I'm finally getting this to work so bare with me... I wanted to talk about a movie trailer that I saw this weekend that really sparked my interest. It was "The Great Gatsby", and I was thrilled that they were making a film adaptation of the book. I know we talked in class about staying away from teaching the book and then the film, but i felt myself still leaning toward doing this with this particular film. Is this a really bad thing or could we as teachers still find a way to teach the book and the film and still get meaning out of it besides just watching the movie to take a break. I think with this it could work because it is a classic, you could even tie it with the leonardo dicaprio version of romeo and juliet since he is in this new film as well. Here is clip to the movie, id love any thoughts you guys have on how this could tie into the curriculum! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqxmhJU4nk4
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI don't think we have to shy away from using adaptations in our classrooms, but rather from our tendency to use them as filler when we finish reading a canonical text. In Hobbs' book she mentions that teachers "had generally tended to view film and video resources as a means to enhance student knowledge, not to promote critical analysis" (75).
I see nothing wrong with using the new Baz Luhrmann version in the classroom, though I have not seen the film. There could be some objectionable material, as Luhrmann tends to push the envelope sometimes. Anyway, I think that this would actually provide some great opportunities for promoting critical analysis. The film will be high interest for students simply because it is new and has some Hollywood power players. This high level of interest could open the door to viewing with a critical lens. Perhaps you could even pair clips from the Robert Redford film with this newer film and dissect director decisions. Another really helpful activity to keep students actively viewing instead of passively viewing is a crossover activity. For example, if you looked closely at motifs, you could ask students to analyze how these motifs carry over (or don't) based on the images that Luhrmann chose to focus on in the film. Or you could parallel passages with particular scenes in the film. Setting could be a really interesting point here. You have the rich, vibrant world of the roaring twenties. How is it portrayed in the film vs. the novel? How is lighting used to communicate this era that was simultaneously filled with lighthearted freedom and restrictive prohibition that ultimately led to secrecy and depravity? You also have the detailed description of the valley of the ashes, and the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. Pull excerpts from the written text and compare/contrast with their depiction in film. Explore symbolism etc.
In short, there is so much you can do with adaptation, you just have to approach it from the right angle. I think this film is going to provide an awesome new bridge to such an important novel.
Thanks for bringing it up!
For me, I know that when I read Great Gatsby, I got confused a lot and had trouble picturing the events that were taking place. I think in this situation, it would be very helpful to view the film so that I can visualize the places, characters, etc.
ReplyDeleteObviously, you want to stay away from which was better...the book or the movie?, but I think that you could definitely pull in the film to teach a lesson about film. It might be helpful to have students storyboard a scene that they have read in the book, watch the film clip, and then compare and contrast what worked and what didn't in their storyboard, and the clip of the film. They could discuss how things were shot and how that shot illustrated the words of the book, how the lighting or camera angles helped to illustrate, etc., etc.
I am really excited to see this movie as well! I think it looks fantastic and I hope that it helps me clear up some of my confusion about the novel.