[出走地平線:Quasimodo]
Flattening The Curve: Quasimodo
我只拍過一齣劇情片《海灘的一天》。
他們便頒發金馬獎最佳攝影給我。
怎可能呢?
我一竅不通。他們怎會不知道?
但怎樣學習得比較好?
我曾經試過報讀法國電影學校,但對方沒有取錄我。
多得法國朋友的穿針引線,我被請去幫一個女學生導演的處女作《黑與白》掌鏡。
我不懂法語,但女導演Claire Devers似乎不在意。
她在片場經常全速用法語指揮大局,我大部份時間都不明白她說甚麼,而且她常把 “Quasimodo,Quasimodo”掛在咀邊。
我以為自己一直在拍一齣同志黑白片,不是重拍《鐘樓駝俠》。那Quasimodo是怎麼一回事?電影裡沒有駝子,在劇本也找不到Quasimodo這個字。(Quasimodo,加西莫多原是 《鐘樓駝俠》主角的名字)
我當時的法國女友Gabrielle也一頭霧水,所以有天她來片場看個究竟。
Gabrielle觀察導演不出十分鐘,竟然捧腹大笑,把我拉到一旁。「Quasimodo不是一個角色」她解釋「這齣戲也不是《歌聲魅影》實驗版,更不是《鐘樓駝俠》。」
「那甚麼是Quasimodo?」我問。
Gabrielle向我派定心丸。「你的導演接受過古典教育,時不時想賣弄一下。『Quasimodo』 是拉丁文,導演跟她的同學從小學便學會了。她說『Quasimodo』,其實就像我們想說,你知的……差不多啦。這個字就像我們想帶出……自己沒法子用詞語表達實際想說甚麼的意思。」
I had shot only one feature film “That day on the Beach”.
They gave it Golden Horse Best Cinematography award.
How could that be?
I knew nothing. How come they didn’t notice?
But how best to get to know something?
I tried to get into French film school. They wouldn’t have me.
But French friends pulled a few strings and I was asked to photograph a woman student director’s first film "Noir et Blanc".
I didn’t speak French, but director Claire Devers didn’t seem to notice.
She kept talking full speed ahead giving directions I mostly couldn't follow, and “ Quasimodo , Quasimodo” was her signature phrase.
I thought we were making a black and white gay film, not a remake of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. So what’s all this Quasimodo stuff ? There are no hunchbacks in the cast and I can’t find “ Quasimodo ” in the script . (Quasimodo was the main protagonist of the The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. )
French girlfriend Gabrielle couldn’t work it out either. So she came by to sort it out.
After ten minutes on set listening and watching my director, she burst out laughing, then took me aside. Quasimodo is not a character ” she explained “ this is not an experimental version of Phantom of the Opera and the set is definitely no Notre-Dame. ”
“ So what’s Quasimodo ? ” I asked.
Gabrielle re-assures me: “ Your director has had a Classic education, and she likes to show it off. ‘ Quasimodo ’ is Latin, which her class of students studied since primary school. She says “Quasimodo” when most of us would say something like, you know … actually means MORE OR LES. It’s when we say something like…. like when we can’t quite find the words to express what we really want to say. “
#黑與白 #NoiretBlanc #ClarieDevers
圖:《鐘樓駝俠》(1939)劇照
Photo:Still from The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1939)
「by no means用法」的推薦目錄:
by no means用法 在 Eric's English Lounge Facebook 的精選貼文
「收賄」、「白手套」英文怎麼說?
Accept bribes? White gloves?
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《中華民國刑法》
Article 122
A public official or an arbitrator who demands, agrees to accept, or accepts a bribe or other improper benefits for a breach of his official duties shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than ten years; in addition thereto, a fine of not more than two million yuan may be imposed.
A breach of official duties shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or with imprisonment for not less than five years; in addition thereto, a fine not more than four million yuan may be imposed.
1. public official 公務員
2. arbitrator 仲裁人
3. accept a bribe 收受賄賂*
4. a breach of official duties 違背職務**
5. be sentenced 判處
6. imprisonment 監禁;關押
7. a fine 罰金
8. impose 強制實行
第 122 條
公務員或仲裁人對於違背職務之行為,要求、期約或收受賄賂或其他不正利益者,處三年以上十年以下有期徒刑,得併科二百萬元以下罰金。
因而為違背職務之行為者,處無期徒刑或五年以上有期徒刑,得併科四百萬元以下罰金。
全國法規資料庫: https://bit.ly/2Dk8Ia4
*bribery: https://bit.ly/31bwsFj
**breach: https://bit.ly/3k5qcHJ
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那「白手套」呢?
White gloves? Not really...
The term "white-glove" is typically used as an adjective. It means providing a very high level of service, or involving a lot of care about small details:
白手套(white-glove)通常用作形容詞。表示提供非常高的服務水準,或與諸多照護細節有關:
➣The cruise company does not want to risk alienating the other passengers who don't get the white-glove treatment.
郵輪公司不想冒險讓其他未接受白手套待遇的乘客變得疏遠。
➣We know that when extra attention is required, our white-glove delivery service will not disappoint.
當您有特殊要求,我們的白手套配送服務一定不會讓您失望。
—Cambridge Dictionary
https://bit.ly/3hZTw0r
Wait…that doesn't fit our context!
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According to the South China Morning Post, the expression “white gloves,” when used as a noun, was coined in Taiwan!
“The innocuous-sounding euphemism ‘white gloves’ generally refers to a middleman or outfit that launders dirty or corrupt money under a seemingly legitimate front - dirty hands concealed by a pair of white gloves. The expression, coined by the Taiwanese, is catching up fast on the mainland as rampant corruption is exposed at all levels of the bureaucracy.”
9. coin (v.) 創造(新詞或新的表達方式);首次使用(某一詞語)
10. innocuous-sounding 聽起來無害的
11. launder (v.) 洗(贓款) ; money laundering 洗錢
12. legitimate front 合法的地帶; 僞裝(人或機構的)僞裝;假裝的樣子
13. conceal 隱藏
14. catch up 了解(或討論)最新情況
15. rampant 猖獗的;蔓延的
16. bureaucracy 官僚體制;官僚主義
據《南華早報》的報導,「白手套」作為名詞的用法,首見於臺灣!
「聽起來無害的委婉用語『白手套』通常是指中間人或公司,他們在看似合法的地帶清洗髒錢或賄款——髒手則藏於白手套當中。這種由臺灣人首創的表達方式,正在中國迅速傳開,因為猖獗的腐敗現象已於官僚體制的各個層面暴露出來。」
詳見《SCMP》:https://bit.ly/3i2cqUA
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我個人會用「middleman」或「go-between」。
請注意,「middleman」是指批貨後轉售他人者,或協助他人安排商業交易者。該詞本身並不具有任何犯罪或不法行為等負面意涵(negative connotations),亦須有上下文才足以呈現「白手套」的概念。
另一方面,「go-between」是在雙方無法見面或不想見面時,將消息從一人(或一個團隊)傳給另一人(或另一個團隊)的人。例如,聯合國代表將充當兩國領導人的中間人(或掮客)——「go-between」,而它的搭配你可以用「act/serve as a go-between」。「go-between」 的一個同義詞是「intermediary」。
❖再次提醒各位,若缺乏前後文,這些用語就不能完全代表「白手套」的涵義。底下我將舉出一些在腐敗情況中所使用的例子。
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I. middleman
"Many of these middlemen stay on the right side of the law, offering advice and connections. But others cross the line. They grease the palms of officials and local managers, and they put a buffer between the payoff and the client, offering plausible deniability if the authorities catch on."
17. connections 社會關係;人際關係;可資利用的熟人
18. cross the line(行為)越過界線
19. grease (v.) 用油脂塗;給⋯⋯加潤滑油
20. buffer 緩衝物;起緩衝作用的人
21. payoff 賄款;遮口費
22. plausible deniability 合理推諉
「在這些中間人裡,有許多人站在法律這邊,提供建議與人脈。但其他人卻踰越了界線。他們成為官員與地方經理人的潤滑劑,並在賄款與委託人之間置入緩衝物,起到合理推諉的作用,以防當局上門。」
詳見《紐約時報》:https://nyti.ms/39MMwkM
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II. intermediary
"For China’s elite, a 'white glove' is an intermediary who launders your money; they handle the dirty deeds, while you keep your hands clean. 'White gloves' are often well-connected Westerners, such as former top politician Bo Xilai’s two European fixers, British businessman Neil Heywood and French architect Patrick Devillers. Using a BVI shell company, the two men helped Bo’s wife Gu Kalai buy a 7 million euro French mansion and rack up rental fees on it."
23. elite(社會)上層集團;掌權人物;出類拔萃的人;精英
24. deed(尤指很壞或很好的)事情;行為
25. well-connected 與顯貴人物有交情的;與有影響人士有來往的;很有背景的
26. fixer 籌謀者;安排者(尤指精於用不正當手段來操辦事情的人)
27. BVI (The British Virgin Islands) 英屬維京群島
28. shell company 空殼公司
29. fixer 安排者(尤指精於用不正當手段來操辦事情的人)
『對中國的權貴來說,「白手套」是幫你洗錢的中間人;他們負責處理骯髒的事,讓你的雙手保持乾淨。「白手套」通常是與權貴有交情的西方人士,例如前副國級領導人薄熙來的兩個歐洲籌謀者——英國商人海伍德以及法國建築師德維利耶。兩人藉由一家英屬維京群島的空殼公司,幫助薄的妻子谷開來買下一座價值700萬歐元的法式豪宅,並大大提高了租金。』
詳見《石英財經網》:https://bit.ly/30lFnEJ
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III. go-between
"The offence is similar to bribery with one important difference: trading in influence concerns the 'middleman', or the person that serves as the go-between the decision-maker and the party that seeks an improper advantage."
30. offence (US offense) 犯罪行為;罪行
31. bribery 賄賂
32. trade in influence 斡旋賄賂;影響力交易
33. serve(為⋯⋯)工作;(為⋯⋯)服務;盡職責
34. improper advantage 不當利益
『此一罪行與賄賂相似,但有一個重要的區別:斡旋賄賂係指「middleman」或人充當決策者與尋求不當利益方的中間人(掮客)——「go-between」』。
詳見 Anti-Corruption Resource Center:https://www.u4.no/terms
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歡迎在底下留言與我們分享更多相關字詞(例如:prosecutor、corruption charges、litigations⋯⋯)。
圖片出處: Google Image
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如果同學對於如何分析英文時事,以及如何進行批判性思考有興趣,歡迎加入我們的課程!
🌎國際新聞英文-六步驟思考術 | 最後優惠倒數 ► https://bit.ly/3eTHIvH
🌎國際新聞英文課程FAQ:https://wp.me/p44l9b-2lK
by no means用法 在 傅志遠 Peter Fu Facebook 的精選貼文
前幾天跟史迪普提了一個要求,他的答案是否決...
(其實我已經忘記問他什麼了,不過不重要,
反正我常被否決~~)
他只是簡短回答了一個「No」...
P:「我教你幾個英文用法,會比『No 』表達更強烈的拒絕。」
史:「好啊!我要學。」(果然是拒絕大師會有興趣)
P:「你可以用『not at all』或『by no means』來表示『一點也不!』,這是很強烈的否定句。」
史迪普默念著這幾句話...
P:「還有一句也很實用:『You think beautiful.』。」
史:「.........................」
#PeterFu英文教室
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