Lesson21 Williams S. Hart and the early 'Western' film威廉 • S. 哈特和早期 “西部” 影片

Williams S. Hart and the early 'Western' film

In searching for a subject unique to the young nation some American writers of the 19th century turned to the land itself ―the vast, largely untamed territory that stretched from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
As settlement moved westward from the eastern seaboard, the West came to symbolize the qualities associated with that land―open, wild and full of opportunity.
Artists of all kinds found this symbol so evocative that a new genre emerged in literature and other arts: the Western. It’s mainly about life in the 19th century in the American West, especially the lives of cowboys.
In 1903, Edwin S. Porter produced a short silent film, the Great Train Robbery, whose theme, crime and retribution, became a standard of Western filmmaking for 75 years.
The western film reached the height of its popularity from 1930 to 1950. After 1950 television Westerns drew audiences away from big-screen Westerns.

主人公介绍

William S. Hart is noted for his insistence on realism in Westerns based on his own life in Dakota Territory. Hart directed and starred in silent movies from 1914 until 1925.
Hart was followed by the most influential of all Western filmmakers, John Ford.
Ford’s 1939 movie Stagecoach introduced John Wayne as the perfect example of the tough, taciturn Western cowboy, who became an icon of the movie Western.
In the 1950s, Western films were joined by a subcategory, the adult Western. It focused more on the psychology of the characters than on action. A classic example of the genre is High Noon, starring Gary Cooper.
In the 1970s and 1980s Westerns began to lose box-office appeal because social protest movements caused many Americans to question the cultural values presented in Westerns.
However, in the early 1990s, two Westerns won Academy Awards for best picture. One is Dances with wolves (1990), directed by Kevin Costner.
The other is Unforgiven (1992), directed by Clint Eastwood. Westerns were resurrected.

William S. Hart was, perhaps, the greatest of all Western stars, for unlike Gary Cooper and John Wayne he appeared in nothing but Westerns.

appear / act / perform in a film / movie ^出演电影

• ...he **appeared in** ^出演了 nothing but Westerns.
• John Wayne **played the lead in** ^主演了 Stagecoach.
• The movie **featured Bruce Willis** ^{由布鲁斯·威利斯主演}.

出演/主演 ^近义词组

nothing but ... ^{仅仅，只不过（=only）}

• he appeared in **nothing but** ^仅仅是 Westerns.
• **Nothing but** ^{除了...之外没有/只有} a miracle can save her now.
• You are **nothing but** ^只不过是 a thief.
• He dismissed Bryan as **nothing more than** ^只不过是 an amateur.

nothing but / anything but / all but ^{辨析与扩展}

From 1914 to 1924 he was supreme and unchallenged.

supreme and unchallenged ^{至高无上的，无可匹敌的（同义词连用，加强语气）}

• From 1914 to 1924 he was **supreme and unchallenged**^{至高无上的，无可匹敌的}.
• The company maintained its **supreme**^{至高无上的} position in the market.
• Her authority on the subject remains **unchallenged**^{不容置疑的}.
• The beauty of the mountain is **incomparable**^{无与伦比的}.

表达“至高无上的” ^近义词组

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.

it was ... who / that ... ^强调句

• **It was Hart who created the basic formula**^{正是哈特创造了基本模式} of the Western film...
• **It is only in recent years that it has gained an evil reputation**^{直到近些年它才获得了恶名}.

formula (pl. formulas / formulae) ^{配方；模式}

• It was Hart who created the basic **formula**^基本模式 of the Western film...
• the **formula**^配方 for a new drug / the washing powder.

devise ^{设计；想出；发明}

• ...and **devised** ^设计出了 the protagonist he played in every film he made...
• The cartoon character Mickey Mouse was **devised** ^设计 by Walt Disney in 1928.

设计/想出 ^近义词组

矛盾修饰法 (Oxymoron) ^{矛盾形容词连用}

• the **good-bad** man^{好坏并存的人}.
• a **cold warm** embrace^{冰冷的温暖拥抱}.
• an **honorable murder**^{光荣的谋杀}.

accidental / incidental ^{偶然的；附带的}

suspect (adj.) ^{可疑的，不可信的}

• or the sheriff made **suspect** ^{被弄得可疑} by vicious gossip.
• The statistics are **suspect** ^{统计数据是可疑的}.

vicious (adj.) ^{恶毒的；恶意的；剧烈的}

• ...by **vicious gossip** ^{恶毒的流言蜚语}.
• a **vicious circle** ^恶性循环.
• a **malignant tumor** ^恶性肿瘤.

in short ^{简言之，总之}

• **in short**, ^简言之 the individual in conflict with himself and his frontier environment.

简言之/总之 ^近义词组

in conflict (with ...) ^{与...有冲突}

• ...the individual **in conflict with himself and his frontier environment** ^{与他自己和他的边疆环境有冲突}.
• As long as poor people... **are in conflict with** ^有冲突 richer people... there’s going to be a constant racial conflict in the world.

in conflict / inflict / afflict ^{形近词辨析}

Unlike most of his contemporaries in Hollywood, Hart actually knew something of the old West.

contemporary / counterpart ^{同时代的人/对应的事物}

• Unlike most of his **contemporaries**^{同时代的人} in Hollywood, Hart actually knew something of the old West.
• She was a **contemporary**^{同时代的人} of Picasso.
• The prime minister is meeting his Canadian **counterpart**^{职位相当的人} to discuss trade.

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.

be rooted in ... ^根植于...

• and his hero was firmly **rooted in his memories and experiences**^{根植于他的记忆和经历}...
• The conflict in this area was **rooted in history and religion**^{根植于历史和宗教}.

根植于... ^近义词组

根深蒂固的 ^近义词组

来源于...、起源于... ^近义词组

语法：介词的省略 ^{省略动词后的介词}

• ...was firmly rooted in his memories and experiences, and **in** both the history and the mythology... ^{（此处and后面的**in**不能省略，因为它引导一个新的介词短语，且动词rooted是固定的搭配 be rooted in，在并列结构中重复介词是为避免歧义或强调）}
• Carlyle was entirely ignorant of what the bottle in his pocket contained, **of** the nature of the illness from which his friend was suffering, and **of** what had previously been wrong with his wife... ^{（并列结构中介词**of**重复，加强语气/避免歧义）}

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, the conflict between the individual and encroaching civilization.

join hands ^共存

• myth and reality did **join hands**^共存 in at least one arena...
• Science and art can often **join hands** ^共存 in architectural design.
• The two opposing factions decided to **join hands** ^携手合作 to achieve a common goal.
• After a long rivalry, the two companies agreed to **join hands** ^合作 on the new project.

conflict ^冲突

• ...the **conflict**^冲突 between the individual and encroaching civilization.
• There was a **conflict**^冲突 between what he said and what he did.
• The story is about a young woman's inner **conflict**^内心冲突.
• Management and staff were in **conflict**^{处于冲突之中} over the new working hours.

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.

be accustomed to sth. / doing ^习惯于

• For men accustomed to eating seven-course dinners and sleeping between fine linen sheets at home, the change to the Alps must have very hard indeed.^{对于习惯于在家吃七道菜正餐和睡在精美亚麻床单之间的人来说，到阿尔卑斯山的变化一定是非常艰难的。}

against the elements ^{与大自然作斗争}

• The brave explorers had to struggle against the elements for days to reach the summit.^{勇敢的探险家们不得不与大自然作斗争数日才到达了山顶。}
• The small tent offered little protection against the elements.^{那个小帐篷几乎不能提供对抗大自然的保护。}
• Farmers often face a tough battle against the elements to ensure a good harvest.^{农民经常面临与大自然的艰难斗争来确保丰收。}

unhorse ^{使下马/使措手不及（引申义）}

• The unexpected question completely unhorsed the speaker, leaving them speechless.^{这个意料之外的问题使演讲者完全措手不及，说不出话来。}
• The sudden scandal effectively unhorsed the politician from his position of power.^{突如其来的丑闻有效地将这位政治家从权力宝座上拉了下来。}
• In the jousting match, a skilled blow unhorsed his opponent.^{在马上比武中，一次熟练的打击使他的对手落马。}

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 20th century found it pleasant to escape to a time when life, though hard, was relatively simple.

decade ^十年

• Technology advanced rapidly in the last decade.^{在过去的十年里，科技发展迅速。}
• The band released five albums over the course of a decade.^{这个乐队在十年内发行了五张专辑。}
• The company celebrated its first decade in business.^{这家公司庆祝了其商业运作的第一个十年。}

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.

live by ... ^{按照…生活/遵循（准则）生活}

• I have always tried to live by my faith.^{我一直努力按我的信仰生活。}
• The team promises to live by its commitment to fair play.^{该团队承诺将遵循其公平竞争的承诺。}
• He has a simple philosophy that he tries to live by every day.^{他有一个简单的哲学，并努力每天遵循它生活。}