casablanca

Transcription

casablanca

МИНИСТЕРСТВО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РФ
ОМСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ
Рекомендовано к изданию учебно-методическим советом ОмГУ
27.11.02, протокол № 2
Рецензенты:
канд. филол. наук, доц. каф. англ. и франц. языков ОмГУ Н.Г. Гичева
канд. филол. наук, доц. каф. англ. языка ОмГПУ С.К. Калинкина
УЧЕБНО-МЕТОДИЧЕСКОЕ ПОСОБИЕ
Подготовлено на основе аутентичных материалов: художественного
фильма, интервью с американскими и британскими актерами и режиссерами, песен из американских фильмов и др.
Содержит систему разнообразных упражнений на чтение, снятие
трудностей при восприятии текста на слух (Gapped Text, Jigsaw Reading),
говорение (Discussing Movies / Actors, Role Plays) и др.
Пособие разработано с учетом принципа коммуникативной направленности и соответствует современным требованиям преподавания иностранного языка.
Для студентов факультета иностранных языков и студентов гуманитарных специальностей, изучающих английский язык.
ПО РАБОТЕ
С ВИДЕОФИЛЬМОМ
"CASABLANCA"
Издание
ОмГУ
Учебно-методическое пособие по работе с видеофильмом
"Casablanca" / Сост. О.С. Дворжец. – Омск: Омск. госуниверситет,
2003. – 116 с.
Омск
2003
© Омский госуниверситет, 2003
2
INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 4
COURSE STRUCTURE ........................................................................... 6
PART I. TALKING ABOUT FILMS ..................................................... 10
PART II. WATCHING "CASABLANCA" ............................................ 37
PART III. DISCUSSING "CASABLANCA" ......................................... 64
PART IV. ANSWER KEYS ................................................................... 83
TAPESCRIPT OF LISTENING MATERIAL ...................................... 101
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................. 115
3
The nature and purpose of the course
The project is topic base resource around the theme of Cinema. It is designed for (upper-) intermediate or advanced students who have some experience in listening comprehension and understanding British and American
films in English with/without subtitles. It will take students up to a point
where their receptive and productive use of English, is accurate and fluent
over the topic Cinema and situations connected with film making/viewing as
well as screen adaptions of the classical literature.
The materials of Part I are aimed at a hypothetic group of students taking an (optional) English course of oral and written practice, they orientate
students to the theme Cinema – talking about films and film makers. The interrelated listening, reading and writing material is designed to provide the
necessary structural and lexical stimulus for students as well as essential English vocabulary to express their views on the topic. Listening activities are
based on authentic interviews with English speaking students, a film director,
recordings about British and American actors.
The tapescripts of all the listening material are printed at the back.
Movie quiz checks students' knowledge of certain facts from cinematography history, world famous actors and international directors as well as
some screen versions of world famous literature classics.
Parts II, III provide an interrelating sequenced material around watching and discussing one of Hollywood's classics – the film Casablanca. The
before watching section introduces critical reaction to the film and the while
watching tasks give students achievable portions of the film so that they are
encouraged to engage in the mechanics of the plot – to aid rather than test
their comprehension highlighting the most important events from the film.
Fifteen episodes from the film might help students experience English in action and learn more about the events of World War II, they will share many
experiences of the film characters as they hear English spoken naturally. A
number of tasks provide material for discussion and role play.
The present project begins a series of teaching booklets dealing with
screen adaptations of world known classical literature; study watching of such
films and the books on which they are based, ranging from the great classical
novels of the nineteenth century, the works of Jane Austen and Charles Dick4
ens to good modern writers such as Michael Ondatje and Gaston Leroux
might be invaluable for learning the English language as well as the British
and American culture. The application of communicative teaching techniques
to the study of the kind can with a bit of imagination and flexibility, produce
excellent results.
Tapescripts and recording symbols
T .
Exercises using video recordings are marked
V .
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Student's Audio Cassette
Interview with students from England and Scotland: films you like.
Interview with a film director.
Choosing the best actors: 50 most influential actors of the previous century.
Stars of the early silver screen.
More stories about stars.
Critical review of Casablanca.
Interview "Your opinion on Casablanca".
Profile about I. Bergman.
Profile about H. Bogart.
Song "As time goes by".
Video Cassette
Film Casablanca
5
PART I. TALKING ABOUT FILMS
Tasks
1.1
Exercises using audio/scripted recordings are marked
1.
2.
3.
COURSE STRUCTURE
1.2
Material used
Magazine articles/ film
reviews/ video blurbs/
T .
exercises/texts
Vocabulary: types of films. Vocabulary exercise.
T1
Interview
Listening. Speaking.
with
students
from England
and
Scotland:
films you like.
Activity description
Vocabulary box: talking
about films.
Speaking: a) who's who
behind the camera; b) how
a film is made.
Vocabulary exercise.
Pictures: who's who behind the camera? Gapped
chart – how a film is
made.
Reading.
Speaking: cinema industry
in the USA, Russia.
Texts on Hollywood, the
biggest film factory in the
world: past and present.
Speaking: the greatest
movies. Jigsaw reading.
Reading exercise. Articles
about two Hollywood
films.
6.1 6.2
Reading.
Speaking: recommending
a film.
Film reviews.
Reading exercise.
7.1 7.2
Reading and writing video
blurbs.
Back cover video blurbs.
Reading and writing exercises.
8.1 8.2
Speaking. Listening: top
international directors.
Speaking exercise.
2.1
2.2
2.3
3.1
3.2
3.3
4 5
6
T2 Interview
with a film
director.
9.1 – 9.5
10
11
Listening.
Speaking: stars and
superstars.
Gapped chart.
Speaking and listening
exercises.
Reading. Speaking; 21st
century cinema.
Profiles on the 21st century cinema.
Jigsaw reading. Debating:
screen adaptations.
Text: pros and cons of
literature on the screen.
Reading and speaking
exercise.
12.1 – 12.4 Writing film reviews.
Film review. Reading,
speaking and writing
exercises.
13
Designing a film poster.
Making presentations.
Exercise.
14
Rendering.
Profile about Hollywood.
15
Testing.
Movie quiz.
PART II. WATCHING "CASABLANCA"
T3 Choosing
actors.
T4 Stars of the
early silver
screen.
T5 T6 More
stories about
stars.
Tasks
Material used
Script . Photographs.
Critical reviews. Exercises.
Photograph. Speaking.
Exercise.
1
Warm up.
2
Reading comprehension.
Summary of Casablanca.
Reading exercise.
3
Speaking.
Speaking exercise.
47
9 11 13
15 17
20
37
5 8 10 12
1416 18
21 26
29 32
35 38
41
6 19
24 27
33 36
42 43
22 25 31
28 39
7
V .
Before watching sequences Review of the film Casablanca. Reading exercises.
sections:
Reading.
Speaking.
Reading.
Predicting the action:
Writing synopsis.
Exercise.
Sequences of
Casablanca.
Watching sequences,
correcting errors, filling in
gaps in the script, listening
comprehension, speaking.
Gapped script.
Sequences of
Casablanca.
After watching sequences
Speaking exercises.
sections:
Reconstructing the context,
re-enacting, retelling,
discussing, speaking,
role-playing scenes from
Casablanca.
Sequences of
Casablanca.
Writing synopsis.
Sequences of
Casablanca.
Exercises. Script.
8
PART I. TALKING ABOUT FILMS
PART III. DISCUSSING "CASABLANCA"
Tasks
12
Warming up.
3
Listening.
4
Interviewing cinemagoers. Listening.
5
Jig-saw listening.
6
7
Role-play
Reading comprehension. Speaking.
Material used
Chart. Cards for role play.
Book. Exercises.
Speaking exercises.
1 Types of films /pictures/ movies
T .
T7 Critical
review of
Casablanca.
Gapped chart.
T8 Stories about
I. Bergman,
H. Bogart.
Cards for role-play.
Excerpts from the book
"As time goes by".
9
T9 Song
"As time goes
by".
1.1 Look at these words for types of films. Choose an example
of a film for each type from the list of films made in English
below.
Action film, cartoon, comedy, documentary, horror film, musical, love story, soap opera, science fiction, thriller, war film,
western.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Schindler's List, Cats, Coronation
Street, Shakespear in Love, How to Steal a Million, My Best Friend's Wedding, Romeo and Juliet, Frankenstein, The Nightmare on Elm Street, Indiana
Jones, The Firm, Rage of Angels, Gone with the Wind, Diana: End of Fairy
Tale, Diligence, Madame Tussaud's: The Inside Story.
1.2 T1 How often do you go to the cinema? What kind of films do you like to
see? Compare ideas in your class and listen to the students from England and
Scotland who answered the same question. Did they give the same answers?
2 Vocabulary box
2.1 Films in English are either shown with subtitles, or they are dubbed. Films
are set (take place) in many different periods and places. When critics write
articles in which they give their opinion about films called reviews they write
about the director, the cast, the producer, the cameraman, the scriptwriter, a
box-office success, flop. Some other movie terms for your vocabulary box:
boom operator, continuity supervisor, focus puller, dubbing editor, casting
director, key grip, clapper-loader, art director, second unit director, sound
mixer, gaffer, best boy.
These are some of the words critics use to describe films and give their opinion of films: amazing, appalling, atmospheric, awkward, charming, cliched,
delightful, disappointing, far-fetched, emotional, entertaining, extraordinary,
fantastic, funny, good fun, gripping, heavy-handed, horrible, impressive, moving, over-hyped, powerful, predictable, remarkable, sentimental, slow, sophisticated, spectacular, spine-chilling, stylish, (un)sentimental, violent.
10
2.2 Give a word or phrase from 2.1 for the following definitions.
1. The total number of actors in a film.
2. The person who controls all the actors and technicians on a film set (a
specially-built room in a studio where a film is made). He or she decides
how to shoot each scene and is generally in charge of the movie's creative
development.
3. The first and most popular American film genre.
4. This job starts after shooting is over. It involves mixing dialogue, music
and sound-effects to produce the film's final 'sound-track'.
5. The translation of the story of a film across the bottom of the screen.
6. Films producing strong emotions, often of sadness; a positive word.
7. Films with lots of scenes with fighting or death.
8. The word used to describe a film that may not be very serious or important but is enjoyable.
9. One who operates a motion picture or television camera.
10. One who finances and supervises the production of a film or a play.
11. This person's job is to 'cut' all the film shot by the director into a final two
or three hour version.
12. One who is in charge of a film's overall visual design.
13. This person's job is to make sure that costumes, sets, props (objects used
2.4 What do you think the responsibilities of Second Unit Director, Gaffer,
Best Boy, Boom Operator, Sound Mixer, Clapper Loader are? Check
your comprehension using Answer Key.
2.5 Who's who behind the camera? Identify the people's professions (1-16) in
the picture below.
by actors in a film), etc. are all consistent. It is important because the
scenes in a film are usually shot out of order.
14. This job involves keeping the camera in focus and changing lenses when
necessary.
15. Responsibilities in this job are to move the camera from one position to
another on the set of location.
2.3 Put the adjectives from 2.1 into two groups, positive and negative.
11
12
2.6 There are 8 steps in making films, 4 of them are missing in the chart below. Fill in the blanks with the missing steps.
1.
8. RELEASE
Finally, the film is given a
certificate (U, PG, 15 or 18)
and released. After that, everything depends on the audience. Not just the cinema
audience, though. These days
video rentals are important,
too. They can often decide
whether a film is a financial
success or not. And if it is a
success? Well – then it's easier for everyone involved to
develop another idea.
7.
?
2.THE SCRIPT
A film script is developed in three stages.
First, there's a short
outline of the storythen a longer, more
detailed 'treatment',
and finally a complete
'shooting script'.
?
HOW A
FILM IS
MADE
6. POST5.
PRODUCTION
Once shooting is
finished, postproduction begins.
This is when the
film is (a) edited (b)
has the soundtrack
added to it (c) is
dubbed or sub-titled
for foreign audiences.
?
3.
?
4. PREPRODUCTION
OK – now there's a
script and enough
money to make the film.
But there's still a lot of
preparation to do before
the director shouts
"Action!". This is called
"pre-production" and it
includes: (a) casting,
(b) finding locations,
(c) building sets,
(d) making costumes.
3.1 Below is an article on The History of Cinema. Its seven paragraphs are
out of order. Put them in the correct order and answer the questions after the article.
A The two came together in the middle of the 19th century. That's when
photos were first used in 'magic lanterns'. Before then, these early projectors had used glass slides. The pictures on these slides were painted by
hand and very expensive. In comparison, photos were cheap and easy to
produce.
13
B
Moving images have always been popular. In China, for example, there
were 'shadow plays' 5,000 years ago. These used firelight to project images of puppets onto screens. So projection is a very old idea. But cinema
only became possible when this old Asian idea met a new European one –
photography.
C Before cinema could be born, one last invention was necessary – a quiet
machine able to project high-quality pictures onto a large screen. And the
men who produced that were two French brothers from the city of Lyons.
D So─by 1850 projection and photography had come together. But the result still wasn't 'cinema'. How could it be when the pictures didn't move?
The solution to that problem came in several stages.
E "The Lumière Cinematograph" allowed large audiences to watch 'moving
pictures'. Its 'debut' took place on 28 December 1895 in a Paris cafe. That
day the Lumières showed several short films. They were all documentaries. Afterwards, Auguste Lumière talked to reporters about his invention.
"It can be exploited for a certain time", he said, "but apart from this it has
no commercial value at all".
F In less than a year, cinemas had started to open in Europe and America.
G Recorded sound ended the silent era in 1927. That's when Al Johnson
both spoke and sang in "The Jazz Singer". His first words were "Wait a
minute, wait a minute folks. You ain't heard nothing yet!" Cinema goers
demanded more and more talking pictures. By 1930, audiences were up
from 57 million a week (1926) to 110 million a week.
H While World War One was fought in Europe, and for several years after,
the cinema pioneers made thousands of black and white films-comedies,
tragedies, fantasies, romances and historical dramas. This was 'the silent
era' of Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, Clara Bow, Douglas Fairbanks and Buster Keaton. It was called "silent" because there was no recorded sound.
▪ Where did cinema come from?
▪ What happened in the middle of the 19th century?
▪ When did the movie-making become profitable?
14
Hollywood, the most famous town in America, got its name in 1886 when
a retired couple moved to California and built a ranch. The movies hadn't yet
been born and the couple chose the location because they liked the wide open
spaces around the small but bustling city of Los Angeles.
Three years later moving pictures were invented in London when William
Friese-Greene gave the first demonstration of a Kinematograph. But it was the
Lumière brothers in Paris who gave the first public demonstration before a
paying audience in 1985. Ironically, they thought movies had no commercial
use.
When this curious 'magic lantern' show reached. America, people were
more enthusiastic about its potential. Edwin S. Porter made the first narrative
film that used actors. It was called "The Great Train Robbery". People went to
see the film in their thousands. Each person paid five cents for admission: this
is why the first cinemas were called "Nickel Odeons".
The popularity of movies boomed and the film companies joined together
in order to get patent rights as a way of protecting their products. But pirate
companies began to make films of their own outside the law. To avoid prosecution these film makers packed up and moved across country. They settled in
a small town called Hollywood.
By 1914 this town had become the biggest film factory in the world. Other
companies moved there because the sunny climate was conducive to shooting
outdoors. The surrounding environment was also perfect for making westerns,
the first and most popular American genre.
The big film studios of today also got their start early in this century. Four
of the most talented people working in Hollywood realized the importance of
controlling their own film and thus Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and the director D.W. Griffith formed United Artists in 1918.
Shortly afterwards Paramount, Columbia and M.G.M. were formed and they
also built their own studios and used their own stars. Today the actors are no
longer tied to just one company but the studios are huge, multinational companies.
Everything we read about the great days of Hollywood in the 1930s and
1940s seems like an exaggeration. The studios always said their films were
'super', 'colossal', 'fabulous' or 'fantastic'. They spent vast sums of money but
made very few good films. But when we discover what the people in charge
of the studios were like, it is surprising that they made any good films at all.
Almost all of the owners of the big film companies had been small businessmen who developed the Hollywood philosophy of 'the bigger, the better',
believing that the more money they spent, the greater the profit they would
make. They owned the production companies and the cinemas as well as the
studios, so they were so powerful that no one could make a successful film
without them. But in private life they were ignorant, unattractive people, and
their employees thought they were monsters.
Everyone hated Louis B. Mayer so much that when someone asked his
former partner, Samuel Goldwyn, why so many people had come to his funeral, he said: "They want to make sure he's dead".
Reading and speaking
Comprehension check
Now read the profile more carefully and answer the following questions:
1. When did Hollywood get its name?
15
16
3.2 You are going to read a profile
about Hollywood, the biggest film
factory in the world.
Pre-reading task
The following people, places, dates and
things are in the profile. What connection do you think they have with Hollywood? They appear here in the same
order as in the profile.
– 1886
– California
– ranch
– Los Angeles
– William Friese Greene
– "The Great Train Robbery"
– "Nickel Odeons"
– Douglas Fairbanks
– Mary Pickford
– Charlie Chaplin
– 1930s
– 1940s
– profit
– monsters
▪ What facts from Hollywood history do you know?
▪ Now read the profile and discuss the list again.
2. Where were the moving pictures invented? Was the first public demonstration before a paying audience given in London?
3. Why were the first cinemas called "Nickel Odeons"?
4. How did it happen that the film makers move across the country to Hollywood?
5. Who formed United Artists in 1918?
6. The Hollywood films are considered by the author of the profile to be
'super', 'colossal' or 'fantastic', aren't they?
7. What is the Hollywood philosophy?
3.3 How much do you know about the cinema industry in your country? Can
you answer these questions?
A How many films are made in your country on average every year?
B Is the number of films being made going up?
C What successful films have been made in recent years?
D Does the government fund the film industry?
E What film would you choose to show what your country is like?
4 Which are the ten greatest movies ever made? In some ways that's an impossible question to answer, because everybody's list of favourite films is different. On the other hand, certain pictures have become landmarks in the history of movie-making. They may not be the greatest, but they're definitely cinema classics. Here are five out of ten movies which are considered to be cinema classics by New York Film Academy. Can you continue the list by adding
five more movies?
1. Battleship Potemkin
2. Ben Hur
3. The Wizard of Oz
4. Gone with the wind
5. Citizen Kane
5 Jigsaw reading
You will now read articles about two Hollywood films from English Digest
and Premiere.
17
1. Look at the headlines of the articles and say what films you think the articles might be about. Have you seen these films? What do you know about
them?
2. Divide into two groups.
Group A. Read the article "The most popular film in history".
Group B. Read the article "Gumption".
Answer the comprehension check questions as you read.
Comprehension check.
What book is the film based on?
When was the film shot?
Are there any facts in the article about how the film was shot?
How were the actors who played the main parts in the film chosen?
Is it an expensive film?
What description of the film is there in the article?
What prize did the film win?
When you have answered the questions, find a partner from the other
group.
Compare your answers and swap information.
Gumption
By Kristen O'Neill
The afternoon of October 16,
1985 was the first day of what
would be a nine-year process to
bring Forrest Gump to the big
screen – a process marked by missteps, high drama, bruised feelings,
and, eventually, unequalled triumph.
It was on that memorable afternoon that Wendy Finerman from
Warner Bros. Was sitting in her office, alternatively laughing and crying as she read the manuscript for a
soon-to-be published novel called
The most popular film in history
By Robert Kent
Gone With The Wind, the classic
story of the American South, was
set at the time of the American Civil
War. Released in 1939, it is now the
most popular film in history: more
people rate it as a favorite movie
than any other film.
When the producer, David Selznick, bought the film rights to Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel,
thousands of letters arrived demanding that Clark Gable play the role of
Rhett Butler.
When Selznick started filming,
18
Forrest Gump by Winston Groom.
By the end of '85, Warner's Production Vice President Allyn Stewart had optioned Gump for $ 35,000
against $ 350,000.
Tom Hanks was the first choice
to play Gump. The actor agreed to
play the part.
Before it was all over, Forrest
Gump would gross more than $ 300
million in the US alone.
Was the film a paean to serendipity, an attack on the counterculture, an unabashedly romantic tearjerker, a monument to morons, or
what some critics called 'a really
funny movie filled with more irony
than any Hollywood movie we've
ever seen before?' The answer
seemed to be all of the above, and
an award-winning juggernaut too –
enough so that Paramount pulled
the film from theaters in midJanuary for one month to avoid any
pre-Oscar backlash.
The film was a grand-slam success, it won a gagle of Oscar nominations.
the part of Scarlett O'Hara had not
been filled, even though they had
interviewed 1400 actresses for over
two years. They made so many
screen tests that the test film was
almost as long as Gone With The
Wind itself.
In the end, David Selznick had
to start filming the burning of Atlanta, which cost thousands of dollars, without having found the right
actress. While he was shooting the
scene, his brother Miron, an actors'
agent, arrived with one of his clients, Vivien Leigh, a British actress,
unknown to American audiences.
She was so keen to play the part that
she read the novel and several histories of the civil war. She finally got
the job.
Gone With The Wind, an Oscar
winner, has also one of the most
often quoted lines in Hollywood
history, but you have to wait three
and a half hours to hear it. Rhett
Butler's final speech to Scarlett contains the famous words: "Frankly,
my dear, I don't give a damn". Such
rudeness on screen broke the film
industry's code of conduct and cost
the producers $ 5,000 in fines. The
producers, however, were unmoved,
as not only did the film become an
overnight success but also turned
out to be the biggest box-office success in cinema history.
19
6 Recommending a film.
6.1 Below is a Premiere, the Movie Magazine film criticism by William Goldman
in which the four paragraphs are out
of order.
1. Put the four paragraphs in the correct
order.
2. Which of these four headings describes
which paragraph?
Introduction
Final thoughts
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction.
A I liked them both a lot and I liked them both the same. For me, in some
nutty way, they were the same movie. Wonderful, unusual stories going
wonderful, unexpected places.
But I thought they were both way too long. I was really bored by the
sequence in Forrest Gump in which Gump jogs around what seems to be
the entire civilized world for what seems to be hours. Coming near the
end, it was damaging.
And what was that sequence in Pulp Fiction? We're in two hours and
this bloody body is in the car and this genius is called in to save the situation and what does he say? Something like: "Okay, guys, cover up the
blood with blankets, you're saved, see ya". That's genius?
Probably what I'm saying is that, for me, neither film accumulated.
B Oscar nominations are out and the tea leaf readers are busy indeed. But
this year, not many shockers. Oh, sure, a few. How did Four Weddings
and a Funeral get a Best Picture nomination and Hugh Grant not get a
Best Actor bid? Can you name another actor in the world who would have
helped the movie more? I sure can't. And the Academy's embrace of
Woody Allen – no one foresaw that. Bullets Over Broadway was going to
get nominations, but seven? Newt will glom on to this as further proof that
Hollywood is an even greater threat to World Survival than overpopulation.
20
C The media have been all over Hollywood this year for the low quality of
movies, and, frankly, I don't get it. For me, this year has been easily the
best of the decade, not so much in that there have been masterpieces but in
that there have been so many terrific flicks. And the five nominated Best
Pictures truly deserve to be there.
D And another movie – the hardest one of the year to pull off. And I think if
Audrey Hepburn could have played the girl, I wouldn't have been the only
one voting it Best Picture. But Andie Mac Dowel is not a fanciful performer. And here you wanted a girl who could fly. The final love scene in
the rain wasn't magical. I left the theater not with thoughts of love and everlasting happiness but rather wondering how long these two would stay
together.
6.2 Read the list of the films below and
1. say which of them are Oscar winning films:
The Diary of Anne Frank, The Barefoot Contessa, Philadelphia, How to
Steal a Million, The Tempest, The Wizard of Oz, Death on the Nile, Doctor
Zhivago, Amadeus, Dances with
Wolves, Fiddler on the Roof, Murder
on the Orient Express, A Streetcar
Named Desire, My Fair Lady, To Kill
a Mocking Bird, Tea with Mussolini,
The Godfather, Forrest Gump;
2. talk about a cinema classic you know well (you may choose one of the
films from the list above or from 4 and the adjectives critics use to describe films from 2.1 ):
- what it's called, what type of film it is
- story
- cast
- positive / negative criticism
21
7.1 Look at the back cover video blurbs and match them with the following
film titles.
1. Jane Eyre
4. Rebecca
2. Tea with Mussolini
5. Romeo and Juliet
3. The Tempest
A Prospero, the Duke of Milan, and his daughter Miranda have been banished to a remote island by the Duke's evil brother Antonio.12 years later,
'by accident most strange', Antonio and his companions are shipwrecked
by a tempest on the same island – unaware that Prospero is the engineer of
the storm that brought them there. Prospero's aim is to bring peace between his former Dukedom and the Kingdom of Naples by seeking a marriage for his daughter to Ferdinand, son of the King of Naples who travels
with Antonio.
B Italian director Franco Zeffirelli stunned the screen world when he cast
two young unknowns to portray the star-crossed lovers in the famous
movie, but it was a gamble that resulted in one of the most popular motion
pictures of our time. The classic romance comes to stunning, bringing new
vitality and a fresh insight to the most durable love story ever written.
C A diverse group of cultured ladies meet for tea each afternoon: Lady Hester Random, widow of the British Ambassador to Italy, Arabella, an artist
and singer, Georgie, the exuberant American archaeologist, and the brash
and uninhibited Elsa. One of their fold, Mary, becomes surrogate mother
to a young boy, Luca, and he is soon virtually adopted and brought up by
the group of ladies. But the shifting political climate begins to have serious
consequences for this unconventional community and the maturing Luca
must face up to a personal challenge of independence.
D After a harsh childhood as an orphan the poor girl secures a job as governess to the child of the troubled Edward Rochester, sire of Thornfield, a
mysterious English manor. When she hears strange cries and noise from a
distant wing, her injuries are rebuffed. As time goes on, Jane and her master fall in love and decide to marry. But their wedding is halted when a
visitor suddenly reveals the shocking secret that Rochester has kept for
years.
E After the death of his beautiful wife Maxim de Winter goes to Monte
Carlo to recover. There he marries a quiet and ordinary young woman who
22
is very different from his first wife. Maxim takes her back to England – to
Manderley, his lovely country house.
The new Mrs de Winter finds that at Manderley the first Maxim's wife is
still in everyone's thoughts. Then one day a discovery is made – and the
young Mrs de Winter begins to understand why her predecessor is still so
important to all those at Manderley.
7.2 Write a blurb for the film(s) you described in 6.2
8.1 Below is the list of 14 top international directors – past and present. What
can you say about them? What films of these directors do you know?
Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman, Luis Buñuel, Cecil B De Mille, Sergei Eisenstein, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, François Truffaut, Satyajiu Ray,
Steven Spilberg, Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, John
Ford.
8.2 T2 Listen to the interview with the famous film director and decide
whether these statements about him are true or false. Correct those that are
false and reproduce the sections in the interview which prove that the others
are true.
T F
1. He started by making commercials.
2. He did a directing course with the BBC.
3. He was attracted to the idea of working in film and television.
4. His favourite film is The Serenade.
5. He thinks the director's job is very exciting.
6. There are some things he dislikes about his job.
7. He doesn't see any difference between film-making in Britain
and the USA.
T
9.2 T 4 There are thousands of film actors and actresses – hundreds of good
ones – dozens of stars. But only a handful in each generation become legends.
Listen to the stories about five gods and goddesses of the early silver screen
and give their names.
9.3 Below are the photographs of six more all-time greats from the movie hall
of fame (1950s-1990s). What do you know about them? What are their best
known films?
9.1 T 3 Hollywood is searching – but not for new stars! The American Film
Institute has revealed their plans to choose the 50 most influential actors of
the previous century. Who are the 50 most influential actors of the century?
Listen to the tape and decide whether these statements are true or false.
Correct those that are false and reproduce the sections in the story which
prove that the others are true.
23
F
1. The top twenty five actors and twenty five actresses are to be
chosen from a short list of four hundred names.
2. Over a thousand film-makers, academics, historians and celebrities will be asked by the American Film Institute to vote on the
nominees.
3. Last year the film issued its list of 100 top films of the century.
Top of the list were the classic films Jane Eyre and The Godfather.
4. People were arguing not about which films were the highest
grossing, but about what was on that list.
5. At the moment it is known who the top actors will be.
24
9.4 T 5 You are going to listen to stories about four famous film stars. Fill in
the table using information from the tape.
Gwyneth
Sean
Leonardo
Questions
Paltrow
Connery
Di Caprio
Where was he / she born?
When?
First film success?
Other film success?
Any other information
9.5 T 6 Which of today's stars will go on to become legendary superstars?
▪ Do you think any of these 10 actors could be included in 'Top 10' selection
for tomorrow's hall of fame ─ Tom Cruise, Judie Foster, Keanu Reeves, Sigourney Weaver, Charlie Sheen, Debra Winger, Mickey Rourke, Isabelle Adjani, Melanie Griffith, Michael J. Fox?
▪ Can you name their best films? Information on the tape might be helpful.
10 What will it be like to visit a 21st century cinema? What are IMAX,
Showscan, Multiplexes, Digital sound, Video cinemas? Read the answers to
the questions in the profiles below from Arts and Media Super Dossier which
look at the latest advances in film technology. How much of the information
did you already know?
letter-box. Secondly, the system's projectors operate at 60 frames per second,
which is 250% faster than usual. The result is better picture quality than anything ever seen before.
MULTIPLEXES
Some of these already exist, but more are being built every year. They're hitech cinema complexes in or near major towns/cities, with…• several screens
under one roof • restaurants • facilities for small children • special parking
areas.
DIGITAL SOUND
Until recently it wasn't possible to use digital' techniques on film soundtracks.
Now, though, all that has changed. A new sound system developed in America means that 8-track digital sound can be used in cinemas. So … movie dialogue and music will soon be as ultra-clear as a high-quality compact disc.
VIDEO CINEMAS
Video screens are already popular in clubs, stadiums and cafes. Now, video
cinemas are beginning to appear. These use a special projector which has
three 'colour guns' to show videotapes on a cinema-sized screen. Each gun
projects a separate colour – red, green or blue. The images then mix to produce a complete picture.
SHOWSCAN
Showscan is another projection system, but it's different from IMAX in two
important ways. First, Showscan screens are slightly curved and shaped like a
11 Books on the screen. Can you judge a book by its movie?
Jigsaw reading
11.1 Until the twentieth century literature existed on the page or the stage.
Today, it also exists on billions of screens all over the world. Thanks to TV
and films, in fact, literature now has far more viewers than readers. Do the
hundreds of screen adaptations made every year have a good or bad effect on
literature itself?
You will now read about the pros and cons of screen adaptations. Divide into
2 groups.
Group A, 'the Pros', will read about the pros of screen adaptations.
Group B, 'the Cons', will read about the cons of screen adaptations.
What pros and cons of screen adaptations can you add? Compare the pros and
cons of it and swap information. Check your version with Answer Keys.
25
26
IMAX
This is a projection system. It was invented in Canada and uses an enormous
screen 14 metres high and 19 metres wide. IMAX movies are shot on 70mm
film, but in an unusual way. The film passes through the camera (and later the
projector) from left to right rather than from top to bottom. This means that
70mm becomes the height of the film instead of its width. IMAX produces
enormous images which allow audiences to really 'experience' a film. At the
moment, though, it's still very expensive and only exists in a few speciallybuilt cinemas.
A When a novel or play is adapted
for the screen it reaches a huge
new audience. Surely the main
point of story-telling is communication, so if more people can enjoy
a story by seeing it in a visual
form, what's wrong with that?
A Reading a book and watching a
screen are two completely different experiences. Reading is
active… your mind has to work
and create images. Watching is
passive… you just sit there and
all the work is done for you.
It's less satisfying.
B A successful screen adaptation helps
to promote the original book and
increase its sales. Often, in fact,
recently filmed or televised books
(even nineteenth-century classics)
can become bestsellers all over
again. Two recent examples of this
in Britain were Stendhal's Le Rouge
et le Noir (Scarlet and Black) and
George Eliot's Middlemarch. After
being filmed by the BBC, both novels entered the bestseller list.
B When you're reading a book
you're able to stop and start
whenever you like. The book
can become a part of your life
for a week – two weeks – however long it takes to read. With
a film or TV series, though, the
pace is dictated… you don't
have the freedom to stop and
think for five minutes before
you carry on.
C Pictures make stories more vivid
and lifelike – every five-year-old
child knows that. So, why should
adult literature be any different?
The simple fact is that screen adaptations give books a whole new
realistic dimension. They also make
stories where the language is complex and old-fashioned much easier
for modern readers to understand.
C Screen adaptations are never as
subtle and complex as the
books or plays they're based
on. Characters are cut out,
scenes removed… that's because time is always a key issue, especially for film-makers.
Producers,
directors
and
screen-writers constantly have
to ask themselves, 'How can
we fit the story into two hours?'
Is that any way to treat an author's work?
D Without screen adaptations to
boost sales, the publishing industry
would be far less healthy than it is.
After all, we live in a visual culture
where relatively few people actually buy books. To put it bluntly,
literature needs TV and films far
more than TV and films need literature.
D Books can tell you what characters are thinking. Films and
TV serials can't. They have to
use dialogue instead.
27
11.2 In an exclusive interview to Cinescape, the magazine of movies, television and new media on the edge, best-selling author Dean Koontz lambastes
Tristar's film version of his supernatural thriller Hideaway.
• Read the beginning of Dean Lamanna's critical review Hide and go seethe
and find the reasons for Dean Koontz' scolding.
• What's your interpretation of the title of the review?
• Can you find another example when an author is in favour of a film version of his/her book?
Adapting books for the screen can be treacherous. For every tome that has
made the transition successfully in the last 20 years (see Jaws, Carrie, The
Silence of the Lambs), there have been at least a dozen others that have fallen
flat on their fiber spines. Too often, as any disgruntled reader – or writer –
will attest, novels lose their atmosphere and their very essence as they bump
and scrape the constricting walls of that endless tunnel called "development"
en route to the screen.
Dean Koontz, for one, no longer will enter that tunnel blindly. The critically acclaimed creator of such best-selling genre titles as Dragon Tears,
Watchers and the current Dark Rivers of the Heart has become so frustrated
with the film industry's arrogance that he's now asking for both screenwriter
and director approval when selling screen rights.
"I have been involved in a campaign to get my name off the movie from
the day it started shooting last spring," says Koontz, who, unlike Stephen
King, generally has avoided public discussion of how Hollywood treats – and
mistreats – his work. "I've had bad pictures made before, but this isn't just, in
my estimation, a bad picture: It's sort of demeaning, dehumanizing… It takes
everything my work is about – everything I believe as a human being – and
turns it 180 degrees on its head."
The story of Hideaway, the movie, begins more than three years ago, when
Koontz sold the rights to the novel to TriStar's parent company, Sony pictures,
just prior to its January 1992 publication date.
"I was appalled", says the author, who found no less than 14 major holes in
the story. "I said [to TriStar], 'Aside from the fact that the tone of this is just
not at all what I do, there are all these incoherent elements in the storyline.'
The studio pretended to make some effort to be concerned, but it became
28
pretty clear that [the film] was off on its own track and it wasn't going to be
particularly related to the book. Their attitude was, 'Oh, when you see it, you'll
be so amazed.' They always treat you like you're a moron – as if you have
never worked in this medium if you're a novelist. They act as if you have no
concept of what a screenplay looks like or how it will look on the screen."
11.3 Debating: Books on the screen
You are going to have a class debate on the motion 'You can't judge a
book by its movie.' In the two groups 'The Pros' and 'The Cons' you had when
doing 11.1, discuss specific films and books that illustrate the pros and cons
of screen adaptations of books. Together plan the presentation that you are
going to make to the other group to bring them over to your point of view. For
your presentations, use the material you had in 11.1 and 11.2 and any other
material you can get. Decide how many students are going to make the
speech. (For example, you can sit in a group and five or six of you can each in
turn make a point or a couple of points.)
When the debate takes place, arrange the classroom so that the speakers
are sitting at the front of the room with the audience facing them. When both
groups made their presentations, take a class vote on the motion.
12
Writing film reviews
12.1 Discuss these questions:
1. Where do you expect to find reviews of books, films etc.?
2. What is their purpose?
3. What do you expect a review to contain?
4. Do you read reviews? If yes, do you take any notice of them?
One of the top film magazines on sale in Britain and America is Empire.
Between its covers you can find news, reviews, interviews, background articles, letters, competitions, a section on new 'movie' books.
Barry Norman is Britain's best-known and most popular film critic. His
half-hour BBC TV programme reviews several new releases each week. It
also contains film news, interviews, background reports, information about
films recently released on video, the British and American box-office top ten.
The movie dictionary Halliwell's Filmgoer's Companion was first published in 1965. Since then it's sold million of copies and been updated several
times. Over 1,100 pages long, Halliwell's contains a couplete alphabetical
guide to films and film-makers, quotations, mini-reviews, quiz questions.
12.2 Read the review of the film Tin Cup and answer these questions:
1. Who is the director? Who does the film star?
2. What type of film is it?
3. Who does Kevin Costner play?
4. Where is the film set? What is it about? Paraphrase the story briefly. (Notice the use of the present tense.)
5. What is the reviewer's opinion of the film? Of the performances?
6. How would you describe the style and register of the review? Quite formal or chatty? Personal and subjective or impersonal and objective?
7. What is the effect of the review on you? Would you like to see the film?
Why/why not?
The passages below may be helpful.
Magazines
TV programmes, radio shows and newspapers… they all review new
films, helping to make them either successes or failures. There's a long list of
'cinema' books and magazines published every year.
29
30
But when the new psychiatrist in
town (played by René Russo, never
better) turns up one evening for a
lesson, McAvoy is immediately
smitten with love for her. He sets
out to woo her, but after his normal
romantic technique fails to convince, he decides that only a grand
gesture will do and he sets out to
win the US Open. So determined is
he to succeed in sport and love that
he makes some extraordinary, and
hilarious, changes in his personality
and style of play.
Tin Cup is a deliciously witty,
profound and sly exploration of
love, redemption and one man's
quest for immortality. Shelton uses
the ritual and metaphors of sport to
relate the complexities of love and
relationships. The performances
throughout are spot on, with Costner once again on top form. Quite
wonderful. I can thoroughly recommend it.
TIN CUP
______________________________
DIRECTED BY RON SHELTON
STARRING
KEVIN COSTNER
RENE RUSSO
DON JOHNSON
Kevin Costner returns to a genre
he's adept at, namely romantic comedy, teaming up with director Ron
Shelton for a film that reconfirms his
position as both modern cinema's
finest romantic leading man and a
gifted comedy actor.
Costner stars as Ron Tin Cup
McAvoy, an ex-college golfing
champion whose stubbornness hampered his natural ability to swing a
club and consequently kept him off
the professional touring circuit. He
trades on his former glories, giving
lessons on a run-down driving range
in the middle of rural Texas.
12.3 Work in pairs or groups. Tell each other about a film you have seen recently, using the vocabulary and material in 1, 2.1, 6 , 7.
Give a summary of the story and your opinion of the film.
Step 1. Task interpretation
Who will read your review? What is your purpose in writing? What will be
the most appropriate register and tone?
Step 2. Generating ideas
Use questions in 12.1 to guide you, and jot down your answers in note form.
Step 3. Layout and organisation
Organise your ideas into paragraphs. How many paragraphs will you need?
Step 4. Write
a. Remember to use a range of vocabulary and structures for interest and variety. The following paragraph describes a thriller. How many different
ways can you think of to combine the sentences?
The film is about John Peri. He is searching for his younger sister Liz. Liz
disappeared five years ago. John is convinced that she's still alive. John
begins his search in New York. He bravely confronts the many dangers
and difficulties that lie in his path. John finally finds his sister. He discovers the bitter truth.
b. Write your review.
Step 5. Evaluate and edit
When you have finished, re-read and evaluate your work carefully.
ü Have you answered all the questions?
ü Is all the necessary information present?
ü Is there any irrelevant information you should delete?
ü Have you put your message across clearly and effectively?
ü Is the layout appropriate for the task type?
ü Is there a range of vocabulary?
ü Have you used a variety of simple patterns and not just a series of short,
simple sentences?
ü Have you avoided unnecessary complicated sentences?
ü Is the grammar correct? Check for correct use of articles and determiners, subject-verb agreement …
ü Is the spelling correct? Check for typical errors.
12.4 Choose a film that you have enjoyed (or not enjoyed) recently and write
a review of it for a student magazine. Give details of the content and your assessment of it. Say whether you would recommend it to your fellow students.
Write approximately 250 words.
31
32
13 Designing a film poster
Design an advertising poster for …………….First, study several different
film posters made in English or Russian.
– How is the information on them arranged?
– Where is the title?
– Is there just one picture or are there several?
– What do they tell you about the film?
– How many actors and technicians names appear in the credits?
– Does the poster include one or two sentences which describe the film?
Try to make your poster as original, colourful and interesting as possible.
Make presentation of your poster in class.
14 Rendering
Render the following profile about Hollywood
На долю Голливуда всегда приходилось более чем достаточно и хулы, и хвалы. Да и поводов к тому и другому за последние годы тоже хватало.
Наиболее заметными фильмами истекшего десятилетия были фильмы со специальными техническими эффектами, собиравшие наибольшее
число зрителей – "Звездные войны", "Звездный путь", "Искатели пропавшего ковчега", – и такие приключенческие фильмы, как "Челюсти",
"Рокки" и "Рэмбо". Причем после каждого фильма, до отказа наполнявшего залы, следовало бесконечное число его продолжений, стремившихся повторить его коммерческий успех.
В волнах, поднятых этими киногигантами, резвилась мелкая рыбешка: картины, на производство которых их упорные создатели затрачивали иной раз не один год, но которые, если не встречали благосклонного приема у зрителей и восторженных отзывов критики, сходили с
экрана через пять-шесть недель. Между этими крайностями существовал
спектр умело сделанных картин, смотревшихся с интересом и удовольствием, вызывавших обсуждения и приносивших доход.
Критики начали хоронить кинопромышленность еще 50 лет назад, с
появлением телевидения. Предсказания скорой гибели кино были столь
многочисленны и безапелляционны, что любой больной с таким диагнозом должен был бы давным-давно скончаться.
33
Но в действительности кинематограф сейчас отличается завидным
здоровьем. Голливуд пережил предсказания пессимистов, став на путь
разнообразия своей продукции. Кино развивается циклами: годы успехов сменяются годами неудач и наоборот. Но крупные кинокомпании
расширили формы своей деятельности и этим снизили риск: они освоили
выпуск других видов продукции и услуг и с удвоенной энергией принялись распространять свои фильмы во всех сферах рынка. Выпуск почти
всех фильмов в форме видеокассет придает им второе дыхание и делает
их доступными гораздо большему числу зрителей, чем традиционный
прокат в кинотеатрах и сравнительно редкие появления на телевидении.
Термин "Голливуд" закрепился за кинопромышленностью и продолжает существовать в наши дни, хотя производство кинокартин уже
давно вышло за пределы этого района Лос-Анджелеса с его съемочными
павильонами и натурными площадками, перекинувшись во многие городки и города. Все чаще съемки ведутся на месте действия фильма, и
только обработка снятого материала по-прежнему сосредоточена в нескольких крупных центрах.
Голливуд сохранил свой престиж и значение. Студенты кинофакультетов, сценаристы и телепродюсеры – все мечтают о выходе на
большой экран. Америка остается "меккой" и для начинающих и для известных талантов со всего мира.
И тут мы сталкиваемся с парадоксом. Чем более интернациональный характер принимает кинопромышленность, тем труднее определять
национальную принадлежность картины. Чьей стране принадлежит
фильм – стране режиссера? Даже язык фильма может ввести в заблуждение, так как многие европейские фильмы ставятся на английском языке для выпуска на международный рынок, а затем дублируются на родной язык.
Кинорежиссеры из Англии, Франции, Германии, Австралии и Советского Союза с успехом работают в США и нередко вносят в свои работы острый взгляд чужестранца, подмечающего в американской действительности черты, ускользающие от коренного жителя. Привычное национальное разграничение выходит из моды по мере того, как международные таланты все свободнее перетекают из одной страны в другую.
И все же, хотя кинопромышленность все больше интернационализируется, существуют фильмы чисто американские по своему общему тону.
34
15 Movie quiz
Test your cinematography knowledge with a 10-question 'Movie quiz'
1. What is the first Walt Disney's cartoon?
2. What is the abbreviation MGM in the world of movies known for?
3. Which of the famous actors said "I remain one thing only, and that is a
clown" ?
c.
a.
b.
4. What's Marilyn Monroe's real name?
5. Which famous character from the film was advertised as 'The Eighth
Wonder Of The World?
6. In which country was 'The Sound Of Music' Set?
7. How many Bond adventures did Ian Fleming write?
d.
8. Half the world's population has seen a Bond movie – it's the longest and
most successful series in film history. But why? The answer lies in the
Bond formula below where one element is missing. Which one?
Fantasy • Exotic Locations • Adventure Gadgets • Humour • The Cool,
Tough, Sophisticated and Very 'British' Character of James Bond Himself
e.
9. Can you complete the list with 14 more great horror films titles?
– The Dracula series, the Frankenstein series, the Friday the 13 th series, the
Hellraiser series …
10.The famous musical Fiddler on the Roof (picture a) is just one of the movies based on books. Pictured below are a variety of such productions.
Can you identify them by the clues – names of the authors on whose
books the movies are based are provided and write blurbs for them?
b. John Fowles
c. Charles Dickens
d. John Grisham
e. Patrick Hamilton
f. Pamela L.Travers
g. Agatha Christie
h. T.S. Eliot
i. Gaston Leroux
j. Michael Ondaatje
i.
h.
g.
j.
35
f.
36
PART II. WATCHING "CASABLANCA"
Warm up
"Casablanca"
(Released by Warner Bros. 1942)
Cast
Rick Humphrey Bogart
Ilsa Ingrid Bergman
Her husband Paul Henreid
The Vichy prefect of police
Claude Rains
Major Strasser Conrad Veidt
The black market boss
Sydney Greenstreet
Sam, a jazz pianist
Dooley Wilson
widow (as she thought) of a resistance leader, but she abandoned him (as he
thought) when they were about to escape. In fact she received news that her
husband was still alive. Now she reappears with him in Casablanca.
Although he feels bitter towards her and she has a duty to her husband,
Rick and Ilsa are still in love. He becomes involved in attempting to get her
and her husband to the United States, which requires the help of the corrupt
prefect of police.
In the final scene at the airport, Rick shoots Major Strasser, who has come
to prevent Ilsa and her husband from catching the plane. They leave, and the
prefect of police changes sides and goes to Dakar, the headquarters of the Free
French under General de Gaulle, with Rick, who has decided to take part in
the war.
Summary
Casablanca is probably the best-loved of all motion pictures.
Casablanca in 1941, ostensibly under the control of the Vichy French government but really under Nazi domination, was the last stage for refugees hoping to escape via Lisbon to the United States, which had not yet entered the
Second World War.
Rick, an American adventurer, runs a successful cafe, and claims to be
neutral. In Paris, before the Nazi occupation, he was in love with Ilsa, the
1. Which of the following is not true?
A Casablanca was probably the best-loved picture that made motions.
B The story gives the main points of the plot in brief.
C At the beginning of the film Rick was indifferent to political events of the
time.
D Casablanca is the name of both the film and the place, which was the last
step for people forced to flee from danger.
2. Rick was an American …
A runner
C Nazi
B manager
D resistance leader
3. Why did Ilsa leave Rick?
A Rick claimed to be neutral.
B She fell in love with her husband.
C It happened in Paris before the Nazi occupation, and Rick wasn't a resistance leader.
D Ilsa turned out not to be a widow, she learnt that her husband was alive.
4. In the very last scene of the film …
A Major Strasse, who prevented Ilsa and her husband from leaving Casablanca is shot.
B Rick, who used to be neutral, makes up his mind to take part in the war.
C Refugees escape from the Nazis via Casablanca to the United States.
D The prefect of the police becomes corrupt and joins the Free French.
5. The word "via" means in the summary:
A backwards
C by way of, through
B instead of
D towards
37
38
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Producer Hal Wallis
Speaking and Reading
1 Discuss these points with another student.
Look at the photograph. What do you know about this film?
What was the story? When was it set?
2 Now read the summary, and answer the questions below (1-5) on the
basis of what is stated or implied in it.
3 Were you right when discussing the points in 1 ? Discuss it with the rest
of your group.
Sequence 1
4 Before watching:
Read the following passage from the review of the film Casablanca and answer the questions:
Casablanca was first shown in November 1942, a few days after Allied forces
had landed in Morocco to liberate the city from the Nazis. For its fiftieth anniversary, the film was shown once again in main cinemas in London and
New York, and in the intervening years it has never lost its popularity. How
has this film become probably the best-loved of all motion pictures? The
question has been asked many times.
• When did Allied forces land in Morocco to liberate the city from the Nazis?
• The film lost its popularity and never regained it, did it?
• Think of definition /synonyms for the italicized words.
5 V While watching:
Watch Sequence 1 of the video
trying to understand as much as
you can without the script. Check
your comprehension: watch the
Sequence again using the script
whenever / if necessary.
A revolving globe. When it stops revolving it turns into a contour map of
Europe, then into a flat map.
Scenes of refugees fleeing from all sections of Europe by foot, wagon, auto,
and boat, and all converging upon one point on the tip of Africa – Casablanca.
Arrows on the map illustrate the routes taken as the voice of a NARRATOR
describes the migration.
39
NARRATOR
With the coming of the Second World
War, many eyes in imprisoned Europe
turned hopefully, or desperately,
toward the freedom of the Americas.
Lisbon became the great embarkation
point. But not everybody could get
to Lisbon directly, and so, a tortuous,
roundabout refugee trail sprang up.
Paris to Marseilles, across the
Mediterranean to Oran, then by train,
or auto, or foot, across the rim of
Africa to Casablanca in French Morocco.
Here, the fortunate ones, through money,
or influence, or luck, might obtain
exit visas and scurry to Lisbon, and
from Lisbon to the New World. But
the others wait in Casablanca – and
wait – and wait – and wait.
POLICE STATION
A POLICE OFFICER takes a piece of paper from the typewriter, turns to a
microphone, and reads.
POLICE OFFICER
To all officers! Two German
couriers carrying important official
documents murdered on train from
Oran. Murderer and possible
accomplices headed for Casablanca.
Round up all suspicious characters
and search them for stolen
documents. Important!
A STREET IN THE OLD MOORISH SECTION – DAY
An officer blows his whistle several times.
There is pandemonium as native guards begin to round up people.
40
A police car, full of officers, with SIREN BLARING, screams through the
street and stops in the market.
Some try to escape but are caught by the police and loaded into a police
wagon.
6 After watching:
Below is the beginning of the synopsis for Sequence 1. Could you complete it
by giving the context – things, the film makers didn't feel it was necessary or
politic to mention in that spring and summer of 1942.
Casablanca starts as a newsreel: a slowly-turning, a documentary-style
narrator. The events which follow are fictitious, but they take place in a real
world where things like this really do happen…
War-time Casablanca is a polyglot city of Moors, French, German officials, and refugees from all over Europe, the latter trying to get to Lisbon and
freedom. Tensions are high. We see police shoot a man who refuses to obey
their order to stop. A second later, in a different place, a dark European warns
an English couple of the 'scum of Europe', 'vultures', ─ as he deftly lifts the
husband's wallet. Their conversation takes place at a normal, leisurely pace
but the instant it's done we are interrupted by the sound of a plane. Faces turn
skyward: all nationalities and ages; not the faces of actors at all; humble, ordinary faces. We sense that it is not just this small crowd on a street in Casablanca which is looking at the plane, yearning for freedom, but humanity as a
whole …
A bit overwrought? Perhaps. But consider the context:
– German forces, after a brief setback the previous winter, were once again
advancing in Russia; U-boats sank 900 Allied ships that spring and …………
Sequence 2
7 Before watching:
Read the following passage from the review of the film and answer the questions after it.
How has this film become probably the best-loved of all motion pictures?
The question has been asked many times, above all because the film was
largely improvised. The scriptwriters were making alterations up to the last
minute, and it is said that Ingrid Bergman was not told until just before the
last scene whether Ilsa would end in the arms of Rick or her husband.
41
• What can you say about alterations in the film during its shooting?
• Can you answer the question about the reason of popularity of Casablanca after you've read the passage?
8 V While watching:
Watch Sequence 2 and fill in the gaps in
the script by the following Rick's
words (1-10):
A You'll excuse me, gentlemen. Your
business is politics. Mine is running a
saloon.
B It's not particularly my beloved Paris.
C When you get there, ask me.
D Make it official, if you like.
E I'm a drunkard.
F I was born in New York City if that'll help you any.
G Well, there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn't advise
you to try to invade.
H There seems to be no secret about that.
I I haven't the slightest idea.
J Are my eyes really brown?
RICK'S CAFE – NIGHT
The neon sign above the door is brightly lit. Customers arrive and go in
through the front door. From inside we hear sounds of music and laughter.
The song is "It Had to Be You".
INSERT SIGN: "Rick's Cafe Americain".
RICK'S CAFE – MAIN ROOM – NIGHT
Rick's is an expensive and chic nightclub which definitely possesses an air of
sophistication and intrigue.
SAM, a middle-aged Negro, sits on a stool before a small, salmon-colored
piano on wheels, playing and singing while accompanied by a small orchestra.
All about him there is the hum of voices, chatter and laughter.
Renault, Strasser, and Heinze sit calmly at their table after witnessing the arrest.
42
Rick sits down with them.
STRASSER
(to Rick)
Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?
Unofficially, of course.
RICK
__1__
STRASSER
What is your nationality?
RICK
__2__
RENAULT
That makes Rick a citizen of the world.
RICK
__3__
STRASSER
I understand you came here from Paris at the time
of the occupation.
RICK
__4__
STRASSER
Are you one of those people who cannot imagine
the Germans in their beloved Paris?
RICK
__5__
HEINZE
Can you imagine us in London?
RICK
__6__
RENAULT
Ho, diplomatist!
STRASSER
How about New York?
RICK
__7__
43
STRASSER
Aha. Who do you think will win the war?
RICK
__8__
RENAULT
Rick is completely neutral about everything.
And that takes in the field of women, too.
STRASSER
You weren't always so carefully neutral.
We have a complete dossier on you.
Strasser takes a little black book from his pocket and turns to a certain page.
STRASSER
"Richard Blaine, American. Age, thirty-seven.
Cannot return to his country."
Strasser looks up from the book.
STRASSER
The reason is a little vague. We also know what you did in
Paris, Mr. Blaine, and also we know why you left Paris.
Rick reaches over and takes the book from Strasser's hand.
STRASSER
Don't worry. We are not going to broadcast it.
Rick looks up from the book.
RICK
__9__
STRASSER
You will forgive my curiosity, Mr.Blaine. The point is, an
enemy of the Reich has come to Casablanca and we are
checking up on anybody who can be of any help to us.
Rick gets up.
RICK
__10__
STRASSER
Good evening, Mr. Blaine.
Rick walks away toward the gambling room.
RENAULT
You see, Major, you have nothing to worry about Rick.
44
STRASSER
Perhaps.
Sequence 3
9 Before watching:
Read the following passage from the review of the film Casablanca and answer the questions below:
The film has never been very popular with the critics, though. When it was
first shown, it was greeted with lukewarm reviews and even though it won the
Oscars for the best film, the best direction and the best screenplay a year later,
many share the view of Pauline Kael, who described it as 'a movie that demonstrates how entertaining a bad movie can be'.
• Has the film been popular both with the critics and the audience?
• Do you think that a bad movie can be entertaining and an entertaining
movie can be bad?
• Think of a synonym for the italicized word.
10 V While watching:
Watch Sequence 3 and spot 11 mistakes in the script that follows:
Ilsa sits alone at her table.
ILSA
(to Waiter)
Will you ask the piano player to come over here, please?
WAITER
Very well, Mademoiselle.
Sam wheels in the piano to Ilsa's table. On his face is that funny fear.
Ilsa herself is not as self-possessed as she tries to appear. There is something
behind this, some mystery.
ILSA
Hello, Sam.
45
SAM
Hello, Miss Ilsa. I always expected to see you again.
He sits down and is ready to play.
ILSA
It's been a long time.
SAM
Yes, ma'am. A lot of water under the bridge.
ILSA
Some of the old songs, Sam.
SAM
Yes, ma'am.
Sam begins to play a number. He is nervous, waiting for anything.
ILSA
Where is Rick?
SAM
(evading)
I don't know. I ain't seen him all night.
Sam looks very uncomfortable.
ILSA
When will he be back?
SAM
Not tonight no more. He ain't coming. Uh, he went home.
ILSA
Does he always leave so late?
SAM
Oh, he never … well …(desperately) he's got a girl up at the
Blue Heaven. He goes up there all the time.
ILSA
You used to be a much better player, Sam.
SAM
Leave him alone, Miss Ilsa. You're good luck to him.
ILSA
Play it once, Sam, for old time's sake.
SAM
I don't know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
46
ILSA
Play it, Sam. Play "As Time Goes By".
SAM
Oh I can't remember it, Miss Ilsa. I'm a little rusty on it.
Of course he can. He doesn't want to play it. He seems even more scared now.
ILSA
I'll play it for you.
Ilsa starts to hum.
Sam begins to play it very softly.
ILSA
Sing it, Sam.
And Sam sings.
SAM
You must forget all this,
A kiss is just a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh,
The fundamental things supply,
As time goes by.
The door to the gambling room opens. Rick comes swinging out. He's heard
the music and he's livid.
SAM
And when two winners woo,
They still say I love you,
On that you can rely,
No matter what the future sings,
As time goes by.
Rick walks briskly up to the piano.
RICK
Sam, I thought I told you never to play …
As he sees Ilsa he stops short. Sam stops playing.
Two close-ups reveal Ilsa and Rick seeing each other.
Rick appears shocked. For a long moment he just looks at her.
Sam prepares to move the piano away.
Sequence 4
11 Before watching:
Read the following passage from the review of the film Casablanca.
It is probably inevitable that at this distance, the straightforward presentation of people as good and bad, the conviction that it is right to take part in a
war in certain circumstances, the invocation of patriotism, all seem rather
dated. And it is easy to call the love affair between Rick and Ilsa sentimental,
and typical of Hollywood. Intellectual critics, indeed, were bound to dislike
the film or damn it with faint praise simply because it is obviously a commercial product.
• What makes critics say the film Casablanca 'seems rather dated'? Does it
seem dated to you?
• Why did intellectual critics dislike the film?
• Think of synonyms for the italicized words.
47
48
Complete the dialogue by adding Ilsa's
missing words in the film script (1-7)
PARIS IN THE SPRING
a) The Arc de Triomphe from a distance.
b) Rick drives a small, open car slowly along the boulevard. He puts his arm
around Ilsa. The background scenery changes to a country road as she
snuggles close to him and puts her head on his shoulder.
c) An excursion boat on the Seine. Rick and Ilsa stand at the rail of the boat.
They seem to be transported by each other as Ilsa laughs.
RICK'S PARIS APARTMENT – DAY
Ilsa fixes flowers at the window while Rick opens champagne. She walks over
and joins him.
RICK
Who are you really? And what were
you before? What did you do and what did you think? Huh?
ILSA
__1__
RICK
Here's looking at you, kid.
They drink.
PARIS CAFE – NIGHT
Inside a swank Paris cafe, Rick and Ilsa dance. They appear to be very much
in love as the music plays.
ILSA'S PARIS APARTMENT – DAY
Ilsa flips a coin, then tosses it over to Rick.
ILSA
__2__
RICK
In America they'd bring only a penny.
I guess that's about all they're worth.
ILSA
__3__
RICK
And I was wondering.
ILSA
__4__
RICK
Why I'm so lucky. Why I should find you waiting for me to
come along.
ILSA
__5__
RICK
Uh huh.
ILSA
__6__
RICK
I'm sorry for asking. I forgot we said 'no questions'.
ILSA
__7__
They kiss passionately.
49
Sequence 5
13 Before watching:
Intellectual critics, indeed, were bound to dislike the film or damn it with
faint praise simply because it is obviously a commercial product.
But I am totally convinced that on this occasion the general public have
always been right and critics wrong. The film is a wonderfully professional
achievement. It has well organised scenes, building up to a climax. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and most of the jokes have not lost their savour – for
example, the French prefect of police investigating a crime, saying wearily:
"Round up the usual suspects".
• Does the author of the review share the opinion of the critics or the general
public?
• Is (according to the author of the review) the film a commercial product or
a professional achievement?
Watch Sequence 5 and complete
the film script by adding Rick's
missing words (1-16).
NEWSREEL FOOTAGE OF THE GERMAN OCCUPATION OF FRANCE.
A The rubble of a burned-out, demolished building. A sign with an arrow
points to Paris.
B German troops crossing a river.
C Thanks rolling down the road toward Paris.
D German war planes overhead.
50
PARIS CAFE – DAY
A man sells newspapers to people crowded around him. There is much excitement. Rick and Ilsa sit at a table. They buy a newspaper and begin to read it.
Nearby, a group of frightened French people cluster around a loudspeaker on
a wagon. A harsh voice barks out the tragic news of the Nazi push toward
Paris.
RICK
__1__
ILSA
(frightened)
Richard, they'll find out your record.
It won't be safe for you here.
RICK
__2__
A small cafe in the Montmartre. A shadow on the floor reflects the cafe sign
"La Belle Aurore."
Rick, at the bar, gets glasses and a bottle of champagne. He walks over to Ilsa
and Sam at the piano.
Sam plays "As Time Goes By."
Ilsa seems unnerved. There is evidently something on her mind.
Rick pours the champagne. His manner is wry, but not the bitter wryness we
have seen in Casablanca.
RICK
__3__
Sam looks at his glass.
SAM
This sort of takes the sting out of being occupied,
doesn't it, Mr. Richard?
RICK
__4__
Suddenly a loudspeaker blares out something in German. Rick and Ilsa look at
each other, then hurry to the window.
RICK
__5__
ILSA
It's the Gestapo. They say they expect to be in Paris tomorrow.
They are telling us how to act when they come marching in.
She smiles faintly.
ILSA
With the whole world crumbling, we pick this
time to fall in love.
RICK
__6__
ILSA
Ten years ago? Let's see …
(pause as she thinks a bit)
… Yes. I was having a brace put on my teeth.
Where were you?
RICK
__7__
Ilsa looks at him tenderly. Rick takes her in his arms, and kisses her. While
they are locked in an embrace they hear the dull boom of cannons.
ILSA
(frightened)
Was that cannon fire, or is it my heart pounding?
RICK
__8__
Another boom from the cannons.
RICK
__9__
SAM
The Germans' ll be here pretty soon now, and
they' ll come looking for you. And don' t forget
there's a price on your head.
Ilsa reacts to this worriedly.
RICK
__10__
Ilsa looks at Rick.
ILSA
Strange. I know so very little about you.
51
52
RICK
__11__
He chuckles.
ILSA
But be serious, darling. You are in danger
and you must leave Paris.
RICK
__12__
ILSA
(seriously)
Yes, of course, we …
RICK
__13__
ILSA
(quickly)
No, no. Not at my hotel. I, uh, I have things to do
in the city before I leave. I' ll meet you at the station, huh?
RICK
__14__
Rick chuckles again.
ILSA
(evasively)
That's too far ahead to plan.
RICK
__15__
ILSA
Oh, darling!
Suddenly Ilsa turns away and starts to cry.
RICK
__16__
ILSA
I love you so much, and I hate this war so much.
Oh, it's a crazy world. Anything can happen.
If you shouldn't get away, I mean, if, if something
should keep us apart, wherever they put you and
wherever I'll be, I want you to know …
53
She can't go on. She lifts her face to his. He kisses her gently.
ILSA
Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.
He looks into her eyes, then he does kiss her as though it were going to be the
last time.
Sequence 6
15 Before watching:
The acting is impeccable in the minor as well as the major roles, and the
stars themselves are so perfectly cast that the shots of them together have become mythical. Humphrey Bogart has never been surpassed as the man whose
tough, professional exterior hides a romantic sense of honour. There has never
been a film actress with a more beautifully expressive face in close-up than
Ingrid Bergman.
• What is the critics' opinion on the cast?
• What characterizes the acting of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman?
Can you name other movies where they star?
• Think of synonyms /definitions for the italicized words.
Watch Sequence 6 and write down
the script yourselves.
GARE DE LYON – NIGHT
It's raining very hard at the train
station.
There is a hectic, fevered excitement, evident in the faces of the people that
pass by. This is the last train from Paris.
Rick appears in the crowd. He stops and puts his suitcase down and glances at
his watch.
A conductor calls out "All aboard, last train leaving in three minutes."
54
Rain pours over his head and shoulders, but he doesn't seem to notice. He
nervously checks his watch again.
Suddenly Sam appears.
Sequence 7
17 Before watching:
In the final assessment, the myth and the continuing popularity of the film
rest on the fact that it embodies human values that are far more attractive to
the general public than to intellectual critics. It is about love that may involve
self-sacrifice, being willing to fight for what one believes in, and the idea that
being independent and making your own choices involves a sense of responsibility. If these things are now considered romantic, sentimental, oldfashioned, so much the worse for our generation.
• Why is the film Casablanca still popular?
• Do you think that human values mentioned in the review are sentimental
and old-fashioned?
Watch Sequence 7 and write down the
script yourselves.
RICK'S CAFE – MAIN ROOM – NIGHT
Close-up of a glass on the table in the
cafe. Rick's hand reaches for it and
knocks it over. We now see Rick's face
and he's very drunk.
Sam walks over to the table to pick up the glass and a fallen chair.
Just then the door opens and it's Ilsa. Rick stares at the doorway. Ilsa lingers a
moment, then comes over to the table.
19 After watching:
Re-enact the confrontation scene between the two and complete Ilsa's story
inventing "a wow finish" to it.
55
Sequence 8
20 Before watching:
Ten statements below are based on the review of the film Casablanca you
read in 4 7 9 11 13 15 17. Decide whether these statements are (F) and give
fact(s) / information from the review which prove(s) that the others are (T).
T
F
1. The film makers made Casablanca because the
Allies had just captured the city.
___ ___
2. The film has always been more popular with the
public than with the critics.
___ ___
3. Ingrid Bergman did not know which character she
was supposed to be in love with.
___ ___
4. The critics praised the film highly when it first
appeared but it was not awarded any prizes.
___ ___
5. Pauline Kael thought the film was neither
well-made nor entertaining.
___ ___
6. The simple black-and-white values of the film may
seem old-fashioned nowadays.
___ ___
7. Intellectual critics were not likely to have praised
the film highly because it was made in Hollywood.
___ ___
8. People only imagine that Ilsa says "Play it again, Sam."
___ ___
9. The supporting cast are not as good in their parts
as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
___ ___
10. The reviewer thinks it is a pity if the values
reflected by the film are no longer fashionable.
___ ___
21 While watching:
Watch Sequence 8 and write down the
script yourselves.
RENAULT'S OFFICE – MORNING
Laszlo and Ilsa in Renault's office.
56
Sequence 9
22 Before watching:
Write the synopsis of the previous Sequence in 4-5 sentences.
23 While watching:
At the linen stall, Ilsa examines a
tablecloth which an Arab vendour is
endeavoring to sell. He holds a sign
which reads "700 francs".
Rick walks up behind Ilsa.
At the end of the Sequence Ilsa walks away into the cafe as Rick stares after her in stunned disbelief.
• Who says the following during the scene?
Possibilities: Rick, Ilsa, Arab. The quotes are not in order they occur.
A You will not find a treasure like this in all Morocco. Only 700 francs.
B Victor Laszlo is my husband … and was, even when I knew you in
Paris.
C I was in no condition to receive you when you called on me last night.
D I'm not running away any more. I'm settled now, above a saloon, it's
true.
E Why did you come back? To tell me why you ran out on me at the
railway station?
F You can tell me now. I'm reasonably sober.
G Did I say "700 francs"? You can have it for 200.
H For special friends of Rick's we have a special discount. One hundred
francs.
I Someday you'll lie to Laszlo.
J Last night I saw what has happened to you. The Rick I knew in Paris, I
could tell him. He'd understand … If we leave it that way, maybe we'll
remember those days in Casablanca, not last night.
Report the conversation above in the correct order, transforming the direct
speech into reported speech, using the following reporting verbs: ask, consider, insist, object (x2), invite, remark / say, request, suggest (x2).
57
24 After watching:
Do you think Rick is entitled to know why Ilsa 'ran out on him at the railway
station'? With another student re-enact the scene, inventing your own dialogue. Think of the reasons why Ilsa didn't go with Rick.
Sequence 10
25 Before watching:
Write the synopsis of the previous Sequence in 4-5 sentences.
26 While watching:
Rick's Cafe – Office – Night.
Rick and Laszlo sit and discuss
Laszlo's dilemma.
Who says the following during the scene?
Possibilities: Rick / Laszlo. The quotes are not in order they occur.
A I appreciate it, but I don't accept it.
B Are you enough of a businessman to appreciate an offer of a hundred
thousand francs?
C You could make it a million francs, or three, my answer would still be
the same.
D There must be some reason why you won't let me have them.
E You must know it's very important I get out of Casablanca. It's my
privilege to be one of the leaders of a great movement.
F I'm not interested in politics. I'm a saloon keeper.
G Isn't it strange that you always happened to be fighting on the side of
the underdog?
H There is. I suggest that you ask your wife.
I Yes. I found that a very expensive hobby, too. But then I never was
much of a businessman.
J I'll raise it to two hundred thousand.
Report the conversation above in the correct order, transforming the direct
speech into reported speech, using the following reporting verbs: admit, believe, confirm (x2), consider, deny, hope, reply, suggest (x2).
58
27 After watching:
Take the point of view of either Rick or Laszlo and tell Ilsa about what happened in Rick's cafe that night.
Sequence 11
28 Before watching:
Write down the synopsis of the previous Sequence in 4-5 sentences.
29 While watching:
IN RICK'S CAFE – MAIN ROOM –
NIGHT.
When the Sequence begins, a group of
German officers stand around the piano singing the "Whacht am Rhein".
At the end of the Sequence Rick's cafe
is closed until further notice.
Watch Sequence 11 and describe what happenes as if you were Rick / Laszlo /
Renault / Strasse / member of the orchestra / one of the people in the cafe
singing the "Wacht am Rein" or the "Marseillaise". You may need the following words and phrases: raised eyebrow, start down the step, drown out the
competition, give up, be overcome with emotion, aglow, triumphant note, alcove, clap, cheer, inspire a demonstration, blow a blast on whistle, start an
angry murmur.
Sequence 12
31 Before watching:
Write down the synopsis of the previous Sequence in 4-5 sentences.
32 While watching:
Hotel ROOM – NIGHT
Laszlo switches on the light as he
enters with Ilsa. While Ilsa takes
off some jewelry he walks to the
window and peers out into the
darkness.
Below and across the street, a man stands under an arch. Laszlo watches him,
then draws down the shade … At the end of the Sequence Ilsa gets a cloak
from the bedroom, and leaves the hotel room.
Watch the Sequence and answer the following questions:
Who did Laszlo refer to as 'faithful friend'?
Why was Ilsa frightened?
What did Laszlo tell Ilsa about his conversation with Rick?
33 After watching:
Take the view of the man standing outside the hotel under the arch and tell his
story.
Where do you think Ilsa went? What will happen next?
30 After watching:
Do you think the whole scene is moving and effective?
Some of you may find it rather chauvanistic, melodramatic. Please remember
that the great French nation was now under German dominion. Many of the
people on that cafe set at the Warner Bros.' studio that day had known German dominion first hand.
Of the seventy-five actors and actresses who had bit parts and larger roles in
Casablanca, almost all were immigrants of one kind or another …
Sequence 13
34 Before watching:
The scene in Sequence 13 is laid in RICK'S CAFE – APARTMENT AT
NIGHT.
Rick opens the door and goes inside the dark room. Light from the hall reveals a figure by the window. He lights a small lamp. Ilsa faces him, her face
white but determined. Rick pauses for a moment in astonishment. Ilsa's closing words are: "If you knew how much I loved you, how much I still love
you."
59
60
Imagine the scene which is going to happen in this Sequence and write down
the synopsis in 4-5 sentences. Then watch the Sequence and see if you were
right.
35 While watching:
Answer the following questions:
How does Ilsa get in?
What happens 'a little ahead of
schedule'?
Is Ilsa's visit connected with the letters of transit? Does she get the letters?
36 After watching:
The fascinating thing about the scene in the Sequence is the idea that Ilsa may,
even now, be doing this just to get the letters for Victor. If she really loves
Rick, why did she do it? Is she simply sacrificing herself for Victor, resigned
to staying unhappily with Rick in Casablanca, perhaps trying to get out herself
later? Or does she somehow intend to use the second letter herself so that both
she and Victor can escape?
Re-enact the dialogue between the two using the following words and
phrases: go through; no deal; cause; bring up; salesmanship; at stake; weakling.
Sequence 14
37 Before watching:
The scene in this Sequence is laid in RICK'S CAFE – MAIN ROOM AT
NIGHT.
Laszlo opens it with the words: "I brought the money, Monsieur Blaine".
Imagine the scene which is going to happen in this Sequence and write down
the synopsis in 4-5 sentences. Then watch the Sequence and see if you were
right.
61
38 While watching:
Decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F) and correct those that
are false.
T F
1. Laszlo is about to be arrested on a charge of accessory to the
murder of the couriers from whom the letters of transit were stolen.
2. Ilsa and Laszlo are caught completely off guard when they see
Renaults walking towards them from the bottom of the stairs.
3. Renault levels his gun at Rick.
4. Rick makes Renault call the airport to prepare the plane for Lisbon. (To make sure there wouldn't be trouble about the two letters of transit.)
5. Renault is right when he says: "Love has triumphed over virtue".
39 After watching:
Write the synopsis of the Sequence in 4-5 sentences.
Sequence 15
40 Before watching:
Sequence 15 is the final one in the
film.
The scene is laid at the airport surrounded by a heavy fog. On the airfield a transport plane is being readied.
What do you think might happen if the film ends:
- in a sad way?
- comically?
- surprisingly, with a twist?
- melodramatically?
- in a typical Hollywood way?
- realistically?
62
41 While watching:
Compare your ending with the real one.
How do you feel at the end of the film? You can choose more than one reaction, or write your own.
Interested: this version seems to raise interesting questions.
Disappointed: this ending seems to build up to a climax and then nothing happens.
Satisfied: this is the only ending possible.
Bored: nothing happens.
Your reaction: _______________________________
42 Prepare cards for ROLE PLAY based on Sequence 15 like the Cards A
and B and Role-play the scene.
Card A: Orderly
A uniformed Orderly uses a telephone near the hangar door to inform radio tower Lisbon plane is going to take off. When Renault gets out of the car
the Orderly stands at attention. As soon as Laszlo and Ilsa emerge from the
rear of the car he escorts Laszlo off in the direction of the plane.
Card B: Strasse
Strasse appears at the moment the plane slowly taxies down the field.
Strasse alights from the car and run towards Renault to ask about the meaning
of his phone call to the airport. "There'll be two letters of transit for the Lisbon
plane. There's to be no trouble about them".
When Rick doesn't let him use the phone inside the hangar door Strasse
stops in his tracks, looks at Rick and sees that he is armed. Strasse manages to
grab the receiver, pulls out a pistol and shoots at Rick missing him. A moment
later crumples to the ground shot by Rick.
Make cards for the other characters: Rick, Ilsa, Laszlo, Renault.
43 After watching:
Role-play the Final Scene-At The Airport.
Use the cards you made in 42.
63
PART III. DISCUSSING "CASABLANCA"
Warm up
1 What do you know about Casablanca?
• Divide into two groups
Group A. Make notes on the film under headings.
Characters
Relationship
Group A. Make notes on the film under headings.
Places
Events
• Make a list of questions that you might be asked about the film.
Example: What type of film is it?
What do you think is the most important event?
Who do you think is the most interesting person?
• When you have answered the questions, find a partner from the other
group. Compare your answers and swap information.
2 See how well you remember the film Casablanca: identify the author of
the following quotations and give your comment on them.
1. Rick is completely neutral about everything. And that takes in the field of
women, too.
2. Your business is politics. Mine is running a saloon.
3. You must remember this,
A kiss is just a kiss,
A sigh is just a sigh,
The fundamental things apply,
As time goes by.
4. A guy standing on a station platform in the rain with a curious look on his
face, because his insides had been kicked out.
5. I went through all that with your husband. It's no deal.
6. Love, it seems, has triumphed over virtue.
7. Nine chances out of ten we'd both wind up in a concentration camp.
8. I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy.
9. Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win.
10. Rick, you're not only a sentimentalist, but you've become a patriot.
64
Writing
Write the blurb for Casablanca using the five blurbs from Part I 7.1 as examples.
Listening
3 T 7 Listen to the profile about Casablanca history and say:
1. Why did 'As time goes by', a song from the then current Broadway show,
Everybody's Welcome, disappear from the radio and record stores?
2. What was the background for the play Everybody comes to Rick?
3. What events made Everybody comes to Rick more topical and valuable?
4 Divide into two groups
Group A. Interview three people about Casablanca. Ask them to express their
opinion on it and say if the film
1
2
3
• is good
__
__
__
• isn't bad or good
__
__
__
• has simple values
__
__
__
• had a political intention
__
__
__
• simplifies the issues involved
__
__
__
• expresses the idea of making a sacrifice
__
__
__
• was censored
__
__
__
• is romantic
__
__
__
• is sentimental
__
__
__
• is unrealistic
__
__
__
• is old-fashioned
__
__
__
• brings back memories of the war
__
__
__
• portrays women unfavourably
__
__
__
• has clever but unreal dialogue
__
__
__
• has attractive but unreal characters
__
__
__
Record the interview on tape.
Group B. Listen to the three people interviewed about the film. Put down the
tapescript of the interview and fill in the table on page 66 with details from
the interviews.
65
People
interviewed
A
B
C
Name (s)
Age
Previously seen
film? (ü)
Yes
No
Liked it?
(ü) General
Yes
No
5 T 8 Divide into two groups.
Group A. Listen to the story about Humphrey Bogart who plays the role of
Rick and note down answers to the questions below.
Group B. Listen to the story about Ingrid Bergman starring opposite Humphrey Bogart and note down answers to the questions below.
•
•
•
•
born?
where?
educated?
first acting experience?
•
•
•
•
•
any non-acting experiences?
first real Hollywood success?
how many marriages?
most famous film?
any other information?
When you have answered the questions, find a partner from the other group.
Compare your answers and swap information.
Speaking
6 Role-play Chat Show on TV about cinema classics "Casablanca – a commercial product or a professional achievement?"
Prepare cards for Role Play like the cards A, B and C: students are given conflicting attitudes to the topic of the discussion.
Role Card A: You are the TV presenter, introducing and giving the floor to
all participants of the program. You reveal your attitude to the
problem at the end of the discussion.
Role Card B: You are the film critic who shares his knowledge of Casablanca background. You may ask the participants to complete
the film profile below or give their opinion on it.
The basis for the movie's screenplay was Murray Burnett and
Joan Alison's 1940 play, Everybody Comes to Rick's, which
was purchased by a sharp-eyed Warner Bros. Reader, Irene
66
Lee, in 1941 for the sum of $ 20,000. In Hollywood, the script
was adapted, reconceived, developed, and adjusted by no less
than seven screenwriters, principally the twin-brother writing
team of Julius and Philip Epstein (who were responsible for
most of the wisecracks); Howard Koch, who punched up the
story's political significance; and Casey Robinson, who first
suggested turning the character of Lois Meredith, the American divorcee of easy virtue, into the lustrous Norwegian heroine, Ilsa Lund.
Role Card C: You are the future filmmaker and Casablanca fan. You might
be the first to speak about the film introducing it to the TV audience. You consider the film to be full of romance, intrigue,
and suspense and well-filmed. For you Casablanca is a romantic masterpiece, the magic of the movie lies in Bogart's understated performance, Bergman's depiction of a torn lover. Your
favourite scene is ………The words you might need to describe the film: amazing, charming, delightful, emotional, extraordinary, fantastic, impressive, moving, powerful …
Role Card D: You are the film critic who takes a look at what is considered
to be "a film classic, probably the best loved of all motion pictures." You are the author of some lukewarm reviews of Casablanca and share the view of those who think it's a movie that
demonstrates how entertaining a bad movie can be. The words
you might need to describe the film: appalling, awkward, horrible, slow, sentimental…
Role card E: You are the cinema–goer who saw the film as far back as in …
For you Casablanca is a letter from the past. It says that life is
extremely important. And that not only is love possible, it can
reach to the very deepest parts of our being. And how we live
(in freedom and under the rule of just law) is so important that
noble people will willingly sacrifice even deep love for it …
In the darkest hours of World War II, on a Warner Bros.' Studio backlot, a hundred people got together to act out and record what promised to be a fairly standard entertainment of
love and intrigue. Somehow, what resulted was much more: a
rich, supremely life-affirming fable of duty and love.
Role Card F: You are the historian. For you Casablanca is about the decision of one particular American to forgo a particular personal
relationship for the good of humanity, to join the fight against
Fascism. We have seen throughout, Rick's attempts to deny his
past, to convince himself that "the problems of the world are
not in my department" – though we have also been prepared
(by the Annina/roulette subplot) for how Rick can preach cynicism and practice something quite different.
And Casablanca is, by extension, also about the decision of
Rick's native country, the United States, to join the fight
against Fascism. (At the time Everybody Comes to Rick's was
written, the U.S. was not yet in the war; by the time the filming
of Casablanca was completed, official involvement was still
less than eight months old.) And Rick's new-found friendship
with Louis has its parallel in the United State's alliance with
France (and with Europe as a whole).
These parallels are interesting and add a certain resonance to
the movie, but its heart is in the characters as individuals, their
private lives and the tension between those lives and public obligations.
Role Card G T 9: You are the one who collects movie songs and wants everyone to know how the song As time goes by became the centerpiece of Casablanca.
July 22 was the last day of regular shooting. The movie was
turned over to veteran composer Max Steiner to do the music.
He hated As Time Goes By and persuaded Wallis to allow him
to replace it with a love song of his own. But, lucky accident,
Ingrid Bergman had already had her hair cut short for her part
in For Whom the Bell Tolls and could not reshoot the necessary scenes. Since he was stuck with As Time Goes By, Steiner
did more than give in gracefully. He proceeded to make As
Time Goes By the centerpiece of the score. The song was not
only Rick and Ilsa's love theme but Steiner's main connecting
device. The song linked Rick and Ilsa, present and past, the
source music to the underscoring, and the audience to the characters in the movie.
67
68
You give everyone the chance to listen to the song As time goes by performed by Jimmy Durante and compare this interpretation of the song and the
one from the movie.
7 Reading
"The most romantic and beloved movie of all
time" ends on the tarmac of Casablanca. It is
famous among movie buffs for its loose ends
and unanswered questions. Why can't Rick go
back to America? Where is the Czech patriot
Victor Laszlo really going when his plane takes
off for Lisbon? What is Ilsa's background?
Why doesn't Strasser just shoot Laszlo on
sight? What happens to the main characters
later?
In Lisbon, we shall stay at the Hotel Aviz. After that, only God knows.
Please come if you can. If not for my sake, then for Victor's. We both need
you.
Ilsa
2.
Her letter was in Rick's breast pocket. Sam had given it to him in the cafe,
before he had left for the airport and his fatal encounter with Major Strasser. It
had been hidden in Sam's piano, the same place Rick himself had hidden the
stolen letters of transit that enabled Laszlo and Ilsa to get away.
My dearest Richard,
If you are reading this letter, it means that I have escaped with Victor.
I thought that after Paris I should never have to part from you this way
again. Yet here we are, having to say good-bye twice, once with our lips and
once more with our hearts.
You must believe me when I tell you that when we met I thought. Victor
was dead. We said no questions, and I never questioned the fact that I was
free to love you. Some women search all their lives for a man to love. I have
found two.
As I write these words, I don't know what will happen tonight at the airport. Like the last time we parted, I cannot be sure that we shall meet again.
But unlike the last time, I can hope.
The next morning after their arrival in Lisbon Ilsa was startled to wakefulness by her husband. 'There has been some extraordinary news, my dear. The
Japanese have attacked the Americans at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii'.
Ilsa sat bolt upright; no need to feign sleepiness now. 'What?' she exclaimed.
'It happened yesterday, a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor
near Honolulu. Most of the ships were destroyed in the harbor, and many men
were killed. President Roosevelt has asked Congress for a declaration of war
on Japan.' Victor seemed almost joyful. 'Now the Americans will have to join
in our struggle.'
With the Americans on our side, we cannot lose! Oh, we won't be victorious right away; it will take years to roll back the Germans, destroy their armies, and free Europe once more. But the die is cast now, and there is no turning back.
'We must make haste – more haste than ever. Quickly!' He found her suitcase and threw it on the bed. 'The taxi is downstairs, and the plane leaves in
less than an hour.'
Ilsa rose quickly and began to pack. 'I have always wanted to see New
York,' she said. 'Now that the Americans are on our side …'
'There is no longer any point in going to America,' Victor said. His bags
were already packed, and he stood in the doorway impatiently.
'Then where are we going?' asked Ilsa.
'To the headquarters of the Czech government-in-exile since the fall of
France,' he said as he closed the door behind them. 'To London.'
That was where her mother was.
Her thoughts raced back to Rick as Victor settled their account. She had
asked him to follow, and now she must tell him where. Impulsively she scribbled unobserved a private note for Mr. Richard Blaine and left it with the
chief reservations clerk, the one who had looked at her so appreciatively when
they'd checked in the night before. The note was brief and to the point. 'To
69
70
The book 'As time goes by' by Michael Walsh continues the story of Rick,
Ilsa, Victor and Sam. Below are 13 excerpts from the book. Can you find the
answers to these questions in what follows?
1.
London.' 'British Intelligence.' 'Der Henker(?).' 'Danger.' 'Prague.' And 'Come
quickly.' It was signed simply, 'I.'
That was all. She hoped Rick would understand what it meant, because she
didn't.
3.
The flight to Lisbon was uneventful. They headed straight for the Aviz,
where Rick inquired first about Mr. and Mrs. Victor Laszlo. Away from the
Nazis, he thought, they might finally be traveling together as husband and
wife.
He was wrong. The head clerk, who bore a nametag that proclaimed his
surname to be Medeiros, shook his head sadly. 'I am sorry to say we have no
record of them,' he told Rick.
'Are you sure?' Rick asked as politely as he could.
'Very sure,' replied Medeiros. He was not about to betray a lady's confidence so easily. 'It is my job, after all, to know who comes and who goes
here.'
Well, there was a Ferrari in every crowd, thought Rick. 'Try under a different name, Miss Ilsa Lund. Try to remember the most beautiful woman you
have …'
Medeiros didn't let Rick get any farther. 'Oh yes, Miss Lund,' he exclaimed
with delight, and Rick could see the memory of Ilsa in his eyes. A man didn't
forget a face or a figure like hers. 'You are Mr. Richard Blaine?' asked the
clerk.
'The only one who'll admit to it,' replied Rick.
'Then this is for you.' Medeiros proudly handed him Ilsa's note. 'She left it
for you not two hours ago.'
What if Laszlo had played him for a fool? He'd like to think he'd learned a
few lessons in treachery over the years, but it wouldn't be the first time he'd
been had. What if Laszlo knew that Rick would be able to resist neither his
appeals to Rick's patriotism nor his love for Ilsa and so had conned him out of
the exit visas? Laszlo was just pigheaded enough to think he could take on the
entire Third Reich all by himself.
What if that note in Lisbon had been meant to throw him off the scent,
written by Ilsa under duress from her husband, who suspected that Rick's
magnanimity was not entirely altruistic, and who had gone to New York –
where Rick could not follow? What if the Laszlos weren't really in London at
all? What if they really had gone to America?
Then that was that; he couldn't go back, unless he wanted a one-way ticket
to Old Sparky at Sing Sing. But where could he go? He was beginning to run
out of places.
'How long we gonna stay here, boss?' interjected Sam, reading his
thoughts, as usual.
'Until we find Victor Laszlo.'
'If we find Mr. Laszlo,' corrected Sam.
'We will,' Rick answered, smoking a cigarette and looking down onto Dover Street. 'We have to.'
5.
With the money from the sale of the cafe to Ferrari, he had taken a suite of
rooms at Brown's Hotel. Rick was posing as a theatrical agent, part of the fiction being that Sam was his manservant. The funds would not last indefinitely,
but they would last long enough, or so Rick hoped, for them to find Victor
and Ilsa. More than a month had already passed, however; despite their best
efforts, neither Rick nor Renault had succeeded in locating Victor Laszlo.
'Wait, Richard, please.' It was her voice. It was her. When she had entered
the room, he did not know. But she was there.
He wanted to turn to look at her, but he didn't. He couldn't. Not right now.
He sat down again.
Victor Laszlo spoke up. 'Please, Monsieur Blaine, my wife and I are quite
serious about needing your help. In an operation of this importance and this
sensitivity, we must make absolutely certain where each man's loyalties lie'.
'Monsieur Renault we understand,' continued Laszlo, nodding in Louis's
direction. 'He is a man for whom money and pleasure are paramount. This is
the sort of man with whom we can do business. But you are another story. I
do not insult you again by offering you money ….'
'You offered me a hundred thousand francs for those letters of transit, remember?' Rick said. 'Or was it two hundred thousand?'
71
72
4.
'And you refused to accept my offer. Instead, you gave them to me – or
perhaps I should say, you gave the letters to her.'
'That's true,' muttered Rick.
'I was prepared – we were prepared – to do anything to get out of Casablanca. Ilsa's feelings for you were immaterial to me, as long as she and I
could escape, to continue our work here.' Laszlo poured himself a small glass
of water from a carafe on the table. 'A world war is no time to let personal
emotions interfere with a cause. Your decision to join us superseded in my
mind any designs you may have had on my wife. Therefore, let us seal the
bargain we made in Casablanca.'
Laszlo stood. 'I offer you my hand, not in friendship, for I know that we
can never be friends. Instead, I give it to you in comradeship.'
Several seconds elapsed before Rick extended his hand. Victor took it.
'Laszlo. I'll do everything my conscience will allow me to do for both you and
Ilsa. Just how much that is will be determined by me and me alone. Agreed?'
'Once again,' said Laszlo, 'welcome back to the fight.'
6.
Now, Mr. Blain, our struggle is also your struggle. The major pointed to
one of several wall maps.
Miles's voice commanded attention. 'We believe that a bomb is the best
way to dispose of Herr Heydrich, the head of the Reich security service. Mr.
Laszlo has made a convincing case for a bomb attack, effected during one of
Heydrich's daily drives through the city.'
Major Miles, Rick decided, was all business and no heart. He was a good
British officer. He would have made a good gangster.
Sir Harold indicated a large map of the city of Prague. 'One of the arguments in favor of such a plan is the very nature of the streets of Prague. The
medieval city is essentially intact, which allows a potential assassin to get
very close almost unnoticed. For that same reason, a sniper attack is less desirable. A rifle poking from an open window is too easily spotted.'
'You mean it's far too dangerous for a sniper, then?' asked Renault.
'No, monsieur Renault,' Major Miles corrected. 'I mean it offers too much
opportunity for failure. It could seriously compromise the success of the mission and therefore embarrass His Majesty's government.'
73
7.
'My father was from Vienna,' Laszlo responded. 'But I feel myself Czech.
Czech was my mother tongue. I was raised with the stories of Czech heroes,
of Sarka and of the great rock at Vysehrad, and of Hradcany Castle, the ancient residence of the Kings of Bohemia. In Czechoslovakia, we have been
struggling against the Germans for hundreds of years.
They tried to destroy our language, they tried to destroy our people. They
colonized Bohemia and Moravia, they forbade our music to be played in our
theaters. Although we are Slavs, they have dragooned our blondest, most
blue-eyed women into their evil Lebensborn program, and the rest of us they
would enslave, as they would enslave all the Slavs whom they do not kill.
Where, in fact, does your English word "slave" come from, if not from
"Slav"?
He turned to Rick. 'Yes, Mr. Blaine, it is personal. It has always been personal. And you dare criticize me – you, who have never spent one minute enjoying the hospitality of Reinhard Heydrich and his ilk! You, who have never
seen your loved ones killed – simply for being your loved ones….'
'I wouldn't be too sure of that,' Rick said under his breath.
Laszlo, however, had not heard him. 'You, from a country which has never
suffered in wartime, never seen the slaughter of its people, never been challenged upon the international stage. You, with your jazz music and your skyscrapers and your Negroes and your Chicago gangsters. You, safe and secure
behind your Atlantic Ocean barrier. While we Czechs sit in the heart of
Europe, surrounded by enemies and yearning for freedom!' Laszlo wrung his
hands. 'You say this is personal with me? I say – it should also be personal
with you!'
'Maybe it is,' said Rick.
Laszlo fell silent for a moment. Then he spoke: 'You mean my wife.' It
was a statement, not a question.
8.
I was just a silly girl, only fifteen, but already I knew what a great man father was, about the important work he was doing for my King and for my
country. 'I never worried about thy parents back home in Oslo. Who would
have imagined that the Nazis would invade Norway? Then, in April of 1940,
they did. Everyone was taken completely by surprise. Yes, the British had
74
mined our harbors, but we thought that would discourage the Germans, not
provoke them. That false sense of security lasted right up to the moment they
kicked the door to my father's house down, roused him and Mother from their
beds, and forced them downstairs at gunpoint.'
She shivered at the recollection. Rick wanted to put his arms around her.
Laszlo sat immobile.
'Are you Edvard Lund?' one of the soldiers demanded. When my father
answered yes, the officer drew a pistol and shot him dead on the spot. They
left my mother there, on the floor of her house, weeping over his body.
9.
Renault rose, drawing himself up to his full height. Why should the British
care about Reinhard Heydrich? Why should they exert all this effort to kill
one obscure Nazi, when there are others far more important, others whose
deaths might bring an end to this war much faster? Why are they financing
Victor Laszlo and his crew? Why don't they want their fingerprints on the
knife?
10.1
'I give up,' said Rick.
'Because there's something in if for them, something very important.' Renault a cigarette. 'When we first met Major Miles, I raised the issues of reprisals. He brushed my concerns aside. Consider this, though: What if that's what
they're really after? The British don't give a damn about Reinhard Heydrich.
You heard Lumley complaining about the lack of Czech backbone, didn't
you?' Renault's voice fell very low. 'Well, what if this whole thing is simply a
way to provoke an atrocity and get the Czechs fighting again? It wouldn't be
the first time the English have done something like this. Propaganda, dear boy
– it's the name of the game. The English are as crooked as your roulette table.'
'You never complained about my roulette table before. So why are you going, then?'
'To retrieve the honor I thought I had lost forever,' Renault said glumly,
sitting down.
'We know that Heydrich rides in from his country villa to the castle by the
same route everyday. As you can see – the major tapped the map with the tip
of the pointer – as he approaches the bridge, he must pass by the Clementi75
num, then make a sharp left onto Krizovnicka, and another sharp right onto
the Charles Bridge. Even if his security men were able to clear the bridge of
all civilian traffic – which so far they have shown no inclination to do – his
Mercedes would still have to come almost to a complete stop to make this turn
without throwing the Protector into the river.'
'We have something else working in our favor. The Protector is extremely
punctual. He hates lateness in others, and he absolutely detests it in himself.
He crosses the bridge each morning at precisely seven-fifty, so he may drive
through the gates of the castle at the stroke of eight o'clock.' The major
seemed personally very pleased by his opponent's punctuality.
Armed with automatic pistols, Kubis and Gabcik would man the posts on
either side of the bridge while Laszlo stepped forward, as if he were about to
cross the street once the Hangman's car had passed. When the car had
achieved its lowest possible speed, when the driver's concentration was most
focused on negotiating the curve, Renault would step out in front of the vehicle, forcing it to come to a stop. Laszlo would then move briskly behind the
car, drop the bomb inside, and walk smartly away. The ten-second delay
meant everybody would have to hurry.
A secondary diversion was to be provided by Rick, who, seconds after
Laszlo had delivered his package, would lay down a smoke bomb just ahead
of the car's path, on the bridge proper. In our planning we have relied absolutely upon Heydrich's German sense of punctuality. Through a prearranged
signal, Miss Lund will confirm contact. The team will depart for the staging
area in Lidice upon reception of her message, and the assassination will take
place as soon as possible thereafter. Therefore, Mr. Laszlo and I have agreed
that if Heydrich is one second past five minutes late, the operation is to be
considered compromised and everyone is to stand down at once.
10.2
'Another thing,' continued Rick. 'As Louis has already pointed out, how are
we all going to live with ourselves – assuming we live at all – when after losing their beloved Heydrich, the Germans decide to get even by killing hundreds, maybe thousands, of innocent people in retaliation? They've done it
before, and there's no reason to think they won't do it again.'
Now it was Laszlo's turn to reply. He rose to his feet.
76
'Monsieur Blaine,' he said, 'your concern for the welfare of others touches
me deeply, especially insofar as it appears to be a recently acquired characteristic. You would obviously prefer to let this monster continue to walk the sacred earth of my homeland. Do you have any idea who this man is?'
Rick said that he had some idea.
'Not as I do. You were not at Mauthausen.' Laszlo sat down.
His voice dropped low, as if he and Rick were the only two men in the
room, perhaps in the world.
'I could not care less what happens after we kill Reinhard Heydrich. When
I was in Mauthausen, the death of this man was my sole reason for living, and
I swore to myself that should I escape, I should not rest, should not flee, until
I saw him dead.'
11.
'Let me think for a minute,' he said.
If Heinze had heard something about a plot, and if the Underground was
begging London to call a halt, the situation must be fraught indeed. The locals
were getting cold feet, and for a very good reason: they wanted to live to fight
another day. Far worse, from his perspective, was the danger Ilsa might now
be in.
Mentally he ran over the situation, trying to figure out what to do. Victor
Laszlo would never be dissuaded from attempting his mission, no matter
what. Too much was at stake to let a little thing like his wife's safety stop him.
Maybe the best thing was for Reinhard Heydrich not to die, that others might
live.
In a flash, Rick saw his play. It was so simple, so beautiful, the way all the
best plays were. It might even work. With any luck, it would shield Ilsa and
spare Heydrich, with no one the wiser. 'We'll let him know he's going to be
assassinated,' he said. 'He'll never see it coming.'
'Don't worry,' he said.
'It's the oldest trick in the book. You set a guy up by telling him exactly
what's going to happen to him – and then you do it!' He pounded his hand into
his fist. 'You've taken him into your confidence and lulled him to sleep: he
thinks he's got you covered, and never sees it coming. Works every time.'
How he hated lying to her!
77
Once they had warned Heydrich he would have to change his route. Nobody was that stupid, not even a Nazi.
On Ilsa's information, Heydrich would be looking for assassins on the
Čechův Most; his security forces would be watching for trouble there. He,
meanwhile, would be motoring blithely toward the Charles Bridge, and death.
How fitting: the man for whom death was the solution for everything would
find it the solution for him, too.
Her heart leaped as she replied, 'Yes. I'll tell him myself. Tomorrow night.
At the castle. He's giving a party, and I'm to be the hostess.'
'You can't! It's crazy.' Now it was Rick's turn to grab, to dig. The hell with
propriety: he took her arm and held it tightly.
Rick was worried. He knew they were improvising now, which was bad.
Improvisation made things messy. Improvisation made things dangerous. Improvisation made things go wrong, and when things went wrong, they went
wrong for everybody. What choice did he have, though?
Ilsa was ecstatic. What had moments ago seemed a tangled and perilous
path had now been made smooth. She would tell Heydrich that for his own
safety he must cross the Charles, not the Čechův, and he would drive right
into the trap.
Ilsa shook him off. 'I'm going to tell him everything. Tell him I've learned
of a plot to bomb his car when he rides to work the next day. Beg him to be
careful. Plead with him to take another route. That's what we need to do, isn't
it? to get him where we want him?'
12.
Ilsa Lund returned with Reinhard Heydrich to his villa that night. She had
no choice.
'Etwas trinken?' he asked, not waiting for an answer. One of his stewards
had already poured them each a glass of champagne.
Ilsa didn't want any, but she thought it best not to refuse.
The window was open, and the night was chilly. She shivered, unprotected
in her evening dress. Heydrich rose and snaked one long arm around her quivering form. 'What is it, my little treasure?' he asked. 'There is nothing to fear.
Not with me to protect you.'
With terrible clarity, she knew exactly what to say. 'Oh, but there is!' she
cried. 'There is everything to fear.'
78
Heydrich laughed at her as if she were a child, afraid of the dark. 'There
now,' he began, and got no farther.
'They are going to kill you!' she exclaimed.
'Who?' asked Heydrich. He laughed dismissively.
'The partisans,' she told him. 'They are going to bomb your car on the way
to the castle tomorrow. On the Čechův Most.'
'The Čechův Most, you say?' he asked warily. 'How would they know I
have been planning to change my route?'
In a flash, he had spun her around. His grip was not so tender anymore,
and the contemptuous smile was gone from his thin lips. 'How do you know
this?' he demanded.
'There's a traitor in your office,' she said. 'Someone close to you. Someone
very close.'
He had to believe it. He had to.
She took a deep breath. 'Someone who has decided to betray you: Frau
Hentgen.'
'This Laszlo is a dangerous man,' said Ilsa. 'Send your best men to the
Čechův Most. Station them there to watch for him. You and I, however, will
be at the Charles Bridge tomorrow.'
He looked at her in defeat. 'Make love with me,' he begged.
'No,' she said. 'This is not a time for love. This is a time for hatred.'
He drew himself up, struggling for his dignity. 'You are right,' he said. 'A
German must put aside weak emotions like lust in favor of the grander passions. I shall order my men to the Čechův Most. You shall stay here tonight,
and ride with me over the Charles Bridge in the morning, that all Prague
might see the Protector and his consort together!'
Stiffly he bade her good night. 'Hear this, however: If my men find nothing
on the Čechův Most, you will die. If anything untoward happens on the
Charles Bridge, I shall kill you myself.'
13.1
As they approached the center of the Old Town, Ilsa could hear the faint
sounds of music. How incongruous they seemed. Her heart was hammering as
she turned to Heydrich with feigned enjoyment. 'It's marvelous!' she cried.
'What is it?'
79
Heydrich glanced down at her. 'That is my private military band, sent
down from the castle on my orders to serenade you,' he replied. 'They could
not know I would change my mind this morning.'
7:56 A.M. The car was passing through the square. From here, they could
either turn into Pařižská Street, drive through Josefov and then over the
Čechův Most, or continue straight on Platnéršká to the river, left at the
Clementinum, right onto the Charles Bridge, and straight to the end.
'Please, Reinhard,' she said. 'Take me over the Charles Bridge. Let me hear
the music and bask in your glory. I was a fool last night to turn down the love
of a man like you. I know that now. Tonight will be different, I promise. Kill
them all, but not in front of me. I beg you!'
They turned left onto Křižovnicka Street.
Rick was at the intersection now. The Mercedes was just starting to turn
onto the bridge. Victor Laszlo was right behind it. Rick was right in front of it.
Then he saw something else, something he wasn't looking for. In the backseat, seated behind the driver. Another passenger. A woman.
Ilsa Lund.
She was sitting beside the Protector, clad in a rich red dress and clutching
his left arm.
Rick hesitated. After Heydrich, she was the last person he expected to see.
Laszlo kept going. If he felt any surprise, any emotion at her presence in
the car, his face did not register it.
The limousine slowed nearly to a complete stop as it turned right onto the
bridge. Laszlo was two steps away.
'No!' cried Rick, sprinting toward him.
'Victor!' shouted Ilsa. 'Hurry!' She pulled Heydrich hard, nearly toppling
him.
Heydrich had his pistol out. Rick thought at first he was going to shoot
Laszlo. Instead the Nazi pointed it at Ilsa.
Before the driver or the bodyguard could react, Rick dove into the car.
Rick hit Heydrich just as he fired at Ilsa. The shot went wild.
In the same instant, Laszlo jumped onto the running board and flung the
bomb into the backseat.
Ten …
Rick lunged for the bomb, which was rolling around on the floor. Victor
saw him and understood his purpose immediately. 'Get away!' he shouted,
80
clambering aboard. Heydrich hesitated, confused, uncertain whether Rick or
Laszlo posed the more imminent threat.
Nine …
Ilsa was aghast. Why was Rick trying to stop her husband from killing
Heydrich? Trying to stop her? 'Rick, no!' she cried.
Eight …
Rick could hear the sound of gunfire as Kubiš and Gabčík opened up on
the front seat's occupants, and he could hear the groan of the bodyguard as
their shots slammed into him. Glass shattered, wood splintered, and leather
split. Blood flew.
Seven …
Heydrich wheeled and smashed his gun butt on Rick's head. Rick went
down. Heydrich was about to hit him again when Laszlo grabbed him from
the other side.
Six …
Rick's hands shot out again, frantically seeking the bomb on the floor. He
knew there wasn't much time left. His hand found Ilsa instead of the bomb.
Five …
Shot by Gabčík, the driver's head exploded. Incongruously, his chauffeur's
cap blew off his head and flew, spinning over the abutment and into the river,
like a child's paper airplane.
Four …
'Come on!' Rick shouted, hauling Ilsa to her feet.
Zero …
The explosion lifted the Mercedes off its wheels and into the air, as if it
were a child's jack-in-the-box. Rick's head hit the pavement, and he brought
his hands up to shield his face. He caught a glimpse of Ilsa, lying limp against
the stone wall.
'Are you all right?' Rick asked Ilsa. She said nothing. She just stared at him
with the most profound sense of disbelief he had ever seen in the eyes of another human being.
'Why did you do it?' she said bitterly.
'Later,' he wheezed.
'I hate you,' she said.
Then they were up the stairs and into the street. They piled into the back of
a waiting produce truck. 'Get down,' advised the padre, 'and stay down.' A
couple of workmen dumped a pile of rotting, discarded lettuce over them, and
then the truck started away, slowly, toward Lidice.
Huddled together under the cargo, they were locked in each other's arms as
intimately as lovers. Never had they felt so far apart.
13.2
Three …
Laszlo had one hand around Heydrich's throat and jammed a gun into his
midsection with the other. Heydrich flashed a knife.
Two …
'Victor!' cried Ilsa.
'Jump!' Rick screamed.
Victor shot Heydrich in the abdomen. Heydrich stabbed Victor through the
heart.
One …
Rick and Ilsa were out of the car, his arms around her, rolling and tumbling together as fast and as far as they could.
81
82
PART IV. ANSWER KEYS
PART I
1.1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – a cartoon, Schindler's List – a war
film or a thriller, Cats – a musical, Coronation Street – a soap opera, Shakespeare in Love, How to Steat a Million – love stories or comedies, My Best
Friend's Wedding – a comedy, Romeo and Juliet – a love story, Frankenstein,
The Nightmare on Elm Street – horror films, Indiana Jones, The Firm, Rage
of Angels – action films, Gone with the Wind – a war film or love story,
Diana: End of Fairy Tale, Madame Tussaud's: The Inside Story – documentaries, Diligence – a western
2.2
1. cast
4. dubbing editor
7. violent (films)
10. producer
13. continuity supervisor
2. director
5. subtitles
8. good fun
11. editor
14. focus puller
3. western
6. moving (films)
9. cameran
12. art director
15. key grip
2.4 Second Unit Director: to save time, movies are often made in two places
at once. For example, while the leading actors are working in London, a car
chase may be filmed in New York. The technicians who make these 'action'
sequences are called the Second Unit, and their boss is the Second Unit Director.
Gaffer: the electrician in charge of lightning on the set.
Best Boy: assistant to the Gaffer
Boom Operator: the boom is a long pole with a microphone on one end. The
boom operator holds the microphone above the actors' heads to record what
they're saying.
Sound Mixer: sound mixers control the equipment which records sounds
picked up by the microphone.
Clapper-Loader: the clapper-board is two pieces of wood. These are brought
together with a clap at the start of each 'take' (each time a scene is filmed, it's
called a 'take'). They have information written on them which helps the director and editor to keep the takes in order.
The clapper-loader operates: the clapper-board and also puts film in the camera.
83
2.5
1. Director
2. Producer
3. Editorr
4. Scriptwriter
5. Casting Director
6. Art Director
7. Second Unit Directo
8. Gaffer
9. Best Boy
10. Key Grip
11. Focus Puller
12. Clapper-Loader
13. Dubbing Editor
14. Sound Mixer
15. Continuity Supervisor
16. Boom Operator
2.6
1.
THE IDEA
3. FINANCE
Finding money to finance a project is often
the hardest part. It can
come from (a) a major
studio, (b) a large business organisation or
group of companies,
(c) private investors.
This usually comes
from either the director or the writer.
7. MARKETING
Preparing the audience or 'market'
for the film comes next. There are
several ways to do this. They include (a) poster campaigns,
(b) radio, TV and magazine advertising, (c) cinema 'trailers',
(d) interviews by the film's stars.
3.1 1B 2A 3D 4C 5E 6G 7F
4 6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Casablanca
Lawrence of Arabia
The sound of music
Star wars
ET
84
5. PRODUCTION
The actual shooting
of the film is called
"production". Depending on the project it can last anything from three
months to over a
year.
6.1
1B
2A
3D
4C
Introduction
Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Final thoughts
6.2 Oscar Winning Films:
The Diary of Anne Frank, Philadelphia, The Wizard of Oz, Doctor Zhivago,
Amadeus, Dances with Wolves, Fiddler on the Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, My Fair Lady, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Dracula, The Godfather, Forrest
Gump.
7.1 1D
2C
3A
4E
5B
8.1
1. WOODY ALLEN (USA, 1935 – )
Films include: Bananas (1971), Play It Again Sam (1972), Annie Hall (1977),
Manhattan (1979), Hannah And Her Sisters (1985), Another Woman (1989),
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1990), Alice (1991).
2. INGMAR BERGMAN (Sweden, 1918 – )
Films include: Smiles Of A Summer Night (1955), The Seventh Seal (1956),
Wild Strawberries (1957), Persona (1966), Cries And Whispers (1972), Fanny
And Alexander (1982).
3. LUIS BUNUEL (SPAIN, 1900 – 1983)
Films include: Un Chien Andalou (1928), L'Age d'Or (1930), Belle De Jour
(1966), The Discreet Charm of The Bourgeoisie (1972), The Phantom of Liberty (1974), That Obscure Object Of Desire (1977).
6. FEDERICO FELLINI (ITALY, 1920 – 1993)
Films include: La Strada (1954), La Dolce Vita (1959), 8½ (1963), Juliet Of
The Spirits (1965), Satyricon (1969), Fellini Roma (1972), Amarcord (1974),
Fred And Ginger (1988).
7. LUCHINO VISCONTI
Films include: Ossessione (1942), Senso (1953), Boccaccio'70 (1962), The
Leopard (1963), The Damned (1969), Death In Venice (1970).
8. FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT
Films include: Les Quatre Cents Coups (1959), Jules et Jim (1961), L'Enfant
Sauvage (1969), La Nuit Américaine (1973), Le Dernier Métro (1980), Vivement Dimanche (1983).
9. SATYAJIT RAY
Films include: Pather Panchali (1954), The Unvanquished (1956), The World
Of Apu (1959), Distant Thunder (1974), The Chess Players (1977), An Enemy
of the People (1989).
10. STEVEN SPIELBERG
Films include: Duel (1971), Jaws (1975), Close Encounters Of The Third
Kind (1977), Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981), ET (1982), The Color Purple
(1987), Empire Of The Sun (1988), Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
(1989), Always (1990), Jurassic Park (1993), Schindler's List (1994).
11. AKIRA KUROSAWA (JAPAN, 1910 – )
Films include: Rashomon (1950), The Seven Samurai (1954), Throne Of
Blood (1956), The Hidden Fortress (1958), Dersu Uzala (1975), The Shadow
Warrior (1981), Ran (1985).
4. CECIL B DE MILLE (USA, 1881 – 1959)
Films include: The Ten Commandments (1923), King Of Kings (1927), The
Sign Of The Cross (1932), Union Pacific (1939), Reap The Wild Wind (1942),
The Greatest Show On Earth (1952).
12. ALFRED HITCHCOCK (UK, 1899 – 1980)
Films include: The Lady Vanishes (1938), Rebecca (1940), Spellbound
(1945), Notorious (1946), Strangers On A Train (1951), Dial M For Murder
(1954), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1950), North By Northwest (1959),
Psycho (1960), The Birds (1963).
5. SERGEI EISENSTEIN (USSR, 1898 – 1948)
Films include: Battleship Potemkin (1925), October (1927), The General Line
(1928), Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ivan The Terrible (1943-1946).
13. JEAN-LUG GODARD (FRANCE, 1930 – )
Films include: A Bout De Souffle (1960), Bande a Part (1964), Alphaville
(1965), Pierrot Le Fou (1966), Sauve Qui Peut (1980), King Lear (1980).
85
86
14. JOHN FORD (USA, 1895 – 1973)
Films include: The Iron Horse (1924), Stagecoach (1939), Young Mr Lincoln
(1939), The Grapes Of Wrath (1940), How Green Was My Valley (1941), She
Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949), The Quiet Man (1952), The Man who Shot
Liberty Vallance (1962).
8.2 1F 2T 3T 4F 5T 6F 7F
9.1 1. False. The top actors and actresses are to be chosen from the list of
five hundred names.
2. True
3. False. Top of the list were Citizen Kane and The Godfather
4. True
5. False. At the moment we can only guess who the top actors will be.
9.2 1. Rudolph Valentino
2. Charlie Chaplin
3. Greta Garbo
4. Clark Gable
5. Bette Davis
4. PAUL NEWMAN
BEST-KNOW FILMS: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Hustler (1961), Hud
(1963), Cool Hand Luke (1967), Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
(1969), The Sting (1973), The Verdict (1982), The Color Of Money (1988),
Blaze (1990), Mr and Mrs Bridge (1991).
5. MERYL STREEP
BEST-KNOW FILMS: The Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer Versus Kramer (1979),
The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), Sophie's Choice (1982), Silkwood
(1983), Out Of Africa (1987), A Cry In The Dark (1989), She-Devill (1990),
Postcards From The Edge (1991).
6. MEL GIBSON
BEST-KNOW FILMS: The Mad Max' series (1978-1985), Gallipoli (1981), The
Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Mutiny On The Bounty (1984), Lethal
Weapon (1987), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Hamlet (1991).
9.4
Questions
9.3
1. MARILYN MONROE
BEST-KNOW FILMS: The Asphalt Jungle (1950), Niagara (1952), Gentlemen
Prefer Blondes (1953), How To Marry A Millionaire (1953), The Seven Year
Itch (1955), Some Like It Hot (1959), The Misfits (1961).
2. JAMES DEAN
BEST-KNOW FILMS: East of Eden (1955), Rebel Without A Cause (1956),
Giant (1956).
3. ELIZABETH TAYLOR
BEST-KNOW FILMS: National Velvet (1944), Giant (1958), Raintree County
(1957), Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958), Suddenly Last Summer (1959),
Butterfield 8 (1960), Cleopatra (1962), Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
(1966), The Mirror Crack'd (1980).
87
Where was
he/she born?
When?
First film
success?
Other film
successes?
Gwyneth
Paltrow
Los Angeles
Sean Connery
Leonardo Di Caprio
Edinburgh
California
1973
Sliding doors
1930
Dr No
Shakespeare
in Love
Seven
Gold finger
From Russia with Love
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds are Forever
Never Say Never Again
The Untouchables
Indiana Jones
The Last Crusade
Robin Hood
The New Avengers
Entrapment
88
1974
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
The Quick and the
Dead
The Basketball
Diaries
Total Eclipse
Romeo and Juliet
Titanic
9.5 Tomorrow's screen legends
1. TOM CRUISE
Best films so far include: Top Gun, The Color of Money, Rain Man, Born on
the Fourth of July.
2. JODIE FOSTER
Best films so far include: Taxi Driver, The Accused, Stealing Home, Silence of
the Lambs, Sommersby.
3. KEANU REEVES
Best films so far include: My Own Private Idaho, Much Ado About Nothing,
Dracula, Little Buddha, Speed.
4. SIGOURNEY WEAVER
Best films so far include: The Year Of Living Dangerously, Ghostbusters
(1&2), the 'Alien' series.
5. CHARLIE SHEEN
Best films so far include: Platoon, Wall Street, Eight Men Out.
6. DEBRA WINGER
Best films so far include: An Officer And A Gentleman, Terms Of Endearment, The Sheltering Sky, Shadowlands.
11.1
PROS
E People lead busy lives these
days. They don't want to spend
a week reading a novel when
they can watch the film version
in two hours. It's a question of
convenience.
CONS
E Adaptation suits books with a very dynamic plot and a strong visual element
– Jurassic Park, for example – but it
doesn't suit more complex literary fiction. There are vital differences, in
other words, between a novel and a
script.
F Some screen adaptations are
good, others are bad, but the
main point about them is that
they increase choice. You can
read the book first and then see
the film… see the film, then
read the book… just read the
book.. just see the film. What's
wrong with choice? Nobody's
forced to watch screen adaptations.
F Adaptations have an unfair influence on
the book industry. OK, they turn a certain number of novels into bestsellers,
but what about the hundreds of other
books, excellent books, which are ignored simply because they haven't been
filmed?
G A really bad screen version of your favourite book can ruin the original novel
for you.
10. MICHAEL J. FOX
Best films so far include: Back To The Future (1, 2 & 3), The Secret Of My
Success, Casualties of War.
15 Movie quiz
1. Mickey Mouse
2. MGM – Metro Goldwyn Mayer – a major Hollywood studio
3. Charlie Chaplin
4. Norma Jean Baker
5. King King
6. In Austria
7. 14
8. Beautiful girls
9. The Nightmare on Elm Street series, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Invisible
Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The House of Wax, I Walked
with a Zombie, Invasion of the Body Snatches, I was a Teenage Werewolf,
Godzilla, Psycho, The House that Dripped Blood, Halloween, Forbidden
Planet.
89
90
7. MICKEY ROURKE
Best films so far include: Diner, A Prayer For The Dying, Homebody, Johnny
Handsome.
8. ISABELLE ADJANI
Best films so far include: The Story Of Adele H, One Deadly Summer, Camille
Claudel.
9. MELANIE GRIFFITH
Best films so far include: Something Wild, Working Girl, Stormy Monday.
10.
b. The French Lieutenant's Woman
c. Christmas Carol
d. The Firm
e. Gas Light
f. Mary Poppins
g. Death on the Nile
h. Cats
i. The Phantom of the Opera
j. The English Patient
14
PART II
2
1A 2B 3D 4B 5C
6 Suggested completion:
- and threatened to cut off Britain; after Russia was conquered the Germans
would be able to turn full attention to England.
- Rommel's Afrika Korps had driven deep into Egypt; Alexandria, Cairo, and
the Suez Canal were threatened.
- Following Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had conquered Singapore, Burma, and
the Philippines;
In retrospect we know that this was the zenith of Axis power – but for refugees on the streets of Casablanca, for writers and actors in the Warner Bros.'
Hollywood studio, that spring and summer of 1942, no such thing was clear at
all.
8 1D
2E
3F
4H
5B
6C
7G
8I
9J
10A
10
Sam's words:
I never expected to see you again.
He's got a girl up at the Blue Parrot.
You're bad luck to him.
You must remember this.
The fundamental things apply.
And when two lovers woo.
No matter what the future brings.
12
Ilsa's words:
Does he always leave so early?
You used to be a much better liar.
I'll hum it for you.
1. We said 'no questions.'
2. A franc for your thoughts.
3. I'm willing to be overcharged. Tell me.
91
4. Yes?
5. Why there is no other man in my life?
6. That's easy. There was. He's dead.
7. Well, only one answer can take care of all our questions.
1. Nothing can stop them now.
Wednesday, Thursday at the latest,
they'll be in Paris.
2. I'm on their blacklist already,
their roll of honor.
3. Henry wants us to finish this bottle
and then three more. He says he'll
water his garden with champagne
before he'll let the Germans drink
any of it.
4. You said it!
Here's looking at you, kid.
5. My German's a little rusty.
6. Yeah. It's pretty bad timing.
Where were you, say, ten years ago?
7. Looking for a job.
8. Ah, that's the new German 77. And
judging by the sound, only about
thirty-five miles away.
9. And getting closer every minute.
Here. Drink up. We'll never finish
the other three.
10. I left a note in my apartment.
They'll know where to find me.
11. I know very little about you, just
the fact that you had your teeth
straightened.
12. No, no, no, no. We must leave.
13. The train for Marseilles leaves
at five o'clock. I'll pick you up
at your hotel at four-thirty.
92
14. All right. At a quarter to five.
Say, why don't we get married in
Marseilles?
15. Yes, I guess it is a little too far
ahead. Well, let's see. What about
the engineer? Why can't he marry us
on the train?
16. Well, why not? The captain on a
ship can. It doesn't seem fair
that … Hey, hey, what's wrong, kid?
16
RICK
Where is she? Have you seen her?
SAM
No, Mr. Richard. I can't find her.
She checked out of the hotel. But
this note came just after you left.
Sam pulls an envelope from his pocket. Rick grabs it, opens it, and stares
down at the letter.
INSERT LETTER
Richard,
I cannot go with you or ever see you
again. You must not ask why. Just
believe that I love you. Go, my
darling, and God bless you.
Ilsa
Raindrops pour down the letter, smudging the writing.
BACK TO SCENE
A whistle blows.
SAM
That's the last call, Mr. Richard,
do you hear me? Come on, Mr. Richard.
Let's get out of here. Come on, Mr. Richard,
come on.
93
18
ILSA
Rick, I have to talk to you.
RICK
Oh. I saved my first drink to have
with you here.
ILSA
No. No, Rick. Not tonight.
RICK
Especially tonight.
She sits down in the chair before the empty glass. Her eyes are searching his
face, but there is no expression on it except a cold and impassive one.
Rick reaches for the bottle, and pours himself another drink.
ILSA
Please.
RICK
Why did you have to come to Casablanca?
There are other places.
ILSA
I wouldn't have come if I had known
that you were here. Believe me,
Rick, it's true. I didn't know.
RICK
It's funny about your voice, how it
hasn't changed. I can still hear
it. "Richard dear, I'll go with you
any place. We'll get on a train
together and never stop."
ILSA
Please don't. Don't, Rick. I can
understand how you feel.
RICK
Huh! You understand how I feel.
How long was it we had, honey?
ILSA
I didn't count the days.
94
RICK
Well, I did. Every one of them.
Mostly I remember the last one. A
wow finish. A guy standing on a
station platform in the rain with a
comical look on his face, because
his insides had been kicked out.
ILSA
Can I tell you a story, Rick?
RICK
Has it got a wow finish?
ILSA
I don't know the finish yet.
RICK
Well, go on, tell it. maybe one
will come to you as you go along.
ILSA
It's about a girl who had just come
to Paris from her home in Oslo. At
the house of some friends she met a
man about whom she'd heard her whole
life, a very great and courageous
man. He opened up for her a whole
beautiful world full of knowledge
and thoughts and ideals. Everything
she knew or ever became was because
of him. And she looked up to him
and worshipped him with a feeling
she supposed was love.
RICK
Yes, that's very pretty. I heard a
story once. As a matter of fact,
I've heard a lot of stories in my
time. They went along with the
sound of a tinny piano playing in
the parlor downstairs, "Mister, I
95
met a man once when I was a kid,"
it'd always begin. Huh. I guess
neither one of our stories was very
funny. Tell me, who was it you left
me for? Was it Laszlo, or were
there others in between? Or aren't
you the kind that tells?
20 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 are false.
21
RENAULT
I am delighted to see you both. Did
you have a good night's rest?
LASZLO
I slept very well.
RENAULT
That's strange. Nobody is supposed
to sleep well in Casablanca.
LASZLO
May we proceed with the business?
RENAULT
With pleasure. Won't you sit down?
LASZLO
Thank you.
STRASSER
Very well, Herr Laszlo, we will
not mince words. You are an
escaped prisoner of the Reich.
So far you have been fortunate
enough in eluding us. You have
reached Casablanca. It is my
duty to see that you stay in
Casablanca.
LASZLO
Whether or not you succeed is,
of course, problematical.
96
STRASSER
Not at all. Captain Renault's
signature is necessary on every
exit visa. Captain, would you think it is
possible that Herr Laszlo will
receive a visa?
RENAULT
I am afraid not. My regrets, Monsieur.
LASZLO
Well, perhaps I shall like it in Casablanca.
STRASSER
And Mademoiselle?
ILSA
You needn't be concerned about me.
LASLO
Is that all you wish to tell us?
STRASSER
Don't be in such a hurry. You have
all the time in the world. You may
be in Casablanca indefinitely …
or you may leave for Lisbon tomorrow,
on one condition.
LASZLO
And that is?
STRASSER
You know the leaders of the
underground movement in Paris, in
Prague, in Brussels, in Amsterdam,
in Oslo, in Belgrade, in Athens.
LASZLO
Even in Berlin.
STRASSER
Yes, even in Berlin. If you will
furnish me with their names and
their exact whereabouts, you will
have your visa in the morning.
97
RENAULT
And the honor of having served the
Third Reich.
LASZLO
I was in a German concentration camp
for a year. That's honor enough for a lifetime.
STRASSER
You will give us the names?
LASZLO
If I didn't give them to you in a
concentration camp where you had
more "persuasive methods" at your
disposal, I certainly won't give
them to you now.
LASZLO
And what if you track down these men
and kill them? What if you murdered
all of us? From every corner of
Europe, hundreds, thousands, would
rise to take our places. Even Nazis
can't kill that fast.
STRASSER
Herr Laszlo, you have a reputation
for eloquence which I can now
understand. But in one respect you
are mistaken. You said the enemies
of the Reich could all be replaced,
but there is one exception. No one
could take your place in the event
anything unfortunate should occur to
you while you were trying to escape.
LASZLO
You won't dare to interfere with me
here. This is still unoccupied
France. Any violation of neutrality
would reflect on Captain Renault.
98
RENAULT
Monsieur, insofar as it is in my power …
LASZLO
Thank you.
RENAULT
By the way, Monsieur, last night you
evinced an interest in Signor Ugarte.
LASZLO
Yes.
RENAULT
I believe you have a message for him?
LASZLO
Nothing important, but may I speak to him now?
STRASSER
You would find the conversation a
trifle one-sided. Signor Ugarte is dead.
ILSA
Oh.
RENAULT
I am making out the report now. We
haven't quite decided whether he
committed suicide or died trying to escape.
LASZLO
Are you quite finished with us?
STRASSER
For the time being.
LASZLO
Good day.
PART III
2 Speaking
1. Renault, Sequence 2
2. Rick, Sequence 2
3. Sam, Sequence 3
4. Rick, Sequence 7
7. Rick, Sequence 15
8. Rick, Sequence 15
9. Laszlo, Sequence 15
3 1. It was played so often that people got sick of it.
2. Murray Burnett's experience in German-occupied Vienna.
3. The bombing of Pearl Harbor and the United States' entrance into the
war.
23 1. A – Arab; 2.G – Arab; 3. C – Rick; 4. H – Arab; 5. E – Rick;
6. F – Rick; 7. D – Rick; 8. I – Rick; 9. B – Ilsa; 10. J – Ilsa.
26 1. E – Laszlo; 2. F – Rick; 3. G – Laszlo; 4. I – Rick;
5. B – Rick;
6. A – Rick; 7. J – Laszlo; 8. C – Rick; 9. D – Laszlo; 10. H – Rick.
38 1 T
2F
3F
4F
5F
99
100
TAPESCRIPT OF LISTENING MATERIAL
So I've seen almost every film
TAPESCRIPT 1
that's come out in recent times.
Students from England and Scot6. Yeah, I do go to the cinema quite
land say how often they go to the
often. I quite like comedies.
cinema.
They're quite … they're pretty
I = Interrviewer
1-7 = Students
good. And I also like action films.
I Do you go to the cinema, and if so,
They're pretty good as well.
how often on average?
7. Yes, I go quite regularly with
1. I like going to the cinema, actually.
friends when I've got the money,
I don't have so much time, some of
'cause you know the prices vary
the cinemas around Bristol can be
quite a lot. I saw Titanic recently
quite expensive, especially the
as well and I thought it was really
ones where they show all the films,
good. I really enjoy, I enjoy comelike the Showcase. It's got so many
dies and thinks like that so The
screens but it costs so much, there's
Full Monty was really good,
just no point. But yeah, I like films
probably the best film I saw last
a lot. I go quite a bit with my
year.
friends.
2. I go to the cinema quite often, not
as often as I used to, because I
don't have very much free time
TAPESCRIPT 2
apart from weekends, during which
An interview with the film director
time I'm down the pub. So … but I
Tim Fywell.
like going to films when I can. On
I=Interviewer
TF=Tim Fywell
Sunday, perhaps, once every I
How did you become a film direcmonth or something.
tor?
3. I don't tend to go to the cinema TF I worked in the theatre for years
very much. I only tend to go when
after I left university. I worked in
there's something which either has
theatre working on new plays with
a very good review or something I
new writers, and that was satisfythink I will enjoy, so I don't tend to
ing up to a point, but financially
go very much.
not very rewarding, and also new
4. Yeah, I don't … I'm not a great
plays particularly tended to be seen
cinema goer, probably sort of once
in by very small audiences in small
a month or something, I just see
venues. So I was always attracted
the big spectacular films in the cinto the idea of working in film and
ema, just the major releases, really.
television, but it took a long time
5. Quite regularly. Not everybody
to make the transition from theatre
goes as often as me because I work
to TV. Eventually I got on a thing
in a cinema. So I can get in for
called the BBC Directors' Course
free, pretty much whenever I want.
101
which was for both people that are
working in TV in other jobs,
maybe cameramen that wanted to
direct, and also they used to have
two places a year for theatre directors. So at the third time of applying I managed to get on this
course, after very rigorous interviews. And that was as I say about
a three-month course which taught
one the basic rudiments of directing.
I
Is there a particular film that you're
inspired by? I mean do you have a
favourite film made by another director?
TF I suppose I have quite a lot of
favourite films, and before starting
any work on any particular film of
my own I'll tend to look at other
people's films, you know, that
maybe have some connection with
the film that I'm making or that inspire me. I mean one film that I
really like that I've watched over
and over again is a French film
called The Samurai by a director
called Melville, and stars an actor
called Alain Delon. Basically
there's not a lot of dialogue in the
film, he plays a kind of hitman, an
assassin, and you see him in his
apartment in Paris, and then you
see him carrying out various jobs,
you don't see very much emotion
in him but he falls in love with this
woman pianist in a night club and
so he actually breaks his rules of
professionalism and goes to see her
and that's when he gets killed, at
the end of the film. But it's very
haunting film, told very much
through pictures and music, and
very atmospheric of Paris and
beautifully acted. That's one of my
favourite films.
I
Is there anything you particularly
like about your job?
TF Ordering people around? Being in
control! (laughs) Being the boss,
telling people what to do … Yeah,
I do enjoy all that but I think, I
mean more seriously than that I
think it's being sort of in control of
your … you are in control of the
film not just by telling people what
to do but you're in control of the
whole kind of vision of the film,
the actors that you choose, trying
to get the script right with the
writer, helping the actors to find
their performances, choosing all
the shots, the camera angles, you
know, discussions with the designer, the cameraman, so it's very
much a chance to put your kind of
vision of the world, or a particular
bit of the world, on the screen. So
it's a very exciting job, it's what
Orson Welles said: the best train
set that a boy could ever have. And
it is.
I
Is there anything you dislike about
your job?
TF I suppose not many things, because, I mean I feel very lucky to
do a job like this, which is enormously exciting and challenging.
I think what I dislike maybe is …
I think there's more and more … as
programme-makers or film studios
get more nervous about the amount
102
of money that their programmes or
films are going to make, there's
more and more interference from
on high in the film-maker's role.
You don't now go to a script meeting just with a writer, there tend to
be two or three executive producers there and everybody's got to put
in their two pennyworth, and so it
can become a case of too many
cooks spoiling the broth, and you
know and just annoying way that a
television company works in that
the chief executive is looking
things like films have to be cut
down to a certain length sometimes
just to fit certain kind of – especially on TV – certain time-slots
which may not be the actual right
length for that film, so you know
there is a fair amount of compromise involved. But those are the
areas I dislike.
I
And I know that you've made films I
in the United States as well as in
Britain. What would you say are TF
the main differences, in your experience, between making films in
America and making films in Britain?
TF Well I think it's really to amplify
the point that I just made. I mean
England is becoming more like
America in that respect, but in
America, well certainly my experience of filming there was the
power of the studio which was
making the film, they had an enormous amount of rower, and even
though as a director you have quite
a lot of freedom, in that case you
103
just felt these people kind of
breathing down your neck. And
they were incredibly involved in
the casting process and the editing
process, and they kept changing
their minds as to exactly what kind
of film they were looking for, so
one felt a bit, you know, inhibited.
One's hands were tied by them.
And although in England theoretically it's a lot freer than that, one
has a lot more freedom, but I think
it's going the way of America more
– without the same amount of
money being involved obviously.
So one of the benefits of working
in America is you get paid better,
but you get a lot more interference
and hassle. It's not really … certainly Hollywood is not … it
sounds like the paradise … how
many dollars a film is going to
make.
What do you think of this scene
from Cuts by Malcolm Bradbury?
I think, I mean it's slightly oldfashioned in its tone – I can see it's
written in 1987 – but I would say
the gist of it is true, in the sense …
I mean obviously it's a kind of satire on the way that a television
company works in that the chief
executive is looking for scapegoats
amongst his staff as to why this
particular project is not working
the way he thought he would. Also
I think what is true about it is the
sense of people changing their
minds almost overnight: what's
commercial yesterday suddenly isn't commercial today, so they want
a completely different idea, and
what's commercial today may not
be commercial tomorrow. It's a satire on what I was talking about before, the idea of really you know
what counts in this case is pulling
in the viewing figures, and so
they're
desperately
searching
around for something that they
think will work. Whether it's actually truthful or good or dramatic or
not is irrelevant.
I
And what about Bridget Jones's
Diary?
TF Well, that's a very amusing piece. I
mean I know less about that because it's talking a documentary reporter and that's not an area that I've
ever worked in, but I think the … it
conveys the kind of feeling of
nerves and pressure of somebody
new starting a job like that and are
they going to make a go of it or live
television, but as I say it's not the
kind of work that I do, the films that
I make, it's in a different area. Every
area of TV is very separate, I think:
drama, news, comedy, documentaries, they're all very separate kind of
worlds. But as far as I can tell it's
accurate as a satire on the world of
news reporters.
I
Are directors … Are most directors
that you know tyrants in the way
that they are portrayed here as
well?
TF I think you've got to be a little bit
of a tyrant, but I mean hopefully
one can be a sort of … pleasant tyrant.
TAPESCRIPT 3
The 50 most influential actors of the
previous century.
The top twenty five actors and
twenty five actresses are to be chosen
from a short list of four hundred
names.
Over a thousand film-makers, academics, historians and celebrities will
be asked by the American Film Institute to vote on the nominees. The criteria for the final selection includes
star quality, presence off screen and on
screen, popularity, and their importance in the political and world events
of their time. The American Film Institute Chairman, Tom Polka says,
"This is more than a beauty contest".
The American Film Institute has
set 1950 as the cut-off date. The Institute admits that this date is arbitrary.
As Tom Polka explains: "If you take
1980 or 1970 or 1960, you're dealing
with people today. Perhaps we don't
have a sense of perspective about their
careers … You need time". So surprisingly, the major stars of today such as
Leonardo DiCaprio and Sandra Bullock are not included in the short list.
Last year the Film Institute issued
its list of 100 top films of the century.
Top of the list were the classic films
Jane Eyre, Casablanca and The Godfather. Many disagreed with the
choice. Newspapers and magazines
chose their own favourite films. Tom
Polka explains: "For one week, America's newspapers and TV stations and
people were arguing, not about which
films were the highest grossing, but
about what was on that list and 'How
104
could they put this movie on' and
'How could they leave this one off'."
There is no doubt that the list and
selection of top actors and actresses
will be controversial. Nominations for
the top actresses include Greta Garbo,
Lucille Ball and Mary Pickford. The
nominations for the actors include
Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Poitier and
Sir Laurence Olivier. At the moment
we know for sure who the top actors
will be but we can be sure that many
people will weep and laugh at the final
list. That is what 'show business' is all
about!
№2
Data: Born in London, he went to
Hollywood in 1910. Four years later
he created 'the little tramp' – his bestloved character, whose bowler hat,
cane and moustache soon became internationally famous. He was one of
the silent era's most successful comics,
writers and directors. He left America
in the 1950s and spend his later years
in Switzerland.
Best-known films: The Tramp, Easy
Street, The Gold Rush, City Lights,
Modern Times, The Great Dictator.
№3
Real name: Greta Gustafson
Data: Her Hollywood career began in
1925. Beautiful, distant and mysterious, she became a huge, worldwide
star in the 1930s, usually in tragic,
romantic roles. But she didn't enjoy
living in California and once wrote to
a friend … "Americans don't understand anything about us Europeans".
Her career ended suddenly when she
left Hollywood in 1942 declaring "I
will never act again". She didn't. Until
her death, forty-eight years later, she
lived alone in New York.
Best-known films: Flesh and the
Devil, Anna Christie, Grand Hotel,
Queen Christina, Anna Karenina,
Camille, Ninitchka.
Quote: "I never said I want to be
alone. I only said I want to be let
alone".
TAPESCRIPT 4
Five gods and goddesses of the early
silver screen.
№1
Data: He was known as 'the great
lover'. Originally from Italy, he appeared in several films before 'The
Four Horsement Of The Apocalypse'
made him a superstar in 1921. After
that, he played a series of exotic, romantic heroes. When he died in 1926
(at the age of 31), several female fans
committed suicide and his funeral was
a national event.
Best-known films: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik,
Blood and Sand, Monsieur Beaucaire,
The Eagle, Son of the Sheik.
Quote: "A man should control his life.
Mine is controlling me".
105
Baby Jane?, Death On The Nile, The
Whales of August.
Quote: "When I saw my first film-test,
I ran from the projection room
screaming", she said.
№4
Data: Known as 'the king of Hollywood', he was a top box-office star for
over 30 years. Tough but also romantic, he was popular with both men and
women. In spite of his stardom,
though, Gable didn't take success very
seriously. He once said "I was just a
lucky slob from Ohio who happened
to be in the right place at the right
time".
Best-known films: Red Dust, It Happened One Night, mutiny On The
Bounty, San Francisco, Gone With the
Wind, The Hucksters, The Misfits.
Quotes: "I'm no actor and I never
have been. What people see on the
screen is me".
"His ears made him look like a taxicab
with both doors open". Howard
Hughes
TAPESCRIPT 5
GWYNETH PALTROW
Gwyneth was born in Los Angeles
in 1973. She grew up in a family
closely involved with the entertainment business. Her father is a producer
and her mother is an actress. At the
age of 11 she moved to New York,
and was educated at Spence, New
York's most expensive school for girls.
Gwyneth did not always want to be an
actress and for a time she studied History of Art at the University of California.
Gwyneth soon decided that college
life was not for her, and began to pursue a career in acting. "Growing up, I
loved Grace Kelly", she says. "She had
so much poise, she was so stylish, she
was a lady. And I loved Vanessa
Redgrave and Julia Roberts. Julia's
performance in Pretty Woman was
inspirational. Seeing a woman behaving with such abandonment, in such a
natural way, it was liberating. Her
performance really made me want to
be an actress".
In 1991 she began her film career
in Shout, a film with John Travolta.
№5
Real name: Ruth Elizabeth Davis
Data: Most actresses in the '30s and
'40s played glamorous and feminine
characters. Not this actress. The
women she played were dominant,
difficult and often quite unpleasant.
Later, she said about herself during
that time …"Nobody knew what I
looked like because I never looked the
same way twice".
Best-known films: Jezebel, Dark Victory, The Private Lives of Elizabeth
And Essex, The Little Foxes, Now
Voyager, The Corn Is Green, All
About Eve, Whatever Happened To
106
Later, she played the young Wendy
in Steven Speilberg's Hook. There is a
story that the Paltrow family were
standing in a cinema queue one night,
with a family friend, Steven Speilberg,
and that he casually asked if the 16
year old Gwyneth would like a part in
Hook.
In 1995 she starred with Brad Pitt
in Seven. Gwyneth and Brad fell in
love and their romance became news.
Everyone wanted to know more about
the beautiful couple. Brad and
Gwyneth got engaged and were going
to get married. However, the relationship did not last. When Brad and
Gwyneth separated the media wanted
to know all the details. This was very
hard for Gwyneth and she was unhappy with the attention from the
press.
Although Hollywood was courting
her, Gwyneth was keeping her distance. She wanted to choose her roles
and star in interesting films – she
turned down the leading part in The
Avengers and in Titanic. She also
chose to live in Greenwich Village,
New York, rather than near Hollywood, on the West coast. "Los Angeles just feels shallow to me', she says.
'It's all show business".
In 1996, Gwyneth started working
on the first of three British films. Her
first leading role was in the film,
Emma, based on a book by Jane Austen. She was cast in preference to
many other British actresses by the
producer, Harvey Weinstein. In 1998
she starred with John Hannah and
John Lynch in Sliding Doors, which
was one of the most successful films
of that year. And then this year her
role in Shakespeare in Love has made
her even more famous, and won her an
Oscar award for the best actress. "Harvey Weinstein is basically the reason
I'm turning into a British actress", says
Gwyneth.
For the last three years, Gwyneth
has spend 4 months each year shooting
movies in Britain.
"I have spent quite a bit of time in
England", she says. "I like it. I get it –
the way to live, the sense of humour. I
didn't when I first came. I thought, 'I'm
an American and we speak the same
language, it'll be the same'. But it's not.
You have just got to adapt".
Many people think that Gwyneth
now speaks English better than any
American actor before her. She is
good at listening and picks up languages quickly – she is fluent in
French and Spanish and is learning
Italian. For Jim Carter, who acted in
Shakespeare in Love, Gwyneth's accent is enchanting: "I like her English
accent more than her real one – when
she speaks English she sounds like a
princess", he says.
After the success of Shakespeare
in Love, Gwyneth's future as one of
Hollywood's brightest stars seems certain. Gwyneth sees the reason for her
success and fame modestly: "The parts
107
I've chosen just seemed like the right
ones to do at the time; there's not been
any game plan. I don't worry about
what I'm going to do next".
to play James Bond in the film Dr No
in 1962. He beat many other distinguished actors, including Cary Grant
and Rex Harrison, who also wanted to
play the suave secret service agent.
The producer of Dr No decided that
Sean Connery was the right person to
play James Bond when he watched
Sean walk down the street!
Following the success of the film
Dr No, Sean Connery was asked to
play in four James Bond films during
the Sixties – Goldfinger, From Russia
with Love, Thunderball and You Only
Live Twice. Many fans of James Bond
films think that he was the best James
Bond of all time.
Eventually, Sean grew tired of
playing James Bond and after making
the film, Diamonds are Forever in
1971, he vowed that he would 'never
again' make another James Bond film.
At the time, he was paid a recordbreaking salary of $1.25 million for
his part in the film. However, he
agreed to play James Bond once more
in 1983 and the producers called the
film Never Say Never Again. His fans
were delighted.
In the 1980s Sean Connery took on
different and more varied roles. He
won an Oscar for his role as a tough
Irish cop in The Untouchables, in
which he starred alongside Kevin
Costner. He also played Harrison
Ford's eccentric father in the popular
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
His cameo role as King Richard in
SEAN CONNERY
Not many men have been voted the
Sexiest man Alive at the age of sixty!
However, Sean Connery is an actor
who appeals to both men and women.
Everyone admires his charm and charisma.
Sean Connery is very proud to be
Scottish and he often talks about his
love for Scotland. He was born in Edinburgh on the 25th August 1930. He
came from a poor, working class family. His father worked in a factory and
Sean left school when he was only
thirteen years old. At the age of fifteen
he joined the Royal Navy for three
years. When he left the navy he tried
many jobs. He worked as a labourer,
cement mixer, milkman and bricklayer. He did not want to be an actor
but dreamed of being a football player.
He did not want to be an actor but
dreamed of being a football player. As
a hobby, he tried body building and
when he was in London competing in
a body building competition he auditioned for a small part in a musical. He
won the part and his acting career began.
Sean worked very hard to improve
his acting. He took dancing and singing lessons. However, he did not become famous until he got the chance
108
Robin Hood had cinema audiences
cheering his screen appearance!
His most recent films include The
New Avengers with actors Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes, and Entrapment. In Entrapment Sean plays an
ageing art burglar who teams up with
the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones in a
thriller set around the Millennium.
Despite his Hollywood success,
Sean Connery has remained loyal to
his native land. He has worked for the
Scottish National Theatre and in the
1970s he founded the Scottish International Education Trust, an organisation
to help young Scots receive an education. He even made an appearance in
the elections for the new Scottish parliament to lend weight to the Scottish
Nationalist Party's cause. It is said that
he was not given a knighthood in 1997
because of his links with of the time in
Spain and the Bahamas, he is regarded
as Scotland's most famous son.
A Hollywood Child.
How did this handsome young actor start? Young actors in the United
States usually go to Hollywood in
California. They go because people
make movies there. Leo didn't go to
Hollywood – he always lived there.
Hollywood was his home. Leo's
mother and father, Irmelin Idenbirken
and George DiCaprio, lived in New
Tork. Then they moved to California.
In 1974 they had a son – Leonardo.
But they had problems, and George
moved away from the family home.
Leo was only one year old, and he
stayed with his mother. But his father
visited him every day and the family
was happy.
Leo was a happy boy, but he wasn't
always good. He liked playing and
having fun. School wasn't interesting
for him.
His first time on TV was at five
years old. He was on the children's
show, Romper Room. But he always
wanted to play, and the show's producers were angry with him.
Leo's brother, Adam Starr, was an
actor. He made a lot of money from
only one television commercial. Then,
of course, Leo wanted to act too.
But a lot of people want to act. It's
difficult for new actors because there
aren't jobs for every actor in Hollywood. Actors usually audition for a
part on a movie or television show.
The director watches, and he gives the
part to the right actor.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
The Story of Leo's road to fame
His blue eyes are famous. Girls
love his smile, and he has fans in a lot
of countries. He's the star of the hit
movies William Shakespeare's Romeo
and Juliet and Titanic. But Leonardo
DiCaprio wasn't always famous. In
1988, he was only a boy with no
money. He was in school, but he wasn't a good student. Why is he now a
star? This is Leo's story.
109
Leo went to a lot of auditions. Often he didn't get the jobs and then he
was unhappy. But at fourteen he got a
part in a television commercial for
Matchbox cars. After that he was in a
lot of commercials and he had small
parts in some famous television shows
– Lassie, Roseanne and The Outsiders.
Leo wanted to get big parts in television shows, but it was difficult.
Then he got an important part in
the television show, Santa Barbara.
The show was on TV five times every
week, and Leo did a lot of work. There
was a new script for every show.
Leo in the Movies.
In 1991, Leo was in the television
show Growing Pains. The show
started in 1985, but the producers
wanted a handsome new actor. Leo
played Luke Brower, a boy with no
home. He did the job for a year.
Leo was a television actor now. He
stopped going to school, but a teacher
went to him at work. Leo liked that –
it was fun. He was a good student.
Now he wanted to try movies.
The Right Man for the Job.
Leo auditioned for a part in the
movie, What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
The director, lassie Hallstrom, liked
Leo, but he didn't want a handsome
actor. Then Leo auditioned again. He
was the right man for the job!
Johnny Depp played Gilbert Grape
in the movie. Juliette Lewis was Gilbert's friend Becky, and Leo was Gilbert's brother, Arnie. Arnie was a dif-
ficult character, but Leo did a very
good job. He and Johnny Depp had a
lot of fun. With Depp, Leo tried new
things to eat. Depp liked watching
Leo's face. Leo liked working with
Juliette Lewis too. Some people talked
about a romance.
Leo was famous after What's Eating Gilbert Grape. But he was only
nineteen and he lived with his mother!
Suddenly, a lot of people in Hollywood wanted Leonardo DiCaprio in
their movies. Sharon Stone wanted
him for her new movie, The Quick and
the Dead. Leo read the script and he
liked it. he liked Sharon Stone, and he
wanted to work with the director, Sam
Raimi.
Leo and Sharon kissed in the
movie. People watched the movie and
talked about a romance. But Leo and
Sharon didn't have a romance. They're
only friends. They kissed because their
characters kissed in the script.
The Basketball Diaries is the story
of four teenage boys. They have problems with drugs. Leo loved the story
and he wanted to be in the movie. He
played Jim. James Madio, Patrick
McGaw and Mark Wahlberg played
Jim's friends. They made the movie in
New York City. Leo loved New York!
Leo and Mark Wahlberg often went to
bars and cafes at night.
They danced with girls and had
fun. There were a lot of stories in the
newspapers. People talked about him
and his character in the movie. Were
110
they the same? Did Leo take drugs
too? The answer is no.
After The Basketball Diaries, Leo
got a lot of movie scripts. His father
started to read them for him, and Leo
only looked at the good scripts.
George is important to Leo. He was
fifty in 1994, and Leo wanted to give
him a car. He got a new car and went
to his father's house. George smiled –
the car was for him!
Total Eclipse is the story of the
famous French writer, Arthur Rimbaud. Leo played Rimbaud in the
movie. David Thewlis played Rimbaud's friend, Paul Verlaine. Total
eclipse was difficult for Leo. Rimbaud
and Verlaine were not only friends –
they had a romance too. Leo didn't like
kissing a man!
Then Leo was in a new movie.
And he was a big star.
The New Romeo.
The director Baz Luhrmann
wanted to make a movie of William
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. He
asked Hollywood producers for the
money, but they said no. They wanted
new stories, and Romeo and Juliet was
from 1595!
Luhrmann wanted Leo for Romeo,
but Leo didn't want the part. He didn't
want to be in a movie of an old story.
But Luhrmann's script was for young
people today. In his movie, Romeo
and Juliet live in Verona Beach, USA.
They drive cars and listen to today's
music.
Shakespeare's characters are difficult, and Leo was unhappy about that
too. Then he watched Keanu Reeves in
the movie of Much Ado about Nothing. That was from a Shakespeare
story, and Reeves didn't have a problem.
Now Leo wanted to play Romeo.
The producers were happy and Luhrmann got the money. Luhrmann had
his Romeo, and he had the money. But
he didn't have a woman to play Juliet.
Leo watched Claire Danes on her
show, My So Called Life, and talked
with Luhrmann about her. She auditioned and she got the part.
They made the movie in Mexico.
The work was difficult, and Leo got
very sick from the food. One night
Leo and a friend went to a bar in Mexico City. A man at the bar got angry,
and he hit Leo's friend!
But they finished the movie. It was
a hit, and Leo was a big star. One fan
wanted his shirt! People talked about
his romances with Demi Moore,
Naomi Campbell and Sharon Stone.
But these stories were wrong.
Tomorrow's screen legends
Which of today's stars will go on to
become legendary superstars?
7. MICKEY ROURKE
Best films so far include: Diner,
A Prayer for the Dying, Homebody,
Johnny Handsome.
1. TOM CRUISE
Best films so far include: Top Gun,
The Color of Money, Rain Man, Born
on the Fourth of July.
8. ISABELLE ADJANI
Best films so far include: The Story
of Adele H, One Deadly Summer,
Camille Claudel.
2. JODIE FOSTER
Best films so far include: Taxi Driver,
The Accused, Stealing Home, Silence
of the Lambs, Sommersby.
9. MELANIE GRIFFITH
Best films so far include: Something
Wild, Working Girl, Stormy Monday.
TAPESCRIPT 6
10. MICHAEL J. FOX
Best films so far include: Back to The
Future (1,2&3), The Secret of My Success, Casualties of War.
3. KEANU REEVES
Best films so far include: My Own
Private Idaho, Much Ado about Nothing, Dracula, Little Buddha, Speed.
TAPESCRIPT 7
In 1931 a Cornell University senior, Murray Burnett, played "As Time
Goes By", a song from the thencurrent Broadway show, Everybody's
Welcome, so often that his fraternity
brothers got sick of it. The song disappeared from the radio and from the
record stores, but lingered on in Burnett's memory.
In 1938 Burnett, a Jew, now married, traveled with his wife to Germanoccupied Vienna to help relatives
smuggle possessions out of the country. They were shocked by the hatred
shown toward Jews and terrified by
the direction things seemed to be going.
4. SIGOURNEY WEAVER
Best films so far include: The Year of
Living Dangerously, Ghostbusters
(1&2), The 'Alien' series.
5. CHARLIE SHEEN
Best films so far include: Platoon,
Wall Street, Eight Men Out.
6. DEBRA WINGER
Best films so far include: An Officer
and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment, The Sheltering Sky, Shadowlands.
111
112
In 1940 Burnett, collaborating with
a friend, Joan Alison, used his Vienna
experience as the basis for a play, Everybody Comes to Rick's. The protagonist is a cynical, unhappily married
American expatriate who owns a
nightclub in Casablanca. His former
lover Lois appears at the club with the
Resistance leader, Victor Laszlo. She
asks Sam, the black piano player, to
play "As Time Goes By". Lois' passion for Rick is rekindled. She decides
to stay with him in Casablancs. In Victor's presence Rick insists that she
leave. Victor, despite having been humiliated by her, takes her with him.
During 1941 the completed play
was circulated to various Hollywood
studios. A producer at M-G-M wanted
to buy it for $5000, but his boss objected. Eventually it came to the attention of Irene Lee, head of Warner Bros
story department. The bombing of
Pearl Harbor and the United States'
entrance into the war in early December had made the play more topical
and valuable. On December 27, 1941,
with Hal Wallis' approval, she purchased Everybody Comes to Rick's for
$20,000.
School for a year, she had been offered
a film contract. David Selznick had
seen her in the 1936 Swedish film Intermezzo and, in 1939, had brought
her to America to star in his Englishlanguage version. She made several
movies in 1940-1941 but things had
gone dry by 1942. Her husband, Petter
Lindstrom, had been a dentist in Sweden and they were now living in
Rochester, New York, where he was
studying to be a neurosurgeon. She
was not happy. She wrote to her friend
and dialogue coach Ruth Roberts in
January 1942:
"… Having a home, husband, and
child ought to be enough for any
woman's life. I men, that's what we are
meant for, isn't it? But still I think
every day is a lost day. As if only half
of me is alive. The other half is
pressed down in a bag and suffocated."
On April 22, after learning she had
gotten the role in Casablanca, she
again wrote Roberts:
"I was warm and cold at the same
time. Then I got such chills I thought I
must go to bed and of course a terrific
headache into the bargain … I tried to
get drunk for celebration at dinner, but
I could not. I tried to cry. I tried to
laugh, but I could do nothing. I went
to bed three times and went down
again because Petter couldn't sleep
either with me kicking around in bed.
But now it is morning and I am
calmed down. The picture is called
Casablanca and I really don't know
TAPESCRIPT 8
Ingrid Bergman was born in Sweden, on August 29, 1915. Her mother
died when she was three; her father,
when she was twelve. After attending
Stockholm's Royal Dramatic Theater
113
what it's all about. If Humphrey Bogart as Rick and Ingrid Bergman as
Ilsa were essential to the success of
Casablanca, other casting decisions
were important too."
vate life was also full of ups and
downs. His third marriage, to a temperamental actress called Mayo
Methot, was at times so violent that it
was almost like acting in another
gangster film.
But his luck was beginning to
change. In the film High Sierra
(1940), he was given the part of the
ageing gangster, but only because
Cagney, Raft and Robinson refused it,
and with his performance at last won
the studio's respect. And then came
Casablanca, with Ingrid Bergman
(1942), the film which finally brought
him fame. He was forty-two.
In his private life too, things improved. The year after Casablanca,
while he was making the film of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not, he
fell deeply in love with his nineteenyear-old co-star, the then unknown
Lauren Bacall. Two years later, after
he divorced Mayo, they married, and
were inseparable until his early death
from cancer in 1957.
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was
born in New York City on January 23,
1899. His father was a doctor and his
mother, a successful illustrator and
commercial artist. In a 1949 magazine
article Bogart would claim that he
never really loved his mother, that he
admired her but that 'she was totally
incapable of showing affection,' even
to her three children. He was educated
at trinity School and Phillios Andover
Academy but instead of going to college he enlisted in the Navy, serving
for the duration of World War I. In the
1920s he worked as, first, a stage manager and then as an actor and then decided to try his hand at movies. His
performances in a dozen films in the
early '30s were undistinguished. But in
1935-1936 he played the brooding
killer Duke Mantee in both the stage
and movie versions of The Petrified
Forest. After that, more and more of
his roles were variations on this cynical, tough-guy persona.
Looking back on this early part of
his career, Bogart later said, 'In my
first thirty-four films, I was shot in
twelve, electrocuted or hanged in
eight, and a jailbird in nine.' His pri-
TAPESCRIPT 9
The song As Time Goes By – see
Task 10 V . Bear in mind the deliberate mistakes there and check them
with the key.
114
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.
Acklam R., Burgess S. First Certificate Gold. CB Longman, 1996.
2.
Fowler W.S. Synthesis Plus. Nelson, 1992.
3.
Collie J., Martin A. What's it like? SB. Cambridge University Press,
2000.
4.
Rabby S. Art and Media. Super Dossier, International Book Distributors Ltd., 1996.
5.
Schickel R. American Film. United States Information Agency, 1992.
6.
Cinescape. The magazine of movies, media on the edge. A Sendai Media Group Periodical. 1995. April.
7.
New York Film Academy. Tribeca Film Center, 1999.
8.
Berry H., Roth T. Premiere. The Movie Magazine. 1995. April.
9.
New English Digest. Longman, 1998.
Учебное издание
Ольга Соломоновна Дворжец
УЧЕБНО-МЕТОДИЧЕСКОЕ ПОСОБИЕ
ПО РАБОТЕ С ВИДЕОФИЛЬМОМ "CASABLANCA"
10. Walsh M. As Time Goes By. Warner Books, 1999.
Технический редактор М.В. Быкова
Редактор Е.В. Коськина
_________________________________________________________________________
Подписано к печати 7.05.03. Формат бумаги 60х84 1/16.
Печ. л. 7,25. Уч.-изд. л. 6,3. Тираж 100 экз. Заказ 353.
_________________________________________________________________________
Издательско-полиграфический отдел ОмГУ
644077, г. Омск-77, пр. Мира, 55а, госуниверситет
115
116

casablanca

Transcription

Similar documents

Film quiz 12 May 2011

Naqsh Short Films

Casablanca - Sequence 9

presents - Program in Arts of the Moving Image

(PR) Job After School - The Plank Center for Leadership in Public

THE CREATION OF MEANING - Press Kit

Bandyke Moving Pictures

Oct 2013 reg layout

Join us for a free screening of First Generation —

Who We Are: FILMCLUB is a free educational program that provides