CASPER

Pre-viewing worksheet

1. Look through and get acquainted with the genre and the cast of the film.

GENRE: comedy fantasy film
CREDITS: Directed by Brad Silberling
Animation: Phil Nibbelink, Eric Armstrong

Screenplay by Deanna Oliver, Sherri Stoner
Produced by Colin Wilson, Steven Spielberg
Music by James Horner

Based on the Casper the Friendly Ghost animated cartoons and comic books
TAGLINE: Get an afterlife
RELEASE DATE: 1995

Golden Screen Winner in 1995

2. The names of the characters and proper names given below will help you to grasp and understand the plot easier. Look through them before watching the movie.

Humans:

Bill Pullman as Dr. James Harvey

Christina Ricci as Kathleen "Kat" Harvey

Amy Brenneman as Amelia Harvey

Devon Sawa as Casper (human form)

Cathy Moriarty as Carrigan Crittenden

Eric Idle as Paul 'Dibs' Plutzker

Voices:

Malachi Pearson as Casper

Joe Nipote as Stretch

Joe Alaskey as Stinkie

Brad Garrett as Fatso

Friendship: a town in Knox County, Maine, United States.

Attorney: a person who is given the power to act on behalf of another in business or legal matters.

Haunted house: believed to be visited by ghosts.

Ghostbuster: a person who gets rid of ghosts.

Lazarus: (here) a machine that Casper’s father invented to resurrect dead people.

Comprehension Check

Task 1. Watch the movie and make notes on what you learn about the following characters:

Casper / – his age
– the story of his death
– his dreams
– his relationships with Kat
– facts of being polite, friendly, jealous, just
– the peculiarities of being a ghost
- the reasons he gave the last potion to Dr. Harvey
- the reasons he was given a chance to stay alive for a while
Kat / – her age and relationships with peers
– her attitude to father’s occupation
– her attitude to mother’s death
– her relationships with Vic and Casper
– the reasons she helped Casper to become alive
- facts that she recognized Casper during Halloween dance
Dr. Harvey / – his occupation
– his style of life and relationships with Kat
– his attitude to wife’s death
– his attitude to ghosts
– his relationships with Casper’s uncles (the development)
- his behavior in the state of a ghost
- his meeting with the wife in the form of an angel
Carrigan Crittenden / – her temperament
– her relationships with Dibs
- her relationships with other people
- differences of being a human and a ghost
- the reasons for passing onto the afterlife
Casper’s uncles / - their names
- their attitude to Casper
- their attitude to the mansion visitors
- their attitude to Dr. Harvey and Kat (at the beginning and at the end)
- their attitude to each other
- facts of their bad and good behaviour

Task 2. Give as many reasons as you can supporting the following statements:

  1. Carrigan Crittenden was neurotic, spoiled and furious that her late father only willed her his gloomy-looking mansion rather than his millions.
  2. A lovestruck Casper attempts to befriend Kat and Harvey, but is unsuccessful because of the return of his uncles.
  3. Casper's uncles - Stretch, Fatso and Stinkie - are not so friendly and they are determined to drive all "fleshies" away.

Casper Test

  1. Choose the right variant.

1)At the beginning of the film two boys come to the manor to…

  1. make a picture inside of it as a proof of their entering
  2. make a picture of a ghost
  3. make a picture of the house to draw a plan and look for treasure further

2)Carrigan Crittenden inherited Whipstaff Manor from …

  1. her aunt
  2. her grandfather
  3. her father

3)Carrigan and Dibs hire a series of professionals including … to get rid of ghosts.

  1. a ghostbuster and his company
  2. a priest and a ghostbuster
  3. a priest and an exorcist

4)In two years Kat changed … schools.

  1. 4
  2. 9
  3. 12

5)Casper befriends Kat and Harvey …

  1. with the help of his charming smile
  2. helping them to fight with his uncles
  3. cooking them breakfast

6)At Kat’s new junior high school, her classmates vote to …

  1. have their upcoming Halloween dance at Whipstaff Manor
  2. visit Whipstaff Manor for ghost sightings
  3. nominate Kat as a monitor of the class

7)Casper discovers …, causing memories of his death.

  1. his old baseball autographed by Casper’s favourite baseball player
  2. his old sled
  3. his mother’s dress

8)Casper died from …

  1. cancer
  2. fatal illness he received as the result of staying out too late in the cold
  3. fatal illness he received as the result of his mother’s sudden death

9)In the underground laboratory Casper and Kat find a special potion which is sufficient for…

  1. only one ghost to become alive
  2. two ghosts to become alive
  3. only one ghost to stay alive for an hour

10) Carrigan and Dibs steal the potion and decide that …

  1. one of them can die, steal the treasure and become alive again with the help of the potion
  2. they can prevent Casper from becoming a human being which will cause his escape from the mansion
  3. they can force Casper to become alive and give them the hidden treasure
  1. Explain the “ghost” terms.

a)afterlife

b)drop dead

c)to cross over

d)skinbag

e)to haunt

  1. Guess who the speakers are.

1)I got sick and Dad got sad…

2)Ghosts are simply spirits without a resolution, unfinished business.

3)All for one, and one for all!

4)Come with me if you want to live.

5)Carrigan, are you a ghost yet?

6)I would just like to be in one place long enough to make friends.

7)Smell-o-gram!

8)Dibs, this is all your fault as usual!

9)There's a girl... on my bed. YES!

10) This won't hurt a bit! Stop bein' such a weenie! It's just business! COME ON!

  1. Write the places where you could see the following words in the film.

1)Whipstaff

2)Buccaneers and buried gold Whipstaff doth a treasure hold.

3)Frankenstein

4)Father invents “Resurrection” machine to raise dead son.

5)Halloween

  1. Predict the end of the film in five sentences. Watch the film till the end and check up your predictions.
  2. Explain:

-the role of Casper’s uncles in Dr. Harvey’s life and his attitude to the dead wife;

-the role of Vic in the development of Casper and Kat’s relationships;

-the arrogant and brave behavior of Dibs when Carrigan became a ghost.

  1. Imagine yourself being in Casper’s place. How would you feel? Point out pro and cons being a ghost. What is better: staying behind or passing onto the afterlife? Is there any allegorical meaning in these words?Write your idea.