Reading Comprehension Test-Sequence 1
Why it is nearly impossible
to make a good biopic
semblance of authenticity [...]. This is especially
true if it's a film based on a public figure with a well-
documented history. The digital age of readily available
s and free information in any place with a wifi connection
has made it virtually impossible to tell a life story and
not be questioned on its validity if supposed vital details
are left out.
Irrespective of any expected stumbling blocks', the
Hollywood machine has continued to market biopics
as glossy, money-making, blockbuster productions.
In recent years, however, some of the best life stories
have been told in documentary format, namely What
Happened, Miss Simone?, Cobain: Montage of Heck. The
is Imposter, and Grizzly Man. These documentaries covered
the real life experiences of people whose lives were
anything but ordinary, and owe their success to simple
storytelling and fact-based research. Documentaries are
rarely ever looking to be anything other than a visual
30 medium for an understood truth, and so their stories
offer a veracity not corrupted by ill-fitting performances
or a desperate desire for award-circuit success. In their
case, less is definitely more.
On the question of whether documentaries are a
as more feasible way of portraying a life story, [the film
Producer Chris] Sumpton believes it comes down to a
question of taste and financing. "All audiences want
high-quality images and sound, but of course are
accepting of lower quality, historical imagery as in the
30 case of documentaries, which are also the cheaper way
to go." The 2003 documentary, Tupac: Resurrection,
was monumentally more critically successful than the
recently released film (All Eyez on Me, 2018]. The success
of Amy on Amy Winehouse, is also a positive testament to
as the notion that the single camera focus of a documentary
is the best vehicle to deliver as honest a retelling of a life
as possible.
1. Read the text and say what kind of document it is.
2. What film genres are compared?
3. Pick out the advantages and the drawbacks of each genre.
4. Explain what is said about the public reception.
5. Analyse the changing regarding the veracity.
6. Explain in your own words: "less is definitely more." (1.23)
vice.com, August 2017
Lobstacles 2. tribute