Javier Bardem's Life, Love, and Career

Dedicated to my former but very dear student Ana S.

Before you watch

 

. Look at the photo below. Do you know this man?

. What do you know about him? 

. Below, there’s a list of movies starring Javier Bardem and a list of the roles he played in these movies. Join with arrows. Then watch PART 1 (minutes 0:00- 4:00´) and check your predictions.

Which role did he play?

MOVIE                       CHARACTER

1. “No country for old men”                         a. a heartthrob
2. “Biutiful”                                                  b. Julia Roberts' love
3. “The Sea Inside”                                      c. a cold-hearted killer
4. "Before Night Falls."                                d. a quadriplegic fighting for the right to die
5. "Eat, Pray, Love."                                    e. A jailed Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas
6. Vicky Cristina Barcelona                         f. a hustler trying to make a life for his two children

Look at the mindmap below. What aspects of Bardem's life could the words and images refer to? Make predictions. Then, keep watching, check your predictions and  complete the mind-map as you go along.

 

What did you learn about Bardem after watching the video? Report to the class.

FOCUS ON VOCABULARY 

What do the words/ expressions in bold mean?

1.    "When you are doing a character, you have to put your judgments aside"

2.    The film runs through the back alleys of Barcelona, deep into a grim part of the city you don't see in the travel brochures

3.    He credits the group AC/DC for his fluency in English, in some respects

4.    He dedicated the award to Cruz - "My joy, my friend, my companion, my love" - a rare public display for the famously private couple.

5.    Like it or not, fame has found Javier Bardem, but he keeps it in perspective.

6.    "It doesn't help to create a better world, no? When people are talking about themselves on and on?

Follow up

 Get into groups of 3 read about Bardem's early life, career or  personal life. Then tell each other what you've found out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javier_Bardem                                                 (Follow up)

KEY

1. C

2. F

3. D

4. E

5. B

6. A

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-3445_162-7231013.html                          (Video transcript)

The Olympic Games for Political Propaganda

(Activity Prepared by Debbie Frankish. Thanks Debbie!)

Before you watch: QUIZ

1) In which year was the first Olympic Games recorded?

          a) 776 AD                       b) 352 AD             c) 776 BC                    d) 352 BC

2) In which Olympic sport are all events open to both me and women?

          a) horse riding              b) fencing                            c) gymnastics            d) rifle shooting

3) In which year were the first modern Olympic Games held?

          a) 1896                            b) 1926                                 c) 1886                         d) 1906

4) Where will the 2016 Olympic Games be held?

5) In the London Olympics in 1948, which 2 countries were not invited?

          a) China and Japan     b) Germany and Japan    c) France and Spain  d) Russia and Germany

6) What do the 5 Olympic rings represent?

7) Historically, how many Olympic medals has Argentina won?

          a) 30                                 b) 102                                    c) 66                             d) 127

8) In which sport has Argentina won most medals?

          a) rowing                        b) swimming                        c) shooting                 d) boxing

9) Which country leads the medals table of the most won?

          a) USA                              b) Russia                              c) China                       d) Germany

10) How many medals did Argentina win in Beijing in 2008?

          a) 5 gold 2 silver            b) 4 gold 2 bronze             c) 2 silver 4 bronze   d) 2 gold 4 bronze

Video 1: Jesse Owens (Berlin Olympics 1936) 

Discuss:

What do you know about Germany in1936?

What was Hitler’s theory on the superiority of race?

How might events like the Olympic Games be used as political propaganda? Can you think of examples of this happening?

Watch for main ideas:

Watch and listen for the answers to the following :

1) Why would the summer Olympics of 1936 be important for Hitler?

2) How many countries participated in the Berlin Olympics?

3) How did the events in the games refute Hitler´s theories?

4) Which 4 events did Jesse Owens win? What do we find out about his background?

5) How many medals did Afro-Americans win?

Video 3:  Munich  Olympic Games 1972: Massacre of Israeli Athletes.

Match up the collocations

1. heavy                a. a building        

2. meet the           b. fire to             

3. set                     c. an alarm

4. give                   d. reprisal

5. sound               e. demands

6. open                 f. criticism

7. break into        g. in to sb's demands

8. in                       h. consideration

9. take into           i. fire

Watch and say if the statements below are True or False.

1) 5 Israeli sportsmen were killed on September 11^th 1972.

2) The athletes were attacked by an Arab terrorist group.

3) Due to a coach, many Israelis were unhurt.

4) The terrorists wanted the German government to set Palestinian prisoners free.

5) It was agreed that the prisoners would be released.

6) Both hostages and terrorists were taken to an airport in Germany.

7) The outcome at the airport was a tragedy.

8) As a result of what happened the Olympics were called off.

9) The German police were blamed for the poor security.

10) Because of the events the Israeli government bombed strategic Palestinian sites.

11) The man being interviewed felt that the Israeli government committed a mistake.

12) The narrator felt that it was inevitable that such an event took place at the Olympics.

Paraphrase the following sentences, including the word in capitals :

1)  People repudiated Hitler's ideas of superiority..  WERE 

     Hitler's ideas  ……….......................………………………………………………………………………………....

2) Jesse Owens is famous for winning 4 gold medals and proving Hitler wrong.  BUT

     Jesse Owens not only ………………………………………………………………………………………………

3) The tragic events meant the games were postponed for a time.  MADE

     The tragic events  ……………….................................…………………………………………………………….

4) The German police received heavy criticism for the lack of security.  BLAMED

     The German police …………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5) Possibly the German government didn´t imagine something so terrible could occur.  MIGHT

     The German government ……………………… ……………………………………………………………..

6) Israel refused to do what the terrorists wanted.  DEMANDS

     Israel refused ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7) The government didn´t want to allow the terrorists to leave the country.  LET

     The government ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Final general discussion :

1) We have seen 2 different examples of political beliefs being displayed during the Olympic

     games, a sports competition that has nothing to do with politics.

     In your opinion is it acceptable for this to happen at such events?

2) Is the motto ‘Faster,Higher, Stronger’ a good one for the Olympics?

3) Would you consider the Olympics to be a ‘fair’ competition, or does money play an important role? Is this inevitable in international sports?

4) Are you watching the games in London? Which sports are you particularly interested in?

5) What benefits does hosting the Olympic Games bring to a country? Are there any disadvantages?

POSSIBLE FOLLOW UPS

- Listening: The business of the Olympics 

http://www.businessenglishpod.com/2012/07/29/business-english-news-18-the-business-of-the-olympics/

- Vocabulary: Sports Idioms commonly used in business

http://www.businessenglishpod.com/2007/08/12/bep-61-pp-american-sports-idioms-in-a-business-meeting/ 

http://www.speakforsuccess.net/a-bizspk.htm

KEY (Quiz)

1-c   2-a   3-a   4-Brazil   5-b(afterWW2)   6-the union of the 5 continents that participate   7-( the word 'gold'should be removed) the answer is c (12 gold  23 silver  26 bronze)

8-d   9-a(2549 medals)   10-d