Cambridge IELTS 12 Academic Listening Test 4 (Questions 21-24)

KATIE: Joe, you know I’m giving a presentation in our film studies class next week?

JOE: Yes.

KATIE: Well, could we discuss it? I could do with getting someone else’s opinion.

JOE: Of course, Katie. What are you going to talk about?

KATIE: It’s about film adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve got very interested in all the different approaches that film directors take.

JOE: Uhuh.

KATIE: So I thought I’d start with Giannetti, who’s professor of film and literature, and in one of his books he came up with a straightforward classification of film adaptations based on how faithful they are to the original plays and novels.

JOE: Right.

KATIE: I’ve already made some notes on that, so I just need to sort those out before the presentation. I thought that next I’d ask the class to come up with the worst examples of Shakespeare adaptations that they’ve seen, and to say why. That should be more fun than having their favourite versions.

JOE: Yes, I can certainly think of a couple!

KATIE: Right. Next I want to talk about Rachel Malchow. I came across something on the internet about her work on film adaptations, and I was thinking of showing some film clips to illustrate her ideas.

JOE: Will you have enough time, though? Both to prepare and during the presentation? After all, I doubt if you’ll be able to find all the clips you want.

KATIE: Hmm. Perhaps you’re right. OK, well, I’d better do some slides instead, saying how various films relate to what she says. That should encourage discussion.

JOE: Mmm.

KATIE: Next I want to say something about how plays may be chosen for adaptation because they’re concerned with issues of the time when the film is made.

JOE: You mean things like patriotism, or the role of governments?

KATIE: Exactly. It’s quite tricky, but I’ve got a few ideas I’d like to discuss.