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S e c t i o n 1. Introduction into the TopicСодержание книги
Поиск на нашем сайте S e c t i o n 1. Introduction into the Topic
® Essential vocabulary on the topic. Study the following words and expressions, give the Russian equivalents.
1. Cinematography Cinema (AE movies, movie theatre, movie house) A cinemagoer / a moviegoer, e.g. I’m not much of a cinemagoer. A cinema addict / a film buff Cinema audience / cinema program 2. Film / picture (AE movie) To go into films, e.g. He used to be on the stage but then he went into films. A film version / a screen version of a story / play To screen a play / a novel A joint production 3. To make a film / to shoot a film (in color) / to release a film A shot / a close-up / a flashback A review of a film, e.g. The reviews were favorable / unfavorable / rave. A quickie – a film shot very quickly. Sequel / prequel On location / on set Scene To dub a film Subtitles Credits Screenplay / script / scenario Soundtrack Trailer Film billboard / movie billboard Screen test / film test 4. Types of films: feature films, documentary, newsreel, cartoons, silent films, sound films (talkies), black-and-white films, color films, a romance / romantic films / Cinderella stories / soap operas, a western, a war film, an epic, a musical, a comedy, a suspense thriller, a horror film, a science fiction film, a blockbuster, art house movie. 5. Huge-budget / low-budget films 6. A commercial / box-office success To make a hit, e.g. The film made a great hit. A failure / a flop 7. Publicity / publicity department / publicity agent To publicize a film 8. Cast and acting: A film star (AE a movie star) /a long-term star / an ephemeral star / an all-star cast To star / to co-star 9. Adjectives for describing a film: superb, magnificent, unforgettable, true-to-life, boring, dull, artificial, mediocre, stilted, authentic, complex, convincing, entertaining, fantastic, lifelike, mushy, profound, thought-provoking, realistic, superficial, tedious, thrilling, breathtaking, witty. The action is dynamic (dragged out). To have the right look for the part To consider casting possibilities Visual / sound / special effects 10. People, engaged in film-making: Film-maker (AE moviemaker), director, casting director, producer, executive producer, script-writer, camera-man, director of photography, camera crew, actors, extras, stunt men, maker-up, costume designer, sets designer, composer, soundman, agent, critic, editor, technician. 11. Useful adjectives for describing works and performances:
VOCABULARY WORK Exercise 1. Exercise 3.
What adjectives from the active vocabulary can be used to describe the following films.
1. Star Wars 9. Silence of the Lambs 2. Avatar 10. Pretty Woman 3. Gladiator 11. Friday the 13th 4. Romeo and Juliet 12. The Twilight Saga 5. Indiana Jones 13. The Last Samurai 6. The Terminator 14. Basic Instinct 7. Slumdog Millionaire 15. Forest Gump 8. Lord of Rings 16. Jurassic Park
Exercise 4.
Match the words to their synonyms.
Exercise 5.
Match the words to their opposites.
Exercise 6.
What do we call the following? Read the definitions and guess the word. 1. A story someone writes for a film. 2. A photograph of someone or something taken very near. 3. A man whose job is to perform dangerous actions in a film. 4. A short cinema film of news. 5. A part of a film in which events happen in the same place or period of time. 6. A translation of what people are saying in a foreign language film that appears at the bottom of the screen. 7. Someone who operates a camera for making films. 8. A film that deals with real people and events. 9. A scene in a film that goes back in time to show what happened earlier in the story. 10. A list of the people involved in making a film that is shown at the end or beginning of it. 11. A single part of a cinema film made by one camera without interruption. 12. A full-length cinema film with an invented story and professional actors. 13. Someone whose job is to organize the work and money involved in making a film. 14. A place where a film is made away from a studio. 15. The art or science of making films. Exercise 7.
Fill in the gaps with suitable words from the box.
ERASER
If you like 1) __________, “Eraser” is the film to see. Arnold Schwarzenegger 2) __________ in this film, and Charles Russel 3) ________ it. Schwarzenegger plays 4) ___________ as John Kruger, a dedicated federal marshal whose code name is Eraser. He protects government witnesses who are in danger, by erasing their old identity and giving them a new one. His mission is to protect a beautiful woman, 5) __________ by Vanessa Williams, who can uncover a scandal which involves people in the government. Her enemies stop at nothing to keep her from revealing the truth. But Eraser does everything to keep her alive. He alone must guard her from some of the most 6) __________ forces in the world before time runs out. But will he 7) __________? This multi-million dollar 8) ___________ has some breathtaking 9) _________. It is a film full of suspense. The special effects and 10) ________ are spectacular and create a(n) 11) _________ of tension. The film’s one 12) __________ is that it has a weak 13) __________ and the ending is 14) __________, unlike other Schwarzenegger films. All in all, this 15) __________ film will not appeal to everyone. I would recommend it to 16) ___________ and to those who enjoy 17) __________. Film Festivals
The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television. The formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented is a major part of the film industry’s awards season, which culminates each year with the Academy Awards.
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of the 1927–1928 film season. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. deMille.
The festival’s top prize is the statue of Saint George slaying the dragon, as represented on the Coat of Arms of Moscow. Federico Fellini’s 8½ is the most famous film to premiere at the MIFF and win the top prize. Nikita Mikhalkov has been the festival’s president since 2000. The Stanislavsky Award has been introduced recently to be presented to outstanding actors visiting the festival, such as Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
The festival’s principal awards are the Leone d’Oro (Golden Lion), which is awarded to the best film screened at the festival, and the Coppa Volpi (Volpi Cup), which is awarded to the best actor and actress. In 2002, the San Marco Award was introduced for the best film of the Controcorrente (“Against the stream”) section.
Current awards are voted upon by the membership of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation (GRAF). Traditionally, nominations are announced one day before the Motion Picture Academy announces its Oscar nominations, and the awards are presented one day before the Oscar ceremony.
HOME TASK Project work: prepare a 3-5 minutes’ talk on the world’s most famous and prestigious film festivals or the award ceremonies that have been held in the world this year. Speak about the history of the festival, its top prizes, contests, nominations and laureates, opening and closing ceremonies, celebrities who have visited it, etc.
Main Film Genres
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 the so-called “blaxploitation” films. A major sub-genre is the disaster film. See also Greatest Disaster and Crowd Film Scenes and Greatest Classic Chase Scenes in Films.
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.
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, spoofs and parodies, romantic comedies, black comedy (dark satirical comedy), and more.
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.
Dramas are serious, plot-driven presentations, portraying realistic 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.
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 a 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.
Horror films are designed to frighten and to evoke 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 CGI monsters 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.
Musical/dance films are cinematic forms that emphasize and showcase full-scale 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.
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.
War (and anti-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.
Westerns are the major defining genre of the American film industry – a eulogy to the early days of the expansive American frontier. They 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.
They are broad enough to accommodate practically any film ever made, although film categories can never be precise. By isolating the various elements in a film and categorizing them in genres, it is possible to easily evaluate a film within its genre and allow for meaningful comparisons and some judgments on greatness. Films were not really subjected to genre analysis by film historians until the 1970s. All films have at least one major genre, although there are a number of films that are considered crossbreeds or hybrids with three or four overlapping genre (or sub-genre) types that identify them.
ACTIVITIES HOME TASK Project work: CHOOSE the genre that appeals to you most and prepare a 3-5 minutes’ talk on it. Speak on the characteristic features of the genre, its specific language. Prove all the information with the examples (you may show an extract from a movie).
Make a Pitch! A pitch is a short description to sell an idea. Film producers look at thousands of pitches. They say you can decide if a story is good with a pitch of less than 50 words.
Checklist • I have included a title for my film review. • I have expressed my overall impression of the film. • I have summarized the plot without giving away the ending. • I have discussed significant characters and actors. • I have evaluated the film stars’ acting abilities. • I have discussed the important technical elements. • I have stated and evaluated the theme. • I have done some comparing. • I have included a strong conclusion summarizing my ideas. • I have edited my review for spelling and grammatical errors. • I have included submission details with my review.
HOME TASK Essay Writing
In the following essay King speculates about the popular appeal of horror movies. Before you begin reading, think about your own attitude toward horror films. Do you enjoy them? “Crave” them? Dislike them? Or are you indifferent?
As you read, notice how assertively King presents his assumptions about people, such as the ones in the opening sentence. How does he try to get you to accept these assumptions? Is he successful? WHY WE CRAVE HORROR MOVIES I think that we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better – and maybe not all that much better, after all. We’ve all known people who talk to themselves, people who sometimes squinch their faces into horrible grimaces when they believe no one is watching, people who have some hysterical fear – of snakes, the dark, the tight place, the long drop … and of course, those final worms and grubs that are waiting so patiently underground. When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theatre showing a horror movie, we are daring the nightmare. Why? Some of the reasons are simple and obvious. To show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster. Which is not to say that a really good horror movie may not surprise a scream out of us at some point, the way we may scream when the roller coaster twists through a complete 360 or plows through a lake at the bottom of the drop. And horror movies, like roller coasters, have always been the special province of the young, by the time one turns 40 or 50, one’s appetite for double twists or 360-degree loops may be considerably depleted. We also go to re-establish our feelings of essential normality; the horror movie is innately conservative, even reactionary. Freda Jackson as the horrible melting woman in Die, Monster, Die! confirms for us that no matter how far we may be removed from the beauty of a Robert Redford or a Diana Ross, we are still light-years from true ugliness. And we go to have fun. Ah, but this is where the ground starts to slope away, isn’t it? Because this is a very peculiar sort of fun, indeed. The fun comes from seeing others menaced – sometimes killed. One critic has suggested that if pro football has become the voyeur’s version of combat, then the horror film has become the modern version of the public lynching. It is true that the mythic, “fairy-tale” horror film intends to take away the shades of gray. It urges us to put away our more civilized and adult penchant for analysis and to become children again, seeing things in pure blacks and whites. It may be that horror movies provide psychic relief on this level because this invitation to lapse into simplicity, irrationality, and even outright madness is extended so rarely. We are told we may allow our emotions a free rein … or no rein at all. If we are all insane, then sanity becomes a matter of degree. If your insanity leads you to carve up women like Jack the Ripper or the Cleveland Torso Murderer, we clap you away in the funny farm (but neither of those two amateur-night surgeons was ever caught, heh-heh-heh); if, on the other hand, your insanity leads you only to talk to yourself when you’re under stress or to pick your nose on your morning bus, then you are left alone to go about your business … though it is doubtful that you will ever be invited to the best parties. The potential lyncher is in almost all of us (excluding saints, past and present; but then, most saints have been crazy in their own ways), and every now and then, he has to be let loose to scream and roll around in the grass. Our emotions, and our fears form their own body, and we recognize that it demands its own exercise to maintain proper muscle tone. Certain of these emotional muscles are accepted – even exalted – in civilized society; they are, of course, the emotions that tend to maintain the status quo of civilization itself. Love, friendship, loyalty, kindness – these are all the emotions, that we applaud, emotions that have been immortalized in the couplets of Hallmark cards and in the verses (I don’t dare call it poetry) of Leonard Nimoy. When we exhibit these emotions, society showers us with positive reinforcement; we learn this even before we get out of diapers. When, as children, we hug our rotten little puke of a sister and give her a kiss, all the aunts and uncles smile and twit and cry, “Isn’t he the sweetest little thing?” Such coveted treats as chocolate-covered graham crackers often follow. But if we deliberately slam the rotten little puke of a sister’s finger in the door, sanctions follow – angry remonstrance from parents, aunts, and uncles; instead of a chocolate-covered graham cracker, a spanking. But anticivilization emotions don’t go away, and they demand periodic exercise. We have such “sick” jokes as, “What’s the difference between a truckload of bowling balls and a truckload of dead babies?” (You can’t unload a truckload of bowling balls with a pitchfork …a joke, by the way, that I heard originally from a ten-year-old). Such a joke may surprise a laugh or a grin out of us even as we recoil, a possibility that confirms the thesis: If we share a brotherhood of man, then we also share an insanity of man. None of which is intended as a defense of either the sick joke or insanity but merely as an explanation of why the best horror films, like the best fairy tales, manage to be reactionary, anarchistic, and revolutionary all at the same time. The mythic horror movie, like the sick joke, has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us. It is morbidity unchained, our most base instincts let free, our nastiest fantasies realized and it all happens, fittingly enough, in the dark. For those reasons, good liberals often shy away from horror films. For myself, I like to see the most aggressive of them – Dawn of the Dead, for instance – as lifting a trap door in the civilized forebrain and throwing a basket of raw meat to the hungry alligators swimming around in that subterranean river beneath. Why bother? Because it keeps them from getting out, man. It keeps them down there and me up here. It was Lennon and McCartney who said that all you need is love, and I would agree with that. As long as you keep the gators fed. DISCUSSION 1. Whatvalue do horror movies have for your personality? 2. What do you think about the social value of horror films – or of some other kind of film? It might help to think in terms of a specific film you’ve seen recently. 3. What is the purpose of the essay? 4. What techniques does the author use to accomplish the purpose: – sensory details – facts – statistics – examples – opinions 5. A successful argument often depends on a careful definition of a key term. Which term does King define? What significance does the definition have for King’s argument? How convincing do you find his definition? Find the topic sentence of the essay. 6. Why do you think King begins as he does? What advantage do you see in this topic sentence? 7. Casual arguments must be carefully organized and developed. To discover King’s plan, make a scratch outline of the selection. Then, to follow one way he keeps readers on track, analyze the transitions at the beginning of each paragraph. Begin by underlining the word or phrase that makes the exact connection with the previous paragraph. 8. How effective do you find the analogy in paragraph 3? To analyze its effectiveness, consider carefully the ways in which horror movies and roller coaster rides are similar and dissimilar. Can you think of another analogy that would work? 9. What is the concluding idea of the author? Comment on it.
ACTIVITIES
How to write an essay.
Writing an essay can be a difficult process. Usually, an essay requires research on a specific topic. This research will serve as the information bank for the essay. Actually, the key to writing a good essay is having a well-written outline. An outline will make your essay more structured and will help with organization. Usually, an outline consists of a chronological assessment of ideas that need to be incorporated into the essay. An essay is divided into three basic parts: the Introduction, the Body, and the Conclusion. First, we will deal with the introduction. When analyzing how to write an essay, the introduction is basically the most important part of the essay. The introduction serves as the hook; it gets the reader interested, and summarizes the entire essay. A good introduction should tell the reader exactly what the essay is about. In fact, the introduction should attract the reader, and produce interest in whoever is reading the essay. The introduction shouldn’t be too long, and it should contain a thesis statement. When learning how to write a cohesive essay, it is important to remember that the thesis statement is crucial. What is the thesis statement? A thesis statement is what the writer believes and/or intends to prove. The next section of a comprehensive essay is the body. When analyzing how to write an essay it is also important to understand that the body of an essay is the primary component of a good essay. The body is what English professionals call the “meat” of the essay. Actually, when writing an outline, it is important to consider the information one wants to include in the body of the essay. The body of a good essay usually consists of several (at least two or three) paragraphs. Each paragraph should begin with what English majors call a topic sentence. The topic sentence serves a similar purpose as the thesis statement. The topic sentence is supposed to tell what the paragraph is about. When a writer develops the topic sentence and does not deviate from it, unity is achieved. If you digress, you merely confuse your reader. The topic sentence can help you maintain unity if you keep asking yourself if the example you are citing really is an example of your topic sentence. The last part of a good essay is the conclusion. The conclusion is very similar to the introduction in that it restates the main idea of the essay. It’s basically a restatement of the thesis. Always include a call to action statement in your conclusion. A call to action statement should try to ask the reader to do something or take action. A call to action statement is a great way to make the reader think right before you throw in your tagline. Finally, try to end your conclusion with a great tagline. What is a tagline? A tagline is just like the first sentence of the introduction paragraph. Some great ideas for tagline are quotes, jokes, or something that will grab the reader’s attention. It should be noted that preparation is key when learning how to write an essay.
2. Getting started on your essay. Before you start writing an essay, you need to decide three things. What are you writing about? Who do you imagine will be reading your essay? What do you want to tell them? A popular kind of essay is to offer your reader an opinion or argument. The key to doing a successful essay is to break the writing down into short, simple steps. Pre-writing for your essay. Begin by brainstorming. Brainstorming doesn’t involve writing complete sentences or paragraphs. Brainstorming involves coming up with ideas in words or short phrases. Building an outline for your essay. Building an outline is like drawing a map of your essay. The job of an outline is to sum up each paragraph in your essay. Outlining doesn’t involve writing complete paragraphs. But outlining is a good time to write a few sentences. Think of these as your topic sentences. Writing a draft of your essay. A lot of people get nervous when it’s time to write. Don’t worry. This is going to be your first draft. The important thing is to add more to your topic sentences. · Introductory paragraph of your essay. Reread your introductory sentence. Add two or three more sentences explaining the main idea. Remember that the job of your introductory paragraph is to get the reader’s attention. This sounds obvious but many students are careless about introductions, saying either too much or too little. A good introduction sets out clearly your response to the topic and how you are going to present that response. It is commonly agreed that quotation should be omitted from your introduction as this is where you are going to say what your response is, not that of others. Remember to keep your introduction short and to the point ending with a ‘feed’ into the opening paragraph of the main body of your essay. · Essay body. Reread your topic sentences. Each topic sentence now becomes the first sentence of a new paragraph. Add to the first sentence of each paragraph. Write four or five more sentences to each. Use these new sentences to support and explain your ideas. You can do this by offering facts, details, or examples. Try to end each paragraph in the main body of the essay with a ‘hook’ to the next, i.e. an idea that introduces the topic of the subsequent paragraph; follow this up by opening the next paragraph with reference to the link. This will help your essay flow better and lead to your conclusion. Remember that the job of your essay body is to share ideas with your reader. See if you can convince your reader to share your opinions. Tips to follow while writing your essay: 1. As a general rule, do not write in the first person unless specifically asked to do so, i.e. avoid the use of phrases such as “I think”or “in this essay I am going to”. Rather, allow your essay to reflect a personal perception whilst being presented in an objective manner. It is useful to look at how professional writers construct essays to gain style tips (though remember, do not plagiarize under any circumstances as this is sure to be detected, is unfair on the writer whose ideas you are stealing). 2. Most essays are required to be typed and double-spaced using size 12 font in ‘Times New Roman’, but it is advisable to check on this as requirements vary. 3. Do not use colloquial expressions, stick to Standard English throughout. Lists (enumeration) are not a good idea unless the essay specifically requires them, as they can appear to be rushed, presenting a lot of information without sufficient explanation. 4. Use strong verbs and avoid modals to state your opinion. It is better to write: “The workplace has evolved” than “The workplace seems to have evolved.” 5. Do not translate from your mother tongue. It will quickly get you into trouble! 6. Quotations should not be too long, never more than a few lines at most, except in exceptional circumstances. Quotations should be enclosed within quotation marks.
Publishing your writing. Congratulations on completing your essay! Finish by saving it on your computer, and by printing it. Share your essay with a family member, friend, classmate or teacher. WRITING ASSIGNMENT Write an essay on any movie genre. Try to follow the structure of an essay: in your introductory sentence define the purpose of the essay: give not fewer than three arguments; finish up with the concluding paragraph. LITERARY TERMS HANDBOOK
Characterization Direct: when an author directly states facts about a character’s personality and his appearance. Indirect: when the author reveals a character’s personality through the character’s words, actions, behavior, or through what other characters say and think about the character.
Complication – disturbs an existing situation in some way. In some stories an event takes place that becomes a complication in the main character’s life and produces a CONFLICT for the character.
Conflict – is a struggle between two opposing forces which creates a tension in a narrative.
Climax – is the point of our highest interest and greatest emotional involvement in the story. So it’s the point of greatest tension, that often involves the most critical decision which the central character must make and which will determine the RESOLUTION.
Exposition – refers to background information, to the context in which the story takes place. Exposition includes both setting and information about characters, so the author introduces us to the people, places and situations we will need to know.
Plot – is the sequence of events or actions. The plot is usually what you tell people about when you share a story with them.
Resolution – it may be a moment of insight, of new understanding, on the part of the main character. In many stories, the resolution is presented in one or two sentences and may not therefore seem like a resolution. Thus “no” resolution can be one kind of resolution; the author’s point may be that the character’s life will be an endless series of complications because the character cannot or will not resolve the central conflict. Setting – it anchors a story in time and space. Setting includes landscapes and buildings, weather, seasons, physical props and characters’ clothing, as well as the wider culture, working conditions and traditions with which conflicts and action occur. The setting may be as important as any character, becoming a vital force overshadowing characters and plot.
Theme – or the main idea, or the purpose, is a generalization about life that the author wants to communicate by writing a specific piece of literature. It is more than just the subject of a story or its topic. The theme involves an opinion about the subject or topic.
Word choice – the selection of words in a piece of literature to convey meaning, suggest attitude and create images and general atmosphere. ® TEXT FOR ANALYSIS
EXCURSION IN REALITY
The commissionaire at Espinoza’s restaurant seems to maintain under his particular authority all the most decrepit taxicabs in London. He is a commanding man; across his great chest the student of military medals may construe a tale of heroism and experience; Boer farms sink to ashes, fanatical fuzzi-wuzzies hurl themselves to paradise, supercilious mandarins survey the smashing of their porcelain and rending of fine silk, in that triple row of decorations. He has only to run from the steps of Espinoza’s to call to your service a vehicle as crazy as all the enemies of the King-Emperor. Half a crown into the white cotton glove, because Simon Lent was too tired to ask for change. He and Sylvia huddled into the darkness on broken springs, between draughty windows. It had been an unsatisfactory evening. They had sat over their table until two because it was an extension night. Sylvia would not drink anything because Simon had said he was broke. So they sat for five or six hours, sometimes silent, sometimes bickering, sometimes exchanging listless greetings with the passing couples. Simon dropped Sylvia at her door; a kiss, clumsily offered, coldly accepted; then back to the attic flat, over a sleepless garage, for which Simon paid six guineas a week. Outside his door they were sluicing a limousine. He squeezed round it and climbed the narrow stairs that had once echoed to the whistling of hostlers, stamping down to the stables before dawn. (Woe to young men in Mewses! Oh, woe to bachelors half in love, living on £ 800 a year!) There was a small heap of letters on his dressing-table, which had arrived that evening while he was dressing. He lit his gas fire and began to open them. Tailor’s bill £56, hosier £43; a reminder that his club subscription for that year had not yet been paid; his account from Espinoza’s with a note informing that the terms were strict, net cash monthly, and that no further credit would be extended to him; ‘it appeared from the books’ of his bank that his last cheque overdrew his account £10 16s. Beyond the limit of his guaranteed overdraft; a demand from the income-tax collector for particulars of his employees and their wages (Mrs. Shaw, who came in to make his bed and orange juice for 4 s. 6 d. a day); small bills for books, spectacles, cigars, hair lotion and Sylvia’s last four birthday presents. (Woe to shops that serve young men in Mewses!) The other part of his mail was in marked contrast to this. There was a box of preserved figs from an admirer in Fresno, California; two letters from young ladies who said they were composing papers about his work for their college literary societies, and would he sent a photograph; press cuttings describing him as a ‘popular’, ‘brilliant’, ‘meteorically successful’, and ‘enviable’ young novelist; a request for the loan of two hundred pounds from a paralysed journalist; an invitation to luncheon from Lady Metroland; six pages of closely reasoned abuse from a lunatic asylum in the North of England. For the truth, which no one who saw into Simon Lent’s heart could possibly have suspected, was that he was in his way and within his limits quite a famous young man. There was a last letter with a typewritten address, which Simon opened with little expectation of pleasure. The paper was headed with the name of a Film Studio in one of the suburbs of London. The letter was brief and businesslike. Dear Simon Lent (a form of address, he had noted before, largely favoured by the theatrical profession), I wonder whether you have ever considered writing for the Films. We should value your angle on a picture we are now making. Perhaps you would meet me for luncheon to-morrow at the Garrick Club and let me know your reaction to this. Will you leave a message with my night secretary some time before 8 a.m. to-morrow or with my day secretary after that hour? Cordially yours. Below this were two words in pen and ink which seemed to be Jewee Meccee with below them the explanatory typescript (Sir James Macrae). Simon read this through twice. Then he rang up Sir James Macrae and informed his night secretary that he would keep the luncheon appointment next day. He had barely put down the telephone before the bell rang. ‘This is Sir James Macrae’s night secretary speaking. Sir James would be very pleased if Mr. Lent would come round and see him this evening at his house in Hampstead.’ Simon looked at his watch. It was nearly three. ‘Well… it’s rather late to go so far to-night…’ ‘Sir James is sending a car for you.’ Simon was no longer tired. As he waited for the car the telephone rang again. ‘Simon,’ said Sylvia’s voice, ‘are you asleep?’ ‘No; in fact I’m just going out.’ ‘Simon… I say, was I beastly to-night?’ ‘Lousy.’ ‘Well, I thought you were lousy, too.’ ‘Never mind. See you some time.’ ‘Aren’t you going to go on talking?’ ‘Can’t, I’m afraid. I’ve got to do some work.’ ‘ Simon, what can you mean?’ ‘Can’t explain now. There’s a car waiting.’ ‘When am I seeing you – tomorrow?’ ‘Well, I don’t really know. Ring me up in the morning. Good night.’ A quarter of a mile away, Sylvia put down the telephone, rose from the hearthrug, where she had settled herself in the expectation of twenty minutes’ intimate explanation and crept disconsolately into bed.
* * * Simon bowled off to Hampstead through deserted streets. He sat back in the car in a state of pleasant excitement. Presently they began to climb the steep little hill and emerged into an open space with a pond and the tops of trees, black and deep as a jungle in the darkness. The night butler admitted him to the low Georgian house and led him to the library, where Sir James Macrae was standing before the fire, dressed in ginger-coloured plus-fours. A table was laid with supper. ‘Evening, Lent. Nice of you to come. Have to fit in business when I can. Cocoa or whisky? Have some rabbit pie; it’s rather good. First chance of a meal I’ve ever had since breakfast. Ring for some more cocoa, there’s a good chap. Now what was it you wanted to see me about?’ ‘Well, I thought you wanted to see me. ’ ‘Did I? Very likely. Miss Bentham’ll know. She arranged the appointment. You might ring the bell on the desk, will you?’ Simon rang and there instantly appeared the neat night secretary. ‘Miss Bentham, what did I want to see Mr. Lent about?’ ‘I’m afraid I couldn’t say, Sir James. Miss Harper is responsible for Mr. Lent. When I came on duty this evening I merely found a note from her asking me to fix an appointment as soon as possible’. ‘Pity,’ said Sir James. ‘We’ll have to wait until Miss Harper comes on tomorrow.’ ‘I think it was something about writing for films.’ ‘Very likely,’ said Sir James. ‘Sure to be something of the kind. I’ll let you know without delay. Thanks for dropping in. He put down his cup of cocoa and held out his hand with unaffected cordiality. ‘Good night, my dear boy.’ He rang the bell for the night butler. ‘Sanders, I want Benson to run Mr. Lent back.’ ‘I’m sorry, sir. Benson has just gone down to the studio to fetch Miss Grits.’ ‘Pity,’ said Sir James. ‘Still, I expect you’ll be able to pick up a taxi or something.’
2 Simon got to bed at half-past four. At ten minutes past eight the telephone by his bed was ringing. ‘Mr. Lent? This is Sir James Macrae’s secretary speaking. Sir James’s car will call for you at half-past eight to take you to the studio.’ ‘I shan’t be ready as soon as that, I’m afraid.’ There was a shocked pause; then the day secretary said: ‘Very well, Mr. Lent. I will see if some alternative arrangement is possible and ring you in a few minutes.’ In the intervening time Simon fell asleep again. Then the bell woke him once more and the same impersonal voice addressed him. ‘Mr. Lent? I have spoken to Sir James. His car will call for you at eight forty-five.’ Simon dressed hastily. Mrs. Shaw had not yet arrived, so there was no breakfast for him. He found some stale cake in the kitchen cupboard and was eating it when Sir James’s car arrived. He took a slice down with him, still munching. ‘You needn’t have brought that,’ said a severe voice from inside the car. ‘Sir James has sent you some breakfast. Get in quickly; we’re late.’ In the corner, huddled in rugs, sat a young woman in a jaunty red hat; she had bright eyes and a very firm mouth. ‘I expect that you are Miss Harper.’ ‘No. I’m Elfreda Grits. We’re working together on this film, I believe. I’ve been up all night with Sir James. If you don’t mind I’ll go to sleep for twenty minutes. You’ll find a thermos of cocoa and some rabbit pie in the basket on the floor.’ ‘Does Sir James live on cocoa and rabbit pie?’ ‘No; those are the remains of his supper. Please don’t talk. I want to sleep.’ Simon disregarded the pie, but poured some steaming cocoa into the metal cap of the thermos flask. In the corner Miss Grits composed herself for sleep. She took off the jaunty red hat and laid it between them on the seat, veiled her eyes with two blue pigmented lids and allowed the firm lips to relax and gape a little. Her platinum-blonde wind-swept head bobbed and swayed with the motion of the car as they swept out of London through converging and diverging tram lines. Stucco gave place to brick and the facades of the tube stations changed from tile to concrete; unoccupied building plots appeared and newly-planted trees along unnamed avenues. Five minutes exactly before their arrival at the studio Miss Grits opened her eyes, powdered her nose, touched her lips with red, and pulling her hat on to the side of her scalp, sat bolt upright, ready for another day.
* * * Sir James was at work on the lot when they arrived. In a white-hot incandescent hell two young people were carrying on an infinitely tedious conversation at what was presumably the table of a restaurant. A dozen emaciated couples in evening dress danced listlessly behind them. At the end of the huge shed some carpenters were at work building the facade of a Tudor manor house. Men in eyeshades scuttled in and out. Notices stood everywhere. Do not Smoke. Do not Speak. Keep away from the high-power cable. Miss Grits, in defiance of these regulations, lit a cigarette, kicked some electric apparatus out of her path, said, ‘He’s busy. I expect he’ll see us when he’s through with this scene,’ and disappeared through a door marked No admittance. Shortly after eleven o’clock Sir James caught sight of Simon. ‘Nice of you to come. Shan’t be long now,’ he called out to him. ‘Mr. Briggs, get a chair for Mr. Lent.’ At two o’clock he noticed him again. ‘Had any lunch?’ ‘No,’ said Simon. ‘No more have I. Just coming.’ At half-past three Miss Grits joined him and said: ‘Well, it’s been an easy day so far. You mustn’t think we’re always as slack as this. There’s a canteen across the yard. Come and have something to eat.’ An enormous buffet was full of people in a variety of costume and make-up. Disappointed actresses in languorous attitudes served cups of tea and hard-boiled eggs. Simon and Miss Grits ordered sandwiches and were to eat them when a loudspeaker above their heads suddenly announced with alarming distinctness, ‘Sir James Macrae calling Mr. Lent and Miss Grits in the Conference Room.’ ‘Come on, quick,’ said Miss Grits. She bustled him through the swing doors, across the yard, into the office building and up a flight of stairs to a solid oak door marked Conference. Keep out. Too late. ‘Sir James has been called away,’ said the secretary. ‘Will you meet him at the West End office at five-thirty?’ Back to London, this time by tube. At five-thirty they were at the Piccadilly office ready for the next clue in their treasure hunt. This took them to Hampstead. Finally at eight they were back at the studio. Miss Grits showed no sign of exhaustion. ‘Decent of the old boy to give us a day off,’ she remarked. ‘He’s easy to work with in that way-after Hollywood. Let’s get some supper.’ But as they opened the canteen doors and felt the warm breath of light refreshments, the loud-speaker again announced: ‘Sir James Macrae calling Mr. Lent and Miss Grits in the Conference Room.’ This time they were not too late. Sir James was there at the head of an oval table; round him were grouped the chiefs of his staff. He sat in a greatcoat with his head hung forward, elbows on the table and his hands clasped behind his neck. The staff sat in respectful sympathy. Presently he looked up, shook himself and smiled pleasantly. ‘Nice of you to come,’ he said. ‘Sorry I couldn’t see you before. Lots of small things to see to on a job like this. Had dinner?’ ‘Not yet.’ ‘Pity. Have to eat, you know. Can’t work at full pressure unless you eat plenty.’ Then Simon and Miss Grits sat down and Sir James explained his plan. ‘I want, ladies and gentlemen, to introduce Mr. Lent to you. I’m sure you all know his name already and I daresay some of you know his work. Well, I’ve called him in to help us and I hope that when he’s heard the plan he’ll consent to join us. I want to produce a film of Hamlet. I daresay you don’t think that’s a very original idea – but it’s angle that counts in the film world. I’m going to do it from an entirely new angle. That’s why I’ve called in Mr. Lent. I want him to write dialogue for us.’ ‘But surely,’ said Simon, ‘there’s quite a lot of dialogue there already?’ ‘Ah, you don’t see my angle. There have been plenty of productions of Shakespeare in modern dress. We are going to produce him in modern speech. How can you expect the public to enjoy Shakespeare when they can’t make head or tail of the dialogue? D’you know I began reading a copy the other day and blessed if I could understand it. At once I said, “What the public wants is Shakespeare with all his beauty of thought and character translated into the language of every day life.” Now Mr. Lent here was the man whose name naturally suggested itself. Many of the most high-class critics have commended Mr. Lent’s dialogue. Now my idea is that Miss Grits here shall act in an advisory capacity, helping with continuity and the technical side, and that Mr. Lent shall be given a free hand with the scenario...’ The discourse lasted for a quarter of an hour; then the chiefs of staff nodded sagely; Simon was taken into another room and given a contract to sign by which he received £ 50 a week retaining fee and £ 250 advance. ‘You had better fix up with Miss Grits the times of work most suitable to you. I shall expect your first treatment by the end of the week. I should go and get some dinner if I were you. Must eat.’ Slightly dizzy, Simon hurried to the canteen where two languorous blondes were packing up for the night. ‘We’ve been on since four o’clock this morning,’ they said, ‘and the supers have eaten everything except the nougat. Sorry.’ Sucking a bar of nougat Simon emerged into the now deserted studio. On three sides of him, to the height of twelve feet, rose in
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The Academy Award (informally known as the Oscar) is an accolade by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world and is televised live in more than 200 countries annually. It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media; its equivalents, the Grammy Awards (for music), Emmy Awards (for television), and Tony Awards (for theatre) are modeled after the Academy. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself was conceived by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss Louis B. Mayer.
The Berlin International Film Festival (German: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), also called the Berlinale, is one of the world’s leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978. With 274,000 tickets sold and 487,000 admissions it is considered the largest publicly-attended film festival worldwide. Up to 400 films are shown in several sections, representing a comprehensive array of the cinematic world. Around twenty films compete for the awards called the Golden and Silver Bears.
Moscow International Film Festival abbreviated as MIFF, is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since 1995.
The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1946, is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious film festivals. The private festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in the resort town of Cannes, in the south of France. The most prestigious award given out at Cannes is the Palme d’Or (“Golden Palm”) for the best film.
The Venice Film Festival (Italian: Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica) is one of the oldest film festivals in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the “Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica”, the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the Lido, Venice, Italy. Screenings take place in the historic Palazzo del Cinema on the Lungomare Marconi. It is one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals and is part of the Venice Biennale, a major biennial exhibition and festival for contemporary art.
The Golden Raspberry Awards, called the Razzies for short, is an annual award ceremony held in Los Angeles to recognize the worst in film (the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, etc.). The term raspberry is used in its irreverent sense, as in “blowing a raspberry”.
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