The Guardian Film Recap The Golden Compass and Fantastic Mr Fox Higher Close Reading Homework

The Film Recap Series Every week, the Guardian select a film that is going to be shown on TV. They do a recap BEFORE it’s on and also ocassionally do a Tweet-along as the film is on TV. Here you have 2 examples – one the writer hated and one he loved.

First up…The Golden Compass Total Marks - 20

The Golden Compass The Golden Compass was released in 2007 and was widely panned. It is based on the books of Philip Pullman which were incredibly popular and quite controversial. Here the writer tries to work out what made it such a bad film.

Question 1 Explain fully how the writer creates an effective opening to the passage in paragraph 1.4E

Question 2 How does the writer’s use of sentence structure in paragraph 2 help convey his opinion about Philip Pullman’s books? 2A

Question 3 Summarise the main reason for the film’s failure stated in paragraph 3.2U

Question 4 Explain the benefits of the writer’s use of sentence structure in the latter half of paragraph 3.2A

Question 5 How does the writer use language to express his distaste for The Golden Compass in paragraph 4?6A

Question 6 Comment on the writer’s use of imagery in paragraph 5. Select either example and show how the writer has used it to his advantage.2A

Question 7 What does the writer argue is the final reason the film was so bad?2U

Next…Fantastic Mr Fox Total Marks - 20

Fantastic Mr Fox Released in 2009, Fantastic Mr Fox is based on the book by Roald Dahl. It is made with stop-motion animation. Here the writer explains why the film is worth a second watch… …And a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. In my opinion anyway!

And it had a little clay Jarvis Cocker! Who wouldn’t love this wee cheery song?! CyyTshttp:// CyyTs

Question 1 Explain the contrast between Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl as presented in paragraph 1.2A

Question 2 How did Anderson tailor the story to suit his tastes (paragraph 2)?1U

Question 3 Summarise what kind of character Anderson has created in Fantastic Mr Fox. 5U

Question 4 Comment on the writer’s use of tone in paragraph 5. Justify your answer.2A

Question 5 In what ways is a second watch of the film rewarding?2U

Question 6 How does the writer use language to create an image of Willem Defoe’s character?2A

Question 7 What is the writer implying in paragraph 7? 2E

Question 8 Referring to any of the points in the “Observations” section, explain how the writer conveys his admiration for the film through either ideas or style.4E