Chapter 3.5 Film Review
Textbook Questions and Answers
1. Read the following conversation and complete the activities given below.
- Minnie: Exams are over. I feel so relaxed ! Let us plan something interesting.
- Ritu: What about a movie?
- Paddy: Great! Let’s go for “Aladdin”!
- Minnie: Oh, no! I have seen it. It has only a ‘one star’ rating.
- Ritu: How about that new release ummm….yes, “Harry Potter?
- Della: It is boring. I have read the review this morning. I don’t want to waste my time.
- Paddy: Wait, friends. I will check. Let’s decide later.
Question (i)
Choose the correct alternative from the following. From one star given to the movie we conclude that –
(a) The movie is very short.
(b) The movie is not worth watching.
(c) The movie is serious.
(d) The movie is in black and white.
Answer:
(b) The movie is not worth watching.
Question (ii)
Discuss how/why are ‘stars’ given to a movie.
Answer:
A star is a symbol of movie rating .It was in 1928 that a newspaper film critic Irene Thiner initiated the grading system on a scale of zero to three status. Star are given to a movie to know how good, bad or average a movie is.
Question (iii)
The word ‘Review’ is different from summarizing and appeal writing. Choose the correct statements of the following.
(a) Film review is an expression of your personal views towards a particular film, documentary or movie.
(b) A film review gives you an opportunity to express opinions about the movie, including its characters, plot and background.
(c) A film review gives appealing sentences that make your reader curious or anxious about the film.
(d) A review means explanation of each and every event of the film.
Answer:
(a) Film review is an expression of your personal views towards a particular film, documentary or movie,
(b) A film review gives you an opportunity to express opinions about the movie, including its characters, plot and background.
(A1)
Question (i)
Every movie is worth critiquing. Describe in detail each point related with the film review with the help of the following web.
Answer:
Film Review : Dangal
Genre: Dangal is the most inspiring and entertaining movie. The film also makes strong feminist statement showing girls at par with boys.
Script Writer: Script of the movie ‘Dangal’ is written by Nitesh Tiwari who has been successful in creating the interest of the audience not only in the story of the film but also in the sport of wrestling.
Direction: The direction is also done by Nitesh Tiwari. He won the Filmfare award for the Best Director, 2017 for Dangal.
Producer : The film is produced by the renowned actor Amir Khan. Kiran Rao and Siddharth Roy Kapoor.
Acting : Amir Khan played the role of Mahavir Singh Phogat and Sakshi Tanwar played the role of the wife of Mahavir Singh Phogat. Zaira Wasim and Fatima played the role of Geeta and Sanya Malhotra and – Suhani Bhatnagar played the role of Babita Phogat. Aparshakti Khurrana and Rutvik Sahora played the role of Omkar, the nephew of Mahavir Singh Phogat. A negative role is played by Girish Kulkarni, the coach of Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat.
It is wonderful to see Amir Khan as Mahavir Singh Phogat on a big screen. His appearance as the father of his daughters, their coach, guide and strong supporter till the end touches the audience emotionally.
Music and Sound: Music director Pritam and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya smartly themed their music. Some of the songs evoke the innocence of every viewer.
Cinematography: The cinematographer of the movie is Sethu Sriram. (Satyajit Anand). He presented a senario of an authentic and real wrestling matches that kept the audience spell bound till Geeta Phogat the daughter of Mahavir Singh Phogat bags gold medal for the Nation.
Plot Analysis: The film Dangal focuses on the continuous efforts of Mahavir Singh Phogat and his daughters to realize the dream. Struggle of the daughters Geeta and Babita and their hard work are the main stroyline of the movie. Mahavir Singh Phogat the wrestling champion was forced to give up wrestling for better employment. He was highly discouraged because he wanted to win a Gold for the nation. He thought that his unborn son would do it. However, Mahavir Singh due to the birth of his daughters, loses hope of bagging gold medal yet, keeps his decision of training the daughters in wrestling.
Continuous and regular training make the daughters wrestlers. After defeating the boys in the village, Mahavir decides to admit the daughters in National Sports Academy. Discouraged due to different techniques taught there, Mahavir decides to train daughters personally. The coach decides to ban the daughters from playing wrestling but Mahavir Singh manages and the daughters continue to receive training in the academy. Inspite of many problems Mahavir provides training to his girls by watching videos of the matches played by the daughters.
The jealous coach locks Mahavir Singh in a room during the final match played by his daughter. Frustrated Mahavir stands up joyfully to hear the Indian National Anthem. Finally, the daughters bring smile on the face of Mahavir Singh Phogat. The cooperation of the daughters during their hard training, sacrificing small joys of life, overcoming every obstacle in the way is presented in a perfect manner.
Message: “Believe in Yourself’ and “Work hard till you achieve your Goal”. The film also arouses social cause of treating girls and boys equally.
Question (ii)
Discuss and explain the movie ‘The Jungle Book’ with the help of the following points.
(a) Classic elements
(b) Fantasy
(c) Photorealism
(d) Blending of emotions
Answer:
Rudyard Kipling, created an intense world with a description of the jungle and creatures living in it using his concept, Disney made the classic tale of Mowgli into film, wherein, Mowgli became the central character. It is interesting to watch the story of a boy after his fathers death is discovered by Bagheera, the black panther. A pack of wolves and Raksha are the boy’s caretakers. Mowgli’s jump, swinging from tree to tree, other live animals, running scenes are perfectly presented to make the audience believe about Mowgli’s inclination towards behaving like animals.
Sher Khan’s unsympathetic behaviour towards Mowgli and Mowgli’s decision to search human beings like him brings about acceptable twist in the story. Blood curdling incident of Kaa’s hypnotising attack on Mowgli is presented in a wonderful manner. Thus the movie ‘The Jungle Book’ takes the audience into a world of fantasy. There is a perfect blend of emotions which is brought by presenting Mowgli’s relation with the fatherfigure Bagheera, motherly Raksha, friendly pack of wolves. The film is also an incredible visual treat – with only one human character, introduction of various species of animals. The movie is interesting to watch and is highly recommended.
Question (iii)
‘It all builds on the charm of the 1967 film, which by itself is a must watch for any child.’
Explain the sentence in the context of the movie, focusing on the two given phrases ‘Charm of the 1967 film’ and a ‘must watch’.
Answer:
The year 1967 is considered to be very crucial in the film industry. It is the time when many revolutionary films were produced. New themes were introduced and very different stories were brought about. ‘An Introduction of the World of Fantasy’ is one them.
The Jungle Book is a perfect movie which easily takes the audience into the world of fantasy in a unique way. Though the mind does not believe on the story of Mowgli, him being handled safely by the wild animals, heart is made to believe the same. This is perfectly brought about by Jon Favreau in ‘The Jungle book.’ Thus the movie is really a charm of 1967 which is a must watch for all generations to come.
(A2)
Question (i)
Complete the following sentences.
Answer:
The factors that have made ‘The Jungle Book’ a great movie are –
(a) It is a fantasy world of wonder.
(b) The effective animation and presentation of the wildlife make the movie interesting.
(c) The story of the movie is unique.
(d) The film is a perfect blend of human emotions and a journey in the world of fantasy.
Question (ii)
The present review concludes with two words ‘Heartwarming and Enjoyable’. Write your opinion in about 100 to 150 words.
Answer:
The Jungle Book is a unique combination of Rudyard Kipling’s story and Favreau’s direction. It is an awesome experience to watch the same on the big screen. Presence of the orphan boy Mowgli in the forest, his interaction with wild animals, their love and care towards him, emotionally keeps the audience glued to the screen. The perfect landscaping and setting delves the audience into the world of the jungle throughout the movie. Mowgli’s behaviour following the laws of the Jungle, the supersized orangutan, dangerous python, Mowgli’s learning of practical wisdom from Bagheera the father figure, make it a wonderful experience to watch. Thus the movie is heartwarming and enjoyable.
(A3)
Question (i)
‘Narnia’ (Part 1, 2, 3, 4) is a film about four children who find a path to Narnia. Discuss the special effects and direction. Write a review with the help of the following points in about 100-150 words.
(a) Storyline
(b) Producer
(c) Director
(d) Music Director
(e) Characters / Casting
(d) Setting / Location
(f) Conflict
(g) Message
(i) Significance of the title
Answer:
‘Narnia’ potrays the history of Narnia, an imaginary world of fantasy and magic from its creation to its destruction. The movies, directed by Andrew Adamson (first two parts), Michael Apted (third partjand Joe Johnstaone (fourth parts) is based on C. S. Lewis’s series of novel. ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’.The movie revolves around the adventures of Pevensie siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy who are sent away to a safe place during the world war.
While playing hide and seek, they discover the magical wardrobe which on opening, takes them to the enchanted island of Narnia. The beautiful cinematography and performance of the children, world of fantasy and magic, speaking animals is an awesome experience to watch. The separation of the children from their mother, death of some animals, witches yelling,etc., are presented in a perfect way that brings tears rolling down from the audience’s eyes.
The basic conflict of the movies is the conflict between good and evil. Each part of the movie has slight different representation. Yet, they potray a single message of triumph of good over evil. The real success of the him is not only touching the heart of the audience but also making them believe in the world of imagination and fantasy. The cinematography and animation are so skillful that the animals look real. The him enlightens the audience by opening the doors of a new world of imagination. The movie teaches the audience beautiful special effects and sound, adventure, unity and sacrihce for each other.
(A4)
Question (i)
Form groups and try to write a script for a short him or documentary on any topic of your choice. The script must develop properly. You can take help of the following points.
- choose a topic
- central theme
- the beginning, the middle and the end
- the message
Answer:
[Students are expected to attempt this question on their own.]
Question (ii)
Form groups and use the ICT lab of your Junior College to make a shorthlm on the script that you have prepared. There are several soft-wares that can be used for editing. You can take professional help. One can upload his/her him on mediums like Youtube and submit the link to the subject teacher.
Answer:
[Students are expected to attempt this question on their own.]
Question (iii)
There are ample career opportunities in him making and producing hlms.
The following professions require different professional skills,write them accordingly.
table
‘The story of the movie decides it’s success’. Comment.
Answer:
The story is the heart of a play/film. The music, direction, cinematography, special effects are made to relate to the story. It is the story of the movie which makes the audience spellbound. The story always has a message to the audience. It is the story that helps the audience specially the youngsters, to imagine, to learn, to create interest in the world around, to get inspired and to think. Cinematography, music, animation, etc., give a wonderful experience to watch any movie on the big screen. All these revolve round the central theme ‘the story’ of the movie.
Question 5.
You must have heard about Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. It is India’s top media Institute. It plays an important role in providing talent to commercial cinema, TV and web serials. Browse the internet and find information about other institutes in India and abroad.
Answer:
[Students are expected to attempt this question on their own.]
Important Questions and Answers
Question 1.
What are the steps and stages in review writing?
Answer:
A film critic is an article containing analysis and evaluation of a film, While writing a review about a film, a writer has to consider various things. A film critic should write about the relevance of the title, storyline and producer. He should write about the type of film, its director and the cast.
A film critic should write about various events, cinematography, set design, music, plot, characters and message given through the film. He/She should write about the sequence of the events according to its importance. Lastly, he/she should suggest to edit or add the title or content according to its necessity.
Question 2.
What are the aspect of the review?
Answer:
Film review is an analysis or evaluation of a film from the viewer’s point. Various aspect of review are the genre, plot analysis, characterization, cinematography, music, production and direction, plot, message given in the film (moral), sound, set designs and location.
Question 3.
What are the precautions to be taken while writing a film?
Answer:
Film review is an analysis or evaluation of a film from the viewer’s point. Precausions should be taken while writing a review of a film. A review should create curiosity about the movie but not discourage the reader. While commenting on the film dealing with social issues, the writer should not hurt the feelings of people. Critic should express opinion about the film.
A personal attack on any actor, producer, director should be avoided. A review writer should have knowledge of various aspect of editing and cinematography. He should avoid commenting on religious beliefs. While penning down the thoughts, a review writer should be careful about religious sentiments.
Glossary:
- photorealism – detail description of
- resourcefulness – ability to overcome difficulties
- relevance – appropriate
- genre – style or category of art/music/literature
- cinematography – the art of photography and camera work in film-making
- characterization – the creation of a fictional character
- plot – the main events of a play/novel/film.