"Stranger Than Paradise" – Worksheet

Before watching the film:

a) Discuss what you know about the term "American Dream".

b) Make a list of your associations with sights and attractions in New York City. Compare your lists in pairs and then present them to class, using the method Zum externen Inhalt: Think-Pair-Share (öffnet im neuen Tab).

c) During the Cold War, citizens of Warsaw Pact states faced strict travel restrictions. This did not change in Hungary until Zum externen Inhalt: 1988 (öffnet im neuen Tab). Imagine you were a young Hungarian who got the opportunity to travel to the US in the early 1980s, starting in New York City. Make a diary entry detailing your expectations and what you plan to do while staying in the city.

d) Analyze the Zum Inhalt: exposition of "Stranger than Paradise" (TC 0:00:00-0:01:14). Pay special attention to Zum Inhalt: mise-en-scène, shot composition (Glossar: Zum Inhalt: Bildkomposition) and colour design (Glossar: Zum Inhalt: Farbgestaltung). Discuss where Eva is – in Hungary or the US?

e) Eva has no choice but to stay with her cousin Willie for ten days. Watch the following sequence and summarize how Eva experiences New York City. Compare Eva‘s stay in New York City with your diary entry from exercise c).

TC: 0:01:14–0:10:19

f) Willie makes an effort to hide his Hungarian roots. Watch the rest of the first chapter ("A New World", 0:10:19–0:28:43). What, according to Willie, is typical of the US lifestyle? Make notes of your deliberations and then present them in class. Discuss the extent to which you think "A New World" is an appropriate title.

g) Write a diary entry from Eva‘s perspective, in which she describes her first ten days in the US.

h) "A New World" is like an intimate play. Read the definition of an intimate play (Glossar: Zum Inhalt: Kammerspiel). Discuss the objects that have a symbolic function. If necessary, watch the sequence (Glossar: Zum Inhalt: Sequenz) again (in parts).

While watching the film:

i) From part two onwards ("One Year Later"), "Stranger than Paradise" features elements of a Zum Inhalt: road movie . While watching the rest of the film, pay attention to how locations are portrayed. Divide the work into groups (Group A: Cleveland, group B: Florida) and observe the (internal) conflicts the characters experience. Make notes in the form of bullet points.

After watching the film:

j) Split up into pairs (one member each from groups A and B) and discuss your observations regarding the locations.

k) Present the results of your discussions in class. Then explain how the characters’ internal conflicts change (or don’t change) from one location to another.

l) Then discuss the extent to which "Stranger than Paradise" can be regarded as a critical treatment of the American Dream. Refer in particular to the results of your work on exercises h) to k) and your interpretation of the title of the film.