一日一篇又来了
Jolie nails the 'real' in real-life

FOR those of us who are interested in the life and art of Angelina Jolie, and how they manage to co-exist, there are many standout moments in A Mighty Heart.

The recent film, directed by Michael Winterbottom, tells the story of Mariane Pearl. Her husband, Daniel, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was kidnapped and killed by armed militants in the Pakistani city of Karachi in 2002. His beheading was broadcast online.

In one scene, the pregnant Mariane, played by Jolie, is asked by a reporter if she has seen the video of her husband's death. Head lowered, eyes two dark pools of thought, she replies: "Have you no decency? How can you ask me that?"

This is the moment that Jolie nails the "real" in this real-life character study. No sad widow springing solely from a scriptwriter's imagination could be quite so cold and unattractive to viewers.

And this is the way Jolie spends most of the movie – being real. Her Mariane, coiled like a snake over her computer screen, waits for news of her husband. Her belly's bulging. And her eyelids are smeared with purple after attempts to rub out the tiredness.

Other scenes in A Mighty Heart stand out for different reasons. After the kidnapping, Mariane stands in a courtyard weeping. Then she suddenly recovers and begins to smile, not wanting to frighten the small Pakistani child playing nearby. And when news of the kidnapping breaks, Mariane passes by the cameras, her face unreadable.

Arguably, these scenes overlap in places with Jolie's own life. Her youthful wildness gave way to emotional calm when she got together with Brad Pitt, whom she "stole" from Jennifer Aniston.

Then there is the seriousness, with which Jolie, 32, has worked as a UN goodwill ambassador for refugees since 2001.

Moreover, there are the children. Her family includes three adopted children, plus her and Pitt's daughter.

By most criteria, Jolie's personal, professional and philanthropic life suggests that she has a lot of things to juggle. A Mighty Heart forcefully reminds us that Jolie has it in her to be a great and serious actress.

But in too many of her recent movies she seems to feature only as a funny, beautiful (and expensive) afterthought.

Right now, Jolie is doing exactly what she wants to do. "I love being an actress. I love telling a good story, but I feel that at the end of the day, when I die, what contribution will I have made?"

VOCABULARY BUILDER

WORDS describing Jolie – the beautiful actress, mother and activist:

mover and shaker: 举足轻重的，具有影响力的人物

Her job allows her to meet all sorts of movers and shakers from the entertainment industry. 她的工作让她能够接触到娱乐圈里的大腕儿们。

enigmatic : 谜一般的, 高深莫测的

Jolie always seems so poised in her interviews, but the legend has grown about her that she's a bit of a wild thing. She strikes me as a bit enigmatic. 朱丽在接受采访时总是很端庄，但是传闻她是个野性的人。她给我的印象是神秘的。

sensual : adj 能刺激感观的, 性感的

With the fullest, most cartoonish pair of lips, Jolie remains a sensual figure to most male audiences. 朱丽具有两片最丰满的,的最接近卡通人物的嘴唇，这让她成为男人心中的性感女神。

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juggle 同时做几件事情

kidnap 绑架

nail 确定下

behead 斩首

decency 庄重

coil 盘绕

bulging膨胀

weep 哭泣

afterthought 考虑事情不周全的人

overlap 重叠

philanthropic 慈善的