American Cinema and Film Adaptation Study | Jurassic Park
Novel By Micheal Crichton and Film Adaptation by Steven Spielberg
Séquence pédagogique
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Axes possibles d'étude :
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De nombreux points grammaticaux sont travaillés dans cette séquence pédagogique. Ces derniers sont souvent indiqués en rouge dans les leçons.
Au niveau du syntagme verbal : Au niveau du syntagme nominal : |
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Autres compétences linguistiques travaillées :
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Programme de la séquence
Introduction
Leçon 1 | Comparison Between The Two Official Trailers
Leçon 2 | Written Comprehension : "Welcome" (novel by Michael Crichton)
Leçon 3 | Comparison and Analysis - Extract from the book "Welcome" and The Film Adaptation.
Leçon 4 | Point de réflexion sur la langue, les adjectifs composés en anglais.
Leçon 5 | DNA Extraction - Introduction, Translation, Film Adaptation.
Leçon 6 | Ethical Debate with Pr. Malcom [Ethical Debate and Implications: “We can, but should we?”]
Leçon 7 | Extract N°3: Nedry shuts down the park's security system (...)
Leçon 8 | Nedry's Plan Goes Awry [Analyse détaillée du texte puis comparaison avec le film]
Leçon 9 | What is a Dinosaur? [General Backgoung Information | Dinosaurs and Birds.]
Leçon 10 | CBS NEWS "De-Extinction" - Compréhension orale
Leçon 1 | Comparison Between The Two Official Trailers
Leçon 2 | Written Comprehension : "Welcome" (novel by Michael Crichton)
Leçon 3 | Comparison and Analysis - Extract from the book "Welcome" and The Film Adaptation.
Leçon 4 | Point de réflexion sur la langue, les adjectifs composés en anglais.
Leçon 5 | DNA Extraction - Introduction, Translation, Film Adaptation.
Leçon 6 | Ethical Debate with Pr. Malcom [Ethical Debate and Implications: “We can, but should we?”]
Leçon 7 | Extract N°3: Nedry shuts down the park's security system (...)
Leçon 8 | Nedry's Plan Goes Awry [Analyse détaillée du texte puis comparaison avec le film]
Leçon 9 | What is a Dinosaur? [General Backgoung Information | Dinosaurs and Birds.]
Leçon 10 | CBS NEWS "De-Extinction" - Compréhension orale
Introduction
‘Jurassic Park’ (the book) was written by the well-known American science fiction author, Michael Crichton. By the time Michael Crichton published ‘Jurassic Park’ in 1990, the American author was already a huge name in the realm of contemporary science fiction.
It is worth bearing in mind that his background as a doctor and his extensive knowledge of biological science was a genuine asset in writing this book. Indeed, his fiction grew from the scientific developments of the time. With ‘Jurassic Park’, Crichton’s purpose [aim / goal] was of course to entertain his audience but also to make the public eye aware of genetic engineering and its consequences. In the book, as in the motion picture, the audience is warned that this genetic power should not be used frivolously /ˈfrɪvələsli /.
Crichton’s novel focuses on the idea that mankind must not attempt to control nature, as it will surely backfire. Steven Spielberg's 1993 adaptation of the novel, co-written by Crichton, conveys the same message, albeit differently. It would be fair to affirm that Jurassic Park is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and beloved films of all time.
It is worth bearing in mind that his background as a doctor and his extensive knowledge of biological science was a genuine asset in writing this book. Indeed, his fiction grew from the scientific developments of the time. With ‘Jurassic Park’, Crichton’s purpose [aim / goal] was of course to entertain his audience but also to make the public eye aware of genetic engineering and its consequences. In the book, as in the motion picture, the audience is warned that this genetic power should not be used frivolously /ˈfrɪvələsli /.
Crichton’s novel focuses on the idea that mankind must not attempt to control nature, as it will surely backfire. Steven Spielberg's 1993 adaptation of the novel, co-written by Crichton, conveys the same message, albeit differently. It would be fair to affirm that Jurassic Park is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and beloved films of all time.
Leçon 1 | Comparison Between The Two Official Trailers
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First Trailer
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Second Trailer
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The first trailer for the movie Jurassic Park (1993) is a real teaser compared to the second one. The first one holds back on revealing the dinosaurs whereas the second one kind of kills the magic by exposing them. The first trailer does not give everything away (other than the obvious) and makes people want to watch the movie to actually see any really good dinosaurs. Instead of teasing the audience, the second trailer shows the dinosaurs in full figure with detailed shots of the creatures.
With the first trailer, Steven Spielberg (the director) knew quite well just what to show in order to build up suspense and wonder all in one package. To some extent, it can easily be said that the first trailer is made to give the audience chills. The trailer gives a preview of just how amazing the movie could be, while refraining from revealing how the dinosaurs looks. Not once you get a clear shot of the dinosaur – you just can see a nose, an eye, a claw but not the full shot. For instance, the way the door opens by the velociraptor’s claw heightens the tension.
The second trailer does not do that but rather shows the large-scale animatronics used as well as some shots of the computer-generated dinosaurs. It is fair to say that this second trailer spoils many great scenes by giving the audience too much information.
To conclude, the first trailer can fairly be described as much more interesting and intriguing since it teases the audience without ruining or spoiling everything. It has the right amount of exposition, chilling music, and tense situations.
Leçon 2 | Written Comprehension : "Welcome" (novel by Michael Crichton)
Pour cette compréhension écrite, nous avons choisi de vérifier la bonne compréhension de l'extrait en demandant aux élèves de transposer ce qu'ils avaient compris sous formes de "storyboard". Vous trouverez des exemples de travaux d'élèves. Cela nous a permis de mieux appréhender l'adaptation à l'écran de ce passage dans le film de Steven Spielberg. Dans l'extrait du roman (ci-dessous), en bleu apparaîssent le nom des personnages, en vert certaines tournures à retenir et en rouge les points de grammaire que nous allons plus approfondir.
"Welcome " | Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park, 1991
"My God," Ellie said softly. They were all staring at the animal above the trees. "My God." Her first thought was that the dinosaur was extraordinarily beautiful. Books portrayed them as oversize, dumpy creatures, but this long-necked animal had a gracefulness, almost a dignity, about its movements. [...]
"My God," Ellie said again. Gennaro was speechless. He had known all along what to expect-he had known about it for years-but he had somehow never believed it would happen, and now, he was shocked into silence. These animals were so big! They were enormous! Big as a house! And so many of them! Actual damned dinosaurs! Just as real as you could want.
Gennaro thought: We are going to make a fortune on this place. A fortune. He hoped to God the island was safe.
Grant stood on the path on the side of the hill, with the mist on his face, staring at the gray necks craning above the palms. He felt dizzy, as if the ground were sloping away too steeply. He had trouble getting his breath. Because he was looking at something he had never expected to see in his life. Yet he was seeing it. The animals in the mist were perfect apatosaurs, medium-size sauropods. His stunned mind made academic associations: North American herbivores, late Jurassic horizon. Commonly called "brontosaurs." First discovered by E. D. Cope in Montana in 1876. Specimens associated with Morrison formation strata in Colorado, Utah, and Oklahoma. Recently Berman and McIntosh had reclassified it a diplodocus based on skull appearance. Traditionally, Brontosaurus was thought to spend most of its time in shallow water, which would help support its large bulk. Although this animal was clearly not in the water, it was moving much too quickly, the head and neck shifting above the palms in a very active manner-a surprisingly active manner. Grant began to laugh.
"What is it?" Hammond said, worried. "Is something wrong?" Grant just shook his head, and continued to laugh. He couldn't tell them that what was funny was that he had seen the animal for only a few seconds, but he had already begun to accept it and to use his observations to answer long-standing questions in the field. He was still laughing as he saw a fifth and a sixth neck crane up above the palm trees. The sauropods watched the people arrive. They reminded Grant of oversize giraffes-they had the same pleasant, rather stupid gaze. "I take it they're not animatronic," Malcolm said. "They're very lifelike." "Yes, they certainly are," Hammond said. "Well, they should be, shouldn't they?"
From the distance, they heard the trumpeting sound again. First one animal made it, and then the others joined in. "That's their call," Ed Regis said. "Welcoming us to the island." Grant stood and listened for a moment, entranced. "You probably want to know what happens next," Hammond was saying, continuing down the path. "We've scheduled a complete tour of the facilities for you, and a trip to see the dinosaurs in the park later this afternoon. I'll be joining you for dinner, and will answer any remaining questions you may have then. Now, if you'll go with Mr. Regis . . ."
The group followed Ed Regis toward the nearest buildings. Over the path, a crude hand-painted sign read: "Welcome to Jurassic Park."
Un exemple de production d'élève très détaillé.
Autres exemples :
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Leçon 3 | Comparison and Analysis - Extract from the book "Welcome" and The Film Adaptation.
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Documents de travail [élèves]
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Jurassic Park |
Author: Michael Crichton Published in: 1990 Genre: Science fiction, Techno-thriller, Horror fiction |
Director: Steven Spielberg Music: John Williams / Date: 1993 Genre: American adventure science fiction film |
Analysis | Comparison |
BOOK |
FILM ADAPTATION |
Characters |
1. Hammond: owner / creator of the theme park.2. Ed.Regis: a staff member / guide 3. Ellie & Grand: Paleontologist / Scientists 4. Malcom: Mathematician / Professor / Chaos theorist. 5. Gennaro: Lawyer / attorney |
→ SAME FOR THE CHARACTERS → Malcom: portrayed as “an original”. (wearing black leather clothes) + “that crazy son of a bitch, he did it!” (= when referring to John Hammond) |
Settings |
Tropical landscape with palm trees. No mention of a pond. |
Glen / valley / deep valley with trees and a little pond / a hill. |
What is happening? |
Upon arrival, the group is stunned to see the dinosaurs. |
They’ve just arrived / seeing the dinosaurs for the first time. |
Their reactions when they see the creatures |
→ They are all staring at the animals. They are flabbergasted / amazed / speechless. → Gennaro: Shocked into silence / Wants to make money (he thinks it) → Grant: feeling dizzy / has trouble getting his breath / entranced / amazed. |
→ Same reaction in the movie / looking at the creature with wide eyes. → Gennaro: In the film, says it / he is speaking to himself: “We’re gonna make a fortune on this place!”. → Grant: Same reaction but the audience has the feeling that the actor is overdoing it / it’s too much / it seems fake / bad actor’s performance. |
The creatures |
Grey with long necks + trumpeting sound again. Enormous / huge / big as houses.Many dinosaurs show up. |
Grey with long necks too. Represented with whale songs and donkey calls to give them a melodic sense of wonder The director mainly focused on 1 dinosaur. |
Ending |
→ Over the path, a crude hand-painted sign read: “Welcome to Jurassic Park.” → No mention of T-Rex in the book. |
Hammond says: “Welcome to Jurassic Park”+ soundtrack in the background (Climax of the sequence) + ascending rhythm. → More dramatic / it has a stronger effect on the audience. → Enhance the storytelling. → Set the tone of the movie./ Help creating a kind of unreal situation. Hammon is mentioning a T-Rex (WHY in the film and not in the book?) => Create / trigger suspense? |
A common difficulty is presenting what the character is thinking on-screen. It’s difficult to present internal thoughts on-screen. (make them speak to themselves / the Music can serve the movie by getting into the emotions of the characters.
Leçon 4 | Point de réflexion sur la langue, les adjectifs composés en anglais.
Exemple tiré du livre de Michael Crichton « Jurassic Park »
• Over the path, a crude hand-painted sign read: "Welcome to Jurassic Park."
Exemple tiré du livre de Michael Crichton « Jurassic Park » :
• [...] but this long-necked animal (...)
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Les adjectifs composés en anglais.
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Leçon 5 | DNA Extraction - Introduction, Translation, Film Adaptation
Introduction | How did Micheal Crichton get his idea of cloning dinosaurs?
Michael Crichton, author of the book that inspired the movie, got the idea from the work of paleobiologist George Poinar, Jr. In 1982, this university professor of invertebrate pathology at UC Berkeley, published a study describing his discovery that amber could preserve intracellular structures, such as nuclei /ˈnjuːkliəs/ and mitochondria /ˌmaɪtəʊˈkɒndriən/, in an organism trapped inside (in this case, a type of fly).
From what Michael Crichton said, he had already written ‘Jurassic Park’ when the 1982 discovery was made. However, he had not decided how he was going to get the dinosaur DNA. When he eventually read the paper [on the fly in Baltic amber], this gave him the idea that he would obtain it from mosquitoes that bit the dinosaurs. As many authors, Crichton wanted to entertain as well as educate, and he wanted his audience to think that “this COULD be possible”.
From what Michael Crichton said, he had already written ‘Jurassic Park’ when the 1982 discovery was made. However, he had not decided how he was going to get the dinosaur DNA. When he eventually read the paper [on the fly in Baltic amber], this gave him the idea that he would obtain it from mosquitoes that bit the dinosaurs. As many authors, Crichton wanted to entertain as well as educate, and he wanted his audience to think that “this COULD be possible”.
Jurassic Park or Cretaceous Park?
Although the title of the makes a clear reference to the Jurassic Period, most species feature in the movie did not exist until the Cretaceous period. This is acknowledged in the film during a scene where Dr. Grant describes the ferocity of the Velociraptor to a young boy, saying: "Try to imagine yourself in the Cretaceous period ...”
Entraînement à la traduction et à la compréhension orale
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Extrait de l'adaptation de Steven Spielberg.
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Extrait du roman | Document de travail.
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Correction de la traduction [Version]
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Correction de la traduction [Version]
| extrait_n°2_|_dna_extraction_[correction_de_la_traduction]_.pdf |
Leçon 6 | Ethical Debate with Pr. Malcolm
Ethical Debate and Implications: “We can, but should we?”
This extract from the film Jurassic Park is a debate about the park and its ethical implications. The owner and the lawyer [attorney] are looking forward to opening the park to the public. However, Professor Malcom [Specialist in Chaos Theory], the paleontologist as well as the biologist are being very cautious and skeptical. There is indeed considerable disagreement between the people who want to make money and the others who take their responsibilities regarding scientific achievement.
The lawyer wants to make a lot of money with the park. He says that the tickets will be very expensive such as something around $ 10, 000 a day. John doesn’t want to open a theme park only for wealthy people: “(...) not to cater for the super-rich”. He wants everyone to come and see the creatures. Indeed, John Hammond believes that everybody can enjoy his creations.
Malcolm is foreseeing the danger-fraught encounter [rencontre risqué, pleine de dangers] between two species separated by 65 million years of evolution. He affirms that Nature selected dinosaurs for extinction. Moreover, Malcom thinks that John and Jurassic Park geneticists lack humility and are going against Nature. According to him, the scientists use genetic power just to show-off. They are compared to a kid who found a gun. Furthermore, Malcom argues that scientists and geneticists are too preoccupied with what they can do and achieve. As a consequence, they tend to forget to think about whether they should do something or not - and especially when ethical issues are at stake. Malcolm calls these methods “a rape of the natural world”.
The lawyer wants to make a lot of money with the park. He says that the tickets will be very expensive such as something around $ 10, 000 a day. John doesn’t want to open a theme park only for wealthy people: “(...) not to cater for the super-rich”. He wants everyone to come and see the creatures. Indeed, John Hammond believes that everybody can enjoy his creations.
Malcolm is foreseeing the danger-fraught encounter [rencontre risqué, pleine de dangers] between two species separated by 65 million years of evolution. He affirms that Nature selected dinosaurs for extinction. Moreover, Malcom thinks that John and Jurassic Park geneticists lack humility and are going against Nature. According to him, the scientists use genetic power just to show-off. They are compared to a kid who found a gun. Furthermore, Malcom argues that scientists and geneticists are too preoccupied with what they can do and achieve. As a consequence, they tend to forget to think about whether they should do something or not - and especially when ethical issues are at stake. Malcolm calls these methods “a rape of the natural world”.
Download the lesson
| Ethical Debate Scene | Leçon.pdf |
Leçon 7 | Extract N°3: Nedry shuts down the park's security system (...)
to steal the embryos…
[...]
“What the hell?” Arnold said, staring at his monitors.
“What happened?” Muldoon said. “You lose power?”
“Yeah, but only power on the perimeter. Everything in this building’s working fine. But outside, in the park, the power is gone. Lights, cameras, everything.” His remote video monitors had gone black.
[…]
Dennis Nedry pushed open the door marked FERTILIZATION. With the perimeter power out, all the security-card locks were disarmed. Every door in this building opened with a touch.
He entered the fertilization room. The lab was deserted; as he had anticipated, all the staff was at dinner. He pulled on a pair of heavy insulated gloves and opened the walk-in freezer marked CONTENTS VIABLE BIOLOGICAL MAINTAIN -10° MINIMUM. The freezer was the size of a small closet, with shelves from floor to ceiling.
The embryos were arranged by species: Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus. Each embryo in a thin glass container. Nedry quickly took two of each (…), left the freezer and returned to the main lab.
[…]
Grinning, Dennis Nedry walked down to the ground floor, nodded to the guard, and continued downstairs to the basement. Passing the neat lines of electric Land Cruisers, he went to the Jeep parked against the wall. He climbed into it, turned the ignition key and started the Jeep.
Nedry glanced at his watch. From here, into the park, and three minutes straight to the east dock. Three minutes there back to the control room.
Piece of cake.
Abridged from Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, 1991
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Documents téléchargeables
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Leçon 8 | Nedry's Plan Goes Awry [Analyse détaillée du texte puis comparaison avec le film]
Le texte à étudier et l'analyse détaillée
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The sign said ELECTIFIED FENCE 10,000 VOLTS DO NOT TOUCH, but Dennis Nedry opened it with bare hand
and unlocked the gate, swinging it wide. He went back to the jeep, drove through the gate, and then walked back to
close it behind him. [...]
Abridged from Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, 1991
Leçon 9 | What is a Dinosaur?
A | General background information
Dinosaurs is the name given to a group of reptiles – often very large - that dominated The Earth for over 140 million years (more than 160 million years in some parts of the world). The English anatomist Richard Owenproposed the formal term Dinosauria in 1842. The namedinosaurcomes from the Greek words deinos (“terrible” or “fearfully great”) and sauros (“reptile” or “lizard”).
Dinosaurs evolved diverse shapes and sizes, from the fearsome giant Tyrannosaurus to the chicken- sized Microraptor, and were able to survive in a variety of ecosystems. They first appeared roughly 245 million years ago (near the beginning of the Triassic Period) and most of them died at the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 66 million years ago. However, many lines of evidence now show that one lineage evolved into birds 155 million years ago.
Geological evidence indicates that dinosaurs became extinct about 66 million years ago, at a time when there was worldwide environmental change resulting from the impact of a large celestial object with the Earth and/or from vast volcanic eruptions.
Dinosaurs evolved diverse shapes and sizes, from the fearsome giant Tyrannosaurus to the chicken- sized Microraptor, and were able to survive in a variety of ecosystems. They first appeared roughly 245 million years ago (near the beginning of the Triassic Period) and most of them died at the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 66 million years ago. However, many lines of evidence now show that one lineage evolved into birds 155 million years ago.
Geological evidence indicates that dinosaurs became extinct about 66 million years ago, at a time when there was worldwide environmental change resulting from the impact of a large celestial object with the Earth and/or from vast volcanic eruptions.
B | Dinosaurs and Birds
The latest fossil evidence makes clear that not all dinosaurs suffered extinction 65 million years ago. This revelation has profoundly changed the way we perceive the natural world, giving us a new understanding about the origins of birds. Most paleontologists now staunchly believe that all living birds are descendants of certain predatory dinosaurs, the theropods, many of which have been preserved with feathers as part of their skin.
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Leçon 10 | CBS NEWS "De-Extinction" - Compréhension orale
| Lesson Plan CBS News.pdf |
"With this place, I wanted to show them something that wasn't an illusion. Something that was real, something they could see and touch. An aim not devoid of merit."
John Hammong, Jurassic Park (1993)
