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Mr. Bean's Holiday

Mr. Bean's Holiday

Date: Jul 13 2021

Themes: Pop Culture

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

When movies first came out, they didn’t have sound. So stars like Charlie Chaplin became famous by using their hands and eyes to act.

Over the last 17 years, Rowan Atkinson has become famous with a similar technique. Although his movies have sound, his character, a child-like man named Mr. Bean, speaks very rarely.

Since so many of Mr. Bean’s jokes are non-verbal, the movies are just as funny when translated into other languages. Listen to Kevin tell Beren about Mr. Bean’s success abroad.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Kevin

Kevin

Beren

Beren

Kevin:  So I heard that, like, Mr. Bean’s movie’s on like the top charts of Chinese films…movies in China.

Beren:  Mr. Bean?

Kevin:  Yes.

Beren:  I heard he died like five years ago.

Kevin:  No. He’s been making movies. Rowan Atkinson, right?

Beren:  Yeah yeah yeah yeah.

Kevin:  Do you like him?

Beren:  He’s funny. He has his moments...slightly charming in a really obnoxious way. Did you like the first movie?

Kevin:  I thought it was entertaining. I mean the guy made a career of like, just being silent.

Beren:  Totally, it’s like the old silent film comedies, very physical comedy, lots of visual gags. I could see it being big in a foreign market for some reason.

Kevin:  I guess.

Beren:  Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know.

Kevin:  I mean, it definitely has, like, a niche market, I guess. I don’t know what you would call it. He’s interesting.

Beren:  Yeah yeah. He’s uniquely British.

Kevin:  And I love British humor.

 

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Discussion

Kevin read somewhere that Mr. Bean’s Holiday, the follow-up to 1997’s Bean, is doing extremely well in China. This surprises Beren because she thought that the actor who plays Mr. Bean was dead. Obviously, she isn’t a huge fan.

But Beren admits that while Mr. Bean can be somewhat annoying, he is entertaining at times. His work reminds her of silent films. It’s a style that she can understand being popular in other countries.

Do you prefer physical comedy or intellectual humor? Physical comedy is universal, but sometimes there’s nothing funnier than a pun in your native language.

 

Comments

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sgaya

sgaya

United Arab Emirates

he is very funny ^^

03:40 AM Nov 18 2007 |

icingblue813

China

Well,he is funny,but I don't like him very much.Maybe cause that I don't like British Humor and physical comedy,

03:12 AM Nov 18 2007 |

universeyu

universeyu

China

he is erery humor

02:54 AM Nov 18 2007 |

gilbs76

gilbs76

Philippines

I like Mr. Bean. I admire him so much. He makes me laugh!!!!!!!

08:13 PM Nov 17 2007 |

hosonngoc

hosonngoc

Viet Nam

SmileCoolSmileCoolSmileCoolSmileCoolSmileCool

Life is beautiful because it has smiles. 

04:02 PM Nov 17 2007 |

nadertaher

Ukraine

where can i download this film?

02:34 PM Nov 17 2007 |

shangmei

shangmei

China

I

12:47 PM Nov 17 2007 |

kittyzghz

kittyzghz

China

Mr.Bean is very funny, He always make me laughter! :)

12:16 PM Nov 17 2007 |

JAY,CHOU

JAY,CHOU

China

Foot in mouth

11:50 AM Nov 17 2007 |

JAY,CHOU

JAY,CHOU

China

People have always enjoyed watching comic Rowan Atkinson's most famous creation, the bumbling (装模作样的) Briton Mr. Bean. Many are fans of the television skits since the mid-1990s. I've occasionally sat through the animated series and even found the 1997 big-screen feature "Bean" better than expected. But I can only take so much of the character before I want to slap him in the face or, at the very least, re-tie his signature red tie so that it doesn't loll (懒洋洋的垂着) down past his belt.

With that in mind, Bean's belated second feature-length outing in this month's "Mr. Bean's Holiday" goes well past my tolerance. The sequel lacks the charm and endearing cheapness of its predecessor and doesn't even play to the character's most memorable personality and behavioral traits, namely his mean, selfish streak and his total disregard for propriety (得体). I can only conclude that Bean's ideal format is the five-minute short. Dragged out to feature-length, the gags become over-extended and unrelated.

But, however perfunctory (马马虎虎), there is a story here. In the opening sequence, Bean wins a trip to France. Armed with the words "qui," "non" and "merci" — which makes the mostly mute Bean more fluent in French than he is in English — he proceeds to the Continent. As always, he's dressed in his poorly cut tweed (斜纹软呢) jacket, brown pants, and red tie.

Perhaps inspired by Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid," the picture gives Bean a friend in the form of Russian boy Stepan. Bean and boy have to get to Cannes, where the big film festival is in progress, to reunite the child with his filmmaker father. In short order, Bean loses his coin purse, luggage, travel documents and, lastly, the kid.

"Mr. Bean's Holiday" also introduces something of a love interest for Bean in the form of Sabine, one of those typical cinema Gallic (法国人的) girls you always see in English-language productions. You know, the kind who are unconventionally beautiful and dress in odd ways. Sabine also happens to be on her way to Cannes to attend a film premiere (首映) with narcissistic (自恋的) American director Carson Clay.

As usual, Bean's dialogue is mostly grunts and groans. The first "Bean" had a wonderful, climax scene in which Bean delivers a long, moving speech about the value of motherhood. "Mr. Bean's Holiday" tries to reach that final moment of sarcasm but failed.

Atkinson, however, remains a marvel of facial muscles and elastic (充满弹性的) body movements. Even his thumbs are funny. For someone who has spent almost two decades now contorting his face into the most bizarre and at times plain disturbing of expressions, Atkinson doesn't seem to have aged at all.

Rowan Atkinson

Rowan Atkinson hails from Newcastle, Britain, and took a degree in electrical engineering at Newcastle University before studying at Oxford for an master of science, where he met screenwriter Richard Curtis.

Although he'd first appeared at Edinburgh when he was 17, Atkinson was spotted at the 1976 Festival by television producer John Lloyd, who went on to produce him in his first starring role – as one of the four members of the "Not The Nine O'Clock News" sketch team. This was followed by the huge success of "Blackadder" and its sequels which propelled Atkinson to star status.

He then went on to create Mr. Bean. A walking disaster, Bean was purely physical comedy, the opposite of Edmund Blackadder's polished dialogue. This clumsy character was a huge success and became another national treasure.

Questions:

Why do you think people enjoy watching Mr. Bean?

What's the author's opinion on the second Bean movie – "Mr. Bean's Holiday?"

What are the key factors for his success as an actor in Atkinson's case?

In whose tradition does Atkinson follow in portraying Bean?

11:47 AM Nov 17 2007 |

wsfloraiu

Macao

His movies are so funny!

09:59 AM Nov 17 2007 |

sari darma

sari darma

Indonesia

I think Mr. Rowan describes and plays Mr. Beans very well. I'd never thought that a silly movie like Mr. Bean's Holiday was made with very very seriously on its plan.

Oh, and the France scene is sooooo beautiful to describe on that movie:)

That's make me so want to go there someday..(I really wish so)

Great job, Mr. Rowan.

 

09:59 AM Nov 17 2007 |

liuhui99

China

I agree with you , I saw it two times , each time I have a exciting time

06:22 AM Nov 17 2007 |

meinv&mogui

China

thank you

 

04:41 AM Nov 17 2007 |

meinv&mogui

China

thank you

 

04:41 AM Nov 17 2007 |

anxaa

anxaa

Mongolia

  • hi all i saw Mr's Bean's movie his movie's very funny ans intersting…i like himWink

04:04 AM Nov 17 2007 |

Rodrigo.tx

Rodrigo.tx

Brazil

Mr. bean make very seccess here in brazil. my family watch his films

08:30 PM Nov 16 2007 |

Appala Raju Ch.

India

Mr.Bean is a inner person of every body.  So every body likes him.  If we are alone at some where, we also do such things of Mr.Bean.  We saw 3 or 4 albums of him, and laugh very much.

Thanks to laughing master.

Raju

04:02 PM Nov 16 2007 |

sailorr07

Turkey

saçmasın

01:25 PM Nov 16 2007 |

kaushalyats

Sri Lanka

It’s true that Rowan Atkinson has his moments but I don’t like his movies very much .I do like comedies very much like Naked mile,American pie, Scary movie etc. which has full of gags and puns. Rowan is acting in charming and obnoxiuos way but i think he is overdoing some times

11:02 AM Nov 16 2007 |

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