I've been keen to watch Intouchables for a while but when I spotted the book on which the film is based Le second souffle by Philippe Pozzo di Borgo I decided to read this first before catching up with the cinematic version. Would it be an appropriate text to cover for alevelfrench.com?
Spoiler alert
Pozzo di Borgo born into an aristocratic Corsican then pan-Europenan background depicts a golden, privileged childhood and youth looking back from his paraplegic present day self. Becoming conscious of how unnatural this upbringing has been he rebels a little during the student riots and then meets the love of his life his future wife Béatrice. The next part of his life gradually degenerates as Béatrice suffers miscarriages and still births one after another; this seems to strengthen rather than weaken their relationship and the narrative shows how they deal with this. Pozzo di Borgo's own racy life style as a business man in the champagne industry takes a dive literally when he suffers the accident which puts him into a wheelchair.
It is at this point that we meet Abdel whose relationship with Pozzo di Borgo forms the focal point of the film. Not having seen the film yet I can't really comment on what how it reflects on multiculturalism etc although in the book we see a person who is devoted to his boss at the same time as leading a lifestyle which encapsulates all the prejudices the French right wing have about second generation immigrants-and more besides. Whilst Abdel brings joie de vivre to Pozzo di Borgo's life, anyone less rich and indulgent couldn't possibly have tolerated the excesses of the irresponsible helper-the smashed up cars, failed businesses etc. It would be interesting to know why they haven't chosen a north African for the role; would it have been too much of a case of rubber stamping negative, stereotyped opinions? As far as the book goes for classes, I would hesitate to put it infront of 17 year olds - I would worry that the continuous misfortunes which occur could prove very depressing for this age group and in any case it's more of a biography. I also found the awakening of Pozzo di Borgo's sexuality a little unnecessary.
Interview avec Philippe Pozzo di Borgo
Monday 22 October 2012
Sunday 29 July 2012
Le gamin au vélo
Whilst down at the Olympics I did my usual trawl of the language bookshops and came away with Le gamin au vélo film (the kid with a bike) which I've just watched avidly Whilst it would scarcely qualify as a telefilm in English I think the storyline would appeal to young people from year 9 upwards although the main protagonist Cyril is only 12. Young Cyril is desperate to reconnect with his father who has dumped him in a children's home. He is befriended by a kindly hairdresser Samantha who agrees to take him in at the weekend; she takes her role very seriously and fights to keep him on the straight and narrow.
There are several interesting themes in the film which would tie in nicely with Les 400 coups which itself has a universal appeal. I'm thinking it would be a good film to develop for encouraging take up of languages at A level; I may well develop exercises for this purpose on alevelfrench.com
The other treasure I bought was the cartoon version of Le grand meaulnes. A very attractive book with lots of detailed architectural pictures of the school around which the story is centred. Visited this many years ago when I was in the sixth form-very much like the infants school I attended!
There are several interesting themes in the film which would tie in nicely with Les 400 coups which itself has a universal appeal. I'm thinking it would be a good film to develop for encouraging take up of languages at A level; I may well develop exercises for this purpose on alevelfrench.com
The other treasure I bought was the cartoon version of Le grand meaulnes. A very attractive book with lots of detailed architectural pictures of the school around which the story is centred. Visited this many years ago when I was in the sixth form-very much like the infants school I attended!
Friday 20 July 2012
50 shades of black La symphonie pastorale de Gide
La symphonie pastorale by André Gide must be the complete opposite of 50 shades of Grey currently being devoured by millions of women throughout the world. A staple on the CCEA A level specification the short novel deals with the tragic circumstances surrounding a blind girl taken in by a Swiss pastor. Written in diary format, initially a couple of years after the events and in the second half as events happen, we witness the mental blindness of the narrator as he fails to empathise with the situation of his long suffering wife or to even realise that he is falling in love with Gertrude as she starts to respond to his training.
He focuses almost completely on the blind girl at the expense of his own children and his wife and tries to justify his emerging love by going back to the scriptures-those of Jesus rather than the more sin-focussed St Paul. When he discovers that his son is in love with Gertrude he pulls rank on him and makes sure that he is out of the way while he moves the girl to the home of a rich church supporter. This helps the pastor continue his relationship in peace without having to suffer the disapproval of his wife.
When a novel is as much about what is not said as much as what is explicitly written down, there is sometimes a tendancy to try to read in even more than is intended by the author so that the whole plot can end up as more of a conspiracy theory. However it is refreshing to ready a book which concentrates on mental rather than physical flagellation; Gide's life and work was characterised by his working out his personal issues which were many and this short work is well worth reading. The level of language is very approachable even though it is predominantly written in the past historic and contains quite a lot of imperfect subjunctives.
I think discussion amongst young people on the morality of the pastor and his self-justification could be very productive. A good book for university entrance interview discussion, I would think. A welcome addition to our titles on www.alevelfrench.com A shame that the film is so old; although a faithful representation of the story in a modern realistic style staying close to the detail would be painful. I think more Gide beckons!
He focuses almost completely on the blind girl at the expense of his own children and his wife and tries to justify his emerging love by going back to the scriptures-those of Jesus rather than the more sin-focussed St Paul. When he discovers that his son is in love with Gertrude he pulls rank on him and makes sure that he is out of the way while he moves the girl to the home of a rich church supporter. This helps the pastor continue his relationship in peace without having to suffer the disapproval of his wife.
When a novel is as much about what is not said as much as what is explicitly written down, there is sometimes a tendancy to try to read in even more than is intended by the author so that the whole plot can end up as more of a conspiracy theory. However it is refreshing to ready a book which concentrates on mental rather than physical flagellation; Gide's life and work was characterised by his working out his personal issues which were many and this short work is well worth reading. The level of language is very approachable even though it is predominantly written in the past historic and contains quite a lot of imperfect subjunctives.
I think discussion amongst young people on the morality of the pastor and his self-justification could be very productive. A good book for university entrance interview discussion, I would think. A welcome addition to our titles on www.alevelfrench.com A shame that the film is so old; although a faithful representation of the story in a modern realistic style staying close to the detail would be painful. I think more Gide beckons!
Tuesday 17 July 2012
Using technology to encourage higher level thinking
There are now so many ways that can be used to help students revisit a novel to reuse the content in a different way to encourage analysis of the main points. A good one has always been to write a diary account summarising the feelings of a key personality. Whilst one can't imagine Meursault of L'étranger doing this, I'm sure that Doria in Kiffe kiffe demain , Vinca from Le Blé en herbe, or Jo from Les petits enfants could do it. Another prime candidate would be the young woman or the old man in Le silence de la mer.
A more technological way of doing this would be to get pairs of students to be one of the characters texting to a friends what is happening as the story goes on (based on what I've just heard on radio about updated 50 shades of grey versions of Bronte and Jane Austen novels but without the bondage I hasten to add!) I can imagine Cécile from Bonjour Tristesse being an ardent texter (rather than a diary writer) - you would give some prompts initially with half a dozen English to French sentences per chapter. The person texted could respond accordingly.
Some books lend themselves to the use of map creation. Un sac de billes would be a good example. Just create a google account if you don't have one and follow these instructions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TftFnot5uXw A note can be added to each point added so that, when completed, visual learners can remember their way around the story more easily.
Now that surveys are so easy to create, again using google (google docs) it is a good exercise to get students to create a survey requiring respondants to answer questions around moral dilemmas. This would work well with "Qu'est-ce que les parents/Jo/ aurait/aient dû faire..." situations. It could be done with Right/wrong answers or with text entry responses. The google tool is particularly good with plenty of customisation possible and of course questionnaire creation is a good generic PLTS skill.
Ther are lots more ideas many of which we shall be incorporating in future manifestations of alevelfrench.com materials. The illustrations given above all relate to novels covered by resources from the site.
A more technological way of doing this would be to get pairs of students to be one of the characters texting to a friends what is happening as the story goes on (based on what I've just heard on radio about updated 50 shades of grey versions of Bronte and Jane Austen novels but without the bondage I hasten to add!) I can imagine Cécile from Bonjour Tristesse being an ardent texter (rather than a diary writer) - you would give some prompts initially with half a dozen English to French sentences per chapter. The person texted could respond accordingly.
Some books lend themselves to the use of map creation. Un sac de billes would be a good example. Just create a google account if you don't have one and follow these instructions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TftFnot5uXw A note can be added to each point added so that, when completed, visual learners can remember their way around the story more easily.
Now that surveys are so easy to create, again using google (google docs) it is a good exercise to get students to create a survey requiring respondants to answer questions around moral dilemmas. This would work well with "Qu'est-ce que les parents/Jo/ aurait/aient dû faire..." situations. It could be done with Right/wrong answers or with text entry responses. The google tool is particularly good with plenty of customisation possible and of course questionnaire creation is a good generic PLTS skill.
Ther are lots more ideas many of which we shall be incorporating in future manifestations of alevelfrench.com materials. The illustrations given above all relate to novels covered by resources from the site.
Sunday 15 July 2012
André Gide La Symphonie Pastorale
I am renewing my acquaintance with André Gide whom I've not really read since my A level days back in the 70's when La porte étroite was one of my favourite set texts-vive unrequited love! Gide's ability to convey mixed emotions and motivations is unparalleled. He accomplishes this with a readability and humanity which are deceptively simple. I'm covering La symphonie pastorale which is a set text on the Irish CCEA board A level and am being drawn into the mind of the priest who is relating the story of how he rescues the blind "mindless" teenager Gertrude from where she was living after her "carer" dies. The way we see the narrator's wife Amélie swing from despair at yet another imposition by her maybe overly charitable husband to a crusading generosity is cleverly and beautifully described in a few paragraphs.
With alevelfrench.com literature titles I have tried to make it easier to introduce newish texts such as Kiffe kiffe demain and No et moi to their students; La symphonie is written in straightforward language albeit in the past historic with a fair number of past anteriors and imperfect subjunctives. However these do not distract from the clarity of the narration and the way in which we can contrast life pre the état de providence when a caring, motivated priest could help keep a village together in a paternal way.
There are echoes of the generosity of spirit of Lou the narrator of No et moi in the priest's inability to ignore suffering humanity. The nouvelle has a timeless appeal which is worthy of study.
With alevelfrench.com literature titles I have tried to make it easier to introduce newish texts such as Kiffe kiffe demain and No et moi to their students; La symphonie is written in straightforward language albeit in the past historic with a fair number of past anteriors and imperfect subjunctives. However these do not distract from the clarity of the narration and the way in which we can contrast life pre the état de providence when a caring, motivated priest could help keep a village together in a paternal way.
There are echoes of the generosity of spirit of Lou the narrator of No et moi in the priest's inability to ignore suffering humanity. The nouvelle has a timeless appeal which is worthy of study.
Monday 9 July 2012
A2 French coming along well.
We started alevelfrench.com (ALF) with A2 materials for the cultural topics and these are now a popular resource for schools in the UK and abroad. After venturing into the creation of the A*ttitudes AS French course , a hugely ambitious endeavour for two people, after pausing for breath- for a year- we are now cracking on with the A2 language course.
This is a challenge but an enjoyable one as there are fewer but more conjoined topics so we are doing 3 major topics each comprising several subtopics, the first out of the blocks being the environment. We have already covered this at AS but are now doing it with much more focus on the discursive side with a considerable amount of reference to the wealth of freely available material out there. Making this into a cohesive whole is a challenge but a few years ago I wrote materials in English on sustainable energy and the environment for the new (and now nearly gone) Land based and environment diploma so I’m pretty up to date with the issues.
Nathalie will have a different and interesting perspective on this as she is experiencing global warming at first hand in Kuwait in temperatures rising to 50C!
The environment is an area ripe for discussion as, although global warming as a phenomenon is no longer particularly contentious as an issue, what we should be doing about it, how much we should be spending and should we be fracking, going nuclear etc are very controversial.
Our mission is to use the best of contemporary resources available; here’s an example of an excellent set of animations which help explain various aspects of the topic. There are lots more fascinating and stimulating resources in the pipeline.
Voir l’animation Les grandes dates de l’énergie sur www.cea.fr
This is a challenge but an enjoyable one as there are fewer but more conjoined topics so we are doing 3 major topics each comprising several subtopics, the first out of the blocks being the environment. We have already covered this at AS but are now doing it with much more focus on the discursive side with a considerable amount of reference to the wealth of freely available material out there. Making this into a cohesive whole is a challenge but a few years ago I wrote materials in English on sustainable energy and the environment for the new (and now nearly gone) Land based and environment diploma so I’m pretty up to date with the issues.
Nathalie will have a different and interesting perspective on this as she is experiencing global warming at first hand in Kuwait in temperatures rising to 50C!
The environment is an area ripe for discussion as, although global warming as a phenomenon is no longer particularly contentious as an issue, what we should be doing about it, how much we should be spending and should we be fracking, going nuclear etc are very controversial.
Our mission is to use the best of contemporary resources available; here’s an example of an excellent set of animations which help explain various aspects of the topic. There are lots more fascinating and stimulating resources in the pipeline.
Voir l’animation Les grandes dates de l’énergie sur www.cea.fr
Wednesday 4 January 2012
French films on Alevelfrench.com
Over the last few months I've been sifting through Amazon, Imdb and Allocinema trying to come up with the best possible offering of films for www.alevelfrench.com
We've finally come up with a formula two Truffaut films, les 400 coups and La nuit américaine. Les 400 coups is still so incredibly fresh in many ways and the black is white is so colourful! I just love the story within a story format of La nuit americaine which reminds me of Wagon's East which was finished off despite the death of John Candy. Either or both of these films repays study enormously.
Alevelfrench.com/home is also the home of the Claude Berri films Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources which really do need to both be viewed even if one is studying them both. There's an element of Thomas Hardy tragedy in these Pagnol written stories-Thomas Hardy but with sunshine. The haunting melodies with the harsh but beautiful landscapes are still a treasure so many years on. We now have the recent fille du puisatier to tempt us as well.
The third two are from Louis Malle. I first saw Lacombe Lucien in my first week or two at York uni and had only seen it again once. This tale of a young peasant lad drawn unwittingly into becoming a gestapo collaborator is very thought provoking. It was such a pleasure to revisit it and I'm sure people who have been doing Au revoir les enfants would appreciate a change with the resources on alevelfrench.com With all the drama of the Arab spring I decided that Milou en mai would make an an excellent second Malle film. A little risqué in parts perhaps but this multilayered film is a masterpeace with a family tragedy playing out with the background of the mai 68 riots.
Independent learning is often talked about but not so often practised. With alevelfrench.com you can do a mixture of literature and language in your class without worrying about students not having enough support. L'étranger, Un Sac de billes, Kiffe Kiffe Demain, Bonjour Tristesse, Le silence de la mer, Les petits enfants du siècle and No et moi have the same or similar exercises to the films with the same grammar covered in context.
We've finally come up with a formula two Truffaut films, les 400 coups and La nuit américaine. Les 400 coups is still so incredibly fresh in many ways and the black is white is so colourful! I just love the story within a story format of La nuit americaine which reminds me of Wagon's East which was finished off despite the death of John Candy. Either or both of these films repays study enormously.
Alevelfrench.com/home is also the home of the Claude Berri films Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources which really do need to both be viewed even if one is studying them both. There's an element of Thomas Hardy tragedy in these Pagnol written stories-Thomas Hardy but with sunshine. The haunting melodies with the harsh but beautiful landscapes are still a treasure so many years on. We now have the recent fille du puisatier to tempt us as well.
The third two are from Louis Malle. I first saw Lacombe Lucien in my first week or two at York uni and had only seen it again once. This tale of a young peasant lad drawn unwittingly into becoming a gestapo collaborator is very thought provoking. It was such a pleasure to revisit it and I'm sure people who have been doing Au revoir les enfants would appreciate a change with the resources on alevelfrench.com With all the drama of the Arab spring I decided that Milou en mai would make an an excellent second Malle film. A little risqué in parts perhaps but this multilayered film is a masterpeace with a family tragedy playing out with the background of the mai 68 riots.
Independent learning is often talked about but not so often practised. With alevelfrench.com you can do a mixture of literature and language in your class without worrying about students not having enough support. L'étranger, Un Sac de billes, Kiffe Kiffe Demain, Bonjour Tristesse, Le silence de la mer, Les petits enfants du siècle and No et moi have the same or similar exercises to the films with the same grammar covered in context.
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