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C. Match the main genres with the pictures denoting them. Give your arguments.

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LEVEL 1

Task 1. Read these words paying attention to their pronunciation, find Russian equivalents and memorize in order to use them in your speech.

 

action-packed, adj

at a time

be exploited

be painted by hand

be up from smth to smth

black and white, adj

catch on, phr. v

celluloid film

cinema-goer, n

compete with smb by smth

collapse, n

debut, n

gimmick, n

impact on, phr. v

live side-by-side

movie tycoon

movie-making, n

moving image

produce, v

project images onto screens

public's appetite for

recorded sound

roll, n

silent era

solution to a problem

talkies

technicolour, adj

top studio

turning point

via, prep

LEVEL 2

Task 1. Give English equivalents to the following words:

 

1) отображать на экране; 2) с помощью чего-либо; 3) потребность в фильмах; 4) бобина;

5) решение проблемы; 6) воздействие; 7) развал; 8) решающий момент; 9) дебют; 10) превышать; 11) новинка; 12) магнат; 13) использовать; 14) черно-белый фильм.

 

Task 2. Match two parts (words) to make a word / word combination. Be sure that you know their meaning.

 

1) moving a) making

2) to be painted b) era

3) recorded c) packed

4) techni d) with somebody

5) silent e) studio

6) to compete f) colour

7) action g) sound

8) top h) image

9) to project i) by hand

10) movie j) onto a screen

 

Task 3. Give English equivalents to the following sentences:

 

1. Необходимо отображать на экране только правду. 2. Народ испытывает потребность в фильмах, переполненных действиями, захварывающими от начала до конца. 3. В истории кино выделяют два этапа: немое кино, звуковое кино. 4. Невозможно просмотреть несколько серий за один раз, особенно если они скучные, пустые по содержанию. 5. Цветное кино имеет ряд преимуществ перед черно-белым. 6. Какое воздействие оказывают на зрителей фильмы ужасов, триллеры, боевики? 7. В самый решающий момент он взял пульт и переключил на кинохронику. 8. Вы интересуетесь новинками кино? 9. Тень прожектора отразилась на экране. 10. Дебют актера принес ему всемирную славу. 11. Различные кинокомпании соревнуются между собой за право называться лучшей. 12. Сегодня становится модным ходить в кинотеатр.

LEVEL III

&

Task1. Read the text and be ready with the following tasks.

A. Make up a list of unknown words which you may use in your speech.

 

B. While reading the text decide the stages in the development of cinema. Be ready to discuss them.

MOVING PICTURES. THE HISTORY OF CINEMA

This special report is in two parts. The first looks at cinema's early development. Where did it come from and who invented it? Our journey begins in the Far East.

Moving images have always been popular. In China, for example, there were shadow plays 5.000 years ago. They used firelight to project images of puppets onto screens. So projection is a very old idea. But cinema only became possible when this old Asian idea met a new European one — photography.

The two came together in the middle of the 19th century. That's when photos were first used in "magic lanterns". Before then, these early projectors had used glass slides. The pictures on these slides were painted by hand and very expensive. In comparison, photos were cheap and easy to produce.

So — by 1850 projection and photography had come together. But the result still wasn't "cinema". How could it be when the pictures didn't move? The solution to that problem came in several stages.

The first, in 1877 came via English inventor Eadweard Muybridge. He discovered a way to take photos very quickly, one after the other.

Eleven years later, an American called George Eastman produced the first celluloid film on a roll. By 1890 it was possible to take up to 40 photos per second.

Next, in 1893, came another invention — Thomas Edison's "Kinetoscope". The kinetoscope projected moving pictures, but it had three problems, (a) It was noisy (b) The pictures it produced were very low-quality (c) Only one person could watch a kinetoscope at a time.

Before cinema could be born one last invention was necessary — a quiet machine able to project high quality pictures onto a large screen. And the men who produced that were two French brothers from the city of Lyons.

Louis and Auguste Lumiere

"The Lumiere Cinematograph" allowed large audiences to watch "moving pictures". Its debut took place on 28 December 1895 in a Paris cafe. That day the Lumieres showed several short films. They were all documentaries and one of them was called "Arrival of Train at the Station". Afterwards, Auguste Lumiere talked to reporters about his invention. "It can be exploited for a certain time," he said, "but it has no commercial value at all." Well, he was completely wrong. In less than a year cinemas had started to open in Europe and America. The public's appetite for films was instant and enormous — which meant that more and more had to be made. By 1905 movie making wasn't just an interesting idea — it was a successful new industry. And by 1915 it was an industry with a capital — Hollywood, USA.

The Silent Era

Hollywood was established in 1912. That's when a group of New York film producers decided to open a new studio in California. Why California? Because the climate was good, labour was cheap and there were lots of beautiful locations nearby.

As a result of their decision, Hollywood soon attracted film actors and technicians from all over the country. While World War One was fought in Europe, and for several years after these cinema pioneers made thousands of black and white films — comedies, tragedies, fantasies, romances and historical dramas. This was the silent era — the era of Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentine, Clara Bow, Douglas Fairbanks and Busier Keaton. It was called "silent" because there was no recorded sound. Instead, the actors' dialogue appeared on cards shown every 15 or 20 seconds. At the time it seemed perfectly normal. That's simply how films were.

In fact, even as late as 1924, director D.W. Griffith declared "There will never be speaking pictures". But Griffith, like Auguste Lumiere 29 years before, was wrong. A revolution was coming and its name was...

The Talkies

Recorded sound ended the silent era in 1927. That's when Al Jolson both spoke and sang in "The Jazz Singer". (His first words were "Wait a minute, wait a minute folks. You aren’t heard nothing yet!") The impact on cinemagoers was enormous. They loved "The Jazz Singer" and demanded more and more talking pictures. The studios quickly obliged and by 1930 audiences were up from 57 million a week (1926) to 110 million a week. Only 31 years after the Lumieres' First film-show, modern movies had arrived.

In 1932 Technicolour arrived. Coming only five years after the sound revolution it made cinema more popular then ever. So popular, in fact, that the next 20 years are often called Hollywood's "golden age". In the 30s and 40s millions queued every week to see films produced by the top studios. These included Paramount, RKO, Warner Brothers and - most successful of all - Metro Goldwyn Mayer.

Run by Louis B. Mayer, MGM's motto was more stars than there are in heaven. This referred to the "family" of film stars who had contracts with the studio. (In those years actors only worked for one company.) During the 30s and 40s MGM's family included the Marx brothers, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly.

It was an impressive list, but only one of several. All the other "dream factories" had stables of box-office names too. In fact, competition was an important part of Hollywood's success. The reason was simple. Each studio wanted to make bigger, better films than its rivals. After 1948, though, movie tycoons like Louis B. Mayor began to face another kind of competition. And this time it wasn't from inside the cinema industry — it was from outside.

America's TV revolution began in the years following World War Two. At first Hollywood didn't worry. After all what was there to worry about? John Logic Baird's invention only produced small, black and white pictures. It was a gimmick. It wouldn't last. But as more and more people bought sets cinema queues began to get shorter. And not just 5% or 10% shorter. By the early 50s, weekly audiences had been cut in half to 50 million. Clearly the movie industry had a serious problem on its hands. Studio bosses tried to solve the problem in several different ways. These included:

Cinemascope — This technique made it possible to show films on a wider screen than ever before. Several action-packed CinemaScope films were made. The first, a Biblical epic, was called "The Robe".

3D — To watch 3D or "three-dimensional" films, audiences had to wear special classes. These gave images on the screen extra height, width and depth. The idea was used in several 50s horror films, but never really caught on.

Cinerama — Three projectors were needed to show Cinerama films. Each one filled a third of a huge, curved screen. Again the idea didn't catch on — this time because it was too expensive.

Smell-O-Vision - Another Hollywood scheme for winning back TV audiences was Smell-O-Vision. This was an electronic system, which sent the smell of roses, gun smoke, coffee, etc. (whatever was showing on the screen) over movie-goers during a film.

70mm Film — Before the 50s, movie cameras and projectors used film which was 35 mm wide. The arrival of 70 mm film produced a much bigger, clearer image. 70 mm is still used for some films day.

Basically, then, the Hollywood studios competed with television by making movies bigger, better and more realistic. Some of their ideas succeeded — others failed. But what really saved the cinema industry wasn't a technical development at all — it was another 50s invention — teenagers.

Movies and youth culture discovered each other in the mid-50s with two key films - "Rebel Without A Cause" (1955), starring James Dean, and "Rock Around The Clock" (1956), starring early pop idol Bill Haley. For Hollywood it was a turning point. Before then, the average cinema-goer had been over 30. Suddenly, all that began to change. And it's a change that's continued ever since. Today 75% of all box-office tickets are sold to people between the ages of 15 and 25.

These days, cinema and television live side-by-side. The movie industry didn't collapse (as some people, predicted) in the 50s and 60s. But cinema audience-figures are still low compared to 50 years ago. In Britain, for example, most people only see one or two films per year. In Europe it's three or four and in America six or seven. Because of this, modern movie making has become very different from how it was in Louis B. Mayor's time. For example:

— Hollywood has more competition from international film makers now than ever before.

— Enormous picture palaces with one screen are being replaced by "multi-screen" cinemas.

— There are still large studios, but the old "studio system" (with groups of stars working for one company) has disappeared.

— Modern films have three lives instead of one. First, they appear in the cinema, then on video, and finally they're shown on TV.

 

 

C. Reread the text and be ready to answer the following questions.

1. What main stages may be distinguished in the development of cinema? 2. Where does cinema come from? 3. Whom does the invitation of cinema belong? Give your arguments. 4. Who gave an opportunity to watch moving pictures on screens? 5. Why California is considered to be the “heart of cinema”? 6. Who is the most prominent representative of the Silent era? What do you know about him? 7. Who invented the recorded sound? Why did he do it? 8. How do you understand the expression “golden age”? What does it refer to? 9. Do you know any film companies / studios? 10. What was the development of cinema in the years of World War One, World War Two? 11. What / who is the main rival of cinema? Why? 12. What attracted audiences to watch films at the cinema? What did / do studios do to attract cinema-goers?

 

D. Describe the development of cinema. You may use the following numerals and names to remind the stages in its development.

 

5.000 years ago

 
 


Mid of the 19th century

 
 


 
 


1877 (Eadweard Muybridge)


 
 


1893 (Thomas Edison)

 
 


1895, December 28

 
 


1912 (California)

 

1927 (Al Jolson)

       
   
 
 


1932

 

1948

 

The 50s - 90s

 

Resent period

E. Discuss the following points.

· Is the development of cinema logical or spontaneous? Give your arguments.

· “I feel pity for the silent film. What a pleasure to see when a woman opens the mouth, but you can`t hear her voice”. Whom does this quotation belong? Give your arguments. Comment on the quotation.

· “The Talkies opened the silence”. /Samuel Golgwan/. Do you know the author of this quotation? Find any information about him. Does this quotation show the essence of the Talkies? Prove you point of view.

 

 

²

Task 2. Listen to the recording on a disk. You will hear five different people talking about the importance of inventions.

 

A. Listen to the recording and be ready to fill in the following chart.

 

Speaker Invention Reason for its Importance
     
     
     
     
     

 

B. Which of these ideas are not mentioned in the recording?

 


a) It entertains me;

b) It guarantees contact;

c) It helps my memory;

d) It provides an escape;

e) It's removed a pressure;

f) It's always with me.


 

C. Do you support the speakers` opinions? Which invention is the most important in your opinion? Is cinema an important invention? Give your arguments.

LEVEL IV

Task 1. You are a movie tycoon. You decide to invent a new technique to attract more cinema-goers. Think about an extraordinary technique and be ready to present it in a written form and orally. Be creative.

 

Task 2 Make up a film quiz devoted to cinematography. It should consist of 10 multiple-choice questions..

Example: _____________________________________________________?

a) _____

b) _____

c) _____

d) _____

 

 

FILM GENRES

UNIT 2

 

 

LEVEL I

Task 1. Before getting acquainted with main film genres read the following major categories of films, find Russian equivalents.

 

Major Categories (Mega Genres) or Classifications of Film Contrasting Types of Films
non-fiction / documentary / biopic fiction
feature film short / short subject, anthology film (film with two or more discrete stories) / serial
silents talkies
“A”/ first-run picture “B” picture (and lower)
regular 3-D
black and white Color
widescreen “pan and scan” format
animated film live-action film
domestic film foreign-language film (sub-titled or dubbed)
original version prequel, sequel, re-release and remake
mainstream (big-budget Hollywood) studio film, sometimes blockbuster independent (aka indie) / amateur / avant-garde / experimental-underground film (usually low-budget) / art-house films

Task 2. Read these words paying attention to their pronunciation, find Russian equivalents and memorize in order to use them in your speech.

Main Film Genres action film

adventure film

comedy, n

crime film

gangster film

drama, n

epic / historical,

horror film

musical, n

science fiction, n

war film

western, n

Major Film Subgenres biographical film / “biopic”

“chick” flick / gal film

detective / mystery, n

disaster film

fantasy film

film noir

“guy” film

melodrama / women's “weeper"

road film

romance film

sports film

supernatural film

thriller, n

suspense film

Minor Subgenres aviation film

buddy film

caper film

chase film

espionage film

"fallen" woman film

jungle film

legal film

martial arts film

medical film

military film

parody film

police film

political film

prison film

religious film

slasher film

swashbuckler, n

Non-Genre Film Categories animated film

British film

childrens / kids / family film

classic film

cult film

documentary film

serial film

sexual / erotic film

silent film

colour film

black-and-white film

mute, adj

sound, adj

dubbed, adj

full-length, adj

short-length, adj

short, adj

two (three) part film

newsreel, n

cliff-hanger, n

star-studded film

screen version / adaptation of a novel

latest release

 

LEVEL II

Task 1. Here are some definitions of different genres of films. Fill in the gaps by finding the words using your active vocabulary.

 

1. _____ a film that is intended to make you feel frightened, for example one in which people get attacked by strange creatures, or in which dead people come to life. 2. _____ a film that is intended to make you feel frightened, in which people are suddenly violently attacked and killed. 3. _____ a film that is intended to make you laugh and usually has a happy ending. 4. _____ a film about life in the future, often with people or creatures who live in other parts of the universe. 5. _____ a film that tells an exciting story about murder or crime. 6. _____ a film about cowboys and life in the 19th century in the American West. 7. _____ a film about people fighting a war. 8. _____ a film that has a lot of exciting events in it, for example people fighting or chasing each other in cars. 9. _____ a film about people who are on a long journey in a car, and the adventures they have while they are travelling. 10. _____ a film that is intended to make you laugh, about two people who meet and have a romantic relationship. 11. _____ a film made using photographs of models or drawings, which are put together to look as if they are moving. 12. _____ a long film in which a lot of things happen, for example one about a period in history or the whole of someone's life.

Task 2. Match the films and film genres. Give your arguments.

 


a) action film;

b) comedy;

c) horror film;

d) musical;

e) science fiction;

f) thriller;

g) western.


 
 

Task 3.

A. Match the genres of films with the sentences that are most likely to describe them.

 

a) thriller; c) romantic comedy; e) animated film;

b) sci-fi film; d) horror film; f) costume drama;

 

1. An all-action movie with great stunts and a real cliffhanger of an ending that will have you on the edge of your seat. (_____) 2. Set on a star cruiser in the distant future, this film has great special effects. (_____) 3. A hilarious new film, about two unlikely lovers, which will have you laughing out loud. (_____) 4. Based on a novel by Jane Austen, this new adaptation by William Jones has been filmed on location at Harewood House in Hampshire. (_____) 5. A fantastic new computer-generated cartoon, featuring the voice of Eddie Murphy as the donkey. (_____) 6. This new film will scare you to death. (_____)

 

B. Now match the words in italics in the descriptions to the definitions below.

1) exciting - _____;

2) not filmed in a studio - _____;

3) the story comes from (a novel) - _____;

4) dangerous action sequences like car chases or people falling from skyscrapers - _____;

5) amazing, impossible visual sequences, often created by computers - _____;

6) changing a novel to a film screenplay - _____;

7) where the story takes place - _____;

8) exciting end, you want to know what happens - _____.

 

Task 4. Read, the definitions below, then match them with the following genres of film.

 


a) action;

b) cartoon;

c) comedy;

d) drama;

e) disaster movie;

f) fantasy film;

g) foreign film;

h) horror film;

i) juvenile film;

j) love story;

k) musical;

l) science fiction film;

m) thriller;

n) war film;

o) western.


 

1. Film dealing with major disasters, such as earthquakes, large fires, plane crashes, etc. (_____) 2. In this film, love and romance, are the key elements. (_____) 3. Film to do with some aspect of war. (_____) 4. Any non English-speaking film. (_____) 5. In this film, excitement is generated from action sequences. (_____) 6. Film aimed at children and young people. (_____) 7. Film which sets out to make the audience laugh. (_____) 8. Film about the American wild west, usually with cowboys, Indians and gunfights. (_____) 9. Film set in the future, and often to do with space travel, robots, etc. (_____) 10. Film where the characters and/or situations could not exist in real life. Often deals with magic and mystery, fantastic voyages, etc. (_____) 11. A very dramatic film where tension and suspense is deliberately maintained and is a central feature of the plot. (_____) 12. In this film, the focus is on human relationships rather than action. (_____) 13. A film where the main aim is to terrify the audience. (_____) 14. Also called an animated film. Here the film is made by photographing drawings rather than using live actors. (_____) 15. A film where the emphasis is on music. It usually contains lots of songs. (_____)

 

Task 5. Read the film reviews, decide what genre of film each one is from the given in Task 4 and write your answers under each title.

1. Danny, the Champion of the World (1989) _____

Set in the 1950s, this tells the story of Danny, a 9-year-old living with his father. When their peaceful life in a caravan is threatened by a local developer who has bought all the surrounding land except their tiny plot the boy finds a way to teach him a lesson. A nicely made and fun film for kids.

 

2. The Time Guardian (1987) _____

Imaginative tale about a group of time-travellers from the future who arrive at a small Australian town to tell inhabitants that unstoppable killer cyborgs from the 40th century are on their way.

 

3. Platoon (1986) _____

A realistic look at the experiences of a front-line American soldier in Vietnam that says what has been said many times before: war is hell and meaningless.

 

4. Earthquake (1974) _____

An epic tale with a star-studded cast about the destruction of Los Angeles, as She most catastrophic earthquake of all time rips through Southern California, affecting the lives of all who live there. Excellent special effects make up for the tedious and clichéd plot.

 

5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) _____

Steven Spielberg's all-action blockbuster with Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, who is sent to find the legendary biblical Ark of the Covenant before it can be stolen and used by the Nazis in their plan for world domination. A spectacular multi-million dollar version of the 1930s Saturday morning serials, and it works so well because of everybody's enthusiasm and sense of fun.

 

6. Hour of the Gun (1967) _____

Intriguing film starring James Garner as Wyatt Earp, the lawman who took on the Clanton gang a t the OK Corral. Following the infamous gunfight, which left only half of the bandits dead, Earp rides off to bring the remaining members to justice.

 

7. Long Live the Lady! (1987) _____

It is Ermanno Olmi's charming film about a gala dinner for a powerful old lady as seen through the eyes of a 16-year-old boy who is employed as a waiter for the evening. Warmly observed and amusing. English sub-titles.

 

8. Lady in a Cage (1964) ______

A tense tale of suspense starring Olivia de Havilland as a wealthy widow who finds herself trapped in her private elevator while a trio of criminals stalks her outside.

 

9. The Wizard of Oz (1939) _____

Judy Garland gives a dazzling performance in this much-loved movie. She is young Dorothy who is knocked unconscious when a tornado rips through her Kansas farmhouse and who wakes up in the Technicolour world of Oz (the film starts in black and white). A perfect MGM production with imaginative sets, photography, costumes and make-up. The classic Harold Arlen / E Y Harburg songs include “Follow the Yellow Brick Road” and the Oscar-winning “Over the Rainbow”.

 

10. Big Business (1988) _____

Two sets of identical twins, accidentally separated and switched at birth, meet up years later in New York when one set arrives for a showdown with the corporation that's going to erase their little home town, only to find that the other set of girls is in charge of the company. Excellent performances from Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. The script is a bit contrived, but there are a lot of laughs.

 

11. Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) _____

Two couples engage in a complex session of all-night conversation that leads to much bitterness and recrimination, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were never better together than in this totally absorbing but ultimately depressing film.

 

12. Ice Castles (1978) _____

Tear-jerking romance about a young couple who meet on an ice rink and quickly fall in love. Both find fame and fortune on the ice - he as a professional hockey player, she as an Olympic champion dancer - but tragedy strikes when she becomes blind.

 

13. Fantastic Voyage (1966) _____

When a famous scientist is shot, a highly experimental technique is used in order to save him. A medical team is placed aboard a submarine, reduced to microscopic size and injected into his bloodstream to remove a blood clot on his brain. An interesting film with excellent special effects.

 

14. The Lady and the Tramp (1955) _____

One of Disney's most delightful animated films, in which a pedigree dog runs away from home after the arrival of a baby makes her feel unwanted. She soon meets up with a stray who lives by his wits. The two dogs survive various hazards, and win through in the end when they prove their worth by rescuing the baby. The first Disney film in Cinemascope. Songs are by Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke.

 

15. Curse II: The Bite (1988) _____

A nest of snakes is infected by radiation and they are turned into deadly squirming monsters. Anyone they bite is transformed into a terrible mutant beast which will kill you first chance it gets. Frivolous but entertaining monster film.

 

Task 6. Look at the genres of films below. Match them to the titles. Give your arguments.

 

a) thriller; c) horror film; e) cartoon; g) sci-fi films;

b) comedy; d) costume drama; f) western; h) musical.

 

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (______) 5. Frankenstein the monster (_____)

2. Singing in the Rain (_____) 6. Gun Fight at the OK corral (_____)

3. Mickey mouse and Pluto (_____) 7. A funny thing happened (_____)

4. Emma: a nineteenth century girl (_____) 8.Ten seconds before you die (_____)

 

LEVEL III

&

Task 1. Read the following extracts.

 

A. Be sure that you know all the highlighted words. Try to remember and use them in your speech.

B. Get acquainted with the typical Hollywood genres of films and be ready to give examples of all of them (do it in a written form).

 

MAIN FILM GENRES DESCRIPTIONS OF MAIN FILM GENRES /written by Tim Dirks, Thomas Schatz/
What makes Hollywood so much better than anything else in the world is not only the quality of certain directors, but also the vitality and, in certain sense, the excellence of a tradition. Hollywood's superiorityis only incidentally technical; it lies much more in what one might call the American cinematic genius, something which should be analysed, then defined, by a sociological approach to its production. The American cinema has been able, in an extraordinary competent way, to show American society just as it wanted to see itself. In a limited sense, any film genre is the original creation of an individual writer or director, but the nature and range of that originality are determined by the conventions and expectations involved in the genre filming process. Thus, any critical analysis of that originality must be based firmly on an understanding of both the genre and the production system in which any individual genre film is generated.
  Action Film   Action films usually include high energy, big-budget physical stunts and chases, possibly with rescues, battles, fights, escapes, destructive crises (floods, explosions, natural disasters, fires, etc.), non-stop motion, spectacular rhythm and pacing, and adventurous, often two-dimensional “good-guy” heroes (or recently, heroines) battling “bad guys” - all designed for pure audience escapism. Includes the James Bond “fantasy” spy / espionage series, martial arts films, and so-called “blaxploitation” films. A major sub-genre is the disaster film.
  Adventure Film   Adventure films are usually exciting stories, with new experiences or exotic locales, very similar to or often paired with the action film genre. They can include traditional swashbucklers, serialized films, and historical spectacles (similar to the epics film genre), searches or expeditions for lost continents, “jungle" and "desert" epics, treasure hunts, disaster films, or searches for the unknown.
  Comedy Film   Comedies are light-hearted plots consistently and deliberately designed to amuse and provoke laughter (with one-liners, jokes, etc.) by exaggerating the situation, the language, action, relationships and characters. This section describes various forms of comedy through cinematic history, including slapstick, screwball, spoofsand parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy (dark satirical comedy), and more.
    Musical (Dance) Film   Musical (dance) films are cinematic forms that emphasize full-scale scores or song and dance routines in a significant way (usually with a musical or dance performance integrated as part of the film narrative), or they are films that are centered on combinations of music, dance, song or choreography. Major subgenres include the musical comedy or the concert film. The movie musical is among our culture's most widely loved yet least understood or appreciated popular terms. This unprecedented — and peculiarly American — genre emerged during the late 1920s and early 30s from its roots in vaudeville, music hall, and theatre, and reached a remarkable level of artistic and cultural expression by the 1940s. What we now term "musical comedy" actually developed concurrently, and with considerable cross-fertilization, in popular theater and the commercial cinema. Most of the genre's initial impetus came from New York City's heavy musical and theatrical orientation. "Music is important for the new leisure — whether you listen, play and sing, or even compose, music offers a delightful and creative pastime and is a source of inner poise and strength" /Walter Damrosh/.
  Horror Film   Horror films are designed to frighten and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films feature a wide range of styles, from the earliest silent Nosferatu classic, to today's CGImonsters and deranged humans. They are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not usually synonymous with the horror genre. There are many sub-genres of horror: slasher, teen terror, serial killers, satanic, Dracula, Frankenstein, etc.
  War (AntiWar) Film   War films acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting (against nations or humankind) on land, sea, or in the air provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film. War films are often paired with other genres, such as action, adventure, drama, romance, comedy (black), suspense, and even epics and westerns, and they often take a denunciatory approach toward warfare. They may include POW tales, stories of military operations, and training.
  Epic / Historical Film   Epics include costume dramas, historical dramas, war films, medieval romps, or “period pictures” that often cover a large expanse of time set against a vast, panoramic backdrop. Epics often share elements of the elaborate adventure films genre. Epics take an historical or imagined event, mythic, legendary, or heroic figure, and add an extravagant setting and lavish costumes, accompanied by grandeur and spectacle, dramatic scope, high production values, and a sweeping musical score. Epics are often a more spectacular, lavish version of a biopic film. Some “sword and sandal” films (Biblical epics or films occurring during antiquity) qualify as a sub-genre.
  Crime & Gangster Film     Crime (gangster) films are developed around the sinister actions of criminals or mobsters, particularly bankrobbers, underworld figures, or ruthless hoodlums who operate outside the law, stealing and murdering their way through life. Criminal and gangster films are often categorized as film noir or detective-mystery films - because of underlying similarities between these cinematic forms. This category includes a description of various “serial killer” films. The gangster genre has had a peculiar history. The narrative formula seemed to spring from nowhere in the early 1930s, when its conventions were isolated and refined in a series of immensely popular films. The three most successful were “Little Caesar” (produced by Warner Brothers and directed by Mervyn LeRoy in 1930), “The Public Enemy” (produced by Howard Hughes and directed by Howard Hawks in 1932). The mythology of the classic gangster film, like that of the Western, concerns the transformation of nature into culture under the auspices of modern civilization. The nature / culture opposition which plays so obvious and important role in the Western is equally vital but considerably less obvious in the gangster genre. Nature in the gangster film is conspicuous primarily in its absence — or rather in the ways it is repressed in the "social animal" who is the genre's focal character. The gangster's milieu is the modern city, generally seen at night, with its enclosing walls of concrete and shadow, its rain-soaked streets, and its careening black automobiles. The gangster's setting, like that of the Western, is one of the contested space where forces of social order and anarchy are locked in an epic and unending struggle. "The purpose of this film is to depict an environment, rather than glorify the criminal." Film noir, as the style was dubbed by French critics, so dominated in late 40s and early 50s films — principally those shot in black and white and involving the issue of urban order — that it came to identify both the narrative-cinematic style of those films an also the historical period during which they were produced. Generally speaking, film noir ("black film") refers to two interrelated aspects: visually, these films were darker and compositionally more abstract than most Hollywood films; thematically, they were considerably more pessimistic and brutalin their presentation of contemporary American life than even the gangster films of the early 1930s had been. Film noir was itself a system of visual and thematic conventions which were not associated with any specific genre or story formula, but rather with a distinctive cinematic style and a particular historical period.
    Science Fiction Film     Sci-fi films are often quasi-scientific, visionary and imaginative - complete with heroes, aliens, distant planets, impossible quests, improbable settings, fantastic places, great dark and shadowy villains, futuristic technology, unknown and unknowable forces, and extraordinary monsters (“things or creatures from space”), either created by mad scientists or by nuclear havoc. They are sometimes an offshoot of fantasy films, or they share some similarities with action / adventure films. Science fiction often expresses the potential of technology to destroy humankind and easily overlaps with horror films, particularly when technology or alien life forms become malevolent, as in the "Atomic Age" of sci-fi films in the 1950s.
  Drama Film   Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portrayingrealistic characters, settings, life situations, and stories involving intense character development and interaction. Usually, they are not focused on special-effects, comedy, or action, Dramatic films are probably the largest film genre, with many subsets. See also the melodramas, epics (historical dramas), or romantic genres. Dramatic biographical films (or "biopics") are a major sub-genre, as are “adult” films (with mature subject content). In the strictest definition of the term, "melodrama" refers to those narrative forms which combine music (melos) with drama. Hollywood's use of background music to provide a formal aural dimension and an emotional punctuation to its dramas extends back even into the "silent" era. Live musical accompaniment (usually organ or piano) was standard from the earliest days of theatrical projection. As the Hollywood cinema and its narrative forms developed, though, and borrowed from pulp fiction, radio serials, romantic ballads, and other forms of popular romantic fiction, the term "romantic melodrama" assumed a mere specialized meaning. Generally speaking, "melodrama" was applied to popular romances that depicted a virtuous individual (usually a woman) or couple (usually lovers) victimized by repressive and inequitable social circumstances, particularly those involving marriage, occupation, and the nuclear family. It was in the mid 1950s that the Hollywood melodrama emerged as the kind of cinema that Sirk, Minnelli, Nicholas Ray, and other filmmakers could exploit successfully. Perhaps the most interesting aspect in the evolution of the genre is that its classical and mannerist periods are essentially indistinguishable from each other. Because of a variety of industry-based factors, as well as external cultural phenomena, the melodrama reached its equilibrium at the same time that certain filmmakers were beginning to subvert and counter the superficial prosocial thematics and cliched romantic narratives that had previously identified the genre. No other genre films, not even the "anti-Western" of the same period, projected so complex and paradoxical a view of America, at once celebrating and severely questioning the basic values and attitudes of the mass audience. Movie melodrama survived in the 1960s, but the formal and ideological effects of the New Hollywood and the Kennedy Administration's New Frontier affected the genre's development. By the 60s, the melodrama had been co-opted by commercial television, not only in the "daytime drama" series (i.e. soap operas) but also in prime time domestic drama. The nuclear, middle-class family, the clearest representation of America's patriarchal and bourgeois order, was undergoing its own transformation and became the focus of Hollywood's 50s melodrama World War II and the "Korean Conflict" had sent men into the service and overseas and moved women out of the home and into the work force. By the mid-1950s, men had returned to increasingly alienating, bureaucratic jobs and women were caught between the labor market and the need to return home to raise families. Greater mobility, suburbanization, and improving educational opportunities uprooted families and put a strain on their nuclear coherence, which made age-old "generation gap" a more immediate and pressing issue than it had ever been before. Among the dominant intellectual fashions of the postwar era were Freudian psychology and existential philosophy. Each stressed the alienation of the individual due to the inability of familial and societal institutions to fulfill his or her particular needs. “I am not an American; indeed I came to this folklore of American melodrama from a world crazily removed from it. But I was always fascinated with the kind of picture which is called melodrama. Melodrama in the American sense is rather the archetype of a kind of cinema which connects with drama” /Douglas Sirk/.
    Western Westerns are the major defining genre of the American film industry - a eulogy to the early days of the expansive American frontier. American Indians have had a strange relationship with the movie business. They have featured in westerns for a long time, and have even played themselves working as extras. Yet few films until recently have shown their side of the story. In westerns until the 1950s Indians were little more than one of the hazards facing the brave white pioneers and explorers who moved across the continent. This was the West portrayed in the films, and it even reflected the attitudes of their directors and stars. In 1971 the most famous western star of all time, John Wayne, said this in an interview: “I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them (the Indians)... There were great numbers of people who needed new land, and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it to themselves.” But attitudes did change. From the 1950s, westerns were more pro-Indian. There was a fashion for films showing whites joining native American tribes. Films began to show the Indian way of life more accurately, and in the 60s people began to see their culture less as something alien, and more as a good and desirable alternative to the modem way of life. But the lead Indian figures in all these films were always played by white actors. It wasn't until 1970, with Little Big Man, that a true native American played a lead Indian role. The film also starred Dustin Hoffman. The Indian actor, Chief Dan George, was nominated for an Oscar - although he didn't get it. Westerns went out of fashion then for a while. But last year's “Dances With Wolves” made films about Indians popular again. All of the Indian parts in Dances With Wolves were played by real Indians, including the rising native American star Rodney A Grant, who played “Wind In His Hair”. In the film the Sioux speak in their own language, Lakota, which is translated in subtitles. Westerns are one of the oldest, most enduring genres with very recognizable plots, elements, and characters (six-guns, horses, dusty towns and trails, cowboys, Indians, etc.). Over time, westerns have been re-defined, re-invented and expanded, dismissed, re-discovered, and spoofed. The Western is without question the riches and most enduring genre of Hollywood's repertoire. Its concise heroic story and elemental visual appeal render it the most flexible of narrative formulas, and its life span has been as long and varied as Hollywood's own. In fact, the Western genre and the American cinema evolved concurrently, generating the basic framework for Hollywood's studio production system.

 

C.   Match the main genres with the pictures denoting them. Give your arguments.

D. Reread the text and try to define the notions “film genre”, “action film”, “adventure film”, “comedy film”, “gangster film”, “drama film”, “epics/historical film”, “horror film”, “misical”, “science fiction film”, “war film”, “westerns film”.

E. Reread the text and be ready to discuss the following points.

· What are the characteristic features of the main film genres? Fill in the chart.

 

Film Genre Characteristic Features
   

 

· What are the similarities and differences between:

- a drama film and a historical film?

- a war film and a historical film?

- a war film and a western?

- an action film and an adventure film?

- a slapstick and a spoof?

- a science-fiction film and a scientific film?

- a science-fiction film and a fantasy film?

- an educational film and a training film?

· What film genre is usually a success with children / the youth / middle-aged people / elderly people?

· What film genre does our society have an appetite for? Why?

· What film genre(s) of film do you prefer to watch? Comment on.

 

²

Task 2. Listen to the recording describing different film trailers.

 

A. Before listening to the recording try to match the genres of films (a) with the titles (b). Give your arguments.

B. Listen to the recording and match the trailers with the film titles (B).

 

C. Listen to the recording once again and check whether you were right or wrong in matching the genres of films with the titles.

a b

1) Science-fiction a) Family Crisis

2) Romance b)The Battle of the Galaxies

3) Action/adventure c) Who Shot Henry Jennings?

4) Drama d)Wendy the Friendly Witch

5) Comedy e) Naughty Nigel

6) Horror f) The Creature from the Deep

7) Fairy tale g) Don't Break my Heart

8) Murder/mystery h) Run for your Life

 

Task 3. Make up three film riddles using the clues given below. Describe famous either domestic or foreign films. Present your film riddles to your group and they will try to guess your films.

 

Film _________________________________ (Film Title: Keep in a secret)

Clue №1 It’s a _________________________ (Genre)

Clue №2 It takes place ___________________ (Setting)

Clue №3___________________ is in it. (Actor)

Clue №4 It’s about ______________________ (Plot)

Clue №5 At the end, _____________________ (Climax)

LEVEL IV

 

Task 1. Find information about other film genres you know. Present the information as if you are:

- an actor / actress who usually acts in this film genre;

- a director who adores making films of such a genre;

- an ardent cinema-goer who likes to watch film of such a genre;

- a TV viewer who has no appetite for a films of such a genreю

 

Task 2. Prepare a film trailer describing any famous film. Be creative in its presentation.

 

FAVOURITE ACTOR / ACTRESS / DIRECTOR

UNIT 3

LEVEL I

Task 1. Read these words paying attention to their pronunciation, find Russian equivalents and memorize in order to use them in your speech.

Actor / Actress cast, n

comedian, n

stuntman, n

stand-in, n

ingénue, n

actor of great promise

star, n

co-star, n

heroine, n

heartthrob, n

villain, n

leading / main / title / key role

supporting / small / minor role

walk-on role

cameo, n

extra, n

Acting screen test

casting, n

play a role

co-star, v

portray a character

give a convincing (memorable, glamorous, captivating, warm, brilliant, superb) portrayal of...

give a magnificent performance as... (in)

take / gain the best actress (actor) award / title

create a true-to-life image

make the most of the role

bring to life on the screen

come alive on the screen

typical N role

outshine everybody else

new N film

be popular with A critic

star in a role

improvise, v

ad lib, v, n

be miscast / ill-chosen

acting is … in the minor as well as the major roles

have the appetite for smth

greet with lukewarm (rave) reviews

dislike a film

damn a film with faint praise

be cast to advantage

be perfectly cast

to be in the limelight

appreciate fame

tone down for a camera

have a box office name

achieve recognition

straw-hat circuit, n

rehearsal, n

audition, n

get one’s chance

be rushed off

resist the magnetic pull

be haunted by smth

lounge in the stalls

leap up, ph. v

push into a profession

inevitable career path

overact, v

be out of work

be spotted

ride to stardom

LEVEL 2

Task 1. Which words in the list go with film? (E.g.: film director)

Director, doer, festival, maker, career, speaker, industry, star.

 

Task 2. Look at the words in italics. In each sentence, two are correct. Which one is wrong?

 

1. I would love to make / shoot / do a film. 2. Last night, I watched / saw / looked a film at the cinema 3. I enjoy going to the movies / films / pictures. 4. Clint Eastwood has directed / acted / produced a new film. 5. Tom Hanks is starring in / playing in / acting in a new film next month. 6. They have opened a new movie theatre / film theatre / cinema near my house.

 

Task 3. Look at the prepositions in italics. Only one preposition is correct in each sentence. Which one?

 

1. What’s on / in / off at the cinema? 2. It’s a film on / about / over a boy and girl in love. 3. Brad Pitt stars on / in / at a new movie. 4. The film was directed after / on / by Alfred Hitchcock. 5. The film is set in / on / at the south of France. 6. I usually go on / to / at the cinema every week.

 

Task 4. Match the words in the table with the definitions given below.

a) audience; d) plot; g) cast; j) director;
b) special effects; e) soundtrack; h) scene; k) script;
c) star; f) subtitles; I) sequel; l) extra.

 

1._____are all the people who act in a film. 2. _____ is the most important actor or actress in a film. 3. _____ is a person who makes a film. 4. _____ is the music of a film. 5. _____is a story of a film. 6. _____ is a part of a film happening in one place. 7. _____ are people who watch a film at a cinema. 8. _____ is a film which continues the story of an earlier film. 9. _____are images, often created by a computer. 10. _____ are words of actors in a film. 11. _____ is a person in a film who has a small, unimportant part, e.g. in a crowd scene. 12. _____is the translation of a dialogue of a film into another language.

Task 5. Give English equivalents to the following words (while doing the task pay attention to the article “The Actor`s World”).

 

1) играть роль без слов; 2) прослушивание; 3) репетиция; 4) переигрывать роль; 5) сценарий; 6) ведущая женская роль; 7) ведущее положение в театре; 8) отчаянный; 9) достичь признания; 10) быть замеченным; 11) ценить славу; 12) привлекать.

 

Task 6. Complete the sentences, To help you, the first litter of each word is given.

Marlon Brando is a superb actor and in “On the Waterfront”he gave his finest (1) p_____. It is his best-known (2) r_____. The (3) с_____ also included Eva Marie Saint and Karl Maiden and the film's (4) d_____, Elia Kazan, never made a better film. Parts of the film were shot in the (5) s _____ in Hollywood, but a lot was made on (6) I_____ in the streets of New York. The critics loved the film but it was not only a (7) с_____ success. It had a great (8) b_____о_____ success as well, and made an enormous profit. The (9) p_____ is about a young man's attempt to be a boxing champion.

LEVEL 3

 

Task 1. These are names and surnames of famous actors. Are they familiar to you?

 

A. Match the names with their surnames. Find information about these actors and be ready to share it with your group mates.

 

1) Clint a) Nicholson

2) Jack b) Chaplin

3) Woody c) Allen

4) Meryl d) De Niro

5) Tom e) Cruise

6) Robert f) Monroe

7) Marilyn g) Eastwood

8) Charlie h) Foster

9) Jodie i) Streep

 

B.

 
 

Who is who? Match the names of actors, actresses, directors with their photos.

C. Match the information about these famous people with their names.

 

1. American screenwriter, director, and actor who developed a reputation for comedic genius by exploring issues of love and death through neurotic, guilt-ridden characters. One who began his career as a joke writer for established comics. Starting in 1961 he performed his own routines in New York City clubs, college campuses, and on records. He moved from stand-up comedy to screenwriting and acting in 1965, subsequently creating and appearing in numerous films. In addition to comedy, he has released serious films, and experiments with innovative cinematic techniques. (_____ _____)

2. This person became a movie star in the “Western A Fistful of Dollars” (1964) and gained further fame in the 1970s in the role of rogue police officer Dirty Harry. This person later became a highly successful producer and director, winning Academy Awards for his direction of “Unforgiven” (1992) and “Million Dollar Baby” (2004), both of which also won the Oscar for best picture. (_____ _____)

3. This person is one of the most famous American motion-picture actors of all time, although she made only a small number of films. Her early comedies include “How to Marry a Millionaire” (1953) and “The Seven Year Itch” (1955). This person also played more serious roles in such films as “Bus Stop” (1956) and “The Misfits” (1961), the latter written by the playwright Arthur Miller. This person has become a lasting symbol of 1950s America. (_____ _____)

4. American actor who built a reputation for brilliant portrayals of passionate, complex figures in dramatic movies. Her filmography includes serious roles in popular films such as “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979), “Sophie’s Choice” (1982), “Silkwood” (1983), and “Out of Africa” (1985). She earned Academy Awards for her work in Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie’s Choice. In the late 1980s and early 1990s this person also played comedic roles, further demonstrating the versatility of her acting talent. (_____ _____)

5. American actor who became known for playing characters who at first seem friendly but who later reveal a dark and at times evil bent. This person enjoys taking on challenging roles and often chooses films to work with the actors and directors he most admires. He rose to prominence portraying a carefree and alcoholic southern lawyer in the film “Easy Rider” (1969). Among many other successes, this person earned Academy Awards for his roles in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975), “Terms of Endearment” (1983), and “As Good As It Gets” (1997). (_____ _____)

6. American motion-picture actor who is considered one of the best actors of his generation for his intense portrayals of volatile characters. His collaborations with American director Martin Scorsese, which include “Mean Streets” (1973), “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Raging Bull” (1980), “The King of Comedy” (1983), and “GoodFellas” (1990), have resulted in some of his most critically praised performances. (_____ _____)

7. American actor who has portrayed a wide range of characters since his film career began in the early 1980s. He played a suburban teenager in “Risky Business” (1983), received praise for his performance as a paraplegic veteran in “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989), and played a vampire in the 1994 film “Interview with a Vampire”. (_____ _____)

8. This actor was an English actor, director, producer, and composer. He is best remembered as “the Tramp,” a character he immortalized in more than 70 motion pictures beginning in 1914. His gift was his ability to touch his audience deeply while playing the childlike clown. (_____ _____)

9. American actor who has starred in over 30 films since she began acting at the age of seven. She won an Academy Award for her leading role in “The Accused” (1988), and won her second Academy Award in 1992 for her role in “The Silence of the Lambs”. As C


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Chapter seven.| A.Listen to the recording and decide the critic`s attitude towards these films.

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