After the theatre

Jane and Robert are leaving the theatre after the play. They have enjoyed the play and are now discussing it.

R: Well, how did you enjoy the play, Jane?

J: Oh, enormously! I thought the production was really brilliant, and so was the acting.

R: If Neilson hadn’t been ill, it would have been even better. They say he’s wonderful in the part of the inspector.

J: But his understudy was very good too, particularly in the last act. Of course the plot was rather absurd…

R: It usually is in detective plays.

J: Take the wife, for instance. She didn’t behave like a normal human being at all. If she had only owned up to her husband, he would have settled the whole business in no time.

R: But she was supposed to be a dumb blonde. And if she hadn’t been, there wouldn’t have been a plot, would there?

J: And you know, there wouldn’t have been a second murder if the inspector hadn’t told everybody about his plans.

R: But then the audience would have had to go home at the end of the first act.

J: Then take that episode with the revolver. If he had had any sense, he would have told his wife about the gun instead of trying to hide it.

R: It’s a pity you didn’t write the play, Jane. If you had, you would have made a much better job of it. The wife would have confessed to her husband, he would have told the inspector, and there wouldn’t have been any corpses. A much better play altogether. Not a thriller, of course…

J: Stop making fun of me, Robert. I’ve always been very interested in the theatre. My mother was an actress, you know. If she hadn’t given up the stage when she got married, she would have become famous.

R: And if you hadn’t taken up shorthand and typing, you would have become a great dramatist, I suppose.

J: Well, as a matter of fact, a sketch I wrote has been performed by our local dramatic society, and I’m working on another right now, for our anniversary celebrations.

R: Really, Jane? You must show it to me.

J: Not until it’s ready. I might send you a ticket for the opening. But only if you behave.

R: I’ll be very good from now on.

Task 38. Points for discussion.

1. Early days of the cinema.

2. Cinema is an art of illusion.

3. Film provides us with a giant mirror – a reflection of the values, the half-truths, and the ideals of the society.

4. The place of film art in the society.

5. The film is potentially a more powerful medium of communication than any other (including printing press).

6. The range of themes treated in film.

7. In the twenty-first century people are much more fascinated by cinema than by theatre.

8. It is necessary for a film to leave certain shadows, unresolved fantasies.

9. How can the movies influence our life and characters?

10. The position of actors and film directors in the society.

11. It is extremely difficult to achieve a harmonious collaboration between the plot and music.

12. Violence should not be shown on the screen.

13. The success of a film mainly depends on the film director.

14. Cinema is not an earnest art. It is just entertainment.

15. Literary works should not be adapted for the screen.

16. Old films being shown to the modern audience: pros and cons.

Task 39. Comment on the jokes.

1. - Where do you suppose those Hollywood scenario writers get their ideas?

- Well, judging by their productions I should say they get them from each other.

2. – You must be keen on the movies, old boy, to go twice a week.

- It’s not that exactly. You see, if I don’t go regularly I can’t understand what my children are saying.

3. And then there are cynics who claim that movies would be better if they shot less films and more actors.

Task 40. Read the following proverbs, give their Ukrainian equivalents. Learn the proverbs by heart. Use them in situations of your own.

Art is long, life is short.

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.

Footprints on the sands of time are not made by sitting down.

Ninety per cent of inspiration is perspiration.

Opportunity seldom knocks twice.

Discontent is the first step in progress.

There is no disputing about tastes.

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