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Daniel_Prevost_Moncuq.avi
Daniel_Prevost_Moncuq.srt
Daniel_Prevost_Moncuq.doc
Daniel_Prevost_Moncuq.mp3
Daniel_Prevost_MoncuqMe.mp3
Here is a short piece from Daniel Prévost Le village de Montcuq. Prévost was part of Jacques Martin's team on the television show Le petit rapporteur, and here he milks the unfortunate name of this village for all it's worth
Les Revenants.avi
Les Revenants.srt
Les Revenants.doc
Les Revenants.mp3
Les RevenantsMe.mp3

Here is Les revenants a film by Robin Campillo which takes the standard horror theme of people coming back from the grave - but here in a society which wants to treat them humanely and decently. A very French preoccupation, and a good film

Policiers.avi
Policiers.srt
Policiers.doc
Policiers.mp3
 

More than 60 years after the catastrophe of 1940, French society is increasingly willing to take a painfully honest look at this period. Full marks to them. This clip will make you take a deep breath I think

Bouteille.avi
Bouteille.srt
Bouteille.doc
Bouteille.mp3
 

I just have to admit that I have a weakness for romantic American films dubbed into French. And the French dubbing actors are magnificent. This is a good example

RevueDePresse.avi
RevueDePresse.srt
RevueDePresse.doc
RevueDePresse.mp3
RevueDePresseMe.mp3

From the France 2 breakfast show Télématin, hosted by William Leymergie

Dracula.avi
Dracula.srt
Dracula.mp3
Dracula.doc
The first film clip this month is an American-made 'Dracula'. Everything I always say about anglo-american films dubbed into French applies - they are where you need to start if you like films. French films are far, far too hard.
EchappéesBelles.avi
EchappéesBelles.srt
EchappéesBelles.mp3
EchappéesBelles.doc
This is the Département d'Ardèche and a small town,Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, which evidently risks suffocating under its own success. But all is well. Nature is preserved.
ChevallierLaspales.avi
ChevallierLaspales.srt
ChevallierLaspales.mp3
ChevallierLaspales.doc
It's the speed of the enunciation that makes this difficult. Don't worry about it. Read through the text, play it with the subtitles. Then try it without
Subjonctif.avi
Subjonctif.srt
Subjonctif.mp3
Subjonctif.doc

SubjonctifMe.mp3
 Start by watching this clip with the subtitles turned off. Try to get the gist. See if my version helps. Read the text. Then with the subtitles. Finally without.
AR3.avi
AR3.srt
AR3.mp3
AR3.doc
 Anne Roumanoff is perhaps the leading French stand-up comic of today. Her Radio Bistro sketch features a slightly sozzled lady who holds forth on the characters of the political scene. She actually speaks quite clearly, but very fast. And, in order to enjoy the humour, you have to know something about the people she is lampooning.
Publicité.avi
Publicité.srt
Publicité.doc
Publicité.mp3
These are very difficult. The pace of the voices is fast, the style informal, the vocabulary often very modern. Note however - they are designed to be easily understandable by native speakers !
CommentViolon.avi
CommentViolon.srt
CommentViolon.doc
CommentViolon.mp3

Comment s'est fait - Violon

The specialist vocabulary in this piece is difficult to grasp. The word lousse isn't even in Le Grand Robert. Anyone know it?

Raynaud-4.avi
Raynaud-4.srt
Raynaud-4.doc
Raynaud-4.mp3
This shows exactly why comedy is the hardest listening exercise. We follow the boy reasonably well, but it's the father who has the punch lines!
FindingNeverland.avi
FindingNeverland.srt
FindingNeverland.doc
FindingNeverland.mp3
I selected this clip as a dubbed British film with formal dialogue. But the vocabulary makes it difficult
FrancoisePanafieu.avi
FrancoisePanafieu.srt
FrancoisePanafieu.doc
FrancoisePanafieu.mp3
This is a highly educated woman speaking very informally and under a certain stress. She actually speaks very clearly, but the speed and choice of language make it quite difficult
RDevosOuiDire.avi
RDevosOuiDire.srt
RDevosOuiDire.doc
RDevosOuiDire.mp3
The verb Ouïr,says Devos, is very difficult to conjugate. This is a Level-3. It's what makes learning to listen to French so worthwhile
Sirima.avi
Sirima.srt
Sirima.doc
Sirima.mp3
I don't think there is anything I can say about this
JC.avi
JC.srt
JC.doc
JC.mp3
In fact, Jean Carmet is not at all typical of French stand-ups. His humour is what the Americans call 'dead-pan'. And it's beautifully conceived and written. With - if I am not mistaken - an imperfect subjunctive ?
Brigitte.avi
Brigitte.srt
Brigitte.doc
Brigitte.mp3
This is evidently Level-3. As always, see what you can pick up without the subtitles, then enjoy with. Even with the text the double entendres  may make you ponder a bit !
ChagrinFiscal.avi
ChagrinFiscal.srt
ChagrinFiscal.doc
ChagrinFiscal.mp3

Full of idiomatic expressions, this sketch "Où l’amène-t-on, la France?
Où nous mènent-ils?
Qui on gêne?
 

Ouvrard.avi
Ouvrard.srt
Ouvrard.doc
Ouvrard.mp3

Although the speed of this patter song makes it a Level 3, notice how clear is the diction of this music hall entertainer !
 

Experiences.avi
Experiences.srt
Experiences.doc
Experiences.mp3

In between the scientific bits from the presenter, the conversations show well what we're trying to get the ear to pick up - the style of idiomatic French. Not easy.

Lafesse.avi
Lafesse.srt
Lafesse.doc
Lafesse.mp3

Obviously, it's a Level-3. But once you've picked up what he's getting at, you laugh

Fantômas.avi
Fantômas.srt
Fantômas.doc
Fantômas.mp3

This is a Level-3 because of the sound quality which is of its time. It's not too difficult, though. Keep the subtitles switched off at first!

RobinDesBois.avi
RobinDesBois.srt
RobinDesBois.doc
RobinDesBois.mp3

I expected this to be a Level 2, perhaps less. In fact it makes quite a difficult listening exercise. The better the dubbing, the harder the film is to follow. This is very well done.

20HPACSadultere.avi
20HPACSadultere.srt
20HPACSadultere.doc
20HPACSadultere.mp3

When I prepare subtitles, I don't leave 'holes' as I do on the sonsenfrancais transcriptions. However, there are places in this extract where my ear fails. Look out for them, and see if you can correct my version !

LasVegas.avi
LasVegas.srt
LasVegas.doc
LasVegas.mp3

The dialogue is fast and supposed to be idiomatic. But in fact it's a sort of transatlantic French, nothing like as difficult as the real thing. Still a Level-3, though

TM091113.avi
TM091113.srt
TM091113.doc
TM091113.mp3

What makes the first half difficult to follow is not just the speed, but also the incoherence of the presentation. Hang on in there, though. By contrast, the second half offers some challenges of vocabulary, like 'qui en fit et ses supports et ses suppôts' !

LeBonheur.avi
LeBonheur.srt
LeBonheur.doc
LeBonheur.mp3

I quote this because it gives us a chance to exercise our ears on the sort of muttered dialogue that passes for realism nowadays. It's a Level-3, but note that it's very easy to follow. We don't have trouble guessing what's going on, do we ?

20HUltragauche.avi
20HUltragauche.srt
20HUltragauche.doc
20HUltragauche.mp3
I think we'd better make this a Level-3 because of the commentary both in the street and the studio which is really quite challenging
AnneRoumanoff6.avi
AnneRoumanoff6.srt
AnneRoumanoff6.doc
AnneRoumanoff6.mp3
Obviously this is a good Level-3. Like the great Coluche, Roumanoff's voice slurs, and she often adopts the voice of the France d'en-bas. Super listening practice.
ToulouseLautrec.avi
ToulouseLautrec.srt
ToulouseLautrec.doc
ToulouseLautrec.mp3
The voice of the journalist is not only fast, but at times quite indistinct, and of course, the lady talking to camera in the film has the music to contend with. But this is exactly what the ear has to learn to decipher.
TF120H-Identite.avi
TF120H-Identite.srt
TF120H-Identite.doc
TF120H-Identite.mp3
As well as posing a problem for the French, the question of identity/immigration is interesting for us. The voices in this piece - rather hard to follow - are also very much French voices 
LeZèbre.avi
LeZèbre.srt
LeZèbre.doc
LeZèbre.mp3
Lhermitte's voice is fast, but very clear. Getting used to this rapid delivery is an important step in listening to French. Level-3, obviously
ObjetScandale.avi
ObjetScandale.srt
ObjetScandale.doc
ObjetScandale.mp3
Compare the French of the voice-over with the interview with Gainsbourg or the police sketch. The voice-over is pretty much like written French. The other is contextual, coded, the French of everyday life. Listen to it carefully, and see if you can correct the parts where my ear went wrong.
TF120HPiratage.avi
TF120HPiratage.srt
TF120HPiratage.doc
TF120HPiratage.mp3
As so often with this type of piece there are some very difficult moments. I'm going to rank this Level-3.
TF120HFraude.avi
TF120HFraude.srt
TF120HFraude.doc
TF120HFraude.mp3
The defrauded employer, the fraudster, even the security expert give us something to think about. Is it, perhaps the effect of stress on the voice ? I think this is actually Level-3 !
MaculinFeminin.avi
MaculinFeminin.srt
MaculinFeminin.doc
MaculinFeminin.mp3
Given that Magdane 'swallows' his words, speaks quickly... why is this reasonably comprehensible ? The quality of the sound recording perhaps ? It's still a Level-3, evidently
StarWars.avi
StarWars.srt
StarWars.doc
StarWars.mp3

Interesting that as soon as pronunciation deviates from Paris standard we're foxed. Where on earth did these guys learn their French?  And are they part of the Francophone community ?
Level 3 and a bit

Sarko.avi
Sarko.srt
Sarko.doc
Sarko.mp3
Nicolas Sarkozy - according to the satirists - speaks a very relaxed French. There were a few places where I had to guess what he was saying. It's pretty clear, but Level-3
DavidCopperfield.avi
DavidCopperfield.srt
DavidCopperfield.doc
DavidCopperfield.mp3
This is typical of the sort of passage that gives no difficulty when you listen to it 'live', because the ear just skips the hard bits. But when you make a transcription, it isn't enough to pick up the general idea  of what Mrs Gummidge says, you have to try to unravel the speech.
TF120HGaspillage.avi
TF120HGaspillage.srt
TF120HGaspillage.doc
TF120HGaspillage.mp3
When I started these pages I assumed that news items were going to be the Level-1 'norm'. In fact, although the voice overs are always very clear, it is the comments of the man in the street - in this case the down-and-out in the street which we want to pick up. And that is not at all easy
Apocalypse.avi
Apocalypse.srt
Apocalypse.doc
Apocalypse.mp3
There is considerable linguistic interest in this piece. The presenter speaks very quickly, but very clearly. You often have to pick up the sense of what he says without necessarily catching every word. And the chilling series of  prophecies make for some nice formal French
TF120HJeux.avi
TF120HJeux.srt
TF120HJeux.doc
TF120HJeux.mp3
This is a Level-3, obviously. There were moments where I had to leave gaps, and no doubt there are places where I got it wrong. But look, it's exactly the sort of thing we're learning to follow !
PeterPan.avi
PeterPan.srt
PeterPan.doc
PeterPan.mp3
The voices of children are always the hardest to decipher, but these are very polite children ! I couldn't pick up the verb in the sixth line which I replaced by 'écrit'. Can you ?
TempsOtages.avi
TempsOtages.srt
TempsOtages.doc
TempsOtages.mp3
Interesting on the linguistic level, this extract, because a couple of the people being interviewed speak very very indistinctly. This will exercise your ear at level-3