The Academy announces a misguided new category
奧斯卡宣布新獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)，被指是一步錯(cuò)棋
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on August 8th that it will be introducing a new category in time for next February’s awards ceremony, one that honours “achievement in popular film”. The idea is that, alongside the time-honoured “Best Picture” category, there will be another for films which have a broader appeal: blockbusters, in other words.
8 月 8 日，美國電影藝術(shù)與科學(xué)學(xué)院宣布，將在明年二月的頒獎(jiǎng)典禮上介紹一個(gè)新獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)，該新獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)將表彰“受歡迎電影的成就”。也就是說，除了歷史悠久的“最佳影片”以外，將會(huì)出爐另一個(gè)獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)，專供那些有更廣吸引力的電影，說直白點(diǎn)，就是大片們。
Ironically, the announcement has been anything but popular. On social media, responses to this idea have ranged from hostile to very hostile indeed. Many feel that the once-prestigious Oscars are dumbing down to the level of the MTV Awards. What’s next—Best Kiss? Loudest Shoot-Out? Most Skyscrapers Flattened by Aliens in a Single Action Sequence?
諷刺的是，這一公告根本不受歡迎。在社交媒體上，人們對(duì)這個(gè)想法要么不買賬，要么非常不買賬。許多人認(rèn)為，昔日享有盛譽(yù)的奧斯卡金像獎(jiǎng)是在把自己的逼格降到 MTV 電影大獎(jiǎng)的檔次。下一步會(huì)是什么，最佳吻戲？最激烈槍戰(zhàn)？在一組動(dòng)作鏡頭中，被外星人夷為平地的摩天大樓最多獎(jiǎng)?
The concept of the “Hit Oscar” or the “Popcorn Oscar”, as it has been nicknamed, raises other questions, too. To start with, who decides whether or not a film is popular? What are the criteria or thresholds? And isn’t it an insult to nominees, the implicit suggestion being that hit films can’t be artistic (and vice versa)?
“熱門奧斯卡”（或它的綽號(hào)“爆米花奧斯卡”）的概念也引發(fā)了其他問題。首先，誰來決定一部電影是否受歡迎？什么是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)或閾值？而且，暗示熱門電影不可能有藝術(shù)性（反之亦然），這不是對(duì)提名者的侮辱嗎？
There was a time when the likes of “Braveheart”, “Titanic” and “Gladiator” could make zillions at the box office, while also scooping up armfuls of golden statuettes. But in the past decade the top Oscar has gone to auteur projects such as “The Shape of Water”, “Moonlight” and “Birdman”: terrific films, but by no means the so-called “tentpoles” that keep a roof over the studios’ heads.
曾幾何時(shí)，像《勇敢的心》、《泰坦尼克號(hào)》和《角斗士》這樣的電影可以在票房上大賺一筆，同時(shí)還能斬獲大把的小金人。但在過去十年里，奧斯卡最佳影片獎(jiǎng)被授予給諸如《水形物語》、《月光男孩》和《鳥人》這樣的有導(dǎo)演強(qiáng)烈個(gè)人風(fēng)格的電影，它們是好電影，但絕不是所謂的能保證幫電影公司收回成本的創(chuàng)收影片。
The new division between best picture and popular picture may be ill-judged, but it reflects a pre-existing dichotomy between arthouse and multiplex fare. So have pity on the poor Academy. If Hollywood studios weren’t quite so obsessed with superhero franchises, the Oscars might not be in this mess in the first place.
最佳影片和最流行影片之間的新劃分可能是不當(dāng)?shù)?，但它反映了長久以來藝術(shù)和票房之間的對(duì)立?？蓱z的奧斯卡。如果好萊塢的電影公司不那么癡迷于超級(jí)英雄系列，奧斯卡獎(jiǎng)或許根本不會(huì)陷入這種困境。
—————? 文章來源 / 經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人
