Unit 2 Cinema Part 1. General Overview Lead-in

"Imagine their delightful surprise when I read them the script of Love and Death with its plot that went from war to political assassination, ending with the death of its hero caused by a cruel trick of God. Never having witnessed eight film executives go into cardiac arrest simultaneously, I was quite amused."

Woody Allen, Esquire, 1975

1. How much art is there in your life? Below you see a diagram with things which generally come under the heading of "the arts". Number the genres in the order of their importance to you, that is, how much they are represented in your life. Share a few comments about where you come across each of them.

novels	drama			dance	cinema	theatre
short stories	LITERATURE		THE ARTS		PERFORMING ARTS	ballet
biographies	poetry				opera	concerts
		painting	FINE ARTS	sculpture
		architecture		ceramics

2. Coming closer to the topic of films, you are requested to specify your interest in TV. Which of the following programme types appeal to you most and what is wrong about those you don't like?

   documentaries	soap operas	drama	sports programmes	game shows
   news broadcasts	quizzes	chat shows	weather forecasts	variety shows
   current affairs programmes	sitcoms	feature films	music programmes	commercials

3. Finally, talk about the last feature film that you saw. Say how much you enjoyed it, which aspects you liked most and where the movie failed. The vocabulary below may be helpful.

ON THE PLUS SIDE			ON THE MINUS SIDE
a an a lot of plenty of a number of	absorbing	film insight into plot acting photography direction moments climax costumes soundtrack sets score	a an a few some a lot of plenty of a number of	exceptionally tedious	film look at life story-line performance by camerawork direction script dialogue quality shots characters
	fascinating			agonisingly slow
	well thought-out			boring
	brilliant			chaotic
	superb			exceedingly poor
	delicate			amateurish
	dazzling			awful
	powerful			heavy-handed
	thoroughly enjoyable			embarrassingly weak
	memorable			horribly unnatural
	gorgeous			absurd
	grandiose			laughable
	ravishing			worthless
	totally satisfying			totally disappointing

4. You are about to listen to a few viewers' comments on the film American Beauty. People's attitudes vary, and so do the criteria the film is assessed upon. As you listen, mark those aspects that the viewers point out. Put a plus (+) if that is viewed as a strong point and a minus (-) if the film underrates upon that particular criterion. To sum up, conclude what turned out to be the film's most appreciated points and what was left basically unnoticed or was absent, based exclusively on what you hear.

   Contributors

   Real characters, with real world problems

   Ingenuity of the Story

   Humour

   Cast & Performances

   Direction

   Work on Many Levels

   Blend of genres

   Work on Emotions

   Film's Message

   Gives Role Models for Youth & Recipes

   Characters

   Quality of Script & Dialogue

   Memorable Scenes

   Symbolism

   Other

   #1

   #2

   #3

   #4

   #5

   #6

   #7

   #8

   #9

5. Remember a film of your choice and say if it meets the above criteria. Consider the vocabulary tips from the listening exercise.

the script is too far-fetched	a totally disarming film
attempt at psychological profile	presented as a documentary
you leave with bittersweet taste	is more cartoon than genuine
the deadpan humour	cast does very fine jobs
I can't remember a more satisfying film	passages are thick and rich on symbolism
Everything about this movie oozes class	has original cinematic spark
strikingly original	comes up with new angles and answers
has this strange effect on you	it revolves around
I felt a million different emotions	in the vein of
combines tragedy with comedy	characters are as deep as cereal bowls
moment that might make film history	characters are one-dimensional
opens our eyes	a film for my Oscar choice

Chosen Film

Real characters, with real world problems

Ingenuity of the Story

Humour

Cast & Performances

Direction

Work on Many Levels

Blend of genres

Work on Emotions

Film's Message

Gives Role Models for Youth & Recipes

Characters

Quality of Script & Dialogue

Memorable Scenes

Symbolism

Other (Special effects, Based on Real Events, Historical Background)