"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers."
Band of BrothersThis study will be used to develop your skills in analysing film. In particular, we will focus on Episodes 1, 7 and 10 of the 10 part series.
Assessment will be external - AS 2.2. You will write an essay of no more than 4 pages. Introduction - old peopleBig Q - How do I write a Killer Essay?Scroll through the slides below to read the examples of killer essay examples and advice.
Your second essay is a bit harder than the first. Analyse how successful a text you have studied has been in influencing you to think differently about an issue.
In class, we compiled notes on the issue/idea/theme of leadership. We then discussed those ideas, integrating them with examples from the film. That discussion is saved here in the right hand column. Scroll up a bit and you'll find the audio player. If you need more of a challenge, don't write about leadership as your issue. Try the issue of brotherhood. Or, even more challenging, try warfare in general. At least one of you is going to try this. That man is a true maverick! Maybe, before you studied this text, your thoughts on warfare in general were that war is bad and nothing good ever comes out of war, only destruction of human lives, both physical destruction and mental destruction. However, now, you realise that in spite of the horrors of war, it can bring inspire men to accept leadership roles. It can create a strong sense of brotherhood. It can also facilitate social mobility - think of Lipton becoming an officer and how this might represent his moving up from working class to middle class. Revising Band of Brothers Episode 7Today, we will prepare for another essay - one focused on a close analysis of a powerful scene. Often there is a question such as this - analyse how important techniques were used to engage your emotions in a particular scene.
Such a question is a gift for Band of Brothers. Here is the clip we will use in class. The two hyperlinks here allow you to download two audio files which discuss the above clip. Listen to them - recorded in 2012 - and take notes in the note-sheet provided.
Part one - Attack on Foy Part two - Spiers inspires Lipton Download today's handout in Word. Here is the introductory paragraph used in class today - carefully adapted from sample introductions used earlier in the year.
Real leaders and heroes inspire confidence. Real leaders are strong and decisive. Real leaders are compassionate. Two such leaders are Lieutenant Spiers and Sergeant Lipton from Band of Brothers. Lipton narrates Part 7 “The Breaking Point” and it is because of his actions and his willingness to learn lessons in leadership from Spiers that Easy Company does not cross that breaking point. Director David Frankel positions the audience at the centre of the action to allow them to share Lipton’s feelings of astonishment and inspiration as he observes Spiers. This episode gives the audience insight into how Sgt Lipton evolves from being a reliable platoon sergeant serving under an ineffective leader, to an officer who inspires others, leading by example. |
This button will open a YouTube clip in a new window. There is some background on D-Day from the History Channel.
The above button will open the History Channel's webpage on D-Day.
The audio player above will let you listen to the talk from the lesson on Thursday 4th April. The talk was focused on what we have learned about leadership. Thanks to Jack, Sean and Angus for their input. Honk, honk, chaps!
Some film techniques to look for in our episode
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