Competence check: Units 7–9 First of all, think about what you have learned up to now. Are you close to “I can do this well” or closer to “I need to work on this”? Put a mark where you think you are at the moment. Then do the tasks and check your answers with the key on p. 202. Put another mark in a different colour where you see yourself now you’ve done the task. Read about the film The Darjeeling Limited. First decide whether the statements (1–6) are true (T) or false (F) and put a cross ( ) in the correct box. Then identify the sentence in the text which supports your decision. Write the first four words of this sentence in the space provided. There may be more than one correct answer; write down only one. The first one (0) has been done for you. The Darjeeling Limited Although I find Wes Anderson’s films interesting, I have never liked the false charm of the characters and their families. I was surprised that I liked his new movie, The Darjeeling Limited. It is the name of the train that three American brothers take to travel across India. It was written by Anderson himself with Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman, who is often found in Anderson’s movies. A writer, Jack Whitman (Schwartzman), meets a former girlfriend in a Parisian hotel. Shortly after, he boards a train in India to meet his two older brothers, all in their thirties. Suddenly we see an old American businessman (another Anderson regular, Bill Murray), racing by taxi through an Indian street to catch the same train. He just misses it, but Jack’s brother, Peter (Adrien Brody), passes him on the platform, catches up with the train, and walks through the crowded third-class carriages to his first-class carriage. This is a beautiful comic scene about age, frustration and class. Jack and Peter have an older brother, Francis (Owen Wilson), who has arranged and is paying for this journey from Mumbai to the Himalayas. Francis is a rich businessman, who uses his money to pay for his adventures and romantic dreams. His head is wrapped in bandages, a tooth is missing and he walks with a stick – he was injured in a motorcycle accident. The trip was planned as ‘a spiritual journey’, to celebrate the year that has passed. The brothers last met at the funeral of their father in New York. Peter is married with a pregnant wife back in the US, while Jack writes autobiographical stories that he pretends come from his imagination. The Darjeeling Limited is dramatic and funny – an amazing story is put into 90 minutes. After the brothers argue about who should have their father’s razor and sunglasses, Jack and Peter are bossed around by Francis, who orders food for them and holds their passports. Later, Peter buys a deadly snake, which escapes in the compartment2. Because of this, they are thrown off the train by the conductor3, along with their luggage. Finally, a journey that began as a tribute to their dead father ends in a visit to the Himalayan monastery where their strong, independent mother (Anjelica Huston) has just been named the leader. Reading i i I can understand an article about a film. I can understand a story about a journey. 1 Reading 1 carriage: a train waggon 3 conductor: a person who checks / sells the tickets on a train 2 compartment: a separate section of the train where people can sit 116 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODE3MDE=