Please post your comments about "Educating Rita" here. Did you relate to the character in the film? Was it a good film to watch at the beginning of the course? What problems did Rit a face? QWhat problems do you think you will have to face?
Also, feel free to comment on other peoples' contributions.
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15 comments:
Hello,
I enjoyed watching the movie "Educating Rita", it was a very good and relevant choice of a movie. It defined what I already have been thinking about or wanting to change in my life; getting a new direction in life. Everybody has their own "song to sing" which is the one that best suits them at this moment of time or is the most important to them at this stage of their life's journey.
It related to my life's situation in every aspect by implying there must be something more to life than the everyday triviality; that one must be free in every decision they take, stand by it and follow on what's good for them. Fear of the new always exists, but without taking the risk, one won't have to chance to say "I did it".
Posted by Marietta at 11:49 0 comments
Day 1: 2 weeks late :(
Today is my first day doing access to languages, I am 2 weeks late because I was doing camp America until Friday. Bad start. We are writing a blog on a movie which i am yet to see (oops) so I am going to write about why I chose this course. Firstly I enjoy studying languages because I believe to be able to communicate in other people's languages is a fantastic ability. secondly because it can lead on to a university education and I believe, after many years of working, that this is an extremely valuable thing. Also this course is for people similar to myself who have now decided to return to education because they are willing to dedicate themselves to a full time course at this stage in their lives which I am hoping will make the class as a whole more determined. So far I know nobodys name as I missed the freshers week and I know nothing about anyone other than what you can see at face value. This I am sure will soon change as time goes on (I hope!).
Last week on IT Skills we got to see a movie called "Educating Rita". At a certain point in the movie Rita, a mature student trying to better herself by taking up higher education, sees her own dissatisfaction with her life put into words by her mother, when see said "there must be a better song to sing". Funny that.
A better song to sing. Once you've seen the movie, you realise that it is not so much a better song to sing, but a different one that Rita is looking for. For some, that particular life, that particular song was not just good enough, but all they wanted. Now, that problem is, when you come accross people sucha s rita and her mother. You have reflected there the two ways you can face this dissatisfaction, you can either try to move on, move away from that life, as Rita did, or you can go along with the motions, do what is expected of you and stick by it as Rita's mother did.
A better song to sing, or just a different one. I think it is all about finding the right one for you. It might take a while to find the right tune for you, but once you've found it, you just have to dare it, and try it, sing it, and see if it feels good, if it feels right. I believe that us, as mature students, same as rita, now a thing or two about this from our own personal experiences. We probably didn't like our song much, or we want to try a new one, and here, this is how we prepare and tune our instruments foe us to play along.
A better song to sing.
There must be a better song to sing................
After watching the film "educating Rita" i have realised that there must be many people in her situation including myself - an adult returning to education after many years. I am pleased we watched the film in class as i could identify with the main character "Rita". A character who is so similar it is uncanny. we are the same age , have the same profession and the exact same fears about adult educacation; Am i intelligent enough? can i afford to live on so little earnings after having a full time wage? How will i feel moving away from my home town?
However i have realised now, after only the third week of attending steveson college that i have became more confident, met new friends and although do not earn the same kind of money the sacrafice is worth it, i am enjoying the course and i love Edinburgh
" There must be a better song to sing " is a quote by Rita from the film EDUCATING RITA. What Rita is trying to say is, there must be something better she can do with her life. She is in the situation where she is not expected to try better herself and live the same humdrum life like everyone else around her. In fact most people around her are telling her to forget about it. At the start Rita is well out of her depth and you think she is not going to last but she sticks at it and starts to really enjoy it. Her husband, who is dead set against her bettering herself, gives her an ultimatum its either him or her education. She loves her husband and gives up her studying, for a whole five minutes, until she realises she really wants to continue educating herself. after her husband burns all her books she finally leaves him, and starts a new life away from her humdrum past.
While Rita is educating herself and trying to better her life she, at the same time, losses the charm and innocence that she had that. These traits are what Michael Caine's character liked in her and he tried to warn her not to lose them.
This quote doesn't apply to me directly but i do know more than one person that it does. A few of my friends are from a background where their family and friends are happy to just leave school and get a job on a building site or in a factory, and the same was expected off them. after a few years of working in a various jobs they decided there must be something better in life, " there must be a better song to sign ", so they decided to go to college and get an education.
One of them is now an assistant manager at my local bank and another is in their last year at uni doing business management
Am I the only one who wrote a negative review? Positive comments are no fun to read :<
"The above quote comes from the (god awful) film Educating Rita, the metaphorical wish of a woman who wishes to better her life through studying English literature, something she previously had no interest in. My arm has been twisted into writing about the feelings evoked in watching this movie. Guess I better focus on something other than how sick the quality of the acting and horrid crew of caricature supporting actors made me.
The permed Liverpudlian, our would-be heroine, wishes to shed the mediocrity of her working class setting, to swap pub songs for literary discussions - "a better song to sing". It probably would have cost less time and money to find another pub and/or boyfriend, but oh well.
She finds herself at University, studying books she doesn't like and surrounding herself with pretentious fools (Yah's to the power of 10). At first she doesn't understand the texts presented to her, doesn't feel as if she is able to do the work, considers herself less than the aforementioned asshats. Her tutor, 'Sir' (lol) Micheal Cane, suggests that perhaps this is not such a bad thing - he knows that despite their understanding of English, they are feckin' idiots all the same - but Rita is determined that going through a university course will broaden her horizons. Why Cane doesn't suggest she studies something she actually enjoys is beyond me.
By the end our our adventure with Rita, she gets to where she wants to be, with a firm grasp of the written word. But as Cane predicted, she sounds like another elitist automaton when she reels off criticism of literary works that's all words and no feeling.
So what are we, the class of Access to Languages, Arts and Social Sciences who were forced to watch this drivel, to take away from this?
Obviously, the moral of the story is that anyone, age or background regardless, can succeed in Higher education. I never had any doubt about this in the first place though, so focused more on possibility that Rita was there simply to learn something, anything, so she could feel... well, learned (perhaps discounted by the fact she seemed to enjoy it at the end, but selective memory suits my argument).
Personally, having already made a crack at university, I found myself thinking maybe I had dodged a bullet in choosing not to continue studying something I didn't enjoy. Might have ended up with my head up my anus at the end like Rita.
This time, I'm going to study because I like the subject matter, not with the aim of getting a slip of paper than makes my more employable. I'm also going to take a large selection of weapons with me in case I get stuck in a class with any of Rita's cronies."
What a novel concept - a college movie Educating Rita, directed by Lewis Gilbert, not only about frat parties! Since it is the only movie I have watched ,which explores the true value of schooling and remains close to one's hart as the main character,amazingly played by Julie Walters,explores the true value of herself as well as human virtues ,vices and resposabilities she becomes aware, as she progresses further in education.
What I liked about it is no grand pronouncements of love, no cliche cliffhangers or deaths in icy seas. Instead, the story portrays Rita and Frank in a very realistic, human manner and that true sincere look into ourselves in search for 'a better song to sing' touches as deeply,as it is very close to peolple ,who just like her stand on the life's crossroads.As the story unfolds, we watch as they grow as individuals which causes their friendship to become richer. There are turns to the plot which are unexpected and make the entire move very watchable and educative piece of cinematography.
Hello everyone!!
This is my first post on my first blog..
Few days ago, during my first day at college, we have all seen a really interesting and touching movie.
It was about an Irish women, Rita, who wanted to go back to Education, because he was fed up by her boring job. It was a hard decision for her: she was actually between 30s and 40s (i can't remember).
The thing I have appreciated most, was the fact that she never gave up even in terrible and hopeless moments. Her husband was really disappointed by her decision and at one point, he left her. She didnt'care, because everyone is free to decide how to spend the life, so she kept on studying even more than before.
I have really appreciate the fact she gained strenght by the people who were dead against her, finding in them the desire to improve herself in the future.
Rita's tutor played a relevant part in all of this, supporting and comforting her.
I believe that film it is been really useful for me: sweet escape when your desires are darker.
Starting my new life in Edinburgh..
..'ve left Germany for good or at least for a longer period. I felt like I had to change something in my life, start from scratch and get the chance to improve quality of life; not in a materialistic but rather in an emotional, sensible way. That's exactly why I'm here. Edinburgh. New City, new enviroment, new people and - most importantly - new beginning.
Why did I choose this title for my blog? Well, in college we were watching this movie, Educating Rita, and Rita the main actress was asked by her professor at uni why she's chosen to study at uni as she used to be a hairdresser. Her answer to that was exactly the title of my blog. She's decided to start her life again in order to find a better song to sing in her life. To move from a shallow, superficial level to a well-educated, intelectual one.
In fact, I enjoyed my life back in Germany. I had lots and lots of friends, we would go out every weekend or so, have a laugh together almost every day, talk about life itself and reap the benefits of a generous lifestyle. But certainly that wasn't enough. I left school after 12 out of 13 years, decided to move to another country, do an Access Course and then go to uni after that. One could say, I was gagging for a challenge. For something completey different. For a better song to sing.
Posted by Zeitgeist(Mend)
On our first day at college we were watching a film from early eighties, Educating Rita with Michael Caine (he was brilliant). Must say, I really liked it, it reminded me of other film,My Fair Lady at some point, where a professor is trying to turn a raw stone into the diamond. The main thing I liked about the film, was, that no matter how old or where one comes from, if one has a willingness to achieve something and change life, it is possible. They say that if you know what you want then it is a half of the success already.
In one of the scenes where everyone is in the pub singing some song, Rita's mother says "there must be a better song to sing", think that symbolised that she was sorry for herself and her life. At the beginning of the film Rita is just someone from lower class I would say, very straight in her opinion, seems everything is wether black or white, if we assume that we come from our childhood then it is pretty clear that this girl did not have enaugh attention from her parients.
I think this film was chosen by Dieca to show us what we should come out as :)
I decided to come to college and change life, was working in office before and after some time I understood that I don't want to do something I am not interested, but find some sphere which I can feel comfortable and which can take me to another level.
During study skills last week, we were trated to a tremendous acting performance by Julie Walters. It was a very relevant choice of film, pertaining toof my own change of direction in life and the discovery of something which I am passionate about. In my case this is the study of languages. I can relate directly to The character of Rita in terms of the mediocrity which can exist within a working class background, and her desire to strive for something more out of life-as in "there must be a better song to sing." It implies that there must be something else in life, outwith it's everyday, mundane trivialities! To a degree, I take an element of inspiration from this film as one is viewed as something of a snob in the parochial, narrowminded scheme in which I reside. I can empathise with Rita in this respect and hope to better myself, making new friends alon the way by completing this course and using it as a springboard to following my desire of attendin university, studying a degree invoving languages. As it stands I am enjoying the course and hope to apply myself in a determined fashion, becoming the first in my family to obtain a degree.
I have really enjoyed reading all your comments and seeing the film from so many different perspectives.
Only one of you ("leokaiser")seemed to hate it and although I think some of the points made are valid, I really don't agree with you final verdict on the film.
I would imagine, from your comments, that you don't come from a social background such as Rita, and therefore you can talk about going to university as no big deal. However, for her, and for many like her, it is a big deal, or sometimes practically impossible. It is the same attitude that prompts Frank, the tutor, to ask Rita not to change, but she thinks his perception of her as "quaint" and "quirky" etc as patronising. She wants to be like the other students.
I also disagree when you say that she ends up "like another elitist automaton when she reels off criticism of literary works that's all words and no feeling".
This is really not true. She does do that at the beginning, but at the end she is very much her own woman, confident and sure of herself, and still with her own personality.
For me the most important thing about the film is that at the end, she has several choices and can choose different paths in her life, and at the beginning she had no choice at all.
So what does everybody else think? Read again "leokaiser"'s comments and let's have a real debate, then!
I don't feel we were given enough information about Rita's background for me to compare and contrast it to my own - on one hand I'm from a 'working class' family from which very few of the previous generation attended university, but on the other I was always supported and encouraged to strive for this goal myself, unlike Rita. That's as far as I can say.
I have to disagree with the 'no big deal' assessment - else, why would I be here - but I took a different view on Frank's opinion: it wasn't that he considered the higher education system unimportant, simply that it changed people in some ways that were not for the better. It might have opened several doors and revealed hidden opportunities to Rita, but I came away with the impression that it had changed her in undesireable ways, too. I think there was a good parallel in her friendship with the roommate - Rita thought her life was sparkling because she was educated and cultured, but this turned out to be hollow.
To clarify, I don't think the portrait the film paints of university was an accurate one (certainly not the one I was at, though I have heard some tales from EdU...), hence my scathing critisism.
i think the film educating rita was a good choice as the simple message was you can educate yourself and that can open doors for you but watch out! it might bite you on the bum! you have to make sure that you dont lose sight of yourself,it isnt all a bed of roses, you are going to have to make some difficult choices, it isnt a smooth run. ritas room mate was educated but she had some mental issues man, she tried to commit suicide,she had deep deep troubles. as for her tutor well he was an alcoholic, had a couple of broken marriages plus he felt he had failed as a poet/writer. he ended up getting the opportunity to go go to australia though so he turned his life around too. he got a lesson from rita, despite everyones background educated or uneducated you still deserve a second chance in life. he got that chance because she made him see clearly. so there were some negative things about the movie, the roommate and the way the universaty was portrayed was wrong!
i still enjoyed the film though, i could watch it again anytime! i cant wait to see what other movies diaca has for us to see. question; what did everyone think of the spanish film we saw???
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