ADVANCED 1 – BRITANICO GOLD – READING TASK – JAN FEB 2024
You are going to read an article about four famous films. For questions 31-40, choose from the reviews
A-D. The films may be chosen more than once.
.
A. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
This is one of the most suspenseful psychological
thrillers ever produced. This is mainly because of
the shocking characterisations of mass murderers
and the disturbing bargaining game between
Hannibal Lecter (masterfully played by Anthony
Hopkins) and FBI trainee agent Clarice Starling
(Jodie Foster). Hopkins studied several serial killers
to portray Lecter. He does not blink in the film as this
is an aspect he noticed in these criminals. The
Silence of the Lambs was a five-time major
Academy-Award winner, including Best Director,
Jonathan Demme, who is the first (and only) film-
maker to have ever won it for a thriller. The film has
a sequel titled Hannibal, with Hopkins in the main
role. However, Jodie Foster was replaced by
Julianne Moore, who also gave a good performance
as Clarice Starling.
B. Forrest Gump (1994)
Tom Hanks plays Forrest Gump, a mentally-
challenged man in an Oscar-winning performance.
In spite of his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly
charmed life thanks to the way in which his mother
taught him how to deal with it. Without being aware
of it, he is part of many memorable events of the
second half of the 20th century such as teaching
Elvis Presley how to dance, meeting John F.
Kennedy, beating the Chinese national ping pong
team and serving with honour in Vietnam. Forrest
Gump is a movie about emotions and its sweetness
is enough to hold the audience on the edge of their
seats. It won six Academy Awards.
Which review mentions...
a character who had a supportive family?
a film which may have some excesses?
the use of symbolism in the film?
a comparison between the film and other great movies?
a sequel that follows the film’s storyline?
interaction between the main character and some celebrities?
that the writers were uninformed about a historical character?
a scene that might be difficult to forget?
a film which holds a unique Academy Awards record?
someone who investigated real cases to construct their character?
C. Braveheart (1995)
Braveheart is set around 1300 and it is an ambitious
film directed by Mel Gibson. It is based on the
legendary myths regarding William Wallace and his
fight against the English Empire. Little is known about
Wallace except that, according to an old epic poem,
he unified the clans of Scotland and won several
battles before being captured, tortured and executed.
The film met with generally positive reviews.
However, there are some who think Braveheart is
overrated as it is unnecessarily violent, crude and
inaccurate. CNN said the film's depiction of the Battle
of Stirling Bridge was one of the best battles in
cinema history. Braveheart won 5 Academy Awards,
including Best Picture, despite having no acting
nominations.
D. Schindler’s List (1993)
Schindler’s List is considered the best film ever
directed by Steven Spielberg and some reviewers
are of the opinion that the film is up there with
masterpieces such as The Godfather or Citizen
Kane. It is based on the life of Oskar Schindler, a man
who saved the lives of hundreds of Polish-Jewish
refugees by employing them in factories. The film is
primarily shot in black and white to represent the
Holocaust which represented an era of life without
light. The only object that shows colour is a coat worn
by a little girl. The coat embodies the idea that the
awfulness of the Holocaust was obvious to members
of the highest levels of Government. However, they
did nothing about this. The film was the recipient of
seven Oscars.
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