Academic Vocabulary: Academic Words - Olsen Amy E. 2012

Chapter 24. Film

Well Worth Watching

Classic Movie Comer

If you are looking for a great movie to spend time with this weekend, here are two classics that won't disappoint you, even if you have seen them before.

Wild Strawberries (1957)

Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries has been hailed as a masterpiece, and it is a film that deserves its reputation. Bergman wrote and directed the film. The movie takes viewers into the mind of Isak Borg, an elderly gentleman, as he embarks on a long car trip to receive an honorary degree. The cinematography brilliantly uses black-and-white contrasts to show his disturbed thoughts. Surreal dream sequences take us into his past and into his disconcerted mind. Clocks without hands and an examination room with strange questions are among the unusual experiences Dr. Borg faces. The juxtapositions of old age and youth (both Borg's youth and the young people he meets on his journey) force us, as well as the doctor, to examine life and our actions. As this is a film you will want to discuss after viewing, invite your friends over to share ideas on what the dream sequences might mean and what Bergman may have wanted people to gain from seeing the movie. The film stars Victor Sjostrom, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstand, and Max Von Sydow. Swedish. 90 minutes.

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Psycho (1960)

Alfred Hitchcock's films are a must for the connoisseur of the suspense genre, and Psycho is one of his best films. Whether you have seen it once, twice, or a hundred times, it is worth another viewing, and if you have never seen it, it is about time you did. Hitchcock was marvelously attuned to the darker sides of human nature, and he was able to convey the fears and desires of lust and greed in fascinating images. In the famous shower scene, for example, Hitchcock uses montage to create the suspense. Through careful editing, he creates tension in the audience while barely showing the plunging knife touch the victim. In fact, Hitchcock put seventy-eight short shots together to create the scene. For many people, Psycho epitomizes the suspense movie. It holds all the thrills an audience expects from the unexpected. Hitchcock masterfully used lighting, camera movements, and music to create the terror one craves in a suspense movie, unlike many of the disappointing horror films of today that reveal too much, too fast, and too predictably. Norman Bates continues to reign as one of the scariest characters in film history.

The film stars Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, and Janet Leigh. American. 108 minutes.

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to the reading on page 146, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predictions, check your answers against the Word List on page 151. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

fantastic

the art of motion picture photography

approved enthusiastically

acts of placing close together

disturbed

□ 1. hailed (line 9) ...

□ 2. cinematography (line 18) ...

□ 3. surreal (line 20) ...

□ d. disconcerted (line 21) ...

□ 5. juxtapositions (line 25) ...

Set Two

a style

serves as a typical or perfect example of

a film editing technique

adjusted

a person who can judge the best in a field

□ 6. connoisseur (line 39) ...

□ 7. genre (line 39) ...

□ 8. attuned (line 44) ...

□ 9. montage (line 48) ...

□ 10. epitomizes (line 53) ...

Self-Tests

1 Circle the correct meaning of each vocabulary word.

1. hail: welcome  ignore

2. connoisseur:   unsure of quality judge of the best

3. genre:    a style   an exception

4. montage:   separate   combining to form a whole

5. attune:    adjust   clash

6. epitomize:   typify    conceal

7. disconcerted:  clear    confused

8. surreal:    unreal   factual

9. cinematography:  art of writing  art of motion picture photography

10. juxtaposition:  putting far apart placing close together

Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the drawings.

2 Finish the sentences. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

epitomized

montage

attuned

hailed

connoisseur

disconcerted

surreal

genre

juxtaposition

cinematography

1. My father is a chocolate ...; he will eat nothing but the finest European chocolates.

2. The newspaper reviewer loved the concert; she ... it as the best performance in the symphony's twenty-year history.

3. The ... of scenes on a quiet beach with the freeway traffic really showed that the character needed to escape the pressures of the big city.

4. The vivid colors used in the film caused me to pay at­tention to the ... over the other elements such as music and plot.

5. By being ... to the latest trends, some producers can create a movie that capitalizes on a fad such as skateboarding or disco dancing.

6. It is easy to become ... in today's multiplex theaters; I went to get popcorn and couldn't find my way back without asking an usher for directions.

7. On movie night we make a bowl of popcorn, and we each select a film from our favorite ... to watch. I pick a musical, and my husband chooses an action film.

8. In Battleship Potemkin, Eisenstein's skillful editing of scenes showing the poor treatment of the sailors creates a powerful ... that depicts the men's discontent.

9. The scene where the man threw the puppy off the roof ... his evil nature.

10. It was a(n) ... experience when I woke up in a hotel room and thought I was in my own bedroom.

3 These comments are overheard as people file out of the multiplex movie theater. Match each sentence to the word it best fits. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

genre

montage

surreal

hail

attune

epitomize

disconcerted

connoisseur

juxtaposition

cinematography

1. "The desert scenes were beautifully filmed. They really showed the richness of color in the sand and the sunsets." ...

2. "That was a great film! It's going to be the year's best movie!" ...

3. "Even though it was so strange, I liked it when everyone started flying around and speaking that strange language." ...

4. "Once I got used to the relaxed pace of the movie, I really enjoyed it." ...

5. "I am an expert on horror movies, and I can tell you this was not one of the director's best efforts." ...

6. "It really disturbed me when the movie began jumping back and forth between the past and the present." ...

7. "Next time we stay home and rent Westerns: those are my kind of movies." ...

8. "It was interesting how the blonde woman was standing next to old cars in so many scenes. I think the director was trying to make a point about stereotypes in America." ...

9. "That film is a perfect example of everything I dislike about musicals, especially having people break into a song every ten minutes." ...

10. "I liked the part where the director put the various shots of prison life together to show the boredom of the prisoners."____________ ...

Collocations

Putting a process in sequential order makes it easier to understand how to do it. (Chapter 23)

I was disconcerted by Alfred's suggestion that I wasn't telling the whole truth about what I had done over the weekend. (Chapter 24)

Connotations and Denotations

Introvert and Extrovert (Chapter 23): denotation of introvert—"a shy person"—and of extrovert—"an outgoing person." Depending on your personality type and experiences, your connotation of an introvert might be a quiet person with deep thoughts or a bore. You may see an extrovert as fun and friendly or loud and obnoxious. Picture a person for each type. What is the person doing? Did you picture someone you know? These visualizations may help you understand your connotations for each type.

Interesting Etymologies

Hail (Chapter 24) comes from the Middle English phrase waes haeil, "be healthy." The word was­sail, a drink, also comes from this origin, and it is often drunk during times of well wishing in the December holidays. When a movie is hailed as great, there are well wishes there too. Hail means "to welcome; to call out to" and "to approve enthusiastically."

Interactive Exercise

Answer the following questions.

1. What is your favorite movie genre? ...

2. What might happen in a surreal dream? ...

3. What would look unusual juxtaposed next to a piece of fruit? ...

4. What are you a connoisseur of, or what would you like to be a connoisseur of? ...

5. What can you do to be better attuned to the feelings of others? ...

6. Which movie star do you think epitomizes style? ...

7. What movie do you think has beautiful cinematography? ...

8. What could happen in a movie to make you feel disconcerted? ...

9. What would you hail as a great achievement of humankind? ...

10. If you were to create a montage showing the first day of kindergarten, what are three images you would use? ...

Make It Yours

An important step in learning new vocabulary is to practice using the words. When you feel comfortable with a word's definition. start using the word in your writing and conversations. If you only try to memorize the word for a test. you will likely forget it after the test. Make your acquisition of new vocabulary meaningful by using the words in everyday situations. Also try to connect the word to prior knowledge or experiences. Are there situations you have been in in which the word would be appropriate? Try to integrate the word with your life as much as possible. You will impress your friends and family and feel good about yourself as you show people what you have learned.

Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.