Message from cschumacher

[Anonymous]

Using The Last Emperor as a tool in studying the narrative

When The Last Emperor was originally released to theaters, somehow I inexplicably missed seeing it. This spring when I arrived home from China, I was determined to rent it. For me the movie magically breathed life into the frozen Forbidden City that I visited.
Even the Academy of Motion Pictures recognized its supreme artistry and awarded it nine Academy Awards. Although I would not show the entire film in my Language Arts 8 classes, I certainly could follow my usual procedures in sharing short clips for defined purposes. When studying the structure of the narrative, it is important for students to understand that movies share much in common with novels and short stories. In addition to the plot, films emphasize the importance of setting and character. It’s also important to challenge the students and have them explore the different styles of delivery of plot, setting and character between a book and movie. In other words, they need to learn how to “read” and analyze a film. Before this class I probably would have randomly selected a typical American story. Now I realize that these mini-lessons offer a great opportunity to add diversity to the curriculum. Simply focusing on the setting and costumes would expose many Western students to the richness of Chinese history.