《为奴12载》将赢得多项大奖

菲尔·康崔诺

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.

追踪每年一度为尊贵的奖杯展开的激烈竞赛总是很吸引人——它的绰号名为“奥斯卡”——它是美国电影艺术与科学学院颁发的，旨在奖赏电影界的成就。经销商会卖力地大造声势以确保他们的电影能赢得奥斯卡大奖。他们在好莱坞举办活动，并在好莱坞流行网站与出版物上投放广告。

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.

竞选奥斯卡可不便宜，但很值得。获得奥斯卡大奖不仅是艺术上的成功，在财务上亦然。赢得奥斯卡奖的男女演员们通常会得到更好的角色，他们的薪酬也几乎都会上涨。对于个别电影，财务效益往往是庞大的。如若贴上“奥斯卡可得奖”标签、电影同时仍在影院放映的话，许多影迷会在颁奖之前涌去观看。许多电影在得到这种正面宣传后票房常常会翻倍。

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，看起来似乎《为奴12载》有望获得奥斯卡最佳影片奖。这部福克斯探照灯发行的影片，讲述一个名为所罗门·诺赛普的非洲裔美国音乐家的故事，他生为自由人，却被两名歹徒诱拐被逼为奴。美国的尴尬的奴隶制根基仍是一块伤疤，好莱坞一直不愿以诚实的方式去处理。《为奴12载》受称赞是因为其非常真实，是在奴隶制度下生活的强烈写照。本片之所以暴力是因为它不可或缺。此片并没有回避不堪入目的可怕场面。

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

这里有一些美国评论家写过的关于此片的积极评价：

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

“《为奴12载》无疑是迄今所有关于美国奴隶制的故事片中的最佳者。”——大卫·登比，“纽约客”

“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，无所畏惧，朴实得大胆，使用的影像、音效与舞美激进，《为奴12载》在许多方面都是一锤定音的史诗作品，众望所归地审视了——即使不是刮毒疗伤——美国的原始伤口”——安·霍纳迪，“华盛顿邮报”

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.

就赢得奥斯卡奖而言，得到评论家的支持非常重要。如果靠谱的评论家认为一部电影能赢奥斯卡，大众也会开始相信这点。当我写这篇文时，《为奴12载》正迅速覆盖美国的更多影院。福克斯探照灯在按部就班地预热，而不是急于进入影院。这是明智之举，而且看起来也在奏效。