The Lost Thing

What follows is an Academy Award winning film version of one of the best works by Shaun Tan.

Hope you like it!

                                


Here's additional information about an exhibition on the film-making process based upon this book. If you're interested, you can watch a related video that shows part of the work.

Kisses!

THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS

The Butterfly Circus - HD from The Butterfly Circus on Vimeo.

How about watching this short movie and doing the activities at the end to practise your thinking, writing and conversational skills?

(Spanish subtitles at http://youtu.be/ZF5M_BjLg8w).

Sinopsis: "At the heart of the Great Depression in the United States (1929-1933), the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover Will, a man with no limbs at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed" (http://www.thebutterflycircus.com/)

TASKS

1) Write your own summary of the plot (100-150 words) and add your opinion about the film (50-100 words).

2) Answer the following questions:

a. Why do so many people go to the sideshow to see people like Will?

b. Why does Will spit on Mendez's face? How does Mendez react?

c. Why isn't Will in the show just after joining the circus?

d. Why doesn't anybody give Will the help he asks for in the river?

e. Why does a boy on crutches hug Will at the end of the film?

f. What is Will's real disability?

g. Why are the members of the Butterfly Circus troupe happy people?

h. Why is the circus inspired by the butterfly?

i. Did you find anything touching in the film? If so, what is it?

3) Discuss the following sentences: "What this world needs is a little wonder", "If you could only see the beauty that can come from ashes" (Mendez).

Good luck!

The King's Speech

This excellent movie has received 12 nominations for the Oscar Awards

Watch the clip ‘Exercise’ on the official film website:


http://www.kingsspeech.com/media.html

http://www.filmeducation.org/thekingsspeech/index.html (right here there is an option to read the transcript of the trailer)


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fFHn2lRJQr398CrpzvPc1prO8pDhWG4BJGSTqLS39Fk/edit?hl=en# (fill in the gap activity.... to practise)


A few questions to consider:

a) the future king is treated quite roughly by the speech therapist, especially considering the great wide social
difference between them. But...look closely – who appears to have the greater power or control in the opening of this clip? Why do you think this is so?

b) In the film, before the 1934 radio broadcast of the King’s Christmas message, King George V (the former King) says:
“This devilish device will change everything…In the past all a king had to do was look respectable in uniform and not fall off his horse.Now we must invade people’s houses and ingratiate ourselves with them.This family has been reduced to those lowest and basest of all creatures.We have become actors.”
Radio changed the way the monarchy interacted with the pubic. Since the time the film is set, many more
changes in media technology and broadcasting have taken place. Consider the way any Royal Family use the media to interact with the public today.

New Year's Resolutions

Watch the sequence again and translate the highlighted expressions. Try to guess meaning from context.



https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TGpXTCovlT1kG-D4LaPT-BRtwe4BvLaG3nNg_2RpknM/edit#


Apart from this, you can also listen to Jamie Cullum's song, NEXT YEAR, BABY, which deals with the new year's resolutions of the singer...

EAT PRAY LOVE

The film version of Eat Pray Love is about to be released in Spanish cinemas on September 24th. The movie is based upon the international bestseller by Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote her experiences on her journey around the world in search of herself after a difficult divorce. She spent four months in Italy, eating and enjoying life (Eat), and another four months in India, finding her spirituality (Pray). Elizabeth ended the year in Bali looking for "balance" of the two and found love (Love).

The 2010 Donostia Award winning American actress Julia Roberts plays Elizabeth on the screen.