《Ray》　灵魂歌王　一个真切的男人，一段传奇的故事

No.056　《Ray》　灵魂歌王　一个真切的男人，一段传奇的故事

英文导读

Ray is a 2004 biographical film focusing on 30 years of the life of rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles. The independently produced film was directed by Taylor Hackford and starred Jamie Foxx in the title role.

Directed by Taylor Hackford, this biopic profiles the life of legendary musician Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx). Born in a poor town in Georgia, Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven shortly after witnessing his younger brother's accidental death. Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world, Charles found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered incorporating gospel, country, jazz and orchestral influences into his inimitable style. As he revolutionized the way people appreciated music, he simultaneously fought segregation in the very clubs that launched him and championed artists' rights within the corporate music business. While the film delves into his problems with drugs and women, the bulk of the story details his career; among the highlights of that career are 12 Grammy awards and 11 R&B chart-toppers, such as "Unchain My Heart", "Hit the Road, Jack", "Georgia", "Doin' the Mess Around", and "Hallelujah I Just Love Her So".

Ray was released in theaters on October 29, 2004 on a budget of $40 million. The film went on to become a box-office hit, earning $75 million in the U.S. with an additional $50 million internationally, bringing its world wide gross to $125 million.

The film received mostly positive reviews. Most of the praise went to Jamie Foxx's performance for which he was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film however did receive some bad reviews, with critics complaining that the film suffered from a mediocre screenplay buoyed by powerful performances. Currently Ray has a certified fresh rating of 81% based on 188 reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.

Ray won two Academy Awards in 2005, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Jamie Foxx) and Best Sound Mixing (Scott Millan, Greg Orloff, Bob Beemer and Steve Cantamessa). The film was nominated for other four Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Taylor Hackford), Best Editing (Paul Hirsch) and Best Costume Design (Sharen Davis).

获奖情况

2005年第77届奥斯卡：最佳男主角、最佳混音奖，并荣获最佳影片提名、最佳导演提名、最佳服装设计提名、最佳剪辑提名。

影片信息

导演：泰勒·海克福德

编剧：泰勒·海克福德、詹姆斯·L·怀特

主演：杰米·福克斯、雷吉娜·金、凯丽·华盛顿

类型：剧情、音乐、传记

制片国家（地区）：美国

上映日期：2004-10-14（美国）

片长：152分钟、178分钟（加长版）

又名：《雷》《骚灵乐父》《心灵传奇——雷.查尔斯的一生》《狂爱乐与怒》《光芒》

剧情简介

这是一部传记电影。雷·查尔斯（杰米·福克斯　饰）出生在一个贫穷的黑人家庭，患有青光眼的他，因缺乏必要的医疗条件，而丧失了视力。但是，小查尔斯没有从此自暴自弃，而是在母亲的教育和引导下，很快地熟悉了盲文，并通过盲文接触了他人生的第一个乐谱。

查尔斯在音乐方面异于常人的天赋很快就展现出来了。他的很多乐器演奏能力早已超出了很多视力正常的音乐家的水平。

母亲过世后，15岁的雷·查尔斯辍学来到西雅图，开始了在南方的巡回演唱，他的演出获得了空前的成功，他也自此走上了对音乐不懈追求的一生。

20世纪60年代，雷·查尔斯在音乐上获得了突破。他成功地将乡村、爵士、管弦和教会音乐完美地结合在一起，创造出一种别人无法模仿的个人风格，这种优美的音乐逐渐获得了世界音乐界的认可，他也被看作是一个音乐史上的奇迹。他的唱片开始热销，并且有多只单曲登上了排行榜，他获得了邀请开始了他人生中的第一次在欧洲的个人演唱会，并且将各种不同类型的音乐融合在一起，将它们的魅力不断发扬光大，在音乐界引起了巨大的反响……

制作花絮

影片在美国新奥尔良拍摄。影片的美术设计为因《高斯福德庄园》而赢得奥斯卡提名的斯蒂芬·奥特曼，由于影片预算有限，所以不得不选用部分雷同的历史画面，并据此搭建布景。在整部影片中，有2/3的部分属于实景拍摄。

全片出现了40首歌曲，担任配乐工作的是苏格兰作曲家克雷格·阿姆斯特朗，这位音乐天才曾为《红磨坊》配乐，不但精通古典音乐，还曾为麦当娜、U2和大举进攻乐队编写歌曲。

雷·查尔斯因肝功能衰竭病逝于2004年6月10日，当时影片已经拍毕，并且雷看过了初剪版本。

在拍摄过程中，为了达到失明效果，杰米·福克斯每天都要佩戴义眼长达14小时。

根据雷的要求，剧本曾被译成盲文供其阅读。

导演于1987年便取得了拍摄权，但因找不到投资商而搁置多年。

片中雷的妻子的扮演者确实是雷的第二任妻子。

重点学习

Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world

文中的make one' s (his) own way in the world相当于make one' s (his) own way，是英语中的一个固定短语，是“发迹，飞黄腾达，获得成功”的意思，比如：If anyone tries to tell you that you can't sing your own song, or make your way in the world…prove them wrong.（假如有人告诉你，你不能我行我素，或者在这世界上，你无法成功……向他们证明，他们错了。）

Then exploded with worldwide fame

文中的explode with是英语中的一个固定搭配，它是“（欢呼、愤怒等强烈感情）爆发出，突发，迸发，发作”的意思，比如：Such anger filled her that she felt she might explode with it.（她怒火中烧，感到自己快要爆炸了。）

单词时间

musician[mju:ˈziʃən] n. 音乐家

independently[ˌindiˈpendəntli] adv. 独立地；自立地

profile[ˈprəufail] vt. 描…的轮廓；扼要描述

blind[blaind] adj. 盲目的；瞎的

keyboard[ˈki:bɔ:d] n. 键盘

soulful[ˈsəulful] adj. 感情上的；高尚的；充满精神的

pioneer[ˌpaiəˈniə] vt. 开辟；倡导；提倡

gospel[ˈɡɔspəl] n. 真理；信条

orchestral[ɔ:ˈkestrəl] adj. 管弦乐的；管弦乐队的

inimitable[iˈnimitəbl] adj. 独特的；无比的；无法仿效的

segregation[ˌseɡriˈɡeiʃən] n. 隔离，分离；种族隔离

highlight[ˈhailait] n. 最精彩的部分；最重要的事情；加亮区

buoy[bɔiˌ] vt. 使浮起；支撑；鼓励

mediocre[ˌmi:diˈəukə] adj. 普通的；平凡的；中等的