2. Look through Text 8 again. Which sentence can be used as a headline for the whole review? Suggest your own variant of the headline also.

3. Does the review correspond to the classical scheme of film analysis (see Appendix 3)? What parts are included and what parts are skipped?

4. List the advantages and disadvantages of The Wizard of Oz 3d conversion pointed out by the author.

5. Paraphrase the following sentences using the new vocabulary.

1) In spite of the wide popularity of 3D movies, some 3D versions turn out to be overloaded with unnecessary fake decorations. 2) Every display of a 3D film attracts a lot of spectators because of amazing visual effects. 3) This director’s last work was shot chiefly in the multicoloured scheme. 4) The film is famous for a decent amount of eye-catching scenes due to the fabulous work of the special effects department. 5) What an exquisite pleasure is to enjoy watching a breathtaking adventure film! 6) The problem is that behind all these 3D tricks the quality of screenplays is getting apparently worse. 7) To the fans’ great delight, the classical film finally got a first-class 3D adaptation. 8) The modern computer technologies endow all the film industry masterpieces with the unequaled clearness of the picture. 9) All thinkable up-to-date technical achievements are available in Hollywood. 10) Impressed with the final scene of that wonderful love story, she began to cry and her tears completely blurred the image. 11) His acting work in this soap-opera is regarded by critics as one more example of botchery. 12) The film is perfect in every detail except for the only flaw: the unnaturalness of the scenery spoils the whole impression.

6. Using the new vocabulary make up 10 sentences of your own (5 in English, 5 in Russian) for your group-mates to translate.

Video

VIDEO 6

(“The Wizard of Oz”, 1939)

7. Look through the film information (p. 48). Are the listed names familiar to you? What do you know of the director and the actors?

8. Read the following information to find out some facts about them before watching the film:

Victor Fleming (1889-1949)

Victor Fleming entered the film business as a stuntman in 1910, as he had been a mechanic and professional race-car driver. He became interested in working on the other side of the camera, and eventually got a job as a cameraman.

Soon, he began directing, and his first big hit was The Virginian (1929). Fleming’s star continued to rise during the ‘30s, and he was responsible for many of the films that would eventually be considered classics, such as Red Dust (1932), Bombshell (1933), Treasure Island (1934), and the two films that were the high marks of his career: Gone with the Wind (1939) and The Wizard of Oz (1939). Ironically Fleming was brought in on both pictures to replace other directors and smooth out the troubled productions, a feat he accomplished masterfully. His career took somewhat of a downturn in the ‘40s, and most of his films, with the exception of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), weren’t particularly successful. He ended his career with the troubled production Joan of Arc (1948), which turned out to be a major critical and financial failure.

Judy Garland (1922-1969)

(Frances Ethel Gumm)

One of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era was born in a family of vaudevillians and from the early childhood travelled across America where she would perform in nightclubs, cabarets, hotels and theaters solo.

In September, 1935 she was signed by Louis B. Mayer, mogul of leading film studio MGM, after hearing her sing and her name was changed from Frances Gumm to Judy Garland. MGM set to work preparing various musicals with which to keep Judy busy. All this had its toll on the young teenager, and she was given numerous pills by the studio doctors in order to combat her tiredness. This soon resulted in her lifelong drug addiction.

In 1939, Judy shot immediately to stardom with The Wizard of Oz. Her poignant performance and sweet delivery of her signature song, ‘Over The Rainbow’, earned Judy a special juvenile Oscar statuette on 29 February 1940 for Best Performance by a Juvenile Actor. She began to play meatier adult roles and eventually became a much-loved character whose warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice, kept theatre-goers entertained with an array of delightful musicals. Her most famous acting works are For Me and My Gal (1942), Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), The Clock (1945), The Pirate (1948), Easter Parade (1948), Summer Stock (1950).