UNIT 3

CINEMA AND THEATRE

Exercise 1. Read the information and learn the essential terms by heart.
At the cinema films (movies) are shown on a screen. In our country, films made in English may have
subtitles (a written translation at the bottom of the screen), or they are dubbed (the English is replaced by
actors speaking the words in our own language).
The person who makes the films is the director, e.g. Steven Spielberg. All the actors are a cast of the film.
Famous actors are often called film stars (or stars), e.g. Julia Roberts.
Types of film
war film, e.g. Apocalypses Now; Platoon action film, e.g. Indiana Jones
romance - a love story about a relationship horror film, e.g. Dracula
thriller – interesting and exciting; often about crime comedy – funny film; makes you laugh
disaster movie, e.g. Titanic romantic comedy – love story and funny

Describing plays and films

Journalists who write about films and plays are called critics, and their articles are called reviews. These are
some common words they use:
brilliant/superb – fantastic acting a slow film - boring
very moving – has a big effect on our emotions; a gripping story – exciting
often sad
violent scenes – scenes including fighting and death good fun – enjoyable but not serious
an awful/dreadful film – terrible a complex plot – story with many ideas

Exercise 2. Match the English cinema words with their Ukrainian equivalents.
1. animation a) мультиплікаційний фільм
2. feature film b) вестерн, ковбойський фільм
3. documentary c) дубльований фільм
4. cartoon d) рецензія на фільм
5. adventure film e) анімація
6. musical (film) f) сюжет
7. western g) художній фільм
8. horror film h) документальний фільм
9. dubbed film i) пригодницький фільм
10. film review j) музичний фільм
11. plot k) фільм жахів
Exercise 3. a) Rank the film genres from the previous exercises according to your preferences. Put 1
next to your most favourite; b) Look at the list again and write which films would appeal to the following
categories of people:
• non-intellectual teenagers-
• middle-aged housewives-
• university students-
• ten-year-old children-
• elderly professors-
Exercise 4. Study additional information related to cinema and theatre.
Telling the story: screenplay
The film is set (happens) in the 1920s. It’s about (the subject / story is) a young man from a poor
background (family history and situations), who meets a girl and they fall in love. But her family don’t
accept him, so they run away (go to another place to be away from the parents). At first (in the beginning)
everything is fine, but then things go wrong (problems appear in their situation) and she has to leave him or
they will be unhappy.
Inside a theatre: Plays and musicals

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At the theatre you can see plays, e.g. Hamlet, written by Shakespeare; or musical, e.g. Phantom of the
Opera, written by Andrew Lloyd Weber. You usually book (reserve) – tickets in advance (some time before
you see they play).When you see the play (or film), it is called a performance, e.g. The evening
performance usually starts at 8 p.m. People in the theatre or cinema are called audience.
Exercise 5. Match the theatre terms with their Ukrainian equivalents.
1. box a) партер
2. stage b) білетер
3. stalls c) сцена
4. circle d) прем’єра
5. aisle [ail] e) глядачі, публіка
6. row f) прохід між рядами театру
7. curtains g) ложа
8. audience h) ярус, балкон
9. usher i) ряд
10. first night j) денний спектакль або концерт
11. matinee [mætinei] k) завіса

Exercise 6. Match the following questions and answers.

11. What does a theatre begin with? a) The usher sells the programmes and
shows us to our seats.
22. What do we do in the cloak-room? 2. b)They do it to see the cast of the play.

3. What does the usher do? 3. c) We can see the portraits of actors.

54. Why do spectators buy programmes?4, d) A theatre begins with the cloak-room.

65. Where do the spectators walk during 6. e) We can do it in the refreshment room.
an intermission?

76. What can we see on the walls of the 7. f) We leave our coats and hats with the
foyer? cloak-room attendant.

87. Where can we buy a drink or a snack?8. g) They go to the foyer.

Exercise 7. Fill in prepositions where necessary.

1. Last night Mr. and Mrs. Smith went ______ the theatre. When they approached ______ the
theatre, they saw some people standing ______ the entrance, waiting ______ their friends. Mr. and
Mrs. Smith went ______. First of all they went______ ______ the box-office and asked ______ two
seats ______ the dress-circle. But the dress-circle seats were sold and they were offered two seats
______ the tenth row ______ the stalls. Then they went ______ the cloak-room and left their coats
and hats ______ the cloak-room attendant. After that they went ______ _______ the usher and
bought the programme. The usher showed them ______ their seats.
2. What’s ______ ______ the Opera and Ballet House tonight?
3. I am not much ______ a theatre-goer.
4. My sister is fond ______ ballet.
5. Did you buy tickets ______ advance or ______ the day ______ the performance?"
6. We are going ______ the theatre tomorrow. Would you like to join ______ us?
7. The play was a success ______ the public.
Exercise 8. Read and translate the text.

Text 1
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 THEATRE AND CINEMA IN UKRAINE
Interest in the arts used to be largely confined to a small elite. Compared with previous years far less
people today read books, visit art galleries, go to the theatre, cinema, attend concerts. They prefer their
television, internet, videos and other free time activities. The arts in Ukraine are met with a mixture of public
apathy and private enthusiasm. Publicly, the arts are accepted and tolerated, but not actively encouraged. To
great regret, government financial support for the arts is very low, it should be driven by “market forces”.
This process has resulted in the decline of many theatres and film studios.
The theatre has always been very strong in our country. Its centre is of course, Kiev, where
successful plays can sometimes run without a break, for many years. Every large town in Ukraine has its
theatre. Even small towns often have “repertory” theatres, where different plays are performed for short
periods by the same group of professional actors. Theatre is the only place that gives a safe opportunity to
look behind the mask of accepted social behaviour. The country’s most successful and respected playwrights
are usually those, who reveal the inner world of personality, expose and explore the darker side of
personality and personal relationships (often through comedy). Productions of this sort practically always
call the highest praise from the public and the critics and arouse a feeling of admiration. Ukrainian theatre-
goers have got used to repertory surprises.
In contrast, the cinema is often regarded as not quite part of “the arts” at all – it’s simply
entertainment. Partly for this reason almost no financial help is given to film industry in Ukraine. Although
cinema-going is a regular habit for a number of people, the pace of film industry is rather slow in our
country. Film directors often have to go somewhere, because the resources they need are not available in
Ukraine. As a result, comparatively few films of high quality are made in the country. Odessa film studio,
Dovzhenko film studio are short of money and practically unable to make films.
Exercise 9. Remember your last visit to the theatre and answer the questions.
1. Do you often go to the theatre or to the cinema?
2. When did you visit theatre last time?
3. What performance did you see?
4. Did you sit in the stalls or circle?
5. Which row were you in?
6. Were you next to an aisle?
7. Did you have a good view of the stage?
Exercise 10. Match the words on the left with the best definition on the right and memorize them.
1. violent a) very exciting
2. moving b) terrible
3. complex c) fantastic
4. gripping d) lots of fighting
5. funny e) very enjoyable
6. good fun f) lots of different ideas
7. dreadful g) sad and emotional
8. superb h) it makes you laugh

Exercise 11. Read and translate the following short conversations. Underline the new theatre and cinema
terms and memorize them. Act out the conversations.
I
A: What are you going to do?
В: Oh, perhaps I’ll go to the cinema. What about going together with me?
A: Certainly. That's a good idea. You know I’m a great cinema-goer. I’m always ready to go to the pictures
(cinema)
В: Well, what’s on at the pictures? It should be in the local paper.
A: Oh, yes, here we are. “The Black Swan”.
В: I’ve seen that already. It was a success with the public.
A: Who is the producer of the film?
В: I’m sorry, but I don’t remember.
II
A: Would you like to go to the theatre with me?
B: What performance are you going to? Matinee, or evening one?
A: I’m going to a matinee performance.
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B: I’m sorry. I’d love to go with you, but I can’t. I am busy.
A: I’m very sorry. I have two stalls in the middle of row 3.
Exercise 12. Read and translate the text. Give it a headline.

Text 2
Nowadays, foreign films with comic book heroes like superman or real life heroes like James Bond
are widely spread on screens in Ukraine. Films with superheroes are big business. They make a lot of money,
as they are very popular. There are two reasons for their popularity. The first is that visually these films are
very spectacular, they have amazing special effects. George Lucas set the trend when he made “Star Wars”
in 1977. The huge spaceships and the creatures from different planets all look real. Modern director can use
all sorts of computer techniques. Special effects are used not only in science fiction films. They are used in
different action, adventure and war films like “Rambo”. These films are not so spectacular as “Star Wars”,
but they have incredible stunts and are very exciting. So, technically these films are very complicated, but
their plots are very simple. These films are based on a very simple idea of the conflict between good and
evil. And in the end the good guys always win. Happy end attracts people because in real life nothing is
simple. People are tired of routine, of their monotonous grey life. When they watch films of this sort, they
escape from reality, relax, forget their problems. Besides, they don’t give much thinking watching films
where everything is clear. The heroes are good and the villains are bad. Moreover, heroes are good-looking
and have high moral standards. They are rough and tough, but gentle. They don’t think of themselves, never
hurt women, children, animals. When people watch these films they identify themselves with all these
heroes, they would like to be.
It’s great we’ve got a chance to get acquainted with cinematograph of the world, but it would be
right to renew our own film production in Ukraine and present it to the world in its original greatness and
glory.
Exercise 13. Are the statements on the texts 1 and 2 true or false? Correct the false ones if there are any.
1. Most Ukrainians prefer to read books, visit art galleries and go to the theatre.
2. Government financial support for theatres and film studios has reduced in Ukraine.
3. Every large town in Ukraine has its “repertory” theatre.
4. Spectators enjoy revealing the inner world of personality and personal relationships.
5. Comedies always call the highest praise from the public and the critics.
6. Film studios are short of money because the cinema is not regarded as “the arts” in Ukraine.
7. Films with superheroes are always gripping.
8. Computer techniques and special effects make films very exciting.
9. The screenplays of action films are always very complicated.
10. Happy end attracts viewers because they don’t want to think much when watching films.
Exercise 14. What cinema and theatre terms are being defined?
1. A play or film, and part of the story is sung to music.
2. The people who watch a play at the theatre.
3. The person who makes a film.
4. Journalists who write articles about films and plays.
5. The name of the articles they write.
6. The translation of the words of a film across the bottom of the screen.
7. To reserve tickets before the performance.
8. The most important actors in a film.
Exercise 15. Complete these sentences describing parts of the story of different books and films.
1. The film is ______________ in the 1940s, during the Second World War.
2. At the beginning, Paul meets Jennifer in bookshop and they fall in ______________.
3. The film is ______________ two women who drive across America.
4. The main character is young, clever and comes from a very rich ______________.
5. The couple are too young to marry, and their parents are very unhappy about the relationship, so they run
______________.
6. In this film the husband loses money gambling, but ______________ first his wife knows nothing about it.
7. At the beginning, the company is successful, but then things start going ______________.
8. There’s a love story in it, and it’s very funny. I suppose you’d call it a ______________.
Exercise 16. Read the text and do the tasks after it.
Text 3
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 CINEMA MUSIC
From the earliest days of the movies, films have traditionally used music to heighten the drama of
the action on screen. The first cinemas were equipped with a piano or an organ, and the silent films of the
1920s had live musical accompaniment. The pianist or organist had to watch the screen closely all the time to
make sure that the music he or she was playing matched the action of the film.
With the arrival of sound, it became possible to put music as well as dialogue onto film’s soundtrack.
It is difficult to think of a single film made since then without some sort of background music. Film musicals
were spectacularly popular from the 1930s to the 1960s. Extravagant screen productions of popular stage
musicals such as Oklahoma (1955) and My Fair Lady (1964) was involving hundreds of singers and dancers.
Although it became less popular at the end of the 20th century, the film musical has recently been revived
through box-office successes such as Moulin Rouge (2001) with Nicole Kidman, and Chicago (2003) with
Renee Zellweger.
Film music has also become popular away from the cinema. Many soundtracks become best-selling
records, and film scores are now studied seriously and played by classical orchestras and radio stations. The
most famous and popular film music in recent years has often been the scores of epic or science-fiction films
such as Star Wars (1977), ET (1982), Gladiator (2000) and The Lord of the Rings (2001), many of which
have been composed by American composer John Williams.
score – music specially written for the film; to heighten – to make or become more intense;
soundtrack – the recorded version of a film’s sound (especially its music)
Exercise 17. Answer these questions about the text in writing.
1. What sort of instruments used to accompany old silent films?
2. What did the musician have to do while he or she played?
3. When did film musicals start to lose popularity?
4. Which two modern films have helped to make the musical popular again?
5. Which types of film tend to have commercially successful scores?
Exercise 18. Here are the best soundtracks of all times (chosen by listeners of Britain’s Classic FM radio
station). Look at the Classic FM list of top ten film scores. How many of the films have you seen? How
many have scores written by John Williams?
1. The Lord of the Rings (Howard Shore 2001) 6. ET (John Williams 1982)
2. Star Wars (John Williams 1977) 7. Out of Africa (John Barry 1985)
3. Schindler’s List (John Williams 1993) 8. Lawrence of Arabia (Maurice Jarre 1962)
4. The Empire Strikes Back (John Williams 1980) 9. Dances with Wolves (John Barry 1990)
5. Gladiator (Hans Zimmer 2000) 10. Titanic (James Horner 1997)
Writing task: Write a paragraph about a film that you particularly liked because of its music or its songs.
Mention who wrote the music, and how it added to the general effect of the film. Bring a soundtrack to
class to enjoy it together with your groupmates.
Exercise 19. Choose the right word.
Films
1. They all sat in the fourth _____________ of the cinema.
a) bench b) line c) rank d) row
2. Lawrence Olivier gave an excellent ______________ in the film.
a) act b) character c) performance d) play
3. There was an interesting _____________ of the film in the paper last week.
a) comment b) resume c) revision d) review
4. What time is the first _____________ of the film?
a) act b) performance c) programme d) show
5. The latest video _____________ contains details of over one thousand films.
a) brochure b) catalogue c) leaflet d) prospectus
6. I found the last scene extremely _____________ and well-directed.
a) moving b) pathetic c) pitiful d) sympathetic
7. This film is not ____________ for children.
a) adopted b) agreeable c) right d) suitable

Exercise 20. Choose the correct words or expressions in bold to complete this text. There is an example at
the beginning . At the cinema
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 Last week I saw an excellent film/ performance at the new cinema on the High Street. It’s one
of those huge (1) multi-screen / many-screen complexes where there is always a (2) collection /
selection of ten films to choose from.
There was quite a long queue at the box (3) office / kiosk, but I got my (4) ticket / card (which
also included free (5) admit / admission to the Museum of Modern Film in London as part of a special
(6) promote / promotion) and went into the (7) arena / auditorium, where the (8) usher / porter helped
me to find my seat.
The lights went (9) down / up, but before the film started we watched some (10) trailers /
previews for forthcoming films, and some (11) promotions / advertisements for soft drinks and fast food
restaurants.
The film was a (12) drama / dramatic called “House of the Horse”, and is currently on general
(13) release / exhibition at cinemas across the country. It (14) stars / shows actor Brad Gibson in the
(15) role / place of a man who loses his job and decides to breed racehorses. Gibson gave an excellent
(16) perform / performance, the (17) soundtrack / orchestra was very moving and some of the special
(18) effects / affects were great. The (19) audience / spectators enjoyed it a great deal and although I
don’t usually like this kind of film - I prefer (20) thrillers / thrillings, (21) horrible / horror movies and
(22) comedians / comedies, - I found it very (23) enjoyable / enjoying. Unfortunately the newspapers
(24) critics / criticisms weren’t so positive; they thought it was (25) boring / bored and generally gave
it very negative (26) reviews / previews.
Exercise 21. FILM. Answer the clues.

__ __ __ __ __ __ 1C

2 __ __ __ __ I __ __ __ __

3 __ __ __ __ __ N __

4 __ __ __ __ __ __ E __

5 __ __ __ __ M __ __ __ __ __ __

6 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ A __

1. animated movie
2. translation of the dialogue of a foreign film printed on the film
3. replacing the original voice sound-track of a film with a translation into a different language
4. interesting and exciting adventure film about crime, black magic, etc.
5. a film showing some aspect of human or social activity
6. the script of the film
Exercise 22. Look at the following descriptions of places we go to or things we see during our free time.
For each passage, decide what is being described from the box below. Underline the words in each
passage that helped you decide. Be careful: there are some things in the box which do not fit in any of the
categories. There is an example at the beginning .
Entertainment.
a party a football match
a television programme a film
a play a circus
a radio programme a rock concert
Model: The floor was packed with people enjoying DJ Catman Morris and his team spinning the latest
sounds. Lights flashed as the dancers worked themselves into a frenzy. a night club
1. As the players walked onto the pitch, the spectators went wild, chanting and singing in support of their
favourite team. __________________
2. The audience downstairs in the stalls, and those upstairs in the circle went quiet as the curtain opened to
reveal the stage. The lights came up and the cast made their first appearance. __________________
3. This has been a major box office success. The special effects are spectacular and the soundtrack is loud
and exciting. The director will probably receive an Oscar for his work, and the main actors have received a
lot of praise for their performance. It is currently on general release across the country. ________________

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4. Good evening viewers, and welcome to a new series of the quiz show that promises to make somebody
very rich. Here’s your host for tonight ... Chris Smugman! ________________
5. I love watching the clowns and the acrobats, but I can't stand watching animals being made to perform. I
think it’s very cruel. ________________
6. Hello again listeners, and welcome to today’s edition of “On the Air”. In the studio I have with me one of
our most famous presenters and broadcasters, Bob Jenkins. ________________

Exercise 23. Choose the right word.

Television
1. Did you see that _____________ about wildlife in Africa on television last week?
a) documentary b) history c) slapstick d) soap opera
2. All three TV channels provide extensive _____________ of sporting events.
a) broadcast b) coverage c) network d) vision
3. We hope to bring you further news of this in our next _____________ at midnight.
a) article b) bulletin c) episode d) piece
4. We covered a wide _____________ of topics in the interview.
a) collection b) extend c) number d) range
5. TVP Channel One tries to _____________ for all tastes.
a) cater b) furnish c) regard d) suit
6. We are interrupting this programme for a news _____________.
a) alarm b) alert c) flash d) signal
7. There are several TV _____________ in Ukraine, and all of them allow advertising.
a) broadcasts b) canals c) channels d) screens
8. Violent programmes on TV may have a bad _____________ on children.
a) control b) influence c) power d) pressure
9. The laughter on many comedies on TV isn't real laughter, it’s _____________ laughter.
a) bottled b) canned c) corked d) wrapped
10. The poor reception on your TV is probably due to outside _____________.
a) interception b) interference c) interruption d) intervention

Speaking task: Test your general knowledge of cinema. What kinds of films are these?
1) Pearl Harbor 2) Frankenstein 3) Four Weddings and a Funeral 4) Silence of the Lambs 5) Die Hard
6) Basic Instinct
Have you seen any of these films? If so, use words and phrases from this unit to describe one of them.