lesson plan the big day - french...

Created by Azadée Tolooie. THE BIG DAY. by Jacques Tati.

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LESSON PLAN

THE BIG DAY By Jacques Tati.

Created by Azadée Tolooie Translated by Andrew A. Rosado Hartline


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

I UNDERSTANDING THE FILM

Information about the film……………………………………………………… 3

The director ……...……………………………………………………………… 4

Summary ……...………………………………………………………………… 5

The universe of the film ………………………………………………………... 6

II IN CLASS DISCUSSION: BEFORE THE FILM ………………………….……… 11

Student Worksheet 1: The title of the film ..…….………………...……..…... 12

Teacher Worksheet 1: The title of the film ..…………..…………….…..…... 14

Student Worksheet 2: The movie poster ….……………………………...…. 15

Teacher Worksheet 2: The movie poster …..……………………….…….… 19

Student Worksheet 3: The movie trailer …………………………..…………. 21

Teacher Worksheet 3: The movie trailer ..…………………………….……. 23

Student Worksheet 4: The movie genre …………………………….…........ 25

Teacher Worksheet 4: The movie genre ……….………………………....... 27

III IN CLASS DISCUSSION: AFTER THE FILM ……………………….…………… 28

Student Worksheet 5: Understanding the movie genre …………….....….... 29

Teacher Worksheet 5: Understanding the movie genre ……………………..33

SITOGRAPHY .………………………………………………………………………….. 35


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I UNDERSTANDING THE FILM

TECHNICAL FICHE

TITLE: JOUR DE FÊTE (THE BIG DAY)

YEAR: 1949

COUNTRY: France

DURATION: 1 hour 18 minutes

BY: Jacques Tati

SCRIPT: Jacques Tati and Henri Marquet

MUSIC: Jean Yatove

CAST: Jacques Tati, Paul Frankeur, Guy Decomble.


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THE DIRECTOR

Jacques Tati

Born on October 9, 1907, Jacques Tati (born Jacques Tatischeff) decided early in his

career, to the discontent of his father, to become a mime and then made six comic short

films inspired by the sometimes-acrobatic performances he produced for music hall

shows. During the Second World War, he spent a few months in the small village of Saint-

Sévère with his friend, Henri Marquet, with whom he wrote the script for a film called

L'École des facteur. In 1944, Jacques Tati married Michelle Winter and then, in 1946, he

created a production company and recorded L'École des facteur. This is also the year

when his daughter Sophie Tatischeff was born. He returned to Saint-Sévère to shoot his

first feature film Jour de fête whose main character is a mail carrier. Jour de fête was

intended to be the first French feature film in color, but the color print was impossible,

consequently the black and white version was presented to the public and was a great

success.


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Excerpt of an interview with Jacques Tati:

« I had been enlisted by the Germans in 43, then I escaped, and I took refuge in Marembert, which

is located six kilometers from Sainte-Sévère. There, to my surprise, because there was the war, but

we had the impression that in Sainte-Sévère, we did not notice it at all. It's great to see people who

still know how to live. I thought that if one day I would make a film, I would go back and shoot it

there. »

Enchanted by the beach of Saint-Marc sur Mer, near Saint-Nazaire, he shot Les

vacances de Monsieur Hulot, a burlesque film that received several awards. He then

shot Mon oncle in 1956 which was his first film in color.

From 1964 to 1967, Jacques Tati devoted himself to shooting Playtime whose creation

was his ruin as the cost of the sets were high. The half-failure of this film forced Jacques

Tati to sell his production company in 1974. It was with the help of Swedish television

that he was able to shoot his last two films Trafic and Parade. In 1977 he received a

César for his work. Weakened due to serious health problems, he died in Paris in 1982.

In 2001, his daughter Sophie Tatischeff alongside Jérôme Deschamps, his younger

cousin, created the Mon Oncle Film Society. They managed to release a restored color

version of The Big Day (Jour de fête).

SUMMARY

We are in the 40s. The sun rises on a French village. But today is not a day like any other,

it's a day of celebration. Performers settle on the village square with carousels, stands

and even traveling cinema. François, the village mail carrier who is a bit of a simpleton

and clumsy, but very helpful, struggles to somehow do his daily route. His enthusiasm

vanishes when he sees a documentary on the avant-garde working style of American mail

carriers. When mocked and provoked by the villagers, François decides to prove to them

what he is capable of.


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THE FILM’S UNIVERSE

AN INSIGHT TO THE UNITED STATES

We are in the aftermath of the Liberation, and there are American influences throughout

the film. Due to their physical presence, the GI's driving in jeeps recall the historical context

of the film, but the American influence is notable. When recording The Big Day, Tati

appropriated slapstick humor, a genre that was predominant in the glory days of silent

films. He takes advantage of the arrival of the performers to pay homage to another

American genre: Westerns. However, it is apparent that we are still in Indre et Loire, and

the intrusion of the West in the village square is less of a respectful allusion than it is a

pretext for a new series of gags.

During the festival, the villagers also have the opportunity to discover another dimension

of the United States through a documentary projected under a tent. It shows that the

United States is a country of technical progress and speed. This interesting mise en

abyme refers to a situation that is still relevant today: as spectators of images (cinema,

television), we do not perceive the world that what we are can see, hence the need for

teachers to develop attitudes of curiosity among their students by encouraging them to

enrich their knowledge through the diversity of their sources.


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Tati's film shows us the pitfall of this limited vision of the United States by trying to adapt

forcefully to the speed of the American system, François, the mail carrier upsets the order

that maintained normalcy in the entire village so far. This unnatural evolution will lead to

a fiasco but allows the artist to deploy a whole range of gags based on the shift.

TATI’S COMIC

Tati’s comic is essentially based on his observations of everyday life. The event of the

arrival of cinema in a small village is an opportunity to show the quiet habits and scan the

various characters and their activities.

The gags provoked by the mail carrier are all funnier because they have no catastrophic

consequences, or at least because they do not appear as such on screen. For example,

when François wishes a "happy birthday" to the character who is in mourning, they close

the door immediately on his face. Or, when the coffee seller falls from his chair, or when


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François confuses a window with a shooting stand. We have no knowledge of the

consequences of his actions and the possibly negative reactions of the characters

concerned. The gags are not stretched, so they come as a real surprise.

Due to the involuntariness on the part of François, the gags also occur when they are

thought to be done (the cake that does not fall, or the garden hose that does nothing for

a long time). The comic dynamic of these types of gags makes them change their purpose

along the way to achieve a surprising result. The gags are often caused by coming across

obstacles: a stepladder, a fence, a hedge, or even the tar on the road. These are the many

challenges of François’ frantic race on the road to fame.

Tati references the American burlesque a lot by taking up some recurring motifs in this

cinematographic tradition such as the driverless vehicles and the policeman at a

crossroads. He alludes to the USA with the gag dedicated to the GI's jeep (the musical

band adopts at this time a post-war jazz style) or by the "film within a film" such as the

report on the American mail carriers brought by performers (in black and white, while the

film of Tati was shot in color).


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FRANÇOIS, A VERY FRENCH MAIL CARRIER

In L’école des facteurs, a short film made two years prior, Jacques Tati already embodied

a mail carrier and he takes up in his first feature film many gags that were started in this

small first draft. François is a transition character between his first cinematographic essays

(his silhouette had already been seen in Soigne ton gauche) and the character of Hulot

who will see light of day four years later with Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot. He has

the same habit of stammering and the swallowing his words with a lanky pace. These are

the same ways to create a comic, not by his personality but by his interaction with the

environment. Tati will constantly refine this character that is "too French" to his liking in

this film. The mustache and uniform show an everyday Frenchman that is much more in

line with the universal reach of the comic created by Tati.

Between his first cinematographic essays and The Big Day, Jacques Tati abandons the

comic that relies on a frenzy of gestures. He purifies and simplifies them by going to

choreographies with very "clear lines" that are much more effective in terms of comedy as

in poetry. This refinement of Tati’s style will continue with his character Hulot with which

the artist completely abandons this tendency (the accumulation and exaggeration of the

American burlesque) and aims for a form of abstraction. This is a real exploration from

which Tati deliberately distances himself, a form of burlesque in which he shines, as

shown in the entire sequence where François, after discovering a report on the

effectiveness of the US Post, takes an acute Taylorism and embarks on a crazy tour.

François is therefore too "French", but this characterization corresponds perfectly to the

background of the film, which is based on the contamination of rural France by the

American Dream. Tati's rhetoric will be more cynical as he progresses; and if the tone is

light-hearted, one can feel Tati's uneasiness in the cultural homogenization he perceived

by the end of the forties. It has often been noted that François looked like De Gaulle (the

size, the cap, Tati plays with this image when we see for the François’ back for the first

time), and throughout the film he works on this dichotomy between the French and


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American cultures. A dichotomy that is accompanied by a true love affair of the American

burlesque, Keaton, and Mack Sennett.

A METAPHOR FOR THE LIBERATION

We understand better now that the film portrays a metaphor that cannot be ignored. The

title itself is a metaphor for the Liberation – let us not forget that the film was shot three

years later -, and the euphoria and celebrations it generated throughout France. The

long scene of the erection of a mast supporting the tricolor flag has an undeniable

symbolic value. Moreover, when Tati colors the film in 1961, the dominant colors added

to black and white are precisely blue and red. In the same vein, one could equate the

physical prowess of the mail carrier that seeks to compete with the American Post to the

efforts of de Gaulle to preserve the identity and greatness of France against the

American hegemony after the war in Europe.


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II IN CLASS DISCUSSION:

BEFORE THE FILM

These pedagogic activities were created for students between the ages of 13 and 15 in

order to prepare them for the screening of the film in its entirety. The lesson plan can be

done in the mother tongue or in French per the students’ linguistic profiles and the foreign

language teacher’s objectives.

In this lesson plan, language skills are abbreviated as followed:

• WC: Written comprehension

• OC: Oral comprehension

• OP: Oral production

• WP: Written production

• OI: Oral interaction


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STUDENT WORKSHEET 1: THE TITLE OF THE FILM

All levels

JOUR DE FÊTE Complete the column on the right with the corresponding letters.

____ : Des feux d’artifices

____ : Un manège ____ : Un vélo

____ : Une fête foraine ____ : La musique

____ : Un bal ____ : La fanfare ____ : Le cinéma

____ : Courir ____ : Danser ____ : Un ballon

A B C

D

E

F

G

H I

J

K


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C’EST LA FÊTE ! À chacun sa fête !

In groups of two, associate each text bubble to their corresponding

character. How about you? How do you party?

A B C D E F

TEACHER WORKSHEET 1: THE TITLE OF THE FILM

Moi j’aime inviter mes amies à prendre un thé. Nous parlons de nos petits-enfants et nous tricotons ensemble. Parfois nous écoutons un peu de musique et nous pensons au bon vieux temps.

Moi j’invite tous mes

potes à l’appart. On

commande des pizzas et on

boit quelques bières.

Parfois on joue aussi à

la Playstation. On

rigole bien.

Quand nous ne sommes pas trop

fatigués, nous appelons une baby-

sitter et nous sortons dîner en

amoureux ou entre amis.

Moi j’adore faire des soirées-jeux avec

mes amis, on joue à des jeux de rôles,

on regarde tous les films de la Guerre

des Étoiles ou alors on discute.

Nous ? on sort en boîte

et on danse toute la

nuit !

Moi je fais une soirée pyjama avec

copines si mes parents sont

d’accord. On s’amuse, on parle et on

se couche très tard !


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All levels

JOUR DE FÊTE (WC)

This introductory activity allows students to discover the film and the party lexical field. It

will also correspond the « Tintamarre » activity where the studied lexicon will be

reinvested in a listening comprehension and sound identification exercise.

Answers:

A : Danser / B : Un vélo / C : Des feux d’artifices / D : Un ballon / E : Courir / F : Un bal /

G : Une fanfare / H : Un manège / I : Le cinéma / J : La musique / K : Une fête foraine.

C’EST LA FÊTE (WC)

All throughout the exercise, students can use the key words to associate the text bubble

and the characters below. The teacher can also work on the conjugation of verbs in the

present indicative tense. Students will then reinvest the lexicon and phrases to express in

their own way how they party.

Answers:

A

B

C

D

E

F


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STUDENT WORKSHEET 2: THE MOVIE POSTER Levels A1 - B1

À CETTE ÉPOQUE-LÀ…

1. Given the elements of the movie poster, can you guess

the date of the film? In groups of two, discuss and propose

a date:

2000

1970

1950

1900

1850


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2. In small groups, test your knowledge on history and put the events and

inventions below in chronological order. To correct them, use the dates on Exercise 3.

Sortie du film de

Jacques Tati JOUR DE

FÊTE 1949


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3. Voici les dates de chaque évènement et invention de l’activité précédente. Associez les dates écrites en toutes lettres aux dates en nombres.

La Révolution française Mil sept cent quatre-vingt-neuf. L’invention du vélo

Mil huit cent dix-sept. Le début de la première guerre mondiale Mil neuf cent quatorze. La fin de la deuxième guerre mondiale Mil neuf cent quarante-cinq

L’invention du téléphone portable Mil neuf cent soixante-treize. L’invention d’Internet Mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-neuf.

La création de l’Union Européenne

Mil neuf cent quatre-vingt-treize.

1993

1989

1945

1914

1817

1973

1789

1789


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C’ÉTAIT MIEUX AVANT…

The film takes place in the 50s and a lot has changed since!

1. Match the statements below to the drawing created by Yang Liu where

she compares our times and the past.

2. Use the images above to inspire a drawing of your own creation. Draw two contrasting elements, one from the past and one from today, and then write a statement that illustrates your drawings.

Avant, on

______________________. Maintenant on __________________________

1. Avant, on allait à la bibliothèque pour faire des recherches. Maintenant on va sur

Google.

2. Avant on utilisait seulement le téléphone fixe pour communiquer à distance.

Maintenant on utilise une connexion wi-fi.

3. Avant on buvait son petit café en lisant son journal. Maintenant on boit un grand

latte en lisant un livre électronique.

4. Avant mangeait en grande quantité et beaucoup de viande. Maintenant les gens ne

mangent pas de viande et préfèrent manger peu ou font un régime.


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TEACHER WORKSHEET 2: THE MOVIE POSTER All levels

À CETTE ÉPOQUE-LÀ (OI)

Exercise 1

This activity aims to help the students to identify the historic context of the film to better

understand the character’s attitudes towards technological progresses of the time, the

changes of the rhythm of life and Americans, and the rising heroes of 1945 that François

copies

Students can use the visual elements of the movie poster such as the cord phone, the

bike, the mail carrier’s uniform, the drawing style etc… This can allow students to review

numbers and dates in French.

In groups of two, students can propose different dates to complete the exercise. The

teacher can ask them to justify their choice in French, if their level allows it, or they can

simply express it in their mother tongue. Lastly, the teacher can correct the answers in

class.

Answer: 1950.

Exercises 2 and 3

In small groups, students can debate the order of the events and the inventions according

to what they know. Then, in the following exercise, students can verify their hypotheses

while studying the numbers in French. They teacher can then ask the students to explain

their answers by asking them to give details or by doing supplementary research about a

specific date and present their findings.

Answers:

La Révolution française : 1789

L’invention du vélo : 1817

Le début de la première guerre mondiale : 1914

La fin de la deuxième guerre mondiale : 1945

L’invention du téléphone portable : 1976

L’invention d’Internet : 1989

La création de l’Union Européenne : 1993


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C’ÉTAIT MIEUX AVANT (WC/WP)

This activity will teach students about the period in which Jacques Tati’s film takes place.

Students can then learn about the different means of communication, the life styles, and

the hobbies and activities of the time in contrast to today’s activities. This exercise can

also introduce the contrast between the present and imperfect tenses of the French

language.

For further studying, you can also find more images by the same artist in the following link:

http://www.topito.com/top-illustrations-avant-vs-maintenant-yang-liu

Answers:

2 3

1 4

http://www.topito.com/top-illustrations-avant-vs-maintenant-yang-liu


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STUENT WORKSHEET 3: THE TRAILER Levels A1 - B1

UN AIR DE CAMPAGNE In small groups, complete the bubbles below with as many words as you can

think of about the countryside.

QUEL TINTAMARRE !

Les animaux

Personnes

La nature

Activités

Objets


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Source : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV5mBY2Oaow

1. Firstly, you will just hear the trailer several times. Concentrate on the sounds and

the words, then mark all the elements you hear.

2. Then, you will see the trailer with the sounds and you will mark all the elements you see in the movie trailer.

TEACHER WORKSHEET 3: THE MOVIE TRAILER All levels

J’entends…

Une église

La sonnette du vélo

Un coq

Un mouton

Une voiture

Une personne qui chante

Une personne qui crie

Une personne qui pleure

Un chien

Un chat

De la musique

Un cheval

Des poules

Un âne

Une vache

La télévision

Un enfant

Un cochon

Une porte qui s’ouvre dans une boutique

Un feu

Un facteur

Un ballon

Une musique de manège

Un boucher

Une vieille dame

Une fanfare

Je vois…

Une église

Un vélo

Un coq

Un mouton

Une voiture

Une personne qui chante

Une personne qui crie

Une personne qui pleure

Un chien

Un chat

De la musique

Un cheval

Des poules

Un âne

Une vache

La télévision

Un enfant

Un cochon

Une porte qui s’ouvre dans une boutique

Un feu

Un facteur

Un ballon

Des chevaux de bois

Un boucher

Une vieille dame

Une fanfare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV5mBY2Oaow


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UN AIR DE CAMPAGNE (WP)

This activity will allow students to reinvest the lexicon on rural lifestyle that is imperative

for the film that takes place in the small village of Sainte-Sévère-sur-Indre. Students can

then proceed to categorize the vocabulary words.

If the students’ level is not high enough to propose words, the teacher can give them a list

of vocabulary words to complete the exercise.

The totality of studied words in the exercise and the previous exercises can serve as a

preamble for the « Tintamarre » activity from which students will discover for the first time

during the viewing of the movie trailer.

QUEL TINTAMARRE ! (OC/WP)

Video resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV5mBY2Oaow

The sound gag is a central element of Jacques Tati's gag mechanics. They use sound by

disproportionately placing it in the foreground. This creates a comic effect that Jacques

Tati uses throughout the film.

Students will first examine the list of items to verify their comprehension.

At a first listen, they will check the elements heard. It is possible to make them listen to

the trailer several times because the sounds are linked and are quick.

Afterwards, students will watch the trailer. This will allow them to check the items in the

list on the right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV5mBY2Oaow


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Answers:

ON ENTEND : la sonnette de vélo, un coq, une personne qui crie, un chien, de la musique,

un cheval, des poules, une vache, un cochon, une porte qui s’ouvre dans une boutique,

un enfant, une musique de manège, une fanfare.

ON VOIT : un vélo, une voiture, une personne qui crie, des poules, un enfant, une cochon,

une porte qui s’ouvre dans une boutique, un feu, un facteur, un ballon, des chevaux de

bois, un boucher, une vieille dame.


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STUDENT WORKSHEET 4: THE MOVIE GENRE

VOUS PLAISANTEZ J’ESPÈRE !?!

1. In small groups, pick a piece of paper and try to imagine the situation, then think

about a funny ending.

2. Play out the scene in front of the class. Then the class has to guess which situation

you played out with help from the list below. QUE FAIS-TU SI….

A. Une guêpe te tourne autour.

B. Tu louches et que tu essaies de planter un clou.

C. Tu es saoul et tu trouves un ballon qui vole.

D. Ton piano ne fonctionne plus et tu t’énerves.

E. Tu es une très vieille dame qui promène sa chèvre.


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Une guêpe te tourne autour

Tu utilises ton vélo d’une

façon bizarre

Tu louches et que tu essaies

de planter un clou.

Tu es une très vieille dame qui promène sa chèvre.

Tu es saoul et tu trouves un

ballon qui vole.

Ton piano ne fonctionne plus et tu t’énerves.

PAPIERS À DÉCOUPER TEACHER WORKSHEET 4: THE MOVIE GENRE


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All levels

VOUS PLAISANTEZ J’ESPÈRE (WC/OI)

This activity will allow students to play with burlesque situations. The film Jacques Tati is

purely a burlesque film because its rhythm is slow. This can make it a bit difficult for young

audiences accustomed to other more accelerated comic dynamics. It is therefore

necessary to prepare students for this kind of film by allowing them to understand the

comic side of burlesque.

This activity will serve as an introduction by working with some humorous passages of the

film. The proposed situations are therefore comical situations from the film.

The activity:

The teacher can ask the class to read the statements of situations and to check if they

understand. They will then draw a paper with a situation and will then play out the

proposed situation. Students must also agree on the staging. They can present it to the

class that will try to guess which situation from the proposed list it is. One of the students

in the group can also amuse themselves by doing the sound effects.

During the viewing, the students will be able to apprehend these same scenes and

compare the staging of Jacques Tati and theirs.


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III UNDERSTANDING THE FILM:

AFTER THE FILM

These pedagogic activities were created for students between the ages of 13 and 15 in

order to prepare them to discuss the film after screening of the film in its entirety. The

lesson plan can be done in the mother tongue or in French per the students’ linguistic

profiles and the foreign language teacher’s objectives.

In this lesson plan, language skills are abbreviated as followed:

• WC: Written comprehension

• OC: Oral comprehension

• OP: Oral production

• WP: Written production

• OI: Oral interaction


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STUDENT WORKSHEET 5: THE MOVIE GENRE

A2+

VOUS AVEZ DIT BURLESQUE ? 1- Find the etymology of the word « BURLESQUE » in the dictionary or on the Internet.

2- Then find information about the cinematographic genre of burlesque.

3- Do you know any contemporary artists or actors that use the same techniques?

BULERSQUE

VIENT DU MOT ___ _________(mot d’origine)

QUI SIGNIFIE __________(signification) EN _____________(langue d’origine).

4- This mythical scene from a burlesque short film by the Lumière Brothers is called:

« L’arroseur arrosé ».

Why did they choose this title? In your opinion, what is going on in this scene?


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PORTRAITS DE COMIQUE S

2

1- Match the descriptions of each of these burlesque artists (see following

page) and write the letter that corresponds on the table.

2- Find a video online of one of these artists and show it to the class to see

which one is funnier and explain why.

1 2 3 4 5 6

1

2

3

4 5

6


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A. Je suis Molière, grand dramaturge français du XVII siècle. Je suis une référence du

burlesque en littérature, notamment pour mes pièces de théâtres très célèbres. Je me moque

de toute le monde (des bourgeois, des médecins, des religieux, etc.) et dénonce les injustices

et inégalités par la farce.

B. Nous sommes les Frères Lumières, deux inventeurs français du

XIX siècle. Nous avons inventé le cinéma ! Nous sommes aussi

les précurseurs du cinéma burlesque car nous avons créé la

toute première scène burlesque avec le court-métrage de

l’arroseur arrosé.

C. Nous sommes un duo comique très célèbre aux Etats-Unis dans les années 30. Nous avons commencé notre carrière dans le cinéma muet puis avons continué à nous produire dans des films de cinéma parlant pendant 25 ans. Nous sommes Laurel et Hardy. L’un est petit et mince et l’autre est grand et assez gros. Nous portons tous les deux des chapeaux-melon sur la tête.

D. Je m’appelle Charlie Chaplin et je suis anglais. Je suis une idole du cinéma muet du XX siècle. Mes œuvres comiques servent aussi à dénoncer et sont parfois politiques. Je me moque par exemple de dictateurs comme Hitler et Mussolini. Je suis acteur, réalisateur, scénariste, producteur et compositeur. Je porte toujours un chapon melon sur la tête et j’ai une canne à la main.

E. Je suis un acteur et réalisateur français et je m’appelle Max

Linder. Mon vrai est nom est Gabrielle Leuvielle et mon

personnage « Max » naît en 1910. Je deviens alors une vedette

internationale et mon travail influencera Charlie Chaplin pour

la création de son personnage « Charlot ». Je porte toujours

un grand chapeau haut de forme et une canne.

F. Je m’appelle Mabel Normand, je suis actrice, réalisatrice, scénariste et productrice

américaine. Je commence à avoir du succès dans le cinéma en 1912 puis je travaille plus

tard avec de grandes vedettes comme Charlie Chaplin. Je suis la première actrice à avoir

tourné dans un avion !


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UN GAG PARFAIT

À partir des éléments de la recette du gag parfait, à vous d’inventez le

script d’une petite scène burlesque pour réaliser un mini court-métrage

et le présenter à la classe.

Une histoire : Le gag est solution apportée à un

problème posé. Cette solution n’est pas du tout

appropriée, ce qui produit l’effet comique.

Ajoutez au choix, trois de ces ingrédients :

✓ La surprise

✓ Un peu d’absurde

✓ Un quiproquo

✓ Une complicité avec le spectateur qui sait, qui

voit tout.

✓ Le personnage ridicule

✓ Une course poursuite

✓ Le mime

✓ Les performances physiques

✓ Un rythme rapide ou répétitif

✓ Un gag sonore (exagération du son)


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TEACHER WORKSHEET5: THE MOVIE GENRE

All levels

VOUS AVEZ DIT BURLESQUE ? (PE/IO)

Answers:

Burlesque vient du mot « Burlesco » ou « Burlare » qui signigie plaisanter en italien.

"Burlesque" is nowadays commonly used to designate an exaggerated, extravagant

comic that is generally based on a discrepancy between the tonality and the subject

treated in a text. The humoristic burlesque is based on a number of processes that can

also be found in The Big Day.

In the United States is where this cinematic genre reached its peak, but it is in France

where it began. One of the first French films made by the Lumière Brothers, "L’arroseur

arrosé" in 1895, represents the beginning of the burlesque genre.

Burlesque cinema has its origins in the acting styles of Commedia dell 'Arte, popular

culture, music hall, and comic strips. However, the arrival of talking films profoundly shook

up the rules of burlesque and this kind of parody, that was perfect for silent cinema, sees

the decline of the omnipotence of imagery, a main element in these films. In its place,

dialogue and of the psychology of the characters became the focus of interest.

Students can make assumptions about the comic scene in “L’arosseur arose” from the

image of the activity and then imagine the rest of the situation. The teacher will then be

able to show the video of the scene https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frl0K09o-KA and

ask the class if the comic effect of this first gag in the history of cinema still works today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Frl0K09o-KA


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PORTRAITS DE COMIQUES (WC)

This activity allows learners to discover the great burlesque comics in cinema and

literature.

It is possible to ask them to make a connection with the comedians of today who still use

techniques and processes of gags from burlesque cinema.

Suggestions for contemporary burlesque cinema

French cinema:

- Les films de Jean-Marie Poiré (ex : Les Visiteurs)

- Les films avec l’acteur Louis de Funès (ex : La Folie des grandeurs)

- Les films de Francis Weber (ex : Le dîner de cons)

- Les films de Patrice Leconte (ex : les Bronzés)

Anglosaxon cinema:

- Certains films de Woody Allen

- Les films avec l’acteur Jackie Chan

- Les films des Terry Jones : Monthy Python.

To dive deeper: you will find in « ciclic, upopi,l’université populaire des images », an

excellent website, the history of burlesque represented by images and movie excerpts.

http://upopi.ciclic.fr/apprendre/l-histoire-des-images/histoire-du-cinema-burlesque

Answers:

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SITOGRAPHY

• Links on burlesque cinema

http://numericle91.fr/uploads/resources/LeBurlesque/LeBurlesque.pdf


https://www.littre.org/definition/burlesque

http://web.ac-

reims.fr/dsden52/ercom/documents/education_artistique/ecole_et_cinema/2014_2015/5_burle

sques/annexes-burlesques/01_le_burlesque.pdf

• Links about the film

http://www.transmettrelecinema.com/film/jour-de-fete/#mise-en-scene

https://benshi.fr/films/jour-de-fete/64

• Lesson plans

http://www.gindoucinema.org/images/Pdf/FichesPeda_Ecole_et_cinema/DossierPedagogique

JourDeFete.pdf

https://www.ac-orleans-

tours.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/ia28/doc_peda/Arts_et_Culture/cinema/archives/2007-

2008/Jour_de_Fete.pdf

http://cinema.ia80.ac-amiens.fr/index.php/archives/2014-2015/88-jour-de-fete

http://www.cinemaparlant.com/fichesfilms/j-k-l/fp_jourfete.pdf

http://cache.media.education.gouv.fr/file/Pistes_pedagogiques_pour_l_E.D.D./84/8/fiche-

pedagogique-jour-de-fete-evelyne_aguilee_689848.pdf

https://www4.ac-nancy-metz.fr/ia54-gtd/arts-et-culture/sites/arts-et-

culture/IMG/pdf/elements_de_reflexionjourdefete.pdf

http://ww2.ac-poitiers.fr/ia16-pedagogie/IMG/pdf/jour_de_fete_dossier_pedagogique.pdf

http://numericle91.fr/uploads/resources/LeBurlesque/LeBurlesque.pdf


https://www.littre.org/definition/burlesque

http://web.ac-reims.fr/dsden52/ercom/documents/education_artistique/ecole_et_cinema/2014_2015/5_burlesques/annexes-burlesques/01_le_burlesque.pdf



http://www.transmettrelecinema.com/film/jour-de-fete/#mise-en-scene

https://benshi.fr/films/jour-de-fete/64

http://www.gindoucinema.org/images/Pdf/FichesPeda_Ecole_et_cinema/DossierPedagogiqueJourDeFete.pdf

http://www.gindoucinema.org/images/Pdf/FichesPeda_Ecole_et_cinema/DossierPedagogiqueJourDeFete.pdf

https://www.ac-orleans-tours.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/ia28/doc_peda/Arts_et_Culture/cinema/archives/2007-2008/Jour_de_Fete.pdf



http://www.cinemaparlant.com/fichesfilms/j-k-l/fp_jourfete.pdf

http://cache.media.education.gouv.fr/file/Pistes_pedagogiques_pour_l_E.D.D./84/8/fiche-pedagogique-jour-de-fete-evelyne_aguilee_689848.pdf

http://cache.media.education.gouv.fr/file/Pistes_pedagogiques_pour_l_E.D.D./84/8/fiche-pedagogique-jour-de-fete-evelyne_aguilee_689848.pdf

lesson plan the big day - french...

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