IV. Entertainment

1. This captivating world of cinema

There was a time when people knew what to do to enjoy themselves: they played games, sang, played musical instruments, went out shooting. Nowadays we can get entertained by the TV, the radio, the theatre or the cinema.

There is no doubt that the first half of the 20^th century is associated with inventing of cinema. In spite of the subsequent development of the technical progress cinema continues to influence the society at a very high extent. The impact of the cinema on the people’s life is great. The film as a social and cultural phenomenon continues to be one of the prime sources of entertainment.

In 1995, there was a centenary celebration of cinematography. A century before, the Lumiere brothers made their first three-minute films, which were demonstrated to the public on the 28^th of December, 1895. This demonstration marked a new era – the era of cinematography. It rapidly spread all over the world and turned into one of the most popular arts and entertainments.

The twentieth century is the century of cinematography. For a long time, there have been disputes whether the cinema is an art or just an entertainment. Nowadays the cinema is considered to be one of the main contemporary arts.

Lots of people find going to the cinema one of the best ways of spending their leisure time. The movie audience is predominantly a young one. Due to numerous video facilities, cinema attendances have declined sharply. But there is no denying the fact that the cinema-going habit is still a strong one. No matter how large the place you live in is, there is most likely to be a cinema there.

There are different kinds of films: documentary, popular-science and feature films. A lot of children and adults are fond of cartoons. Films can be black and white or color, wide-screen or wide-framed. You can watch historical films, crime stories, a comedy or an action film, a horror film or a musical. It all depends on your taste.

Task I. Answer the questions.

1. Does the cinema influence the society in any way?

2. When was the first film made?

3. Is the cinema an art or just an entertainment?

4. Why have cinema attendances declined sharply?

5. What genres of feature films are there?

6. Are you fond of going to the cinema?

2. The cinema in new york

When a New Yorker goes to the cinema, he expects to see a large program: a newsreel, a cartoon, a documentary, and a feature film. Sometimes two feature films are included in the program. Foreign films are shown with subtitles or are dubbed into English.

The program may have one or two intervals during which refreshments of all kinds are offered. In some American cinemas there is a continuous showing of the program from opening till closing time. In that case exact show times are not fixed and the seats are not reserved. You may enter or leave the hall any time during the show and take any seat you like.

A great number of various films are released in the USA every year. Hollywood-released films differ in genre as well as in artistic value. Hollywood’s early films were westerns (with their fast action, uncomplicated heroes, and clear-cut conflicts between good and evil); horror films (with mysterious and supernatural happenings, ghosts and monsters); comedies (very often not in good taste and even vulgar). Then there were romantic films (which showed life as it could be lived in one’s imagination and made the viewer escape from reality into a dream world).

Musicals (which like westerns are a wholly American production, created and developed in Hollywood) are still popular with cinema-goers.

There are films based on novels (so-called adaptations, that is, novels adapted for the screen) and films which deal with historical events. In such films you see the familiar characters brought to life and you feel satisfied if they look exactly as you pictured them.

Hollywood that was justly accused of creating a dream world, which had nothing in common with reality, has changed greatly since the time of westerns. American films of today are realistic and up-to-date. For instance, science fiction films, which took the place of horror films, offer the viewer flying saucers, extraterrestrial living beings, space battles and explosions of planets. They introduce to lovers of science fiction computers and robots going mad and attacking their creators, ugly creatures born of mutation and devastating super weapons. Gangster films are often inspired by the gloomy front page stories. Many of the films raise urgent problems facing contemporary society and give food for thought. The screen examines the causes of criminal behavior and suggests that bad characters are often the result of the circumstances and environment. The idea that science threatens man is often stressed. It is suggested that human control of science may cause great disasters and in the end lead to the destruction of the world.

Most American films are made with great professional skill. Camera work, setting and acting are usually excellent. But there are also cheap second-rate films, which critics call stupid, badly written and badly directed. Such films, as they say, are neither instructive nor entertaining. Well, critics know best, but one thing is certain: there is too much sex, cruelty and violence on the American screen. More than is good for the viewer, in fact.

Task I. Ask questions so that the sentences given below could serve as answers.

1. No, it would be tiring to see such a large program.

2. As it would be not interesting to see a film without understanding what people speak about.

3. Musicals are still popular with the cinema-goers.

4. They are called adaptations.

5. Urgent problems facing contemporary society.

6. Ugly creatures born of mutation and devastating super weapons.

7. They are neither instructive nor entertaining.

8. The idea that science threatens man.

Task II. Translate into English.

Ежегодно в Соединенных Штатах выпускается огромное количество фильмов. Выпускаемые в Голливуде фильмы различны по своему жанру и художественной ценности. Голливуд справедливо упрекали в том, что он создает на экране мир грез, который не имеет ничего общего с действительностью. Сейчас продукция Голливуда изменилась. Сегодня большинство американских фильмов современны и реалистичны. Они поднимают важные социальные вопросы, стоящие перед американским обществом. Экран исследует причины криминальных поступков и высказывает мысль о том, что отрицательные персонажи порождаются окружающей обстановкой. Научно-фантастические фильмы акцентируют предположение, что огромные достижения человечества могут в конечном итоге привести мир к катастрофе.

Конечно, выпускается также большое количество второразрядных фильмов, не являющихся ни познавательными, ни занимательными. Но в любом случае постановка, съемки и игра актеров обычно на высоте.

Task III. Read the definitions and match them with the types of films.

1. Any non-Russian film.	a. an adventure film
2. An amusing film full of songs and dancing.	b. a cartoon
3. Also called an animated film. It is made by photographing drawing rather than using live actors	c. a comedy
4. A film dealing with life in the western part of the US in the times of wars with the Red Indians, or one with cowboys, rustlers, sheriffs, etc.	d. a documentary
5. A film where the main aim is to terrify the audience.	e. a foreign film
6. A very dramatic film where tension and suspense is deliberately maintained and is a central feature of the plot.	f. a musical
7. The action of this film is set in the future, it often deals with space travel, robots, etc.	g. horror film
8. The characters of this film get involved in a series of events which are unusual, exciting, and perhaps dangerous.	h. thriller
9. A film, which shows some aspects of human or social activity, or gives information about a particular subject.	i. a science-fiction film
10. A funny film, which sets out to make audience laugh.	j. a western