Introduction

                                Welcome to Stuart Fernie’s Blog

Please scroll down or find on the right links to articles, pages of reflections on films and books, and occasional pieces of short fiction.

Articles include discussion of "Suite Française", elements of a good lesson (secondary level), "Sweeney Todd", "The Yakuza", using film and song in the modern languages classroom, "The Dirty Dozen", "Megalopolis", Critical Thinking, "the relationship between an artist, a work of art and the consumer of a work of art", "respect, self-perception and self-healing", "Sicario" (2015), Steve McQueen, "Dracula entre l'amour et la mort" (the French-Canadian musical), science-fiction films, films about teaching, "A Tale of Two Cities" (1958), "The Invention of Lying", the Arts, the James Bond films, "Sweet Smell of Success", "Rollerball" (1975 and 2002), "The Professionals" (1966), "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "The Name of the Rose", "The Man who would be King", "Mr. Holmes" (2015), "The Last Samurai", "Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961), "The Sand Pebbles", "Forrest Gump", "Gran Torino", "Gangs of New York", "Emperor of the North", "Five Easy Pieces", "Chinatown", "Casablanca", Blade Runner", "The Big Red One", early Luc Besson films, "Being There", "An Inspector Calls", "La Belle et la Bête", "The Searchers", "The Mission", "High Plains Drifter", "Nuremberg" (2025), "Prime Cut", the influence of existentialism in society today, anxiety, professional criteria and essential attributes in teaching, professionalism versus careerism, thoughts on the meaning of "success" and "worth", "Hobson's Choice", "Quai des Orfèvres", "Le Corbeau", "The Wages of Fear", advice and questions to assist in the writing of essays about films, thoughts on Proportion and Self-respect, "The Offence", "Trainspotting", "Three Days of the Condor", "Spotlight", "Good Night and Good Luck", "The Count of Monte Cristo" (French version, 2024), "Midnight Express", Jason Bourne, Advocating Arts and Humanities, "Heaven's Gate", "Civil War", "The Ghost and Mrs Muir", "Ad Astra", Duality in 19th century literature, "Living", "Hell in the Pacific", "Point Blank", "Vera Cruz", "Dr Strange in the Multiverse", my interpretation of "Il faut cultiver notre jardin", "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources", "Drive my car", "The Batman", the place of acting in society, thoughts about religion and fate, "The Banshees of Inisherin", "Full Metal Jacket", "The Bishop's Wife", "Moliere", "Les Fleurs du Mal", "Soylent Green", "Bad Day at Black Rock", "The First Great Train Robbery", The Dreyfus Affair, "Persona", "The Seventh Seal", "A Clockwork Orange", "Night Moves", "Lonely are the Brave", "In the heat of the night", "The League of Gentlemen" (1960), thoughts on the nature of film noir, "Star Trek", "Seven Days in May", "Dead Poets Society", "Good Will Hunting", "Callan", "The Hill", "Cool Hand Luke", "The Hustler", "Road to Perdition", "The Verdict", "Three Colour Trilogy", "Jojo Rabbit", "Jeremiah Johnson", "Collateral", "Joker", "Barry Lyndon", "The Bridge at Remagen", "Le Mans '66 (Ford v Ferrari)", Charles Foster Kane ("Citizen Kane"), "The Deer Hunter", "Highlander", "No Country for Old Men", "Gattaca", "The Adventures of Robin Hood"(1938), "Apocalypse Now", "Spartacus", "The Bridge on the River Kwai", "The Long Good Friday", "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", "The Third Man", "Finding Forrester", "The Outlaw Josey Wales", "Untouchable" (2011),"Unforgiven", "The Manchurian Candidate", "The Wild Bunch", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", "Papillon" (1973), "Public Eye", "Existentialism in society today", "Seven Samurai", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Don Quixote", "We're No Angels", "The African Queen", "Babette's Feast", "War for the Planet of the Apes", "Dunkirk", “Dances With Wolves”, “Inherit The Wind” and “The Prisoner”. 

A link to my YouTube channel with video presentations of a number of my pages.

After I retired from teaching, I thought I’d write my memoirs, “What have I done?”, and present them online. Please find links to these memoirs, some French support pages and reflections on "Les Misérables" below.

I can be contacted through the comments sections or at stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk

Other blogs available:

French Support Pages

Discussion of “Les Misérables”

Tales of teaching – memoirs of a former French teacher

Version française d’articles initialement publiés en anglais sur mon blog

All intellectual property rights reserved

Reflections on characters and themes in “Suite Française” (2014)

 

Reflections on “Suite Française”

Directed by Saul Dibb

Screenplay by Saul Dibb and Matt Charman

Based on the book by Irène Némirovsky

Starring Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ruth Wilson, Sam Riley et al.

In wartime, we see people at their best but also at their worst.

Set during the German occupation of France in WW2, “Suite Française” is a study of some of the consequences of the occupation, political, social and moral, for the residents of the small town of Bussy.

In places, our film is vaguely similar in tone to “Le Corbeau” and “La Rafle” as it reveals some uncomfortable truths regarding reaction to the occupation in this small community. There are clashes between politics and humanity, social position and compassion, and spiritual rapport and duty, with some characters prioritising position and survival while others eventually make a stand for freedom and principle.

Mme Angellier, proud local landowner and mother-in-law to Lucile, shows scant regard or compassion for those fleeing Paris and the occupation, is hard-hearted toward her tenants who are in financial difficulty, and is rather authoritarian, condescending and insensitive toward Lucile (whose soldier husband, Gaston, is eventually reported to have been taken prisoner by the Germans). When forced to accept the presence of a polite and respectful German officer in her home, she is determined to show her displeasure by offering a minimum of co-operation or even recognition of his presence. She is clearly immensely proud of her social status, appears self-centred and unbending, and is critical of just about everyone.

The young and thoughtful Lucile, who loves music but is discouraged from playing her piano by her mother-in-law, is drawn to Bruno von Falk, the well-mannered German officer billeted in her home, as he plays her piano and composes his own music. After initial resistance, Lucile is able to see beyond Bruno’s official status and sees him as something of a kindred spirit. Bruno reveals a sensitivity at odds with his official duties and he and Lucile establish a rapport, to the disapproval of Mme Angellier and several local residents.

Bruno receives numerous letters of denunciation from the locals (in return for German favours or leniency), indicating blatant self-interest and immediate gratification on their part, and a failure to grasp the broader perspective of fighting for French freedom and values. This practice was indeed encouraged by the Germans who gained information on criminals, Jews and resistance fighters as well as engendering disunity among the local population.

Bruno clearly disapproves of the practice but he does learn that Lucile’s husband has been consistently unfaithful to her, though he keeps it to himself. When Lucile does finally learn of her husband’s infidelity, she feels utterly betrayed and this revelation drastically alters her worldview, including her view of her mother-in-law’s haughty moral position, her marriage, her relationship with her judgemental and only-too-well-informed neighbours, and especially her stance with regard to the occupying forces. She decides to abandon her role of dutiful wife and obedient daughter-in-law to follow her instincts and defy the occupation forces’ control, even reluctantly and with regret sacrificing her nascent but deeply-felt relationship with Bruno out of indignation and integrity.

She has seen that not all the German forces are as principled and considerate as Bruno and she sees that several neighbours are effectively collaborating, redoubling her resolve to make a stance against the invaders and help a neighbouring tenant who is in trouble.

Tenants Benoît and Madeleine are in trouble on two counts; firstly, unprincipled German officer Kurt wishes to sleep with Madeleine, Benoît’s wife, and he belittles Benoît while pressurising Madeleine; secondly, and perhaps more crucially, out of desperation Benoît has been stealing chickens from the local aristocrat’s farm and when he is caught by the Viscountess, who shows no compassion or understanding, he treats her with disdain and contempt. Offended, she lies about his conduct and sees to it that the German forces hunt him down.

This episode highlights a social system dependent on the view that the aristocratic class was superior to the working class. The Viscountess is more concerned with position and insult than with helping a fellow human being and is willing to turn to her country’s enemies to help her fulfil her goal of maintaining pride and social position, displaying little evidence of character, worth or principle.

However, the whole affair backfires as, in the course of his escape from justice, Benoît kills German officer Kurt and, because the Germans do not follow the same code of conduct and responsibility as the French, when Benoît manages to avoid capture the Viscount is held responsible for Kurt’s murder and is executed. The Viscountess has ample opportunity to tell the truth but she places pride and self-preservation above consequence, especially when it is a matter of consequences for others…

Lucile and even Mme Angellier both abandon the roles they have been playing in society and recognise they must make a stand against oppression and the Germans’ dismissive overturning of French freedom, society and rules. Their eyes are opened and they see the bigger picture beyond the petty vicissitudes of their village life and the places they hold within it, and they fight for the freedom and values they have previously taken for granted by helping Benoît make his escape and, in Lucile’s case, going on to Paris to help resist the occupation.

Bruno is assigned the task of executing the Viscount, counter to every fibre in his being, but he does his duty. He sacrifices his genuine feelings to conformity and survival though, perhaps as a result of this act, he goes on to help Lucile escape as she aids Benoît evade German authorities. Thus, he makes a stand for values and principle, putting his own safety and life at risk.

Ultimately, it would appear that if we are to achieve inner peace and feel at ease with ourselves, we may have to act according to our conscience and oppose subjugation or coercion, though first we may have to reflect on and recognise the values that are truly important to us.

This relatively obscure film is, on the face of it, deceptively “small” but it deals with themes of considerable depth and value as it offers a highly perceptive and searingly honest account of the occupation and its challenging consequences and choices, political, social and moral, as experienced by the inhabitants of this small town, a town that may well be symbolic of the experience of the whole of France. Often billed as a romance, it offers much more than that and is a fitting tribute to the unfinished work of the tragic author of the piece.

 

My thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.

Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)

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Personal thoughts on elements of a good lesson (secondary level)

 

Elements of a good lesson in brief

These suggestions, which are certainly not comprehensive, were written with Modern Languages in mind but I hope that some elements may be applicable across the range of subjects taught in schools.

In something of a departure from my usual fare, I present a few of my own thoughts on elements of a good lesson. Clearly, every teacher must find his or her own way, but these ideas worked reasonably well for me and my pupils and I thought they might be worth sharing.

Firstly, I suggest you greet your pupils at the door as they enter. Saying hello and offering personal greetings will help establish a friendly rapport and create a spirit of collaboration.

A brief recap of what was studied or learned on the previous occasion will be helpful in focusing the attention of your charges on your subject. Judicious questioning will allow students to contribute and provide the essential information rather than simply hear a recap from their teacher, building pupils’ confidence and a willingness to participate in the business of the lesson.

Explain the objective of the lesson but you may wish to do so in a light-hearted manner. It was my experience that pupils often disliked learning French, largely because they were afraid of the enormity of the task and failure, so it seemed a good idea to play to their reluctance and jovially tell them why they would love this lesson, supplying a few fun examples of how they could use whatever skill or knowledge they were about to learn. Remember, the lesson might be serious but the class can be fun.

In terms of maintaining engagement, small and manageable chunks are more effective than lengthy exercises that sap energy and enthusiasm. Adapt to the atmosphere in the classroom – be aware if something needs to be explained further, is proving more difficult than foreseen or needs to be lightened to stimulate interest. Sometimes a little humour or personal interaction will be enough to carry what might be perceived as dull content.

Link whatever is new in the lesson to material students already know through rapid revision of what is familiar (and will be useful to the task in hand), be it grammar-based or vocabulary.

If dealing with a grammar point, it may be worth drawing comparison to structures in English (which will be familiar to pupils but which may not have been clarified in the English class).

Provide a structure or formula for the new element while emphasising what is familiar. This structure or formula may be built with the class by asking pointed questions or inviting the class to recall previously learned elements, to which the teacher may add new material.

If dealing with vocabulary, remind the class of words and phrases they have already encountered and see if students can work out meanings of new words through context or analysis of the new word to find connections with what is familiar.

In any case, it is advisable that the class or students should feel a sense of “ownership” or feel that they have participated in and contributed to what is learned.

I have often thought that a good lesson bears a certain resemblance to a conversation between pupils and teacher.

In a conversation, one participant may have considered what is to be said, how it is to be said and the information to be imparted, but the conversation will only work if spontaneous elements are accepted and taken in to account.

Each participant should respect the others but all should be allowed or invited to contribute. Recalling familiar information or contexts is essential to enabling comprehension of what is new or if information is to be amended.

Similarly, just as students should listen to the teacher, teachers should listen to the students to ensure engagement and understanding. As a result of this ongoing “conversation”, it may be necessary to adapt objectives and respond to comment or question – this is an essential element of engagement. Attention is more likely and retention more probable if students feel involved in the process and if their contributions are heeded.

At the end of the class, after reinforcement exercises and group revision, a pupil or student might even be invited to recap the important elements of the lesson, with the opportunity for the others to ask questions.

 

My thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.

 

Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)

 

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