Slumdog Millionaire

Question 1

Who is Salim Malik?

Answer 1

Antagonist, orphan, materialist, money as top priority, protective, dominant

Question 2

Who is Jamal Malik?

Answer 2

Protagonist, honesty, strong personality, courage

Question 3

Who is Latika?

Answer 3

Love of Jamal, a strong female character, “She could be the third musketeer.”

Question 4

Who is Maman?

Answer 4

Gang leader, possible father figure for the two boys, shot during the boys’ escape

Question 5

Who is Javed Khan?

Answer 5

Crime lord who learns of Salim’s betrayal through the tv show

Question 6

What is a Slumdog?

Answer 6

A person who lives in an overcrowded and very poor area of a city

Question 7

What is ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’?

Answer 7

Popular game show played in different countries across the world

Question 8

What are Musketeers?

Answer 8

Characters from classic French literature the boys are compared to by the teacher

Question 9

What happens at the Orphanage?

Answer 9

The boys have to stay there after their mother’s death in cruel conditions

Question 10

What happens at the Taj Mahal?

Answer 10

The place the boys work as “undercover guides” to make a living

Question 11

Where is the setting of the film?

Answer 11

Mumbai

Question 12

What does the phrase “It is written” mean?

Answer 12

The phrase used to describe the inevitable fate that lead to the success in the game show

Question 13

Who is the Director?

Answer 13

Danny Boyle

Question 14

When was the film released?

Answer 14

2008

Question 15

When was the film set?

Answer 15

2006

Question 16

Who is the writer?

Answer 16

Simon beaufoy

Question 17

Which slum is the film set in?

Answer 17

Dharavi Slum

Question 18

What is the Dichotomy of India?

Answer 18

Where young children are exploited while others enjoy the luxuries of life

Question 19

Watch these.

Answer 19

‘Opening Sequence’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeeR0ieqQvE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4EFVfaUig

Sequence 2 ‘Cesspit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ_8fsG8Q1A

Question 20

Give some examples of Cinematography

Answer 20

• The opening sequence uses canted shots of the quiz studio, creating confusion and reflecting the feelings of the protagonist, Jamal Malik. The audience are positioned with Jamal’s perspective from the start.
• Monochromatic colour is used to signify the ‘current’ strand of the narrative. A yellow tint is used in police scenes to establish this thread of narrative in contrast to other scenes.
• Hand-held cameras taking the audience into the slums and add to the frenetic pace and feel of the chase in the second part of the opening.
• Boyle changed equipment after the beginning of shooting. The change from bulky, traditional 35mm cameras to smaller digital cameras was partly to avoid the masses of spectators impacting filming and also to allow filming within the confines of the slums, making the audience feel as though they are actually there

Question 21

Give some examples of Editing

Answer 21

• Using 11 frames per second creates the slow-motion aspect to the film, for example in the opening sequence. This creates a dream-like feel at times, especially in regard to the character of Latika.
• Flash cutting is used in the opening sequence to create a sense of confusion between threads of narrative. Also used to great impact in panning out from the slums, having shown the life going on within the cameras pulls away in an aerial bird’s eye view, showing the scale of the slums.
• Crosscutting in the opening sequence shows us the different strands of narrative (Jamal, Salim, and Latika) • The film won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Film Editing

Question 22

Give some examples of sound

Answer 22

• The use of diegetic sounds from the TV studio, along with the show’s leitmotif, indicate the setting and the link between the film and the global TV export, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
• Sound bridges are used to connect the different elements of narrative
• Urban soundtrack by A. R. Rahman featuring MIA (controversial female British Sri Lankan artist) reflects the gritty realism and the film’s Mumbai/Western fusion

Question 23

Give some examples of Mise en scene

Answer 23

• The studio setting (glossy surfaces, lighting, dress) contrasts with the grimy and gritty setting within the police station and the slums.
• Use of titles to frame the link to the television quiz with an opening question. • Subtitles add to sense of realism in regards to language

Question 24

Give some examples of social context

Answer 24

• Boyle and Beaufoy both have stated they wished to transport Western audiences to the slums of India to portray the energy and community to try and challenge some of the more traditional representations of poverty-stricken slum dwellers often seen in documentaries and campaigns.
• Controversy surrounded the film both in regard to how to cast/crew were paid/acknowledged and in regard to the representations within the film.
• Casting - Dev Patel (British) was cast as an antithesis to the traditional Bollywood male (strong/handsome/hero) from his role on C4 TV show Skins

Question 25

Give some examples of Historical context

Answer 25

• The film draws on and makes references to the tradition of Bollywood (superstar Amitabh Bachchan is referenced and shown as well as the final dance scene is a nod to the traditional dance scenes played out in Bollywood romances).
• Boyle talks about the cultural significance of cinema in India and how that is referenced in the film and the difficulties of shooting in the short documentary ‘Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle & the Making of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’’ (2009), such as the scene when Salim sells Bachchan’s autograph to the projectionist

Question 26

Give some examples of Narrative

Answer 26

• The narrative is told through a serious of flashbacks as Jamal Malik (18 at the time) recounts how he is able to answer each of the ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ quiz questions correctly. • Narrative built around the game show - cumulative tension as final question heralds the dénouement. • Use of flashback (and some flash-forwards to scenes of Latika at the end of the film) and how a non-linear narrative can impact on the audience (some criticism of this format and ‘product placement’ for gameshow also produced by Celador) • Questions mark the chapters in his life - this is a good way to break down the narrative with students and consider using visual presentations/timeline in classroom/students work to piece together the linear narrative. • Applying narrative theory such as Propp (Jamal or Salim as hero at the end? Latika as traditional heroine (a feminist reading?), Todorov - applying to narrative flashback sections of film and as whole

Question 27

What is narrative?

Answer 27

The method and means by which you construct the events of a story into a plot.

Question 28

What is an Episodic narrative?

Answer 28

questions mark the chapters in Jamal’s life, with cumulative tension as the final question heralds the dénouement

Question 29

What is a Circular narrative?

Answer 29

The narrative starts near the end then goes back in time to return to this point later on, using voiceover and flashbacks to show Jamal’s childhood

Question 30

What is a narrative viewpoint?

Answer 30

Confessional first-person narrative, but restricted – we only see parts of Jamal’s life

Question 31

What are binary oppositions?

Answer 31

They create conflict – Jamal & Salim, poverty & wealth / happiness & status / India & West (Cultural Imperialism), Realism & Fantasy.