Movie Morning: The appeal of Alexander and non-fiction films

Exploiting non-fiction texts – what resources are available. (p Exploiting non-fiction texts – what resources are available? (p. 13 of your notes) 1) A movie website offering reviews and information about Alexander. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/alexander/ 2) Seminars organised by the School-based Assessment Projects at HKU. If you scroll down to Mr Lawrence Ho’s talk (St Louis School), you can enjoy his experience of promoting a class project on the film Gladiator. http://web.hku.hk/~sbapro/ 3) The film website with information, clips and interviews with those involved in making the film Alexander. http://www.alexander-the-great.co.uk/ 4) BBC website based on the TV documentary featuring Michael Wood (a historian) following in Alexander’s footsteps. http://www.mpt.org/programsinterests/mpt/alexander/sitemap/index.html

Cover of the BBC documentary series Alexander the Great.

Setting the context for Alexander (pp. 2-3 of your notes)

2 million square miles

Using film reviews for promoting classroom discussion (p Using film reviews for promoting classroom discussion (p. 5 of your notes) ‘Alexander the so-so.’ (Fantastica Daily) ‘You could literally chop Alexander up into six 30-minute blocks, reassemble it at random and the movie would make the exact same amount of sense (i.e.none).’ (Efilmcritic.com) ‘Watching this film is like going to a bad history class where the teacher is a poor storyteller.’ (Superacala.com) ‘The epic Troy and King Arthur wanted to be. The difference is that Oliver Stone has a clear vision. He knows you can’t do everything and he knows what he wants.’ (About.com)

Cover of the Penguin Reader Alexander the Great.

Taking a book to film approach (pp. 6-7 of your notes) Exploiting the differences between the written text (Penguin reader) and the movie for SBA. Recounting – (What does the book/film say about Alexander’s death?) Personal opinion – (Does the Alexander described in the book match the character played by Colin Farrell in the film?) Critical thinking – (Which told Alexander’s story better? Why? Explain one difference between the book and the film etc.)

Extending the film and the book (pp. 8-9 of your notes) Different tasks and questions can be set according to the needs and level of our students. Many of these can integrate with other areas of the English curriculum. If Alexander were alive today, who would he be? Problem solving tasks based on the battles and events depicted in the book and film. Projects such as newspapers, diaries, etc.

The role of the narrator The role of the narrator who is also part of the story (Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s closest friends and generals). The narrator provides the viewer with context, comment and conclusions. He also challenges us to think (consider his quote about one of the ‘greatest mysteries’ in Alexander’s story). Most narrators provide commentary from outside the film – the narrator in Alexander does both. How do other bio-pics (see p.10 of your notes) deal with narrative devices?

Are there any questions or comments? The closing scene… Are there any questions or comments?