As I exited the theatre on a sunny Jerusalemite Saturday, the truth unraveled, I found the connection between `Spellbound' and `Bowling for Columbine', the subversive documentary by Anti-corporate, Anti-bush and Anti-objectivity culture icon Michael moore (aside from the fact that they were both Oscar nominated for best documentaries). I'll get back to that later.
I saw `Spellbound' during the Jerusalem film festival held between 10/7-19/7 2003. Since the movie's title loses it's double meaning in Hebrew, the movie was named after a grade school grammar book, a name which i found very appropriate mainly because both book and movie deal (in completely different ways) with education, perfection and the bond between the two.
The movie, in short, depicts a week in the life of eight kids who made it through the regional competitions of the Spelling-bee contests (the "bee" reference, as it turns out, derives from a 19th century word meaning "A place of gathering') and are submerged in word memorizing from Webster dictionary. These kids' background varies from upper-middle class kids with ambitious parents who will accept being second for exactly that long all the way to kids who are auto-didactic, who hone perseverance in abundance and are unwilling to be enthralled in their current economic status. (i.e.: kids who are willing to study very hard to get the hell out of Crapville).
This movie is comprised from two phases: 1) the background 2) The contest and the preparation for it . The second phase is a nerve wrecking contest and when Nupur (one of the contestants) tried to spell Logorrhea, not a single viewer in the screening I attended, breathed.
Returning to the beginning of my review, i wondered as I exited the theatre whether `Spellbound', one of the best documentaries ever made was out won as best documentary on this year's Oscar by `Bowling for Columbine' with its ludicrous theories and biased outlook, mainly because Michael Moore is still cashing in on `Roger and Me'.
Right than it hit me. The American obsession with guns, the topic of `Bowling for Columbine', could be easily attributed to these contests. I bet many of the Americans who discharged a weapon participated at one time or another at a regional spelling bee contest and developed hostility towards the establishment after misspelling words like `Perspicuous' .
Seriously, though. This contest, although, not depicted (note to self: buy a thesaurus ) as a negative experience in the movie (in fact, the movie is recommended on the spelling-bee website) is an ode to memorizing obscure words and it makes one question its educational value.
I for one, believe that education should deal with enriching intellect of kids rather than overburden it with words that will never, ever be used by anyone . In other words, kids should be reading, books not memorizing dictionaries that weigh more than the kids do.
But that's me.
10 out of 10 In my FilmOmeter
I saw `Spellbound' during the Jerusalem film festival held between 10/7-19/7 2003. Since the movie's title loses it's double meaning in Hebrew, the movie was named after a grade school grammar book, a name which i found very appropriate mainly because both book and movie deal (in completely different ways) with education, perfection and the bond between the two.
The movie, in short, depicts a week in the life of eight kids who made it through the regional competitions of the Spelling-bee contests (the "bee" reference, as it turns out, derives from a 19th century word meaning "A place of gathering') and are submerged in word memorizing from Webster dictionary. These kids' background varies from upper-middle class kids with ambitious parents who will accept being second for exactly that long all the way to kids who are auto-didactic, who hone perseverance in abundance and are unwilling to be enthralled in their current economic status. (i.e.: kids who are willing to study very hard to get the hell out of Crapville).
This movie is comprised from two phases: 1) the background 2) The contest and the preparation for it . The second phase is a nerve wrecking contest and when Nupur (one of the contestants) tried to spell Logorrhea, not a single viewer in the screening I attended, breathed.
Returning to the beginning of my review, i wondered as I exited the theatre whether `Spellbound', one of the best documentaries ever made was out won as best documentary on this year's Oscar by `Bowling for Columbine' with its ludicrous theories and biased outlook, mainly because Michael Moore is still cashing in on `Roger and Me'.
Right than it hit me. The American obsession with guns, the topic of `Bowling for Columbine', could be easily attributed to these contests. I bet many of the Americans who discharged a weapon participated at one time or another at a regional spelling bee contest and developed hostility towards the establishment after misspelling words like `Perspicuous' .
Seriously, though. This contest, although, not depicted (note to self: buy a thesaurus ) as a negative experience in the movie (in fact, the movie is recommended on the spelling-bee website) is an ode to memorizing obscure words and it makes one question its educational value.
I for one, believe that education should deal with enriching intellect of kids rather than overburden it with words that will never, ever be used by anyone . In other words, kids should be reading, books not memorizing dictionaries that weigh more than the kids do.
But that's me.
10 out of 10 In my FilmOmeter