Séquences: Intermediate French through Film by Michèle Bissière (review)

THE FRENCH REVIEW, Vol. 87, No. 1, October 2013 Printed in U.S.A. Methods and Materials edited by Sarah Jourdain 195 Bissière, Michèle. Séquences: Intermediate French through Film. 2nd ed. Boston: Heinle Cengage, 2013. ISBN 978-1-111-35416-9. Pp. 408. $121. Movies are one of the most powerful tools in second language education. They allow instructors to introduce their students to a whole array of cultural aspects. Séquences proves to be a great tool to expose students to the complexities of French and Francophone identities. The book is divided into ten chapters, including one preliminary chapter introducing the vocabulary necessary to talk about films, along with a brief historical survey of French and Francophone cinema throughout the years. Each following chapter centers around a particular movie: L’auberge espagnole for a discussion on student life, Rue Cases-Nègres on roots, Persépolis on the transition between teenage years and adulthood, Le Placard on professional life, Indochine on politics and personal life, Chaos on the relationship between men and women, Entre les murs on school and society, Le dîner de cons on entertainment, and Tableau ferraille on private and public life. Each chapter is divided into four parts: vocabulary, themes/culture, readings, and grammar. The four components of language instruction (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) are very well balanced throughout each chapter with introductory readings and literary excerpts, an audio CD that provides additional cultural information and authentic dialogues, grammar exercises in context , speaking activities in pairs and groups, along with topics for exposés and skits. There is also a strong emphasis on the language used in these films, be it colloquial, refined, or standard French. The lists of vocabulary words are very useful, detailed yet not overwhelming for students to master. Finally, the author provides several expansion questions that allow students to think beyond the movie itself. Séquences also includes a little folder organized by themes that contains lists of questions that regroup different movies and force students to step back and reflect on a semester’s long discussion. Even though all the movies are not equal in quality of story and actors’ performance, they all prove to be thought-provoking and very powerful triggers for interesting conversations in class. The selection allows students to reflect on French and Francophone identities—sexual, racial, ethnic, religious, etc. All in all, Séquences is a detailed, comprehensive, effective text for students who want to learn more about French and Francophone culture and develop their four skills in a fun, dynamic, and entertaining way, and it is a great tool for any instructor teaching French culture through media. Williams College (MA) Céline Brossillon-Rivera ...