拍电影难，拍一部好看的历史体裁电影更难——不仅在拍摄过程中要历经千锤百炼，在上映后还要勇于承受舆论的评判：艺术的演绎到底在多大程度上符合史实呢？第83届奥斯卡的大赢家《国王的演讲》最近就激起了这样的热议。随着这部影片受到愈来愈高的关注度，评论家们也越来越多地指出该片的诸多历史失真之处。抛却真实与否的重要性不提，现在让我们从历史学家的角度，一起来审视一下该片中哪些情节忠于史实、哪些纯属虚构。
They say truth can be stranger than fiction, but that seldom stops Hollywood from adding an embellishment1) or two when it comes to transferring truth to the big screen. Films purportedly “based on a true story” tread treacherous2) ground with film buffs3), historians and purists4). How far can artistic license5) stretch for the sake of entertainment? Do we eschew6) the nitpicky7) details of historical accuracy in favor of a good movie, or should filmmakers be beholden to every detail, regardless of how it paints their characters?
人们常说，真相往往比小说还要离奇，但这并不妨碍好莱坞在将现实搬上银幕时“添油加醋”。号称“根据真实故事改编”的电影往往带着影迷、历史学家和纯粹主义者一起“走钢丝”。打着娱乐的旗号，艺术的演绎到底有多大空间？对于一部好的电影，我们是否不该吹毛求疵地纠结于历史的准确性？还是说，电影制片人有义务忠实于每一个细节，不管这将会塑造出什么样的人物形象？
The King's Speech is the latest project to stir up such a debate. This film was the big winner at the 2011 Oscars, and with increasing regularity, critics have been crawling out of the woodwork8) to point out the film's numerous historical inaccuracies. But how much of The King's Speech is fact and how much is fiction? And does it really matter anyway? 
《国王的演讲》最近就激起了这样的辩论。这部影片是2011年奥斯卡的大赢家，引得评论家们纷纷跳将出来，越来越多地指出这部电影的诸多历史失真之处。那么，《国王的演讲》中到底有哪些是史实，哪些是虚构呢？真实与否真的很重要吗？
Directed by Tom Hooper, The King's Speech centers around Prince Albert (known as Bertie to his family), a man who suffers from a debilitating stutter. Since the impediment hinders him from executing his royal duties, his wife, Elizabeth, enlists the help of an unorthodox Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue, who helps the future king overcome his insecurities and speak without fear. The task becomes even more pressing once Bertie's brother, King Edward VIII, abdicates the throne to marry an American divorcée, leaving Bertie to bear the crown and the responsibility of boosting the country's morale while Britain is on the brink of war with Hitler.
由汤姆·霍伯执导的影片《国王的演讲》围绕阿尔伯特亲王(王室成员称他为“伯蒂”)的故事展开。阿尔伯特亲王患有严重的口吃，已经到了妨碍他履行王室职责的地步，因此，他的王妃伊丽莎白便求助于一位离经叛道的澳大利亚语言治疗师——名叫莱昂内尔·罗格——来帮助这位未来的国王克服紧张不安的情绪，从而毫无畏惧地讲话。当伯蒂的哥哥爱德华八世国王放弃王位要和一位离婚的美国女子结婚时，这一任务就变得更为紧迫了——因为彼时正值英国与希特勒的战争一触即发之际，伯蒂要在这一紧要关头继承王位，担负起振作国民士气的重任。
It's all very rousing and inspiring stuff—the film's tagline is “Find your voice”, after all. But the consensus seems split on just how much of the historical drama in The King's Speech is historically sound and, for that matter, whether historical accuracy is even that important when it comes to telling a rollicking9) good yarn to entertain the masses. Now allow us to present a number of the film's most prominent facts and fictions to figure out what Hooper and The King's Speech scribe David Seidler got right and what they, perhaps deliberately, got wrong.
整部片子充满催人振奋、激励人心的情节——毕竟，影片的招牌语言就是“找到自己的声音”。但是，对于影片中的历史剧情部分究竟有多少符合历史，以及对于这样一个旨在取悦大众的热闹好看的故事来说，历史的真实性是否还那么重要，舆论的观点似乎见仁见智。下面请允许我们列举出影片中若干显著的史实与虚构，来看看导演霍伯和编剧大卫·塞德勒在哪些情节的处理上忠于史实，哪些(或许是有意识地)又偏离史实。
King George VI 国王乔治六世
Played with pathos10) and charm by Colin Firth, Bertie is seen as a shy, retiring chap, albeit one who has legendary fits of temper. Still, he's our hero, which in Hollywood terms necessitates that he's sympathetic, with a relatable journey and, if at all possible, a happy ending. On that count, The King's Speech ticks all the boxes11).
由科林·费斯扮演的伯蒂充满魅力而又令人同情，在观众眼中，他是一个腼腆、喜欢独处的人，虽然有时也会像传说中那样大发脾气。然而，他是我们的主人公，用好莱坞的语言来说，他必须是一个令人同情的人，有着可以引发共鸣的经历，如果有可能的话，最好还要有一个圆满的结局。从这个意义上来说，《国王的演讲》正好符合所有的标准。