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Sports Film Teacher’s Notes

4. Contrast

Contrast is used in all types of art: good/bad; light/dark; old/young; brave/afraid; death/birth and so on.

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Films are targeted at particular groups of people. For example, chick flicks are for and about young women. Teenagers are important consumers of entertainment so a lot of films are targeted at them. The actors are usually good-looking (especially the lead characters) and plenty of pop music is included. Many sports movies try to appeal to teachers/parents and teens. This is a difficult balance to achieve as teens are used to adults trying to brainwash them and the message must be partly hidden. The characters must not be too good or the teens might reject them as models.

Teachers may also refer to other definitions of terms on websites such as the one below:

http://www.orangeusd.k12.ca.us/yorba/literary_elements.htm Catering for Learner Diversity

For more advanced students:

For Question 2, you can require students to give responses in a few more aspects. Questions such as the ones below can be added to the worksheet:

- Name a character you thought was weak or uninteresting.

- Who do you think is the worst actor/actress in the film?

- Is there anyone connected with the film you want to give an award to?

- List ten words about sports that you noticed in the film.

For Question 3, consider using the following sample presentation instead, which is comparatively longer and contains more challenging vocabulary. A recording (CD Track 7: Presentation B on “Coach Carter”) of the presentation is also available.

The moment you see the unsmiling, straight talking Coach Carter on the screen, with his smart jacket and tie and gleaming shaven head, you know he is one tough guy. And he needs to be when he takes on the Oilers, the basketball team at Richmond High, a school in a difficult neighbourhood with a very poor academic record. Yes, “Coach Carter”, is yet another in the long series of films about great teachers who make a difference. It is also in the tradition of films about underdog sports players who make a determined effort and surprise everyone. And, of course, it is a high school film giving plenty of attention to the romances and tensions of teenage life. Films like this are pretty predictable (although this one has a bit of a twist), so the important thing is how well they are made. In these terms, “Coach Carter” is a classy production.

Samuel Jackson gives an excellent performance as the inflexible, but caring coach. The story focusses mainly on his relationship with six players, each one given some character and individuality and acted well by the young stars. There’s some sharp dialogue and the tension between the team and the coach at his harshest is really convincing. There is nothing cheap about this film and the big set-piece matches are filmed and edited beautifully. There are also some powerful messages of hope here and some genuinely emotional moments.

Of course, it helps if you like basketball, but the film is not too obsessed with the game and even non-fans can probably enjoy the personal stories. At 133 minutes it might be a little long, and a bit more humour would have been welcome. There is a little, for example, when the team creep out for a party, hoping the coach won’t find them, but he does and catches his son kissing in the swimming pool. On the whole, however, the film is pretty serious and at times even heavy. Another criticism could be that the side stories are weak: one player’s worries about his pregnant girlfriend, for instance, never come alive.

That said, the film is definitely worth watching, and could well become a classroom classic with lots for teachers and students to talk about once the film is over. Needless to say, basketball players should love it!

On the whole, a more in-depth discussion on an episode of the film can be done as follows:

Watch the episode of the school board meeting again (98:38 – 103:35). Form groups of four and discuss the following:

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1. There are special requirements in Coach Carter’s contract which his players have to fulfil. What are they? What is your opinion of these requirements?

2. Why is the school board meeting held?

3. Which character impresses you most in that scene? Why?

4. Your group will now role-play a school board meeting with four characters. In your group, divide your roles: a parent, a teacher, a player of Coach Carter’s team, and the principal. Discuss the issue (the broken contract and the dramatic consequences) and then either vote “for” or

“against”. You may make use of your mind map (Question 1), your worksheet notes (Question 2), ideas in the film, or your own ideas.

Answers:

1. GPA of 2.3 or above, attending all classes, sitting in the front row on those classes, wearing a tie on games day; any reasonable views of these requirements from students should be accepted 2. To discuss and vote on Coach Carter’s lockout of the gym because the players have failed to fulfil

the requirements of his contract 3. Students’ own answer

4. Students’ own performance

In addition to the four questions above, the following topics can also be discussed:

1. most memorable scene

2. why some bad language is used in the film 3. most interesting of the team players 4. the ending

5. favourite bits of the dialogue 6. relevance to Hong Kong 7. comparison with similar films

8. ways to motivate uninterested students 9. Carter’s treatment of his son

10. wearing ties and saying “sir”

Below are some English sports films that teachers may consider. Teachers may read their synopsis and review to select one which they consider interesting and suitable for their students. The films marked by asterisks(***) may contain adult themes, hard language, violence, etc. that may not be suitable for students if they are unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. Teachers are strongly urged to find out more about those films before using them for any learning activity.

Bend It Like Beckham (Chadha, 2002) This is a heart-warming film about Jesse, a teenage girl from Britain’s Sikh community, who is in love with football. Her family do not think it is a suitable interest for a girl and she is put in a very difficult position when her team begins to become famous. The problems of friendship and a bit of romance add extra taste to the film which preaches mutual tolerance and brings all to a happy ending.

Breaking Away (Yates, 1979) The sports film genre is not a very original one. Many of the stories are about young people growing up and developing new strengths and maturity through sport. This one is no exception and one can find here the rather common ingredients of conflict with parents, hostility among different youth groups, and the problem of adapting to life after school. But there are not many bicycling films. The characters are good and the story is told with charm. (***)

Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005) The film, like so many in the genre, relates a true story. John Braddock was a successful boxer, but injury made his career fall apart. Struggling to support his family during the Great Depression, he accepts a fight that everyone expects him to lose, but all goes well and he ends up a world boxing champion. The part is well-acted by Russell Crowe.

Although the film is long, it has a lot of very realistic fight scenes.

Field of Dreams (Robinson, 1989) Another Kevin Costner film, this one is pure sentimentality. A farmer hears mysterious voices and has a vision of turning a cornfield into a baseball diamond where great players of the past will appear and play. Understandably many people think he is mad,

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and the film follows the Hollywood formula of a battle between idealism and harsh reality. But, as usual in such films, being true to oneself works and his dream comes true – though the doubters cannot see the ghost players.

The Flying Scotsman (Mackinnon, 2007) This is a biopic, telling the life of the Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree. Graeme, definitely an underdog, is bullied by the boys around him during an unhappy childhood. However, he has a dream, builds his own bicycle and, to the amazement of all those who saw him as just a loser, breaks records.

Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004) A dusty Texan town gets all its pride from its champion high school (American) football team. This puts tremendous pressure on the members of the team and on their coach. How the coach inspires his players and deals with their problems is the meat of the film.

The Game of Their Lives (Anspaugh, 2005) Hollywood is not very interested in football (soccer) so there are not so many films covering the world’s most popular game. This is a half exception. It is a football film but it covers a surprise American victory over England in Brazil in 1950. The film follows the usual underdog pattern.

The Heart of the Game (Serrill, 2006) This is a documentary about a Seattle girls’ basketball team.

It shows us the ups and downs of the team, the hard work of their coach and the legal struggles of a star player who is banned from playing. More appealing to those who have experienced a girls’

basketball team.

Hoop Dreams (James, 1994) A documentary about a boys’ basketball team. In the United States school sport is taken very seriously, and for some players success is their best hope of a good future, so the pressures are intense. Coaches, families, players, injuries, the joy of victory, the pain of loss – all are here. Highly recommended for basketball fans.

Hoosiers (Anspaugh, 1986) The story of an underdog basketball team and their climb to greatness.

An inspiring story with a great performance by Gene Hackman as the coach, the film is a favourite with coaches as it sticks to the story of a team and the players’ determination and improvement.

The sentimentality is controlled and distractions such as love stories avoided.

Jerry Maguire (Crowe, 1996) This film takes a slightly different approach and highlights the money side of sport and the commercial values behind what is sold to us as healthy and morally improving participation in physical activity. Tom Cruise is a rather unsuccessful sports agent with only one major client, a very difficult (American) football player (acted beautifully by Cuba Gooding). The film manages to be both interesting and thought-provoking. (***)

The Legend of Bagger Vance (Redford, 2000) This is a golf film with stars like Matt Damon and Will Smith. A burnt-out, once great player is persuaded to join a major tournament. At first, he is a disaster, but then his caddy teaches him the perfect golf stroke and philosophy of life that lies behind it. Viewers can guess the rest.

The Longest Yard (Aldrich, 1974 and remade by Segal, 2005) Although the older version is probably the better, most people will see the remake with Adam Sandler. An (American) football star is in prison. The story follows the usual formula of fitting together difficult individuals into a team and the victory that follows from their new unity. The prison setting supplies tension between prisoners and guards and adds a racial element.

Million Dollar Baby (Eastwood, 2004) Among the many boxing films, this one stands out as offering something a little different. It is a sad story of a girl from the bottom of society who dreams of being a boxer. Girl boxers are not common and it takes a lot of determination on her part to get the help of a boxing-gym owner to train her. The film is perhaps less about sport than about family, hope and human dignity.

Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980) The film is generally recognised as a masterpiece, though a very violent one, which will not appeal to everyone. The story is based on the life of a 1940s boxer, Jake

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La Motta, and shows the dark side of this big money sport. Connections to the criminal underworld, betting and match-fixing are explored and La Motta falls quickly from championship to jail. (***)

The Rookie (Hancock, 2002) This beautifully made and highly sentimental film is set in the world of Texan night baseball. The main character, a true sports hero, missed his chance to be a sports star when younger but now, pushed by the team he coaches at the school where he teaches chemistry, makes one last effort. He has to prove himself among younger players and climb from amateur status through the minor league to big-time baseball. The film conveys the passion one can feel for a game or sport.

Seabiscuit (Ross, 2003) This is another more or less true story. It involves a famous American race horse from the Depression years (1930s). Seabiscuit does not look or behave like a champion, but when treated with care by young jockey Red Pollard, becomes a (slightly unpredictable) star. Red, played with great sincerity by Tobey Maguire, suffers from a number of accidents and set-backs.

The film is full of human (and equine) goodness and bravery.

Tin Cup (Shelton, 1996) A gentle loser, Roy McAvoy, runs a golf driving range in Texas. He falls in love with a lady who comes to practise, but discovers she has a boyfriend who is a successful golfer.

To win her attention he decides he has to win the US Open Championship. At this point the film gets serious about golf and fans will enjoy the technical detail and passion for the sport. (***)

Touching the Void (MacDonald, 2003) Based on a true story, the film tells of two young men who decide to conquer the last unclimbed peak in the Andes of Peru. They intend to move fast, carrying almost nothing and depending on speed to survive. They successfully reach the top, but on the way down one is seriously injured and has to be slowly and dangerously lowered bit by bit by his partner.

A snow storm only adds to the drama. An exciting film for anyone interested in mountain-climbing.

(***)

We Are Marshall (McG, 2006) The film is based on a genuine tragedy when a university’s (American) football team was killed in a plane crash (1970). The initial reaction of Marshall University is to cancel the programme, but two coaches come and fight to revive it. People’s emotions are very complex and confused on the issue and there are many obstacles, but the effort of getting the team out on the field and to be able to win at least some games helps everyone to handle their grief. A rather heavy film.

White Squall (Scott, 1996) This is a sailing film, and also a film about growing up. It probably fits more into the genre of “inspiring teacher film” than sports film, but it is also about the young physically challenging themselves and so developing their characters. A crew of schoolboys, with various problems such as over-ambitious fathers, set sail on The Albatross. They have various adventures and in the climax have to survive in a terrible storm.

z Wimbledon (Loncraine, 2004) An aging tennis player without much ambition is inspired by his love for a hot young American tennis star to improve his game and show he is a winner. More a romance than a sport film, there is still plenty of tennis for fans to enjoy.

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