MFL DVD ResourceTOPIC: RELATIONSHIPS

Amelie

Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s ‘fantasy-realist’ film follows a woman,who discovers her true vocation in life.

Excerpt from the film: 03:12 > 06:35We learn about Amelie’s home life as a childand see her relationship with her parents.

Amelie• Draw a family tree for the Simpsons or other fictitious family from TV or film. Explain the relationship between various family members. Use a dictionary to help you. Write down a short description of a ‘typical’ family network. How would you describe your own parents / carers likes and dislikes?

• Find three unusual adjectives to describe each of Amelie’s parents. Write this into a paragraph. Write down in three columns their likes / dislikes and the patterns you can see.

• Describe Amelie’s relationship with her parents. How do you think their characters might have influenced her? Why does Amelie not go to school? How might this impact on her as an adult?

• Create a mind map of all the characters you have seen so far.

• You are Amelie as a young girl. Write an entry in your diary. Use at least two tenses and justify your opinions of your

family.

• Find a moment that was designed to be sad, and one that was comic. Describe them.

• Why, in your opinion, is the director showing us the parents in this very particular style? What impact does it have on you?

Amelie

Au Revoir les Enfants

Au Revoir Les Enfants is Louis Malle’s film about life in a French boarding school during WWII.

Excerpt from the film: 00:21 > 02:21Julien bids goodbye to his mother at the train station beforethe start of school.

Au Revoir les Enfants• How would you describe Julien’s relationship with his mother – is it a typical parent-child relationship in your opinion?

• How would you compare the relationship Julien and his brother François have with their mother?

• What adjectives can you find that describe personality traits?

• How would you use these to describe a typical parent / child relationship? Use at least five adjectives.

Au Revoir les Enfants• Write Julien’s first letter home to his mother. Include details of the trip, his emotions and a description of the school, including the people he meets.

• Why do you think Julien pretends he does not care that he is leaving his home?

• How would you feel in Julien’s situation?

• Describe what is not being said. Include eye contact, composition of the scene, appearance etc…

Jean de Florette

Jean de Florette is a French historical drama directed by ClaudeBerri, based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol.

Excerpt from the film: 13:24 > 15:12The Soubeyrans visit a neighbour to negotiate a land-buying deal.

Jean de Florette• What is the attitude of the neighbour towards the Soubeyrans? How does he speak to them?

• Cesar Soubeyran, how does he behave? What does he do? What is your reaction?

Jean de Florette• Imagine you are a child of the village who discovers the body at the foot of the olive tree. You must write your story for the village policeman, who will arrive by bicycle. Remember to give specific details, such as date, time, location, body position, injuries etc.

• Working in threes, prepare the interview of the two Soubeyrans by the Constable. He must ask at least six questions, to which Cesar and Ugolin respond, but without telling the truth.

Joyeux Noël

Joyeux Noël is a 2005 film about the World War I unofficial Christmas truce of December 1914, depicted throughthe eyes of French, British and German soldiers.

Excerpt from the film: 50:52 > 54:18The soldiers convergeon Christmas Evefor the first time.

Joyeux Noël• What do the soldiers do to introduce one to another? What do they exchange? What do they share?

• What is the cat called and what is it’s significance?

Joyeux Noël• Show two pictures of your civilian life, to introduce yourself to the enemy: what are these two pictures? Draw your two photos and write a description.

– Et voici une photo de mon chien qui…

• In groups of three, play the roles of three soldiers of different nationalities. Everyone must introduce himself to the others by showing pictures of his civilian life. Each soldier

must speak for at least 60 seconds and ask three questions to

others.

Persepolis

Persepolis is the poignant story of a young girlin Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

Excerpt from the film: 01:21:38 > 01:22:48Mami talks about her divorce.

Persepolis

• Marji plucks up courage to tell her grandmother that she wants

to divorce her husband, but the grandmother is not as shocked

as Marji thought she would be. Why did Marji assume her grandmother would be shocked? Why do you think she isn’t?

• Mami says that a first marriage is just practice for a second but Marji sees it as a disaster. Who is right? Write a short article explaining your point of view.

Persepolis

• Prepare a short speech to introduce your point of view on divorce and prepare a defense of it.

• Then try to put together all of the opposing viewpoints into a short speech too.