菲爾·康崔諾

It's always fascinating to follow the intense competition that happens every year for the valued trophies—they are nicknamed “Oscars”—passed around by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievements in the film industry. Distributors campaign very hard to make sure that their films win Oscars. They host events in Hollywood and place ads on popular Hollywood websites and publications.

追蹤每年一度為尊貴的獎杯展開的激烈競賽總是很吸引人——它的綽號名為“奧斯卡”——它是美國電影藝術(shù)與科學(xué)學(xué)院頒發(fā)的，旨在獎賞電影界的成就。經(jīng)銷商會賣力地大造聲勢以確保他們的電影能贏得奧斯卡大獎。他們在好萊塢舉辦活動，并在好萊塢流行網(wǎng)站與出版物上投放廣告。

Campaigning for Oscars isn't cheap， but it's worth it. Winning an Oscar is not only a huge artistic success， but also a financial one. Actors and actresses who win Oscars often get offered better roles and their salaries almost always increase. For individual movies， the financial benefits are often enormous. If a film is labeled as “Oscar worthy” while it's still in theaters， then many moviegoers will flock to see it before the awards are given out. Many films often double their grosses after receiving that kind of positive publicity.

競選奧斯卡可不便宜，但很值得。獲得奧斯卡大獎不僅是藝術(shù)上的成功，在財務(wù)上亦然。贏得奧斯卡獎的男女演員們通常會得到更好的角色，他們的薪酬也幾乎都會上漲。對于個別電影，財務(wù)效益往往是龐大的。如若貼上“奧斯卡可得獎”標(biāo)簽、電影同時仍在影院放映的話，許多影迷會在頒獎之前涌去觀看。許多電影在得到這種正面宣傳后票房常常會翻倍。

This year， it looks as though 12 Years A Slave is going to be the film that wins the Best Picture Oscar. The Fox Searchlight release tells the tale of an African-American musician named Solomon Northup who was born a free man but was forced into slavery after being tricked by two criminals. America's embarrassing dependence on slavery remains a sore spot that Hollywood has been reluctant to address in an honest way. 12 Years A Slave is being applauded because it is a very honest and intense portrayal of what it was like to live during slavery. The film is violent because it needs to be. It does not shy away from horrible scenes that are tough to watch.

今年，看起來似乎《為奴12載》有望獲得奧斯卡最佳影片獎。這部福克斯探照燈發(fā)行的影片，講述一個名為所羅門·諾賽普的非洲裔美國音樂家的故事，他生為自由人，卻被兩名歹徒誘拐被逼為奴。美國的尷尬的奴隸制根基仍是一塊傷疤，好萊塢一直不愿以誠實的方式去處理。《為奴12載》受稱贊是因為其非常真實，是在奴隸制度下生活的強(qiáng)烈寫照。本片之所以暴力是因為它不可或缺。此片并沒有回避不堪入目的可怕場面。

Here are some positive things that American critics have already written about the film：

這里有一些美國評論家寫過的關(guān)于此片的積極評價：

“12 Years a Slave is easily the greatest feature film ever made about American slavery.” — David Denby， The New Yorker

“《為奴12載》無疑是迄今所有關(guān)于美國奴隸制的故事片中的最佳者?！薄笮l(wèi)·登比，“紐約客”

“Intense， unflinching， bold in its simplicity and radical in its use of image， sound and staging， “12 Years a Slave” in many ways is the defining epic so many have longed for to examine — if not cauterize — America's primal wound.” —Ann Hornaday， The Washington Post

“扣人心弦，無所畏懼，樸實得大膽，使用的影像、音效與舞美激進(jìn)，《為奴12載》在許多方面都是一錘定音的史詩作品，眾望所歸地審視了——即使不是刮毒療傷——美國的原始傷口”——安·霍納迪，“華盛頓郵報”

The support of critics is very important when it comes to winning Oscar. If the right critics call a film Oscar worthy， then the public will start to believe it. As I write this article， 12 Years A Slave is quickly expanding to more theaters across the United States. Fox Searchlight is building anticipation slowly rather than rushing the film into theaters. It's a very smart move that seems to be paying off well.

就贏得奧斯卡獎而言，得到評論家的支持非常重要。如果靠譜的評論家認(rèn)為一部電影能贏奧斯卡，大眾也會開始相信這點。當(dāng)我寫這篇文時，《為奴12載》正迅速覆蓋美國的更多影院。福克斯探照燈在按部就班地預(yù)熱，而不是急于進(jìn)入影院。這是明智之舉，而且看起來也在奏效。