What’s on at the Cinema Today?

9. What types of movies does the customer like (dislike)? Restore the dialogue and you‘ll find the answers.

Clerk: Let’s see … We have The Secret Agent Returns. That’s pretty exciting. Customer: Hmm. Maybe a comedy. Clerk: Hi. Can I help you? Customer: Yeah, but I’ve seen it already. Maybe an action movie. Do you have any new movies? Clerk: Well, Three Clowns is very funny. Clerk: Do you know what type of movie you want to see? Comedy? Drama? Science fiction? Customer: Well, I want to rent a video, but I don’t know what to watch.

Customer: Um … What’s that one from France that won the award at the film festival? Clerk: Not really, it’s more of a spy thriller. The acting is great, and the plot is very clever. I liked it a lot. Customer: Is it violent? I don’t like violent movies. Clerk: We have a few … Anything in particular you’re interested in? Customer: I don’t know … Well, how about foreign films? Clerk: Oh, you mean C’est la Vie? Clerk: OK. Let me just make sure that … Customer: That’s the one! I’ll rent that.

10. Use these questions to have a conversation with your partner.

1. What is your favorite type of movie? Why?

2. What’s the worst movie you have seen? Why didn’t you like it?

3. Who is your favorite actress (actor)? Why?

4. What is the last movie you watched? Did you like it?

5. What movie that is currently playing do you want to see? Why?

12. Work in pairs You’ve managed to see a theatre performance and a new film at the cinema with your friends. Share your impressions using:

Definitely. That’s exactly my own view. I’m not at all, in fact. That’s not the way I see the play. You can’t be serious!

1. Do you think the play is more laughable than sad?

2. I was deeply impressed by the play.

3. The main characters were superb.

4. They have given the piece a realistic treatment.

5. The cast leaves much to be desired.

6. It’s a rather poor production.

7. I like the open-air scenes with their breath-taking beauty.

8. The film is dull in spots.

9. It is a masterpiece of French cinema art.

13. Find and read aloud those parts of the texts which express the viewpoints given below.

A: “In some respects the motion picture is the American art par excellence. For a long time Hollywood produces new films with an unbelievable speed. The slogan “The Art for art’s sake” is placed by a steady stream of the high quality movie hits. Different countries are pervaded with all sort of American-made thrillers, westerners, spy-films, horror-films, … the like which have a pernicious influence on young people.

In the middle of the 20^th century some critics argued that the American film, precisely because its need to please a mass audience had helped it break out of the limiting gentility of the European cinema, had vitality and a set of masters without equal in the world.”

B: “The British film industry is widely acknowledged to have undergone a revival. British films, actors, creative and technical film services have been achieving notable successes at international film festivals. The important thing about the British film industry is that the industry is promoted by the British film Institute. The Institute offers direct financial and technical help to new and experienced film-makers who cannot find support elsewhere, insists on having artistic control of pictures. In other words, it controls the script, the cast, the shooting and the completion of the picture.”

1. The film-makers are extremely commercial-minded and regard the properties they have as commercial properties.

2. Commercial art impede the young talented film writers, actors and producers in their effort to produce really good films.

3. The British films will be in the international prize-winning category.

4. In Britain the local authorities have powers to license cinemas and censor films.

5.The American film industry has a motto “The Art for art’s sake”