![]() ![]() ![]() By the law of averages most film makers won't be railway nerds, so they may well not know the difference between the sound of 'a Deltic' and 'a 1st generation DMU'.Įven if they did, it would take time and money of getting someone to trawl through sound archives to match a usable Deltic recording to that footage (even if it was possible, which it may not be - whan was the last time you heard the noise of wind in a microphone on a film or TV programme?) and so using library footage (which may be silent or have sound unsuitable to include as part of the film's soundtrack) with the sound of 'a diesel train' is a compromise that 99.9% of the population isn't going to notice. To the vast majority of the population a train is a train is a train is a train. So within the story they have to take a call on what are the elements they need to spend the most money and time on and what is too finicky, time-consuming or expensive to do, just to keep a minority interest group happy. But like all literary critics, I cannot resist giving away the moral to the tale: if the technology is not 21 st Century, the basic design for Educating Rita today, online, is there for all to see.It's not that they 'don't really care' at all.įilm and TV making is a lengthy, complex and expensive business and film makers have to balance between telling the story and getting the scenes they want in a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost. I leave the rest of the story for you to watch on your telly. So it must have been off-stage, when she was getting her on-line instruction, that Rita gradually learned how to think and write.īy the end of the story, the instructor is so besotted he embraces Rita’s anarchic view of literature-what’s good is what you like-but clever and hard-working Rita, knowing she has to pass that external examination, learns how to turn a phrase to good advantage and wins a “good pass,” which in the days before grade inflation was high praise indeed. Her instructor seems more interested in her remarkable figure than helping her figure things out. Asked to suggest a solution to the problems encountered by stage directors of Henrik Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt,” Rita writes a one line essay: “Do it on the radio.” That answer, he explains, won’t survive the scrutiny of the external examiners.Įxactly how Rita learns what is needed to pass the examination is hard to figure out from anything that happens on stage. To help her get the hang of it, she is entitled to a weekly visit with a tutor, who in Rita’s case is a university lecturer moonlighting in order to get the extra cash needed to support his vast consummation of hard liquor, served neat.Īs the story begins, the drunken slob faces a serious challenge. To complete a course on British prose and poetry, Rita has to pass an external examination by writing an essay that demonstrates she can write serious literary criticism. Students like Rita came from all walks of life, including Liverpudlian hairdressing salons. Students, even those without the usual academic credentials, could enroll in a public university which offered courses on television supported by materials sent through the mail. Rita is taking courses from University of the Air, known today as “Open University,” an idea invented by the British in the 1960s. Rita is the protagonist, but the play’s most heroic figure is the end-of-the-year examination. You can get the movie from Netflix I recently saw a live version on stage at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, but the play’s season has come to an end. “ Educating Rita” makes the case both for digital learning and for end-of-the year external examinations. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |