Ratatouille

1. Ratatouille

3. Setting

4. The main characters in this film are …

5. In the film the main character … • …discovers he has a gift for cooking and through this he helps Linguini become a great chef.

6. Plot

7. In this film the problem begins when… Linguini comes to work at Gusteau’s restaurant.

8. Next, … with Remy’s help he becomes the new star chef at Gusteau’s. But Skinner tries to stop him from inheriting the restaurant so he can have it for himself.

9. Finally, the problem is solved when … it is discovered that Linguini is the real son of Gusteau and, with Remy’s help, he recreates the greatness of Gusteau and opens his own restaurant.

10. Theme (s)

11. I think the main theme(s) of this movie is (are) … • The need to change: “If you focus on what you left behind you cannot see what lies ahead.” Gusteau DJANGO: This... is the way things are. You can’t change nature. REMY: Change IS nature, Dad. The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide.

12. I think the main theme(s) of this movie is (are) … 2. The importance of family. 3. The pursuit of excellence and personal fulfillment. 4. The renewing power of creativity.

13. 2. The importance of family... because … (a) As Gusteau’s son, only Linguini can continue the great tradition of his father. (b) Although he needs to separate from his family to express his real talent, Remy also needs his family’s help in the end.

14. 3. The pursuit of excellence and personal fulfillment … because … … Remy can only be satisfied when he uses his talents to create great food and we see examples of excellence being rewarded (Gusteau’s 5 stars, Linguini suddenly becoming more than a garbage boy).

15. 4. The renewing power of creativity… because … …Gusteau’s restaurant is only restored to its 5-star position after Remy recreates, and therefore renews, the traditional recipe for ratatouille.

16. Why is it called Ratatouille? Ratatouille is a simple dish that is loved by the French. The dish is a symbol for Gusteau’s restaurant that is old and loved but has to be renewed by a new creative element. Remy doesn’t succeed by creating something new but by recreating this old, beloved recipe, and in the process, recreates Gusteau’s reputation.

17. Why is it called Ratatouille? The word is also a word play referring to the main characters who are rats. (Rat – a –touille = a touille made by rats ??) It is the name of Linguini’s new restaurant.

18. Ratatouille Question Sheet

19. A. Who said this? Write the name of the person • Anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great Gusteau. • Keep your station clear... or I WILL KILL YOU. Collette • I can’t believe it! You’re alive! You made it! We figured you didn’t survive the rapids! Emile. • Ratatouille. There’s a dish called that, it’s like a stew, right? Why do they call it that? Linguini. • We’re not birds, we’re rats. We don’t leave nests, we make them bigger. … This... is the way things are. You can’t change nature. DJANGO.

20. 6. Look at him out there... pretending to be an idiot! He’s toying with my mind, like a cat with a ball! Of... something! Skinner 7. Inspiration has many names. Mine is named Colette. Linguini 8. I don’t want to constantly have to wash my paws. Do you ever think about how we walk on the same paws that we handle food with? Remy 9. Chef Linguini! Chef Linguini! Your rise has been meteoric, and yet you have no formal training. What is the secret to your genius? REPORTER 10. Tell your “Chef Linguini” that I want whatever he dares to serve to me. Tell him to “hit me with his best shot”. EGO

21. B. Match characters with descriptions • A tall, severe-looking man with white skin - his nickname: The Grim Eater. ________ANTON EGO • Has a highly developed sense of taste and smell. His job is poison checker. _________REMY • Pudgy, easily impressed brother of Remy. _______EMILE • Remy’s Dad. The leader of the mouse clan. ______DJANGO • A small, nasty-looking man with a thin mustache and a toque almost as large as the rest of him. Head Chef. _______SKINNER

22. 6. Renata’s little boy, a gawky young man with unruly red hair. _______LINGUINI 7. The Sous Chef, responsible for the kitchen when the Chef’s not there. ________HORST 8. The toughest cook in the kitchen. _________COLETTE 9. Waiter. _______ MUSTAFA 10. Food critic. ________SOLENE Le CLAIRE

23. C. Comprehension questions • At the beginning of the movie, what is Remy looking for in the old lady’s kitchen? (Saffron) • Why doesn’t Django want to get food from the humans? (It’s dangerous.)  • Why did Gusteau’s restaurant loose one of its 5 stars? (because of a bad review from Ego) • How does Linguini come to work at the restaurant? (His mother gives him a letter asking them to give him a job) • How does Remy control Linguini’s actions? (by pulling his hair)  • According to Collette, what is the ‘mark of a chef?’ (messy apron, clean sleeves)

24. 7. What is going to happen 2 years after Gusteau’s death? (if no heir appears, Gusteau’s business interests-- including the restaurant and the rights to his name and image-- will pass to his Sous Chef, Skinner) 8. What does Gusteau say is the difference between a cook and a thief? (A cook makes; a thief takes) 9. What does Linguini think is the problem with Ratatouille? (Ratatouille doesn't sound delicious. It sounds like "rat" and "patootie which does not sound delicious) 10. Why do you think the movie is called Ratatouille? (The dish is a symbol for Gusteau’s restaurant that is old and loved but has to be renewed by a new creative element. Also it’s a word play on the word, “rat.”

25. D. Complete the sentences with the correct word/expression. • Gusteau’s restaurant is the toast of Paris. • Clean... clean... clean-erino...cleaneriffic... close to Godliness. • You could fill a book-- a LOT of books-- with things dad doesn’tknow. • LaRousse! Draw and quarter this man! AFTER you put his head in the duck press to squeeze the fat out! • What are you playing at? • Our reputation is hanging by a thread as it is. • If he works here you’ll be able to keep an eye on him, while I do a little digging , find out how much of this is real. • People think haute cuisine is snooty, so chefs must also be snooty. But not so. • “LINGUINI CANCELS FROZEN FOOD” • “GUSTEAU’S REGAINS A LOST STAR”.

26. E. Now explain what each sentence means in the context of the movie. 1. Gusteau’s restaurant is the toast of Paris. (= be very popular; everyone is toasting it, celebrating its success) What is evidence for this? (It’s booked 5 months in advance)

27. 2. Clean... clean... Clean erino...cleaneriffic... close to Godliness • A. - inoand – eriffic are suffixes that can be slangily added to words for fun and for emphasis. • B. From the English expression, “Cleanliness is close to godliness.” (Being clean means you are godlike and pure)

28. 3. You could fill a book-- a LOT of books-- with things dad doesn’t know. And they have. (Remy thinks his Dad doesn’t know much – many books have been written about things his dad doesn’t know)

29. 4.! LaRousse! Draw and quarter this man! AFTER you put his head in the duck press to squeeze the fat out To be hanged, drawn and quartered was the punishment in old England for men guilty of treason. The convicted were drawn by horse on a wooden  frame  and were hanged,  beheaded  and quartered (chopped into four pieces).

30. Duck Press

31. 5. What are you playing at? Skinner – about the soup Linguini has altered ( = What are you doing?)

32. 6. Our reputation is hanging by a thread as it is. (Skinner to Linguini after he has caught Remy) - They are in danger of being closed. - To hang by a thread is to have only a very fragile thing that is saving you.

33. The sword of Damocles The Ancient Greek, Damocles, at a banquet where he found himself seated under a sword suspended by a single hair, symbolizing his life was hanging by a thread.

34. 7. If he works here you’ll be able to keep an eye on him, while I do a little digging, find out how much of this is real. ( = investigate, check his story to see if it is true)

35. 8. People think Haute Cuisine is snooty, so chefs must also be snooty. But not so. (Collette) ( Haute cuisine = Elaborate or skillfully prepared food, especially that of France. Snooty = conceited, arrogant, snobbish, stuck-up. “ People think expensive restaurants are snobbish, so the chefs there must also think they are better than others.”

36. 9. “LINGUINI CANCELS FROZEN FOOD” ( Now that Linguini is in charge of the restaurant and Skinner has gone, the restaurant won’t be selling a line of frozen food)

37. 10. “GUSTEAU’S REGAINS A LOST STAR”. • Gusteau’’s becomes a 5-star restaurant again. • Linguini, the ‘lost’ son of Gusteau has returned and shows that he is a ‘star’ chef.