la cour de babel - french culture...photo, but a drawing instead, rendered by comic book artist...
TRANSCRIPT
La Cour de Babel
e d u c a t i o n a l g u i d e
by Julie Bertuccelli
Guide created by Arnaud Leroux
CONTENTS
2
I. TO UNDERSTAND THE FILM BETTER 3
A) Technical information about the film 3
B) Information about the director 4
C) Summary of the film 4
II. TO WORK IN CLASS WITH THE FILM 5
A) Before the screening
Student worksheet n°1: Discover the film through its poster 6
Teacher worksheet n°1: Discover the film through its poster 8
Student worksheet n°2: Discover the film through its trailer 10
Teacher worksheet n°2: Discover the film through its trailer 12
B) After the screening
Student worksheet n°3: Recreate the story of the film 14
Teacher worksheet n°3: Recreate the story of the film 16
Student worksheet n°4: Study the characters of the film 17
Teacher worksheet n°4: Study the characters of the film 19
III. TO GO EVEN FURTHER 21
A) The middle school in the film 21
B) Analysis of a scene 22
C) Summary of the film by scene 24
D) Sitography 25
Guide made by Arnaud Leroux and translated into English by the Alliance Française of Puerto Rico,
with the support of the Institut Français.
3 Educational guide · SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
I. TO UNDERSTAND THE FILM BETTER
A) TECHNICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILM
French, full-length film
Duration: 1h 29m
Genre: Documentary
Debuted in France: March 12, 2014
Director: Julie Bertuccelli
Producers: Yaël Fogiel, Laetitia Gonzalez, and Éric Lagesse
Sound: Stephan Bauer, Benjamin
Bober, Graciella Barrault, Greg Le
Maitre and Frédéric Dabo
Editing: Josiane Zardoya
Music: Olivier Daviaud
Awards won:
– Nomination for best documentary, Cesar 2015
4 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
B) INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Daughter of director Jean-Louis Bertuccelli, Julie
Bertuccelli was born in 1968 in Boulogne-Billancourt.
After her intensive foundation degree in Literature
(hypokhâgne and khâgne) and a Master’s in
Philosophy (1989), she decides to attend a training
workshop for documentary filmmakers at Varan in
1993. The following year, she filmed Un métier
comme un autre, the first of fifteen or so
documentaries her filmography counts today. Always
the fruit of long work in immersion, her films are about
topics as diverse as justice (La Fabrique des juges,
1997), the Lafayette galleries (Bienvenue au grand
magasin, 1999), the Georgian filmmaker Otar Iosseliani (Otar Iosseliani, le merle siffleur, 2006) or the feminist
Antoinette Fouque (Antoinette Fouque, qu’est-ce qu’une femme ?, 2008). Each time, the director takes a
warm and empathic look at those she shows on screen. Alongside her debuts as documentarist, Julie
Bertuccelli works as an assistant for filmmakers such as Krzysztof Kieslowski (Bleu, 1993 ; Rouge, 1994),
Bertrand Tavernier (L’Appât, 1995), Emmanuel Finkiel (Madame Jacques sur la croisette, 1996) or Otar
Iosseliani (Brigands, chapitre VII, 1996).
In 2002, the filmmaker directs her first fiction, Depuis qu’Otar est parti…, a moving story reuniting three
generations of women, which gets her discovered by the public at large and recognized by her peers who
award her the Cesar for best first film. A few years later, after having tried to adapt Italo Calvino’s Le Baron
perché, she directs her second full-length fiction, L’Arbre, selected in official competition at the Cannes
Festival of 2010. An educational story about a death in the family, the film, directed in Australia with Charlotte
Gainsbourg, is the adaptation of the first novel by Judy Pascoe, L’Arbre du père.
Elected in 2013 as president of Scam (civil society of multimedia authors), Julie Bertuccelli returns to documentaries with School of Babel.
source: Prix Jean Renoir des lycéens
C) FILM SUMMARY
Rama, Felipe, Oksana, Xin, Youssef, Andromeda, Djenabou, Luca and their comrades were born all over
the world and have just arrived in France, in Paris. In middle school, they are sent to Brigitte Cervoni’s
welcoming class. In this class, they learn French quickly in order to be able to eventually continue their
education in their respective grades as well as the codes that rule social life in their new country. Their school
year, like other grades, is sprinkled with parent/teacher meetings, arguments, and moments of complicity.
But unexpected events occur too, such as Maryam’s sudden departure or the prize won at a school festival
of short films. This year finishes with the departure of Brigitte Cervoni, who puts an end to her career as a
teacher to become an education officer.
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II. TO WORK IN CLASS WITH THE FILM
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STUDENT WORKSHEET N°1: Discover the film through its poster
1. DESCRIBE AND ANALYZE THE POSTER
The picture
The title
The characters
The title
The reference
7 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
STUDENT WORKSHEET N°1: Discover the film through its poster
2. COMPARE WITH OTHER POSTERS
Franska för nybörjare –
French for Beginners
(Sweden)
School of Babel –
School of Babel
(United Kingdom)
Szkoła Babel –
School of Babel
(Poland)
a) Describe a poster of your choice.
b) Compare these posters with the French poster. What information can we get from them?
c) Which of the four posters do you prefer? Why?
3. IMAGINE THE STORY OF THE FILM
8 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
TEACHER WORKSHEET N°1: Discover the film through its poster
The picture
This poster presents the feature of not using a
photo, but a drawing instead, rendered by comic
book artist Christophe Blain. This poster genre
being generally used for animation films makes
students think that the film is a cartoon, especially
because of its colorful and almost childish style.
Incidentally, the theme represented could
reinforce this hypothesis: you actually see a photo
of the class, but with the students posing as if they
were making a pyramid.
Some suggestions :
– What type of picture is used for this poster?
– For what type of film is this type of picture usually used?
– What does this picture represent? What is
original about it?
The characters
Ten characters are seen on the poster; they all
seem to be adolescents. Only two boys are
identifiable among them, the third one only
showing the top half of his face in the background.
They are all wearing almost the same outfit, a T-
shirt, but a different color. Certain details come up,
however, like the scarf of the young girl in the
background or the bracelet of the one in the
forefront. This diversity can be seen on their faces
and their attitudes. Since no adult in present in this
class picture, we can imagine that this is a group
of friends.
Some suggestions :
– Describe each of the characters. How
many are there? Are there as many boys as
there are girls? How old are they? Are they
are all dressed the same? Do they all have
the same attitude?
The title
The title of the film is a word play between the
schoolyard (for recess) and the tower of Babel. In
reference to the biblical story, a “tower of Babel”,
in French, is a place where numerous languages
are spoken. The setting of the film is, therefore,
both school related and multicultural.
Some suggestions :
– What does the word “Babel” remind you of?
Can you narrate this Bible story?
1. DESCRIBE THE POSTER
For better visibility of details, it may be useful to download the poster
(http://fr.web.img5.acsta.net/pictures/14/03/10/10/19/568295.jpg) and show it in class with the help
of a projector.
In small groups, the students are encouraged to describe each of its elements.
All that is said may also be put on the worksheet.
9 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
TEACHER WORKSHEET N°1: Discover the film through its poster
The reference
This painting by Brueghel l’Ancien is one of the
most popular representations of the tower of
Babel. The pyramid layout of the characters on
the poster reminds us of the tower’s shape.
Some suggestions:
– What is the shape of the tower of Babel?
2. COMPARE WITH OTHER POSTERS
The three posters presented here show photos of
the film. You can see adolescents standing up or
cut off at the waist (Sweden), very close up
(United Kingdom), or close up (Poland and
Sweden). These adolescents are all presented in
different attitudes and poses, but they are more
contrasted here. On the British poster, for
example, the large smile of the first adolescent
precedes the tear shed by the second one.
Additionally, unlike the French poster where it is
only implied, the diversity of the characters’
origins is emphasized and reinforced here by the
multicolor background of the Polish and British
posters.
The scenery is at a school: a blackboard occupies
the center of the Swedish poster, an erased board
by the designer on which a student writes is on the
Polish poster. The British and Polish titles of the
film are more explicit than the French title in this
regard: instead of using a synecdoche, the word
“school” appears clearly in the title. But it’s the
Swedish version that seems the least ambiguous
with “French for Beginners”. We easily understand
that the film is about a class of foreign students in
France learning French, in other words, a
welcoming class.
Some suggestions:
– What do these posters show? What is the
scenery?
– Which body part(s) can we see?
– What do the foreign posters have in common?
– What do you think of translation of the titles?
– What do you understand better because of
these posters?
3. IMAGINE THE STORY OF THE FILM
With the help of the first elements provided by the study of the poster, you will ask the students to imagine
and write, alone or in groups of two, the story of the film and to present it in front of the class. If necessary,
you may clarify that this is about a documentary.
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STUDENT WORKSHEET N°2: Discover the film through its trailer
1. HOW DO YOU SAY “HELLO”?
Find the phrase each student uses.
добар дан (dobar dan)
Buenos días
(āyubōvan)
(as-salāmu ’alaikum)
ע לי כם
םם של (shālôm ’alêķem)
你好 (n�ı ha� o)
Добрий день
(dobryy den’)
حابص ريخلا
(sabah al-kheir)
2. WHY DO THEY GO TO FRANCE?
Complete the sentences.
She went to France to…
She went to France to…
She went to France to…
11 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
STUDENT WORKSHEET N°2: Discover the film through its trailer
3. THE BEST FRIEND
At the end of the trailer, a student says that his only friend is God. What does the
teacher reply? How do you interpret this reply?
12 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
TEACHER WORKSHEET N°2: Discover the film through its trailer
The trailer for this film is available for viewing and downloading at the following address:
http://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=19541945&cfilm=221636.html
1. HOW DO YOU SAY “HELLO’’?
Answers:
Добрий день (dobryy den’) 你好 (n�ı ha� o)
(āyubōvan) (sabah al-kheir) حابص ريخلا
Thanks to this icebreaker, we understand straightaway that the students in the film are foreign, or at least
of foreign origins. Perhaps certain students will have identified the languages spoken on the screen,
namely Ukrainian, Chinese, Arabic, and Sinhalese.
2. WHY DO THEY GO TO FRANCE?
Answers:
– Andromeda: She went to France to “build a future”; in other words, build a future for herself.
– Ramatoulaye: She went to France to “become a free woman”.
– Xin: She went to France to live with her mother. She hadn’t seen her for ten years.
You may encourage the students to think about what brings these three accounts together. All the young
girls interviewed are foreign and had just arrived in France. How did they imagine their lives before going
to France?
13 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
TEACHER WORKSHEET N°2: Discover the film through its trailer
3. THE BEST FRIENDS
A young girl in all likelihood of Africa origin appears on several occasions throughout this trailer. She
takes the floor frequently (being one of those who best masters French), but she also finds problems…
She affirms, in fact, that she doesn’t get along with anyone in class, except for God, to which her teacher
replies that God “is not in the class”. Without having to mention the concept of secularism, you may
encourage the students to think about what this reply means, keeping in mind that religion, whichever it
may be, has no place in a school in France except as a topic of study (Literature, History, etc...).
14 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
STUDENT WORKSHEET N°3: Recreate the story of the film
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. REORDER THE SCENES CHRONOLOGICALLY.
Fill out the table below using the letters of each scene.
A B
C D
E F
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STUDENT WORKSHEET N°3: Recreate the story of the film
2. DESCRIBE THE MAIN MOMENTS OF THE FILM
Describe the pictures.
Why are they important?
16 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
TEACHER WORKSHEET N°3: Recreate the story of the film
1. REORDER THE SCENES CHRONOLOGICALLY
Answers:
1 2 3 4 5 6
E D A F B C
2. DESCRIBE THE MAIN MOMENTS OF THE FILM
The students are encouraged to describe, alone or in groups of two, each scene. The more advanced
students may be encouraged to write their description instead.
17 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
STUDENT WORKSHEET N°4: Study the characters of the film
1. IDENTIFY THE CHARACTERS
Cut out the tags and paste them underneath the corresponding characters.
Djenabou
Guinea
Luca
North Ireland
Abir
Tunisia
Xin
China
Felipe
Chile
Andromeda
Romania
Ramatoulaye
Mauritania
La professeure
France
Mihajlo
Serbia
Maryam
Libya
18 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
STUDENT WORKSHEET N°4: Study the characters of the film
2. MAKE A PROFILE FOR ONE OF THE STUDENTS
Where does he/she come from? Why did he/she go to France? What is his/her personality like? What
are his/her grades in school? What problems does he/she have at school or at home?
3. THE OTHER STUDENTS
What do you know about these other students?
Agnieszka
Poland
Daniil
Belarussia
Eduardo
Brazil
Kessa
Great Britain
Miguel
Venezuela
Naminata
The Ivory Coast
Oksana
Ukraine
Yong
China
Youssef
Morocco
From among all the students presented here, who could you be friends with? Why?
4. WRITE AN EMAIL TO THE STUDENTS OF THE WELCOMING CLASS
Since she left for Verdun, Maryam has not seen her classmates. She sends them an email to tell them
all that has changed in her life since she moved. Imagine what she feels and write the email she sends
them.
19 Educational guide· SCHOOL OF BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
TEACHER WORKSHEET N°4: Study the characters of the film
1. IDENTIFY THE CHARACTERS
Answers:
Mihajlo
He is Serbian and of
Jewish origin. His family
was persecuted in his
country and fled to
France. He is more or
less calm, but his
grades are not that good
because he doesn’t
work enough. In fact, he
has to take care of his
parents’ refugee claim
and doesn’t have time to
do his homework.
Djenabou
She is Guinean and
went to France
to receive a francophone
education. She lives with
a cousin who explains to
her that if she returns to
Guinea, she risks being
circumcised. Talkative,
she is very emotional and
cries easily, she gets
angry or enthusiastic
very easily. Her behavior
sometimes gets her to
stay after class with the
teacher and explain
herself.
The teacher
She is rarely on screen and
we don’t really know much
about her, except that she
seems to be very patient
and devoted to her
students, whom she helps
as much as she can.
Felipe
He is Chilean and
followed his mother to
France. His mother fell in
love with a French man
and decided to live with
him in Paris.
He is passionate about
drawing and drew a
comic book. He refuses
to speak French at
home so he won’t forget
his maternal language,
Spanish.
Maryam
She is Libyan, but
lived in Egypt.
Her family submitted
a refugee claim
in France. She is
extroverted, doesn’t
hesitate to take the floor
even though she doesn’t
speak very well. She has
to leave Paris in the
course of the year
because her family was
sent to bigger housing in
Verdun. In Paris, they
live in a
small apartment.
Andromeda
She is Romanian and
decided to follow her father,
who works in France, rather
than stay with her mother.
Ambitious and sure of
herself, she has very good
grades, making her the pride
of her father. However,
because he often works
outside of Paris,
she frequently has to take
care of things herself.
Abir
She is Tunisian, but we don’t
really know why she went to
France. She comes from a
very conservative family and
her parents forbid her to go to
Chartres. Rather reserved,
she has difficulties with the
French language and her
family is considering sending
her to a Arabic-speaking
school.
Xin
She is Chinese and she
went to rejoin her mother
in France. She hadn’t
seen her in ten years.
Timid, she has better
grades in writing than in
oral. Unhappy upon her
arrival, she evolves in the
course of the year. Since
her mother works in a
restaurant,
she often has to take
care of things
herself.
Luca
He comes from North
Ireland. His mother lost her
job in 2008 due to the crisis
and went to France. He has
bad grades in Science, which
his mother believes is due to
light autism.
Ramatoulaye
She is Mauritanian
and came to join her
mother whom she hadn’t
seen in thirteen years. In
her country, she lived with
her father who didn’t want
her to be educated.
Impulsive, she runs into
some disciplinary problems
at school.
2. MAKE A PROFILE FOR ONE OF THE STUDENTS
Individually or in groups of two, the students are encouraged to present one of the students in the film
with the help of some notes if needed. The necessary information for this exercise are summarized in the
table on the previous page.
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TEACHER WORKSHEET N°4: Study the characters of the film
3. THE OTHER STUDENTS
Agnieszka
She is Polish and brought with her
a small tree from her country that
has been passed down in her
family generation to generation.
Very emotional – she cries as
often as Djenabou, Oksana’s best
friend.
Daniil
He is Belarussian and had to
leave his country hastily. An
applied student, he participates in
class and sometimes serves as
interpreter for his Slavic
classmates Oksana et Agnieszka
since they don’t know how to
express certain things.
Eduardo
He is Brazilian and has joined his
parents in France. In Brazil, he
lived with his grandparents, went
to church a lot, and was in the
scouts. He is often seen next to
Andromeda.
Kessa
She is British and her mother sent
her to France to her aunt’s so she
could learn French well. She
dreams of becoming a model.
Miguel
He is Venezuelan and went to France
to study at the conservatory.
Violoncellist, he sometimes practiced
for nine hours a day to be accepted in
Paris.
Naminata
She is Ivorian. Christian evangelist,
she took a bible to class as a good
luck charm. Talkative, she is one of
those who best master French.
Oksana
She is Ukrainian and dreams of
becoming a singer, not
hesitating to hit the high notes in
front of her classmates. She is
often accompanied by her friend
Agnieszka.
Yong
He is Chinese and arrives in the
course of the year. He doesn’t seem
to have a lot of trouble and Math
seems “too easy” for him. He
sometimes serves as an interpreter
for Xin.
Youssef
He is Moroccan and was sent to
France by his family to get a good
education. He can’t wait to get in an
“ordinary” class and anticipates
being an architect.
The students are then encouraged to choose from the eighteen students in the welcoming class the one
who they could be friends with motivating their choice.
4. WRITE AN EMAIL TO THE STUDENTS OF THE WELCOMING CLASS
With the help of the information developed in the previous activities, the students are encouraged to write
the short message that Maryam would have addressed to her classmates at the welcoming class. Having
left her friends in the course of the year, she would write about her new life in Verdun with her whole
family in a new apartment and at her new middle school.
21 Educational guide· LA COUR DE BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
III. TO GO EVEN FURTHER
A) THE HIGH SCHOOL IN THE FILM
The school setting has always inspired cinema in France and in all genres, from Zéro de conduite to Entre
les murs, including P.R.O.F.S. and La guerre des boutons. In the course of the last fifteen years, in a country
prey to perpetual interrogations on the pertinence and efficacy of its education system, the films having as
settings high schools, middle schools, or elementary schools have won a vivid public acclaim, be it fictions
such as Entre les murs (1,600,000 admissions), L’esquive (600,000 admissions) or documentaries such as
Être et avoir (1,500,000 admissions). Even others, without reaching these records, echoed greatly in society
like La journée de la jupe or School of Babel, which earned its directors and all the students in the class an
invitation to l’Élysée. However, where other films show other sides of the school setting, this documentary
posts almost everything (pool, test center, Chartres), a total unity of place since only the classroom is shown,
with a few views of the schoolyard to mark the passing of the school year.
A B
C D IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES
– The images showing the middle school schoolyard punctuate the course of the film. They evoke its title,
but allow us, above all, to see the passing of time. As a class, the students are encouraged to describe
each image and place them in the chronological order of the school year (for example, D-B-C-A). What
could this tree symbolize? With the help of some vocabulary available on the site
https://www.institutfrancais.de/cinefete/IMG/pdf/CINEFETE16_Petit-lexique.pdf, you may also ask them
about the shots and the perspectives, particularly in shot A, the last one of the film, where the view from
up high is abandoned to adopt the point of view of the students and show the schoolyard empty during
vacation time.
22 Educational guide· LA COUR DE BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
– The shots that show the schoolyard, having
mainly an illustrative value, the film’s essential
action takes place in Brigitte Cervoni’s classroom.
With the help of the image to the right, you may
ask the students about the possible features of
this classroom (which it doesn’t have, other than
some maps and border strips on the walls since it
seems to be used for History-Geography) and
mainly about the fact that this is the one that is
always used when others students change
classrooms for each class and that their
classroom may change in the course of the year.
You may also ask them if it is used for anything
other than the class (meetings with parents,
screening of a short film). Apart from practical
reasons (presence of a film crew, even if it is
narrow), this set space serves as a landmark for
adolescents who do not have one because they
just arrived to a new country.
– The classroom serves as refuge from the mockery of students from others classes, the question of
accents, and difficulties expressing themselves often coming up, but also from environments allowing to
forge apt students to face the French school system. In the final scene, Djenabou compares her going to
a welcoming class with being born again while Xin thinks of the teacher “as a mother”. You may ask the
more advanced students, in small groups, to write about the configuration of welcoming classes
(enrollment, subjects taught, duration of the program, etc.) based on the information they obtained from
the film and completing it with research from francophone websites. They may also be encouraged to do
research on an equivalent program in their country, in fact, in their school and compare it to what they
have learned about the French school system.
B) ANALYSIS OF A SCENE
The table below is for the students. It contains the most important images of a scene. Each image is
accompanied by a series of questions which guide the students to elaborate the analysis of this sequence.
Before doing this exercise, it is preferable to hand out “Le petit lexique du cinema” to the students, available
on the site: https://www.institutfrancais.de/cinefete/IMG/pdf/CINEFETE16_Petit-lexique.pdf. Refer to it for
the terms containing an asterisk.
Instructions for the analysis of the beginning of scene n°10 (65th minute of the film)
– After having watched this scene a first time, hand out the table to the students (fold the paper in a way that
the answers cannot be seen).
– Read the questions and watch the clip as many times as necessary to answer them.
– Pause on images where the shots are longer and contain camera movement.
– Have them answer orally, then in writing.
23 Educational guide· LA COUR DE BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
IMAGE QUESTIONS POSSIBLE ANSWERS
1
– Describe the image.
– Which perspective is
used?
– How is the sound?
We see here a long shot* in low-angle shot*.
This way, the building seems more
impressive. It is a diegetic sound off screen*:
we hear the students who are at the foot of
the test center.
3
– Describe the image.
– What type of shot is
used?
– How is the sound?
Here, the director uses medium long shot*.
We can see part of the decor and recognize
the characters at the same time. The
diegetic sound is on screen* even if we
cannot see the characters move their lips.
5
– Describe the image.
– What type of shot is
used?
– How is the camera
placed?
We have here a full shot* which lets us
follow the characters’ movements. The
camera is placed on the shoulder and gives
the impression of dynamism; the spectator
is at the heart of the action.
7
– Describe the image.
– What type of shot is
used?
– What point of view do
we adopt?
The director uses at present a medium
shot*. Placed on the shoulder, the camera
adopts a subjective point of view, that of a
student rushing to get to her exam room on
time.
8
– Describe the image.
– What type of shot is
used?
– What movement is
the camera making?
We find a new medium shot at the entrance
of the classroom. The camera operates a
panoramic shot* in order to show the tense
faces of the DELF test takers.
10
– Describe the image.
– What movement is
the camera making?
In a medium shot*, Rama looks among the
tables for her seat. The camera leaves her
bit by bit using a zoom back*. The
spectator’s view leaves the characters bit by
bit.
11
– Describe the image.
What type of shot is
used?
The director resorts to a long shot* in which
the characters we had been following before
are drowned in the crowd. The middle path
and its view give the action a certain
formality.
13
– Describe the image.
What type of shot is
used?
– What point of view do
we adopt?
It is roughly the same shot as n°11, a long
shot, but a difference close by, a man in the
forefront closes the door. The spectator is in
the place of the teacher who sees his
students take the DELF.
24 Educational guide· LA COUR DE BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
C) SUMMARY OF THE FILM BY SCENE
N° OF
SCENE
TIMING DESCRIPTION OF THE SCENE
1 00:00:00 Opening credits: Maryam presents herself at the black board. Another student
corrects her mistakes.
2 00:02:10 Countries of origin: The students take turns saying how they say “hello” in their
language. They then say how they spent their last day in their country.
3 00:09:55 Meeting with the parents (1): The teacher meets with Ramatoulaye’s mother,
Felipe’s mother, and Xin’s to explain their problems.
4 00:15:20 The problems: At the pool, Rama forgets her cap and stays at the edge. The students
explain the difficulties they have with other students.
5 00:22:16 Meeting with the parents (2): The teacher meets with Andromeda’s father and
Djenabou’s cousin.
6 00:27:55 The short film: Andromeda, Mihajlo, Kessa, Xin, and Rama tell their stories. Miguel
plays the violoncello for the class.
7 00:35:34 Maryam’s departure: Maryam has to leave Paris hastily. Djenabou argues with Kessa
and has to explain herself to the teacher.
8 00:44:04 Good luck charms: Each student presents an item that represents him/her. The class
then debates the importance of religion for each of them. A new student joins the group,
Yong.
9 00:56:53 Meeting with the parents (3): The teacher meets with one of Abir’s parents, Luca’s
mother, and Mihajlo’s mother to discuss their difficulties.
10 01:05:09 The DELF and the Chartres Festival: The whole class takes the DELF at a test center.
Their short film is then shown to the parents. At Chartres, the students win a prize for
this film.
11 01:15:36 End of the year: The teacher announces that Rama has to repeat the class, but Rama
refuses. She then said her goodbye to the class because she won’t teach anymore.
12 01:26:35 Closing credits: The students leave the school for vacation, the schoolyard is empty.
25 Educational guide· LA COUR DE BABEL by Julie Bertuccelli
D) SITOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE FILM
https://fr-fr.facebook.com/lacourdebabel
http://medias.myfrenchfilmfestival.com/medias/127/201/117119/presse/la-cour-de-babel-dossier-de-
presse-francais.pdf http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=221636.html
http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2014/03/11/la-cour-de-babel-des-ados-unis-dans-la-
diversite_4380777_3246.html
http://next.liberation.fr/cinema/2014/03/14/la-cour-de-babel-une-langue-histoire_987163
TRAINING GUIDES
http://www.zerodeconduite.net/dp/zdc_lacourdebabel.pdf
https://www.ac-strasbourg.fr/fileadmin/pedagogie/clemi/cour_de_Babel_dossier_peda_
clemiStrasbourg.pdf
http://eduscol.education.fr/prix-jean-renoir-des-lyceens/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PR_Cour_de_
Babel.pdf
http://www.e-media.ch/documents/showFile.asp?ID=5775
http://www.enfancesdanslemonde.com/fiches/fiche_pedagogique_la_cour_de_babel.pdf
http://www.filmtage-tuebingen.de/fft-wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/La-cour-de-Babel.
ABOUT WELCOMING CLASSES https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classe_d%27accueil_%28France%29
http://cache.media.education.gouv.fr/file/2012/53/2/DEPP-NI-2012-01-eleves-nouveaux-arrivants-
non-francophones_209532.pdf
http://www.clg-galois-nanterre.ac-versailles.fr/spip.php?article225
http://www.cahiers-pedagogiques.com/Classes-d-accueil-la-fin-d-un-dispositif-qui-fonctionne
SHORT-LENGTH FILM ABOUT THE STUDENTS OF THE WELCOMING CLASS
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xruqob_l-enfant-lune_creation