楚门的世界A Sample Handout_The Truman Show

Course: English Movies -- Viewing, Listening, Speaking Students: Sophomores

Material: Movie The Truman Show 《楚门的世界》

Time: 6 teaching periods (with each 45 minutes)

Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to:

√ memorize some useful e xpressions in context

√ retell the movie story with the help of several hints given √ analyze the characteristics of main characters in the movie √ learn some aspects of western culture

√ talk about mass media

Procedures:

Period 1-2:

1.Brief Introduction to the Movie (10 minutes)

2.Lead-in Questions (10 minutes)

3.Extensive Viewing, Listening & Speaking (20 minutes)

4.Tasks for Movie Clips 3-5 (45 minutes)

5.Check the Answers (5 minutes)

Period 3-4:

1.Debate (15 minutes)

2.Cultural Enrichment Reading (10 minutes)

3.Cultural Enrichment Listening (15 minutes)

4.Watch the first half of the movie (50 minutes)

Period 5-6

1.Watch the second half of the movie (50 minutes)

2.Cultural Enrichment Speaking (30 minutes)

3.Favorite Quotes (10 minutes)

I.Before-class Reading

Brief Introduction:

Directed by: Peter Weir

Written by: Andrew Niccol (novel)

Karen McCullah Lutz (screenplay)

Kirsten Smith (screenplay)

Starring: Jim Carrey ... Truman Burbank

Laura Linney ... Hannah Gill

Ed Harris ... Christof

Noah Emmerich ... Louis Coltrane

Distributed by: Paramount Pictures

Release Year: June 5, 1998 (USA)

Running time: 103 minutes

Language: English

Budget: $60 million

Box office: $264,118,201

Main Characters:

Truman Burbank -- Chosen out of six unwanted pregnancies and the first child

to be legally adopted by a corporation, he is unaware that

his daily life is broadcast continuously around the world.

He has a job in the insurance business and a lovely wife,

but he eventually notices that his environment is not what

it seems to be.

Hannah Gill -- Play as Meryl Burbank, Truman's wife, a nurse at the local

hospital. Since the show relies on product placement for

revenue, Meryl regularly shows off various items she has

recently "purchased," one of the many oddities that makes

Truman question his life. Her role is essentially to act the

part of Truman's wife and ultimately to have a child by

him, despite her reluctance to accomplish either. Linney

explains that Gill "was a child actress who never made it,

and now she's really ambitious. Mostly she's into

negotiating her contract. Every time she sleeps with

Truman she gets an extra $10,000.

Christof -- The creator of The Truman Show. Christof remains

dedicated to the program at all costs, often overseeing and

directing its course in person (rather than through aides),

but at the climax/resolution, he speaks to Truman over a

loudspeaker, revealing the nature of Truman's

situation. Dennis Hopper

Louis Coltrane -- Plays as Marlon, Truman's best friend since early

childhood. Marlon is a vending machine operator for the

company Goodies, who promises Truman he would never

lie to him, despite the latest events in Truman's life.

Emmerich has said, "My character is in a lot of pain. He

feels really guilty about deceiving Truman. He's had a

serious drug addiction for many years. Been in and out of

rehab."

Plot Description

Truman Burbank is the unsuspecting star of The Truman Show, a reality television program in which his entire life, since before birth, is filmed by thousands of hidden cameras, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is broadcast live around the world. The show's creator and executive producer Christof is able to capture Truman's real emotion and human behavior when put in certain situations. Truman's hometown of Seahaven is a complete set built under a giant arcological dome in the Los Angeles area. Truman's family and friends are all played by actors, allowing Christof to control every aspect of Truman's life.

To prevent Truman from discovering his false reality, Christof has invented means of dissuading his sense of exploration, including "killing" his father in a storm initiated by Christof while on a fishing trip to instill in him a fear of the water, and making many news reports and commercials about the dangers of traveling, and featuring television shows about how good it is to stay at home. Despite Christof's control, Truman has managed to behave in unexpected ways, in particular by falling in love with an extra, Sylvia, known to Truman as Lauren, instead of Meryl, the character intended to be his wife. Though Sylvia is quickly removed from the set and Truman marries Meryl, he continues to secretly pine for her. Sylvia becomes part of a "Free Truman" campaign that fights to free him from the show and to reveal his identity. During the 30th year of the show, Truman notices certain aspects of his near-perfect world that seem out of place. A theatrical light falls from the artificial morning sky, nearly hitting him (quickly passed off by local radio as an aircraft in trouble that began "shedding parts") and Truman's car radio picks up a conversation between the show's crew tracking his movements. Truman also becomes aware of more subtle abnormalities within his regular day-to-day life, such as the way in which the same people appear in the same places at certain times each day and Meryl's tendency to blatantly advertise the various products she buys. The actor that played Truman's deceased father sneaks back onto the set as a homeless man, but is whisked away as soon as Truman notices him.

Despite the best efforts of his family and his best friend Marlon to reassure him, all these events cause Truman to start wondering about his life, realizing how the world seems to revolve and shape around him, with complete strangers to him knowing his name. Truman attempts to leave Seahaven but is blocked by emergency situations created by Christof to prevent Truman from leaving, but he notices more inconsistencies because of the situations. Meryl grows increasingly stressed by the

pressure of perpetuating the deception, and their marriage unravels in the face of Truman's increasing skepticism and attendant hostility towards her, causing her to snap and partially reveal Truman's identity and life in front of Marlon as well, making Truman confused.

As a result, Meryl is pulled off the show, and Christof officially brings back Truman's father, hoping his presence will keep Truman from trying to leave. However, he only provides a temporary respite: Truman soon becomes isolated and begins staying alone in his basement. One night, Truman fools the cameras and escapes the basement undetected via a secret tunnel, forcing Christof to temporarily suspend broadcasting of the show for the first time in its history. This causes a surge in viewership, with many viewers, including Sylvia, cheering on Truman's escape attempt.

Christof orders every actor and crew member to search the town, even breaking the town's daylight cycle to help in the search. They find that Truman has overcome his fear of the water and has sailed away from the town in a small boat named Santa Maria. After restoring the broadcast, Christof orders the show's crew to create a large storm to try to capsize the boat, prompting a heated debate with his superiors over the morality and legality of murdering a human being in front of a live audience. Truman almost drowns, but his determination eventually leads Christof to terminate the storm. As Truman recovers, the boat reaches the edge of the dome, its bow piercing through the dome's painted sky. An awe-struck Truman then discovers a flight of stairs nearby, leading to a door marked "EXIT". As he contemplates leaving his world, Christof finally turns to his last resort by speaking directly to Truman via a powerful sound system, trying to persuade him to stay and arguing that there is no more truth in the real world than there is in his own, artificial world. Truman, after a moment's thought, delivers his catchphrase ("In case I don't see you... good afternoon, good evening, and good night"), bows to his audience and steps through the door and into the real world. The assembled television viewers excitedly celebrate Truman's escape, and Sylvia quickly leaves her L.A. apartment and departs to the edges of Seaheaven so she can meet up with him. A network executive orders the crew to cease transmission of the show, which Christof watches happen, realizing to his dismay that his show was truly over. With the show completed, members of Truman's former audience are shown looking for something else to watch on the TV.

II.Class Lead-in

Section A: Warming-up Questions:

1.What mass media did you encounter?

2.What did you get from the media?

3.What do you think are the positive and negative effects of mass media?

Section B: Extensive Viewing, Listening & Speaking

Movie Clip 1: Watch the scene on Truman’s morning experience and answer the following questions.

1.What is the falling object? What happened to it? How do Truman and we know?

2.What do Truman and other town fellow buy at the newsstand? What role do they

play in people’s lives?

Movie Clip 2: Watch the scene on Truman’s close encounter with his beloved girl and answer the following questions.

1.What does the girl try to tell Truman?

2.What is the girl’s name? What do you think is her real identity?

III.In-class Activities

Section A: Intensive Listening & Viewing

Movie Clip 3: Truman’s conversation with his wife Meryl.

Task 1: Choose the best answer for the main idea of this clip.

A.Truman’s marriage is in trouble.

B.Truman seeks help from his wife and best friend.

C.Truman suspects he is being cheated.

D.Truman suffers from low self-esteem.

Task 2: Take down the exact words to fill in the blanks.

Why don’t you let me fix you some of this new Mococoa drink?

All _________. Cocoa beans from the _________ _________ of Mount Nicaragua. No _________.

I’ve tasted _________ _________. This is the _________.

Movie Clip 4: Watch the scene with a panoramic view of The Truman Show. Task 1: Please use the proper forms of the following words to complete a

Truman, who was legally _________ by a corporation, lives in a Utopian world –Seahaven Island. Unknown to him, Seahaven, whose vicinity hides 5000 cameras, is actually the largest studio ever constructed by the _________ of a reality TV program

– the Truman Show. The show is a program that had an entire human life recorded on an intricate network of hidden cameras. As the designer has always _________ ways of keeping Truman on the island, Truman has never realized that he lives in a/an _________ world. The show was _________ live 24/7 to an audience of millions. As a huge success, it _________ enormous revenues brought by product _________, such as actor s’ _________, food products.

Task Two: Choose the best answer for the following questions.

1.This year the Truman Show marks its _________.

A.30th year

B.40th year

C.20th year

D.15th year

2.Which one is NOT the plot that intends to keep Truman stay in the island?

E.He was made to believe that there was nothing in the world to explore.

F. A barking dog stood on the way when he tried to cross the bridge.

G.His “father” Kirk drowned in the sea.

H.His boss promised him a better position.

3.How did the producer select the star?

A.He interviewed five families who registered for the role.

B.He adopted Truman from a poor family and made him a star.

C.The audience recommended baby Truman as the best candidate.

D.Truman was born the moment when the show started.

4.How much profit does the program gain?

E.220 million dollars.

F. 1.7 billion dollars.

G.About the gross national product of a small country.

H.About the inland revenue of the United States.

Movie Clip 5: The Scene where Truman has a conversation with Christof.

Task 1: Watch the scene and answer the following questions.

1.How does Truman get to know the true nature of his world?

2.What was Truman’s decision?

Task 2: Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) according to what you understand about the clip.

1.___ Everything in the show except Truman is fake.

2.___ The producer argues the world in the show is better than the real world.

3.___ Truman does not know what he wants from life.

4.___ Christof is Truman’s real father.

5.___ The audiences do not want to see Truman leave.

Section B: Speaking Activity

Debate: Would you rather live in an artificial world with the promise of comfort or a real world full of unpredictability?

Group A: It’s better to live in an artificial world with the promise of comfort.

1.__________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________________ Group B: It’s better to live in a real world full of unpredictability.

1.__________________________________________________________________

2.__________________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________________ IV.Culture through Movie

Section A: Cultural Enrichment Reading

Directions: Read the following passage and get some idea about mass media.

Mass Media and Culture

Culture can be defined as the way of life which includes the beliefs, aesthetics and institutions of a civilization. Considering today’s way of life, we would be lying if we didn’t admit that media is not an influential entity in our culture. Lately the media theories that regard the audience as a passive entity have been discarded and advanced media theories that take into account the audience response have been formulated. It is still a fact that despite cognitive abilities of the audience, mass media has been successfully ingraining several values and elements into a large section of our society.

A through understanding of mass media helps us to see how it is involved in the production of popular culture.

Mass media is any medium used to deliver a “message” on a large scale to a mass audience. It includes everything from billboards to online videos online that are available today; one thing that we all agree upon, is that mass media is an inseparable part of our lives. Entertainment and media always go hand in hand, but in addition to the entertainment, mass media also remains an effective medium for communication, dissemination of information, advertising, marketing and in general, for expressing and sharing views, opinions and ideas.

Here are some of the different types of mass media:

Print Media: Print media includes newspapers, magazines, brochures, newsletters, books and even leaflets and pamphlets. Visual media like photography can also be mentioned under this sub-head, since photography is an important mass media, which

communicates via visual representations. Although it is said that the electronic or new media has replaced the print media, there exists a majority of audiences who prefer the print media for various communication purposes. Public speaking and even organizing can also be considered as a form of mass media.

Electronic Media: This mass media includes television and radio. This category also includes electronic media like movies, CDs and DVDs as well as the new hottest electronic gadgets.

New-age Media: With the advent of new technologies like the Internet, we are now enjoying the benefits of high technology mass media, which has a widespread range. Mobile phones, computers and Internet are often referred to as the new-age media. Internet has opened up several new opportunities for mass communication which include email, websites, blogging, Internet TV and many other mass media which are booming today.

There is no doubt about the fact that there are certain media elements affecting our culture for better because, had it not been for media, the quick and easy flow of useful information and education would not have been possible. The media has played a major role in positive developments like the fight against racism, the fight against gender bias, would poverty and spreading awareness about world peace.

There is no denying the fact that certain media messages are detrimental to our society. We need to realize that although media is a reflection of the society we live in at times, the media needs to do much more than reflect the surroundings – it has to exaggerate, sensationalize and at times even trivialize the matters of utmost importance to male way for entertainment. The media creates celebrities; it creates idols – celebrities who thrive on fans, flowers, and groupies! When we say a certain type of music or a certain genre of movies is popular, it means a large number of people are following an ideology or a concept which lies at the heart of that song or the movie. One of the most striking examples in this case would have to be the popularity of violent and abusive rap songs amongst teenagers. The glorification of violence, drug abuse and other unhealthy habits has a major role in the outburst of unfortunate incidents where children have gotten extremely violent and out of control.

In an age where music videos and rock bands give out the message that alcohol; drugs and sex are inevitable parts of life, how can teens begin to see that these do not help battle depression? In an age where someone like Paris Hilton is a role model for so many young girls, how can we expect to spread awareness about the importance of knowledge in the young generation? In an age where excessively aggressive videogame-playing children believe guns and weapons are cool – we have reached a stage where media literacy is the dire need of the hour.

The bright side is that class and ethnic distinctions in American culture began to fade as mass media transmitted the same movies and music to people throughout the country. Culture became more democratic as modern technology and mass media allowed it to reach more people. Outside the country, when our entertainment program reaches other parts of the world, it also begins to homogenize tastes, styles

Section B: Cultural Enrichment Listening

Direction: listen to a lecture and finish the following two tasks.

Task 1: Multiple Choices

Directions: Choose the best answer for the following questions according to what you hear.

1.Since the 20th century, what have people learned from mass media?

A.Foreign customs

B.Proper behavior

C.Moral lessons

https://www.360docs.net/doc/5811327876.html,ernment policy

2.What does it mean by “radio is a national campfire” in the 1930s?

A.Radio spreads revolutionary ideas to families.

B.Radio delivers hopeful news to families.

C.Radio unites families to fight depression.

D.Radio creates common experiences in families nationwide.

3.In what way does mass media create a homogeneous(同种类的) culture?

A.It spreads the same ideology around.

B.It tells stories about patriotism.

C.It helps us to understand ourselves and the world.

D.It rejects anything foreign.

4.Why do some foreign countries limit the amount of imported of American

entertainment program?

A.They fear this import hinders their domestic economy.

B.They are afraid that their culture will be Americanized.

C.American portrayal of other cultures is misleading.

D.American entertainment program create a lot of illusion.

Task 2: Summary Practice

Directions: Listen to the lecture again and make sure you have clearly understood it. And then use your own words to summarize the characteristic of culture in different periods and why.

(Tip: pick up an adjective from the lecture to describe the characteristic of culture in different periods.)

Before 1900s: ________________ culture

In the 20th century: ________________ culture

Now: ________________ culture

Section C: Cultural Enrichment Speaking

Directions: Let’s talk about our own understanding of mass media

Task 1: Everyone bring one particular media outlet (e.g. a star’s micro blog, a short clip, a webpage, etc.) that interests you to the class. Explain it to your group members according to the following outline.

1)Who is being targeted?

2)What’s the text of the message? What’s the subtext?

3)What kind of idea/lifestyle is presented? Is it glamorized, how?

4)What values are expressed?

5)What tools or techniques of persuasion are used?

6)What message does the audience usually get?

7)What stories are not told in this piece of media?

Task 2: Write down a sentence that best summarizes your understanding of mass media by using a metaphor. Then go around the classroom to collect sentence from at least three students and interview them about why he/she sees it that way. (Please write the same sentence on two slips of paper.)

For example:

Mass media is a Disneyland. We indulged ourselves in the themed fantasy environment not aware of the surveillance and social control.

_____________________________________________________________________ Mass media is a liar…

_____________________________________________________________________ V.After-class Activities

Section A: Language Appreciation

Directions: Watch the whole movie after class and note the useful and idiomatic expressions below.

1)Maybe just my love handles.

“Love handle” is an interesting and common expression for the extra fat that people get around their hips when they eat too much.

2)Here's a news flash just in.

A "News flash" is a piece of news that was just received.

(For more see The Truman Show - Words and Expressions that You may not Know) Section B: Favorite Movie Quotes

Directions: Memorize the following quotes, which may help you better understand the movie. And write down the quotes that impress or enlighten you most.

?We accept the reality of the world with which we are presented.

?What right do you have to take a baby and turn his life into some kind of mockery?

Don’t you even feel guilty?

Your Favorite Movie Quotes:

1)______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

2)______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

3)______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________ Section C: Recommendations for Movies on Mass Media

1)“The Social Network” 《社交网络》（2010）

2)“Nothing But the Truth” 《真相至上》（2008）

3)“Good Night, and Good Luck” 《晚安，好运》（2005）

4)“Outfoxed –Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” 《揭秘福克斯：默多克的新

闻界战争》（2004）

5)“Shattered Glass” 《欲盖弥彰》（2003）

6)“The Insider” 《惊爆内幕》（1999）

7)“Pleasantville” 《欢乐谷》（1998）

8)“Public Access” 《媒体风云》（1993）

9)“Citizen Kane”《公民凯恩》（1941）

(Refer to: https://www.360docs.net/doc/5811327876.html,/list/ls000610321/ )