當「魔戒」改編成動畫

When Warner Bros. approached filmmaker Peter Jackson and his longtime screenwriting partner Philippa Boyens about making a new animated “Lord of the Rings,” Boyens at first had a hard time wrapping her head around the notion. But when studio executives suggested that the film could be told via Japanese anime — suddenly it clicked.

華納兄弟接觸電影製作人彼得傑克森及他的長期電影編劇夥伴菲利帕鮑恩斯，談及製作新的動畫化「魔戒」時，鮑恩斯起初難以理解這個想法。但電影公司高層主管提議，這部電影能透過日本動畫方式呈現時，突然間一切豁然開朗。

They could tell a stand-alone story from J.R.R. Tolkien’s appendices about the people of the kingdom of Rohan, which has now become “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Jackson is one of the film’s executive producers and Boyens one of its producers.

他們可以從托爾金書中關於洛汗王國人民的附錄取材，講述一個獨立故事。這個故事現在已變成「魔戒：洛汗人之戰」，由神山健治執導。傑克森是這部電影的執行製作人之一，鮑恩斯則是製作人之一。

“It was that moment of form meeting the story,” Boyens said in a video call. She said she thought anime would be an appealing approach because “it’s a story that ultimately deals with the wreckage of war, and that’s something that Japanese storytelling on film has been really good at telling.”

鮑恩斯在一通視訊通話中表示：「這是形式和故事相遇的時刻。」她說，她認為動畫會是種吸引人的形式，因為「這終究是個處理戰爭殘骸的故事，這正是日本電影敘事非常擅長的」。

“The War of the Rohirrim” (in theaters) is the latest and most high-profile anime adaptation of a Western franchise to hit screens big and small.

「洛汗人之戰」（上映中）是登上大小銀幕的西方系列電影改編動畫作品中，最新且最受矚目的一部。

When Jason DeMarco, a senior vice president at Warner Bros. Animation was brought on board to work on “War of the Rohirrim,” he quickly thought Kamiyama would be a good pick to direct, because of the animator’s experience in the fantasy genre and his work on similar projects involving Western companies before.

華納兄弟動畫公司資深副總裁德馬科被邀請參與「洛汗人之戰」製作時，他很快想到神山會是很好的導演人選，因為這位動畫師在科幻類型方面經驗豐富，先前也參與過涉及西方公司的類似專案。

“There are some anime directors who would just be like, ‘No, I don’t care what Peter Jackson thinks,’” DeMarco said. But he said he knew Kamiyama would have the ability to “get what he felt was important and make this movie his,” but also take input from the film’s producers to create something that worked within the franchise.

德馬科表示：「有些動畫導演的態度就像是，『不，我不在乎彼得傑克森怎麼想』。」但他說，他知道神山有能力「抓住他認為重要的東西，並將這部電影變成他的」，也聽取電影製作人的意見，創作符合該系列電影的作品。

On top of that, working within Hollywood came with time constrictions to meet planned release dates, Kamiyama added. But he knew that this was a unique opportunity for anime to reach an even wider audience.

神山補充說，此外，在好萊塢工作會受到時間限制，必須符合計畫發行日期。但他知道，這是個獨特機會，能讓動畫觸及更廣泛觀眾。

“That kind of an outlet is not just an opportunity for me as a filmmaker, but it’s a groundbreaking new thing for Japanese anime,” he said.

他說：「那種表現途徑不僅對身為電影製作人的我是個機會，對日本動畫而言也是開創性的新事物。」

The vibrancy of the visual language of anime — which exists on a heightened plane, not bound by rules of logic — is a good fit for Tolkien’s work, DeMarco said.

德馬科說，動畫的視覺語言活力存在於一個更高層次，不受邏輯規則束縛，非常適合托爾金的著作。

Plus, Boyens thinks Tolkien would have approved, based on how he furnished his living space at Oxford. “The first thing he bought was some Japanese prints,” Boyens said. “So, it made me go: Maybe this was meant to happen.”

另外，鮑恩斯認為，托爾金會同意這麼做，根據他如何布置牛津的住處就能知道。鮑恩斯說：「他買的第一批物品是一些日本版畫。所以，我不禁這麼想，也許這注定要發生。」

卸任在即 拜登反思 不無遺憾

President Joe Biden has less than a month to go until his one-term presidency ends, and he is feeling reflective.

只當一任的拜登總統距離任期結束只剩不到一個月，他正陷入反思。

He is voicing regrets about his decision not to sign his name to COVID-19 relief checks and about his longtime reputation — once considered a virtue — of being the poorest lawmaker in Congress. And now, with a planned visit to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican Jan. 10, the president is signaling that he may have additional issues on his mind. According to a person familiar with his plans for the trip, Biden will seek solace and “relief” as he exits the world stage. Francis, that person said, has become an ally and sounding board, trading occasional phone calls with Biden.

對於他決定不在新冠疫情紓困支票上簽名，及作為國會最窮議員這個一度被認為是美德的長期名聲，他表示遺憾。如今，隨著拜登計畫1月10日訪問梵蒂岡和教宗方濟各會面，拜登暗示他心裡可能還想著其他事情。熟悉他此行計畫的人士指出，隨著拜登退出世界舞台，他將尋求安慰和「解脫」。這名人士表示，方濟各已成為拜登的盟友和傾訴對象，且偶爾會和拜登通話。

Earlier last month, in remarks at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Biden spoke about his long-held belief that the key to strengthening the U.S. economy is through bolstering the middle class. But he paused just long enough to touch on a story that he has shared countless times as a candidate and officeholder. “For 36 years, I was listed as the poorest man in Congress,” he told the crowd with a laugh, before adding, “What a foolish man.”

上月稍早，拜登在華府布魯金斯研究院的談話中提到，他長久以來認為強化美國經濟的關鍵是透過扶持中產階級。但他稍作停頓，談到一個他作為候選人和官員時提過無數次的故事。他笑著對群眾說，「36年來，我被列為國會中最窮的人」，隨後補充說，「多麼愚蠢的人」。

Given the current atmosphere, the joke carried the sting of bitter truth. The billionaires are at the White House gates, ushered in by voters who were again siding with a wealthy man whose politics are antithetical to Biden’s. In a month, Washington will be led again by Donald Trump, a man who has made no secret of his wealth or his appreciation for the wealth of others. One of his top advisers, Elon Musk, is by some counts the richest man in the world.

有鑑於近期的氛圍，這個玩笑帶有苦澀真相引發的刺痛。億萬富翁們由選民引領來到白宮大門口，而選民們再度站在一位政治觀點和拜登對立的富人身邊。一個月後，華府將再度由川普領導，他毫不掩飾自己的財富或對其他人財富的欣賞。他的首席顧問之一馬斯克，據一些統計顯示是世界上最富有的人。

Biden has also openly stewed over one of Trump’s flashier — and apparently effective — stunts as president. During the same speech at Brookings, Biden said he had been “stupid” not to sign his name to COVID stimulus checks that were distributed to Americans early in his term. Trump emblazoned his signature on checks distributed after a relief bill was passed in the spring of 2020.

對於川普擔任總統時一個更浮誇且顯然有效的噱頭，拜登也公開表達不滿。在布魯金斯研究院的同場演說中，拜登說他很「愚蠢」，任期之初沒有在分發給美國人的新冠疫情經濟振興支票上簽名。2020年春季一個紓困案通過後，川普將自己的簽名印在分發出去的支票上。

Biden and his advisers learned a little something from Trump’s tendency to scrawl his name on things. By 2023, signs touting infrastructure projects “funded by President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” began popping up around the country. But those had little political impact compared with a signed check.

川普偏好在一些東西上塗寫名字，拜登和他的顧問學到了一點。到了2023年，宣揚基礎建設計畫「由拜登總統的跨黨派基礎建設法資助」標語，開始在美國各地出現。但和簽上名字的支票相比，這些標語的政治影響力不大。