The old oak, Ken Loach

DNL HG 1ère                           Questionnaire « The old oak » 

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About Ken Loach 

1. Complete this map with names of cities

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1. Choose another film of Ken Loach, watch the trailer and guess a synopsis
2. Even if you had never heard about Ken Loach before, try to answer this quiz about his works (justify your choices).  

• Ken Loach is a(n) a) American b) British director. 
• His favourite film genre is a) horror b) comedy c) drama 
• His films are associated with a) romance b) social realism c) fantasy 
• He likes to portray a) the extraordinary lives of exceptional people b) the ordinary lives of poor people c) the absurd lifestyle of rich people 
• His point of view in The Old Oak is a) in favor of immigration b) against immigration 
• His description of the town and its residents is a) idealized b) realistic c) stereotyped 
• In the film, the pub has a central place as a) a place of debate b) a place of memory c) a place of togetherness 
• Food is described as a) a subject of division because they do not eat the same things b) a factor of cohesion as they all share the same meals c) a problem because they all starve.  
• Ken Loach likes to hire « real people » instead of professional actors in his films. For example, Dave Turner, TJ Ballantine in The Old Oak, has never studied acting and only appeared briefly in 2 previous Ken Loach movies. Can you guess why the director chose to give him the leading role? 

➔ To know more about Ken Loach, listen to this BBC programme about the making of the film :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct4yf4  

Understanding the war in Syria : 

You’ve watched a film whose protagonists are refugees from Syria. What do you know about this conflict?

Why are a lot of Syrians escaping abroad? To know more, explore the following webpage : https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War and answer the following questions:  

• When did the Syrian war start? 
• Who is the leader of Syria? How long has he been in power? Who was his predecessor? What sort of regime is it? 
• Who are the opponents and what do they want? 
• How many Syrians have already left their country to seek asylum?  
• Locate Syria on a map. What is its capital city? What are its neighbouring countries? How is this area of the world called? 

A webquest about Easington Colliery 

Check out the town’s Wikipedia page and find the missing information : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easington_Colliery  

Location : ...................................................... Number of inhabitants : ....................................................

What happened on 29th May 1951? ............................................................................................................ Number of casualties : ……………….

What happened on 7th May 1991? …......................................................................................................Number of jobs in the mine :  

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