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Great Scenes from Movies

for Role-play

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Life in the Australian Outback
(from Morris West's "The Naked Country", an Australian film.)
Are all cultures heading in the same economic direction?
Are we at the "end of history"?

On the porch of a station in the Australian outback, a stockman, his wife, and a bush policeman have a little after-dinner drink and talk about such things. Later on, the debate gets a little more personal when it's taken back to the bedroom and a heated argument ensues. It's a scene from the movie Australian movie "The Naked Country" about a conflict between Aborigines and an Australian stockman in the Australian outback.

Don't worry about the word "naked". Although it would probably be flagged as a dirty word by most content filtering software here it merely refers to "naked aborigines" or perhaps, metaphorically, to the "lack of trees" in the Australian outback.

Throwing a Surprise Party?
(from "The Edge")
It's never too late to start planning for someone's birthday, anniversary, or some other important day. Use these discussion questions on the topics of gift-giving, surprise parties, and toasts (as well as a list of the language functions found in the dialogue) to get in the right mood to.........SURPRISE SOMEONE!!!!!

A Night at Rick's
(from "Casablanca")
What do a strange man who wants to sell a tourist a ring, a police chief who wants to make friends with a famous political dissident, a beautiful blond who wants the piano player to play a sentimental old favorite, and a tough guy owner of a nightclub-casino who, completely out of character, treats everyone to a round of drinks, all have in common?

Casablanca? You're right!

If you're in the mood for reminiscing about an "old flame" or just want to practice introducing yourself to everyone, and everyone else to everyone else this scene from the famous film "Casablanca" is the scene for you!

John Wayne on Superstition
(from "Circus World")
John Wayne, the owner of a circus, criticizes his adopted European child for believing in "superstitions". This topic stimulates lively discussion where I live in Southeast Asia because what many of us in the United States consider "superstition" is certainly not considered such here. A lesson plan and handouts are included that have been tested with students and don't require the video.

Plumbers: A common focal point for marital strife?
(from "Malice" and "True Lies")
Some of the best moments in films for language learning are the seemingly unimportant scenes that contain language functions from everyday life. Have you had to pay your plumber outrageous sums to redo your plumbing recently? Do the people in your family ever tease each other? What do people talk about in your family before they go off to work in the morning? Or when they are walking to their car?

How to flirt with Cary Grant on the train to Chicago (from "North By Northwest")
A beautiful stranger flirts with the famous movie star Cary Grant in the dining car of a luxury train from New York to Chicago. This dialogue is a little racy....by 1950's American standards, but it should be ok for conservative Asians by 1990's Asian standards. I know my Korean university students would have enjoyed catching all the innuendos, in Cary Grant's dinner table repartee with Eve Kendall. Actually, there's evidence further on in the film that Cary Grant slept on the floor of her room that night after the conversation. A reading activity, four role-play situations, a vocabulary exercise, and handouts are included.

Giving Fatherly Advice (from "Sabrina")
The following scenes are about a young person growing up (Sabrina),
a successful businessman, and the handsome brother he grudgingly supports.
Read: "Why the movie "Sabrina" is a good source of role-play situations"

Saying goodbye to a dinner guest (from "Sabrina")


A Mother and Son Talk (from "Sabrina")


A confession of love (from "Sabrina")


Recovering from a language error (from "Sabrina")


Comforting advice from the boss (from "Sabrina")


A father gives his daughter some encouraging words (from "Sabrina")


A father tells his friends how his daughter is doing (from "Sabrina")


Making plans for the evening, asking someone to marry you (from "Sabrina")


Arguing with your brother (from "Sabrina")


Love cures all? : A discussion activity.
(from "Butterfield 8")
Have you ever ran into your psychiatrist's office during one of your more irresponsible moments and..... cancelled all future psycho-analysis sessions? You haven't? Well, it might be fun to pretend that you did. You can use Liz Taylor as a model. In Butterfield-8 she thinks she' found the answer to everything....Love! In the end, is she disappointed? Is she disappointed!!

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Lesson Plans

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Ideas about role-play

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