MFL DVD ResourceTOPIC: SOCIAL ISSUES

Au Revoir les EnfantsAu Revoir Les Enfants is Louis Malle’s film about lifein a French boarding school during WWII.

Excerpt from the film: 59:19 > 01:02:19Père Jean gives a sermonto the schoolboys and theirfamilies on the importanceof being charitable.

Au Revoir les Enfants• Research the ethnic, religious and cultural make up of France and the impact changes have been having on French

traditions in recent times.

• Discuss what you have discovered.

• Describe the congregation and the atmosphere inside the church.

• Try to summarise in your own words the messages in the sermon.

• Research for a group presentation the various traditions/ ceremonies/steps in a religion of your choice.

• Père Jean, the headmaster of Julien’s school, gives a sermon to the schoolboys and their families on the importance of

being charitable, to the offence of some. Why do you think one man walks out?

Au Revoir les Enfants

Entre Les Murs

This is a semi-autobiographical account of François Marin’sexperiences as a French language and literature teacherin a middle school in the 20th arrondissement of Paris.

Excerpt from the film: 47:53 > 48:48 Esmeralda reluctantly reads out her ‘self portrait’about her homelife and her plansfor the future.

Entre Les Murs• Introduce yourself in a similar style. What might be

controversial about you to your classmates? What might surprise them?

• Is it right for the teacher always to pick up on any use of more informal registers? Why/why not? Why do you think François insists it is important?

Entre Les Murs• How do you think her home life has affected her aspirations? What does her comment about the police suggest?

• Do you think that François is correct when he tells her to write in

standard French, or should she be able to choose how to express

herself?

Entre Les MursExcerpt from the film: 01.16.35 > 01.17.32Carl explains why he supports the French football team.

Entre Les Murs• During a class discussion one of the boys starts to talk about the African Cup of Nations, a football competition about to begin. He is clearly annoyed that some of the other boys seem to regard it as very important whereas he clearly doesn’t.

• Why do you think that he is immediately confronted with the question about whom he supports? What might this mean?

Entre Les Murs• The discussion quickly degenerates into an argument about nationality. Why do you think this gets so heated so quickly?

• Do you think it was a good idea for the teacher to allow this type of discussion to happen in the classroom? What are the arguments both for and against this?

La Haine

La Haine was written, co-edited, and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz.It is about three teenage friends and their struggle to livein the banlieues (outskirts) of Paris.

Excerpt from the film: 01:08 > 05:10Opening creditsof the film.

La Haine• What is happening in this scene? Where is this happening?

• What do you think is the tone of the news report?

• You are a journalist living in the area where the riots took place.

Write a report for your newspaper describing the events and giving your opinions.

OR

• Imagine the conversation that takes place between two elderly residents of this area the morning after the riots. What were

their experiences? What do they think? How do they see the future?

La Haine• This is the opening scene of the film which shows the riot scene in Paris. Describe what is going on. Why do you think this is happening?

• How do you think the media portray the events? Are they on the side of the police or the protagonists?

• What impression is given by using black and white in the film? How does the music affect this scene? Do you think it’s real news footage, and why?

Persepolis

Persepolis is the poignant story of a young girl in Iran duringthe Islamic Revolution.

Excerpt from the film: 49:45 > 51:29Marji introduces herself as French

Persepolis• Watch the clip and in pairs discuss why you think Marji said she was French and her reaction afterwards.

• In pairs write thought bubbles for Marji to show what she was thinking when she said she was French and what she was thinking when she got annoyed with the Austrian girls.

Persepolis• What do you feel makes someone feel that they belong to a particular nation or society?

• What have you done, or what might you do, to ‘fit in’ with a social group?