It is not even one of the better Robert Redford films. In The Horse Whisperer, the ageing dreamboat coaxes an injured animal back to action through some mysterious personal rapport. This piece of 1990s mid-budget fluff inspired a new phrase in political discourse — to be someone’s “whisperer” is to have unusual sway with them — but for years it was understood to be ironic. It is now used in all seriousness. Giorgia Meloni, who gets on with Donald Trump to absolutely no discernible benefit to her, Italy or Ukraine, is the latest western leader to be credited with a unique hold over him.
這在羅伯特•雷德福(Robert Redford)演過的電影裏甚至算不上比較好的一部。在《馬語者》(The Horse Whisperer)中，這位年邁的迷人男子通過某種神祕的個人默契，哄勸受傷的馬恢復運動機能。這部上世紀90年代的中等規模預算電影催生了一個政治話語中的新詞——成爲某人的「耳語者」，也就是對其擁有非同尋常的影響力。但許多年來，這個詞一直帶有諷刺意味。如今這個詞被正兒八經地用作褒義詞。貌似與唐納•川普(Donald Trump)融洽相處的焦爾吉婭•梅洛尼(Giorgia Meloni)是最新一位被認爲對川普擁有獨特影響力的西方領導人——儘管誰也看不出這種融洽爲她本人、爲義大利或烏克蘭帶來了任何好處。