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Q: Do Your Students Watch Western Movies?
Not the saddle and pistol type, but Hollywood movies.
I showed around 20 students aged 15-24 multiple photos of Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey, and none of them knew their names (even in Chinese), and only 2 of them said that they had possibly recognized them.
This has shocked me because most of them say that they watch western movies.
What are your experiences like in this matter? And do you think it is important that they learn more about western movies and actors if they are going overseas? (As it is quite often a social topic.)
11 years 37 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
Some do, but I get the impression they don't really take much on board regarding who the actors are. It tends to be more along the lines of watching western movies because it is seen as cool. Although I was talking to one young university student today who watches movies over the internet, via vpn, and she did have quite a reasonable knowledge about film and music. She said she liked western rock music best of all, even quoting bands like Nirvana. So I guess there are some who are really into the western movie scene but for most it is just the idea of being cool that gets to them.
I don't think it's important for them to get to know western actors but I do have a movie class where I show five minute clips and then have a question sheet for the students to answer and a vocab sheet to introduce new language. Got one tonight in fact: Cool Hand Luke. Students on the whole only know the major blockbusters.
GuilinRaf:
I rarely show movies in class. The few times I do, will be when we have to "make up" a class on a Satruday or Sunday due to a holiday during the week.
Last term, I showed one of my class the Gary Cooper classic "High Noon". At first, they were disappointed that it was an old movie, black and white and that the star was an "old man". However, they soon got very much into it, so much so, that most actually stayed to the very end of the film even though the bell for lunch had already rung.
The next day in class, we had a LOT of discussion from that movie: courage, revenge, gender roles, duty, etc.
Still, the girls wished that the producers had chosen a younger and more handsome actor instead of Garry Cooper... Maybe it is just me, but I dont think he is all that old, do you?
My 17 year old student told me "My favorite porn is American and Japanese".
Does that count?
mArtiAn:
That made me laugh because I had a class of 11 year olds last Friday and I asked them to tell each other 5 things they probably didn't know about themselves, and this one lad said loud and proud "I watch porn and masterbate twice a week." Ahhh, bless, they grow up so fast.
Createach:
LOL and another LOL and a LOL and to make it count........LOL and LOL
they do watch a lot... infact the good ones as well... most of them are available for download/online with english subtitles.. or even dubbed
GuilinRaf:
This is true!
One of my students saw Ingrid Bergman's "For Whom The Bells Toll" last year, and was so inspired by it that she got the book. We spent a very long and happy evening comparing the book to the movie and discussing the Spanish Civil War.
They sometimes do, but also keep in mind that many of the movies they watch are kid's movies, especially animated. Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar and Ice Age are all pretty huge here, but I doubt they know the actors behind the voices.
derek:
Yup, my university students regularly askme if I watch those children's movies too (as the waltz into the classroom with their Tom and Jerry or Spongebob pencil cases.)
Yeah, they are watch them, but I think they mainly like the big action/thriller type with lots of special effects.
One reason is that they use the subtitles, and a lot gets lost in the translation. Especially comedies where understanding the exact words makes a difference. But with shoot up crappy movies like Transformers or Battleship are fine because its probably better to watch them not understanding how cheesy and forced the lines are.
GuilinRaf:
Reminds me of the last Star Wars movie, "Revenge of the Sith". I could not BELIEVE just how bad the writing was. Even now, I still cringe if I dont change the language to Spanish. Yes, a lot gets lost in translation,but this time, it is a good thing!
