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Joy English · Level B2 · Filmjoy-english.com

Two critics discuss a documentary

Name:Date:

Two film podcast presenters share their views of a new documentary about young musicians.

Audio and answer checking: https://joy-english.com/listening/documentary-review-podcast

Opinions and implied meaning

Listen to the podcast. Choose the best answer.

  1. What is the documentary about?
    • a) A music school in a big city
    • b) A youth orchestra in a small mountain town
    • c) The career of a famous conductor
    • d) A town that builds a new concert hall
  2. What does Aiko mean when she says she checked her watch more than once?
    • a) She was late for another appointment
    • b) She was worried about missing the ending
    • c) She felt the film was too long
    • d) She was timing the scenes for the podcast
  3. What does Leo particularly admire about the film?
    • a) The time and patience the director put into it
    • b) Its short running time
    • c) The professional actors in it
    • d) The way it was filmed in a studio
  4. What is Aiko's criticism of the middle section?
    • a) It is confusing
    • b) It has poor sound
    • c) It is not relevant to the story
    • d) It goes on for too long
  5. How does Leo defend the middle section?
    • a) He says it shows the whole community taking part
    • b) He says it is the funniest part of the film
    • c) He says the director had no other choice
    • d) He says it is shorter than Aiko thinks
  6. What is Aiko's opinion of the way the conductor is shown?
    • a) She is shown too negatively
    • b) She seems almost perfect, and the teenagers get too little attention
    • c) She does not appear enough in the film
    • d) She is the most interesting person in the film
  7. How does Leo respond to Aiko's view of the conductor?
    • a) He agrees completely
    • b) He says Aiko has misunderstood the film
    • c) He disagrees but accepts that her view is reasonable
    • d) He changes the subject because he is annoyed
  8. What do both presenters agree about?
    • a) The film should be shorter
    • b) The final concert is excellent
    • c) The conductor is presented fairly
    • d) The film deserves the same score

Listen for details

Listen again and type the missing word or number. You can write numbers as words or digits.

  1. The film lasts two hours and ___ minutes.
  2. The director spent almost ___ years with the young musicians.
  3. In the middle section, the town raises money to buy a ___.
  4. At the final concert, the youngest ___ plays a solo.
  5. Aiko gives the film ___ out of ten.
  6. The documentary is in cinemas from ___.

Answer key

Opinions and implied meaning

  1. b) A youth orchestra in a small mountain townLeo says Sixty Strings is about a youth orchestra in a small mountain town.
  2. c) She felt the film was too longShe mentions the running time first. Checking your watch often suggests you want something to end.
  3. a) The time and patience the director put into itHe loved how patient the director is and says you can feel the long time she spent with the musicians.
  4. d) It goes on for too longShe accepts it matters to the story, but says it could easily have been half as long.
  5. a) He says it shows the whole community taking partHe says the section shows how the whole town gets involved.
  6. b) She seems almost perfect, and the teenagers get too little attentionAiko says the conductor comes across as almost perfect, and she wanted to hear more from the teenagers.
  7. c) He disagrees but accepts that her view is reasonableHe didn't see it that way at all, but he can understand why she might.
  8. b) The final concert is excellentAiko says they definitely agree about the final concert, and Leo says he had tears in his eyes.

Listen for details

  1. twenty / 20Aiko says the film is two hours and twenty minutes long.
  2. three / 3Leo says she spent almost three years with them.
  3. busThe long middle section is about raising money to buy a bus.
  4. cellist / cello playerThe cinema went silent when the youngest cellist played her solo.
  5. six / 6Aiko gives it a six because it needed a stricter editor.
  6. FridayLeo says it is in cinemas from Friday.

Transcript

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.

Joy English · free English practice · https://joy-english.com/listening/documentary-review-podcast