The Sound of Music

-1- The Sound of Music《音乐之声》 Part One Understanding the Movie Cultural Background of the Film The sound of Music (1965) won the following Oscar rewards in 1966. Best Director: Robert Wise; Best Film Editing: Williaim Reynolds; Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment: Irwin Kostal; Best Picture: Robert Wise; Best Sound: Fred Hynes; Nominated Oscar Best Actress: Julie Andrews. Julie Elizabeth Wells was born of October 1,1935, in England, and was exposed to dance and music even before she could walk or talk. When her father discovered that his daughter had perfect pitch he enrolled her in singing lessons. At 10 Julie joined her parents‟ vaudeville act and became so popular that at 12 she opened on her own at the London Hippodrome. Her career soon eclipsed her parents‟, and at 13 she performed for the queen. Her parents retired as Andrews‟ career blossomed, making the teenager the breadwinner for her parents and siblings. Andrews performed Cinderella at the London Palladium and made her Broadway debut in 1954 in the old fashioned musical. America was smitten with this teenage star, and only a year later she won the starring role in My Fair Lady. Both the play and Julie Andrews became tremendous hits in New York and London. Musical and Dance Films Task 1. Read the following text and then give the working definition of musical films. According to the definition, write down the musical films you have seen or tick the ones in the list. Musical and dance films were the last of the major film genres, as they were dependent on sound. With the coming of sound motion pictures, the musical film genre emerged from its roots: stage musicals. Musical and dance films are cinematic forms which emphasize song and dance routines in a significant way, or they are films which are centered on combinations of music, dance, song of choreography. Musicals highlight various musical artists of dancing stars, with lyrics which support the story line, often with an alternative vision of reality — a search for love, success, wealth, and popularity. The 1930s and the 1940s are considered the Golden Age of the Musical. Musicals came into full flower in the 1940s, with an increased demand for escapist entertainment during World War II, and increased budgets for the musical genre. Color was being introduced into the major productions. MGM‟s most popular fantasy musical was the artistic, classic Technicolor masterpiece The Wizard of Oz (1939), starring an appealing and young emerging star Judy Garland as Dorothy in a magical land. Four Broadway musicals in the 1960s adapted for the screen won the academy Award for Best Picture — West Side Story (1961), My Fair Lady (1964), based upon George Bernard Shaw‟s Pygmalion, The Sound of Music (1965), and Olive! (1968). The Sound of Music (1965), with and unforgettable Julie Andrews in the lead role singing melodic Rodgers and Hammerstein songs, surpassed Gone With the Wind (1939) to become the biggest box-office hit to date, and the film won five Oscars. -2- Animated musical blockbusters from Disney‟s studios also succeeded with high-quality feature films: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and The Lion King (1994). Great Early Musicals and Dance Films □ The Wizard of Oz (1939) □ The Red Shoes (1948) Other Greatest Musicals and Dance Films □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ An American in Paris (1951) Singin’ in the Rain (1952) The King and I (1956) Gigi (1958) West Side story (1961) The Music Man (1962) My Fair Lady (1964) The Sound of Music (1965) Oliver! (1968) Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Task 2. Read the following synopsis of the film and the answer the detailed questions. The story begins with Maria singing on the mountain: “My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rises from the lake to the trees. My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze. To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way. To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray. I go to the hills when my heart is lonely. I know I will hear what I‟ve heard before. My heart will be blessed with the sound of music, and I‟ll sing once more.” But Maria gets a little carried away up there on the mountain and is late returning to the abbey. This will have consequences and she well knows it. Maria travels in her habit and boards the bus for her new job as governess of seven children, singing away her anxieties. “I have confidence in sunshine. I have confidence in rain. I have confidence that spring will come again. Besides which you see, I have confidence in me. Strength doesn‟t lie in numbers. Strength doesn‟t lie in wealth. Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers. When you wake up, (Wake up!) it‟s healthy .All I trust I give my heart to. All I trust becomes my own. I have confidence in confidence alone. Besides which you see, I have confidence in me.” Maria meets the children and attempts to learn their names. Liesl Rolf: Sixteen-going-on-seventeen, and seventeen-going-on-eighteen. “You wait, little girl, on an empty stage for fate to turn the light on. Your life little girl is an empty page that men will want to write on. You are sixteen going on seventeen. Baby, it‟s time to think. Better beware. Be canny and careful…Baby, you‟re on the brink…” “You‟re not frightened of a thunderstorm, are you?” “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favorite things. Cream colored ponies and crisp apples strudel. Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles. Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. These are a few of my favorite things. Girls in white dresses -3- with blue satin sashes. Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver white winters that melt into springs. These are a few of my favorite things. When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I‟m felling sad, I simply remember my favorite things and then I don‟t feel so bad.” “I told you today I didn‟t need a governess. Well, maybe I do” — Liesl. The Captain goes to Vienna, and Maria and the children break all the rules. She even teaches them how to sing. “Do a deer, a female deer. RE a drop of golden sun. ME a name I call myself. FA a long, long way to run. SO a needle pulling thread. LA a note to follow SO. TI a drink with jam and bread. That will bring us back to DO.” Climbing trees and an accidental swim. Unfortunately when the Captain returns he is not amused, and Maria is told to “pack your things this minute and return to the abbey”. He changes his mind however when he learns she has “brought music back into the house”. These multi-talented children learn a variety of songs from their new governess. They put on a marionette show for Uncle Max and the Baroness, singing “The Lonely Goatherd” and entertain their father‟s guests at the “grand and glorious party” with a song and dance number entitled “So long, Farewell”. But despite her success as a governess, Maria runs away from the bon Trapps back to the abbey. The Reverend Mother wants to know if it is because she‟s in love with the Captain.” I don‟t know! I don‟t know! The baroness… it was she said that he was in love with me, but I didn‟t want to believe it! There were times that we would look at each other — oh Mother, I could hardly breathe!” — Maria. Not giving in to her pleas to remain at the abbey and be “safe”, the Reverend Mother sends Maria back to the von Trapps with one of the greatest songs of the film “climb Every Mountain”. “Maria, these walls were not built to shut out problems .you have to face them. You have to live the life you were born to live: Climb every mountain. Search high and low. Follow every byway, every path you know. Climb every mountain. Ford every stream. Follow every rainbow „til you find your dream — a dream that will need all the love you can give, every day of your life for as long as you live. Climb every mountain. Ford every stream. Follow every rainbow „til you find your dream.” Well, the Reverend Mother was right. Maria returns and it doesn‟t take long for her and George to end up alone together in the soft blue light of the gazebo in the garden. This of course leads to marriage, and in the von Trapps case, one of the most lavish in film history. All has not ended well yet, however. The Nazis cause the newlyweds and their family quite a bit of trouble as they attempt to draft Captain von Trapp into the Naval Forces of The Third Reich. After a farewell concert at the music festival and with some help from the Reverend Mother and the nuns at the abbey, the Traps escape over the Alps into Switzerland in a picturesque finale to this fantastic film — America‟s best Loved Musical. Questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. Is Maria able to fit herself into the life of the abbey? Why does the Reverend Mother choose to send Maria to the Captain‟s house as a governess? How does Maria feel about being the governess of seven children? Where and how do Maria and the Captain first meet each other? What are their comments on -4- 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. each other? How does the Captain present his children to Maria? Why does Maria refuse to use the whistle and respond to it as well? What‟s the children‟s welcome present to Maria? Why do they burst into crying at the dinner table? Does the Captain know what‟s going on between Lisel and Ralph? What does this suggest about his relationship with his children? What impact does the death of his first wife have upon the Captain? How does Maria treat the children when they run to her room scared by the thunder and lightening? How does Maria take care of the children while the Captain is away? What does she teach the children to do? What does Maria teach the children to do to welcome the Baroness? What happen to them as they come back? How does the Captain feel about his children‟s clothes and behavior? What advice does Maria try to give to the Captain about how he should treat his children? What‟s the Captain‟s first response? What brings about the change of his attitude? What makes the Captain sing again? When does Maria realize that she is in love with the Captain? What does the Baroness tell Maria when she realizes that Maria and the Captain are in love? What does Maria decide to do? How do the children feel about Maria‟s absence? What brings Maria back to the Captain‟s house? When and how does the Captain tell the Baroness that he can‟t marry her as he is in love with Maria? What‟s the Captain‟s attitude towards the children‟s public performance? What makes the Captain decide to leave his house and his country? How do the Captain and his family manage to get rid of the guards? Where do they eventually escape? Task 3. Dictate the plot summary of The Sound of Music. Part Two Close Study of the Movie Movie Quotes from The Sound of Music (1965) Task 1. Try to recall some quotations that impress you before you read the following ones. 1. “I can‟t seem to stop singing wherever I am. And what‟s worse, I can‟t seem to stop saying things — anything and everything I think and feel.” — Maria. “Some people would call that honesty.” — Rev. Mother. “Oh, but it‟s terrible, Reverend Mother!” — Maria. 2. “Only grown-up men are scared of women.” — Kurt. 3. “Oh, there‟s nothing wrong with the children — only the governesses.” — Captain von Trapps. 4. “You are the twelfth in a long line of governesses who have come here to look after my children since their mother died. I trust you will be an improvement on the last one. She -5- 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. stayed only two hours.” — Captain von Trapps. “I‟m Liesl. I‟m sixteen years old and I don‟t need a governess!” — Liesl. “Where the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” — Maria. “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.” — Rev. Mother. “There‟s nothing more irresistible to a man than a woman that‟s in love with him.” — The Baroness. The Von Trapp Family: Gretl, Marta, Brigitta, Kurt, Louisa, Fredrick, Liesl, Maria, and George. Excerpts (1~6) from the Film (Omit.) Task 2. Do the following exercises on the excerpts. 1. Choose words or phrases from the following list to describe Maria‟s character: A) free-spirited B) lack of self-control C) impulsive D) imaginative E) adventurous F) restless G) impious H) out-spoken I) full of life J) spontaneous K) loving L) diffident M) harsh N) stubborn O) ambitious P) naïve Q) rude R) childish S) funny T) attractive 2. List all the arguments between the Captain and Maria and tell what each of them suggests: Cause 1) 2) 3) Task 3. Detailed questions for the excerpts. Excerpt 1 1. What seems to be Maria‟s trouble and why? What does this suggest? 2. According to Maria, what‟s the most important lesson she has learned in the abbey? 3. How does Maria feel once she gets out the abbey and is about to work as the governess of seven children of the Captain? Excerpt 2 1. Find examples to show that Maria is from the lower class and knows nothing about the social etiquette. 2. How many governesses have worked in the Captain‟s home before Maria? How long did the last stay? 3. How does the Captain treat and train his children? Excerpt 3 1. How does Maria treat the children when they run to her room scared by the thunderstorm? What‟s the effect upon their relations? 2. Why does Maria help Lisel to lie to her father? 3. According to the Captain, what‟s the first rule in his house? 4. Diction: write down the things the children like. Excerpt 4 1. How have Maria and the children planned to welcome the Baroness? How does their plan turn out? -6- Maria‟s view and reason the Captain‟s view and reason 2. Hwy does the Captain ask Maria to go back to the abbey? What makes him change his attitude? What does he say to Maria? 3. What does Maria try to tell the Captain about his children? What‟s the reaction of the Captain and why? Excerpt 5 1. What emotional dilemma is Maria in? How does the Reverend Mother help out of it? 2. What advice does the Reverend Mother give to Maria? Excerpt 6 1. What wedding gift has the Baroness been thinking of his giving to the Captain? 2. According to the Baroness, what kind of man she needs? What does this suggest about her love for the Captain? 3. What are the two questions the Captain asks Maria? Does Maria give him a true answer? 4. According to Maria and the Captain, when did they first loving each other? Part Three Reflection of the Movie Interview of the Film Task 1. Listen to the interview between Ms Zhu and Jean Bonk, wife of professor Bonk at Yale. Zhu: Jean, in the film The Sound of Music, at the very beginning, we know, Maria doesn‟t fit in the life Abbey because they have very strict rules. Can you give us more information about the church life at that time and the life in the 1990s? Jean: In the 1930s, the Catholic church had women called nuns who wanted to delicate themselves totally to doing what God wanted them to do. So what they would do is do into an abbey, a big home, often almost like a castle but very simple, very simplistic. And they would cut themselves off from their family and friends. They would leave all their clothes behind like Maria did. They would dress themselves in the black and white habit. They would spend time by themselves. They would spend time praying. They would spend time giving to the poor so that they would please God more. They want not ask to be distracted by things in the world like raising a family, having a job, having to make a living, many things in the world that would keep them from focusing on God, on prayer, and giving to the poor. They want to be free to do that. So that‟s why they want to seclude themselves from the world. Now it is changing. In the last twenty or thirty years, nuns have changed their costumes. Now they wear what everybody else wears. Often they live in the cities in house with other, maybe other nuns, maybe with their family. They sometimes help the inner city children that are poor. They might teach in the university. They might be social workers. They can do all sorts of things. They can sing. Even in the abbeys now, they have lots of singing. They have lots of sister. And they are more approachable. Things are not secluded. And I think today Maria might have been able to fit into and must be able to fit into the abbey in the 1990s. Zhu: Maria has made the decision to give her life to God, but the Reverend Mother asks her to work outside the abbey for a while, why did she make that decision? Jean: The Reverend Mother was a good, a very wise woman, and she understood human nature. She looked at Maria and she saw that her personality was spontaneous, very -7- Zhu: Jean: Zhu: Jean: impulsive, very full of life, very full of singing. Maria said herself that she couldn‟t help but sing. And as the Reverend Mother looked at Maria, she thought how can she in this abbey where we are quiet, where we go about our work, where we don‟t sing, where often quite solemn. And she thought Maria doesn‟t fit (there) here. And she said to Maria the love of a man and a woman is holy too. You can live in the world, you can love a man and still please God. God is not pleased only with women who live in an abbey, he is also pleased with women who followed him in the world who please him by loving a man, by loving children. And so (the Mother,) the Reverend Mother saw the big picture of Maria could love God in the abbey or out the abbey. Maria knows that the children will give her a test and it‟s not easy for her to handle seven children, but she managed eventually. How did she win over the children‟s love and respect? Maria naturally loved children. You could tell that right at the beginning when (the governess) the Reverend Mother asked her she would go and look after the children. She was quite pleased even though she said seven children. I think Maria put herself in the place of the children and I think she thought I would like to be treat if I was one of these children. And so she thought I would like to be called by name. I wouldn‟t like to respond to a whistle. And so she immediately made them personal by calling them by name. And she also went to talk to them and told them that she had never been a governess before and what she should do to be a good governess. And that made the children feel very important. They had something good to say and some good advice to give her. And she made them realize she wasn‟t going to be the boss. She wanted to be their friend. And children always liked it if you wanted to be their friend. And Maria was very spontaneous. She liked to have fun. She liked to do different things. And children loved that. She was very imaginative, she was very free-spirited. She was also make fun of them and told them to go back to bed. She scared, she said (Come to my bed) and then started singing with them. So she didn‟t put them down and made them feel like they were silly, like their father tended to do. She also encouraged the children to enjoy the nature and they would go to picnics and do all sorts of things in the boat. She also made them feel a little guilty when they found that she really loved them and that she really felt hurt when they were mean to her. So I think it helped them to sensitive and realize that she was a real person, she wasn‟t just a governess. So overall I think that Maria won their love because she loved them just as they were. She accepted them for who they were. And people always appreciate that when we love them for who they are. Jean, could you please say something about the relationship among the Captain, Maria and the Baroness? Why did he choose Maria instead of the Baroness to be his wife eventually? The Captain was very cynical about life. I think that he had never properly dealt with his first wife‟s death. So he tried to block everything out that reminded him of his first wife. He blocked out music from the house. He didn‟t want to get close to his children because maybe he might get hurt again by them. So he kept himself at a distance from his children emotionally. And they wanted to love him but he never let them. He only -8- Zhu: Jean: made them obey him but he didn‟t give himself to them. And then Maria steps into the picture and she is exactly the opposite of what he is. She loves his children. She gives herself to the children emotionally. She brings music into the house. But at this time, the Captain is very focused on the Baroness and is planning on marrying her because the Baroness has a lot of common interest to the Captain. She is from the same social rank, she has the same kind of life as he does. She has lots of money. They have a lot of similarities as far as socially goes .Now if we look at the Baroness, she had everything that she wanted materially. She, I think, loved the Captain in her own way. But as she said to the Captain she needed a love herself. So in a way the Baroness didn‟t have love to give, not the love that the Captain needed. He needed an unselfish, warm, spontaneous, non-calculating love. The baroness only knew how to give him material gifts and tried to satisfy him that way. But she couldn‟t give up herself because she needed love herself. She didn‟t have love to give him, pure love. Maria‟s love for the Captain almost came about as a surprise. It almost slipped up on her. I don‟t think she even realized that she loved him till the high climax, when she realized it was when they were dancing on the balcony. But he needed her love because her love was God‟s love. She loved him in spited of his being a very cold man, a very soft of distant man. She loved him for who he was. She loved him. I think she did fall in love with him in spite of how he treated her because he didn‟t always treated her very nicely. But she didn‟t really think of getting love back from him. She thought of only loving him. And that‟s why he needed her. He needed her warm, spontaneous, impulsive love. And her over other people, they love us back, they can help themselves. So became also loving to his children because of Maria‟s example of love. The Reverend Mother played a very important role in Maria‟s life. And what do you think of her philosophy of life? The Reverend Mother definitely was a Christian person and she believed in God‟s love for her and God‟s love for other human beings. And her philosophy was to love God back, to love God by being who he made her to be, by being who he made Maria to be. And she believed that every person is given certain gifts and abilities. Maria was given the gift of loving children, of being a family person. And she said “we ought t be what God makes us to be “ And so Maria was most fulfilled in her life by being a mother, by being a wife to the Captain. The Reverend Mother was most fulfilled by being a nun, and by being what God has asked her to be, — praying, helping the poor. So we can love God, and if we really love God, she believed we can do what we please, we can do what he made us to do. She also believes that we can‟t escape our problems. We have to face our problems, “climb every mountain” so that when some difficulties come up, we can‟t just bury our head in sand. With God‟s help, she believes that we can face the problems, and solve them. She was a great encouragement to Maria. And I thing she realized she could encourage other people. Even at the end, when Maria and the Captain decided to climb the mountain, she said to them “I will lift up my eyes on to the hills from whence comth my help”, You know she was quoting something from the Christian Bible. And actually the next line in the Bible says “my help comes from the Lord”. So I think the Mother she appears overall view of life was a very Christian view because she was a believer -9- and that she thought she could love (Lord) God by helping others, by encouraging others. Task2. Compare the church life of the nuns in the 1930s and 1990s: In the 1930s A. place where the nuns live B. the way they are dressed C. the way they serve the God Task3. Compare the Captain’s relationship with the Baroness, Maria and his children and the change of it. A With the Baroness: (example) they share a lot of common interests; they are from the same social rank; he plans to marry her With Maria: With his Children: Task 4. Compare how both the Baroness’ and Maria’s love for the Captain and what kind of love the Captain did need? The Baroness‟ love for the Captain Maria‟s love for the Captain The kind of love the Captain needed Task 5. Compare the different ways of lives that the Reverend Mother and Maria are born to live according to the Reverend Mother. The Reverend Mother Maria Task 6. Listen again and summarize how Maria won over the children’s love and respect. B (example) he realizes this is not the kind of love he needs, so he calls off their engagement In the 1990s Review of the Movie One of the most famous musicals of all time, with one of the most famous opening scenes in any movie of any time. If you haven‟t seen a gloriously free Julie Andrews romping about in the Austrian Alps at least once, you‟re a recluse. Those even mildly interested in musicals, romances, or the stunning imagery of the opening scene are encouraged to check out the rest of the film. It was Rodgers and Hammerstein‟s last musical, and Edelweiss, one of their most beautiful songs ever, was the last song Oscar Hammerstein wrote the lyrics for before he died. The plot is based on a true story, about a governess from a convent falling in love with Captain Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer) while taking care of his children. Then the Nazis invade Austria, putting them in a sticky position. It‟s funny and suspenseful, with some legendary music. The Sound of Music (1965) was one of the most popular films of the 960s. Although a bit corny, it is a joyous musical odyssey suitable for the entire family. In The Sound of Music, every song is tuneful and most are memorable and moving. The film begins with the sisters at the convent who try to figure out what to do with Maria. She says she wants to be a nun, but she is happiest when out singing and is quite outspoken as well. Sister Margaretta (Anna Lee) tries to put a good spin on it by telling the other sisters, “After all, the wool from the black sheep is just as warm.” - 10 - As a compromise, the Mother Abbess sends Maria to care for the seven Von Trapp children. There is a slight problem in that the supposedly incorrigible children have run off a long list of governesses with the record being the last one who stayed only two hours. Their strict father, Captain Von Trapp, played with precision by Christopher Plummer, makes all of his children toe the line by calling them with individualized whistle sounds. He lectures Maria that, “The first rule of this household is discipline”. Or as the housekeeper, explains it, “Von Trapp children don‟t play; they march”. The movie is filled with songs, and there are even some simple dance numbers. When Liesl dances in the conservatory at night with Rolfe, she ends up giving him a single kiss. This sends him into total rapture. I can remember a time when I was a teenager like him and one kiss from a girl, especially a beautiful one, could evoke a response as strong as Rolfe‟s. Times change and teenagers are regretfully much more sexually sophisticated now. Still, the lone kiss in that scene remains powerful. In a show that is so upbeat, it has been criticized as being sappy, there is the tension of the looming war. The Captain‟s friend Max Detweiler is apolitical and ignores the coming Anschluss. “What‟s going to happen is going to happen,” he advises the Captain. “Just make sure it doesn‟t happen to you”. Although this war reality is ever-present and although the film is based on a true story, the movie feels like a lovely and enduring fairy tale. Anyway, this is a movie filled with exuberance, memorable songs, and great beauty. A joy to be savored and seen by each generation. Task 7. Judge whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE. 1. The author states that this movie wouldn‟t have been so famous without the opening scene. 2. The author believes that since this is Julie Andrews‟ most successful film, anybody who didn‟t see the film would be considered a recluse. 3. The author thinks that although the movie is based on a true story, it impresses people as a fairy tale. 4. The author thinks that this film is a great success despite that the story is a bit old. Task 8. Find the words or phrases that the author uses to describe or comment on each of the following: 1. the story: 2. the music or songs: 3. Maria: 4. the Captain: 5. the Children: 6. Max: Task 9. Write a short essay on your reflection of the film. Part Four Acts on the Movie Task 1. Play reading the excerpts of the movie. Task 2. Dramatize the movie in sections you like best. Appendix（附录） - 11 - Answers（答案） ： Part 1 Task 3 Plot summary of The sound of Music Maria is a failure as a nun. The Mother Superior sends her off in answer to a letter form a retired naval captain for a governess for his seven children. She teachers the children to sing and that becomes their bonding force, of course leading her to fall in love with their father and marries him. As this is happening Austria votes to be assumed by Germany on the eve of World War II Part 2 Task 2 2. 1) over the use of whistle (E1) Maria refuses to use and respond to the whistle because she thinks this is humiliating as whistles are for animals, not for children, and definitely not for her. She prefers to call the children and treats the children as they are. The Captain wants to use the whistle because he thinks the house is large and the grounds are extensive and he won‟t allow anybody‟s shouting in the house. This suggests that the Captain treats his children as army soldiers which is quite impersonal. 2) over the playclothes (E2) Maria makes the playclothes form the drapes that used to hang in her bedroom for each of the children because she thinks that the children “cannot do all the things they „re supposed to do if they have to worry about spoiling their precious clothes”, but she wants them to have fun. This suggests that Maria understands how children feel better than the Captain. The Captain cannot believe that his children wear cloths made form the old drapes. He thinks they should always wear uniforms outside. This suggests that he‟s so severe with his children that he forgets that children also need to have relaxation and fun. 3) over his relationship with his children (E3) Maria thinks that the children all love their father‟s attention and love. This suggests that Maria has a loving character and is as caring a mother. The Captain refuses to hear anything form Maria about his children because he thinks he knows them well and he loves them. This shows the impact of his first wife‟s death upon him and the way he treats his children. Ever since the death of his first wife, he‟s shut music form the house and has kept his children at a distance emotionally. Task 3 Excerpt 1 1. She can‟t stop singing and saying things. She often late for the services. This is because as springs comes, she can‟t resist the temptation to be part of the nature: “The gates were open and the hills were beckoning”„ “the sky was so blue and everything was so green and fragrant”, “the birds kept meeting me higher and higher as though they wanted me to go right through the clouds with it”. This suggests that Maria is so full of life and likes singing so much that it‟s hard for her - 12 - fit herself into the life of the abbey. 2. To find out what is the will of God and to do it whole-heartedly. 3. On one hand, she feels excited and rejoiced; on the other hand, she feels scared and diffident. Excerpt 2 1. 1) She offers to shake hands with the butler instead of waiting for the butler to extend his hand first. 2) She‟s so impressed by the magnificence of the house that she walks around and looks about without the owner‟s permission or invitation. 3) She stares at the Captain and say‟s “You don‟t look at all like a sea Captain” which is quite an unacceptable way to greet people. 2. 11; two hours 3. As if they were army soldiers. Excerpt 3 1. Instead of making fun of them or making them or making them feel silly, Maria asks them to come onto her bed and teaches them a song to sing whenever they feel sad or upset. This makes the children realize that Maria cares for them and they can on her. 2. Maria knows Lisel must have been outside with somebody and how angry the Captain would be if he knows that. Maria knows Lisel is no longer a girl, but her father is not aware of that. 3. Discipline Excerpt 4 1. Maria has taught the children to sing songs so as to welcome the Baroness arrive. They are so excited that they all stand up and thus upturn the boat, Everybody gets soaked. This is very embarrassing for the Captain and he becomes angrier as he sees his children as he sees his children dressed in clothes made from the old drapes. 2. He‟s very angry with Maria because she lets his children climb trees and roam about Salzburg wearing clothes made from some old drapes. Moreover, Maria tries to argue with him about how he should treat his children. When he hears his children sing, he‟s really shocked and touched because there hasn‟t been music in his house for a long time. He then realizes how much Maria has done for the children and for his family. He first apologizes and then says “I want you to stay. I ask you to stay.” 3. They love him very much, they also fear him very much. He doesn‟t know them. They want to love him and to be loved by him. Lisel: She‟s a woman, not a child anymore. Frederick: He‟s a boy but he wants to be a man like his father. Bargitta: She‟s very sensitive. She notices everything. Kurt: He‟s very hurt when the Captain brushes him aside. The Captain doesn‟t want to hear anybody talk about his children because ever since the death of his wife, he always keeps his children at a distance emotionally. Excerpt 5 1. Maria realizes that she is in love with the Captain and as she has pledged her life to God, she thinks loving the Captain is a sin. But the Reverend Mother tells that the love of a man and a woman is holy too, and loving a man doesn‟t mean she loves God less. 2. She can‟t use the abbey as a place to shut out her problems. She has to face them and live the - 13 - life she is born to live. Excerpt 6 1. At first, she wants to give him a fountain pen but he has already got one; then she thinks of giving him a villa in the south of France but it‟s too difficult to wrap; Then she thinks of giving the Captain a yacht. 2. She needs someone who needs her or actually her money desperately. This suggests that she can give the Captain material love, not the pure and unselfish love that the Captain really needs. 3. The two questions are: why did you run away to the abbey and what was it that made you come back. Maria doesn‟t give him a true answer but a very diplomatic one: I had an obligation to fulfill and I came back to fulfill it. 4. Maria:” The first time you blew that silly whistle”. The Captain:” When you sat on the ridiculous pine cone”. Part 3 Task 2 In the 1930s: A. abbey B. dressed in white and black C. they seclude themselves from the world, cut themselves off from their families and friends; spend their time praying and giving to the poor. In the 1990s: A. in the cities in the house with other nuns or their family B. wear what everybody else wears C. things are more relaxed and they are approachable; helping the poor children, teaching, working as nurses or social workers Task 3 With Maria: A. cold, distant B. falls in love with her and finally married her. With his Children A. he keeps themselves at a distance emotionally; he never let them love him; he makes them obey his orders. B. Influenced by Maria, he also becomes loving and open to his children. Task 4 The Baroness‟ love for the Captain: she only knows how to give him material gift and tries to satisfy him that way; she doesn‟t have a love to give because she needs a love herself. Maria‟s love for the Captain: warm, spontaneous, impulsive, pure; loves him for who he was; loves him in spite of how he treats her; doesn‟t think of getting love back from him. The kind of love the Captain needed: unselfish, warm, spontaneous love. Task 5 The Reverend Mother: she is most fulfilled by being a nun: praying, helping the poor, encouraging - 14 - others. Maria: she is most fulfilled by being a mother: being a wife to the Captain, raising a family. Task 6 1. Putting herself in the place of the children (calling them by name instead of using the whistle). 2. Being frank with the children and making them feel important. (telling them she had never been a governess before and asking for their advice). 3. Wanting to be their friends and loving them. (asking the children to come upon her bed when they were scared by the thunder) 4. Being spontaneous, free-spirited and imaginative by nature (teaching them singing, taking them out for picnics) Task 7 1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T Task 8 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. funny, suspenseful, upbeat, sappy, filled with exuberance, memorable songs and great beauty legendary, tuneful, memorable outspoken strict supposedly incorrigible apolitical - 15 - - 16 - Forrest Gump《阿甘正传》 US (1994) Paramount Pictures Director: Robert Zemeckis Cast: Forrest Gump Tom Hanks Lt. Dan Gary Sinise Jenny Robin Wright Awards: The film won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects and Best Adapted Screenplay. Introduction At a bus stop in the American South, Forrest tells his story to passers-by. As a child in Greenbow, Alabama in the 1940s, Forrest Gump has to wear braces on his legs and has a sub-normal I.Q. score, but his widowed mother strives to make him feel no different from anybody else. His only friend is Jenny, a girl in his class whose father violently abusive. Throughout their lives, Forrest and Jenny meet and part. While being chased by bullies, Forrest discovers an uncanny ability to run fast. He is picked for his high school football term, and goes on to play for both his college and the American team, through which he meets president Kennedy. Next, he joins the army and is sent to Vietnam, where he meets Bubba, another Alabaman who dreams of a shrimp boat captain. Their leader is Lieutenant Dan Taylor. When the unit is attacked, Forrest single-handedly saves everyone, though Bubba dies in his arms and Lt. Dan loses both his legs. Recovering in hospital. Forrest discovers a talent for pone-pang. Back in the states, Forrest is decorated by president Johnson, and accidentally comes to speak at a peace rally where he meets up Jenny, now a hippi. But Jenny leaves him, latter. Forrest runs into a deeply embittered Lt. Dan. After a celebrity career as a ping-pang player and a meeting with president Nixon, Forrest buys a shrimp boat in honor of bubba, and with the help of Lt. Dan and a storm, become millionaire. However, he continues to love Jenny, who has been led astray in California by the hedonistic lifestyle of the Tos and is in a state of profound despair. After Forrest‟s mother dies, he retires to Greenbow, where one day Jenny shows up. They live together for a while, but then Jenny runs off again. Forrests begins running incessantly around the Country, picking up a cult of followers, then suddenly stops. Backing Greenbow, he receives a letter for Jenny, and goes to meet her, and finds that they have a son, Forrest Junior. The three of them return to Greenbow, live happily until Jenny dies of unspecified “virus”, Forrest goes on to raise his son alone. Script (Scene1~7) from the Film (Omit.) Questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. In the beginning of the film, to whom did Forrest tell the story? Where does Forrest live? (Greenbow, Alabama) What is Forrest‟s I.Q.? (75. Normal — 80) What did his widowed mother try to do? (Try to make him feel no different from anybody else.) Who is Jenny? How does Forrest know Jenny? What does Forrest think of their relation? Why is Forrest to be picked up in the Football team? - 17 - 9. What‟s the use of running fast? (To help him to go into college and into American term and meet American President Kennedy.) 10. After graduation, where does Forrest go? (Army) 11. Is he successful in the army? 12. Whom did he get to know there in the army? (Bubba) 13. What was Babba‟s dream? (He dreams of a shrimp boat caption.) 14. What are they going to do after they returned from Vietnam? (They are going to do shrimp business.) 15. What saved Forrest‟s life during the war? 16. Who has ever told Forrest to do that? 17. What talent did Forrest discover there while recovering in hospital? 18. After they (Jenny and Forrest) grow up, how many times did they meet? 19. How did Forrest become millionaire? (With the help of Lt. Dan and a storm.) 20. Does Forrest love Jenny? What is always in his mind? 21. Does Forrest have a dream? 22. What leads Forrest to success? 23. What personality does Forrest have? 24. Why did Forrest run? (He just feels like running.) 25. What is Forrest‟s dream? (He dreams that little Forrest will be normal.) US (1994) Paramount Pictures Cast Tom Hanks Forrest Gump Gary Sinise Lt. Dan Robin Wright Jenny Directed by Robert Zemeckis Awards: The film won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects and Best Adapted Screenplay. Review of the Movie In this acclaimed film from director Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks gives an astonishing performance as Forest Gump. It touches the hearts of filmgoers like no other movie. Forrest Gump is no longer just a movie but has become a vivid legend. Through three turbulent decades of his life, Forrest rides a tide of events that whisks him from an 8-year-old boy, forced to wear leg braces, to a football star; from an undergraduate to an American G.I. in the Vietnam jungle fighting for his life; from a hero twice received by presidents to a man of nothing, and finally, an overnight tycoon. Gump‟s life not only witnessed many ups and downs in contemporary America, but collected a series of typical characteristics of contemporary American life. For this, his journey made him a symbol for all those ordinary people. Gump, of course, is not an ordinary person. He represents and symbolizes the American Dream that is cherished in every American‟s heart. His extraordinary luck and success are described as a fairy tale, and it is just this fantasy that appeals to the core of the American dream. This dream was born with the formation of the U.S.: the land of freedom, equality and fraternity, where everyone has the right to live up to his full potentiality. It offers Americans the possibility of happiness and success. As the mentally handicapped Gump rises above his disability, is invited - 18 - to the White House… becomes a millionaire, his journey is seen as the realization of that dream. The optimistic American citizen is deeply moved by a fairy tale such as this and believes that, like Gump, he too, can make this journey to success. One reason why Forrest Gump is treated as a contemporary American cultural classic is its meaningful and serious contemplation of its history. Gump lived through the campus sit-in, the Vietnam jungle, the problems of Sino-American relations, he shook hands with Kennedy in the White House; he sat side by side with Lennon in the broadcasting room, he exposed Nixon‟s Watergate Secret and he ran across America. When he did that, he was not only running across a 30-year span of American history, but was also representing a generation‟s retrospection of the unforgettable history they had all experienced. Forrest Gump covers a broad span of history — sex liberation, the drug culture, the struggle for racial justice and equality, protests, the assassination of JFK, and the Watergate Scandal, a series of important contemporary American events involving persons like Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Lennon. But it doesn‟t simply describe a series of historical events and people, it depicts the changing trends in American society. It declares its negation of the protests, drugs, sex liberation, Hippies, even women‟s lib and Feminism; and it reconfirmation of honesty, good-will, hard work, chastity, love, family, the traditional moral virtues, which enhance the American Dream. Being the deputy to this “New American Idea”, Gump accumulates all the widely accepted virtues of different periods. In this movie, Gump is obviously purified and idealized. He becomes the symbol of those reconfirmed virtues, “the last good soul at the end of the century.” Also, attention should be paid to the film regarding Vietnam, which gave the American society a wound that would not heal. The movie criticized this war through the experience of Gump and Lt. Dan. The latter lost his legs in this nightmare-like war, but he finally overcame his physical disability and spiritual bitterness, and walked out of the shadows by realizing his dream of owning a shrimp fishing business. In the army, Gump‟s best friend is Bubba, a black guy as simple a man as Gump himself. The relationship between them is very close. They care for each other, support each other, like a family. One black, one white, they represent coexistence, and it is the brotherly friendship that supports them and suggests they could cross the racial line in American society. Bubba died in Vietnam, but his shrimping dream was fulfilled when Gump returned to his hometown. Gump joined local black church, the only white face in the congregation, and prayed for his career. When the business flourished, he donated money to the church and bubba‟s mother. He also gained strength from the black community. (Bubba inspired him to fish and shrimp fishing made his a profit, with the backing of the church, of course) Forrest Gump provides a mutually beneficial racial relationship. In it, good deeds and mutual assistance can overcome the obstacles of racial differences. What‟s more, this movie offers a remedy for the spiritual disease of modern age and fulfills people‟s yearning to go back to nature. For Gump, complicated life becomes so simple and clear after being filtered through of his primitive brain. Eating, drinking, peeing and sleeping composed of his “Natural Philosophy”. So, simple and backward Gump, when confronted with complicated life, just knew how to run and never stop. From the movie about Helen Keller, Miracle Worker to My Left Foot, another one about the disabled, the movies reflecting handicapped characters are always hits at the academy awards. The reason may lie in the spiritual advantage of the disabled, a kind of struggling spirit that is admired by Americans. - 19 - Questions for Appreciation and Analysis: 1. What does the film mean to you? How do you feel about the film? What‟s your general impression upon the film? 2. Use a few words to describe Forrest‟s life. 3. Forrest is an ordinary person, but does something extraordinary, which serves as a typical example of the realization of American dream. How is the American dream represented and symbolized in the film? 4. Forrest Gump is regarded as a contemporary American cultural classic. Through three turbulent decades of his life, what major political and cultural events in contemporary American history has Forrest experienced? 5. What does the film negate? What virtues does the film advocate? 6. How do American people look at the Vietnam War? What are their attitudes towards it? What impact does it leave upon people‟s mind? 7. Use a paragraph to comment on the racial relationship between Forrest and Bubba. What does it reflect and imply? 8. The movie offers a remedy for the spiritual disease of modern age and fulfills people‟s yearning to go back to nature. Give some examples from the film to illustrate the point. 9. Forrest‟s story functions as a metaphor and a symbol as well. Write a short essay to comment on the implied meanings behind the film in terms of American philosophy and critical significance. 10. Why are Forrest Gump and the film about Helen Keller so popular among the Americans? 《阿甘正传》鉴赏 1994 年 美国派拉蒙影片公司 导演：罗伯特•泽梅基斯 主要演员：汤姆•汉克斯 本片获得第 67 届奥斯卡最佳影片、最佳导演、最佳男主角、最佳改编剧本、最佳剪辑、 最佳视觉效果 6 项金像奖。 【剧情简介】 一个叫做福瑞斯特•甘普的男人坐在小镇路边长椅上等公共汽车，并对身边的等车人讲 起了他的故事： 童年时期，甘普因为脊椎病而穿上了脚撑，智商只有 75，达不到本地小学的入学标准。 甘普的妈妈不断鼓励甘普不要失去对生活的信心， 想尽一切办法让校长接受了他。 由于甘普 的身体条件，上学第一天就受到了同学的欺侮。但一名叫珍妮的小女孩却表示同情他，当同 学欺侮甘普时，珍妮对他大叫：”快跑呀，甘普。”甘普被迫逃跑，在孩子们的追赶下，他越 跑越快， 脚上的脚撑开始散落。 最后， 他竟然象正常人一样， 完全靠着自己的双脚飞快地跑， 而且跑得飞快。终于有一天，甘普稀里糊涂地跑进了州立大学的橄榄球赛场，他那神奇的速 度引起了教授的注意，把他收进了大学的橄榄球队。甘普奔跑的速度奇快，他成了一名出色 的球员，还选进了全美明星队，受到肯尼迪总统的接见。在白宫，甘普面对记者的摄像机如 实道来 —— 他想撒尿。 甘普大学毕业后应征去了越南，临走时珍尼对他说，情况不对就快跑。在军队里，甘普 结识了捕虾出身的黑人巴布，巴布有空就叨念他的捕虾知识，两人成为好朋友。甘普的排长 丹尼斯出身于军官世家，能体恤下情。军队的生活乏味枯燥，甘普不断地给珍尼写信，告诉 她一切。在一次丛林战中，跑得飞快的甘普虽然自己脱离了危险，但他想起了好朋友巴布， - 20 - 又不顾一切地跑回丛林，把伤员们一个个地背了出来，也救出了丹尼斯中尉。巴布却伤势过 重，死在他怀中。甘普在这次战斗中，屁股也受了伤。 在后方医院，丹尼斯中尉的双脚被截去，甘普在养伤中学会了打乒乓球，没事就练球。 由于他在战场上的出色表现，甘普被授予荣誉勋章，受到约翰逊总统的接见，当总统说到要 看看他身上的伤疤时，甘普竟当众脱下了裤子。在一次糊里糊涂参加的反战集会上，他意外 地与失去联系的珍尼重逢。 甘普出色的球技使他来到中国，参加了为打开中美关系大门而进行的乒乓友谊赛。回国 后，甘普又一次来到白宫，受到尼克松总统接见。当天晚上，他发现住所对面的水门大厦停 电，有几个人打着手电筒在里面不知干什么，便招来了保安人员。结果却使臭名远扬的”水 门事件”暴光于天下，并导致了尼克松的辞职。 甘普回到家乡。在妈妈的劝说下，他成为一家乒乓球拍厂商作广告，得了一笔钱。他 毫不犹豫地用这笔钱买下了一艘捕虾船，以实现巴布的宿愿。甘普把捕虾船命名为”珍妮 号”，由丹尼斯中尉来当大副。但他们频频出海，却总是一无所获，气得丹妮斯大骂老天的 不公平。命运再次光临了甘普，一场大风暴摧毁了所有的捕虾船，甘普的”珍妮号”成了唯 一的幸存者。从此，他们每次出海总是满载而归。甘普很快发了财。他成立了捕虾公司，让 丹妮斯来打理生意。 甘普的母亲得了重病。在临死之前，她对赶回家的甘普重述了她的人生真谛”人生就 像一盒巧克力，谁也不知会碰上什么味的”。母亲去世以后，甘普把捕虾公司赚来的大比钱 捐给了学校和医院，把一部分钱送给了巴布的家庭，自己回到镇上为人们免费修剪草坪。终 于有一天珍妮突然出现了，与甘普住了一晚又悄悄走了，不知去向。甘普开始了漫无目的地 长跑，一跑变不可收拾，他跑出了家乡绿荫堡，跑出了阿拉巴马州，一直跑到西海岸，然后 又跑到东海岸。他蓄着长胡子，留着长发，一年又一年地跑着，身后尾随着一批人，他再次 成了”名人”。突然有一天，他宣布不跑了，他要回家。 甘普的故事讲完了。他来到这座小镇是为了见见珍妮。在珍妮的住处，他吃惊地见到 了他的儿子——小福雷斯特． 甘普终于与珍妮结了婚， 但回归正常生活的珍妮已得了不治之 症，不久就离开了人世。甘普把珍妮安葬在大树下，这是珍妮小时候爬过的大树． 甘普像当年母亲送他那样，天天送儿子去上学。当儿子乘校车离去后，甘普久久地坐在 路边的石凳上，回味着母亲对他的教诲，一片羽毛被微风吹拂在空中轻轻飞舞，飘过公路， 最终落在甘普脚边的草地上……。 【鉴赏视角】 《阿甘正传》是一部当代美国文化的经典。影片融神话 史诗 奇迹和普通人的故事于一 体，充满了浓郁的人文主义气息，体现了当代美国人崇尚和追求的人生哲理。 甘普是一个残疾和弱智的非正常人，没有父亲，从小受人欺辱。他愚钝，吃饱喝足活 命是他的人生欲求。所以，他不懂得被总统接见是一种荣誉，是一件严肃和体面的事。而是 随心所欲地喝下 15 瓶免费汽水，可以当着总统和众人的面说，自己最想的是撒尿；可以在 总统和众人面前脱下自己的裤子，让别人看屁股上的战争伤疤。他的思维非常单一，始终没 有搞清楚母亲那句充满哲理的教诲： ”人生就像是一盒巧克力， 谁也不知道会碰上什么味的”， 只是认准的是就坚决地去做。为了摆脱没有珍妮的孤寂日子，他毫无目的地奔跑，一年又一 年，跑遍了全国。他憨厚和善良，在枪林弹雨中脱离了危险又跑回危险，救出一个个战友； 发财后把大比的钱捐给学校、送给巴布的母亲，自己免费为社区修剪草坪。无论如何，甘普 都不会成为一个伟大的人，他的平凡是他人生追求的平凡、是他心灵的平凡。即使他做过一 些不平凡的事， 也是在极平凡和朴实的思维指导下的自然行为， 是不可能产生出超越这种思 维的功利价值的。甘普的所有行为来自于平凡，又回复于平凡。 然而，影片却又偏偏把这个极平凡人的命运，与美国战后 30 年的不平凡历史紧紧联系 - 21 - 在一起，让他一次次当上体育明星、战斗英雄、百万富翁，孤独长跑者，又让他与华莱士、 肯尼迪、约翰逊、尼克松、”猫王”、列侬等著名人物联结。影片让一个残缺、愚钝又诚实、 善良的普通人去做超常的事情，起到了隐喻和象征的作用。其表现为：一，隐喻着数百年来 美国社会的主流意识所公认的人生哲学．人不一定都有残疾，但都有性格上的弱点。性格弱 点是心理的”残疾”，也是造成坎坷人生的一个原因。如果把人生的坎坷看得很重，背负的 欲望、贪婪和困惑就更多，人生道路会走得很累很累。如果把坎坷看得轻一点，像甘普那样 老老实实、坚忍不拔地去对待，就能帮助自己获得意料不到的成功和喜悦。二，隐喻着现代 人的聪明精明的实质是愚蠢透顶。 与甘普相比， 同时代的著名人物个个精明善算、 神气十足， 但最终都昙花一现。而傻乎乎的甘普倒变成了历史的见证人，始终被历史”青睐”。影片创 作了许多奇妙的故事：尼克松总统精心策划的”水门事件”，竟然被傻乎乎的甘普发现、暴 光，致使总统被迫引咎辞职；中美乒乓球友谊赛，美国派出的竟然是个残疾人，毫无外交思 维的甘普成了打开中美关系大门的”英雄”； 所有捕虾船都被龙卷风摧毁， 从来没有捕虾经 验的甘普驾驶的”珍尼号”竟然会幸存下来， 而次次满载而归； 从来不具备生意头脑和才能 的甘普，竟然成为很有钱的公司投资人。这些正说明了最简单和朴实的人生哲理：社会不会 亏待老实人，”只有做傻事的人才傻”。 《阿甘正传》正是透过对真善美的道德宣扬，试图帮助现代人摆脱现代文明对人性的摧 残，反朴归真。 《时代》周刊曾描绘美国观众看电影后的情景：”男女老幼怀着真诚的感情 涌出电影院。孩子们似乎在想问题，成年人在沉思，成双成对的人则相互紧紧握住对方的 手”。很明显，影片能够牵动观众之心的，是以甘普为代表的美国主流意识，是人类社会始 终追求的诚实、善良和坚忍不拔的奋斗精神。甘普的品格和美德赢取了观众的心。 《阿甘正传》不仅寓意深刻，而且艺术独特。影片讲述的是一个普通人的普通生活，不 需要光怪陆离的未来世界，不需要惊心动魄的机车大战，不需要惶恐不安的天崩地裂，不需 要血肉模糊的爆炸与枪战。但是，导演罗伯特·泽梅基斯同样运用高科技手段，把电影拍得 令人心醉神迷。90 年代银幕人物形象甘普与早已消失在岁月中的著名人物肯尼迪、约翰逊、 尼克松握手和交谈，都运用了电脑特技的方法，使他们天衣无缝地跨年代组合在一起。甘普 的脸与长跑运动员的身体神奇的组接， 矫健的体型和坚毅的神气融为一体， 使这个跑出一连 串人生奇迹的甘普变成了”阿甘式”的偶像， 被观众追随。 还有甘普左右开弓地打乒乓球的 姿势，乒乓球梦幻般地飞来飞去……，无不向观众展示了电脑科技的巨大威力和魅力。 - 22 - - 23 - The Lion King《狮子王》 Part One Understanding the Movie Cultural Background of the Film The Lion King, released by Walt Disney Picture in 1994, was one of the top blockbusters in the past ten years in the US. There are at least two reasons for its popularity. One is the charm of Shakespeare‟s theme: Hamlet, and the other is the attraction of African scenery. Just as some of the reviewers said, “Hamlet meets The Jungle Book — that‟s what The Lion King is.” The names of the main characters of the film such as Simba, Pumbaa are from an African language. Simba means lion and Pumbaa means a fool in Swahili. The film, to a certain extent, reflects African culture and its values, which attracts African Americans. It is through The Lion King, Mufasa‟s conversation with his son, Simba, that these values or beliefs are conveyed. For instance, Mufasa told Simba to understand the delicate balance of the natural world and respect all the creatures because they are all connected in the great Circle of Life. He told Simba to remember who he is and his responsibility to hid Kingdom. To Simba, to be or not to be king is a struggle between guilt and responsibility. In 1995,The Lion King, won the Oscar for the Best Music, Original Score by Hans Zimmer. Elton John (music) and Tim Rice (Lyrics) won the Oscar for the Best Song: Can You Feel the Love Tonight. Their song “Hakuna Matata” was nominated Oscar Best Music. Animated (or Children’s) Films Task 1. Read the following text and then give the working definition of animated films. According to the definition, write down the animated films you have seen or tick the ones you have seen in the list. Animated Films are ones in which individual drawings are photographed frame by frame. Usually, each frame differs slightly from the one preceding it, giving the illusion of movement when frames are projected in rapid succession. Animated films are often directed to, or appeal most to children, but can be enjoyed by all. Animation, fairy tales, stop-motion films, and adventures that appeal to children are included in this genre category. The earliest animated films that most people remember seeing are Disney films which contain exquisite details, flowing movements, gorgeous and rich color, enchanting characters, lovely musical songs and tunes, and stories drawn with magical or mythological plots. The first, full-length animated film was the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), other classic Disney tales include the story of a wooden puppet that comes alive in Pinocchio (1940), and the storybook tales of Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), and Sleeping Beauty (1959). Another timeless fantasy enjoyed perennially is the tale of a journey to Oz in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Disney Studios returned to the quality of its heyday of animation from the 30s and 40s with The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) — nominated for a well-deserved Best Picture Academy Award, Aladdin (1992),and The Lion King (1994). Another exceptional film is Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), a remarkable blend of animated imagery and live-action human characters. - 24 - Pixar Studios created the first completely computer-generated animated feature film with the landmark Toy Story (1995). The visuals were entirely generated from computers. Classic Animated (or Children’s) Films □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) The Little Princess (1939) The Wizard of Oz (1939) Dumbo (1940) Pinocchio (1940) Lassie Come Home (1943) National Velvet (1946) Cinderella (1950) Alice in Wonderland (1951) Peter Pan (1953) Lady and the Tramp (1955) Sleeping Beauty (1959) More Recent Greatest Animated (or Children’s) Films □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ Mary Poppins (1964) The Muppet Movie (1979) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) The Little Mermaid (1989) Beauty and the Beast (1991) Aladdin (1992) The Nightmare before Christmas (1993) The Lion King (1994) Toy Story (1995) Task 2. Fill in the following form of the relations to Simba. Name Animal Relationship to Simba Mufasa Lion Scar Lion Nala Lioness Zazu Hornbill Rafiki Baboon Timon Meerkat Pumbaa Warthog Task 3. Try to answer the following questions after you watch the film The Lion King. You can read the questions before you watch the film. 1. Why is Scar absent from the ceremony of Simba‟s presentation as the future king? 2. What‟s the first thing Mufasa tells Simba about being king? 3. What does Mufasa teach Simba about the Circle of Life? How do you understand it? 4. What is Scar‟s first attempt to kill Simba? What does Simba know about his father from this adventure? 5. How does Scar manage to kill his brother and drive Simba into exile? 6. Where does Simba go after the disaster and what new friends does he make? What is the - 25 - 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. motto of his friends? What happens to the kingdom after Scar becomes king? What dictator is Scar portrayed as in “Be Prepared”? How do Simba and Nala meet each other again? What does Nala tell Simba to do? Why does Simba refuse to listen to Nala? What makes Simba change his mind and decide to go back to take hid responsibilities? When does Simba really face his past? When and how does Simba know the truth about the death of his father? What end does Scar some to? What do the stars represent in the film? On what Shakespeare‟s story is The Lion King based on? What do you think of the musical presentation and animation of the film? What themes are portrayed in the film? Task 4. Dictate the plot summary of The Lion King. Task 5.Read the following synopsis of the film and then answer the detailed questions. As the orange sun rises above the African plain, birds and animals migrate to Pride Rock, where a lion cub is born to their king, Mufasa. Rafiki, a wise old baboon, blesses the newborn Simba, and lifts him for all the kingdom to see. As time passes, Simba grows. He loves to play with his best friend, a lioness cub named Nala, and to tease his father‟s advisor Zazu, an easy-to-fluster hornbill. Most of all, Simba loves to be with his father, a firm, well-respected ruler and a gentle, patient teacher. Mufasa tells Simba that he will be king someday, and Simba can‟t wait for the fun of becoming king. But the world is not as it seems to a cub. Scar, Mufasa‟s brother wants to be king and plots to get rid of both Mufasa and Simba. Scar sets his plan in motion by sending the unsuspecting Simba into a trap. Caught in the middle of a wildebeest stampede, Simba‟s life is saved by Mufasa, who loses his own life in the process. Simba blames himself, and flees from Pride Rock. Scar returns to Pride Rock as the new Lion King. Simba is now out on his own, aimlessly wandering in unfamiliar territory. Lonely and frightened, Simba is befriended by Pumbaa, a good-hearted, slow-witted warthog, and Timon, a wiry, hyperactive meerkat. The duo take him to their jungle home and introduce him to the joys of no responsibility. “Hakuna Matata”, or “no worries” becomes Simba‟s motto for life during his adolescent years. Years later, Nala reappears. As the two recall their childhood friendship, deeper feelings emerge. Although Nala urges Simba to return to the Pride Lands to challenge Scar‟s evil rule, Simba hesitates. Soon the mystical Rafiki appears and leads Simba to a clear pool. Simba gazes into his reflection and sees his father‟s face appear. Simba hears his father‟s voice say, “Remember who you are.” Simba realizes he must now confront Scar, so he returns to the Pride Lands. As lightning strikes, Simba battles the savage Scar. Amidst the flames and smoke, Simba defeats Scar and regain his rightful place as the Lion King. Time passes. Animals gather below Pride Rock to see Rafiki hold up a newborn cub---Simba and Nala‟s son. The circle of life is now completed and begun again. - 26 - Task 6. Answer the following questions. 1. What does “Simba “ mean in Swahili? 2. What is the name of Simba‟s mother? 3. What is the mane of Simba‟s father? 4. What does “Sarabi” mean in Swahili? 5. Who is Simba‟s best friend as a cub? 6. What is Scar‟s relationship to Mufasa? 7. Where does Scar live? 8. What is odd about Rafiki‟s mixing bowl? 9. What does “Rafiki” mean in Swahili? 10. Who is Mufasa‟s bird friend and servant? 11. What kind of bird is Zazu? 12. What is Timon? 13. What is Pumbaa? 14. What does “Pumbaa” mean in Swahili? 15. Name the three main hyenas. 16. What does “Banzai” mean in Swahili? 17. Who is Shenzi‟s voice? 18. What does “Shenzi” mean in Swahili? 19. Who first says Hakuna Matata? 20. When? 21. What does Hakuna Matata mean? 22. How many years does Simba spend with Timon and Pumbaa? 23. What is the first line spoken (NOT SUNG) in the movie? 24. By whom? 25. What is the last line spoken in the movie? 26. Who speaks it? 27. What is the last sung line of the movie? 28. Which Shakespeare‟s play is The Lion King based on? 29. What does Timon suggest that the stars are? 30. What is the title of Scar‟s only song? 31. What famous organization‟s motto is the same as this song? 32. What is Rafiki‟s chant? 33. What is its translation? 34. What is the only thing Mufasa is “afraid of “? 35. What is Mufasa‟s last line before he dies? 36. What is the last thing Scar says before killing Mufasa? 37. What does Mufasa tell Simba that the stars are? 38. What dictator is Scar portrayed as in “Be Prepared”? 39. What does Rafiki tell Simba before he ascends Pride Rock? 40. Who are the characters on Pride Rock during the presentation of Simba and Nala‟s cub? Task 7. Using one or two sentences to introduce the following characters of film and then compare yours with the answers. 1. MUFASA (James Earl Jones) - 27 - 2. RAFIKI (Robert Guillaume) 3. SIMBA (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick) 4. SCAR (Jeremy Irons) 5. NALA (Niketa Calame, Moria Kelly) 6. SARABI (Madge Sinclair) 7. SHENZI, BANZAI, and ED (Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings) 8. PUMBAA (Ernie Sabella) 9. ZAZU (Rowan Atkinson) 10. TIMON (Nathan Lane) Part Two Close Study of the Movie Movie Quotes from The Lion King (1994) Task 1. Try to recall some quotations that impress you before you read the following quotations. 1. MUFASA: king‟s time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, Simba, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king. 2. SCAR: Yes. Well…forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know. 3. SIMBA: Heh heh. You‟re so weird. SCAR: You have no idea. 4. SIMBA: And We‟ll always be together, right? MUFASA: Simba…let me tell you something that my father told me…look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us form those stars. SIMBA: Really? MUFASA: Yes…So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you…And so will I. 5. TIMON: Gee. He looks blue. PUNBAA: I‟d say brownish-gold. TIMON: No, I mean he‟s depressed. PUNBAA: Oh. 6. PUNBAA: What‟s eatin‟ you kid? TIMON: Nothing, he‟s at the top of the food chain. 7. PUNBAA: It‟s our motto. SIMBAA: What‟s a motto? TIMON: Nothing. What‟s a motto with you? 8. PUNBAA: Timon, ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there? TIMON: Pumbaa, I don‟t wonder; I know. PUNBAA: Oh. What are they? TIMON: They‟re fireflies that got stuck up in that bluish-black thing. PUNBAA: Oh, gee. I always thought they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away. TIMON: Pumbaa, with you, everything‟s gas. 9. NALA: What‟s happened to you? You‟re not the Simba I remember. SIMBA: You‟re right, I‟m not. Now are you satisfied? NALA: No, just disappointed. - 28 - SIMBA: You know you‟re starting to sound like my father. NALA: Good. At least one of us does. 10. SIMBA: That‟s not my father, that‟s just my reflection. RAFIKI: No, Look harder. (…) You see, He lives in you. MUFASA „S GHOST: Simba… SIMBA: Father? MUFASA „S GHOST: Simba, you have forgotten me. SIMBA: No. How could I? MUFASA „S GHOST: You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life. SIMBA: How can I go back? I‟m not who I used to be. MUFASA‟S GHOST: Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king. Remember who you are. 11. SIMBA: What was that for? RAFIKI: It doesn‟t matter; it‟s in the past! Excerpts (1~6) from the Film (Omit.) Task 2. Comprehension check on the 6 excerpts. Some of the following statements, based on the information given in the above 6 excerpts, are true and some are false. Write a T before the ones which are true and an F before those which are false. 1. Simba could visit the shadowy place when he became the King of Pride Rock. 2. Mufasa taught Simba to respect antelopes because lions depended upon them for food. 3. Hearing the news that Simba was going to be the king, Scar would have jumped for joy if it had not been for his bad back. 4. Scar intentionally told Simba that there was an elephant graveyard beyond the north border of the kingdom. 5. Simba learned from his father that even lion kings did feel frightened sometimes. 6. Mufasa saw the stars in the sky as the great kings in the past. 7. Timon and Pumbaa did not know that Simba was the King until Nala appeared. 8. Nala was disappointed to find that Simba was on longer who he used to be. 9. Simba did not tell Rafiki who he was because he had lost his memory of the past. 10. Simba was blamed by his dead father for having forgetting about his place and responsibility in the Circle of Life. Task 3. Discuss the following topics. 1. How do you understand that animals and plants are all connected in the Circle of Life? 2. Do you agree with Rafiki that one can either run from or learn from the past? If you were Simba, what would you choose to do? Give reasons to defend your answer. 3. What do you think makes Simba finally decide to face the past and to return to Pride Rock to take his place in the Circle of Life? Task 4.Work out the meaning of each of the following words from the context in which it appears by ticking off the best choice. 1. TOUCH in excerpt 1 probably means A. feel B. shine C. contact - 29 - 2. DELICATE in excerpt 1 probably means A. weak B. sensitive C. beautiful 3. WELL-BEING in excerpt 2 probably means A. advantage B. benefit C. health 4. DREADFUL in excerpt 2 probably means A. boring B. serious C. frightening 5. WEIRD in excerpt 2 probably means A. dangerous B. thoughtful C. strange 6. ASSUME in excerpt 4 probably means A. take B. suppose C. govern 7. ERA in excerpt 4probably means A. day B. time C. future 8. CROSSED in excerpt 5 probably means A. annoyed B. disappointed C. confused 9. REFLECTION in excerpt 6 probably means A. consideration B. image C. reaction 10. CREEPY in excerpt 6 probably means A. clever B. ugly C. unpleasant Task 5. Fill in each of the blanks with a phrase from the following list. Put the phrase in its appropriate form when necessary. Get one‟s way, look out for, one‟s acquaintance, be through, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. be scared of, go on, mess with, take over, make show up The little girl __________ watching horror films alone at home. No students dare to __________ the headmaster because he is a strict and stern man. If the killer __________ nobody in the town can sleep safely in his beds. They __________ on the flight to Chicago. Half of the audience had left the cinema before the film __________. People read newspapers to keep themselves informed of what __________ at home and abroad. Trade Union is expected to __________ the employees‟ rights and interests. The prince __________ the throne if the old king dies. That football player __________ until the match had begun. The bell rang before the teacher __________ the text. Task 6. Use words from the excerpts to complete the following paragraph. Simba and Nala were p_____. They often played with each other from d_____ till dusk. Simba had ling been wondering about the s_____ place beyond a mountain on the north border of Pride Rock. He once asked his father about it, but only felt more c_____ when Mufasa warned him not to go there. One day, Simba d_____ asked Nala whether she dared to venture beyond the border with him. In order not to be d_____ by Simba, Nala nodded her head. They soon set off. Simba was so eager to get to the mountain that on their way there, he looked round for several times and shouted Nala “Come on, don‟t d_____” When the sun set, they finally stood on the top of the mountain. Stretched before their eyes was a large elephant g_____. Both Simba and Nala became - 30 - frozen with terror. But they could never imagine that a few s_____ hyenas were c_____ towards them from behind. Part Three Reflection of the Movie Interview of the Film Task 1. Listen to the interview between Ms Zhu, a Fulbright Scholar at Yale from 1997-1998, and Joe Philip, a student of English at Yale University on the film The Lion King. Zhu: Joe, you have seen the film The Lion King, which is also very popular in China. Can you say something about your view on the film and why is it so popular in United States? Joe: I sure can, The Lion King, well, is really popular in America. In America we have coloring books for kids that they can color with crayons, we have music tapes, we have games you can play on the computer — all about The Lion King. It‟s very interesting. Disney company is who made The Lion King, and Disney has many other movies that came out before and after The Lion King. But for some reason, The Lion King seems to be the most popular or at least one of the most popular. And I think there is a number of reasons why it is more popular than some of the other ones such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and Beast, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I think The Lion King is more popular than those, there is a number of reasons. First of all, The Lion King was the first of those, — of all those movies, of those cartoons, I guess — to go to Africa. It has an African plot, and the names are African, even some of the philosophy, some of the religious philosophy is sort of African, sort of having spirituality, come from nature, and looking at nature — the Circle of Life. That is very important to why the movie is different. And of course Americans like things that are different. So it was a kind of new concept. And many many adults went to see the movie and also many many children. Children particularly loved the music. And I think Disney tried very hard to have good pop singers such as Elton John do the music. And so, people recognized his voice and he did very simple and good songs. Disney had a couple of large Broadway style songs such as When the Lion Sleeps Tonight which is sung by the warthog Pumbaa and his friend Timon. They sing The Lion Sleeps Tonight. That‟s an old song that was sung in America in the 50s and 60s, but they brought it back for the movie, a lot of kids like that song. (And) So it‟s very interesting. I guess, plotwise, what makes The Lion King different or maybe just special is that it speaks to us, the watcher, the viewer of the film, it speaks to us in a very basic way. We all understand revenge, we all understand the family members are dying at least, maybe not so much as children, but some of us do. But certainly by the time we have matured, we understand, you know, the grief of family members dying. And of course, Simba, the main lion, when his father Mufasa dies, we understand his fear, even more so his terror that maybe he was responsible for his father‟s death. That really hits home, as they said, that‟s very strong feeling for Americans I think. The Lion King is also drawn in a new way. The people who made the movie, the cartoonist drew a new type of animation for the film that just looked much more spectacular attention on the big screen than some other films. A good example of this is right at the beginning of the film. The opening sequence of the film is very impressive. You see all the animals of the animal kingdom running through the fields and the grass - 31 - land of Africa, and waterfalls, and the lion is the King of them all. And this is just very impressive when you watch it. So it instantly draws you in, in a way that most movies don‟t instantly draw you in. Another thing that is very archetypal, “archetypal” means very basic, and very basic to our thinking. One of the things that is archetypal about The Lion King is the concept of the King. And especially in Western culture, we have the legend of Arthur and Camelot. We have the legend of King Arthur and how he, how people must return to following their King in order to be fulfilled and to live a happy life. There is something good about following a King. So in this movie, we kind of have that again, we have the animal king. For the lion to be king, is an old, just an old thing. And I think it‟s very inherent in American society — the lion is king of the animals, it is the king animal. So, in the film, Mufasa whose voice is played by James Earl Jones who you may not know, also was the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars. And so especially in the American mind and the American ear, this voice is associated with strength and with kingship and with power. So from the beginning, the watcher of the movie, the viewer of the film, has a strong feeling for Mufasa, the King. And of course, with that, with a strong feeling for in favor of Mufasa, we have a strong dislike of Scar, his brother who kills him. So right then, we already have the basic good and evil separation and so throughout the movie, we have this tension. And it‟s very important for the watcher of the film then to see the King‟s son step up into his role as the good person, as the good person who must take his father‟s place. And this again is very archetypal for the son to grow into the place of his father and to finish what his father couldn‟t. And perhaps that‟s where we get the theme of The Circle of Life and that‟s how perhaps the song which is sung by Elton John works well in the film because we have the film in circular for again at the end of the film, it looks just like the beginning. The first logo, the first title screen is the red or orange Lion King, the words, and at the end are the same words, And it‟s very interesting that the sort of film begins and ends at the same place. So almost the film is a circle. It‟s circular because at the end, Simba is King, and Nala is Queen and there is a new lion king who is held up at the end and so will then assume the position of king after Simba even. So this is very new, sort of, I should say, modern way of thinking especially in America. You know life is circular, life shall continue and move forward. And I would say that‟s very typical philosophy in America and increasingly in other countries. You know life shall progress, life shall move forward and that man himself is at the heart of that moving forward, that man is sort of in charge of his own destiny. And I would say that‟s probably a very strong philosophy in America. So that‟s probably what I would say the strongest background I think to The Lion King, the movie. Again, the animation was excellent and is still very new and special. The music was also very special and of course, the voices, the people who play them, James Earl Johns as Mufasa, Jeremy Irons as Scar, these are people who have distinctive voices. And so the viewers of The Ling King, all these things compound in the eyes and the ears of the viewers. So we are left with this just huge experience. That is The Lion King — the music, the animation, the voices. And the final effect of course, you know is that what a popular movie it is now. That is the final effect. Its popularity increased, children - 32 - Zhu: Joe: love it as well as adults. It‟s a very fun movie to watch for all ages. It‟s just very upbeat. What about the process of Lion King‟s growing up? You see, at certain stage, he escaped from his responsibility and tried to live another kind of life with the philosophy “Don‟t worry about anything; just enjoy life”. Then with some help, he suddenly realized he shouldn‟t have lived that way. So he changed his attitude towards life and came back to become the real king. How do you see this process of changing attitude towards life, is it the kind of process of growing up from a child to a man? That‟s true. There‟s a real tension in America between those two philosophies, the philosophy that “as a child, so not worry, be happy, you know, live in this wonderful, you know, American country and be happy, have no worries”. But there in the tension is also between how you must, at some point, escape that or at least you‟re taught to escape that and grow up and to assume your responsibilities that are put upon you by either your parents, your father, your mother or the government, or you teachers or the society. There‟s a definite tension and people and children feel that tension. And I think when even watching The Lion King, it‟s very easy to compare that to your own life. It‟s very easy to say “Yes, I feel that way”. And I also feel that way, I feel both ways and I can sense that tension. So when Simba runs away and meets Timon and Pumbaa, they tell him of the philosophy — “Don‟t worry, every thing is OK”, and they sing a song, and they try to teach him to be laid back. Yeah, it‟s very interesting because at some point, Simba must escape that. Unfortunately he feels sad that he must leave that and go back and assume his kingship. He‟s reminded of that by his childhood friends Nala who is a woman lion. Yes, she‟s a woman lion and she was his friend when he was a child. But as he grew up she went and found him again. And she was already a grown-up and he falls in love with her and she urges him to return, to return to his own land that has been destroyed with Scar as King. And she wants Simba to become King to fix the land. But Simba, of course, doesn‟t seem to want to do that. It‟s only through, I guess, the love of his friend Nala that he is brought back. So this is also very typical of American thought in how love brings you, I guess, beyond yourself to do something more than you normally would. Simba does more than he normally would when he leaves with Nala to go back to his home country. He steps out of himself, he goes beyond just what he‟s feeling with Timon and Pumbaa. He was feeling peace there, He was feeling happiness there. But because of the love of Nala, he wanted to return to his older responsibilities and perhaps he would never have done that without that love, the love of Nala. And so of course, this is also something that we Americans can associate with is that love sometimes brings you to do things above and beyond what you would have done alone. So that‟s also another thing about the film. What are the themes of the movie? Another theme in the movie is the identity of the self because Simba is not able to even go back to his kingdom until he realizes that this is what he should do. He realizes this when he goes to visit the monkey, the wise monkey who helps him see himself in the waters and then talk to his father through the stars in the sky. Of course, this is also a - 33 - Zhu: Joe: very African natural spiritualist view that nature shall speak to you and your ancestors shall become one with nature. This is also very new to Americans who have a somewhat different religious background but it was new and it worked in the movie and it definitely appealed to the American sense of something new and different. With this religious view, you know, your ancestors are, you know, all around you in the sky and in the stars and helping us to find out more about ourselves. So Simba does look into the eater and he realizes (that) his place which was not as the happy-go-lucky lion with Timon and Pumbaa. But actually he realized that his place was with the responsibility of King. He realized that his responsibility was to be king. So it‟s a very interesting self-actualization, self-realization. And some have said it‟s similar to Shakespeare‟s Hamlet where Hamlet in his monologues strives to understand himself, strives to understand what it‟s to be or not to be. He struggles with that. That‟s similar. But again, what‟s most struck about the theme of the monkey probably is the natural spiritualism of ancestors and of mythical experience that is tied in with nature. This is mot normally brought out in American literature and American thinking (so this was) or at least not in children‟s movies or children‟s philosophy. So this movie did bring these things out. And that sort of helped to enhances its popularity. It helped to enhance its watchability because it was dealing with new concepts. Zhu: Joe: What is your personal reflection of the movie? Now, for a little about my own personal reaction to the movie. I enjoy The Lion King. I suppose it‟s one of my favorite Disney movies. So of the Disney movies, it‟s perhaps one of my favorite. One of the problems I do have with Disney movies in general is that they often times on a mass media scale, they force certain types of philosophies on children all over America and ends up really just influencing the thought of all sorts of, you know, especially children. And I am not sure if I, for instance, agree with all of the philosophy in The Lion King. For instance, the circle of life — that everything is simply circular, and that everything we do is simply just a part of everything else. The danger in that philosophy is that then everything is somewhat meaningless in the sense that it has all been done, it has all been seen before, that there‟s no direction or meaning in life. And many people including myself, you know, lope for meaning and for truth in a universe and in the world. So that‟s one thing that sometimes I have problem with in Disney movies in general. It‟s forced philosophy, I think, or least, fairly subtle. The Lion King really entertained me. I love the final scene where Simba and Scar fight. It‟s very reminiscent of the final battles in the Star Wars films with the light savors this is the light swords. At the end of the Star Wars, it‟s very reminiscent of that. And the slow motion animation looks like, you know, slow motion was also very entertaining as they fought. There was a new type of animation that I‟d never seen in a movie before. I‟d never seen that type of slow motion animation, so that was very entertaining. And of course I enjoyed probably most of all, the Broadway style musical presentations in the film. They are just entertaining in a very simple and child-like way. And in a way they helped me think back to what was like to be a child and have fun. In a way, happy and care-free was my childhood. I like being brought to remember my childhood. And I suppose many Americans do also. They like to remember fun days in - 34 - their childhood and their experiences from their childhood and the songs from their childhood. Zhu: Joe: To what extent, The Lion King reflects American culture? It may also be useful to talk a bit about, or talk a little bit more about the culture aspects of The Lion King. Again, as I said that, The Lion King is very African in its music, in its origin. The Lion King, originally is an African legend, old African legend. And as some of you may know, there many African Americans here in this country in America. So this film really appealed to many of them. They could understand perhaps a little bit more about their heritage, a bit that was done through song, and through simple cartoons and animals. Disney chose perhaps for the first time, to really show the plight of the African in different ways. And again, America as I said before America likes things different. America is very fascinated with being on the edge and new and different things. The American spirit is of course very proud. Many people in America are still very proud of, you know things that are American and they‟re very proud of America‟s just influence in the world, of its military strength, things like that. So people are very proud of America. But culturally America (has) does not always have its own identity. Culturally, America (has) is made up of many different identities, since it was a country that was founded to be open and to allow all sorts of people to stay and live there. So we have many Africans, and Europeans, you know, Germans, French. We have many southern Americans, We also have many Asians, we have, you know, we have Chinese and Koreans and Japanese. So there are many different types of cultures in America. So you can say that it is very common for an American to want to know more about these cultures. So this movie was very important because it struggled. The movie tried to make African culture a little bit more accessible to the person who wants to watch films. So again (that‟s a very) that‟s a summarization I would think of one aspect of the American culture, that being its diversity, America has a great diversity of cultures that combine to be, you know, the American people. Now even though a great majority of that culture is still, European culture, the first settlers in America were, you know, Spanish, and English. So there‟s still strong if not very, very, very strong in European history in America, But more and more America is picking up and assimilating, assimilating means absorbed, assimilating other cultures which is very interesting. And it‟s not something perhaps that the original Founding Fathers of America would have foreseen — this is absorbing of other cultures, and this combining of other cultures. So again, The Lion King is, I don‟t see the movie in any way as an ideal. I don‟t necessarily see the philosophies (of) that are inherited in the Lion King to be philosophies necessarily that work, or that lead one to have a fulfilling life. I do believe though that The Lion King is a fair representation of American thought as its evidenced by its popularity in America. So perhaps it‟s useful to watch The Lion King as a cross-section of American culture, though it is important to realize that many people in America do not necessarily abide or agree with all the philosophy in it, it is nevertheless a cross-section or the least the American mind, and if not the American mind, and certainly the American film-making media mind, which is a large part of (American) American thought is through movies and through the media. America has an - 35 - enormous media presence within its own borders and in the world. And so it‟s very interesting, I think. So, (that‟s) that I think, is probably my summarization of The Lion King. And again it‟s an enjoyable film and certainly a wonderful film for children. So enjoy the film. Zhu: Thank you. Task 2. Listen for the main ideas. 1. List all the elements to show popular The Lion King is in the United States. 2. List the reasons why The Lion King is so popular in the United States. Task 3. Answer the following comprehension questions. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In what way is the film itself circular? What brings Simba back to his home country according to the interviewee? What‟s the African concept about one‟s ancestors? What do the American think of it? What does the interviewee enjoy most of the film and why? What does the interviewee say about the American cultural identity? What‟s the new trend? Review of the Movie The Lion King is one of the latest in a series of annual media events from Disney, which with The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin reinvented its franchise of animated feature films. These most recent four animated features are once again true “family films”, in which they entertain adults as well as children. With each new animated release, Disney seems to be expanding its already-broad horizons a little more. The Lion King is the most mature (in more than one sense) of these films, and there clearly has been a conscious effort to please adults as much as children. Hamlet meet The Jungle Book — that‟s what The Lion King is — adding, of course, a few special touches all its own. There are moments of fun and humor, to be sure, but the undercurrent is of a far more serious, “adult” nature. The Lion King is primarily about guilt and redemption. Simba, a young lion cub and heir to his father‟s throne, is led to believe that he was the cause of the king‟s death. The trauma caused by this is so great that Simba goes into exile, attempting to find peace-of-mind through anonymity in the company of a warthog and a meerkat. But it‟s never that easy to escape the past… The Hamlet parallels are all there for the discerning adult to note. Mufasa, king of the lions, is killed by a treacherous brother who subsequently takes over the ruler of the kingdom. Simba, the beloved son, is wracked by guilt and impotence until the ghost of his father gives him instruction on what actions he should take. The story is a somber one, an animated “Hamlet” of sorts, and frequently the animation matches that tone. The love story (between Simba and the lioness Nala) is a subplot. The film is most concerned with its young hero‟s coming-of-age, and the responsibilities that arrive with adulthood — including the need to confront guilt and its associated fear. Scar, Simba‟s treacherous uncle, is the latest in a long line of Disney antagonists. Scar is a sinister figure, given to acid remarks and cunning villainy. The cold-hearted manner in which he causes Mufasa‟s death lets us know that this is not a lion to be trifled with. Timon and Pumbaa provide the most comic relief, but they are ably assisted by the other supporting characters. - 36 - The animation, as expected from any Disney film, is superior. As usual, as much attention is given to small background details as to foreground principals. Lighting and color are used to highlight the shifting tone of the picture (the sunny warmth of Mufasa‟s kingdom to the dreary barrenness of Scar‟s), and the animators have never lost sight of the fact that their subjects are not human. However, it is too slow at times, and has perhaps too many characters to juggle. Still, it is witty and beautifully drawn, and is sure to continue Disney‟s amazing animated winning streak. Since 1989‟s The Little Mermaid, the musical element of any Disney animated picture has been nearly as important as the visual one. The five songs in the film have an African flavor, and incorporate seamlessly. Despite the comic relief from the hyenas, the meerkat and the warthog, The Lion King is a little more subdued than Mermaid, Beauty and Aladdin. The central theme is a grim one: A little cub is dispossessed, and feels responsible for the death of its father. An uncle betrays a trust. Basically what we have here is a drama, with comedy occasionally lifting the mood. The result is surprising seriousness; this isn‟t the mindless romp with cute animals that the ads might lead you to expect. Although the movie may be frightening and depressing to the very young, I think it‟s positive that The Lion King deals with real issues. By processing life‟s realities in stories, children can prepare themselves for more difficult lessons later on. The saga of Simba, which in its deeply buried origins owes something to Greek tragedy and certainly to Hamlet, is a learning experience as well as an entertainment. Task 4. Answer the following comprehension questions about the review. 1. In what way is The Lion King similar to and at the same time different from other Disney animated movies — The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast and Aladdin? 2. What is the central theme of the movie? What can children learn from this movie? Task 5. Decide if the following statements are TRUE or FALSE. 1. 2. 3. 4. The author thinks The Lion King is too serious a movie for children to enjoy. The author thinks the animation of The Lion King is flawless. The Lion King has exactly the same central as that of Hamlet — revenge. The Lion King has been intended to be a movie to entertain both adults and children. Task 6. Write an essay on your reflection of the movie The Lion King. Part Four Acts on the Movie Task 1. Play reading of the excerpts of the movie. Task 2. Dramatize the sections of the movie you like best. Part Five The Elton John Lyrics These are the lyrics that Elton John used in his own performances of The Lion King pieces. Circle of Life From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun There‟s more to see than can ever be seen More to find than can ever be found - 37 - There‟s far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the sun rolling high Through the sapphire sky Keeps great and small on the endless round It‟s the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle of Life It‟s the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the path unwinding In the Circle The Circle of Life I Just Can’t Wait to be King I‟m gonna be a mighty king So enemies beware! (Well, I‟ve never seen a king of beasts With quite so little hair) I‟m gonna be the mane event Like no king was before I‟m brushing up on looking down I‟m working on my ROAR (Thus far, a rather uninspiring thing) Oh, I just can‟t wait to be king! (You‟ve rather a long way to go, young master, If you think…) No one saying do this (Now when I said that, I…) No one saying be there (What I meant was…) No one saying stop that (Look, what you don‟t realize…) - 38 - No one saying see here (Now see here!) Free to run around all day (Well, that‟s definitely out…) Free to do it all my way (I think it‟s time that you and I Arranged a heart to heart) Kings don‟t need advice From little hornbills for a start (If this is where the monarchy is headed Count me out! Out of service, out of Africa I wouldn‟t hang about This child is getting wildly out of wing) Oh, I just can‟t wait to be king! Everybody look left Everybody look right Everywhere you look I‟m Standing in the spotlight! (Not yet!) (Chorus) Let every creature go for broke and sing Let‟s hear it in the herd and on the wing It‟s gonna be King Simba‟s finest fling Oh, I just can‟t wait to be king! Oh, I just can‟t wait to be king! Oh, I just can‟t waaaaaait…to be king! Can You feel the Love Tonight? Can You feel the Love Tonight? The peace the evening brings The world, for once, in perfect harmony With all its living things So many things to tell her But how to make her see The true about my past? Impossible! She‟d turn away from me - 39 - He‟s holding back, he‟s hiding But what, I can‟t decide Why don‟t he be the king I know he is The king I see inside? Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings The world, for once, in perfect harmony With all its living things Can you feel the love tonight? You needn‟t look too far Stealing through the night‟s uncertainties Love is where they are (And if he falls in love tonight It can be assumed His carefree days with us are history In short, our pal is doomed) Appendix（附录） Answers（答案） ： Part 1 Task 2 Name Mufasa Scar Nala Zazu Rafiki Timon Pumbaa Task 4. Plot Summary of The Lion King A young lion prince is born in Africa, thus making his uncle Scar the second in line to the throne. Scar plots with the hyenas to kill King Mufasa and Prince Simba, thus making himself King. The King is killed and Simba is led to believe by Scar that it was his fault, and so flees the kingdom in shame. After years of exile he is persuaded to return home to overthrow the usurper and claim the kingdom as his own thus completing the Circle of Life. Task 6 1. “Simba” means “lion” 2. Mufasa - 40 - Animal Lion Lion Lioness Hornbill Baboon Meerkat Warthog Relationship to Simba Simba‟s father Simba‟s uncle Simba‟s best friend Simba‟s father‟s advisor Simba‟s father‟s friend Simba‟s friend in the jungle Simba‟s friend in the jungle 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. Sarabi “Sarabi” means “mirage” Nala brother In a crack cave in the back of Pride Rock It is a turtle shell “Rafiki” means “friend” Zazu Hornbill A Meerkat A Warthog “Pumbaa” means “Simpleton” Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed “Banzai” means “skulk” or “lurk” Whoopi Gold berg “Shenzi” means “Uncouth” Timon Twice as on the way to the Elephant Graveyard. Once when she was fighting him after chasing Pumbaa. No Worries Three years (It takes three years for a lion to develop a full mane.) Life‟s not fair, is it? Scar Remember… Mufasa Circle of Life Hamlet (Right down to the order of soliloquies) Fireflies on “that big bluish-black thing” Be Prepared “Be Prepared” is the motto of The Boy Scouts of America Rafiki‟s chant: Asante sana! Squash Banana! We we nugu! Mi mi apana! Rafiki‟s chant translates directly to: Thank you very much! Squash banana! You‟re a BABOON, And I‟m not! Losing Simba Scar! Brother. Help me! Long live the king. The great kings of the past. The “Be Prepared” scene was very much like early Nazi Germany‟s Scar made a splendid leonic Hitler. It is time. Simba, Nala, Sarabi, Rafiki, Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu. Task 7 1. MUFASA (James Earl Jones) A true leader whose strong hand and wise rule unite the inhabitants of Pride Rock. This king‟s - 41 - 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. greatest pride is his son, to whom he passes the importance of courage and self-knowledge. RAFIKI (Robert Guillaume) The old baboon, Rafiki possesses mystical powers that enable him to guide Simba back to the path he is meant to follow. SIMBA (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick) What this little cub wants is to be just like his father. Simba soon exchanges his infant innocence for the rowdy, romping independence of a cub who thinks he can do anything. To him, growing up to be the Lion King means getting to tell the other animals what to do. SCAR (Jeremy Irons) Mufasa‟s brother hides his evil schemes to overthrow his brother‟s rule behind a façade of concern, and becomes Simba‟s mortal enemy. NALA (Niketa Calame, Moira Kelly) Every bit as rambunctious as Simba, Nala, a lioness cub, is Simba‟s best friend. When they grow up, their friendship matures into deep love. SARABI (Madge Sinclair) Mufasa‟s mate and Simba‟s mother, she is a nurturing, tender parent who displays the same qualities of leadership, wisdom, and courage as Mufasa. SHENZI, BANZAI, and ED (Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings) Scar‟s hyena henchmen. These sociopaths of the plains are three wisecracking punks always on the lookout for their next meal or innocent victim to taunt, tease, and terrorize. PUMBAA (Ernie Sabella) A well-padded warthog, Pumbaa may have more brawn than brains, but his size includes an oversized heart, too. ZAZU (Rowan Atkinson) Mufasa‟s most trusted advisor, Zazu is a prim and proper hornbill bird with a strong sense of personal dignity. TIMON (Nathan Lane) A hyperactive meerkat with a motor mouth, Timon is a quick-witted guy who takes life one day at a time. Part 2 Task 2 1. F 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T 6. T 7. T 8. T 9. F 10. F Task 4 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. C 5. C 6. A 7. B 8. A 9. B 10. C Task 5 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. is scared of mess with gets his way made each other‟s acquaintance was through is going on look out for 8. will take over 9. did not show up 10. was through - 42 - Task 6 Pals, dawning, shadowy, confused, deliberately, despised, dawdle, graveyard, starving, crawling Part 3 Task 2 1. coloring books for kids, music tapes, computer games all about the movie. 2. A. The African setting: the plot, the names, the music, the philosophies all have an African flavor and Americans like things that are new and different. B. The Broadway style music and songs: done by some famous pop singers. C. The voices: played by some actors whose voices are familiar and distinctive to American ears. D. The animation: new, special and excellent. Task 3 1. The film begins and ends at the same place and with the same title screen words; Simba is King after Mufasa and the son of Simba is held up high at the end and will assume the position of king after Simba. 2. The interviewee thinks it‟s Simba‟s love for Nala that brings him back home. The typical American thought of love is that love can bring you beyond yourself to do something more than you normally would. 3. Your ancestors are all around yourself in the sky and stars. They become one with nature and nature shall speak to you. They can help us to find more about ourselves. This is something new and different to the Americans and thus appeals to the Americans. 4. He enjoys the Broadway style musical presentation in the film most because they are entertaining in a simple and child-like way and reminds him of his happy, carefree childhood. 5. Culturally, America doesn‟t have its own identity. America is made up of many different identities. A great majority of American culture is still European culture, but more and more America is picking up, assimilating other cultures. Task 4 1. Similarities: They are all true “family films” because they entertain adults as well as children. Difference: The Lion King is a little more subdued and its theme is grimmer. 2. The central theme is guilt and redemption. Children can learn how to prepare themselves for more difficult lessons later on. Task 5 1. F 2. F 3. F 4. T 43 44 Sleepless in Seattle《西雅图不眠夜》 Part One Understanding the Movie Synopsis of the Movie Sleepless in Seattle is a love story — a story about two people who clearly are meant for each other: They are destined to meet and fall in love. They are separated by distance. The chance that they will ever meet is remote. The excitement and suspense in the movie depends on our knowing that this is so, and seeing the events, and mishaps, and misunderstandings, that eventually bring them together. The lovers are Annie Reed and Sam Baldwin. Annie is a journalist on the Baltimore Sun. At the start, she is already safely engaged to Walter, a very suitable husband despite being allergic to everything. However, there are hints for Annie that something is missing. She believes she is in love with Walter, but she has a sense that her engagement lacks magic, mystery and destiny. Sam is an architect. His former marriage was happy, and he is still mourning his wife who died from cancer a year ago. He and his eight-year-old son Jonah move from Chicago to rainy Seattle in an attempt to escape the memories and start a new life. Jonah knows his father needs a wife, and he needs a mother. Jonah takes the first crucial step between Sam and Annie. He listens to a radio talk show which is very popular in America. In this show, listeners are invited to telephone a presenter who is a psychologist usually. And the listener who phones in the show will receive impartial and sympathetic response or advice from the presenter. He needn‟t give his real name. He can be identified by a suitable pseudonym, or nickname. The name by which Sam is known — Sleepless in Seattle — gives the name to the movie. Jonah cajoles his father to talk to the presenter, Dr. Marcia. Sam reluctantly at first opens up and talks about his love for his dead wife and the things that made her special. The immediate consequence is that Sam, to his embarrassment, gets letters (forwarded from the broadcasting company) from women looking for husbands from all over America! He has indeed met a woman, but since she has a laugh that resembles a hyena‟s call, the son doesn‟t like her. The other consequence is that Annie becomes convinced that Sam is her destiny and she is willing to risk her engagement for him. She has access to variety of databases on her computer so that she can get the information about Sam (This is one of the earliest movies in which the part played by information technology is crucial). She writes to him and eventually flies to Seattle. However, she turns back disappointedly after she sees Sam hug a woman and his son, Jonah. Jonah reads Annie‟s letter and believes that she is the one who can fill the void in his father‟s life. But Sam is reluctant to involve himself with an unknown woman 3000 miles away. Jonah connives to bring about a meeting of Annie and his father on St.Valentine‟s Day in New York on the top of the Empire State Building. That is a traditional meeting place and time for lovers — the time and place chosen by the lovers in a classic movie An Affair to Remember. Jonah is convinced that Sam must be there too, at that place and at that time. But Sam refuses to undertake such an absurd quest. Jonah himself makes the long journey, knowing that at that time and place he will meet the person who shall be his mother. The little boy flies to New York alone. As darkness falls, the distraught father hurries to the building and finds his boy. 45 Meanwhile, Walter and Annie meet in a restaurant opposite the Empire State Building. Walter presents Annie with a beautiful ring that has once been his mother‟s. Annie tells Walter what she experiences and feels. At last she breaks off the engagement. Of course, Annie meets Sam and Jonah on the top of the building. The perfect magic love makes them together. Note: There are other elements in the story and some of those come out in the discussions that you will hear. One should be mentioned. There is a very entertaining episode where a number of Annie’s friends talk about movies they have enjoyed. Their preferences are sharply separated by gender. The women cry uncontrollably at the recollection of An Affair to Remember. The men in the party are unmoved, except to amusement at such feminine sentimentality, but they break down at the recollection of a successful war movie The Dirty Dozen. The characters in this story share a culture with the American audiences of the 1990s,and it is a culture largely dependent on the shared experience of cinema. Task 1. Choose the best answer to each of the questions that follows. 1. The elements of surprise and suspense in this movie come from _____. A. the adventures which the characters experience B. the difficulty of knowing how the story will end C. the fear we share that Jonah may be lost D. the difficulties in the way of a meeting between Annie and Sam Annie, played by Meg Ryan, is employed as _____. A. a fashion model B. a journalist C. a merchant banker D. a computer programmer The story is set in two places, Baltimore and Seattle. This is important because _____. A. Seattle is in the West and Baltimore in the East of North America, several hours of flying time apart B. Seattle and Baltimore are cities in the same part of North America, within an hour of each other by car C. Baltimore and Seattle are suburbs separated by no more than half an hour‟s travelling time D. Baltimore and Seattle are connected only by radio and telephone Radio talk show offers _____. A. general advice on dilemmas that may be similar to those faced by listeners B. interviews in which well-known people discuss problems they have encountered in the past C. opportunity for listeners to speak to qualified advisers about their problems D. answers by broadcasters to listeners‟ letters The pseudonym “Sleepless in Seattle” is _____. A. a description of Sam‟s state of mind in the story B. a way of identifying Sam while concealing his identity C. the title of a movie known to the audience and known also to people in the story 46 2. 3. 4. 5. D. an easily remembered title for this movie, with no special meaning Task 2. Write the names of the following people in the story. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. the hero:_______ the hero‟s son:______ the heroine‟s best (girl) friend:________ the heroine‟s intended husband:__________ the heroine‟s brother:_______ Part Two Close Study of the Movie Excerpts from Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Note: There are six excerpts from the script of the movie for you to study. Each excerpt has been given a title. Excerpt 1 Note: Dr. Marcia Fieldstone’s phone-in program on National Radio — You and Your Emotions. Task1. Answer the questions. These can be answered by using a short phrase from the script of the movie. 1. What is the title of the series presented by Dr. Marcia? 2. What is the title of this program in the series? 3. How long before the beginning of the story did Sam‟s wife die? 4. What‟s the name of Sam‟s wife? 5. Who gives Sam the name “Sleepless in Seattle”? 6. What sort of Christmas does Dr. Marcia wish her listeners? Excerpt 2 Note: Annie confides in her brother, Dennis, her doubts about whether she should marry Walter. Excerpt 3 Note: Annie confides her doubts to her friend Becky. Task 2. Answer the questions. These can be answered in a word or a short phrase. 1. Annie believes that marriage is a matter of gate or destiny. Does Dennis agree? 2. According to Becky, the sort of love that Annie is looking for is to be found only in one place. Where? 3. According to Dennis, there is one very good reason for going nowhere near Seattle. What is it? 4. How does Annie start her letter to Sam? 5. She arranges a meeting time and place in her letter. Where and when? 6. Becky mentions two men with whom she has been involved. What are their names? Excerpt 4 Note: Sam talks with friends about how life imitates movies. Task 3. Answer the questions. 1. Of the many women who have written to him, Sam is seeing just one regularly. What is her name? She has one characteristic that Jonah doesn‟t like at all. What is it? 47 2. Annie‟s suggestion that they meet at the top of the Empire State Building on St.Valentine‟s Day reminds Greg‟s wife of a movie. What is the title of the movie? 3. What are the names of the two principal actors of the movie? 4. What is the title of the war movie that both Sam and Greg like so much? Excerpt 5 Note: Walter’s gift of a ring on St. Valentine’s Day. Excerpt 6 Note: The parting with Walter. Task 4. Answer the questions. 1. Since Christmas, Walter has noticed a change in Annie, he uses two adjectives to describe her. What are they? 2. To whom did Walter‟s present formerly belong? 3. Walter and Annie are buying a dinner set. How many plate settings do they order? 4. When Walter orders Dom Delousie, Annie tells the puzzled waiter he is joking. What does he intend to order? 5. When Annie says “I can‟t do this,” what does she mean? Part Three Reflection of the Movie Interview of the Movie Note: Study the tapescript of this discussion between Pro. Zhu and Peggy, both of whom have seen the movie. Zhu: Peggy: Peggy, you love the film Sleepless in Seattle. Can you tell me something about the film and why you like it? Well, I love the film Sleepless in Seattle, and I‟d like to think that it is a true picture of what American society is like. It‟s very happy movie. It‟s a very positive movie. I think this is what people, young parents strive to live like for their children, positive role models, not...you know, protecting their children, their young children from all the things. Young children should know about. It‟s a love story. I like it a lot. The son is only eight years old, and he‟s trying to help his father to find a new wife and for him to find a new mother. This is something quite new to me, because in China children don‟t do that to their parents. Yes. That‟s probably not very realistic. But you know we do have these radio stations where people can call up. And sometimes you hear children calling up for help. I have heard it on local stations, and people are very tuned to children‟s needs, and so when this child called up, and the therapist said: “Let‟s get your father on the phone right now. Let‟s talk about it.” I think that‟s very American as far as...”let‟s talk about things we don‟t want to talk about.” Because...see, how it is hurting the child. And I just thought it was cute. I mean I like Tom Hanks and he portrays a funny expression on his face. He is a craving father, but I don‟t know a lot of children that want to replace their mother. I think that‟s a difficult concept that children like to go out and replace their mother right away. You see, when the radio is on and people listen to this man talking about his privacy feelings about his wife. This is something maybe unusual or is it quite usual here? Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: 48 Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: That‟s becoming more and more usual here that our people would listen to radio programs about people calling up about their problems and the therapist will talk to them. That‟s usual. That‟s happening more and more. To me, for men it is kind of difficult, especially to talk about something very deep inside, about their feelings towards their wives. That‟s why maybe people are moved, like this young woman, moved by his talk, by his talking about his wife. Yes, yes...Some men are very much in touched by their feelings. So you know, you can say...some men are...I think people are touched by the fact that he can list all the things that he loves about his wife. And I think women find that romantic when men can say how they appreciated their wives. He knows he just went on and on...was very clear he...really missed her. So, does that mean that men in the United States don‟t usually talk about, or can‟t, the good things of their wives? I think some men are that way. I wouldn‟t pick men like that. I would have to have somebody that communicated very well for me to be with, and could say very nice things about me. But it‟s always who you choose...Sometimes you don‟t know about what you are choosing, or you don‟t know about...I don‟t know why some women choose people that don‟t speak well of them. I don‟t know. Maybe self extinguish we have to; maybe like yourself, and then we‟ll have somebody that likes you, too...and you like them. And I think that is important. In the film, they kind of emphasize this magic thing. When her mother talked to the daughter saying: “When I was married, I just had that magic feeling that he is the right person.” And the mother had got a happy marriage and she assumed that her daughter would have this magic as well. It‟s kind of superstition. When the daughter has Walter, and wear this wedding garment and the wedding garment is broken or something. They‟re always talking about the sign, the sigh about something and talking about the magic. Do you believe the magic in romance? That‟s a very good question. That is very American to talk that way like something happens you think, oh, it‟s superstition or it‟s a sign from God, maybe it shouldn‟t be. But on the other hand, this is very logical, because...but people like to think of love as a mystery. I think it‟s fun. It may not be really the way they pick a mate, but it‟s like a power game in a way. It is fun expression to talk about like matters of love. I think that magic is just when you look at somebody and you say, oh, isn‟t he really good-looking? Or, you know...and I think that is all that it means, you just feel something a little bit more with that person, in you talking you connect a little bit more. Walter just seems to be allergic to everything...you know. I don‟t know people like that. It‟s too bad, but it just didn‟t seem a good match for her. But in the film, the director kind of having Walter with this woman thinks it‟s all right: you know he has a good job, he loves her, that kind of thing. But when she just suddenly changed her mind and has this magic feeling with somebody she never met, so it‟s kind of... I guess just how you describe it is. Sometimes two really nice people don‟t make a good marriage. You know, even so you look at them that you can‟t see anything wrong with him: I mean he is a good man; 49 Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: he‟s a good provider; he loves her and he had his mother‟s ring designed for her...I mean, there are a lot of very positive thins about Walter. But, I just don‟t think they had what it took to be a lasting relationship. They weren‟t passionate about each other, and I think that‟s probably very American to think it‟s certainly in your early years, at least to be sexually passionate about each other, what each other has to say, you know...I think that‟s what they mean by the magic, the passion was missing in that relationship. But you see we have these romantic love stories for a long time, from Shakespeare to now, many love stories and romantic stories, People are never tired of watching this kind of movies. Sometimes they have a kind of pattern, but still people love to watch them. And some love stories men like to have; some love stories women like to have, and according to some of the reviews, they said both men and women love to watch this movie, you know. It‟s kind of movie for both male and female. Why is that, because of the way they put it? I think Tom Hanks‟ character is a very masculine character, and I think men can identify with it. And he is also a funny man, you know, the expressions he makes with his face, the tone of voice. I think men can identify with him. He is sort of men‟s man of day and age. It is a love story about feelings. How he is a builder! He is very men‟s point of view about being single; what love is. Yet, they have the feminine side of Mag Rayn. All these things is very feminine about feelings. Another point is that within the movie, they are talking about An Affair to Remember, and they kind of emphasize the point: people are very influenced by the movie, by the love stories. So that‟s why her friend said: “You‟re not really falling in love, you‟re galling in love in the movie.” Because they even copy the pattern of having this magic meeting according to that movie An Affair to Remember. That shows the influence of the movie. Well, I think you will call this a remake, taking the classic love story like An Affair to Remember, and re-making it in modern terms. I mean it‟s not exactly the same story but it‟s a meaning of chance to fall in love. That does happen. You know you do sometimes just meet people in class or something like that, but if you didn‟t take that class, you would never have met that person. If she didn‟t hear that radio station, she would have never met, or wrote a letter. I think one of the ways that this movie influences the idea of love in our culture is from our fairy tales that we have as children, Prince Charming, Cinderella. And do you know someone is going to come and save us from our life and will live happily ever after. They‟re not terribly realistic, you know, I think that you know this movie is purely fantasy in the fact that people go and see it to sort of escape from their regular lives, and wouldn‟t be nice of love could happen this way. But realistically love takes a lot of work. Can you have your eyes open, make sure you‟re well matched. Not...they couldn‟t happen in this way, but it‟s important not to be blinded by this either. You‟re looking for magic rather than realistic values that somebody has. Yes. This movie makes the magic happen by the eight-year-old child, which is kind of 50 Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: unusual, because you know, in Chinese culture, children don‟t want to have their parents marry again. They very just make this naive, eight-year-old son try to help his father to find a new wife. Yes. I don‟t think that‟s realistic either. I think that, from the adult point of view, wouldn‟t it be nice of our children encouraged us to go on to other relationship after our spouse dies? But in reality, children never want to forget their real mothers or their real fathers. They do resent someone coming in. I mean they are not the people to get along and enjoy each other‟s company. It‟s just not the same. So i don‟t think that, I mean I think it might be a cute movie, but it wasn‟t realistic in the child‟s point of view. So when we‟re very realistic in our real life, we need romance, because only romance has passion. Passion may not really exist in a normal marriage. Is that right? Passion is certainly what attracts people in the beginning; makes them interested in each other. But in a long run, I think that you know that kind of very intense passion has to dissipate. I think people sometimes are always looking for that. They‟re always looking for that feeling and there may be a mistake that they make. They are picking a mate that...you know that‟s not gonna last forever. You know that a deeper love will come in. Even if you have a deep lover, a deep love with your husband or wife, but you still need a kind of romance, a kind of passion. So that‟s why maybe people in the love stories like the magic thins to happen. You know, people like to sit down and be taken away from their everyday life and just have a little fantasy journey of what it would be like if things went ran so smoothly. One of the things I thought the movie portrays is how difficult it was for a man, I mean it happens to be a story about a man, how difficult it was for a man who was happy for so many years to all of sudden to start dating again. And how foreign that feels for somebody to get our there and start meeting people. There are a lot of women interested in him, but he really wasn‟t interested in a lot of women. He still missed his wife. I think the letter that make Mag Ryan wrote about...about baseball, didn‟t she? She wrote to the son...I think it sort of addresses some of his interests rather than I want a relationship. Those all kinds of movies like An Affair to Remember. They were certainly a style that very popular, back like my parents generation, we love just magically happened. It‟s not a formula that necessarily works so much in today‟s society, but I think because Tom Hanks puts his own start, it has some funny dialogues, too. I‟m not thinking that something right... And the music... The music is very American. Yes, the music is great, you know, Over the Rainbow, it has sort of American jazz singers; Bye-Bye Black Birds, it always comes from the south, almost in the black south it comes out of. That‟s just very uniquely American. When I Listen to the song, I just thought this couldn‟t be any place else, I mean the music is Over the Rainbow and song of Casablanca As Time Goes By and just a lot of American classics. Can you remember how the song fits the context? How the music fits in, I can remember one night the son had a nightmare and when the father come upstairs, he was calling for his mother. You know, they were hugging; they 51 Zhu: Peggy: Zhu: Peggy: were talking about the nightmare and apparently the mother would sing the song Black Birds to the young boy and the young boy will fall asleep. And the father swore “I don‟t sing” but then the music comes in. In a absurd of southern sudden sound of a hoarse voice singing Bye-Bye Black Bird. So that‟s a kind of transitional, you know, a sort of filled in what he‟d like to hear and also what the song was. A lot of songs were love songs that fit the theme of the movie. Do you still remember when you first saw the movie? I saw this movie in a movie theatre, and probably about a couple of years ago, maybe three or four years ago. I try to remember exactly. When you first saw the movie, what‟s your reflection? I pretty much feel the same way that I felt when I saw the movie. It‟s not really a deep movie where there are a hidden message. I wouldn‟t really call it a deep movie. It‟s sort of an escape movie. I saw the same just as I saw just the other day. It‟s a journey. I took on it as a journey, a fantasy journey, a happy movie. It‟s not particular a deep movie that I would go back to watch over and over again and look for new meaning. Task 1. Choose the best answer to each of the questions that follows. 1. Peggy gives a number of reasons for liking the movie. The first one she mentions is that _____. A. the music is attractive B. the principal actors give excellent performances C. the movie reflects American society D. the mood of the movie is happy and positive 2. Pro. Zhu questions Peggy about Jonah‟s call to Dr. Marcia on behalf of his father. She is surprised by this because _____. A. she would not expect a child of eight to act so independently B. Jonah‟s behavior would be unthinkable in a Chinese setting C. she would not expect that the presenter would accept a call from a child D. children cannot imagine how older people think and feel 3. According to Peggy, Americans typically see love and marriage as _____. A. something mysterious and magical B. a business partnership C. an undertaking requiring much hard work D. a means of preserving family inheritance 4. Peggy feels that from the start there is something wrong in the relationship between Annie and Walter, on the grounds that _____. A. Walter seems unlikely to be a good steady provider B. the two families seem not to get on well C. Walter is not a generous person D. there is no sign of passion in the relationship 5. Peggy believes the most important thing that the movie offers the viewer is____. A. a significant message B. comic dialogue C. a range of attractive traditional music D. an escape from everyday life 52 Review of the Movie At first I thought I wasn‟t going to like this film. I started out so treacly with lots of talk about love being “fated” and how when you met the right person you just feel the magic and know it‟s forever, etc. But that was before I saw what I think Nora Ephron — the director — is up to here. This is no simple-minded innocent romance. It is a sophisticated, very savvy, 1990s homage to the Hollywood romances of the „40s and „50s. Though it looks upon them with nostalgia, Ephron knows you can‟t just straightforwardly copy that genre in the 1990s. You have to approach it obliquely; things are a lot more complicated these days. So she plays with the conventions of these old romances, she uses the soundtrack to poke fun at them, and she even has every woman in the film quoting dialogue from that great example of the genre, An Affair to Remember, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Like those old films this one has a convoluted plot that I don‟t want to summarize. Suffice to say that Annie, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and engaged to be married, hears Sam one night on a radio talk show that his eight-year-old son had called to ask for help in finding a new wife for his widowed dad. Since Sam lives in Seattle and admits to insomnia, the radio psychologist taking the calls dubs him “Sleepless in Seattle”. Annie falls in love with this man she‟s never seen. Sam is getting letters from would-be wives by the armload and he‟s only interested in thinking about those who live nearby — not in Baltimore. The kid, Jonah, who hates the woman his dad has begun dating, is partial to Annie thanks to a letter she wrote. So he sets about to try to convince them to meet, as Annie has suggested in her letter straight out of An Affair to Remember, on the observation tower of the Empire State Building on Valentine‟s Day. Do they? What do you think? Not only that, but there‟s a great big red valentine lit up on the side of the building. On the way to this inevitable happy ending, however, there is a just lot of funny stuff. I started doing movie reviews because so many times I thought that the movie reviewers, exclusively males in this neck of the woods, just didn‟t get it when it came to films women like a lot. So I was set up for a scene in which Greg‟s wife launches into an impassioned and teary plot summary of An Affair to Remember while her husband and Sam sit there utterly dumbfounded and uncomprehending of how she could be so swept away be that film. Then they launch into their own rip-roaring discussion of the fine points of some beloved war film and she sits there, utterly dumbfounded and uncomprehending of their taste in films as well. I haven‟t laughed so hard at a scene in a film in ages. There‟s a similar one earlier in the film: Annie and her best friend rattle off the TV commercials that make them tear up, while two male colleagues shake their heads in disbelief. One of the things I take Nora Ephron to be trying to do with Sleepless in Seattle is to make a film that is neither a woman‟s film nor a man‟s film but one that appeals equally to both. So, although the main objects of her homage are “weepies” or women‟s films, at the same time she keeps the focus very strongly on Sam and Adam. And how Sam deals with his grief and then the trials and tribulations of his re-entering the dating game after 15 years of being out of circulation. My bunch is that she has succeeded in making an equal opportunity film for both men and women. The audience I saw it with was fairly evenly divided between the sexes and it‟s the first film I have seen in a long time where the audience burst into applause when it was over. I guess it was a good feeling to find a film that doesn‟t insult your intelligence; that has no sex, violence, or bad 53 language; that‟s populated with people you like; that‟s funny, and ends on a low-key but happy note. Task 2. Choose the best answer to each of the questions that follows. 1. When the reviewer first heard about this movie, she expected that she would dislike it because it sounded _____. A. violent and vicious B. sentimental and romantic C. absurd and ridiculous D. full of unlikely coincidences 2. The director of the movie is ____. A. Meg Ryan B. Tom Hanks C. Nora Ephron D. Stanley Kubrick 3. The movie intends to remind audiences of _____. A. the movie romances of the „40s and „50s B. the movies made of the Second World War C. the movies of the old silent cinema D. the famous Ealing Comedies 4. The Baltimore Sun is _____. A. a TV program B. a newspaper C. an advertising agency D. a radio program 5. Someone suffering from insomnia cannot _____. A. forget the past B. eat C. sleep D. be happy 6. The time and place of the meeting that Annie suggests is straight out of _____. A. a novel B. a poem C. a radio program D. a movie 7. Movies designed in the main for a female audience are sometimes called “weepies” because _____. A. they are about dreadful events B. the audiences are touched by sympathy with the characters C. the audiences admire the courage of the characters D. they are about events that occur in everyday life 8. Sleepless in Seattle is enjoyed _____. A. mostly by women B. mainly by men C. equally by women and men 54 D. by younger audiences 9. This reviewer enjoys the movie Sleepless in Seattle because _____. A. it is a comedy and has a happy ending B. it is free of sex and violence C. it includes no violent language0 D. for all the above reasons Part Four Responding to the Movie Task 1. Write an essay on any of the above topics in around 1000 words. Task 2. Dramatize the excerpt of the movie you like best. Appendix（附录） Answers（答案） ： Part One Task 1 1. D 2. B 3. A 4. C 5. B Task 2 1. Sam 2. Jonah 3. Becky 4. Walter 5. Dennis Part Two Task 1 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. You and Your Emotions Wishes and Dreams A year and a half Maggie Dr. Marcia Magical and merry Task 2 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. No In movies Rain nine months of the year Dear Sleepless and son Top of the Empire State Building. St.Valentine‟s Day Rick and Martin Task 3 1. 2. 3. 4. Victoria; Her laugh An Affair to Remember Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr The Dirty Dozen Task 4 55 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. distant, distracted to his mother 10 Dom Perignon (a kind of champagne) Marry Walter Part Three Task 1 1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D 5. D Task 2 1. B 2. C 3. A 4. B 5. C 6. D 7. B 8. C 9. D 56