【美劇文化】揭秘美劇獨(dú)特魅力的背后.

　　每周一集、逢假必停。美劇到底有何魅力令眾多美劇迷們樂此不疲地追劇?現(xiàn)在，我們就在知名劇評人的帶領(lǐng)下，一起揭開美劇的獨(dú)特魅力。

　　US dramas and their magic touch

　　揭秘美劇獨(dú)特魅力的背后

　　Fans of US television dramas watch their favorite series for different reasons: some want to improve their English skills, others just want to kill time.

　　美劇迷們追美劇的理由五花八門：有人為了提高英語水平，也有人只是為了打發(fā)時間。

　　No matter what type of series you prer or why you watch them, some TV series are more than pure entertainment ― they have a certain depth. Mad Men, which returned with a sixth season recently; Monday Mornings, which just finished its first season; and Modern Family, which sweeps the awards every year, are just a few examples.

　　不管你喜歡哪類美劇，也不管你出于什么目的來追劇，總有些劇集不僅僅只是娛樂那么簡單——自有深意在其中。比如近日攜第六季回歸的《廣告狂人》、第一季剛剛落下帷幕的《周一清晨》、還有每年都會橫掃各大頒獎禮的《摩登家庭》，這樣的例子還有很多。

　　Why do these shows stand out among so many similar ones? 21st Century talked to well-known film/TV critics Raymond Zhou and Bi Chenggong to give you an idea of why some shows are better than others and what we get from them.

　　是什么使得這些劇集能夠從眾多的同類中脫穎而出?《二十一世紀(jì)英文報》就這一問題采訪了知名影評人周黎明與畢成功，以便你能更好地了解這些美劇的高明之處并從中得到啟發(fā)。

　　Period drama

　　歷史劇

　　More than time travel

　　不僅只是穿越

　　Period dramas are intended to capture the *ambience of a particular era. Directors must therore attract audiences as much by their recreation of a historical setting as by an *engrossing storyline.

　　歷史劇旨在捕捉一個特定時代的歷史環(huán)境。因此，為吸引觀眾，導(dǎo)演必須再現(xiàn)歷史情境，并打造出引人入勝的故事情節(jié)。

　　Mad Men is an excellent example of this balance being struck. Set in New York during the 1960s, it accurately depicts US *ideology and attitudes in the workplace through the alcoholism, sexism, and chain-smoking common of the time, and places an absorbing plot right in its center.

　　在這兩個方面，《廣告狂人》都可稱得上是個中翹楚。該劇的故事背景設(shè)定在上世紀(jì)六十年代的紐約，劇中通過再現(xiàn)那個時代常見的酗酒、性別歧視以及煙不離手的場景，準(zhǔn)確地刻畫了當(dāng)時美國人的思想意識以及工作態(tài)度，而引人入勝的劇情也是恰到好處。

　　But rather than merely portraying a past decade with an *exquisite set and *props, Mad Men’s subtle depiction of the internal struggles of white-collar workers at the time, both male and female, makes it stand out.

　　但該劇并不僅僅只是動用精美布景與道具來再現(xiàn)那樣一個逝去的十年，《廣告狂人》對當(dāng)時白領(lǐng)男女內(nèi)心掙扎的細(xì)微刻畫，也使得該劇脫穎而出。

　　“The series’ attention to detail is legendary,” Raymond Zhou said. “For example, creator Matthew Weiner makes Don Draper ― the *protagonist of the series ― drive a Buick instead of a Cadillac, because Weiner thinks the ad man lacks the self-esteem to buy a luxury car. It’s this kind of attentiveness that raises the show’s *connotation and artistic value.”

　　“該劇以專注細(xì)節(jié)而著稱?！敝芾杳髡f：“舉例來說，編劇馬修?維納讓主角唐?德雷柏駕駛一輛別克而非凱迪拉克，因為維納認(rèn)為，身為廣告策劃人的這位主角，并沒有自負(fù)到要購買豪華轎車的程度。正是這種專注提升了整部劇的內(nèi)涵與藝術(shù)價值?！?/p>

　　What may appear on the surface as a carree era of adultery and drug abuse, is, deep down, an unsettling environment in which individuals are *alienated from each other and themselves. The market forces they seek to control are, in fact, controlling them.

　　表面上看起來那是一個毒品泛濫的濫情年代，而究其根本，則是在一個動蕩不安的環(huán)境中，人們相互疏離，甚至對自己也是如此。人們一心想掌控市場力量，而實際上卻被它玩弄于股掌之間。

　　Whether we are conscious of these issues while watching the series is a different matter, but subconsciously we can relate to the characters, their struggles and their loss of identity, because we know it’s the same today.

　　我們在追劇時是否意識到這些問題尚且別論，但在潛意識里，劇中人物的掙扎與自我迷失都令我們感同身受，因為我們知道，今時今日，并無不同。

　　Critics also recommend

　　同類劇推薦

　　Another period drama that works on a similarly subconscious level is Broadwalk Empire, set during the prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

　　與之異曲同工的歷史劇集還有《大西洋帝國》，故事發(fā)生在上世紀(jì)二三十年代剛剛頒布禁酒令的新澤西州大西洋城。

　　Heather Havrilesky at Salon magazine, noted how the show “revels in the oddities of its time, peeling back the layers of polite society to reveal a *giddy shadow world of criminals and politicians collaborating to keep the liquor flowing.”

　　來自美國《沙龍》雜志的希瑟?赫里雷斯基指出該劇是如何“著迷于當(dāng)時的一片光怪陸離，又是如何通過對上流社會抽絲剝繭，展現(xiàn)出一個罪犯與政客相互勾結(jié)來維持酒水交易的，令人眼花繚亂的陰暗世界。”

　　Why does it appeal to viewers? Because they know that the “l(fā)iquor” is a metaphor for today’s political scandals.

　　它為何如此吸引觀眾?因為觀眾知道劇中的“酒”是對當(dāng)下政治丑聞的一種隱喻。

　　Fans of US television dramas watch their favorite series for different reasons: some want to improve their English skills, others just want to kill time.

　　美劇迷們追美劇的理由五花八門：有人為了提高英語水平，也有人只是為了打發(fā)時間。

　　No matter what type of series you prer or why you watch them, some TV series are more than pure entertainment ― they have a certain depth. Mad Men, which returned with a sixth season recently; Monday Mornings, which just finished its first season; and Modern Family, which sweeps the awards every year, are just a few examples.

　　不管你喜歡哪類美劇，也不管你出于什么目的來追劇，總有些劇集不僅僅只是娛樂那么簡單——自有深意在其中。比如近日攜第六季回歸的《廣告狂人》、第一季剛剛落下帷幕的《周一清晨》、還有每年都會橫掃各大頒獎禮的《摩登家庭》，這樣的例子還有很多。

　　Why do these shows stand out among so many similar ones? 21st Century talked to well-known film/TV critics Raymond Zhou and Bi Chenggong to give you an idea of why some shows are better than others and what we get from them.

　　是什么使得這些劇集能夠從眾多的同類中脫穎而出?《二十一世紀(jì)英文報》就這一問題采訪了知名影評人周黎明與畢成功，以便你能更好地了解這些美劇的高明之處并從中得到啟發(fā)。

　　Family comedy

　　家庭喜劇

　　New, but familiar

　　新奇，但又熟悉

　　One of the top factors that makes a good comedy, undoubtedly, is that it makes you laugh. In that case, Modern Family, the family comedy that has won the Emmy’s Outstanding Comedy Series award for three consecutive years, deserves the crown.

　　毋庸置疑，一部喜劇佳作首要元素之一就是讓人開懷大笑。如此看來，連續(xù)三年獲得艾美獎喜劇類最佳劇集的《摩登家庭》可謂實至名歸。

　　“Everything works with Modern Family, the clever writing, the brilliant acting, and the mockumentary-style, talking directly into the camera format,” Bi Chenggong said.

　　“巧妙的劇本、出色的表演，還有直接對著鏡頭講話的偽紀(jì)錄片風(fēng)格，《摩登家庭》一切都是如此完美?！碑叧晒φf。

　　The fundamental reason of its success, however, is the underlying philosophy, which is inoffensive and populist. “It give us something new in very familiar terms,” Bi said. “The contradictory title of the show reminds us of this reality. It’s a progressive (modern) sitcom about conservative stuff (family).”

　　而該劇大獲成功的根本原因在于其中蘊(yùn)含的溫和的平民哲學(xué)?！八谖覀兯熘那榫持薪o予我們新的啟發(fā)。”畢成功說?！白韵嗝艿膭∶舱f明了這一點(diǎn)，這是一部講述傳統(tǒng)家庭主題的摩登喜劇?！?/p>

　　The characters in the series are vividly particular and beautifully rendered, and they have what network executives used to call “relevance”.

　　劇中的角色個性鮮明，生動鮮活，人物表現(xiàn)非常完美，他們具有電視臺高層們口中所稱的“重要性”的東西。

　　“Clueless dad, bookish daughter, same sex couple with kids, there is quite literally something for everyone on a show like Modern Family,” TV critic Bruce Feiler wrote in his review for The New York Times. “Viewers are able to relate to them and being comfortable with the family.”

　　“呆頭呆腦的爸爸，書生氣十足的女兒，同性戀情侶和他們領(lǐng)養(yǎng)的小孩，每個人都能在《摩登家庭》這樣的劇集中找到個人喜好?！彪娨曉u論員布魯斯?費(fèi)勒在《紐約時報》的評論中寫道?！皠≈械募彝プ層^眾產(chǎn)生共鳴，毫無觀劇障礙。”

　　“But the main thing about them is, they’re not going anywhere,” Feiler wrote. “Restless or reconciled, they’re all held nicely in the bonds of love.”

　　“而最重要的是，他們始終在一起，”費(fèi)勒寫道?！安还軤巿?zhí)還是和解，他們因愛而相連?！?/p>

　　Critics also recommend

　　同類劇推薦

　　Shameless is another comedy that focuses on family life, but this time it’s a dysfunctional, middle-class family from Chicago’s South Side. With an alcoholic father, the other members of the family must fend for themselves physically, financially, and emotionally.

　　《無恥之徒》是另一部講述家庭生活的喜劇，但它描繪的則是一個來自芝加哥南部、有些離經(jīng)叛道的中產(chǎn)階級家庭。由于父親是酒鬼，家中其他成員不得不自己照顧和養(yǎng)活自己。

　　“Shameless reinvents this type of show by relying on both humor and poignant sentimentality,” Bi Chenggong said. “It’s aiming for the funny bone and the heart.”

　　“《無恥之徒》憑借打幽默與悲情牌重新定義了此種類型的喜劇?！碑叧晒φf?！八荚诙耗汩_懷大笑的同時又觸動你的心靈。”