Level 2 l Intermediate

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1 1 Warmer 1. How many James Bond films can you name? 2. Which is your favourite Bond film? 3. Which is your least favourite Bond film? 4. Who was the best James Bond actor? Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig? 2 Key words Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. spin-off nostalgic stale quirk stunt retro slick box office inflation elaborate 1. If a film has earned a lot at the, it has sold a lot of tickets and is very successful. (para 1) 2. things are deliberately intended to be like clothes, music, films etc from the recent past. (para 3) 3. If you feel, you remember happy times in the past. (para 3) 4. If something is, it is no longer fresh or original. (para 6) 5. A production is done in a very impressive way that seems to need very little effort. (para 8) 6. is an economic process in which prices increase so that money becomes less valuable. (para 9) 7. A is something strange that happens for reasons that you do not know or understand. (para 10) 8. An production is very detailed and complicated. (para 11) 9. A is something dangerous, such as jumping from a building, that is done to entertain people, often as part of a film. (para 11) 10. A is a new product, service, television programme, game etc that is based on another one that already exists. (para 11) 3 Find the information Find the following information in the text as quickly was possible. 1. How much have the Bond films earned at box offices around the world? 2. Who was the first actor to play James Bond? 3. When was the film Skyfall released? 4. Which actor will play Bond at least until Bond film number 25? 5. Who wrote the original James Bond stories? 6. What was the name of the first Bond film, released in 1961?

2 Making a killing: why James Bond is forever Andrew Pulver 5 December, James Bond films are one of the world s longest running and most successful film series, with 23 movies and more than $6bn earned at box offices around the world. But James Bond shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, Bond is more popular than ever, after the record-breaking performance of Skyfall, which became the biggest ever film at the UK box office in 2012, earning a total of $1.1bn. 2 For this reason, there was a lot of interest surrounding the announcement of a few more details about the 24th Bond film especially its official title, Spectre. The number one question is: can Spectre repeat Skyfall s success? 3 Charles Gant, film editor for Heat magazine, says it is heading in the right direction. Skyfall was a brilliant strategic move, he says. It was simultaneously modern and retro. It appealed to fans of Daniel Craig and it also engaged the older, more nostalgic Bond fans, who may have lost interest over the previous few films. With the new title, he adds, it is certain to be a success. 4 It seems that Eon Productions, the company originally founded in 1961 to make Dr No and that is behind all the official Bonds, is doing all it can to ensure another success they are installing the key creative talent behind Skyfall on Spectre. Daniel Craig will play Bond at least until film 25 and the same writers have produced the script. 5 But it s getting Sam Mendes as director again that gives Bond fans the most hope. A director mainly known for character studies such as American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, Mendes has taken the Bond series to new heights. Gant says: Mendes managed to engage with both the modern and the traditional Bond audience, and he also attracted top actors like Ralph Fiennes. Actors like Fiennes will only agree to be in a film if they like the director. 6 Though the Bond series was not in trouble before Mendes s arrival and Craig s there was a certain amount of staleness towards the end of Pierce Brosnan s time as Bond. The series had survived the drying up of original Bond stories to adapt, and the movies were no longer anything like the Ian Fleming originals, but they were lacking dynamism. 7 This cycle, however, was nothing new: the history of the Bond series has been one of ebb and flow, revolving most obviously around the lead actor: first, Sean Connery; then, successively, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Brosnan and, now, Craig. Each new Bond has been a response to the state of the series, and some have been more successful than others. 8 Lazenby only lasted a single film and Dalton s two efforts, The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill, were during a period in the late 80s when the 007 movie was eclipsed by more aggressive, slick Hollywood action movies. According to Gant, the period of Roger Moore s last films, and the Dalton period, didn t really excite audiences. Brosnan was more successful commercially, but Craig has taken Bond to new levels. On the other hand, the early Bonds were incredibly commercial films, sexy and exciting, and there was very little like them. 9 Skyfall made more money than all the other Bond films. However, the performance of some of the 1960s films was almost as brilliant by comparison. If you adjust the figures for inflation, the 1965 release, Thunderball, is only just below Skyfall, while Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice both did better than the other Craig films (and the 70s Bonds, The Spy Who Loved Me and Live and Let Die, did better, too). By this calculation, Licence to Kill is the worst-performing of all Bonds, with Moore s final film, A View to a Kill, the second least successful. 10 Nevertheless, the Bond brand has remained very powerful over the years and Eon has had to fight off attempts by rival companies to capitalize on the popularity of the series. Through a quirk of rights ownership, adaptations of Casino Royale (in 1967) and Thunderball (as Never Say Never Again, in 1983) were released in competition with Eon productions. After legal disputes that continued for many years, Eon now has full control of both books. 11 Martin Campbell was another experienced British director and he was able to plan one of the most elaborate stunts in Bond history. In the famous opening scene of Goldeneye (released in 1995), Bond freefalls into a pilotless light aeroplane. This scene really helped modernize the series and increase its popularity. Moreover, a whole new generation was reached through a hugely successful Goldeneye video-game spin-off, which made a significant contribution to perceptions that the Bond film was no longer stale and old-fashioned. Guardian News and Media 2014 First published in The Guardian, 05/12/14

3 4 Comprehension check There is an error in each of these statements about the text. Correct the errors. 1. Goldeneye was the biggest ever film at the UK box office. 2. After adjustments for inflation, Skyfall was the second most successful Bond film. 3. Skyfall was described as a brilliant strategic move because it was both nostalgic and retro. 4. George Lazenby played the part of James Bond in two films. 5. A View to a Kill is the worst-performing of all the Bond films. 6. A hugely successful Goldeneye film spin-off made people think the Bond film was no longer stale and old-fashioned. 5 Find the word Find the following words and phrases in the text. The paragraph numbers are given to help you. 1. an adverb meaning happening at the same time (para 3) 2. a two-word phrasal verb meaning make an effort to understand and deal with someone (para 5) 3. a two-word phrasal verb meaning stop being available (para 6) 4. a three-word noun phrase meaning a situation that keeps changing between two states (para 7) 5. a verb meaning make something seem less successful or important by becoming more successful or important than it (para 8) 6. a two-word phrasal verb meaning use an event or a situation to help you achieve something or to get an advantage (para 10) 7. a verb meaning fall quickly through the air before opening your parachute (para 11) 8. a noun in the plural meaning the ways people understand or think about something (para 11) 6 Verb + noun collocations Match the verbs in the left-hand column with the nouns or noun phrases in the right-hand column. 1. release 2. lose 3. ensure 4. lack 5. make 6. engage a. an audience b. dynamism c. a contribution d. a film e. interest f. success

4 7 Word-building Complete the table using words from the text. verb noun 1. perform 2. announce 3. own 4. perceive 5. respond 6. adapt 8 Discussion Do you like James Bond films? Why? Why not? What kind of films do you like? Why do you like these films? Do you go to the cinema? Why? Why not?

5 KEY 2 Key words 1. box office 2. retro 3. nostalgic 4. stale 5. slick 6. inflation 7. quirk 8. elaborate 9. stunt 10. spin-off 3 Find the information 1. $6bn 2. Sean Connery Daniel Craig 5. Ian Fleming 6. Dr No 4 Comprehension check 1. Skyfall was the biggest ever film at the UK box office. 2. After adjustments for inflation, Thunderball was the second most successful Bond film. 3. Skyfall was described as a brilliant strategic move because it was both modern and retro. 4. George Lazenby played the part of James Bond in one film. 5. Licence to Kill is the worst-performing of all the Bond films. 6. A hugely successful Goldeneye video-game spin-off made people think the Bond film was no longer stale and old-fashioned. 5 Find the word 1. simultaneously 2. engage with 3. dry up 4. ebb and flow 5. eclipse 6. capitalize on 7. freefall 8. perceptions 6 Verb + noun collocations 1. d 2. e 3. f 4. b 5. c 6. a 7 Word-building 1. performance 2. announcement 3. ownership 4. perception 5. response 6. adaptation