Jack Woltz was a tall, powerfully built man with a heavy paunch almost

Concealed by his perfectly tailored suit. Hagen knew his history. At ten years of

Age Woltz had hustled empty beer kegs and pushcarts on the East Side. At twenty

He helped his father sweat garment workers. At thirty he had left New York and

Moved West, invested in the nickelodeon and pioneered motion pictures. At forty-

Eight he had been the most powerful movie magnate in Hollywood, still rough-

Spoken, rapaciously amorous, a raging wolf ravaging helpless flocks of young

Starlets. At fifty he transformed himself. He took speech lessons, learned how to

Dress from an English valet and how to behave socially from an English butler.

When his first wife died he married a world-famous and beautiful actress who

Didn't like acting. Now at the age of sixty he collected old master paintings, was a

Member of the President's Advisory Committee, and had set up a multimillion-

Dollar foundation in his name to promote art in motion pictures. His daughter had

Married an English lord, his son an Italian princess.

His latest passion, as reported dutifully by every movie columnist in America,

Was his own racing stables on which he had spent ten million dollars in the past

Year. He had made headlines by purchasing the famed English racing horse

Khartoum for the incredible price of six hundred thousand dollars and then

Announcing that the undefeated racer would be retired and put to stud

Exclusively for the Woltz stables.

He received Hagen courteously, his beautifully, evenly tanned, meticulously

Barbered face contorted with a grimace meant to be a smile. Despite all the

Money spent, despite the ministrations of the most knowledgeable technicians,

His age showed; the flesh of his face looked as if it had been seamed together.

But there was an enormous vitality in his movements and he had what Don

Corleone had, the air of a man who commanded absolutely the world in which he

Lived.

 

 

1 Hagen came directly to the point (прямо перешел к сути дела, начал с самой

сути). That he was an emissary (эмиссар, посланец ['emis∂rı]) from a friend of Johnny

Fontane. That this friend was a very powerful man who would pledge his gratitude

(готов поклясться, заверить в своей благодарности = гарантирует свою

благодарность; to pledge – отдавать в залог; давать обет; связывать обещанием,

клятвой) and undying friendship (и вечную: «неумирающую» дружбу) to Mr. Woltz if

Mr. Woltz would grant a small favor (сделает небольшую любезность, удовлетворит

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

 

 

просьбу; to grant – дарить, жаловать; предоставлять, удовлетворять). The small

favor would be the casting of Johnny Fontane (предоставление роли; to cast –

распределять роли) in the new war movie the studio planned to start next week.

2 The seamed face was impassive (бесстрастное), polite (вежливое). "What favors

can your friend do me?" Woltz asked. There was just a trace of condescension in his

voice (легкий след = оттенок снисходительности).

3 Hagen ignored the condescension. He explained. "You've got some labor trouble

coming up (у вас назревает неприятность с профсоюзами). My friend can absolutely

guarantee to make that trouble disappear. You have a top male star (у вас есть

«главная мужская звезда») who makes a lot of money for your studio but he just

graduated from marijuana to heroin (перешел; to graduate [‘grжdju∂t] –

прогрессировать, продвигаться вперед; переходить в другое состояние). My friend

will guarantee that your male star won't be able to get any more heroin (не сможет

больше достать). And if some other little things come up over the years (и если какие-

либо другие мелочи возникнут с течением времени) a phone call to me can solve

your problems (разрешить)."

4 Jack Woltz listened to this as if he were hearing the boasting of a child (словно он

слушал похвальбу ребенка). Then he said harshly (резко, грубо), his voice

deliberately all East Side (специально, нарочно с /крутым/ истсайдским акцентом

/East Side – the eastern section of Manhattan, in New York City, lying to the east of

Fifth Avenue/), "You trying to put muscle on me (пытаетесь = вздумали надавить на

меня)?"

5 Hagen said coolly, "Absolutely not. I've come to ask a service for a friend. I've tried to

explain that you won't lose anything by it (попытался объяснить, что вы ничего не

потеряете на этом)."

6 Almost as if he willed it («почти как если бы он хотел этого» = с едва ли не

напускным /гневом/), Woltz made his face a mask of anger. The mouth curled (губы

скривились), his heavy brows (брови), dyed black (подкрашенные в черный цвет; to

dye – красить, окрашивать), contracted (сдвинулись: «сократились») to form a thick

line over his glinting eyes (чтобы образовать, образовав толстую /непрерывную/

линию над его засверкавшими глазами). He leaned over the desk toward Hagen. "All

right, you smooth son of a bitch (гладенький, скользкий сукин сын; smooth [smu:р] –

гладкий, ровный; скользкий; вежливый, приятный), let me lay it on the line for you

and your boss (позволь мне кое-что четко объяснить: «выложить на линию»),

whoever he is. Johnny Fontane never gets that movie. I don't care how many guinea

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

 

 

Mafia goombahs come out of the woodwork (сколько итальянских дружков

появляются, возникают; woodwork – деревянные изделия; to come out of the

woodwork – появляться, возникать; guinea – /сленг, презрит./ итальяшка; goombah

– дружок, приятель /сленг, из итальянского/)." He leaned back. "A word of advice to

you, my friend. J. Edgar Hoover, I assume (полагаю) you've heard of him" – Woltz

smiled sardonically – "is a personal friend of mine. If I let him know I'm being pressured

(что на меня оказывают давление, что меня шантажируют), you guys will never

know what hit you (вам парням крышка: «никогда так и не узнаете, даже и не

узнаете, что вас стукнуло»)."