ADVANCED 1 – BRITANICO GOLD – READING TASK – MAR 2022 You are going to read an article about four famous films. For questions 31-40, choose from the reviews A-D. The films may be chosen more than once. . A. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) This is one of the most suspenseful psychological thrillers ever produced. This is mainly because of the shocking characterisations of mass murderers and the disturbing bargaining game between Hannibal Lecter (masterfully played by Anthony Hopkins) and FBI trainee agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster). Hopkins studied several serial killers to portray Lecter. He does not blink in the film as this is an aspect he noticed in these criminals. The Silence of the Lambs was a five-time major Academy-Award winner, including Best Director, Jonathan Demme, who is the first (and only) filmmaker to have ever won it for a thriller. The film has a sequel titled Hannibal, with Hopkins in the main role. However, Jodie Foster was replaced by Julianne Moore, who also gave a good performance as Clarice Starling. C. Braveheart (1995) Braveheart is set around 1300 and it is an ambitious film directed by Mel Gibson. It is based on the legendary myths regarding William Wallace and his fight against the English Empire. Little is known about Wallace except that, according to an old epic poem, he unified the clans of Scotland and won several battles before being captured, tortured and executed. The film met with generally positive reviews. However, there are some who think Braveheart is overrated as it is unnecessarily violent, crude and inaccurate. CNN said the film's depiction of the Battle of Stirling Bridge was one of the best battles in cinema history. Braveheart won 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, despite having no acting nominations. D. Schindler’s List (1993) B. Forrest Gump (1994) Tom Hanks plays Forrest Gump, a mentallychallenged man in an Oscar-winning performance. In spite of his sub-normal IQ, Gump leads a truly charmed life thanks to the way in which his mother taught him how to deal with it. Without being aware of it, he is part of many memorable events of the second half of the 20th century such as teaching Elvis Presley how to dance, meeting John F. Kennedy, beating the Chinese national ping pong team and serving with honour in Vietnam. Forrest Gump is a movie about emotions and its sweetness is enough to hold the audience on the edge of their seats. It won six Academy Awards. Schindler’s List is considered the best film ever directed by Steven Spielberg and some reviewers are of the opinion that the film is up there with masterpieces such as The Godfather or Citizen Kane. It is based on the life of Oskar Schindler, a man who saved the lives of hundreds of Polish-Jewish refugees by employing them in factories. The film is primarily shot in black and white to represent the Holocaust which represented an era of life without light. The only object that shows colour is a coat worn by a little girl. The coat embodies the idea that the awfulness of the Holocaust was obvious to members of the highest levels of Government. However, they did nothing about this. The film was the recipient of seven Oscars. Which review mentions... a character who had a supportive family? a film which may have some excesses? the use of symbolism in the film? a comparison between the film and other great movies? a sequel that follows the film’s storyline? interaction between the main character and some celebrities? that the writers were uninformed about a historical character? a scene that might be difficult to forget? a film which holds a unique Academy Awards record? someone who investigated real cases to construct their character? B 31.________ 32.________ C 33.________ D 34.________ D 35.________ A 36.________ B 37.________ C 38.________ C 39.________ B 40.________ A