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"Out there, children play soldier...In here, soldiers play like children."
Grand Illusion - A Movie & Questions: Students will watch a film - answering some questions immediately - and more involved thinking prompts at home.
Grand Illusion is about French Prisoners of War and their attempts to escape the German Prison camp that they are in. However, it is even more about the idea of "class" and its illusions - along with the illusions of the natural boundaries that are the basis of war.
This is the second film that I used with "All Quiet on the Western Front". The first was Duck Soup - the Marx Brothers' Comedy. I think that worked well - and will include it as the next lesson; however, Grand Illusion is perfect - and it fits so well with the time of year that we show it (around Christmas).
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
Grand Illusion Movie Questions (see my page on Movie Questions). You can also see my first film that I showed in this class, The Return of Martin Guerre, for more reasoning on how and why I choose a specific movie. In a nutshell there are two different types of questions - those in bold that the students answer while they are watching the movie (it keeps them focused and on track) and those questions in italics that the students answer for homework. Each of the latter questions is a kind of mini-essay that requires them to use what they found in their reading of the novel, our discussions & group works, and their viewing of the movie.
Here are the instructions from the handout (found below) and the first question which is a bit different - students need to look for something during the entire showing of the film (which takes 2 or 3 days - sometimes if I showed it in 3 days, I would give students time after showing the segment to work on the movie questions):
Questions are to be answered fully on a separate sheet of paper. Work on each part after we watch that part – all questions must be turned in by next Thursday – and you must bring your completed answers from the previous day to Part 2 and Part3 (in other words, Part 1 is due the day after we watch Part 1). As with previous movies, you will receive 20 points EC for each part that is done the day after we view that part. Before the movie starts, read question 1. Questions in italics may be answered after you view the movie. Since this movie has subtitles YOU MUST KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE SCREEN for most of the time (jot down what you need to answer more completely later).
*1. Throughout the movie – on a separate sheet of paper, keep a running list of what you see the “Grand Illusion” of the movie’s title to be. You should have many (at least 10) answers to this – and it may change significantly – some of your answers may infer a trivial reading (ie a magician’s illusion) while some may be more grand and encompassing. Remember Plato’s Cave? (link the cave into your list after you complete it – in fact if this class is a search for truth – it is just as much a search to recognize illusion). This list will count for ¼ of your movie question grades.
The Movie - Grand Illusion
The Movie - Grand Illusion
Here is the description taken from JustWatch (a site that tells you where a movie is streaming): "A group of French soldiers, including the patrician Captain de Boeldieu and the working-class Lieutenant Maréchal, grapple with their own class differences after being captured and held in a World War I German prison camp. When the men are transferred to a high-security fortress, they must concoct a plan to escape beneath the watchful eye of aristocratic German officer von Rauffenstein, who has formed an unexpected bond with de Boeldieu.." The trailer can be found here.
Handout (Movie Questions)
Handout (Movie Questions)
Most Recent Handout
Most Recent Handout
PLEASE NOTE (FOR THIS HANDOUT) - the immediate questions are NOT boldfaced, but the at-home thoughtful questions are italicized. From the handout: Keep in Mind: Nothing is simple – if this is a movie about illusions dealing with war, it seems to be nearly as much about the illusions of class – pay attention to everything that you can that deals with class – remember what Paul said how soldiers from different sides were more alike each other than they were with the officers of their own country: well doesn’t it reason then that the officers (and the old aristocracy) of other countries are more alike each other than they like their own men? What would the Commandant think?
Audio Visual Content
Audio Visual Content
Again - here is the link to JustWatch.com - where you can find where Grand Illusion is streaming. I find it really strange that there is physical media for this amazing film.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
It is more than possible to watch films together with your class - usually that means having the video you are watching on your computer and sharing the screen with students. You can also keep the comment window open to share things with them (just don't get too distracting). You can also see if they are paying attention or not.
Duck Soup (Movie and Questions) - An Alternate Film: Students will watch a film - answering some questions immediately - and more involved thinking prompts at home. Duck Soup is the movie that I first paired with All Quiet on the Western Front - before changing to Grand Illusion. Duck Soup is a Marx Brothers film - and a film that many consider the funniest ever made (though of course comedy is a very subjective genre). The important thing is that it works so well with All Quiet. Like their earlier novel, Candide - Duck Soup is a satire. A very biting satire in fact - about war, governments, and the battles they fight.WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
I discovered this film during a short run of a Foriegn Film Club that the students asked me to sponsor. We watched it and I fell in love with the movie - and saw how many wonderful critical links there were with All Quiet on the Western Front.
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