The story itself
Filmmaking techniques
Literary elements
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
Bonus!
100
What religious group are Jamal and Salim a part of?
Muslim
100
Who directed this movie?
Danny Boyle
100
Since this film is, at least in a sense, a coming of age story, Slumdog Millionaire could be said to be this literary type.
A Bildungsroman.
100
Latika is often associated with the color yellow (her scarf, her dress, jewelry, etc). What does it symbolize?
Hope or fate = best answers.
100
Who wrote the song "Paper Planes," featured in the film and extremely popular in the US?
M.I.A.
200
What is the first major betrayal Jamal suffers from Salim?
Salim steals and sells Jamal's autographed picture of Amitabh Bachchan.
200
There are a few major points in the film when music plays a significant role. Pick any one of those moments and VERY briefly indicate the role music has.
Perhaps:
The riot at the beginning when Salim and Jamal are orphaned. The Hindi music with a driving techno beat draws out our emotions to the intensity and terror the boys feel.
The train montage set against MIA's song "Paper Planes" about being an immigrant, crime, and struggle.
The ending, with a Bollywood-style dance to celebrate the lovers' finally being united.
"Dreams on Fire," is the theme played whenever Latika reappears.
200
This literary concept of bilingualism appears frequently in this movie. Since it's largely in English, offer one non-English phrase that adds an element of bilingualism to the film.
Such answers as:
Chaiwalla (a person who serves tea)
Chud, or motherchud (a profanity)
Computer ji (basically means "Mr. Computer")
Jai ho (common phrase means "Victory!")
et al.
200
Slumdog has a lot to say about a few thematic topics. Pick one of the topics listed, and express a theme (one full sentence) that Slumdog conveys on that topic.
Topics are:
The effects of poverty
What family means
The benefit of loyalty
The dangers of pursuing money
Express your theme!
200
What is the rating of this film?
It is rated R.
300
Who ordered Jamal's arrest between the days the game show was being recorded?
Prem Kumar
300
Several times, the film uses a crossfade (the current visuals fade out on the right side of the screen, while the next scene fades in on the left) to return us to the present where Jamal sits playing the game show.
What does this technique accomplish?
It serves to connect the memory more closely to the moment, showing us that it is Jamal's thoughts we are seeing, and his memory we are reliving.
300
This literary term refers to a style of storytelling that involves unpredictable skips (back and forward) in time.
Non-chronological storytelling
300
Movies (like this one) sometimes offer a misdirection, leading the audience one way just to surprise them later. In Slumdog, money is both a motif and a misdirection. What is one example that reveals that money has no real value?
Many possible answers:
Salim uses money to protect himself at the end, and it does nothing to save him
Jamal wins ₹20 million and doesn't really care
The boys rarely steal money, focusing instead on tangible prizes like food, shoes, etc.
Money is the result of failure (Salim failing his brother by selling Jamal's picture, Maman's attempt to bribe Salim for his life, etc)
...and more!
300
Slumdog Millionaire won eight oscars. Name three.
Best Picture, best director, best adapted screenplay (it's based on a book), best cinematography, best film editing, best original score, best original song ("Jai Ho"), and best sound mixing.
400
When the brothers find Latika together (after moving back to Bombay), she is still in Maman's power. Why is she worth so much to him?
She is a young, attractive, virgin girl he can sell.
400
Take a look at this image:
We see Salim in the foreground, pretending to sleep, while Jamal gestures for Latika to join them. Slumdog is filled with this type of "split diopter" shot. What is accomplished in this scene, using this camera work?
Possibly: It shifts our focus from the plot to how the characters feel about the plot, giving us insight into Salim that we wouldn't otherwise have.
400
Archetypes are used frequently in this film, since above everything else it is the hero's journey. Pick any two characters or moments and describe how they fit into the archetypes.
Jamal is the hero. Salim is the antihero. Latika is the princess. Maman is a false prophet. Jamal is tested. He falls (becomes a thief), but redeems himself. He succeeds in his quest.
Etc.
400
Motifs abound in Slumdog Millionaire! Pick one motif and name at least two times it appears.
Answers might include:
Fate - The opening title, Jamal's beliefs, the police interrogations, the questions that reference his life, etc
The Three Musketeers - The novel itself features twice, but also the three main characters refer to themselves that way
Trains - Symbolizing transitions, we see the boys grow up on one, Jamal find Latika at another, and trains appear in transitions as well
Money - Salim bathes in it, the brothers con people for it, and the prize at the end is made of it...
400
This film was originally based on a novel. Name either the novel or the author of that novel.
It was based on the novel Q & A, by Vikas Swarup.
500
When Jamal is given the chance to look up phone numbers at work, why does he look up his brother's number?
(Best answer) Salim is both the only name he knows and the person most likely to have information about Latika.
500
Danny Boyle found a variety of ways to contrast the real world of the slums and poverty with the artificial world of the game show. See below:
What filmmaking choices did Boyle make that create visual contrast?
Color choices - Tans and off-whites in poverty contrasted with blues and dark colors in the game show
Color saturation - Colors on the game show are richer and deeper
Lighting of the slums and such locations is full of natural shadows and real light, while the studio is artificially even and cleanly lit
And more!
500
What type of conflict is present in this film? Name the type and briefly identify the two competing sides.
Man v Society (Jamal struggling against the caste system that seems him as worthless)
Man v Man (Jamal fights against Salim's influence on his life, though not really directly against Salim)
Man v Supernatural (Jamal works to fulfill his fate, not just trust that everything will work out)
Others...?
500
In one of the most viscerally revolting moments of the film, Jamal ...does what he has to do:
What is the symbolism of this moment? "This moment symbolizes..."
Lots of possibilities:
Jamal's willingness to do anything to achieve his goals
Jamal emerges from filth and reaches further than anyone else (gets an autograph no one else can get)
People see the grossness of a person, and miss the value of the person inside
And others!
500
There are two brands that didn't want to be associated with the film, and the companies who owned them refused to let the brand logo appear (despite the product being featured). Name either of the brands.
Coca-Cola (which Maman gives to the brothers) refused to allow their logo to appear.
Mercedes-Benz (the preferred vehicle of Javed) didn't want their logo shown in the slums.