Directed by: DannyBoyle

Certificate: 15

Running time: 94mins

Release date: 7January2011

Synopsis:Basedon a true story,127 Hours concerns carefree adventurerAronRalston (JamesFranco),whofallsintoacrevassewhilstcyclingalonethroughtheMoabdesertinUtah.Ashe falls to thebottomof thegap, his right arm is trappedbeneath an immovableboulder.Withonlyabottleofwater,anoldpenknifeandadigitalcamerainhispossession,Ralstondocumentswhathebelieveswillbethefinalprecioushoursofhislife...untilherealisesthereisonewayhecouldescape.

These Study Notes are designed for use with students of Media and Film Studies and related subjects at ages 15-19.

©Tw

entiethCenturyFox

127 HoursStudy Notes

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

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Before viewing: the Danny Boyle touch When you look at the grim subjectmatter ofmost DannyBoyle films, it’s difficult tobelievehismoviesare invariablyoptimistic,positiveand joyous.Howcanyouensurepicturesaboutzombiesorlifeintheslumsoreventhesunslowlydyingareexhilaratingexperiences?GetDannyBoyletodirectthem!

WhichofBoyle’sfilmshaveyouseen?Asaclasswritea logline (aone-sentenceplotsynopsis)nexttoeachofBoyle’sfilmsbelowtoremindyourselves.

Shallow Grave(1994) …………………………………………………………………………Trainspotting(1996) …………………………………………………………………………A Life Less Ordinary(1997) …………………………………………………………………………The Beach(2000) …………………………………………………………………………28 Days Later... (2002) …………………………………………………………………………Millions (2004) …………………………………………………………………………Sunshine(2007) …………………………………………………………………………Slumdog Millionaire(2008) …………………………………………………………………………

z WhatfilmmakingtechniquesdoesBoyleusetokeephisfilmsfrombeingdepressingormiserable?Considercamerawork,editingandsound.z Howwouldyoudescribetheendingsofeachofthefilms?Doanyofthefinalscenesstandoutasmemorable?z What expectations do you have for 127 Hours based on your exploration ofDannyBoyle’spreviouswork?

After viewing: wider contextsDannyBoyle’sfilmsoftencoincidewiththe‘culturalzeitgeist’,meaningtheycapturetheessenceofsocietyorcultureatthetime.Forexample,TrainspottingencapsulatedtheBritpopera,Shallow GraveheraldedanewgoldenageofBritishCinemaand28 Days Laterledtoresurgenceinboththezombiegenreandthepossibilitiesaffordedbydigitalcinema.

z Research thekeywidercontexts (social,historical,economic,political)of thetimewhentheseotherfilmswerereleased.Whatmeaningsormetaphorscanbeattributedtothefilmsinlightofyourfindings?z How did Boyle’s other films, especially The Beach and Slumdog Millionaire,capturethezeitgeistandbecome‘trendy’?z Howhas127 Hourstappedintosocietyanditsconcernstoday?z Howhas127 Hoursbeenrepresentedandpromotedacrossthemediaplatforms?

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

SoundtrackManyofBoyle’s filmsmakeuseof popular songs asmuchas (or even insteadof) atraditional score created specifically for the film. Many artists have become closelyassociatedwiththemusictheyhaveprovidedforthefilmsabove,suchasMobyandAllSaints(The Beach),Ash(A Life Less Ordinary),Underworld(Trainspotting),JohnMurphy(28 Days Later and Sunshine)andA.R.RahmanandM.I.A.(Slumdog Millionaire)

z What reasonsmight a director have for choosing to use popular songs on afilm’ssoundtrackratherthancommissioninganoriginalscore?z Whichfilmgenrestendtousepopularsongsmostfrequently?z Whatimpactcanasoundtrackfullofmemorableandpopularsongsandmusichaveonafilm’sreception?Considertheeffectonthetoneofthefilm,aswellasmarketingsynergyacrossothermediaplatforms.z OtherdirectorssuchasKevinSmith,MartinScorseseandespeciallyQuentinTarantinoregularlychoosesourcedsongsratherthananoriginalscorefortheirfilms.Whateffecthasthisdecisionhadontheidentityofandreceptiontotheirfilms?Giveexamples.

One-man showJamesFranco(Oscarnominatedforhisrole)spendsmostofthefilmonscreenalone.OtherfilmsthathavefeaturedoneortwoactorsinaconfinedorsolitaryspaceincludeSilent Running(1972),Cast Away(2000),World Trade Centre(2006),1408 (2007),Moon(2009)andBuried(2010).

z Once Ralston falls into the crevasse, how does the film change in terms ofediting,camerawork,soundandcharacterdynamic?z Whatfilm techniquesaredeployed tokeep thefilm frombecomingboringormonotonousonceRalstonisalone?Considernarrativeconvention,propsandcreationoftension.z Whattechniquesdosomeoftheotherfilmslistedaboveuseinordertomaintainmomentum?

A true storyWhen127 Hourswasreleased,thereal-lifeordealthatAronRalstonwentthroughbecamecommonknowledgeandthefilmswiftlybecameknownas‘thatmoviewheretheguycutshisownarmoff’.Thereasonswhypeoplewenttoseethisfilmwerepossiblyverydifferentthanifitwerejustanothermovie.

z TheKing’s Speech isagoodexampleofhowwordofmouthcanbenefit thecriticalandcommercialsuccessofafilm.Canyoufindanyexampleswherebadword-of-mouthseemedtodamageafilm’scommercialsuccess?z Doyoususpectthat127 Hourswasjudgedmoreasanevent(peoplemayhavegonesimplyforthemorbidthrillofseeingamanamputatehisownarm)thanasafilmexperience?Findevidencetobackupyouropinion.

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©Film Education July 2011. Film Education is not responsible for the content of external websites.

www.filmeducation.org www.nationalschoolsfilmweek.org

z Howistheinfamousscenehandledinthefilm?Isitgratuitous,subtleorrealistic?

ActivityFilmasequenceinwhichsomeoneistrappedorisolated.Whatfilmtechniqueswillyouusetosustaintension,interestandmomentum?

Written by Gareth C Evans