揽瓜阁俱乐部第三期 Day5 2020.07.24
【人文科学-艺术】 Earl Cameron, 'Britain's first black film star', dies aged 102 (687字 精读 必做篇)
Earl Cameron, who with his debut role in the 1951 film Pool of London, became one of the first significant black actors in British cinema, has died aged 102. His agent confirmed the news to the Guardian, saying “he passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his wife and family” on Friday in Kenilworth in Warwickshire.
Cameron's significance to the current generation of black British actors was underlined by tributes on social media. David Harewood described him as “a total legend”, while Paterson Joseph wrote: “His generation's pioneering shoulders are what my generation of actors stand on. No shoulders were broader than this gentleman with the voice of god and the heart of a kindly prince.” Historian David Olusoga added: “A remarkable and wonderful man. Not just a brilliant actor but a link to a deeper history.”
In a statement, Cameron's children said: “We are overwhelmed by the messages of love and respect on the news of his passing … As an artist and as an actor he refused to take roles that demeaned or stereotyped the character of people of colour. He was truly a man who stood on moral principle.”
Born in Bermuda in 1917 and arriving in the UK in 1939 after a spell in the British merchant navy, Cameron ended up with a small role in 1941 in a stage production of the musical Chu Chin Chow. More theatre work followed after the war, and Cameron was then cast in a substantial role in Pool of London, a thriller set in the London docks in which he played Johnny Lambert, a merchant seaman. Cameron's character is also involved in a mixed-race relationship, generally acknowledged as the first such portrayal in a British film.
In 2017 Cameron told the Guardian: “I never saw myself as a pioneer. It was only later, looking back, that it occurred to me that I was.” Cameron was cast in Sapphire, another British-set thriller, in 1959, Britain's best-known contribution to the “passing” genre; he played the brother of a woman found dead on Hampstead heath, who is discovered to be mixed-race. Other roles in the 1950s included two films about the Mau Mau uprising: Simba (1955), where he played a doctor, and Safari (1957) in which he played a rebel commander.
However, Cameron found work hard to come by, telling the Guardian: “Unless it was specified that this was a part for a black actor, they would never consider a black actor for the part. And they would never consider changing a white part to a black part. So that was my problem. I got mostly small parts, and that was extremely frustrating – not just for me but for other black actors. We had a very hard time getting worthwhile roles.”
Cameron was given a small role in the 1964 James Bond blockbuster Thunderball, as Bond's local contact in the Bahamas – having been considered and then passed over for the larger role of Quarrel in the first Bond film, Dr No (1962). He also had a significant part in the 1964 post-colonial thriller Guns of Batasi, in which he played the wounded commander of a British army unit besieged by rebels in an un-named African state.
However, Cameron was able to secure regular work in TV, including the lead role in The Dark Man, a 1960 BBC drama about an immigrant taxi driver, and guest appearances in Danger Man, The Prisoner, Dixon of Dock Green, The Zoo Gang and Lovejoy. Cameron also appeared in the celebrated Tenth Planet episode of Doctor Who in 1966, which introduced the Cybermen, as one of the astronauts in the doomed Zeus IV spaceship.
He became committed to the Baha'i faith in the early 60s and subsequently moved to the Solomon Islands; after returning to the UK his acting career experienced a revival, with a key role in the 2005 United Nations thriller The Interpreter as an African president accused of war crimes. He also had small parts in the Helen Mirren film The Queen and Christopher Nolan's inception. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2009.
Source: The Guardian
【人文科学-艺术】 Remembering Carl Reiner, beloved comedy actor and director (302字 1分56秒 精听 必做篇)
先做精听再核对原文哦~
Beloved comedy writer, actor, and director Carl Reiner died last night of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Reiner's prolific career spanned seven decades, and touched virtually every entertainment genre, from television to Broadway theater. Amna Nawaz takes a look back at his accomplished life.
“Mel, let him slice his own baloney, huh?”(LAUGHTER)
From the start, Carl Reiner was a television comedy pioneer, first appearing in 1950 as the sharp-witted straight man on Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows."
"Well, look, honey, we're right in the middle of a poker game. That's right."
There, he met Mel Brooks, with whom he created comedy classics, like this bit about a 2,000-year-old man.
“Is that true, sir?” “Yes. You want to see my drivers license?”
Reiner created, produced and acted in one of the most celebrated comedies in television history, "The Dick Van Dyke Show." And in the 1970s, he saw success on the big screen, directing films including "Oh, God!" and "The Jerk" with Steve Martin.
Film was a family affair. His son Rob directed films like "When Harry Met Sally." Carl Reiner's wife, Estelle, had this infamous cameo:“I'll have what she's having.”
Reiner was actively at work well into his years on sitcoms, in movies like the "Ocean's 11" franchise and on Twitter, where he would share his musings, movie reviews, and political views, right up until yesterday evening about President Trump.
Back in 2016, Reiner spoke with the "NewsHour" about how his love of comedy was born and how it stuck with him.
“My influences in comedy started because my parents loved comedy. My parents always sought out comedies. The Marx Brothers were their favorites. Those people who have a sense of humor get through life more comfortably than those who don't.”
Carl Reiner was 98 years old.
Source: PBS
【笔记格式要求】
精读笔记格式要求: 1.总结文章中心大意 2.总结分论点或每段段落大意 3.摘抄印象深刻或者觉得优美的句子 4.总结文章中的生词 5.记录阅读时间、总结时间、总时间
精听笔记格式要求: 1.逐句听写整篇文章 2.对照原文修改听写稿,标记出错原因 3.总结文章中心大意 4.总结精听过程中的生词 5.记录听写时间、总结时间、总时间
这里也给大家两点学习小建议哦~ 精读:如遇到读不懂的复杂句,建议找出句子主干,分析句子成分,也可以尝试翻译句子来帮助理解~ 精听:建议每句不要反复纠结听,如果听 5 遍都没听出来,那就跳过,等完成后再回听总结原因,时间宝贵,不要过于执着哦~
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