INGLS INSTRUMENTAL _______________________ANCINE______________________ PROGRAMA STUDENT: _______________________________________ MODULE 2: TEST 1

READING COMPREHENSION: My Blueberry Nights

By Ken Hanke

I suspect I like Wong Kar Wais first English language film, My Blueberry Nights, more than I shouldalmost to the point of feeling protective of the movie. I certainly know that its a classic case of a film thats not for everybody; the fact that critics are split almost exactly down the middle (45 positive and 47 negative reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes Web site) attests to this. Thats not necessarily a bad thing. Most movies of genuine merit do not meet with universal acclaim, and Wongs film has genuine merit. Im equally prepared to admit that this is a case of a film that just happens to suit me (in fact, it haunts me)and I can see why someone else might not like it. When Wongs In the Mood for Love (the last of his movies to play locally) came out, I wrote that it was a film made up almost entirely of subtle touches and things not said, from which we are made to understand the feelings and motivations of its main characters. I could have opened this review with that exact same statement. The two works are very similar in many waysand very different in others. Where In the Mood for Love was claustrophobic (as befits its overcrowded Hong Kong setting), My Blueberry Nights is expansive (as befits the size of its canvas, America). Theres more actual plot to In the Mood, but thats partly a cultural issue. The notions of honor that keep its main characters apart are not inherent in Western societyand based on the more hopeful ending of Blueberry Nights, its hard not to conclude that Wong views this as a positive thing. Im convinced that Wongs insistence on making a romantic drama with an upbeat ending is also one of the primary reasons many critics are dismissing Blueberry Nights as insubstantial. (The critical point of view that the depressing is intrinsically more important is always with us.) The storys pretty simple. A young woman, Elizabeth (singer Norah Jones in a credible debut performance), discovers that her boyfriend had brought another woman into the cafe theyd previously frequented together. This fact she gleans from Jeremy (the underrated Jude Law, in a terrific performance), the cafes owner, who identifies people by what they order. After ostensibly breaking up with her faithless swain, she haunts the cafe, which is in the neighborhood where her ex lives. She and Jeremy strike up a friendship in late-night talks over desserts (hence the title). Jeremy falls in love with her, though its never clear whether she quite knows thisand it doesnt matter anyway, because she has too much baggage to be rid of to feel anything but the weight of her past, which she endeavors to shed on a solo road trip across the country. Thats the essence of the storywith stopovers in Memphis and Las Vegas, not to mention various symbolic, romantic touches involving keys and blueberry pieand the whole question is whether Elizabeth will find herself and in so doing find Jeremy. Its essentially a gloriously romantic film made by a very romantic filmmaker who can see beauty where none supposedly exists. In his review in the New York Times, A.O. Scott complains, Mr. Wong and his cinematographer, Darius Khondji, make America look so pretty that you may have trouble recognizing it, further suggesting that Wong has art-directed the country. Not only does this seem wrong-headed to me, it completely misses the pointand suggests to me that Scott has looked at America so long he has ceased to be able to see it. Wong hasnt art-directed America, he has simply edited it down to the beauty that does exist in his settings, focused on those elements and presented them in his film. He has captured the

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world that exists within the world that we inhabit daily. Wong allows us to see that world in his stunning widescreen images of heavily saturated color. He also infuses his soundtrack with a 45 similar tone. I dont really believe that theres a bar in Memphis where Otis Reddings version of Try a Little Tenderness crops up on the jukebox at the most appropriate momentespecially not more than oncebut it gets to a mood of truth far better than conventional-minded realism ever could. At bottom, thisand the possibility of loveis what Blueberry Nights is all about. If that idea appeals to you, then this beautifully haunting film may well also. (Taken from: www.rottentomatoes.com) SECTION A: 1. a) Answer the questions: (in Portuguese) Why does the reviewer think many critics are dismissing Blueberry nights? _____________________________________________________________________

b) Ken Hanke mentions one particular cultural issue in the plot of Wongs film In the Mood of Love. What cultural issue is it and how does it compare with our Western society? _____________________________________________________________________ c) Hanke draws a parallel between Wongs two films, In the Mood of Love and My Blueberry Nights. Write two comparisons the reviewer makes. _____________________________________________________________________

2. Write TRUE or FALSE and correct the FALSE statements: a) The lack of subtlety in the My Blueberry Nights is something bad. ______________ b) Elizabeth goes on a solo trip across the country because she needs to get rid of her past. ________________ c) Ken Hank thinks he should be more protective of the film. ______________________ d) One of the weaknesses of the film is that Wong the director only shows the pretty side of America. ______________________________ e) Wong made a film that appeals for those who believe in the possibility of love. ___________________ 3. a) Complete the paragraph with words from the text: Elizabeths boyfriend brings ___________ ____________ into a caf they had gone together. She gets this information from Jeremy __________ ___________ ____________ (played by Jude Law). Then, she goes on a _________ __________ ____________ across the country, after __________ __________ with her boyfriend.

b) The fact that Wong only shows beautiful places, doesnt mean he __________ ____________ America. It means that he ___________ the settings to show the beauty that really ___________ in the different places. SECTION B: VOCABULARY 4. Match the words and the meanings: (a) Canvas (line 15) (b) Stunning (line 44) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) Befit (line 13) Swain (line 26) Upbeat (line 19) Acclaim (line 6) Endeavor (line 31) Haunt (line 7) ( ) boyfriend ( ) the setting for a narrative or fictional or dramatic account ( ) to come to the mind continually; obsess. ( ) causing great astonishment ( ) be suitable to. ( ) attempt. ( ) optimistic ( ) praise; applaud.

SECTION C: REFERENCE 5. What do the words in bold refer to? a) from which we are made to understand (line 10)

b) which she endeavor to shed on a solo road trip (line 31) c) who can see beauty where none supposedly exists. (line 35)