B2Film15 min
Two critics discuss a documentary
Two film podcast presenters share their views of a new documentary about young musicians.
Before you listen
You are going to hear the two presenters of a film podcast, Leo and Aiko, talking about a new documentary called Sixty Strings. They do not completely agree. Listen for each person's opinion, the reasons they give, and the polite ways they disagree with each other.
- absorbedadjective
- so interested in something that you notice nothing elseShe was so absorbed in her book that she missed her stop.
- accessnoun
- here: the chance to film or see people and places that are usually privateThe film crew had rare access to the factory.
- stretchnoun
- a continuous period of time or part of somethingThere's a long stretch of road with no petrol stations.
- come across asphrasal verb
- to seem to be a certain kind of personHe comes across as very confident.
- reservationnoun
- a doubt, or a feeling that you do not completely agreeI have a few reservations about the plan.
Listen · 1:56
Frame by Frame: Sixty Strings
Show the transcript (try the questions first)
Leo: Welcome back to Frame by Frame. This week, Aiko and I have both seen Sixty Strings, the new documentary about a youth orchestra in a small mountain town. Aiko, first impressions?
Aiko: Mixed, to be honest. The subject is wonderful, and some scenes are genuinely moving. But at two hours and twenty minutes, let's just say I checked my watch more than once.
Leo: Really? I was completely absorbed. What I loved was how patient the director is. She spent almost three years with these young musicians, and you can feel it, because after the first few minutes nobody seems to be performing for the camera.
Aiko: I agree the access is remarkable. My problem is the middle section. There's a long stretch about the town raising money to buy a bus, and while it matters to the story, it could easily have been half as long.
Leo: Fair point, although I'd say that section shows how the whole town gets involved. The scene where the baker sells cakes outside the school to pay for the tyres is one of my favourites.
Aiko: That's true, and it's a lovely moment. My other reservation is the way the conductor, Petra Albescu, is presented. She comes across as almost perfect, and I'd have liked to hear more from the teenagers themselves.
Leo: Interesting. I didn't see it that way at all, but I can understand why you might.
Aiko: Where we definitely agree is the final concert. The sound recording is superb, and the whole cinema went completely silent when the youngest cellist played her solo.
Leo: I'll confess I had tears in my eyes. So, scores out of ten?
Aiko: I'll give it a six. Beautifully made, but it needed a stricter editor.
Leo: And a nine from me. It's in cinemas from Friday, so, listeners, go and decide for yourselves.
Exercise 1 of 2
Opinions and implied meaning
Listen to the podcast. Choose the best answer.
Exercise 2 of 2
Listen for details
Listen again and type the missing word or number. You can write numbers as words or digits.
The film lasts two hours and minutes.
The director spent almost years with the young musicians.
In the middle section, the town raises money to buy a .
At the final concert, the youngest plays a solo.
Aiko gives the film out of ten.
The documentary is in cinemas from .
Source
Original script by Joy English, read by open-source text-to-speech voices (Kokoro-82M, Apache-2.0).
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