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From the slums to the Oscars
Jamal (Dev Patel) is finally reunited with Latika (Freida Pinto).
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COULD an 18-year-old orphan who never went to school win the toughest quiz show on TV? This is the basic idea of Slumdog Millionaire. The film has become a global sensation since cleaning up at the Golden Globes — the Hollywood foreign press association"s favorite picks — winning four awards. It is being heavily tipped for Oscar success next month.
Slumdog is quite literally a rags-to-riches story. Jamal Malik, played by British actor Dev Patel, is forced to wear tattered clothes throughout his childhood after being orphaned and left with nothing.
And the riches? Just a little matter of 20 million rupees (2.8 million yuan) on offer if he can win at the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
The film opens with Jamal close to the prize. But the police are suspicious. Surely he must be cheating. How else would a boy who has grown up in India"s slums have such good knowledge?
But as the story of Jamal"s life is told, it is revealed how each of the questions relates to an incident from his childhood. After clearing his name he is left with one last question to answer in order to win — and the love of his life to find.
Slumdog is the ultimate feel-good film. Watching Jamal struggle through life in the slums of Mumbai is genuinely heart wrenching. By the end of the film, I found myself willing him on to get the final question right and be reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Latika.
Why is the film such a surprise candidate for the Oscars? The film is British made, and set fully in India. Both of these countries normally have to struggle to make an impact in Hollywood.
But Slumdog has not been without its critics. Alice Miles wrote in The Times that it was wrong to use other people"s poverty as entertainment. "When we are suckered into enjoying scenes of horror among children in slums on the other side of the world, we ought to question where our moral compass is pointing," she said.
Regardless, most of India has reacted positively. Indian filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar told the UK"s Telegraph, "It is an excellent film which depicts real poverty and real life in India." One Indian newspaper ran the headline, Indian tale catches global fancy.
But Oscar success is not a given. When the nominations are announced on February 22, Slumdog is expected to face stiff competition from The Dark Knight, starring the late Heath Ledger, as well as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a historical drama starring Brad Pitt.
英语词汇解析
heart-wrenching 令人心痛的
rags-to-riches 从赤贫到暴富
rupee 卢比
slum 贫民窟
be suckered into 被迷惑住
tattered 破烂的, 褴褛的
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