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Monday, May 18, 2020

Parallel Reading with films scenes: Classics in class

Listening to and Pronouncing chunks (= Thought Groups)


Choose a one or two minute scene from your movie. Find it in the script. Listen to the scene and notice how the actors break their ideas into thought groups.
 Mark each thought group with slashes. 


find them in Database of Movie Dialogs

See these scenes:  Johnny Guitar's  "Lie to me" & 
                                 Casablanca's  "Misinformed"

                      1. Johnny Guitar
 "Lie to me" Scene (1:05-2:10)

VIENA: Having fun, Mr Logan?        
   
           LOGAN: I couldn't sleep. 

V: That stuff help any?    

            L: It makes the night go faster. 
            What's keeping you awake? 

V: Dreams.  .... Bad dreams. 

             L: Yeah, I get 'em sometimes, too.  .....
                 ..... Here, this'll chase 'em away. 

V: I tried that. Didn't seem to help me any. 

           L: How many men have you forgotten? 

V:  As many women as you've remembered. 

LOGANDon't go away. 

            VIENA:  I haven't moved. 

L: Tell me something nice. 

          V: Sure. What d'you want to hear? 

L: Lie to me. Tell me all these years you've waited. Tell me.

          V: All   these   years   I've waited. 

L: Tell me you'd have died if I hadn't come back. 

          V: I would  have died   if  you hadn't  come back. 

L: Tell me you still love me like I love you. 

          V: I  still  love  you   like  you   love me. 

L: Thanks. 
  - Thanks a lot. - (Glass smashes) 

          VStop feeling so sorry for yourself. (more lines here)



SCENE 2. 
Casablanca (1942) Misinformed 


Girl: Where wwere you last night?

Rick ; That's so long ago, l don't remember. 

-Will l see you tonight? 

Rick; I never make plans that far ahead. 

  (........ 00:59)

Capt. Renault; How extravagant you are, throwing away women. 
Capt.Re.; Someday they may be scarce. 
       I think now l shall pay a call on Yvonne. 
Maybe get her on the rebound. 

Rick; When it comes to women, you're a true democrat. 

Capt.Re. If he gets a word in, it'll be a major ltalian victory. 
     The plane to Lisbon. You would like to be on it? 

Rick> Why? What's in Lisbon? 

Capt.Re.> The clipper to America. 
      I've often speculated on why you don't return to America. 
      Did you abscond with the church funds? 
      Did you run off with a senator's wife? 
      I like to think you killed a man. It's the romantic in me. 

R> It's a combination of all three. 

Capt.Re; And what in heaven's name brought you to Casablanca? 

Rick :  My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters. 

Capt.Re.; The waters? What waters? We're in the desert. 

Rick; I was misinformed. (02:16)   

(all dialogue from film here)



Go  study Casablanca's quotes.  And  enjoy the search!




                   Some guidelines (from Heinle publishers)
Scripts
Some people find that reading a script while watching a movie is very helpful. Of course it can help you understand what you are hearing, but it can also help you to learn new vocabulary, grammar and idioms. It can also help you to listen for thought groups, reduced vowels and sentence stress. Scripts for many movies, old and new, are available at SimplyScripts. Find a script for a movie you can rent from the video store and then try one or more of these activities. These activities can be a lot of fun if you work with a friend or classmate. 



Listening to and Pronouncing Thought Groups 
Choose a one or two minute scene from your movie. Find it in the script. Listen to the scene and notice how the actors break their ideas into thought groups. Mark each thought group with slashes. You will probably need to listen more than once. Once you have marked the thought groups that you hear, compare your markings with a friend's or classmate's. If you are uncertain, ask your teacher for help.

Rewind your video and listen again. This time take the roles of the characters and practice speaking along with them. Then try reading your lines without the images. Perform your scene for your class. 



Listening to and Pronouncing difficult items 
Choose a couple of lines from your movie. Find them in the script. Read the lines and underline the elements (vowels/consonants/syllables, etc)  you may find difficult to pronounce (reduced items).

Listen to the lines. As you listen, circle each problematic item. Check your predictions to see if they were correct. Listen to the scene and notice how they were delivered (intonation, emphasis...). Then, rewind the video and repeat after the actors. Be sure to pronounce them correctly. 




Possible Websites

Canada
Tribute - movie and actor info; features show time listings all across Canada.

FilmCan - offers movie information, trailers, and show times for major Canadian cities.

Singapore
Movies Online - current listings, synopses, reviews, trailers, and discussion groups.

UK and Ireland
Yell.com - Here you'll find Film Finder, the ultimate film search giving you the latest in what's on where nationwide. Search by location, film or even genre, and Film Finder will tell you where and when it's showing.

Scoot Cinema Guide - guide to what's on where and when in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - updated every week.


United States
Hollywood.com - Reviews, clips, ratings and show times for Hollywood blockbusters and independent films. You can find out what is showing in your city or click on Int'l to find out what's showing in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, China and Japan.

The Internet Movie Database

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