Kiss, The (Le Baiser) — Stefan Le Lay, 2005
A woman has a rendezvous with her admirer. She anticipates his arrival, where they plan to have their first kiss. His courtship is gentlemanly but when they embrace their first kiss turns their world upside down!
Modern Language teachers will find a useful resource on this film here: Le Baiser Activities | Cours de francais en ligne](A woman has a rendezvous with her admirer. She anticipates his arrival, where they plan to have their first kiss. His courtship is gentlemanly but when they embrace their first kiss turns their world upside down!
Modern Languages teachers will find a bespoke set of lesson ideas for this film here.
Modern Language teachers will find another useful resource on this film here: Le Baiser Activities | Cours de francais en ligne.
Classroom Activities
Print All- Critical
- Cultural
- Creative
- Clip Details
Critical
- Watch the first minute of the film. In which time period is it set? How do you know? How does the woman seem to you?
- The man enters the shot at 01:11. How would you describe his manner?
- Does the appearance of an aeroplane seem incongruous to you? Why do you think it is there? Is it significant?
- When the film reel breaks at 02:04, the editor fixes it but inserts the film upside down. How does the behaviour of the man reflect the inversion of the film?
- Comment on the techniques used to film the topsy-turvy world. How has this effect been created?
- How has the director used music to enhance this film?
- Why do you think the director has chosen to film this as a silent, black and white movie?
Cultural
- Reflecting on the time period in the film, why do you think that a first kiss would have been requested in a letter?
- Would this be the case in today’s society in your culture?
- Are there other cultures today in which a formalised courtship would be the norm? Why might this be the case?
Creative
WRITE
- Imagine that the aeroplane is flying a sky banner – what would it say?
- What do you think the woman would have said in her next letter to the man following this encounter? Write a letter from her to him.
- Write the dialogue that would have taken place between the man and the woman were the film not silent.
FRENCH
- This film was created by Stéfan Le Ley in 2005. How important is film as an artistic genre in French culture? Is film accorded the same reverence in the UK?
- In French, write out a story board to plan the different scenes of the film.
DRAW
- Draw the scene where the man and woman are hanging upside down. How will you deal with perspective and position?
DRAMA
- Consider how you would act out being upside down. Can you develop a sketch in which you could make this effect seem realistic?
STEM
- Gravity could be considered one of the main actors in this film. How do we measure gravity? Is it the same everywhere on Earth? On which planet is gravity strongest? How much would you weight on different planets in our solar system?
RESEARCH
- What can you find out about the techniques employed to create this film?
- Which directors have been important in developing these techniques throughout the history of film?
Clip Details
| Year of Production | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Curriculum Areas | Modern Languages, Literacy and English |
| Director | Stefan Le Lay |
| Country of Origin | France |
| Medium / Content | Live Action, Fiction, Black & White, Sound, No Dialogue |
| Themes | Feelings, Relationships, Communication, Creative Expression |
| Clip Length | 04:18 |
| Clip Length | 04:18 |
| Age Group | P5-P7, S1-S3, S4-S6 |
