THE POWER OF MISE-EN-SCENE

1. Reading.

a)What do you think?

1. What is realism?

2. Can notion of realism vary across cultures and time?

3. What is mise-en-scene?

4. How important is mise-en-scene in a film?

5. Does mise-en scene always create an impression of realism?

b) Read the text and check your answers

Realism

Before we analyze mise-en-scene in detail, one preconception must be brought to light. Just as viewers often remember this or that bit of mise-en-scene from a film, so they often judge mise-en-scene by standards of realism. A car may seem to be realistic for the period the film depicts, or a gesture may not seem realistic because “real people don’t act that way”.

Realism as a standard of value, however, raises several problems. Notions of realism vary across cultures, through time, and even among individuals. Marlon Brando’s acclaimed “realist” performance in the 1954 film On the Waterfront looks stylized today. American critics of the 1910s praised William S.Hart’s Westerns for being realistic, but equally enthusiastic French critics of the 1920s considered the same films to be artificial as a medieval epic. Moreover, realism has become one of the most problematic issues in the philosophy of art. Most important, to insist rigidly on realism for all films can blind us to the vast range of mise-en-scene possibilities.

While one film might indeed use mise-en-scene to create an impression of realism, others might seek very different effects: comic exaggeration, supernatural terror, understated beauty, and any number of other functions. We should analyze mise-en-scene’s fuction in the total film – how it is motivated, how it varies or develops, how it works in relation to other film techniques.

c) Look at the text again. Change the underlined words with the words below in an appropriate form:

consider large change discover matter overestimate unreal importance

2. Grammar.

a) Fill in the gaps with don’t/ doesn’t have to, didn’t have to or won’t have to.

1. Tomorrow is Sunday, so I won’t have to go to university.

2. I’ve already finished my project, so I ___ do it on holidays.

3. We bought a takeaway pizza last night, so we ___ cook dinner.

4. Tom and Mary have got a washing-machine, so they ___ go to the launderette.

5. Steve passed his driving test, so he ___ take it again.

6. Sally is very rich, so she ___ work.

7. They bought tickets in advance, so they ___ wait in the queue.

8. Jane’s mother wakes her up, so she ___ use an alarm clock.

9. I have already read the book, so I ___ read it again.

10. Sam never makes a mess, so he ___ tidy his room very often.

1

b) Fill in the gaps with mustn’t or needn’t/ don’t have to.

1. A; You mustn’t do that again! It was very naughty!

B: I’m sorry.

2. A: Shall I put some petrol in the car?

B: No, you ___. I did this this morning.

3. A: You ___ be late tonight

B: I won’t . I’ll be home early.

4. A: Shall I give you a lift?

B: No, you ___. I’ll go by taxi.

5. A: You ___ forget to pay the bills today.

B: I”ve already done it.

6. A: You ___ lose the money I gave you.

B: I’ll put it in a safe place.

7. A: You ___ buy a gift for Daisy’s birthday.

B: Alright. I’ll just send a card.

8. A; Shall we take a picnic with us on Saturday?

B: No, we ___. We’re going to eat at a restaurant.

c) Choose the correct answer.

1. I (couldn’t/ can’t/ can) understand what he was saying because he was speaking Spanish.

2. Steven (can’t/ can/ could) walk when he was one year old.

3. The door was locked so I (will be able to/ wasn’t able to/ can) go inside.

4. We (has been able to/ haven’t been able to/ can) go out for a meal since we bought the car..

5. When I am older, I (can’t/ have been able to/ will be able to) live by myself.

6. I (will be able to/ could/ can) run faster than my brother now.

7. Jenny (has been able to/ can/ can’t) type since she went to college.

8. I (am able to/ can/ can’t) hear you very well. Please speak louder.

9. We arrived at the shop just as it was closing, so we (are able to/ can/ couldn’t) do our shopping.

10. My brother (can/ can’t/ couldn’t) drive yet. He’s too young.