Ever since Walt Disney immortalized(使…成為不朽) interspecies friendships and talking teapots, anthropomorphism (attributing human traits and emotions to animals or objects) has been a movie staple(主要產品).
自從Walt Disney將種間友誼以及人化的物品(talking teapot)帶入人們的思想,擬人論(賦予動物及物品以人的特征和情感)遂成為后世電影的一個主要題材。
Now some scientists are criticizing the movie March of the Penguins for portraying the Antarctic seabirds almost as tiny, two-tone humans.
目前很多科學家批評電影March of the penguine (應該是:帝企鵝日記) 幾乎把南極的海鳥刻畫成矮小的雙色人。
The poster for the surprise hit film reads, "In the harshest place on Earth love finds a way." And the movie describes the annual journey of emperor penguins to their breeding grounds as a "quest to find the perfect mate and start a family" against impossible odds.
這部招受抨擊的電影海報中寫到“愛情滋長在環(huán)境最嚴酷的一片土地上。”電影表現(xiàn)了帝企鵝一年一次的大遷徙過程,他們抵御各種險阻,返回出生地,“尋求意中伴侶,成立家庭”。
The penguins are the only animals that make a home above the ice in the subzero temperatures and blistering winds of the Antarctic winter. They overcome incredible odds just to survive, never mind breed and nurture new life.
But is it love?
企鵝是一種獨特的動物,在南極的冰面上領教著零下的溫度、透骨的嚴寒,依舊構筑著自己的家庭與夢想。
但是,這算是愛情么?
會說話的動物(Talking Animals)
The filmmakers behind the English-language version of March of the Penguins—which is distributed by Warner Independent Pictures and National Geographic Feature Films—toned down the anthropomorphism of the original, French release(發(fā)行).
March of the penguins 的英語版通過Warner Independent Picture 和 National Geographic Feature Films 聯(lián)合發(fā)行,其制作人在影片中淡化了法語原版的擬人風格。
In the original documentary the penguins "spoke" their own dialogue, like Bambi or Babe the pig. The version released in the United States uses a narrator, actor Morgan Freeman, to tell the story.
原版電影中企鵝有自己的對話,就像Bambi 或Babe the pig 一樣。美國發(fā)行的版本,采用了Morgan Freeman 朗讀的旁白。
Still, the film describes the emperor penguins as "not that different from us" in their pouting(噘嘴), bellowing(吼叫), and strutting(昂首闊步地走).
但電影塑造的企鵝感覺仍舊和人類自身區(qū)別不大,無論是一顰一笑,還是步態(tài)舉止。
The bond(聯(lián)結) between the star penguin parents is called a "love story." And the penguins seem to have emotions— grieving over the loss of an egg or a chick, rejoicing at the return of a mate, loving their families.
電影中一對星級企鵝家長的婚盟可謂一場愛情。并且企鵝們似乎有著人類的感情——他們有喪子之痛,有重逢之喜,有家庭責任。
"In a few places it's a little over the top," said Alison Power, director of communications for New York City's Bronx Zoo and the affiliated Wildlife Conservation Society. "But I thought the filmmakers did an excellent job in not anthropomorphizing the animals."
New York City’s Bronx 動物園及附屬的野生動物保護協(xié)會的交流主管,Alison Power表示“很少的幾個地方有些許的過火,當制片人弱化了擬人風格是明智之舉!
Marine biologist Gerald Kooyman studies penguins at Antarctica's "Penguin Ranch," and he begs to differ. He said the portrayal of the penguins' mating rituals as a love story is a "major" case of anthropomorphism.
海洋生物學家Gerald Kooyman身處極地企鵝農場研究企鵝,他極力表示對電影的意義。他說電影中的婚配儀式純粹是藝術化的擬人。
So do the birds experience emotions at all? "Zoologists would say, Probably not," said
Kooyman, who works for the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "A lot of what looks to us like love or grief is probably hormonally driven more than some kind of attachment" to the egg, chick, or partner, he said.
那么其他鳥類是否擁有情感呢?“動物學家會說,也許沒有,” Scripps海洋學研究所的Kooyman回答說“很多像愛和悲傷等類似人類的行為可能是激素導致而不可能是其他任何原因”,無論是針對卵,幼仔,還是配偶。
For instance, there are several scenes in the film when a parent seems to grieve over a broken egg doomed(注定,命定) never to hatch(孵化), or appears to mourn over the body of its frozen chick.
比如說,電影中幾組鏡頭下的場景,家長面對損卵顯出悲傷,以及在凍死幼鵝尸體前流露的絕望。
Instinct, hormones, and the drive to reproduce influence a lot of the penguin behavior, Kooyman said.
Kooyman說,本能,荷爾蒙以及生殖的欲望都會很大程度上影響企鵝的行為。
"What gives the impression sometimes of sorrow is that they fool around with the [broken or frozen] egg, or other birds try to take an egg away," Kooyman said. "There's just a drive to incubate, to participate in breeding behavior at that time of year for these birds."
“導致人們產生這種悲傷印象的是它們無濟于事地暖孵著(破損的)卵,甚至是當其他鳥來偷竊它們的寶貝時”,Kooyman說“然而實際上,每年的這個時節(jié),企鵝都會有一種欲望來參加孵化,僅此而已”
The film also shows multiple shots of two adult penguins cuddling side by side, their beaks touching and forming almost a heart shape. It looks like love, but is it?
電影多次描寫兩只成年企鵝相互擁抱,它們的喙交織成心形?瓷先バ嗡葡鄲郏娴娜绱嗣?
Despite the beautiful imagery, it's not certain that each posturing pair is actually a mated pair.
盡管電影表現(xiàn)得盡善盡美,但實際上并不一定每一對在鏡頭前展現(xiàn)風姿的都是情侶。
"If it's in August or September, the two are probably mates," Kooyman said. "In April it could easily be two birds that get together and then decide that they wouldn't make good partners.
Kooyman“如果在八九月份兩只還雙宿雙飛,來年四月很可能就形同陌路了”
"You also see such posturing at the ice's edge. There's a lot of social behavior between adults," he added.
“相信觀眾也發(fā)現(xiàn)了鏡頭出現(xiàn)在冰面邊緣,成年企鵝之間有很多社會性的行為”,Kooyman補充到。
臨時家庭(Temporary Families)
Unlike nesting birds, penguin parents actually spend very little time together.
不同于筑巢的鳥類,企鵝實家長們際上在一起共同的時光很短。
The penguins make the grueling journey across some 70 miles (110 kilometers) of Antarctic ice each April to return to the breeding grounds where they were born. After the courtship period, the couple forms a strong bond until the egg is laid in May or early June.
每年四月,企鵝們歷盡艱險,跋涉于南極冰面,行程70余英里(110公里),返回出生之地。在求愛期過后,企鵝夫婦便會保持穩(wěn)固的夫妻關系直道五月或六月初產下蛋來。
However, as soon as the egg is transferred to the father, the mother takes off to return to her feeding grounds. She returns some two months later. The starving male, who hasn't had a meal in months, immediately leaves.
但是,一旦企鵝蛋轉交給了企鵝爸爸,企鵝媽媽就會迫不及待的返回食物豐富的樂土。大約兩個月后,當她重返此地時,饑寒交迫的雄性朋友已難耐數(shù)月的饑餓,會立即離開。
The two trade off rearing their fish and returning to the sea to feed for about five months, until the chick is old enough to be left on its own. After that point the parents will probably never see each other—or their offspring— again.
夫妻兩個就這樣交替的匆忙于照顧孩子和尋找食物之間,直道小企鵝能夠獨立生活。從那以后兩只企鵝很可能就永別對方——或它們的子女。
"In a way, the film anthropomorphized the lives of the penguins, but I think it's OK," Kooyman said. "Simplifying some aspects of the penguins' life story makes it more accessible to the general public."
“某種程度上,電影將企鵝的生活擬人化,這很好,”Kooyman說“簡化了企鵝生活的某些方面,觀眾更宜于接受了。”