LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH MOVIES
This blog aims to converge the work a group of Advanced Level students has been doing: learning English using movies as a source of inspiration for debate, vocabulary expansion, pronunciation and language improvement.
Stand by Me is a 1986 American coming of age adventure-drama film directed by Rob Reiner. Based on the novella The Body by Stephen King, the film takes its title from the song of the same name by Ben E. King (which plays during the closing credits).
Actor - Character Wil Wheaton - Gordie Lachance River Phoenix - Chris Chambers Corey Feldman - Teddy Duchamp Jerry O'Connell - Vern Tessio Richard Dreyfuss - The Writer (Adult Gordie Lachance) Kiefer Sutherland - John "Ace" Merrill
Stand by Me has extremely positive reviews, receiving a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
-Click on the link above and read some reviews.
-Choose one or two among the actors listed above and name one or two other films you've seen in which they acted.
Chocolat (French pronunciation: [ʃɔkɔla]) is a 2000 British/American romance film based on the novel of the same name by Joanne Harris, and was directed by Lasse Hallström*. Adapted by screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, Chocolat tells the story of a young mother, played by Juliette Binoche, who arrives at the fictional, repressed French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes with her six-year-old daughter and opens La Chocolaterie Maya, a small chocolaterie. Her chocolate quickly begins to change the lives of the townspeople.
The film was shot in the village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in Burgundy, France, and on the Rue De L'ancienne Poste in Beynac-et-Cazenac on the Dordogne River in Dordogne, France. The river scenes were filmed at Fonthill Lake at Fonthill Bishop in Wiltshire, England and interior scenes at Shepperton Studios, Surrey, England.
Chocolat was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, 8 BAFTAs, and 4 Golden Globes. It won a Screen Actors Guild Award.
CAST Juliette Binoche as Vianne Rocher Johnny Depp as Roux Judi Dench as Armande Voizin Alfred Molina as Comte de Reynaud more
-NAME AT LEAST ONE FILM YOU'VE SEEN WHICH FEATURED EACH OF THE ACTORS/ACTRESSES ABOVE.
NOMINATED Academy Awards: Best Actress (Juliette Binoche) Best Picture Best Original Music (Rachel Portman) Best Screenplay - Adapted (Robert Nelson Jacobs) Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench)
1970s A Guy and a Gal (1975) · ABBA: The Movie (1977) · Father to Be (1979)
1980s Tuppen (1981) · Happy We (1983) · My Life as a Dog (1985) · The Children of Noisy Village (1986) · More About the Children of Noisy Village (1987)
1990s Once Around (1991) · What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) · Something to Talk About (1995) · The Cider House Rules (1999)
2000s Chocolat (2000) · The Shipping News (2001) · An Unfinished Life (2005) · Casanova (2005) · The Hoax (2007) · Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009)
Shakespeare contributed more phrases and sayings to the English language than any other individual - and most of them are still in daily use.
Here's a collection of well-known quotations that are associated with Shakespeare. Most of these were the Bard's own work, but he wasn't averse to stealing a good line occasionally and a few of these were 'popularised by' rather than 'coined by' Shakespeare.
A countenance more in sorrow than in anger A dish fit for the gods A fool's paradise A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse A plague on both your houses A rose by any other name would smell as sweet A sea change A sorry sight Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio All corners of the world All that glitters is not gold / All that glisters is not gold All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players All's well that ends well
CLICK HERE to learn the meaning and origin of these and many other Shakespeare's quotes.
1- CHOOSE ONE QUOTE, COPY AND PASTE IT BELOW AND SAY WHY IT IS YOUR FAVORITE.
2- DO YOU REMEMBER WHICH OF THESE QUOTES WERE MENTIONED IN SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE?
References to Shakespeare's work The main source for much of the action in the film is Romeo and Juliet. Will and Viola play out the famous balcony and bedroom scenes; like Juliet, Viola has a witty nurse, and is separated from Will by a gulf of duty (although not the family enmity of the play: the "two households" of Romeo and Juliet are supposedly inspired by the two rival playhouses). In addition, the two lovers are equally "star-crossed" — they are not ultimately destined to be together (since Viola is of rich and socially ambitious merchant stock and is promised to marry Lord Wessex, while Shakespeare himself is poor and already married). There is also a Rosaline, with whom Will is in love at the beginning of the film.
Many other plot devices used in the film are common in various Shakespearean comedies and in the works of the other playwrights of the Elizabethan era: the Queen disguised as a commoner, the cross-dressing disguises, mistaken identities, the sword fight, the suspicion of adultery (or, at least, cheating), the appearance of a "ghost" (cf. Macbeth), and the "play within a play".
The film also has sequences in which Shakespeare and the other characters utter words that will later appear in his plays:
On the street, Shakespeare hears a Puritan preaching against the two London stages: "The Rose smells thusly rank, by any name! I say, a plague on both their houses!" Two references in one, both to Romeo and Juliet; first, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" (Act II, scene ii, lines 1 and 2); second, "a plague on both your houses" (Act III, scene i, line 94). Backstage of a performance of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare sees William Kempe in full make-up, silently contemplating a skull (a reference to Hamlet). Shakespeare utters the lines "Doubt thou the stars are fire, / Doubt that the sun doth move" (from Hamlet) to Philip Henslowe. As Shakespeare's writer's block is introduced, he is seen crumpling balls of paper and throwing them around his room. They land near props which represent scenes in his several plays: a skull (Hamlet), and an open chest (The Merchant of Venice). Viola, as well as being Paltrow's name in the film, is the lead character in Twelfth Night who dresses as a man after the supposed death of her brother. At the end of the film, Shakespeare imagines a shipwreck overtaking Viola on her way to America, inspiring the second scene of his next play, Twelfth Night, and perhaps also The Tempest. Shakespeare writes a sonnet to Viola which begins: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" (from Sonnet 18). Shakespeare tells Henslowe that he still owes him for "one gentleman of Verona", a reference to Two Gentlemen of Verona, part of which we also see being acted before the Queen later in the film. Christopher Marlowe appears in the film as the master playwright whom the characters within the film consider the greatest English dramatist of that time — this is accurate, yet also humorous, since everyone in the film's audience knows what will eventually happen to Shakespeare. Marlowe gives Shakespeare a plot for his next play, "Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter" ("Romeo is Italian...always in and out of love...until he meets...Ethel. The daughter of his enemy! His best friend is killed in a duel by Ethel's brother or something. His name is Mercutio.") Marlowe's Doctor Faustus is quoted repeatedly: "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships/ And burned the topless towers of Ilium?"
The child John Webster who plays with mice is a reference to the leading figure in the Jacobean generation of playwrights. His plays (The Duchess of Malfi, The White Devil) are known for their blood and gore, which is why he says that he enjoys Titus Andronicus, and why he says of Romeo and Juliet when asked by the Queen "I liked it when she stabbed herself."
When the clown Will Kempe (Patrick Barlow) says to Shakespeare that he would like to play in a drama, he is told that "they would laugh at Seneca if you played it," a reference to the Roman tragedian renowned for his sombre and bloody plot lines which were a major influence on the development of English tragedy.
Will is shown signing a paper repeatedly, with many relatively illegible signatures visible. This is a reference to the fact that several versions of Shakespeare's signature exist, and in each one he spelled his name differently.
ControversyThe writers of Shakespeare in Love were sued in 1999 by Faye Kellerman, author of the book The Quality of Mercy. Kellerman claimed that the story was lifted from her book, a detective novel in which Shakespeare and a cross-dressing Jewish woman attempt to solve a murder. Miramax derided the claim of similarity as "[an] absurd...publicity stunt".[5][6] After the film's release, certain publications, including Private Eye, noted strong similarities between the film and the 1941 novel No Bed for Bacon, by Caryl Brahms and S J Simon, which also features Shakespeare falling in love and finding inspiration for his later plays. In a foreword to a subsequent edition of No Bed for Bacon (which traded on the association by declaring itself "A Story of Shakespeare and Lady Viola in Love") Ned Sherrin, Private Eye insider and former writing partner of Brahms', confirmed that he had lent a copy of the novel to Stoppard after he joined the writing team,[7] but that the basic plot of the film had been independently developed by Marc Norman, who was unaware of the earlier work.
Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakespeare_in_love
Starring... Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judy Dench
Queen Elizabeth: Playwrights teach us nothing about love. They make it pretty, they make it comical, or they make it lust, but they cannot make it true.
WRITE Use some of the words provided below and write a summary for the film (about 120 words).
Shakespeare - young writer - short of cash - inspiration - woman - forbidden - wealthy - playwright - nobel - block(ed) - stage - 16th C - struggle - marriage - romance - plays - queen - actors - debts - nobility - comedy - obstacles - rehearsal - love - audition - dressed up - backstage - disguise - muse
WATCH Jack Nicholson presenting Gwyneth Paltrow with the Best Actress Oscar® for her performance in "Shakespeare in Love" at the 71st Academy Awards® in 1999. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG9p1FFwxb0&feature=channel
Harrison Ford announcing Best Picture Winner "Shakespeare in Love" (producers Donna Gigliotti, Marc Norman, David Parfit, Harvey Weinstein, Ed Zwick) - 71st Annual Academy Awards® in 1999 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP9a10PK54g
Quote... Ninny Threadgoode:Oh, what I wouldn't give for a plate of fried green tomatoes like we used to have at the cafe. Ooh!
So if you, like Ninny, would give anything for a plate of fried green tomatoes, here goes a recipe for you to fix some for yourself. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fried_green_tomatoes/
Read some more quotes at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101921/quotes
Choose one you have particularly liked, paste it ("comments" slot below or e-mail) and say why you have chosen it.
Written by Fannie Flagg (Novel and Screenplay) Starring: Jessica Tandy as Ninny Kathy Bates as Evelyn Mary Stuart Masterson as Idgie Mary-Louise Parker as Ruth
USER REVIEWS at IMDb (www.imdb.com) A Beautiful Film, 28 October 2004
Author: John Pearce (johnpearce48@aol.com) from England
This is truly a beautiful film.
Well written and superbly acted it tugs at the heartstrings harder than almost any other movie. The way it sets up an obvious story line and then like a gentle roller-coaster suddenly takes you in another direction is unequalled in this type of film.
There are so many points of genuine sadness and whenever you think you have guessed the story you suddenly turn to find an outcome more surprising than you thought.
Major characters die, major characters do not "fall in love" and major characters are not allowed to cop-out; it is as a film should be.
Remarkably well written, produced with care and acted with understatement and love - it is a beautiful film.
Watch it. John Pearce
For more reviews go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101921/#comment
WATCH THE FILM AND ANSWER THE POLL ON THE LEFT. COMMENT YOUR VOTE IN THE COMMENT SLOT BELOW.
These pictures share more than the same female leading roles' names: FRANCESCA (The Bridges of Madison County), FRANCES (Under the Tuscan Sun)
There are several sentences/dialogues that could have been uttered in any of the movies above. Although they have different backdrops, they all deal with the subjects of love, marriage, changes, loneliness, freedom, conflict, to name a few.
The sentences/dialogues below have been extracted from the four film scripts in question. Where you find "...:" there should be characters' names, which have been omitted. You are not required to mention which character said what, but you are expected to suggest in which film this sentence/dialogue too place.
Write 1, if you think it was said in "The Bridges of Madison County"; 2, if you think it was said in "Under the Tuscan Sun"; 3, in "Shirley Valentine"; or 4, in "Educating Rita".
Example:
...: I realized love won't obey our expectations, it's mystery is pure and absolute. Your opinion: 1 ("The Bridges of Madison County" said by FRANCESCA - you may write only the number).
Enjoy it!
xxx ...: And in that moment, everything I knew to be true about myself up until then was gone. I was acting like another woman, yet I was more myself than ever before.
xxx
...: I enjoy a glass of wine while I'm preparing the evening meal... Chips and Egg
xxx
...: So, do you want more eggs or should we just fuck on the linoleum one last time?
xxx
...: And in that moment, everything I knew to be true about myself up until then was gone. I was acting like another woman, yet I was more myself than ever before.
xxx
...: Between Austria and Italy, there is a section of the Alps called the Semmering. It is an impossibly steep, very high part of the mountains. They built a train track over these Alps to connect Vienna and Venice. They built these tracks even before there was a train in existence that could make the trip. They built it because they knew some day, the train would come.
xxx
...:This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime.
xxx
...: If you smash into something good, you should hold on until it's time to let go.
xxx
...:Things change. They always do, it's one of the things of nature. Most people are afraid of change, but if you look at it as something you can always count on, then it can be a comfort.
xxx
...: Regrets are a waste of time. They're the past crippling you in the present.
xxx
...: I'm sorry for you, lad. If she was a wife of mine I'd drown her. ...: If I was a wife of yours I'd drown meself.
xxx
...: I know. I used to be The Mother. I used to be The Wife. But now I'm ..**.. again. Would you like to join me for a drink?
xxx
...: I don't often get the chance to talk to someone like you. ...: I'm honored you chose me.
xxx
...: Unthinkably good things can happen even late in the game. It's such a surprise.
xxx
...: I'm beginning to find me. It's great.
xxx
...: Oh, I hope he stays for a while. He needs a holiday. He needs to feel the sun on his skin and to be in water that's as deep as forever.
xxx
...: If you want me to stop, tell me now. ...: No one's asking you to.
xxx
...:I was just going to have some iced tea and split the atom, but that can wait.
xxx
...: We split up because of poetry. ...: You what? ...: One day, my wife explained to me that, for the past fifteen years, my output as a poet had dealt entirely with the part of our lives in which we discovered each other. ...: Are you a poet? ...: Was. And so, to give me something new to write about, she left me. A very noble woman, my wife - she left me for the good of literature. And remarkably it worked. ...:What, you wrote a lot of good stuff, did ya? ...: No. I stopped writing altogether.
xxx
...:The old dreams were good dreams; they didn't work out, but I'm glad I had them.
xxx
...: I think that marriage is like the Middle East - there's no solution.
xxx
...: I mean, most fellas ya know, they've got no idea how to talk to a woman. ...: No? ...: No. They feel they have to take over the conversation. I mean, I mean with most fellas if you say something like, like my favorite season's autumn, they go oh, oh, my favorite season's spring and then you've got 10 minutes of them talkin' about why they like spring and you weren't talkin' about spring, you were talkin' about autumn. So what do you do? You talk about what they want to talk about. Or you don't talk at all. Or you wind up talking to yourself.
xxx
...: Don't kid yourself: you are anything but a simple woman.
Francesca: Robert, please. You don't understand, no-one does. When a woman makes the choice to marry, to have children; in one way her life begins but in another way it stops. You build a life of details. You become a mother, a wife and you stop and stay steady so that your children can move. And when they leave they take your life of details with them. And then you're expected move again only you don't remember what moves you because no-one has asked in so long. Not even yourself. You never in your life think that love like this can happen to you. Robert Kincaid: But now that you have it... Francesca: I want to keep it forever. I want to love you the way I do now the rest of my life. Don't you understand... we'll lose it if we leave. I can't make an entire life disappear to start a new one. All I can do is try to hold onto to both. Help me. Help me not lose loving you.
Write your view on the subject above. Use the space under "comments" (about 100 words).
In the coming three weeks we'll be comparing THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY with other films which have something in common in their plots: Women, Marriage, Love, Freedom. Some of the suggested titles were: Educating Rita; Shirley Valentine; Under the Tuscan Sun.
THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY
Cast & Credits Robert Kincaid: Clint Eastwood Francesca Johnson: Meryl Streep Caroline: Annie Corley Michael: Victor Slezak
Directed by Clint Eastwood. Written by Richard Lagravenese, Based On The Novel by Robert James Waller.
"This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime."
-- Robert to Francesca
By Roger Ebert Jun 2, 1995 (Chicago Sun-Times)
Clint Eastwood's "The Bridges of Madison County" is not about love and not about sex, but about an idea. The film opens with the information that two people once met and fell in love, but decided not to spend the rest of their lives together. The implication is: If they had acted on their desire, they would not have deserved such a love. (read more)
Read all the review and then write a comment on the statement above.
On Billy Elliot's official site (see address Julio posted in his comment) we can watch some short interviews with the actors and director and...much more!!!
Here are some excerpts of very interesting articles:
THE BIRTH OF BILLY ELLIOT The inspiration to write the story for Billy Elliot came in a flash to screenwriter Lee Hall while living in America and writing about his own childhood. The story gestated for about a year, mostly because Hall was working on other projects, then in a flurry of inspiration, he completed the first draft in three weeks. After further researching the art of ballet by visiting the Royal Ballet School to interview dancers hailing from small villages like Billy's, Hall showed the screenplay to Greg Brenman, head of Tiger Aspect's drama department, who was immediately taken by the story. "The idea of a young boy growing up in a tough mining village who wants to become a ballet dancer was fantastically engaging," says Brenman... Read more
BRINGING BILLY ELLIOT TO LIFE Now that the script was to everyone's liking, the search for the title character began. And everyone involved realized that the film's ultimate success lay in the part of Billy. For this role, the filmmakers auditioned over 2,000 boys. "It was a nightmare at first seeing so many boys, and we started to think the film might be uncastable," says producer Finn. Daldry agreed, and says, "It was a tall order to find a child who could dance as well as act, who came from the North East and had the right accent, and was also the right age. But eventually we found Jamie, who completely understood all the elements of the story, and he had that elusive thing that allows you to fall in love with a child and be terribly concerned about what happens to him. We found our needle in the haystack." Jamie Bell, a 13-year-old from the northeastern town of Billingham, still can't believe his luck. It was through a friend of his that he was able to secure an audition, and after quite a few call-backs he was eventually chosen." ... read more
JULIO, HERE'S A CHALLENGE FOR YOU:
Further in this article, we can read
Director of Photography Brian Tufano, who has shot such edgy films as Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, was instrumental in setting the tone of the film. "Framing, composition, colors and texture are the elements you need to convey a story," he says. "Stephen knew exactly what he wanted and was happy for me to show him how he could achieve his vision on film." Together, they decided to frame the mining village in a claustrophobic way to reflect the tight knit community. "The buildings were part of the narrative, so we framed them tight and had them spilling outside of the framework," explains Tufano. "When we shot the picket lines, we got right in there, making the camera a participant in the strike." As for the dance scenes, Tufano shifted perspective to encompass a wider, more open frame, which was to enhance the feeling that Billy was breaking free of his surrounding constraints. "We shot in the way they did in the 1930s for Fred Astaire's movies," says Tufano. "When Billy ventures out of his town to the audition, we wanted full emotional impact so we shot much more sky to show that his world was opening up."
Using your expertise in photography, what if you selected some of these scenes to illustrate what Director of Photography Brian Tufano points out above? :-) I bet everyone in class will love it!
Director: Stephen Daldry Producers: Greg Brenman, Jonathan Finn Screenwriter: Lee Hall Cast: Julie Walters, Jamie Bell, Jamie Draven, Gary Lewis, Jean Heywood, Stuart Wells, Nicola Blackwell
An Irish boy pursues his dream of learning to dance the ballet despite fierce opposition from his macho father and brother, who insist he learn to box and work in the local mine. Billy does not give up dancing. The buried pain in the father/son relationship is healed when the boy wins a chance to audition for the national ballet.
Go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0249462/ and read some more about it!
Julio has sent us the lyrics to Cosmic Dancer (posted below)- Billy Elliot's theme song. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6W8ZspPjj4&feature=PlayList&p=404562CD704A4451&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=56 and watch a beautiful video with Billy's dances and the song in the background.
Cosmic Dancer
T Rex
I was dancing when I was twelve I was dancing when I was aaah I danced myself right out the womb Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself right out the womb
I was dancing when I was eight Is it strange to dance so late I danced myself into the tomb Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself into the tomb
Is it wrong to understand The fear that dwells inside a man What's it like to be a loon I liken it to a balloon
I danced myself out of the womb Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself into the tomb But when again once more
I danced myself out of the womb Is it strange to dance so soon I danced myself out of the womb.
THANKS, JULIO!
And... Our near-future project stands... Shirley Valentine; Under the Tuscan Sun; Educating Rita...
What do these pictures have in common? How do they differ?
We will be watching these films in the coming months and will then schedule a special class to discuss the questions brought up above.
No one thought she had the courage. The nerve. Or the lingerie.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert; Based on play by Willy Russell; Screenplay by Willy Russell.
The leading role is performed by actress Pauline Colins who also played Shirley Valentine's part on the play.
This is an excerpt of the review posted at IMDb site titled "We always have steak on a Thursday", 16 February 2009 by author James Hitchcock from Tunbridge Wells, England Go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098319/usercomments?start=10 and read all the review.
...Shirley's main concern is that life is passing her by. We learn from flashbacks that the young Shirley was a wild, rebellious, free-spirited girl and in the early days of her marriage was still fun-loving and unconventional, devotedly in love with her husband. The older Shirley is bored and frustrated, trapped in a marriage which seems to have died. She has fallen out of love with Joe, who has become cold, stingy and bad-tempered. Whereas Shirley hates routine and predictability, Joe thrives on them; in one memorable scene he loses his temper because she has served him egg and chips rather than steak for his tea. ("We always have steak on a Thursday. We have chips and egg on a Tuesday").
Shirley sees a chance of escape from her routine when her friend Jane wins a holiday for two to Greece in a competition and asks Shirley to come with her. Shirley has never been abroad before (Joe being too mean to pay for foreign holidays), and, after some hesitation, accepts and sets off for Greece without telling her husband. While on holiday she meets, falls for, and has a brief affair with, Costas, a Greek bar owner. At first, he appears to be everything Joe is not- handsome, charming, generous and attentive- but Shirley soon discovers that he is a practised seducer, which is why their affair is only a brief one...
You've been asked to select the scenes (at least 3) you'd like to see at our next meeting .
Please list them here under "comments" or bring your notes next class.
Watch this video to help you decide.
Celebrating Valentine's Day...
If you really want to indulge your soul with love scenes and beautiful music(Andrew Lloyd Webber's "All I Ask of You"), go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55ke_-zB2SU and watch this video which depicts the deep love shared by the Angel of Death and his Soul Mate*.
*Soulmate
Soulmate (or soul mate) is a term sometimes used to designate someone with whom one has a feeling of deep and natural affinity, friendship, love, intimacy, sexuality, and/or compatibility. A related concept is that of the twin flame or twin soul – thought to be the ultimate soulmate, the one and only other half of one's soul, for which all souls are driven to find and join. (Babylon)
the director of Scent of a Woman; featuring Anthony Hopkins, Brad Pitt, Claire Forlani.
Week 1
Read the transcript of the introductory scenes.
MEET JOE BLACK (source http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Meet-Joe-Black.html)
-------------------------------------------------------------- EXT. ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - 4:00 AM
A patch of water. PULL BACK TO REVEAL more water. BACK FARTHER TO REVEAL an expanse of river, up the bank to massive lawn running up to a great, classic Hudson River manor house; the country estate of William Parrish.
INT. PARRISH COUNTRY ESTATE - 4:00 AM
MOVE THROUGH French doors that lead from a wide terrace into an expansive living room, DOWN wide corridors lined with Bierstadt and Cole paintings, the Hudson River School, mists and trees and small boats and distant humans.
INT. PARRISH BEDROOM - 4:00 AM
MOVE THROUGH the doorway to reveal a master bedroom furnish- ed with exquisite simplicity, revelatory of its sleeping occupant, WILLIAM PARRISH, 64, a warm but commanding face, a man of maturity yet who exudes a glow of enthusiasm.
Although asleep, there is an uncommon restlessness to him. Parrish grips his upper arm as if in pain. Now the severity of the pain wakes him, he squeezes his arm. The wind comes up, through the wind a VOICE is heard distantly, or is it the wind itself:
VOICE (V.O.) ... Yes.
Parrish blinks, has he heard something, has he not, he is not sure, he releases his arm, his grimace of pain fades, the discomfort seems momentarily to have subsided.
He rises now, crosses to the bathroom. As he pees, a breeze outside the window, the wind again, but then the Voice comes up:
VOICE (V.O.) Yes...
It is unmistakably a Voice, it is not the wind, Parrish has heard something, he looks around, but no one is there. He can't finish peeing, turns back to his bedroom. All bewild- ered, Parrish looks around once more, climbs back into bed, trying to trace the source of what he has heard or hasn't heard; he is not sure.
He pulls the covers up now, not a SOUND, tries to close his eyes.
VOICE (V.O.) Yes.
Parrish sits up again, frightened, but still there is no one there, he seems fraught with indecision, should he get up, should he not, what is happening? He looks out: absolute stillness and silence, CRICKETS chirp down by the river, a light FLICKERS from a shadboat, Parrish closes his eyes but then they flutter open, he glances up at the ceiling and finally, exhausted, falls back asleep.
EXT. REAR TERRACE, PARRISH COUNTRY ESTATE - NEXT MORNING
The great lawn infested with workmen, planting stakes, un- rolling a huge canvas tent, gardeners fashioning topiary and adding landscaping of their own, crews setting up platforms, speakers, lights. Ubiquitous is ALLISON, 35, Parrish's older daughter, foremen competing for her attention and she relishing every moment.
Print the script above and bring it to class. We'll analyze it while watching the introductory scenes.
-Is the film set well portrayed in the script? -Are the emotions experimented by the character conveyed? -Does the script depict details you hadn't observed in the film?
WARNING – This film does feature scenes of a Ginger child, with freckles, who is ultimately the victim of abuse. Some of the images can be particularly distressing if you or anyone around you happens to be Ginger (but never fear, he does get one up on the bullies that interminably pursue him).
This week's assignment is: 1)choose one of the excerpts selected by Julio (he has posted four of them in the "comments" slot) and comment on it; 2)select 3 new words in Laura's text that you find important to learn and write a synonym or definition. Post your answers under "comments" or send us an email.
Go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388154/usercomments and read some of the viewers comments.
If you haven't seen the movie yet... do the comments encourage you to see this kind of film? If you have already seen the movie... whose comment (name the author) is most in line with your opinion of the film?
Watch the trailer
Have you seen Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? It would be interesting if you could watch it as the film makes reference to it all the time.
Grace is in a bad fix. She "inherited" a lot of financial problems from her deceased husband.
Here are some sentences transcribed from the movie. Replace the words in bold by synonyms. You may post your answers below (comments) or send them by e-mail.
GRACE at the grocery store:
-“I'd like a package of paracetamol and I'd like to settle my account.”
GERALD and GRACE at the bank:
-“I can extend the overdraft...a bit. And maybe you can find out if there's a life insurance policy."
-"Your late husband used the house as an asset to raise capital. As you have no children, you'll inherit the estate...but you'll also inherit the mortgage."
-"Fine. The house's XX years old. The mortgage must be paid off by now."
-"You don't understand. He used the house as collateral for loans to finance business deals. Do you have a stock portfolio, perhaps?”
StarringBrenda Blethyn and Craig Ferguson A small-town English widow, facing financial troubles after her husband's suicide, turns to agriculture of an illegal kind. www.imdb.com
Week 1 -What are the SEVEN symptoms you might experience while viewing this motion picture according to this trailer?
There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. But for one, there is no doubt.
Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority. www.imdb.com
An enthralling movie with superb acting, and here are some of my favorite quotes. Please add your own favorite ones in the space provided below (Comments).
Sister James: Did you ever prove it? Sister Aloysius Beauvier: To whom? Sister James: Anyone but yourself?
Father Brendan Flynn: Even if you feel certainty, it is an emotion not a fact.
Mrs. Miller: You can't hold a child responsible for what God gave him to be.
Towards the end of the film, Father Flynn delivers a heartfelt sermon, referring to the "unfounded suspicion" thrown in the wind by the two nuns.
Here is the transcript.
'A woman was gossiping with her friend about a man whom they hardly knew - I know none of you have ever done this. That night, she had a dream: a great hand appeared over her and pointed down on her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt. The next day she went to confession. She got the old parish priest, Father O' Rourke, and she told him the whole thing. 'Is gossiping a sin?' she asked the old man. 'Was that God All Mighty's hand pointing down at me? Should I ask for your absolution? Father, have I done something wrong?' 'Yes,' Father O' Rourke answered her. 'Yes, you ignorant, badly-brought-up female. You have blamed false witness on your neighbor. You played fast and loose with his reputation, and you should be heartily ashamed.' So, the woman said she was sorry, and asked for forgiveness. 'Not so fast,' says O' Rourke. 'I want you to go home, take a pillow upon your roof, cut it open with a knife, and return here to me.' So, the woman went home: took a pillow off her bed, a knife from the drawer, went up the fire escape to her roof, and stabbed the pillow. Then she went back to the old parish priest as instructed. 'Did you cut the pillow with a knife?' he says. 'Yes, Father.' 'And what were the results?' 'Feathers,' she said. 'Feathers?' he repeated. 'Feathers; everywhere, Father.' 'Now I want you to go back and gather up every last feather that flew out onto the wind,' 'Well,' she said, 'it can't be done. I don't know where they went. The wind took them all over.' 'And that,' said Father O' Rourke, 'is gossip!'
WHAT IS WOODY ALLAN'S HALLMARK? (Use the space provided below to express your opinion - 20 to 30 words)
In the coming week, we'll be comparing Woody Allen's Match Point (2005) with Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) as to script, characters, direction, cinematography, etc.
Sexually adventurous Cristina (Scarlett Johansson)and her friend Vicky (Rebecca Hall), who is bright but cautious, holiday in Barcelona where they meet the celebrated and wholly seductive painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Vicky is not about to dive into a sexual adventure being committed to her forthcoming marriage. But Cristina is immediately captivated by Juan Antonio's free spirit and his romantic allure is enhanced when she hears the delicious details of his divorce from fellow artist, the tempestuous Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz). Written by johnno.r[at]xtra.co.nz www.imdb.com
There are 6 words/expressions underlined (hyperlinked) in the sentences below. Do you remember their meanings? Click on the links and check the entries in the online dictionaries.
1-Chris: So tell me, what's a beautiful young American ping-pong player doing here mingling among the British upper class?
2-Chris: I’m naturally competitive. Is it off-putting?
3-Nola: He was trying to have his way with me over the (ping-pong) table.
4-Chloe: You’re not crossed, are you? (Adj. Definition 3)
5-Chloe: If things go well, Papa will see to it that you move up quickly.
Now, rewrite/rephrase the sentences below using your own words. Use the space provided (comments) or send your answers by e-mail. Look it up in a dictionary if you need help. 1- Chloe: He (Chloe’s father) respects how you (Chris) pulled yourself up against the odds.
2- Nola: I could use a drink just to pull myself together.
3- Nola: I don’t buy into Eleanor.
4- Nola (after the audition): I blew it! I can’t pull it through.
5- Nola: Unless you blew it. Chris: How could I blow it? Nola: By making a pass at me.
6- Tom (to his mother): Nola is not exactly over the hill!
Test your memory...Can you transcribe the dialogue Chris and Nola had in this scene?
Let's work together. Every student should contribute editing one another's text till we get to a dialogue as close as possible to the script. I'll suggest the beginning: Nola Rice: Has anyone told you you play an aggressive game? Christopher "Chris" Wilton: Has anyone told you you have very sensual lips?
Now you go on. Who will dare first? As we continue, you should copy and paste your classmates' text, edit (add, cut, correct spelling/grammar) it using the "comments" slot underneath or send it by email to the whole group. COME ON! DON'T BREAK THE CHAIN!!!
Week 1 Woody Allan's first film shot entirely in Britain.
Tennis pro Chris Wilton takes a job as a tennis instructor and hits it off immediately with one of his students, wealthy young Tom Hewitt. Tom introduces Chris to his family and Chris falls quickly into a romance with Tom's sister Chloe. But despite the growing certainty that Chris and Chloe will marry, and the enormous professional and financial advantages that come Chris's way through his relationship with the delighted Hewitt family, Chris becomes increasingly intrigued and eventually romantically involved with Tom's fiancée, Nola Rice, a struggling American actress. Their passionate trysts leave Chris in danger of losing the wealth and position he has now come to enjoy. The only solution to the dilemma seems unthinkable... Written by Jim Beaver {jumblejim@prodigy.net} IMDb.com
Chris's first lines were:
Christopher "Chris" Wilton: The man who said "I'd rather be lucky than good" saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose.
Comment (use the space provided below) on Chris's words above (about 50 words), or copy and paste somebody's words - a proverb, a quote, a poem - to illustrate the subject.
Read the summaries below. Choose one summary of a film you have seen and add two sentences to the text to make it more complete. Your sentences can be added at initial, middle or end positions. You can find clips and trailers of the films at www.rottentomatoes.com/movies.
SUMMARIES (Source: http://www.imdb.com/)
AVATAR (2009) – James Cameron
When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora. Written by The Massie Twins
THE HURT LOCKER (2008) - Kathryn Bigelow
An intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When a new sergeant, James, takes over a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst violent conflict, he surprises his two subordinates, Sanborn and Eldridge, by recklessly plunging them into a deadly game of urban combat. James behaves as if he's indifferent to death. As the men struggle to control their wild new leader, the city explodes into chaos, and James' true character reveals itself in a way that will change each man forever. Written by BWR Public Relations
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009) – Quentin Tarantino
In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history. Written by The Massie Twins
THE BLIND SIDE (2009) – John Lee Hancock
The Blind Side" depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher's presence in the Touhys' lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and, with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle. Written by Anonymous
UP IN THE AIR (2009) – Jason Reitman
Ryan Bingham's job is to fire people from theirs. The anguish, hostility, and despair of his "clients" has left him falsely compassionate, living out of a suitcase, and loving every second of it. When his boss hires arrogant young Natalie, she develops a method of video conferencing that will allow termination without ever leaving the office - essentially threatening the existence Ryan so cherishes. Determined to show the naive girl the error of her logic, Ryan takes her on one of his cross country firing expeditions, but as she starts to realize the disheartening realities of her profession, he begins to see the downfalls to his way of life. Written by The Massie Twins
PRECIOUS (2009) – Lee Daniels
Claireece Precious Jones endures unimaginable hardships in her young life. Abused by her mother, raped by her father, she grows up poor, angry, illiterate, fat, unloved and generally unnoticed. So what better way to learn about her than through her own, halting dialect. Written by anonymous
INVICTUS (2009) – Clint Eastwood
The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa's rugby team to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa's rugby team as they make their historic run to the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship match. Written by alfiehitchie
We have agreed to see as many Oscar-nominated films as possible before our next meeting. I've been doing my homework; I've seen most of them already. Hard work!!! :-)
New Task: There's this very interesting related site called Rotten Tomatoes http://www.rottentomatoes.com/movie/?intcmp=topnav_movies Have a look at it. Type in the name of the movie(s) you want to read about and while reading the reviews, select some strong adjectives and adverbs used by the writers(e.g., riveting, gripping) and be ready to explain their meaning in the context they appear.
Let's welcome the profusion of new films in the Oscar season.
Go to http://www.imdb.com/features/rto/2010/oscars and read about the movies and nominations.
Which of those films have you already seen? How did you like it/them? Which one are you planning to see next? Which films are you not willing to see? Why not?
Please answer these questions in the slot under "comments" or send us an email.
(You will get a more extensive exercise on "Neutral and Strong Adjectives and Adverbs" on your email.)
In another scene Keating is in the courtyard with his students. He is trying "...to illustrate the point of conformity: the difficulty in maintaining your own beliefs in the face of others." and he goes on saying
"...Now, we all have a great need for acceptance. But you must trust that your beliefs are unique, your own, even though others may think them odd or unpopular, even though the herd may go, "That's baaaaad." Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
Have you ever read Robert Frost's poem mentioned above?
You may listen to it here.
-Search Robert Frost's poem on the Web and read it. -What is the main point in his poem? -What does Keatings mean to show to his students? -Have you ever come to a fork in the road of life? Did you take "the road less traveled by"? -Search a poem you would like to share with your classmates next class. Send them a copy by email.
He was their inspiration. He made their lives extraordinary.
Starring Robin Williams
Painfully shy Todd Anderson has been sent to the school where his popular older brother was valedictorian. His room-mate, Neil, although exceedingly bright and popular, is very much under the thumb of his overbearing father. The two, along with their other friends, meet Professor Keating, their new English teacher, who tells them of the Dead Poets Society, and encourages them to go against the status quo. Each, in their own way, does this, and are changed for life. Written by Liz Jordan {c9310494@alinga.newcastle.edu.au}
Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8UL_9R_W-Y and choose a video on the movie to watch.
Using the vocabulary studied in Week 1 - "How to Describe People" - choose one character in "Big Fish" and describe him/her by answering the questions: What does he/she look like? What's he/she like?
You may use the material provided in class or go to the following websites for help:
After a short break we are getting together again for more language and, why not say, personal improvement through the 7th art.
The first film of 2010 is Tim Burton's 2004 tall-tale "BIG FISH".
"In the heartwarming film Big Fish, director Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissor hands) brings his inimitable imagination on a journey that delves deep into a fabled relationship between a father and his son. Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) has always been a teller of tall-tales about his oversized life as a young man (Ewan McGregor), when his wanderlust led him on an unlikely journey from a small-town in Alabama, around the world, and back again. His mythic exploits dart from the delightful to the delirious as he weaves epic tales about giants, blizzards, a witch and conjoined-twin lounge singers. With his larger-than-life stories, Bloom charms almost everyone he encounters except for his estranged son Will (Billy Crudup). When his mother Sandra (Jessica Lange) tries to reunite them, Will must learn how to separate fact from fiction as he comes to terms with his father's great feats and great failings."
Read about the cast at http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/bigfish/site/index.php the movie's Official Site.
