十问”贫民富翁”导演

绫子 译 (2/24/09)

 

"贫民富翁"导演 Danny Boyle 答"时代周刊"读者问。

 

 1. Are you surprised by the movie’s reception? Armaan Uplekar WEST PALM BEACH, FLA   对于影片受到的关注盛况, 你感到惊讶吗?

 

答：Astonished—not just surprised—by the way it has been received, in America especially. I think it’s the core values of the film, the underdog who can come out of nowhere and with nothing, and against all the odds he can succeed. And it’s a love story in the end, of course. I think all of us want to believe in that story. 震惊, 不仅仅是惊讶。 尤其是影片在美国引起的反应。我想是因为电影所表达的核心价值观，小人物默默无闻，身无分文，战胜左右的艰难，取得成功。还有以爱情结尾，当然， 我们（制作人员）都对这个故事深信不疑。

 

2．Some call Slumdog a British film. Some call it an Indian production. What do you say? Prashant Yelsangi, MUMBAI  有人说， “贫民富翁”是英国片， 有人说它是印度片， 你怎么看？

 

答：It is a Bollywood film in the sense that virtually all the cast and crew are from Bollywood. It’s directed by a Brit and adapted by a Brit, from an Indian novel. So it feels like a hybrid of good things working together. 可以说它是一部宝莱坞影片，因为所有演员和工作人员都来自宝莱坞。但是由英国人导演，由英国人改编自印度小说。所以， 感觉像优势杂交的结果。

 

3．Did you imagine it would spark so much controversy in India? Tomi Obaro, CHICAGO你是否想到影片会在印度引起这么多麻烦？

 

答：I was expecting a full-on response because it’s a very passionate place. I know some people don’t like the film for very complicated reasons, and some people adore it for very simple reasons. I’m very, very proud to have achieved that. 我知道会有强烈反应，那里是一个感情非常热烈的国家。我理解有些人不喜欢这个影片的理由很复杂，有些人喜欢它的理由却很简单。我为自己能同时制造出这样的效果而感到非常自豪。

 

4．You seem to gravitate toward projects that redefine what a genre movie can be. What’s the key to shaking things up as a filmmaker? Ryan McClellan, DETROIT你好象总是受到一些制片项目的吸引，去重新精炼通俗电影所能达到的水平。作为一个电影人，你能拍出优秀电影的关键是什么？

 

答：I have this theory that your first film is always your best film in some way. I always try to get back to that moment when you’re not relying on things you’ve done before. 我的理论是，你的第一部电影在某种程度上说，总是你的最好的作品。我总是回头去寻味那些过去的时光，那时你没有可以依赖的经验。

 

5．Are there any movies that your fans might be surprised to find out that you enjoy? Any guilty pleasures? Tom Sexton, WHITESBURG, KY. 你喜欢哪些电影？有没有让你的影迷听了吃惊的电影？

 

答：My guilty pleasure this year was Tropic Thunder, which I thought was hilarious and brilliant. I love big action movies. I was just watching Die Hard 3 with my kids, which I’ve seen a ridiculous number of times. Thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it. 今年我喜欢的是“開麥拉驚魂”，我认为太棒，太完美了。我喜欢大型动作片。我刚和我的孩子一起看完“虎胆龙威3”，我已经看过无数遍， 次数多得可笑了，每次都绝对喜欢。

 

6．How was working with a mainly Indian cast? Any culture clash? Arvinder Singh Walia, KOLKATA  与印度演员合作怎么样？有文化冲突吗？

 

答：The love of movies is endemic in that country, and it means that everyone’s doing loads of films at the same time, so working out their diaries is a nightmare. But the confidence they have because they are so busy taught me how important confidence is to actors, to the risks they’ll take with you. 热爱电影在那个国家非常普遍，每个人同时都在参加拍很多电影，因此安排他们的日程表十分困难，简直是作恶梦。但是他们的因为忙碌而自信，使我懂得了，演员的自信是何等的重要，也让我明白，他们敢于与你一起冒险的可贵。

 

7．Why did you pick Dev Patel, who was raised in the U.K., to play the lead? Why didn’t you reach out to a Mumbai lad? Sree Reddy, PITTSBURGH, PA. 你为何选生长在英国的Dev Patel演主角？为何不选一个孟买少年？

 

答：We did. I saw a lot of very talented guys, and the problem I had is that they all looked like heroes-in-waiting. I wanted somebody who looked like a loser. My daughter said, “You want a loser? You should see this guy in this TV show Skins in the U.K.” We auditioned him a few times, and he earned the right to play the part. 我们试了。我看了许多非常有才华的孩子，问题是，他们都看上去像个未来英雄。我所要的是个长像倒霉的人。我女儿说，“你想要个失败者？，那你该去看英国电视剧里的那个家伙。”我们让他试了几次镜， 他是这个角色很称职的演员。

 

8．What is your response to the claims that you are romanticizing poverty in India? Emily Gillespie, EUGENE, ORE. 有些人说你把印度的贫穷浪漫化了，你如果回答？

 

答：People we worked with in the slums said, “You’re not going to show us as being poor, are you? Because that’s what Westerners always do.” I tried to make the film with a kind of energy that reflects what the place is like, that it has a vitality despite its poverty. 参加我们拍片的贫民说，“你不是想向我们演示受穷是怎么回事吧？因为西方人一贯这样。”我 想让影片具有一种力量， 来反映那里是真实生活，说明那里除了贫穷， 还有一种生力。

 

9．What do you think can be done to improve the conditions of slum children? Balram Adiga, SINGAPORE你认为怎样才能改善贫民窟儿童的状况？

 

答：I’m not a politician. There are many people working to improve their lives. The answer will come from India. It’s an absolutely extraordinary nation that is charging through the 21^st century, and I think they will address their own issues. 我不是政治家。有很多人在致力于改善他们的生活。印度会有答案。因为那是一个不同凡响的民族，一个在21世纪快速发展的民族，我认为他们会重视和解决他们自己的问题。

 

10．What is up with the graphic toilet scenes in your movies? Christine Jensen SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. 你电影里粪坑那场戏是怎么回事？

 

答：I know—it’s weird, isn’t it? I blame my British upbringing. There is a fantastic scene in Trainspotting （猜火车，1996年Danny Boyle执导的一部电影，获奥斯卡最佳剧本改编提名）where a character disappears down the toilet. And when we came to do this scene [in Slumdog], I remember thinking, We can’t do that—it’s exactly the same as Trainspotting! But it’s such an extraordinary scene because all his character is right in that moment. Obviously, it’s a big audience favorite. 我知道， 很奇怪， 对吧？我只能怪我在英国渡过的童年。在电影“猜火车”里有相似的镜头， 一个角色消失在便池里。我们在拍“贫民富翁”这个镜头时，我在想，不能再拍这个，这跟“猜火车”一样了！但是，这是很重要的一场戏，因为他所有的性格特征，都在那一刻得到充分表现。显然，观众们都很喜欢那场戏。