Past Papers questions - Examiners' Reports
Summer 2010
The majority chose (a) and there was a tendency to write a character study of each in turn and then pull them together at the end. Because candidates liked the character of Amélie, they must have thought that it was an easy question to answer. There was a lack of analysis of the relationship between Amélie and Nino. Although the essays on (b) were fewer, they were on the whole well-observed, more penetrating and enjoyable to read. The answers on this film tended towards being overly descriptive, and contained little analysis or evaluation. Summer 2011 Both options proved popular and were mostly well answered. (a) The majority of candidates attempted this and, while essays demonstrated a good knowledge of the text, there was a surfeit of narration without analysis. However, there were some very good essays which showed sensitive engagement with the film. The candidates were able to link Amélie's retreat into an imaginary world with her relationship with her distant father and an explanation for her character and behaviour. (b) Although this is a more abstract question many chose it and successfully. They all spoke about the idealistic representation of Paris, the nostalgic feeling evoked, the fairy story ambiance, the childlike colours, the naïve innocence of Amélie and the series of romantic climaxes. This question produced the more original and interesting essays and while these were not numerous, they were generally a pleasure to read on account of their differing approaches to the subject. Summer 2012 The majority chose (b) and drew very good comparisons on the idea of the fairy-tale. Jeunet’s use of colour, sound and setting were drawn on well by candidates, as was the idea of characters of the fairy-tale genre. These are woven into the film to create the desired effect and this angle was well-explored by many. |