Job Discussion Forums

[Stephen Jones]

I enjoyed 'Truly, Madly, Deeply', but I can't see it taking off with most students. Just as a matter of interest, why does the film have to be British?

[dmb]

[Mavis the Fat Fairy]

[wailing_imam]

Bend it like Beckham.

Superb film, and gives an insight into not only gender, but race relations in modern day London.

Students love it.

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

[Justin Trullinger]

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]

Well firstly it depends on one's definition of fat ...

[bennyr81]

Id agree with raining stones! films like truly madly deeply, 4 weddings and a funeral and even bend it like beckham are bad films that portray a fantasised version of england.
Okay the last one deals with race issues! but do you students want to watch a film about england or a make-believe tale of asian-girl-comes-good on a football field!
something like raining stones is a gritty true to life tale set in northern englnad but it could quite easily be in london, birmingham or any other big city! it shows true english humour (the dark variety) and the fact that we are not all whinely how-am-i-so-famous hugh grant lookalikes!
it also offers a lot more natural english a lot of mockney/cockney that are produced are too stylised in their writing and seem good for the page but stilted when actually on the screen(see lock,stock/snatch ---- about a boy ((come on little boy stands in front of school singing carole king a capello wouldnt last 2 minutes in real life))
if your in japan you could show them polanskis macbeth followed by kurosawas throne of blood...different takes on the same theme etc different use of dialogue!

or staying with Loach, what about an old film...Kes

[sidjameson]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Just to clear things up a bit.; My students will watch the film with subtitles. In no way could they follow the English in the movie. This movie would round of a "Cultural Comparisons" class. It has been a great class. We have covered topics such as the British class system, multi culturalism, the drinking culture, the food culture; or lack of, the Royal family etc. So I am just hoping to show a movie that would show off as many aspects of British culture as possible. I would prefer as entertaining a movie as possible and also one that is rather upbeat. As good as this class has been I have felt at times that I ended up putting the Uk in a rather bad light. Pissed up yobs eating the crappiest food one could imagine, scratching cars on the way home from a race hate march, type of thing

[Aramas]

[wailing_imam]

she needs to eat a few more burgers though....

[swetepete]

The best movies that shout "ENGLAND!!!" are, I think..."Sid and Nancy," "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid," "How To Get Ahead in Advertising," "Withnail and I", "28 Days Later" (which is of course by far the most realistic), and pretty much anything by Mike Leigh, the guy who did "Naked" and "Closer."
If you want your students to LIKE you though you should probably play them "Wallace and Grommitt," "Monty Python's Holy Grail", or "Bridget Jones Big Fat Pasty Ginger Bum." Or for the li'l tackers maybe some "Teletubbies" or "Budgie the Helicopter."
Oh, I know! "Excalibur!" Everybody'll love that, for sure.

[Sweetsee]

How many students are there in the class?
How many classes do you have to show the film?
Are the students mostly male or female?
What nationalities?

[guty]

Rita, Sue and Bob too.

[Justin Trullinger]

I suppose something Austin Powers could work...