影片对白  Curtis Taylor, Jr., our manager, says we're singing behind Mr. Jimmy Early tonight!

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The Dreams and The Supremes：追梦女郎与 The Supremes 合唱团

The Dreams

这样的一个励志故事是以60年代在美国流行乐坛盛及一时的女子三重唱组合-The Supremes作为蓝本而改编的。片中蒂娜的形象，正是灵魂歌后黛安娜罗丝的写照。其实在电影拍摄之前人们就对故事的发展耳熟能详。这得益于1981年开始在百老汇演出的同名舞台剧《追梦女郎》。该片在当时创造了连续演出1522场的佳绩，获得了13项东尼奖(美国戏剧界最高奖)的提名，并最终获得其中的六项奖项。

The basic plot of Dreamgirls is derived from the history of The Supremes, a girl-group from Detroit, Michigan, which was Motown's most successful group act during the 1960s. Effie White is a doppelg?nger for Florence Ballard, original lead singer of the Supremes; the character's vocal stylings and personality are based upon Aretha Franklin and Etta James. Diana Ross, who became the central focus of the Supremes and later left the group to pursue a solo career and a brief venture into films, is here adapted into the character of Deena Jones. Supremes member Mary Wilson is represented by Lorrell Robinson. Curtis Taylor, Jr., represents Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown, who pushed the Supremes towards pop success and became romantically involved with Ross. James "Thunder" Early is depicted as a cross between James Brown, Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, and Jackie Wilson. C. C. White is a collective representative for The Supremes' songwriters, who included the Holland-Dozier-Holland team and Smokey Robinson. Michelle Morris is representative of Cindy Birdsong, Florence Ballard's replacement in The Supremes, which was renamed "Diana Ross & the Supremes" at the time of that line-up change.

The Supremes

Dreamgirls is most dissimilar from The Supremes' story in its second act, which ends with Effie finding success as a solo performer. In real life, Florence Ballard's solo career was unsuccessful and the singer sank into poverty, depression, and alcoholism, dying of cardiac arrest at the age of thirty-two in 1976, just after her career had been revived. The play also shows inspiration from the 1976 feature film Sparkle, which itself was inspired by The Supremes' story.

Michael Bennett, Henry Krieger, Tom Eyen, and the Dreamgirls producers denied and downplayed the connections between the musical's plot and the Supremes' life story, hoping to avoid legal issues from Motown Records and Diana Ross. Mary Wilson loved Dreamgirls, and even named her first autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, after it. Diana Ross, however, was reportedly angered by the musical, and expressed her dislike of it in the media. Though the Deena character mirrors Diana Ross, Sheryl Lee Ralph stands to the fact that she was not trying to imitate Ross, but portrayed Deena in a similar yet distinct style.

在改编的电影剧本中三个女主人公都走到的事业的最高点，这与现实存在着较大的差距。实际上，就唱功而言，灵魂歌后黛安娜罗丝并不是三人中最好的，但最终她却是三人中最成功的一个。成就超级巨星不仅需要完美的嗓音，同样也要具备有抢眼的外形。现实是现实的，也是值得人思考的。　

考考你

用今日所学将下面的句子译成英语。

1. 因为没有新的订单，他们被解雇了。

2. 我认为这个计划行不通。

3. 比尔为他导师的魅力折服有三年的时间，但渐渐地他的梦想破灭、离开了大学。

Dreamgirls《追梦女郎》（精讲之一）考考你 参考答案

1. 乔治对他的新萨克斯风爱不释手。
George is mad about his new saxophone.

2. 明晚的集会标志着比赛的开始。
A rally tomorrow night will kick off the campaign.

3. 别为玛丽的烦心事沮丧。
Don't let Mary's troubles get you down.


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(英语点津Annabel编辑)