ELC Film Night

Dear students, faculty, staff and friends,

If you like musicals and history of music, we’d like to invite you to the screening of Topsy-Turvy – a 1999 musical drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh about two people associated with the so called ‘Savoy Opera’, which was a tremendous influence on the creation of the modern musical.

The story in Topsy-Turvy concerns the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. The film focuses on the creative conflict between playwright and composer, and the decision by the two men to continue their partnership, which led to the creation of several more famous Savoy Operas between them.

Film professor Wheeler Winston Dixon (2005) wrote that the film "uses the conventions of the biographical narrative film to expose the ruthlessness and insularity of the Victorian era, at the same time as it chronicles, with great fidelity, the difficulties of a working relationship in the creative arts. ... Topsy-Turvy is an investigation into the social, political, sexual and theatrical economies of the Victorian era"

Awards & nominations:  the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and the Academy Award for Makeup and nomination for Best Art Direction and Best Original Screenplay (2000), The Best Make Up/Hair at the BAFTA Awards, and nomination for Best British Film, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Jim Broadbent), Best Supporting Actor (Timothy Spall) and Best Original Screenplay among others. Topsy-Turvy was among Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.
See the official trailer of the film: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3774742809/

Where: 11 Skolas St, Alumni Auditorium
When: 27 April, 18:00
Admission: Free. As all ELC events, it is an informal one. The film runs for 2.5 hours so if you wish, you can bring snacks/drinks along provided, you leave the place clean afterwards.

Come, bring your friends and enjoy the film, the language and good company!
To register for the event, notify the School at admin [at] rbs [dot] lv or your teacher (for current ELC students).
 

ELC Film Night

It is with a great pleasure that RBS English Language Center invites ELC and MBA students, alumni, faculty, staff and everyone interested in languages to the screening of a very special film.

With the winter festive season approaching, we would like to talk about a unique moment in European history some of us might not even know about – the Christmas truce.  The Christmas truce was a series of widespread unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas of 1914, during the First World War. More on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce.

Joyeux Noël (English: Merry Christmas) is a 2005 film about the World War I Christmas truce of December 1914, depicted through the eyes of French, Scottish and German soldiers. Written and directed by Christian Carion, it was screened out of competition at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Numerous awards and nominations give testimony to its artistic value. In 2005 the film won Audience Award at the Leeds International Film Festival and FIPRESCI Prize. In 2006 it was nominated for the Oscar (Best Foreign Language Film) in 2006, the Golden Globe (Best Foreign Language Film), BAFTA (Best Film not in the English language), César, Best Costume Design. The official trailer of the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GOAaSgpHjw

 ‘A poignant and rousing carol for peace.’- Philadelphia Inquirer, March 30, 2006

‘It's a respectful, sobering tribute to the flickering of humanitarian spirit amid the darkest days of conflict and, as such, surely a Christmas film for the ages.’- Time Out London, August 3, 2006

‘A heartfelt story of men who managed to find camaraderie and humanity in the face of the torrent of bellicose rhetoric coming from their respective authorities’... – Film4, December 11, 2008

Where:11 Skolas St, Alumni Auditorium

When: 9 December, 18:00

Admission: Free

Come, bring your friends and enjoy the film, the languages and good company!

Please, register for the event at admin [at] rbs [dot] lv.

ELC Fall'11 Party

Crispy leaves under your feet, old and new friends to greet, high time to enjoy English in a creative and funny way and fall treat.

RBS English Language Center is organizing a popular potluck to get you all together to meet fellow students and practice speaking English. Embrace this as an opportunity to introduce yourself to others.

The potluck is for ELC students and their immediate family and friends who are keen on English.

ELC Winter'11 Party

On Friday, 25 February RBS English Language Center organized a role-playing game for the students and faculty – a pot-luck event combining fun and practical use of English.

Oxford University... A young girl was murdered… Who killed her and why?

Five people were involved, each of them had something to hide, and each suspected someone else… They had to figure out which of them was the murderer… Every piece of additional information changed the course of discussion!

The participants received their characters’ descriptions two days before the game so they came prepared and each of the four groups was engaged in a heated discussion for over 1.5 hours!

Everybody enjoyed themselves and it seems there are going to be more participants when ELC organizes another game next semester!