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“ Stupid is as stupid does ．”
“ Life is a box of chocolates ． You never know what you are gonna get ．”
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Release Date： June 23，1994
Genre： Comedy ／ Drama／ Romance
Running Time： 142 minutes
Country： U．S．
Forrest Gump …… Tom Hanks
A slow-witted but kind-hearted， good-natured and athletically talented man from Alabama．Gump witnesses， and in some cases influences some of the defining events of the latter half of the 20th century in the United States， specifically the period between his birth in 1944 and 1982．
Jenny Curran …… Robin Wright
Forrest's childhood friend with whom he immediately falls in love， and never stops loving throughout his life．A victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of her bitterly widowed （丧偶的） father， Jenny embarks on （开始） a different path from Forrest，leading a self-destructive （自我毁灭性的） life and becoming part of the hippie （嬉皮士） movement in the 1960s and the 1970s drug culture．
Mrs ． Gump ……Sally Field
A great mother who doesn't give up Forrest Gump for his low IQ and has brought Forrest up all by herself while her husband is “on the vacation”．Sparing no efforts for her son's better education， building up his confidence and for explaining everything in a way that can be understood by her son， she has demonstrated all the qualities of being a good and selfless mother．Died of cancer， she left Forrest alone in the world to face everything and grow up all by himself．
Lieutenant Dan Taylor …… Gary Sinise
Forrest's platoon （排） leader during the Vietnam War， whose ancestors died in every U．S．war and who regards it as his destiny to do the same．After losing his legs in an ambush （埋伏） and being rescued against his will by Forrest， he is initially bitter and antagonistic （敌人） towards Forrest for leaving him a“cripple”， falling into a deep depression．He later serves as Forrest's first mate， becoming wealthy with Forrest，and regains his will to live．He ultimately forgives and thanks Forrest for saving his life．
Six Oscar Awards out of thirteen nominations （提名） in the 67th Oscar Awards：Oscars for Best Picture， Best Actor in a Leading Role （ Tom Hanks）， Best Director（Robert Zemeckis）， Best Film Editing， Best Visual Effects and Best Adapted Screenplay （Eric Roth）．
Based on the novel by Winston Groom， the film tells a story of Forrest Gump， an amiable （和蔼的） idiot with an I．Q． （Intelligence Quotient，智商） of just 75， who unwittingly （不经意地） finds himself at the center of many of the key events of recent American history．
In 1981， Forrest Gump recounts （详细叙述） his life story to strangers who sit next to him on a bench in Savannah， Georgia．On his first day of school in the 1950s，set in Green bow， Alabama， Forrest meets a girl named Jenny Curran who， unlike the other children， immediately befriends young Forrest．Due to leg braces fitted to correct a curved spine （脊柱弯曲）， Forrest is unable to walk properly．One day， a young truck driver stays at the boarding house that Forrest lives in with his mother．The young truck driver turns out to be Elvis Presley who， while playing guitar for him， becomes enthralled （迷住了） at the jerky hip thrusting movements that the hobbled Forrest makes while trying to dance．Later on， Elvis becomes famous by imitating （模仿） the dance．
Forrest is often bullied because of his physical disability and marginal intelligence．One day， while trying to escape some bullies chasing him， his braces fall off revealing the young Forrest to be a very fast runner．Jenny yells to him，“Run， Forrest， run！”one of the most well-known lines from the movie．Despite his low intelligence quotient （智商）， Forrest's new running ability leads to him receiving a football scholarship to the University of Alabama in the early 1960s， becoming a top running back， being named on the All-American team， and meeting President John F．Kennedy．After his college graduation， he enlists （报名） in the U．S．Army， where he befriends a fellow soldier named Bubba， who convinces Forrest to go into the shrimping business with him when the war is over．In 1967， they are sent to Vietnam and， during an ambush （伏击）， Bubba is killed in action．Forrest saves many of his platoons （排）， including his Lieutenant （中尉）， Dan Taylor， who loses both his legs．Forrest is awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism．While Forrest is in recovery for a gunshot wound to his buttocks （屁股） received while saving his platoon-mates， he discovers a talent for ping-pong．He becomes a ping pong celebrity and plays competitively against Chinese teams in Ping-pong Diplomacy （乒乓外交）．At an anti-war rally in Washington，D．C．， Forrest briefly reunites with Jenny， who has been living a hippie （嬉皮士） lifestyle．While in D．C．in 1972， Forrest meets President Richard Nixon and is put up in the Watergate hotel， where he accidentally reveals the Watergate Scandal （水门丑闻）， ultimately forcing Nixon to resign （引咎辞职）．Returning home， Forrest endorses （赞同） a company that makes ping-pong paddles （球拍）．He uses the earnings to buy a shrimping boat， fulfilling his promise to Bubba．Taylor joins Forrest in 1974， and although they initially have little success， after their boat becomes the only one to survive Hurricane Carmen， they pull in huge amounts of shrimp．They use their income to purchase a fleet of shrimp boats．Dan invests the money in Apple Computer （which Forrest naively thinks is “some kind of fruit company”） and Forrest is financially secure for the rest of his life， but gives half of his earnings to Bubba's family．He then returns home to see his mother's last days．In the late 1970s， Jenny returns to visit Forrest and he soon proposes to her．She declines and leaves without informing Forrest early the next morning．Heartbroken， Forrest elects to go for a run．He decides to keep running across the country several times， over three and a half years， becoming famous in the process．
In the present， Forrest reveals that he is waiting at the bus stop because he received a letter from Jenny who， having seen him run on television， asked him to visit her．Reunited with Jenny， she introduces him to his son， named Forrest Gump， Junior．Jenny tells Forrest she is sick with an unknown virus．She has contracted （感染） AIDS and she is dying．The three move back to Greenbow， Alabama．Jenny and Forrest finally marry but she dies a year later．She passes away and Gump mourns （哀悼） her death．Gump takes their young son to the school bus that Gump himself had caught so many years before， and the circle of life is complete．
Forrest Gump is treated as a contemporary （现代的） American cultural classic because of its meaningful and serious contemplation （思考） of its history．Gump lives through the campus sit-in （静坐示威）， the Vietnam jungle， and the problems of SinoAmerican relationship．He shakes hands with Kennedy in the White House； he sits side by side with Lennon in the broadcasting room； he exposes Nixon's Watergate Scandal and he runs across America．When he does that， he is not only running across a 30year span （跨度） of American history， but also representing a generation's retrospection （回顾） of the unforgettable history they had all experienced．
But it doesn't simply describe a series of historical events and people； it depicts the changing trends in American society．It declares its negation of the protests， drugs，sex liberation， Hippies （嬉皮士）， even women's liberation and Feminism （男女平等主义）； and its reconfirmation of honesty， good-will， hard work， chastity （纯洁），love， family， the traditional moral virtues， which enhance the American dream．
Also， attention should be paid to the film regarding the Vietnam War， which gives the American society a wound that would not heal．The movie criticizes this war through the experience of Gump and Lt．Dan．The latter lost his legs in this nightmare-like war， but he finally overcame his physical disability and spiritual bitterness and walked out of the shadows by realizing his dream of owning a shrimping business．
What's more， this movie offers a remedy for the spiritual disease of modern age and fulfills people's yearning （渴望） to go back to nature．For Gump， complicated life becomes so simple and clear．When confronted with complicated life， he just knows how to run and never stops．
A feather floating in the wind， blows across the houses and roads finally falls to the foot of Forrest Gump， elegant but unremarkable， arbitrary and inevitable．Various interpretations have been suggested for the feather present at the opening and conclusion of the film．The feather may represent Gump： a drifting， insubstantial， mindless victim of the winds of time．Alternatively， the feather could stand for an angelic spirit that seems to watch over Forrest， turning his every affliction into a blessing．The feather is explicitly named in the debate over destiny and determinism．Forrest's dying mother concludes that you make your own destiny．Over Jenny's grave Forrest wonders whether we have a destiny or float accidentally through life like a feather in the breeze， typically， rather than commit a hard choice he concludes that it is both， at the same time．
Sarah Lyall of The New York Times noted several suggestions made about the feather：“Does the white feather symbolize the unbearable lightness of being Forrest Gump's impaired intellect？ The randomness of experience？” Hanks interpreted the feather as：“Our destiny is only defined by how we deal with the chance elements to our life and that's kind of the embodiment of the feather as it comes in．Here is this thing that can land anywhere and that it lands at your feet．It has theological implications that are really huge ．” Sally Field compared the feather to fate， saying：“It blows in the wind and just touches down here or there．Was it planned or was it just perchance” Maybe the white feather symbolizes the life is mixed with destiny and possibilities．
Using CGI （Computer Graphic Image：电脑三维动画）techniques， it was possible to depict Gump meeting deceased people and shaking their hands．Hanks was first shot against a blue screen along with reference markers so that he could line up with the archive footage （存档镜头）．To record the voices of the historical figures， voice actors were filmed and special effects were used to alter lip-syncing （对嘴） for the new dialogue．
The story was commended by several critics．Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times wrote，“I've never met anyone like Forrest Gump in a movie before， and for that matter I've never seen a movie quite like ‘Forrest Gump’．Any attempt to describe him will risk making the movie seem more conventional than it is， but let me try．It's a comedy， I guess．Or maybe a drama．Or a dream．The screenplay by Eric Roth has the complexity of modern fiction…The performance is a breathtaking balancing act between comedy and sadness， in a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths…What a magical movie ．”
1．The film tells the audience the stories about Forrest Gump．Who tells the story What is he doing while telling the stories？ Who are the listeners？ What are these stories mainly about？ Do they believe what he is saying？
2．Forrest is involved in a lot of historical events in the film．For example， the Vietnam War， the Moon Landing and the Ping-pong Diplomacy．Can you list more important events？
3．Forrest Gump is considered to be stupid．Each time people say he is stupid or something， what does he say？ How can you see his stupidness from his three interviews by American presidents？
4．Forrest is very lucky to have such a wise and brave mother．Please summarize the personality characteristics of Forrest's mother and tell what you can learn from her．
5．Young Forrest Gump is a cripple， but he learns to run．Running brings him good luck and changes his life．How can you see his running all through the whole film？
6．What is Forrest's attitude towards money？ How does he deal with the money he has made through shrimping and other business of his life？
7．The movie begins with a feather flying in the air and ends with it， too．What does this suggest about people's life？
Forrest Gump ： My Mama said my back's crooked like a question mark．These are going to make me as straight as an arrow．They're my magic shoes．
阿甘 ：妈妈说我的后背弯得像个问号。我脚上的矫正支架会让我的背变得笔直，他们是我的魔法鞋子。
Forrest Gump ： Mama says stupid is as stupid does．
阿甘 ：妈妈说做傻事的才是傻瓜。
Forrest Gump ： From that day on， we were always together．Jenny and me was like peas and carrots．
阿甘 ：从那天开始，我们总是在一起。珍妮和我成为了好朋友，形影不离。
Forrest Gump ： Now， my mama always told me that miracles happen every day．Some people don't think so， but they do．
阿甘 ：妈妈总是对我说：每天都会有奇迹。有些人并不这样认为，但这是真的。
Jenny ： You can't keep doing this， Forrest．You can't keep trying to rescue me all the time．
珍妮 ：阿甘，你不能总是这样。你不能总是想着要拯救我。
Forrest Gump ： I can't help it．I love you．
阿甘 ：我情不自禁，我爱你。
Jenny ： You remember that time we prayed， Forrest？ We prayed for God to turn me into a bird so I could fly far， far away？
珍妮 ：阿甘，你还记得那次我们一起祈祷吗？我们祈祷上帝可以把我变成一只小鸟，那样我就可以飞得很远很远。
Jenny ： Listen， you promise me something， okay？ Just if you're ever in trouble，don't try to be brave， you just run， okay？ Just run away．
珍妮 ：听着，你一定要答应我一件事，好吗？如果你遇到了麻烦，千万别逞强，你只管跑，跑得远远的，好吗？
Mrs ． Gump ： It's my time．It's just my time．Oh， now， don't you be afraid，sweetheart．Death is just a part of life．It's something we're all destined to do．I didn't know it， but I was destined to be your Mama．I did the best I could．
阿甘母亲 ：我离开这个世界的时间到了，亲爱的孩子，千万不要害怕。死亡只是人生的一部分，是我们命中注定的事情。我不知道我的命运是什么，可是我命中注定成为你的妈妈，我尽了最大努力。
Forrest Gump ： You did good， Mama．
阿甘 ：妈妈，你做得很好。
Mrs ． Gump ： Well， I happened to believe you make your own destiny．You have to do the best with what God gave you．
阿甘母亲 ：我相信命运掌握在你自己手里。你要利用上天赐予你的去做到最好。
Forrest ： What's my destiny， Mama？
阿甘 ：妈妈，我的命运是什么？
Mrs ． Gump ： You're gonna have to figure it out for yourself．Life is a box of chocolates， Forrest．You never know what you're gonna get．
阿甘母亲 ：你要自己去弄清楚。人生就像是一盒巧克力，阿甘。你从来不知道你会得到什么口味的。
Forrest ： ［ Voice-over ］ Mama always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them．
阿甘 ：妈妈总是有办法把事情解释得让我明白。
Jenny ： There．Listen， Forrest．I don't know how to say this．Um， I just… I want to apologize for anything that I ever did to you，’cause I was messed up for a long time， and…
珍妮 ：听着，阿甘。我不知道该怎么说。嗯，我只是……我想为我对你做过的任何事情道歉，因为我很长一段时间的生活是一团糟。
Forrest ： Jenny， I don't know if Mama was right or if， if it's Lieutenant Dan．I don't know if we each have a destiny， or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze， but I… I think maybe it's both．Maybe both are happening at the same time．I miss you， Jenny．If there's anything you need， I won't be far away．
阿甘 ：珍妮，我不知道是妈妈正确，还是丹中尉正确。我不知道我们是否有各自的命运，还是只是到处随风飘荡，但我想也许两者都是，也许两者同时发生。我想念你，珍妮。如果你有什么需要的话，我就在离你不远的地方。
Forrest ： “You got to put the past behind you before you can move on ．” And I think that's what my running was all about．
阿甘 ：“你得忘记以往的事，才能不断继续前进！”我想那就是我这次跑步的意义所在了。
Mrs ． Gump ： Don't ever let anybody tell you they're better than you．
阿甘母亲 ：不要让任何人告诉你说：他们比你强！
Mrs ． Gump ： If God intended everybody to be the same， he'd have given us all braces on our legs．
阿甘母亲 ：如果上帝要让人人都一样的话，他会给我们每人脚上一副支架。
Mrs ． Gump ： He might be…a bit on the slow side， but my boy Forrest is going to get the same opportunities as everyone else．He's not going to some special school to learn how to retread tires．We're talking about five little points here．There must be something can be done．
阿甘母亲 ：他可能反应不太灵敏，但我儿子福雷斯，应该和其他人一样得到机会。他不应该去特殊学校学怎么翻修轮胎。这不过是区区 5 分的问题，一定会有办法解决的。
Forrest ： I'm not a smart man， but I know what love is．
阿甘 ：我不是个聪明人，但我知道什么是爱。
“ Fear can hold you prisoner ； hope can set you free ．”
Directed by Frank Darabont
Release Date： September 10，1994
Genre： Crime ／ Drama
Running Time： 142 minutes
Country： U．S．
Andy Dufresne …… Tim Robbins
A young banker， who wants to revenge his wife's affair， withdraws his thoughts， only to find that his wife and lover are murdered that night．He is falsely accused of killing two people and is imprisoned in Shawshank．Through the small tools such as a pickaxe （鹤嘴锄）， he escapes from the prison and is reborn after 20 years．
Ellis Boyd “ Red ” Redding …… Morgan Freeman
One of Shawshank's inmates （犯人）， a prison dealer who becomes friends with Andy， makes several small tools， such as pickaxe， for Andy in prison．He has been denied parole many times and is finally released on parole and reunites with his old friend in the end．
Samuel Norton ……Bob Gunton
The pious （虔诚的） and strict warden of Shawshank Penitentiary （监狱）．He appreciates Andy's financial ability and takes advantages of Andy to do the money laundering operation．Finally， his scandals and guilt are exposed to public．
Seven Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture for Freeman， and Best Screenplay for Darabont．Robbins and Freeman were both nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1995．
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont， based on the 1982 Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shaw shank Redemption ．It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne， who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary （监狱） for the murder of his wife and her lover， despite his claims of innocence．Harboring hope all the time， he finally succeeds in breaking the prison and pursues his freedom and dream．
In 1947， Portland， Maine， banker Andy Dufresne is convicted of murdering his wife and her lover， and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at the Shawshank State Penitentiary （监狱）．He makes friends with Ellis “Red” Redding， an inmate （犯人） serving a life sentence．Red procures （搜查） a rock hammer， and later a large poster of Rita Hayworth for Andy．Warden Samuel Norton meets Andy and reassigns （重新分配） him to the prison library to assist elderly inmate Brooks Hatlen．Andy's new job is a pretext （借口） for him to begin managing financial matters for the prison employees．As time passes， the warden begins using him to handle matters for him and variety of people， including guards from other prisons．Andy begins writing weekly letters to the state legislature requesting funds to improve the prison's decaying library．
Brooks is paroled （假释） in 1954 after serving 50 years， but he cannot adjust to the outside world， and he commits suicide by hanging himself．Andy receives a library donation that includes a recording of The Marriage of Figaro （费加罗的婚礼）．He plays an excerpt （片段） over the public address system， and is punished with solitary confinement （单独监禁）．After his release from solitary， Andy explains that hope is what gets him through his time， a concept that Red dismisses．In 1963， Norton begins exploiting prison labor for public works， profiting by undercutting skilled labor costs and receiving bribes．Andy launders the money （洗钱） using the alias （别名） Randall Stephens．
Tommy Williams is incarcerated （被监禁） for burglary （偷窃） in 1965．Andy and Red befriend him， and Andy helps him pass his GED exam．A year later， Tommy reveals to Red and Andy that an inmate at another prison claimed responsibility for the murders for which Andy was convicted （定罪）．Andy approaches Norton with this information， but he refuses to listen and sends him back to solitary confinement （单独监禁） when he mentions the money laundering．Norton has Hadley murder Tommy under the guise （伪装） of an escape attempt．Andy declines to continue the laundering，but he relents （缓和） after Norton threatens to burn the library， remove Andy's protection from the guards， and move him to worse conditions．After two months， Andy is released from solitary confinement （单独监禁）， and he tells Red of his dream of living in Zihuatanejo， a Mexican coastal town．Red feels Andy is being unrealistic， but promises him that if he is ever released， he will visit a specific hayfield near Buxton，Maine， and retrieve （取出） a package Andy buried there．He worries about Andy's well-being， especially when he learns Andy asked another inmate to supply him with six feet （1．8 meters） of rope．
The next day at roll call， the guards find Andy's cell empty．An irate （愤怒的） Norton throws a rock at the poster of Raquel Welch hanging on the cell wall， revealing a tunnel that Andy dug with his rock hammer over the last 19 years．The previous night， Andy escaped through the tunnel and prison sewage pipe （污水管）， using the rope to bring with him Norton's suit， shoes， and the ledger （分类账） containing details of the money laundering．While guards search for him， Andy poses as Randall Stephens and visits several banks to withdraw the laundered money， then mails the ledger and evidence of the corruption and murders at Shawshank to a local newspaper．State police arrive at Shawshank and take Hadley into custody （逮捕）， while Norton commits suicide to avoid arrest．
After serving 40 years， Red is paroled （假释）．He struggles to adapt to life outside prison and fears that he never will．Remembering his promise to Andy， he visits Buxton and finds a cache containing money， and a letter asking him to come to Zihuatanejo．Red violates his parole and travels to Fort Hancock， Texas to cross the border into Mexico， admitting he finally feels hope．On a beach in Zihuatanejo he finds Andy，and the two friends are happily reunited．
The oak tree， under which Andy leaves a note for Red directing him to Zihuatanejo， becomes a symbol of hope for its role in the film， and is considered iconic．Also the bird saved and set free by old Brooks， and the bird in Red's saying“some birds aren't meant to be caged”， has become the symbol of freedom．
The film has been interpreted as being grounded in Christian mysticism （基督教神秘主义）．Andy is offered as a messianic （弥赛亚）， Christ-like figure， with Red describing him early in the film as having an aura （光环） that engulfs （吞噬） and protects him from Shawshank．The scene in which Andy and several inmates （犯人） tar the prison roof can be seen as a recreation of the Last Supper， with Andy obtaining beer／ wine for the twelve inmates／ disciples as Freeman describes them as the lords of all creation invoking （恳求） Jesus blessing．Director Frank Darabont responded that this was not his deliberate intention， but he wanted people to find their own meaning in the film．The discovery of The Marriage of Figaro （费加罗的婚礼） record is described in the screenplay as akin （类似） to finding the Holy Grail （圣杯）， bringing the prisoners to a halt， and causing the sick to rise up in their beds．
Early in the film， Warden Norton quotes Jesus Christ to describe himself to Andy，saying，“I am the light of the world”， declaring himself Andy's savior．However， this description can also reference Lucifer （路西法——堕落的天使）， the bearer of light．Indeed， the warden does not enforce the general rule of law， but chooses to enforce his own rules and punishments as he sees fit， becoming a law unto himself， like the behavior of Satan．The warden has also been compared to former United States President Richard Nixon．Norton's appearance and public addresses can be seen to mirror Nixon's．Similarly， Norton projects an image of a Holy man， speaking down sanctimoniously （伪善地） to the servile （唯唯诺诺） masses while running corrupt scams （诈骗）， like those which made Nixon infamous．
When the warden opens the Bible with Andy's pickaxe hiding inside， the page turns to “ Exodus ” （出埃及记） which describes the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt．Andy also wrote on the title page of the Bible ：“Dear Warden， you are right． Salvation （救赎） lay within ．” Andy is the messenger of God's salvation．Through redemption （救赎）， he realizes his freedom and hope．
Zihuatanejo has been interpreted as an analogue （类似） for heaven or paradise．In the film， Andy describes it as a place with no memory， offering absolution from his sins by forgetting about them or allowing them to be washed away by the Pacific Ocean，whose name means“ peace”．
Roger Ebert argued that The Shawshank Redemption is an allegory （寓言） for maintaining one's feeling of self-worth when placed in a hopeless position．Andy's integrity is an important theme in the story line， especially in prison， where integrity is lacking．Robbins himself believes that the concept of Zihuatanejo resonates （共鸣） with audiences because it represents a form of escape that can be achieved after surviving for many years within whatever“jail” someone finds themselves， from a bad relationship，job， or environment．Robbins said that it is important that such a place exists for us．Isaac M．Morehouse suggests that the film provides a great illustration of how characters can be free， even in prison， or unfree， even in freedom， based on their outlooks on life．Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre described freedom as an ongoing project that requires attention and resilience （弹性）， without which a person begins to be defined by others or institutions， mirroring Red's belief that inmates （犯人） become dependent on the prison to define their lives．Philosopher Alexander Hooke argued that Andy's and Red's true freedom is their friendship， being able to share joy and humor with each other．
While The Shawshank Redemption received positive reviews on its release， particularly for its story and the performances of Robbins and Freeman， it was a box office disappointment， earning only ＄ 16 million during its initial theatrical run．Many reasons were cited for its failure at the time， including competition from films such as Pulp Fic tion and Forrest Gump ， to the general unpopularity of prison films， lack of female characters， and even the title， which was considered to be confusing for audiences．However， it went on to receive multiple award nominations， including seven Academy Award nominations， and a theatrical re-release that， combined with international takings， increased the film's box office gross to ＄ 58．3 million．
As of 2017， the film is still broadcast regularly， and is popular in several countries， with audience members and celebrities citing it as a source of inspiration， and naming the film as a favorite in various surveys．In 2015， the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry， finding it“culturally， historically， or aesthetically significant”．
1．You can see， from the poster of the film， two men are in the sky．Who are they？ There is a man stretching his arms and reaching for the sky in the heavy rain in the bellow．How do you interpret the picture？ What does it imply？
2．In the poster of the movie， there appears such a sentence“Fear can hold you prisoner； hope can set you free．A strong man can save himself； a great man can save another ．” How do you interpret the sentence？
3．How do you understand the title of the movie The Shawshank Redemption Whose redemption？ Can you explain it in different perspectives？
4．Old Brooks， after 50 years imprisoned in the jail， committed suicide on his parole．Why did he do that？
5．What song does Andy play on the speakers when he is in the Warden's office？Knowing he would be severely punished for doing that， why does he do that？
6．What kind of role does hope and pursuit of freedom play in Andy's successfully breaking the prison？ Is he different from other inmates in the jail？
7． The Shawshank Redemption competed with Forrest Gump for the 67 th Oscar Awards， why didn't the movie win any awards while Forrest Gump got six Oscar Awards？
8．When Red says that he is a changed man and no longer a danger to society at the beginning， he is rejected to parole．But in the end， he says he couldn't understand being rehabilitated （改造的）， he is permitted to parole．Why？
Film Poster ： Fear can hold you prisoner； hope can set you free．A strong man can save himself； a great man can save another．
电影海报 ：恐惧让你沦为囚犯；希望让你重获自由。强者自救；圣者渡人。
Andy Dufresne ： Remember Red， hope is a good thing， maybe the best of things，and no good thing ever dies．
安迪·杜德兰 ：瑞德，请记住，希望是美好的，也许是人间至善，而美好的事物永不消逝。
Red ： Prison life consists of routine， and then more routine．
瑞德 ：监狱生活充满了一段又一段的例行公事。
Andy Dufresne ： I guess it comes down to a simple choice： get busy living or get busy dying．
安迪·杜德兰 ：生命可以归结为一种简单的选择：要么忙于生存，要么赶着去死。
Red ： I mean I learned my lesson．I can honestly say that I'm a changed man．I am no longer a danger to society．That's God's honest truth．
瑞德 ：我已经吸取了教训，我可以坦诚地告诉你们：我已经改造好了。我不会再对社会构成威胁，那绝对是真的。
Andy Dufresne ： The funny thing is on the outside， I was an honest man， straight as an arrow．I had to come to prison to be a crook．
安迪·杜德兰 ：让我感到可笑的事情是，在外边我是个正直的人。等到进了监狱，我反而成了一个骗子。
Red ： These walls are kind of funny like that．First you hate them， and then you get used to them．Enough time passes， gets so you depend on them．That's institutionalized．
瑞德 ：这些高墙还真是有点意思。一开始你恨它，然后你就对它习惯了。等相当长的时间过去后，你还会依赖它。这就叫体制化。
Red ： Everybody is innocent in here．Don't you know that？
瑞德 ：这个监狱的每个人都是无辜的，你难道不知道吗？
Red ： Like I said， in prison， a man will do anything to keep his mind occupied．
瑞德 ：正如我所说的那样，每个人在监狱里都要干点事让自己忙起来。
Andy Dufresne ： Whatever mistakes I made， I've made for them and then some．
安迪·杜德兰 ：不管我做了什么错事，我已经为此付出了代价。
Red ： Let me tell you something my friend： Hope is a dangerous thing．Hope can drive a man insane．
瑞德 ：听我说，朋友，希望是件危险的事。希望能叫人发疯。
Red ： I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about．Truth is， I don't want to know．Some things are better left unsaid．I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words and it makes you heartache because of it．I tell you those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a great place dares to dream．It was as if some beautiful bird had flapped into our drab little cage and made these walls dissolve away， and for the briefest of moments， every last man in Shawshank felt free．
瑞德 ：到今天我还不知道那两个意大利女士在唱些什么。其实，我也不想知道。有些东西常常无法用语言来表达。我想她们该是在唱一些美妙动人的故事，美妙得难以用言语来表达，美妙得让你心痛的东西。告诉你吧，这些声音直插云霄，飞得比任何一个人敢想的梦还要遥远。就像一些美丽的鸟儿扑扇着翅膀飞到我们牢笼，让那些墙壁消失得无影无踪。就在那一刹那，肖申克监狱的每个人都感到了自由。
Andy Dufresne ： It was in here．In here．That's the beauty of music．They can't take that away from you．Haven't you ever felt that way about music？
安迪·杜德兰 ：音乐存在于大脑中，存在于心中，这就是音乐的美丽所在。他们无法把这种美丽从你那里夺去。你难道对音乐从来没有这种感觉吗？
Andy Dufresne ： Here's where it makes the most sense．You need it so you don't forget．Forget that there are places in the world that aren't made out of stone．That there's a—there's a—there's something inside that's yours， that they can't touch．
安迪·杜德兰 ：这就是意义所在。你需要它，就好像自己不要忘记。忘记世上还有不是用石头围起来的地方，忘记自己的内心还有你自己的东西，他们碰不到的东西。
Red ： I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged．Their feathers are just too bright．And when they fly away， the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up．Still， the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone．I guess I just miss my friend．
瑞德 ：我不得不提醒自己有些鸟是不能关在笼子里的，他们的羽毛太漂亮了，当他们飞走的时候，你会觉得把他们关起来是种罪恶。但是，他们不在了你会感到寂寞，我只是想我的朋友了。
Red ： To me it's a made-up word．A politician's word so that young fell as like you can wear a suit and a tie and have a job．What do you really want to know？ Am I sorry for what I did？ There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret．Not because I'm in here or because you think I should．I look back on the way I was then， a young， stupid kid who committed that terrible crime， I want to talk to him．I want to try and talk some sense to him．Tell him the way things are．But I can't．That kid's long gone， and this old man is all that's left．I got to live with that．
瑞德 ：对我来说那只是个杜撰的词，一个政客用的词句。你们年轻人穿西装、打领带，有好工作，你们到底想知道些什么？我对自己所犯的罪感到后悔吗？没有一天我不感到后悔，不是因为我在监狱里，或者你认为我该这样。我回首过往，一个年轻的愚蠢的小孩犯了滔天大罪，我想和他谈谈，我想和他讲讲道理，告诉他做人之道，但已经不可能了。那孩子已无影无踪了，只剩下这个老人了，我得接受事实。
Red ： I find I'm so excited．I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head．I think it the excitement only a free man can feel， a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain．I hope I can make it across the border．I hope to see my friend， and shake his hand．I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams．I hope．
瑞德 ：我发现自己是如此的激动，以至于不能静静地坐下来思考。我想只有那些重获自由，即将踏上新征程的人们，才能感受到这种即将揭开未来神秘面纱的激动心情。我希望跨越千山万水握住朋友的手，我希望太平洋的海水如同梦中的一样蓝：我希望。
“ I don't want to survive ． I want to live ．”
Directed by Steven McQueen
Release Date： August 30，2013
Genre： Biography ／ Drama／ History
Running Time： 134 minutes
Country： U．S．，U．K．
Solomon Northup …… Chiwetel Ejiofor
A free educated man living in Upstate New York，also a carpenter and a violinist．Originally he has a happy life with his wife and two children．Being cheated by two evil white men for a two-week violin circus （马戏团） performance opportunity in Washington D．C．， he is kidnapped （被绑架） and becomes a slave for 12 miserable years．
Edwin Epps …… Michael Fassbender
The white slave owner， known as the “Nigger breaker”， is notorious for his ruthlessness （冷酷无情）．Epps believes that the abuse of slaves is permitted by the Bible and urges them to accept the so-called fate．Solomon falls into his hands， that is， to hell．He has a complex attachment to the young black slave named Patsy， but he treats her in a more brutal way．
Patsey …… Lupita Nyong'o
Edwin Epps's female slave， young and beautiful， has twice as much work as anyone else in the cotton field．The abnormal love to her from her master Edwin Epps irritates her mistress and she is often cruelly tortured by Ms．Epps．
William Ford …… Benedict Cumberbatch
The master of a small manor on the bank of the red river and a clergyman is sympathetic to the slaves．But he becomes indifferent when it comes to his own interests．He is a“ hypocrite ” （伪君子） who couldn't help it．Ford bought Solomon from the slave market， gave him a violin， and handed him over to “ Nigger breaker” Edwin Epps．
Oscar for Best Picture， Best Supporting Actress for （Nyong'o）， and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ridley．The Best Picture win made McQueen the first African British producer to ever receive the award and the first African British director of a Best Picture winner．
12 Years a Slave is a 2013 period drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave narrative memoir （回忆录） Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup， a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped （绑架） in Washington，D．C．by two conmen （骗子） in 1841 and sold into slavery．Northup was put to work on plantations （种植园） in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before being released．
In 1841， Solomon Northup is a free African-American man working as a violinist，living with his wife and two children in Saratoga Springs， New York．Two white men，Brown and Hamilton， offer him short-term employment as a musician if he will travel with them to Washington， D．C．However， once they arrive they drug Northup and deliver him to a slave pen run by a man named Burch．Northup proclaims that he is a free man， only to be savagely （野蛮地） beaten with， at first， a wooden paddle， then， a leather belt．Northup is later shipped to New Orleans along with other captive AfricanAmericans．He is told by the others that if he wants to survive in the South， he must adapt to being a slave and not tell anyone he is a free man．A slave trader named Freeman gives Northup the identity of “Platt”， a runaway slave from Georgia， and sells him to plantation owner William Ford．Tension grows between Northup and a plantation overseer （监工） which ends with Northup savagely beating and whipping the overseer．To save Northup's life， Ford sells him to another slave owner named Edwin Epps．In the process， Northup attempts to explain that he is actually a free man， but Ford tells him he is too afraid and that he cannot help him now．
At the plantation， Northup meets Patsey， a favored slave who can pick over 500 pounds of cotton a day， twice the usual quota （定额）， whom Epps regularly rapes and abuses．Some time later， cotton worms destroy Epps's cotton．Unable to work his fields， Epps leases （租赁） his slaves to a neighboring plantation for the season．While there， Northup gains the favor of the plantation's owner， Judge Turner， who allows him to play the fiddle （小提琴） at a neighbor's wedding anniversary celebration and to keep his earnings．When Northup returns to Epps， he uses the money to pay a white field hand and former overseer， Armsby， to mail a letter to his friends in New York．Armsby agrees and accepts Northup's saved money， but immediately betrays him to Epps．In the middle of the night， a drunken Epps wakes Northup and questions him menacingly （威胁） about the letter．Northup is narrowly able to convince Epps that Armsby is lying and Epps relents （缓和）．Solomon then emotionally burns the letter he intended to give to Armsby．
Northup begins working on the construction of a gazebo （露台） with a Canadian laborer named Samuel Bass．Bass is unsettled （不安） by the brutal way that Epps treats his slaves and expresses his opposition to American slavery， earning Epps's enmity （敌意）．Northup overhears the conversation and decides to reveal his kidnapping to Bass．Once again， Northup asks for help in getting a letter to Saratoga Springs．Bass agrees to send it．One day， the local sheriff （治安官） arrives in a carriage with another man．The sheriff asks Northup a series of questions to confirm that his answers match the facts of his life in New York．Northup recognizes the sheriff's companion as Mr．Parker， a shopkeeper he knew in Saratoga．Parker has come to free him， and the two embrace， though an enraged （愤怒的） Epps furiously protests the circumstances and tries to prevent Northup from leaving．Northup gives an emotional farewell to Patsey and rides off to his freedom．Patsey faints as Northup leaves．
After being enslaved for 12 years， Northup is restored to freedom and returned to his family， leaving behind the other slaves．As he walks into his home， he sees his wife with their son and daughter （fully grown） and her husband， who present him with his grandson and namesake （同名）， Solomon Northup Staunton．Northup apologizes for his long absence while his family comforts him．
12 Years a Slave as later named the 44th greatest film since 2000 in a BBC poll of 177 critics and received near-universal acclaim by critics and audiences ．Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly praised it as“a new movie landmark （具有里程碑意义的） of cruelty and transcendence （超越）” and as“a movie about a life that gets taken away， and that's why it lets us touch what life is”．He also commented very positively on Ejiofor's performance， while further stating，“ 12 Years a Slave lets us stare at the primal sin （原始罪恶） of America with open eyes， and at moments it is hard to watch， yet it's a movie of such humanity and grace that at every moment， you feel you're seeing something essential”．It is Chiwetel Ejiofor's extraordinary performance that holds the movie together， and that allows us to watch it without blinking．He plays Solomon with a powerful inner strength， yet he never soft-pedals （减弱） the silent nightmare that is Solomon's daily existence． The Daily Telegraph 's Tim Robey granted the film a maximum score of five stars， stating that “it's the nobility of this remarkable film that pierces the soul”， while praising Ejiofor and Nyong'o's performances．
The film， however， was not without its criticisms．Stephanie Zacharek of The Vil lage Voice was more critical of the film．While praising Ejiofor's work， she stated： “It's a picture that stays more than a few safe steps away from anything so dangerous as raw feeling．Even when it depicts inhuman cruelty， as it often does， it never compromises its aesthetic purity （纯粹审美） ．” Peter Malamud Smith of Slate criticized the story， saying，“ 12 Years a Slave is constructed as a story of a man trying to return to his family，offering every viewer a way into empathizing （同情） with its protagonist （主角）．Maybe we need a story framed on that individual scale in order to understand it．But it has a distorting （扭曲的） effect all the same．We're more invested in one hero than in millions of victims； if we're forced to imagine ourselves enslaved， we want to imagine ourselves as Northup， a special person who miraculously （奇迹般地） escaped the system that attempted to crush him ．”
Timothy Sneed said in U ． S ． News ＆ World Report the year after the film was released，“Doubts still lingered about its ability to truly bring about a newfound racial consciousness （种族意识） among a national， mainstream audience ．The film also was a period piece that featured a happy ending ushered in by a‘white savior’ in the form of Brad Pitt's character ．”
1．You can see， from the poster of the Film， a black man is running．Who is the man？ What does it imply？
2．As the continuation of McQueen's narrative style， the story in the southern United States before the Civil War is used as the historical background．But he has no intention of carving out the grand history； he only reduces it to twelve years （1841—1853）．How do you feel after your watching？
3．How could Solomon， a free man， be sold as a slave？ What happened to him？
4．Solomon is free after his release， how could he succeed in doing that？ Who helped him？ Who is responsible for his being slave for 12 years？
5．How do you feel about the love of Edwin Epps （the master） towards Pasty （his woman slave）？
6． 12 Years a Slave unveils an unforgettable American history？ Can you see something about that history？ Can you recall similar movies and books？
7．How do you understand Solomon's sentence“I don't want to survive， I want to live”？
Clemens ：If you want to survive， do and say as little as possible．Tell no one who you really are， and tell no one that you can read and write．Unless you want to be a dead nigger．
克莱门斯 ：想要生存的话，就尽量低调点。别告诉别人你是谁，别跟别人说你会读写，除非你想命丧黄泉。
Solomon ： Days ago I was with my family in my home．Now you tell me all is lost．Tell no one who I really am？ If I want to survive．Well， I don't want to survive， I want to live．
所罗门 ：几天前我还和家人们在一起，现在你跟我说一切都没了，活着还不能告诉别人我是谁。所以，我不想苟且偷生，我只想要真正的生活。
Solomon ： I survive！ I will not fall into despair！ I will offer up my talents to Master Ford．I will keep myself hearty until freedom is opportunity！
所罗门 ：我只是为了生存，我不会让自己陷入悲伤的绝望中，我要给福德先生贡献我的才能，我在等待重获自由的机会。
Solomon ： My back is thick with scars from protesting my freedom．
所罗门 ：我愿意用一生去追求自由之身。
Bass ： If this conversation concerns what is factual and what is not， then it must be said that there is no justice or righteousness in their slavery．But you do open up an interesting question．What rights have you to your niggers， when you come down to the point？
巴斯 ：如果这段对话涉及什么是事实，什么不是事实。那么就必须说，在他们的奴隶制中没有公平和正义，但你确实提出了一个有趣的问题。当谈到这一点时，你对你的黑人奴隶有什么权利？
Bass ： Laws change， Epps．Universal truths are constant．It is a fact， a plain and simple fact， that what is true and right is true and right for all．White and black alike．
巴斯 ：艾普斯，法律是会改变的，普遍真理是不变的。这是事实，一个简单明了的事实：真实和正确的永远是真实和正确的。对所有人都是正确的。白人和黑人也都一样。
Solomon ： I will not fall into despair！ I will keep myself hardy until freedom is opportunity！
所罗门 ：我不会陷入绝望！我要让自己坚强起来，直到自由成为机会！
Clemens ： Three can't stand against a whole crew．The rest here are niggers， born and bred slaves．Niggers aren't got the stomach for a fight， not a damn one．
克莱门斯 ：三人不能对抗全体船员。其余的人都是黑奴，生来就是奴隶。黑奴没胆打架，谁都没胆子。
Clemens ： Survival is not about certain death， it is about keeping your head down．
克莱门斯 ：生存不是关于死亡的，而是要保持低调。
Ford ： I am trying to save your life！ And．I have a debt to be mindful of．That，now， is to Edwin Epps．He is a hard man．Prides himself on being a“nigger breaker”．But truthfully I could find no others who would have you．You've made a reputation of yourself．Whatever your circumstances， you are an exceptional nigger， Platt．I fear no good will come of it．
福特 ：我在努力挽救你的生命！我要留心一笔债。现在谈谈埃德温·艾普斯。他是个很难相处的人，为自己是一个“黑奴终结者”而洋洋得意。但说实话，我找不到其他想买你的人，你已经名声在外。不管你的情况如何，你都是一个特殊的黑奴，普拉特。我担心这事不会有好结果。
Solomon ： Thou devil！ Sooner or later， somewhere in the course of eternal justice thou shalt answer for this sin！
所罗门 ：你是魔鬼！迟早在永恒的正义道路上，你要对你犯下的罪孽赎罪！
Solomon ： We need a sympathetic ear．If we have an opportunity to explain our situation…
所罗门 ：我们需要一个有同情心的听众。如果我们有机会解释我们的处境……
Solomon ： I am Solomon Northup．I am a free man； a resident of Saratoga， New York．The residence also of my wife and children who are equally free．I have papers．You have no right whatsoever to detain me…
所罗门 ：我是所罗门·诺萨普。我是一个自由人，我是纽约萨拉托加的居民。我家里的妻子和孩子们也是自由的。我有文件，你们没有权利拘留我……
Bass ： I will write your letter， sir．And if it brings you your freedom， it will be more than a pleasure．It will have been my duty．
巴斯 ：先生，我会帮你写信。如果它能给你带来自由，那将不仅仅是快乐，那将是我的职责。