting the sense of the original?
Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise:
1 It was Hart who created the basic formula of the Western film, and devised the protagonist whom he played in every film which he made, the good-bad man, the accidental-noble outlaw, or the honest-but-framed cowboy, or the sheriff who has been made suspect by vicious gossip; in short, the individual who is in conflict with himself and with his frontier environment.(11.2-5)
2 Men who had been accustomed to struggling for survival against the elements and Indians were bewildered by politicians, bankers and businessmen.(11.11-12)
B Compare these sentences:
Instead of saying: He appeared only in Westerns.
We can say: He appeared in nothing but Westerns.(11.1-2)
Or: He did not appear in anything but Westerns.
Write three sentences using the phrase nothing but.
C Supply a or the where necessary in the following paragraph.Do not refer to the passage until you have finished the exercise:
Unlike ____ most of ____ his contemporaries in ____ Hollywood, ____ Hart actually knew something of ____ old West.He had lived in it as ____ child when it was already disappearing,and ____ his hero was firmly rooted in ____ his memories and ____ experiences, and in both ____ history and ____ mythology of ____ vanished frontier.And although no period or place in ____ American history has been more absurdly romanticized, ____ myth and ____ reality did join hands in at least one arena, ____ conflict between ____ individual and ____ encroaching civilization.(11.6-10)
D Note the form of the verb in this sentence:
Myth and reality did join hands in at least one arena .(11.9-10)
We use this form when we wish to place particular emphasis on the verb.
Write these sentences again using this emphatic verb form:
I mentioned it to him but he wasn't impressed.
2 You posted my letter, didn't you?
3 We enjoyed ourselves at the party.
E Compare these two uses of though:
Life, though (even if it was) hard, was relatively simple.(11.16-17)
I wish you had told me though.(however)
Write two sentences using though in the ways shown above.
F Compare these two sentences:
Instead of saying: We all want a code by which to live.
We can say: We all want a code to live by.(11.18-19)
Write sentences which end with the following expressions:
to fight for; to talk about; to act on; to work with.
Special difficulties 难点
A Study the following pairs of words and then write sentences of your own to bring out the difference.
1 appear (1.2) ---- seem
Wayne Sleep is appearing in‘Song and Dance.(=can be seen)
He appeared from nowhere.(=came into view)
It appears/seems odd that he hasn't written to any of us.(=is or may be)
2 devise (1.3) ---- device
Can you devise a solution to this problem?
An encephalograph is a device for measuring brain activity.
3 suspect (1.5) ---- suspicious
Police blew up the suspect package.
If travellers look nervous, customs officers get suspicious.
4 memory (1.7) ---- remembrance
My memory is not as good as it used to be.
This ring is the only remembrance I have of my grandmother.
5 history (1.8) ---- story
We often know little about the history of our own times.
Climb into bed and I'll read you a bedtime story.
6 rob (1.13) ---- steal
I lost my address book when the man robbed me of my bag.
The man who stole my handbag took my address book as well.
B Note this use of unlike:
Unlike Gary Cooper and John Wayne he appeared in nothing but Westerns.(11.1-2)
Complete the following sentences in any way you wish:
1 Unlike most of his contemporaries long dashes (1.6)
2 Unlike some people long dashes
3 Unlike yourself long dashes
C Write sentences using the following phrases:
in short (1.5); in conflict with (1.5); at least (1.9); in the end (1.15).
Multiple choice questions 多项选择题
Choose the correct answers to the following questions.
Comprehension 理解
1 The basis of Western films, as defined by William S.Hart, is ____.
a.contrast
b.conflict
c.evil
d.outlaws
2 William S.Hart's understanding of the West was ____.
a.absurdly romanticized
b.influenced by his contemporaries in Hollywood
c.part of history and mythology
d.based on direct personal experience
3 The basic theme of early Western films ____.
a.concerned survival against Indians
b.was about the clash between civilization and Nature
c.was not appreciated by early audiences
d.was about inheritance
4 The passage suggests that audiences, past and present, like ____.
a.stories about civilization
b.simple living and simple rules
c.impending catastrophe
d.war and bad behaviour
Structure 句型
5 William S.Hart appeared in nothing ____ Westerns.(11.1-2)
a.except
b.although
c.only
d.apart
6 Hart devised the protagonist ____ he played in every film.(1.3)
a.whom
b.which
c.what
d.where
7 Hart actually knew something about the old West ____ he had lived as a child.(11.6-7)
a.to whom
b.which
c.in it
d.in which
8 ____ no period has been more absurdly romanticized, myth and reality did join hands in at least one arena.(11.8-10)
a.As
b.Because
c.When
d.While
Vocabulary 词汇
9 Hart devised the ____ he played in every film.(11.2-3)
a.leading part
b.fighter
c.cowboy
d.first person
10 His hero was rooted in the mythology of a frontier that had ____.(11.7-8)
a.expanded
b.disappeared
c.become established
d.changed
11 This period has been romanticized in ____ fashion.(11.8-9)
a.an exaggerated
b.a realistic
c.a ridiculous
d.an amusing
12 Men accustomed to struggling for survival were ____ by politicians.(1.11)
a.confused
b.surrounded
c.pursued
d.welcomed |
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The courtier's,soldier's,scholar's,eye,tongue,sword;The expectancy and rose of the fair state,The glass of fashion and the mould of form,The observ'd of all observers,
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