The Last Inch James Aldridge analysis. To help a schoolchild
Last inch / Poslednii duim
This Saturday the TVC channel showed this film. And I remembered those years. I was 19 years old when the film came out. Before this film, no one had James Aldridge's books, but my aunt, a big bibliophile, during this period of huge shortage of books, especially by foreign authors, got hold of Aldridge's novel somewhere." Diplomat". This novel was published only because at that time James Aldridge was considered a communist, the government of the USSR welcomed his views.
And the incident that served as the plot of the film actually happened to James Aldridge. In 1957, he traveled to Egypt and vacationed on the Red Sea. They told them that there were amazing fish in this sea. And James one day decided to go down to the depths to take some underwater photos. He was amazed by the beauty of the newly discovered underwater world of the Red Sea. Of course, at that time there were no such advanced scuba gear, but nevertheless it was possible to dive to depths. And during filming, James suddenly felt that a shadow was hanging over him. When he looked up. then above him he saw a huge shark, which was carefully watching him. James was already saying goodbye to life, literally frozen with fear, but... the shark, having studied him, turned and swam away. Once safely ashore, James was shocked. And the plot of a story about shooting sharks came to his mind. So in 1957 the story “The Last Inch” appeared. In 1958, the story was filmed in the USSR and immediately all critics and viewers put it in the first row among the most best film adaptations foreign authors.
Filmmakers:
Directors: Nikita Kurikhin, Theodor Vulfovich
Cast: Vyacheslav Muratov, Nikolai Kryukov, Mikhail Gluzsky, Ali Aga Agayev, Mukhlis Janizade,
Alexey Rozanov and others
Cinematographer: Samuil Rubashkin
Composer: Moses Weinberg
The plot of the film The Last Inch / Poslednii duim
43-year-old American, former military pilot Ben Esley(Nikolay Kryukov)after the war again
ended up in North Africa, in the skies of which he fought with the Germans.
Just recently Ben was flying overEgyptian desert, transporting geological prospectors from place to place
oil producing company, andnow he was glad of any work that came his way, because he had to
When from his friend Gifford (Mikhail Gluzsky) Esli received an offer to film under
water sharks in the Red Sea, then at first refused. But it was too tempting to get two
thousands of dollars that TV people were ready to shell out for footage of toothy
predators, and in the end he agreed.
Ben went to the deserted Shark Bay on hisplane with my son. For both it is
the dangerous journey became a real test.
The history of the film The Last Inch / Poslednii duim
The premiere of the film “The Last Inch” took place on June 10, 1959. Story by James Aldridge
"The Last Inch" The Last Inch"),on which the film was based, written in 1957 and in the same year
translated into Russian. The English edition of the book was carried out later - in 1960. For
screenwriter Leonida Belokurova and directors Theodor Vulfovich and Nikita Kurikhin
"The Last Inch" became a debut in feature cinema.
About the role Ben Esley dreamedGeorgy Zhzhenov, and it was he who was invited to play the main character
future painting. But when the screen tests were filmed, the directors changed their original
plans and decided to take on the role Ben Nikolai Kryukov. Previously, Kryukov appeared in episodic
roles in several films, and “The Last Inch” became the first major and most
famous for his film work. Subsequently, the actor took part in the filming of many popular
films - "Virgin Soil Upturned", "Andromeda Nebula", "Bronze Bird", "The Long Road to
dunes", "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson", "Petrovka, 38".
Slava Muratov, making his screen debut in the role Davy, a year later he starred in a short film"Dad or
Mother?",and with this his journey in cinema was completed. As an adult, Vyacheslav acting
He preferred military service to his profession - having graduated from the Leningrad Higher Military Engineering
construction school, he became a career officer. Wrote the music for the film Moses (Mstislav)
Weinberg (" Tiger Tamer", "The Cranes Are Flying", "Winnie the Pooh", "Afonya"), and composed the lyrics
Mark Sobol.
“Song about the dead pilots” (“A landmine thunders in a heavy bass...") performed Mikhail Ryba,
whomfor his unique vocal abilities (bass profundo) he was called the “Soviet Paul Robeson”
(Paul Robeson)". The singer's voice can also be heard in the paintings"Carnival Night", "Quiet Don",
"Marinesalt" and the cartoons "Moidodyr", "The most, the most, the most, the most...".
The film was shot in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Some of the underwater filming was
O shot by cameraman Anatoly Popov and his colleagues from the Mosnauchfilm studio,
some footage was provided by French filmmakers from the Requin film company
Associe."
Immediately after its release, the film was a resounding success, primarily among children and
to a youthful audience, and the songs from the film are still popular today.
In 1960, at the All-Union Film Festival in Minsk, the film “The Last Inch” was awarded the Second
award in the category of children's films, and its creators were awarded the First Prize for their work
operator ( Samuil Rubashkin), Second prize for director's work ( Theodor Vulfovich and Nikita
Kurikhin), Second Prize for the work of the composer (Moses Weinberg) and Second Prize for Main
male role ( Nikolay Kryukov).
Interesting facts about the film The Last Inch / Poslednii duim
— The role of Nikolai Kryukov was voiced Yuri Tolubeev, and the mechanic (actor Mukhlis Jani-Zadeh) is on
airfield from which Ben and Davy went to Shark Bay, speaks in a voice Sergei Yursky.
— Aldridge has Ben and his son flying on a plane Fairchild 24G, and in the filming of the film they used
similar in appearance to it, domestic Yak-12.
— In Aldridge's story, the action takes place in the desert near a fishing village near
name Hurghada
- Since the 1980s, this place on the shores of the Red Sea has become a popular resort all over the world. IN
the film uses a fictitious title "Murghada".
FILM "THE LAST INCH"
D. Aldridge's story really captivated me, and I couldn't tear myself away from the book until I finished reading it to the end. It seems to me that this story is not so much about the tragedy that happened in Shark Bay, but about the formation of mutual understanding between two people - father and son.
Ben was an excellent pilot, but fate turned out to be such that he had to make a living from underwater filming. It was quite difficult and dangerous work.
Taking his ten-year-old son Davy with him, Ben flies in his old plane to the shore of Shark Bay. Ben has to film sharks.
While his father is working, Davy carries out his small errands on the shore and is bored alone. There is no mutual understanding between father and son; Ben believes that Davy is a physically weak, inactive child. He often gets irritated in response to his son’s questions and actions, sometimes he doesn’t notice him at all. But Ben doesn't evil person, he cares about the boy, there just hasn’t been a strong male friendship between them.
Ben successfully finished filming his film, and everything would have been fine if he had not inadvertently gotten himself stained with blood from the bait. Sharks attacked him, and only chance helped him get ashore. It turned out that his hands were mutilated and he lost control of his legs. Davy looks with horror at his father’s wounds, but finds the strength to bandage him and steal the scuba gear himself.
Ben understands that no one can come to their aid, because the remote and rarely visited Shark Bay is cut off from the whole world. But the wounded pilot will not be able to fly the plane himself, which means that he and his son face certain death. In the most difficult moments, Ben, forgetting about himself, worries about his son. They need to get to Cairo at all costs - there, even if Ben dies, Davy will be safe.
The pilot understands that his son will have to fly the plane at his direction. But he doesn’t want to scare the boy with this and builds communication with him in such a way that Davy learns about his mission as a pilot at the very last moment. Before this, the son accurately, quickly and courageously followed all his father’s instructions and prompts. He understood what he wanted instantly. Davy also coped with piloting the plane, although it was not an easy task.
They safely reached the airfield in Cairo. Ben supervised the boy’s actions as best he could, and Davy obediently followed his instructions. Not a single extra word was said - the son was absorbed in completing the task, and the father increasingly lost consciousness.
Only before landing did Ben feel fear for himself and lose his composure. He knew very well what effort and precision it took to land the plane correctly without crashing it and its passengers. And Davy was completely inexperienced in this matter. However, the boy manages to successfully overcome the most terrible - the last - inch.
Doctors managed to save Ben's life. And when Ben’s most important, very first savior, his ten-year-old son Davy, came to the hospital, his father realized that only recently had he been able to see the boy’s face. Probably during their last flight. Material from the site
Difficulties and trials overcome together unite and unite people, even if there is a whole abyss between them. Davy and Ben, with their courage and fearlessness, sensitivity to the pain of the other and trust in each other, have already built a strong bridge that has managed to connect them for life. It's not scary that Davy doesn't understand this yet. Ben will definitely be able to find the strength and means and take another step, overcoming the last inch that separates him from the boy’s heart.
Aldridge's story is another vivid example of faith in the limitless possibilities of a person, in his ability to withstand any difficulties in life if he has a comrade nearby whom he can rely on.
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The idea for the novella “The Last Inch” arose from the outstanding English writer James Aldridge when he visited Shark Bay in Egypt.
However, inspired by this exotic location and the risky underwater filming, Aldridge dedicated his work to the valuable human qualities– courage, boldness and inner strength that pushes people forward.
The story “The Last Inch” is a story about the formation of personality and about overcoming fear for the sake of life, for the sake of love for yourself, your loved ones and the world around you.
"The Last Inch" follows professional pilot Ben and his son as they travel to Shark Bay to film documentary film. Ben is attacked by one of the sharks and is injured, now he cannot move.
But Ben is tormented not only by the pain he experiences, but by the realization that his ten-year-old son Davy may be completely alone and will not be able to find his way back if something happens to his father.
The next problem is the difficult relationship between son and father. It was always difficult for them to find a common language, and the main reason for this was that the father never looked for him
But now father and son must cooperate in such difficult and life-defining circumstances. Ben has to overcome pain and torment, and encourage Davy, because he understands that the only way to save them is by plane. And a ten-year-old boy will have to fly the plane.
The hero overcoming his own fear and powerlessness
Ben understands that the most important thing now is not to lose heart and believe that everything will work out. These thoughts help him gain strength, get up and, with the help of his son, get to the plane and tell him what to do.
Aldridge creates a picture of a decisive moment in a person's life - when everything depends on courage and fearlessness. Main character the short story “The Last Inch” does not remember how scared he is, does not think about all the dangers that await him and his son, does not allow physical pain to control him.
Despite the fact that it will be very difficult physically and mentally for little Davy to fly the plane, Ben believes in him and believes in his own strength. He is driven forward by his boundless love for life, his own and the life of his ten-year-old son, who can save them both.
Davy managed to do everything that was necessary - he brought the plane to Cairo and managed to land it on the ground. He accomplished a real feat and gave life to his father and himself.
But Ben himself accomplished the feat; he overcame his fears and depressing powerlessness, managed to start moving and charged his frightened son with his vital energy. It was thanks to him that Dani managed to give birth to fearlessness and courage, which are difficult to be born in adult men.
Human strength and fearlessness
James Aldridge's novella is a manifesto dedicated to human strength and fearless courage, which at the decisive moment can change or save lives.
The self-control of pilot Ben and the amazing courage of his son are vivid examples of the fact that a person is always stronger than circumstances. The writer shows that the most important thing is not to give up and believe in yourself and the strength of your personality.
Aldridge James - Test questions for the novel by D. Aldridge “The Last Inch”
Test questions with selective answers for D. Aldridge's short story “The Last Inch”
What was David worried about?
control questions with selected answers to D. Aldridge's novel “The Last Inch”
How did it happen that Ben, an experienced pilot, was forced to do “non-flying work”?
The oil company Ben worked for abandoned expensive offshore oil developments. Indian Ocean, And large group pilots were forced to retire. To earn money, Ben rented a plane, film equipment, and scuba diver equipment and went to Shark Bay on the Red Sea. Here he was going to take pictures of sharks, getting as close to them as possible.
What does Ben see as the meaning of fatherhood? Why doesn't he know his son?
Going to film the sharks, Ben expected to get a lot of money, since the film company paid dearly for such risky filming. The money was needed by a family with whom he had not lived for a long time. The son grew up, it was necessary to pay for his studies, the services of a governess and for everything that the child needed. By providing financially for his son, Ben believed that he was fulfilling his fatherly duty. Rare short meetings with the boy did not contribute to their friendship and mutual understanding. The father did not know his son: his habits, interests, character...
Why did Ben decide to take his son with him to Shark Bay?
Why was it difficult for father and son to communicate? Did they have nothing to say to each other? Did they not understand each other?
The boy needed love, affection, understanding, but he did not receive them from either his mother or his father. Therefore, on the plane and on the shore of the bay, they only exchanged individual words, and Ben also gave instructions on how to arrange the place where they would spend several hours, how to behave for their son during his father’s absence.
What was David worried about?
What helped father and son understand each other?
Just before leaving the water, Ben was attacked by a shark and injured. His strength left him, and he lost consciousness at times. In moments of enlightenment, the father hurried to tell his son everything he needed: what and how to do in order to drag him to the plane, load him into the cockpit, lift the plane, gain the required altitude and land the plane. And the son, in turn, tried to more accurately carry out everything his father said. This was the time when they understood each other. Trouble and the desire to survive helped David, a ten-year-old child, through superhuman efforts to save his father and himself.
How could the losing strength father help David?
What is the meaning of the victory of father and son?
Devi conquered his fear and matured (he did back-breaking work when returning from Shark Bay; he, like his father, used the last inch to land the plane). The son found his father, discovered him for himself and saved his life. During this time, Ben learned a lot about his boy, who “could do everything” and even more. Father and son actually became family. They were united by the desire for life, the will to win, common victory, courage and loyalty to duty... and the “last inch”...
Busel Anastasia Veniaminovna.
GBOU secondary school No. 216 with in-depth study of the Polish language named after. A. Mitskevich
Why did Aldridge call his story "The Last Inch"? (notes of a literature lesson in 7th grade, April 15, 2016)
Textbook: Literature. 7th grade: textbook for general education. institutions. At 2 o'clock. Ch 2/Aut.-state. V.Ya.Korovina. – 11th ed. – M. – Education, 2004
This lesson is the final one in the “Growing Man” block. “Growing Man” is a topic in which the subject of study is works of art, where the main character will be a teenager or stories that help to form a moral principle in the student.
There are 12 lessons on this topic, with a seminar and an essay as the final lessons. Here's a lesson plan for the topic.
A growing man.A word about L. Tolstoy. The theme of childhood in the work of the great writer.
Discovery of the world by the main character. Psychologism of descriptions.
Images of adults in the story. Childhood as a moral guideline.
M. Gorky. "Childhood". Depiction of the "leaden abominations of life"
“Bright, healthy, creative in Russian life.” Images of Alyosha, grandmother, Gypsy, Good Deed.
Learning to analyze an episode of a work.
Reading and analysis of L.N. Andreev’s story “Bite.”
Research reading of A. Platonov’s story “Yushka”.
“No one is calling me...” “Unknown Flower” - a fairy tale
E.I. Nosov “Doll”. Training in holistic analysis of a work.
Y.P.Kazakov “Quiet Morning”. Holistic analysis of the story.
Why did Aldridge call the story "The Last Inch"?
Seminar “Literature about teenagers and for teenagers. 19-20-21 century. Different times, same problems"
RR. Composition
Lesson objectives: introducing students to the personality and work of J. Aldridge; consolidating students’ knowledge and ideas about the diversity of world literature, at the same time about thematic, ideological and moral unity; deepening students' understanding of the specifics fiction, continue to work on the concept of composition, culmination; education of emotional responsiveness.
The lesson uses a presentation.
During the classes:
Organizing time.
Teacher's word.
For 11 lessons now we have been talking about a growing person, about a teenager in literature. And by today you have read James Aldridge’s story “The Last Inch” and prepared 5 questions with the word “Why?” (so-called “thick” questions). For some reason, it seems to me that each of you has this question - the question that I put in the title of the lesson (see slide 1).
I will check all your questions, collect notebooks, and I hope we will answer almost all of them. For now, let's get to the author.
What did you read about him in the textbook? (years of life, main events)
Look at the slide (see slide 2). I wrote down the titles of some of his stories and novels. Just looking at the titles, what kind of person is Aldridge describing? What interests him in a person? (a strong, courageous person, a hero, capable of action, feat)
Does The Last Inch fit into this scheme?
Direct work with the story. Questions from the audience.
Who are the heroes of the story?
Who is Ben? What do we learn about him from the first lines of the story?
How does Ben's son appear before us? Through whose eyes does the reader look at Davy? (through Ben's eyes, because for him the boy is a burden)
Where does the story take place? (Red Sea, Egypt)
Why did Ben completely forget about his son when he got to Shark Bay? What interested Ben in the bay? (Job)
Why did Ben take this job? (after the students’ answer, it is important to note that we have the whole story before us and we do not know about Ben’s previous life. This is not the first work given in the textbook in an abbreviation - there was also “Taras Bulba”. And I emphasize that always an incomplete work must be carefully analyze, so from the 8th grade we will read literature only in its entirety).
Why was the boy afraid of the bay and the desert?
Working with the composition of the story (see slide 4).
We met the characters and found out where the events take place. This is the exposition of the story.
What is the plot of the story? (Ben and Davy fly to the bay. Ben falls into the sea. Ben is bitten by a shark)
Describe the underwater world through Ben's eyes? Who is he comparing sharks to? (see slide - we find out that it was not a cat shark that was meant, but a tiger shark)
What happened underwater? What mistake did Ben make?
Why did Ben manage to cope with the situation and get ashore? What was he thinking about during the fight? (about himself, about life, he was driven by the thirst for life)
And only then does he remember his son. His death could lead to the death of the child.
What phrase characterizes Ben as an intelligent and experienced pilot and warrior? (he must make Davy think for himself)
Why is every minute on the plane described in such detail?
What's going on in Ben's mind? What is difficult for him to do? (there is an internal struggle in him, he must find an approach to his son, that is, remove the rigidity and rudeness in himself, so as not to scare Davy)
How father and son save each other7
At what point does Ben realize that Davy is not a weak boy, but a strong child? (the father hears familiar notes in the voice, understands that Davy is his father’s son - strong, confident, and at this moment, there, in the air, the boy grows up)
Why did Davy think he could never cry again?
Which episode is the climax of the story? (the moment when the father cries and the son can no longer cry - they switched places and changed internally)
What is the last inch that Ben thinks about with horror?
Why did Ben suddenly collapse in the hospital and not recover?
What happened to Davy? Why didn't he even have a shock?
Let's read the last paragraph. What became important to Ben? (Ben has become a different father, and they have their whole lives ahead of them to get to know each other)
Let's return to the title of the lesson. Why is the story so named? (first the students speak out, then we look at the slide, we come to the conclusion that there is a direct and metaphorical meaning here - Ben and Davy have walked the last inch and approached each other. The last inch is here: both between father and son, and between life and death, and between feat and powerlessness)
Conclusion and reflection.
In almost every lesson, we spend the last 5-7 minutes on written work, answering any question related to the topic, and summing up. I don't want to ask you questions today, I want you to ask me a question. A question that arose after the lesson, or a question that you came up with at home, but we did not answer it. BUT! Explain why this particular question interests you. I promise to answer. (see slide 10)
(The usual task was also prepared (see slide 9), but this time the students themselves asked for “something new and interesting”)
The questions written by the children were very different. There were those who repeated the questions from the lesson (maybe they listened to the question or answer), there were also questions that they did not have time to answer, some students wrote that there were no questions because they had covered everything during the lesson
I liked the following questions:
Why is nothing said about Davy's mother? Usually at critical moments in life everyone remembers their mother, but Davy didn’t remember. (Pasha S.)
Why didn’t Ben tell Davy anything about his service and work, because usually fathers talk about this with their children?
How will life turn out for Ben and Davy?
PS. I did not mark where passages of text should be read. This seems self-evident to me. During the lesson, naturally, leading questions were asked. After all, I didn’t write a transcript of the lesson, but a summary.
The lesson was attended by the deputy director for educational work, Svetlana Igorevna Pyatibratova.
List of 7th grade students (present at the lesson)
Asobidinov Shokhrukh
Davoyan Tengiz
Gusarova Yulia
Kislyakova Natalya
Kulekin Pavel
Moscow Daniil
Ostapchik Artem
Mukhin Kirill
Popovich Maria
Pudenkova Alisa
Shokhova Olga
Sapaev Islam
Sumin Pavel
Tatzhiev Alik
Romanenko Vladimir
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