Page 6 - simply cae test 9

CAE Practice Test 9 Paper 1 - Reading and Use of English

Part 6

You are going to read four reviews of a film. For questions 37-40, choose from reviews A-D. The
reviews may be chosen more than once.

Practice Test 9 ‘A Walk in The Woods’
Four critics comment on the adaptation of Bill Bryson’s book

A C

There is only one question that you need to ask yourself When Bill Bryson’s travelogue “A Walk in the Woods” came
before deciding to see “A Walk in the Woods”: Can you out in 1998, it landed almost instantly on the New York
justify sitting through an utterly predictable and rather Times bestseller list. The word of mouth was epidemic:
tame Man vs. Nature ramble in order to enjoy the affable This book is hilarious. Now that the account of two mis-
odd-couple chemistry shared by Robert Redford and Nick matched clowns attem-pting to hike the Appalachian Trail
Nolte? is a movie, directed by Ken Kwapis, hilarious isn’t the first
word that comes to mind. Cute, maybe. Or pleasant. But
Certainly, it is hard to resist a rare opportunity to observe you won’t have to worry about laughing so hard you snort,
these seasoned septuagenarians go at it with gusto, espe- which was a legitimate concern for anyone reading
cially considering that the only other time Redford and Bryson’s prose in public.
Nolte have been cast mates was in the barely-seen 2013
political thriller “The Company You Keep.” Nowadays, the In the book, Bryson would occasionally go on delightful
handsomely rough-hewn Nolte looks more like a ruddy- tangents about the history of the trail or certain types of
faced Yeti while the still-fit Redford is paying the price for trees, and Redford’s incarnation does that, too. Here,
all that ultraviolet glare on the ski slopes. But these guys however, it feels less organic, as Bill gives a bored-looking
still know how to not just hold our attention but grab it, Katz a lesson in American chestnuts. And Kwapis’s man-
even if their current film needs them more than they agement can be maddening at times. Camera angles tend
need it. to show either too much or too little visual information,
making it difficult to tell what exactly is happening and, at
B times, blunting the impact of a sight gag.

A Walk in the Woods is based on Bill Bryson’s travel book For a moment, the movie tries to be about something
about attempting to hike the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail deeper. The book didn’t deal in platitudes. It was content
in the US with an old friend. It strips out most of Bryson’s to be lightly educational, but mostly just entertaining. The
prose and leaves us with a folksy-sentimental tale about a movie aspires to be more than that, only to reveal how
couple of adorable old geezers tottering through the much less than that it really is.
woods.
D
At 79 years old, producer-star Robert Redford plays Bill
Bryson, who was in his mid-40s when he undertook the Being a huge Bill Bryson fan, I was excited at the thought of
hike. The movie’s geriatric themes can therefore be des- his work coming to the big screen. I wasn’t dissappointed.
cribed as semi-intentional, and Redford’s performance is Like the book, this is a gentle film that explores the rela-
really so stilted it’s as if he is playing Bill Bryson the way a tionship between two long lost friends who venture out
famous writer with no performing skills might play himself. across the Appalachian Trail. This is not an action packed
adventure however. This is the kind of film you sit down
Pottering in and out of the kitchen, Redford’s Bryson gives and watch at the end of a hard day. It will leave you feel-
us huge “reaction” expressions as he despairs of his ing chilled and relaxed. There is some beautiful scenery as
grandchildren and their reliance on technology to provide you would expect from such a location, but for me per-
entertainment. Emma Thompson does her best with the sonally it is the interaction between the two main charac-
thankless role of Bryson’s wife. Having reportedly nursed ters that draws me in. The physical journey is secondary
this project for years, Redford originally hoped Paul to their personal journey as they open up to each other.
Newman might play Bryson’s cantankerous old buddy.
Sadly, Newman passed away, so now it’s a red-faced and The film is not really about travelling - as the book is. It is
dishevelled Nick Nolte playing Katz. Too slow and lacking more about the intimacy of a renewed friendship and
in depth. Redford and Nolte portray this beautifully. Maybe this is
because in real life they are seasoned actors whose paths
have crossed many times.

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