CRASH. The movie

Activities to be done while and after watching the film Crash, directed by Paul Haggis. Academy Award Winner.

1- From: http://www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/crash.html

Incident (By Countee Cullen)

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee; 
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me. 

Now I was eight and very small, 
And he was no whit bigger, 
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, "Nigger." 

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December; 
Of all the things that happened there
That’s all that I remember. 

1. Which racial incident in the film do you feel may be as impactful as the one told in the poem?

2. Which character in the film best illustrates through action or dialogue the problem of Double Consciousness?(Double Consciousness - Examples:Teenage girls may see themselves as good students who are shopping for mascara, whereas clerks at the high-end make up counter see the girls as probable shoplifters. An unwed mother abandoned by the father of her child may see herself as a parent striving to provide a good home for her child, while another person may see her as an irresponsible and loose woman who is mooching off = Live at others’ expense - gorronear - the welfare system)

3. What does the story line of Officer Hansen tell the audience about racism? Where is the irony in this incident?

4. Which attempts at redemption in the film are most ironic and what do they show about racism?

KEY

2- From http://vivianagimenezenglishteacher.blogspot.com.es/2010/11/crash-movie-activities-to-work-with.html

(2.51 – 5.54) Read the opening monologue.

Graham has just crashed.  The car is now stopped.

This is what he says:

“It’s the sense of touch. Any real city, you walk, you know?, 

you brush past people. 

People bump into you.

In L.A., nobody touches you.  

We’re always behind this metal and glass.

I think we miss that touch so much that 

we crash into each other just so that 

we can feel something.”

*Discuss the meaning of these words.  

(35:01- 36:48) Check the problems these two men are having:

The locksmith doesn’t know how to do his job.

The locksmith wants to overcharge for his job.

The locksmith didn’t replace the lock for a new one.

The store owner doesn’t understand English well enough.

The locksmith cannot find a way to communicate effectively with the store owner.

The locksmith has a friend who fixes doors; so, he wants to persuade the store owner to have his door fixed by this friend.

The store owner has a door lock in his store that needs to be replaced.

The store owner has a door in his store that needs to be replaced.

The locksmith doesn’t want to be insulted any more.

The locksmith leaves without getting any pay.

The store owner believes he’s been cheated.

3- Click HERE or HERE to read about the story and the characters and to answer a few questions.

4- IN THE DEEP (Song from the soundtrack)

 

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

Thought you ................
all the ................................
to rest your heart upon.
But ......................... happens,
don't see it coming, now
you can't ............................. yourself.
Now you're out there swimming
In the deep.
In the deep.

...................... keeps tumbling your heart in circles
till you...let go.
Till you shed your pride, and you climb to heaven,
and you throw yourself off.

And ............................. you're out there spinning
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

..................... you're out there spinning
..................... you're out there spinning
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

Rest= to refresh oneself, by sleeping, lying down……..(He rested for a few hours on the sofa)

Tumble= to (cause to) fall in ruins; (cause to) collapse……..(During the earthquake, buildings tumbled) (The earthquake tumbled bridges)

Shed= to pour ; to let fall………(to shed tears)

Pride= too high an opinion of one's own dignity, importance, or superiority……….(His pride kept him from admitting he was wrong)

Climb= to go up or ascend…………( to climb the stairs)

Heaven= the place where God, the angels, and the spirits of good people live after death…………(children are taught they must be good if they want to go to heaven some day)

Throw X off= to free oneself of………….(to throw her clothes off)

Spin= to (cause to) rotate rapidly; twirl;whirl…………….(to spin a coin on a table)

 

CAN YOU TRANSLATE THE SONG INTO SPANISH? WHAT IS IT ABOUT?