October 2009

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From 'The private life of Sherlock Holmes', in Arte's series on the great detectives. Excellent material for the student

I want to include comedy sketches on the site because they show us where we want to get to. They are the hardest test of the ear because of the game the comedian plays with his audience. Are you quick enough... have you followed ? And we don't of course. You'll see the places in this sketch where my ear lets me down, and I've tried to fill in the gap with what makes sense. But then there's always the end - the punch line in English - la chute in French. If you can pick up or guess the problem with the coal in the bath in the cellar - let me know !

Rather more sedate than Guy Bedos, here is a Level-1 extract from France 2 evening news on the amateur camera men who filmed the Liberation of Paris in 1944

Here is a nice Level 1 documentary from Arte television on a mountain railway in India. To be honest there is a little national pride here. We (the British) did terrible things in India, the colonial period is nothing to be proud of. But the Indians themselves, an immensely talented people, have chosen to retain what was positive in a century of occupation by the English.

Still Level 1, but a live discussion this time. This was Chansons d'Amour, a fund raising event on France 3 to help the aged. Michel Drucker compered, with Bernadette Chirac, and the appearance of Carla Bruni Sarkozy.

One is so aware these days that every word uttered by public figures is scrutinised in the hope that they may say something embarrassing and therefore newsworthy. The result is that they dare say nothing that has not been scripted in advance.

There is a moment where Drucker asks Mme Chirac if she does not think that Sarkozy and her husband have a lot in common. You can see how much she wants to say 'No'. She flounders - and then Carla comes to her rescue with a series of platitudes.

This is a rather different type of exercise. One doesn't expect to be able to transcribe a music-hall patter song, and I copied the words from the Internet. However, try it first with the subtitles turned off. One can pick up most of it.

My thanks to the kind person who sent me Comment s'est fait. The different subjects make nice Level-1 extracts of just the right length.

Now that Patrick Poivre d'Arvor no longer reads the news on TF1, he has started an interview programme, La traversée du miroir. I enjoyed this one with this very sweet singer, Lara Fabian.

The evening news on France 2 often has a little documentary in the middle - Le grand format which provides three or four minutes of well constructed reportage on a theme of interest. Here is a piece which shows that about a quarter of the population - left-handed - could really do with a lot more help at school

Early Saturday evening on France 3 brings us Zorro, which takes us back to the late 1950's. Well, well, it makes a good listening extract at a reasonable Level 2

France 3 did a whole day of broadcasts from Marseille to celebrate the second city of France. Here is a nice little documentary (mostly Level 1) on the disappearance of Antoine Saint Exupéry, author of Le Petit Prince and celebrated aviator

This wonderful five part film was first broadcast by Arte in 2008. It recounts the making of a propaganda film on the B17 bomber 'Liberty Lily'. It is not a dubbed American film, but French made. But the voice over is magnificent. There is a 'French' American voice which works wonderfully for Raymond Chandler type narrations. You can also hear it in the extract on Marilyn Monroe I quoted in July. And I often feel that the French are much closer, culturally, to the Americans than we are - although they pretend otherwise.

Students often complain that the French 'all speak at the same time'. So do we, in fact. But it is particularly true of effervescent programmes, such as this popular science quiz Expériences. So it's a Level 3. I chose this extract a little maliciously because it demonstrates that, although advertising has been banned from French public TV after 7.30 pm (our time), the sponsor of this programme - who makes cornflakes and 'energy bars' - has managed to get the contestants to plug his products

Jean-Yves Lafesse is the sort of comic who inflicts indignities on people in the street with the aid of a hidden camera. Not my thing, normally. However, the exuberant vulgarity of this guy entranced me. Very French...

France Télévision did a whole day of broadcasts from and about Marseille. Here's a nice little extract about what turns out to be the 9ème arrondissement of the town!

France 2 evening news ran two short, interesting, items one after the other, so you have two subjects in the next extract. The one on retouched publicity photographs is self-evident. For the other, if you're not familiar with the French system of grandes écoles, read about them here. In France, once you have passed the 18 year old Bac, you have the right to select your course and go to a University. Without commenting on that, more and more families are choosing to bypass the university system and aim for the grandes écoles which select by ability, are rigorous, and quite excellent. Read about les classes prépas (préparatoires) here

Unfortunately, I don't currently receive the French version of the Discovery channel - the recording I have was sent to me by a kind person. I find it perfect for this site. The voice over is very clear - but there is always a significant amount of new and specialised vocabulary to challenge the ear.

Here is cult comedy - Fantômas contre Scotland Yard. The star is Louis de Funès, but here find the rich lord of the manor being elegantly blackmailed by the villain.

Arte Television is a rich source of pleasant little documentaries, interesting in themselves, and with highly comprehensible voice-overs. If you find this quite easy as a listening exercise, use it for elocution practise. Read the text out loud, listen to the voice. Try to imitate !

TMC - Télévision Monte-Carlo is available on Atlantic Bird. It offers a lot of American series, and I watch it rarely. But here was Walt Disney's cartoon film of Robin Hood. And very nicely dubbed into French

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