British and American Culture and Films - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

British and American Culture and Films

Day 3

(23 December 2015)Slide2

IMPORTANT

Don’t forget! We will start using this book in class from next Monday (28 December). Slide3

In today’s class we will:

Discuss

Billy Elliot

(and cultural aspects in the movie that surprised or shocked you)

Talk about the British system of government

Talk about the British Monarchy, and its importance to British people

Learn about the three British kings of 1936, and

King George VI

, in particular

Prepare for tomorrow’s movie!Slide4

Attendance Check!Slide5

Billy ElliotSlide6

Mrs

Wilkinson

Billy Elliot

Jackie ElliotSlide7

Grandma

Tony

Michael

Debbie WilkinsonSlide8

Interviewer:

“What

does it feel like when you’re dancing

?”

Billy:

“Don’t

know.

Sorta

feels good.

Sorta

stiff and that, but once I get

going…then I like, forget everything. And…

sorta

disappear.

Sorta

disappear.

Like

I feel a change in my whole body. And I’ve got this fire in my body.

I’m

just there.

Flyin

’ like a bird. Like electricity. Yeah, like electricity

.”

Letter from Billy’s mother scene:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xneaqu_the-letter-from-billy-s-mom-from-billy-elliot-2000_shortfilms

Billy Elliot:

QuotesSlide9

Billy Elliot:

Quotes

Billy

: Miss, you don't fancy me do, do you?

Mrs. Wilkinson

: No, Billy. Funnily enough, I don't. Now piss off!

Billy

: [

smiling

] Piss off yourself

.

Mrs. Wilkinson

: Right, Mr. Braithwaite, "The Sun Will Come Out

Tomorrow." [

to herself

] Fat

chance

!

Dad

: Listen, have you noticed anything weird about our Billy lately?

Tony

: What are you after

like:

a list

?Slide10

Billy Elliot: Cultural Points

Swearing

Taking the mickey (e.g. when Tony gives Billy the fingers when he leaves; Billy calls Michael “You great poof!” )

Lack of sentimentality

Relationship between father and son(s)

Use of “Our” instead of “My” (e.g. “Our Tony”)Slide11

County Durham

Scotland

Wales

Northern

Ireland

England

Billy Elliot:

A DiscussionSlide12

Which

character

did you like most in the movie? Why? 

What things shocked or surprised you in the film about British culture? 

What differences did you notice between your culture and British culture in terms of the family relationships in the film? (For example, father-son, brother-to-brother, grandmother-to-grandson.) 

Who seemed happier in the movie: the working-class miners’ families, or the middle-class family of Billy’s teacher? Why? 

Was there a strong feeling of community among the people who lived in Billy’s town? 

Why do you think Billy’s father was originally so against the idea of Billy becoming a ballet dancer? Would a father in Korea (or China) react the same way, do you think? And what made Billy’s father change his mind? 

What impressed you most about the movie?Slide13

British House of ParliamentSlide14

The British Parliament

There are

650

members of parliament (MPs) in what us called

the House of Commons

, and the two main political parties are the

Conservative Party

and the

Labour

Party

. General

elections are held every five years

(at the latest), and the Conservative Party has been the government since 2010. The leader of the government is called the Prime Minister (not President).

David Cameron, UK Prime Minister since 2010Slide15

The British Monarchy

What do you know about it? How much

power

does the British monarch have?

How long

has the current monarch,

Queen Elizabeth II

, been the Queen?

Alfred the Great (871-899)Slide16

Constitutional Monarchy

The UK has a

constitutional monarchy. That means that although its kings and queens are the

Head of State

, they have

no real power

.

They cannot tell the government what to do.

They can

advise

the Prime Minister (and the Queen has regular meetings with the Prime Minister), but they cannot interfere with the government’s decisions—or publicly express their opinion on government policies.

However, the king or queen does have the power to dismiss the government and call for a new election

. This has only happened

once

—in Australia (part of the British Commonwealth) in 1975. Slide17

British Monarchy: From Victoria to George VI

Victoria (1837-1901)

Edward VII (1901-1910)

George V (1910-1936)

George VI (1936-1952)Slide18

And the present monarch: Elizabeth II Slide19

The British Monarchy

Queen Elizabeth II

(born 1926) has been Queen since her father, King George VI, died in January 1952.

She is the longest-reigning monarch in British history, beating the record of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, on September 9, 2015.

Now 89, she has a good chance of living to a

very

great age, as her mother (known as

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother

) lived from 1900 to 2002!

Queen Elizabeth was voted Greatest British Monarch in a recent poll in the UK.Slide20

The Republican Movement

From time to time, the

Republican Movement in the UK (and also in Australia) has gained popularity, and called for an end to the monarchy. In the first half of the 1990s, the British Royal Family was unpopular because of a number of scandals and divorces within its family, most notably the

break-up of the marriage

between

Prince Charles

(the Queen’s eldest son and the man who will be the next king) and his much-loved wife,

Diana, Princess of Wales

. As a result, many people in the mid-1990s wanted the UK to become a republic.

Today, however, the monarchy is

popular

again, with polls showing that

70-80%

of the British population want to keep it.

The Queen

and her grandsons,

Prince William

and

Prince Harry

, are especially popular.Slide21

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997)

The death of the 36-year-old Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 had an unbelievable impact on the British public. To many British people, the death of Diana was like the death of a saint, and the outpouring of public grief was incredible.

Her funeral was one of the most-watched events in TV history.Slide22

William and Kate, with baby George

Prince William at his mother’s funeral

Diana, Princess of Wales, with her sons, Harry and WilliamSlide23

A Brief British History Lesson!

In January 1936,

King George V

died, and his eldest son—known to his family as

David

—became

King Edward VIII

. David was 42 and unmarried, although with a long history of womanizing. He was also a great admirer of

Adolf Hitler

, the Nazi dictator of Germany. At that time, many people in Europe was very worried about Hitler and his plans to invade and occupy European countries. It seemed that another world war was coming (and in 1939 it happened, when Germany invaded Poland and the UK then declared war on Germany).Slide24

A Brief British History Lesson!

Obviously, people in England in 1936 who knew that their new king liked Hitler were worried about the consequences. How could their own king support an evil dictator?!

Another problem was that David (King Edward VIII) suddenly decided that he wanted to marry a twice-divorced American woman,

Wallis Simpson

. No British king had ever married a divorced woman before, and many people were against the idea—especially since the King was

Head of the Church of England

! However, David refused to change his mind, and in December 1936 he decided to

abdicate

(give up being king) rather than break up with his girlfriend.

His younger brother, the very shy and sensitive Bertie, then became the next king:

George VI

. Bertie had never expected to be king, and his wife,

Elizabeth

, never forgave his older brother for the terrible stress that her husband later experienced as king during the

Second World War

(1939-1945).

Slide25

1936: The Year of Three Kings

George V

Edward VIII

George VISlide26

The recently abdicated Edward VIII and his wife meeting Adolf Hitler, 1937

Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), Fuhrer of Germany 1934-1945Slide27

World War Two Main Allies and EnemiesSlide28

A Brief British History Lesson!

George VI

quickly became

one of the best British kings of the last four hundred years

, and he and his wife were very popular during the war for refusing to leave London when the city was being bombed repeatedly by Germany.

Their bravery (since their palace was such an easy target for the German bombers) was extremely important in boosting the confidence of the British people at a time when they were losing the war against Germany.

The stress of being a wartime king shortened his life, however, and in January 1952 he died in his sleep at the age of 56. His 25-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, then became Queen—and is still queen today. George VI exemplified the essential and famous British characteristic of the “stiff upper lip”—calmness and bravery in the face of danger. Slide29

Tomorrow’s movie: The King’s Speech

This is the Academy Award-winning movie about King George VI, and his victory over a serious personal/physical problemSlide30

To Finish…

Let’s listen to/watch

The Last Night of the Proms

, a musical tradition in British concerts during which the whole audience takes part.

The Last Night of the Proms

always ends with Britain’s

unofficial

national anthem.

(The official anthem is “God Save the Queen.”)

Do you know the melody, or its name?

Flag of the UK: “The Union Jack”Slide31

It’s “Land of Hope and Glory.”

The music was written by

Sir Edward Elgar

, a man whom many people regard as Britain’s greatest composer. It was written in 1901 as a march (“Pomp and Circumstance, No. 1”), and the lyrics were added a few years later at the request of King Edward VII.

Land of Hope and Glory

contains the most famous melody of all British music, and is instantly recognizable as representative of

all things British

.

Let’s listen to it. I’m sure you know the main part!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpEWpK_Dl7M&feature=youtu.be&t=3m48s

Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934)Slide32

For Next Time

Please buy/obtain the class text

American Ways

(3

rd

edition!). Remember that we start using it on Monday.

Don’t be late for our beautiful

movie tomorrow!

Visit

my website:

http://

derekmcgovern.com

Join my Google Group!