The Last Trapper, a movie

“The Last Trapper” (2005 NFB, available at Blockbuster), by Nicolas Vanier
A feature movie about Norman Winther, played by himself
Here are some while-watching and post-watching tasks by the scene:

SCENE 1

{from the beginning to the kayak on a cascade}

Questions:
1. Find words that best describe the landscape.
2. Give your opinion on what a man’s life in this wilderness looks like.
3. Write down names of 5 animals that have been shown.
4. What makes Norman attracted to this way of living?
5. What is Norman’s fear? How do human activities in the area impact wild life?


SCENE 2

{grizzly bear, horses}

Questions:
1. What is a trap line? When is the trapping season? What does Norman do?
2. Describe the scene when Norman comes across a grizzly bear.
3. How does Norman interact with the animals he depends on?
4. How does he relate with the environment. Discuss different scenes you’ve seen in the movie.


SCENE 3

{cabin building, town, dog’s death}

Questions:
1. Describe the process of building a cabin.
2. What does Norman need from the city? What makes him return to his lifestyle?



SCENE 4

{Apache, hunting a moose)

Questions:
1. Norman and Nebraska call their new dog _____________.
2. According to Norman, man’s role is ___________________________________.
3. He is _____________ for killing an animal.
4. Nebraska goes back with a ___________ to get the meat.

SCENE 5

{trapping, sinking in ice}

Questions:
1. How would you describe sleighing dogs?
2. What is a role of a trapper, according to Norman?


SCENE 6

How does Norman relate to his dogs? What is their interdependence?


SCENE 7

{Alex and Norman, accident on a rock, wolves, Northern lights}

Questions:
1. In which way do Norman and Alex agree, and what are the differences between them?


SCENE 8

Questions:
1. What could be possible answers to Nebraska’s last question?
2. Consider life in that area 50 years from now.
3. Complete the sentences:
a) Norman Winther is ______________________________.
b) He lives _______________________________________
c) He loves ______________________________________
d) He thinks ___________________________________
e) He would like _________________________________
f) He says __________________________________
g) He fears _________________________________

4. Learn more about World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Toxic Trespass

Toxic Trespass
Order this compelling DVD together with a guide full of groundbreaking information, become a part of the Women's Healthy Environment Network!

Movies to See

Films with an Environmental Theme


11th Hour
(Leonardo DiCaprio)
Doc
The 11th Hour is the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how we’ve arrived at this moment -- how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course.

Children of Men
(Julianne Moore & Clive Owen)
Feature
2027 is a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate

Dancing with Wolves
(Kevin Costner)
Feature
Civil War soldier befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military

Erin Brockovich
(Julia Roberts)
Feature based on true story
A California power company is accused of polluting a city's water supply

Exposures
Doc
Order from the Women’s Healthy Environment Network, Toronto
Link between the environment and the incidence of breast cancer with women.
Stunning evidences of long delayed truth.

Fly Away Home
(Jeff Daniels & Ana Paquin)
Feature based on true Canadian story
A father and daughter attempt to lead a flock of Canada Geese, orphaned by development, south.

Garbage Warrior
Doc
US architect Michael Reynolds fights to introduce radically sustainable housing.

Happy Feet
Animation
A group of penguins try to discover the threat of their food source and survival.

Inconvenient Truth
(Al Gore)
Doc
Climate crisis/ global-warming

Manufactured Landscapes
Doc
Photographer Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscapes due to industrial work and manufacturing.

The Male Disappearing
Doc
The birth rate of male babies is in decrease. A link with the polluted environment is explored.

March of the Penguins
Doc
The annual journey of Emperor penguins as they march to their traditional breeding ground.

Silkwood
(Meryl Streep & Cher)
Feature based on true story
A whistle-blower from a plutonium processing plant disappears.

Sleep Dealer
Feature, 2008
Drama, futuristic sci-fi fantasy, political commentary and ecological message. This film takes you into the near future; into a time and place where the world is physically divided by walls and virtual connect by technology. The story focuses on a young man named Memo, who travels from his rural Mexican village to Tijuana to find work after the corporate privatization of the area’s water makes farming impossible for his family.

Soylent Green
Feature - 1973
In an overpopulated Earth in 2022, a police detective is marked for murder by government agents when he gets too close to a state secret involving the origins of a revolutionary and needed new foodstuff.

The End of Suburbia
Doc
Explores the American Way of Life as the planet approaches a critical era where global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply.

Syriana
(George Clooney)
Feature
Political intrigue & the oil industry

Toxic Trespass
Doc –
Order from the Women’s Healthy Environment Network, Toronto
Essential viewing for anyone concerned about the effects of pollutants on our - and our children's - very DNA.

Winged Migration
Doc
The migratory patterns of birds, shot over the course of three years on all seven continents.

Terminator Seeds
Documentary, 30 min.
Genetically altered seeds cannot reproduce themselves. Will it lead to global famine?

How to Save the World: One Man, One Planet, One Cow
Documentary
Biodynamic farming is a unique agricultural method that relates the ecology of the earth-organism to the entire cosmos.

Food, Inc.
Documentary, directed by Robert Kenner
On how and why the villains not only outnumber the heroes in contemporary food production, but also how and why they outbluff, outmuscle and outspend their opponents by billions of often government-subsidized dollars.

Garbage!, by Andrew Nisker
A Torontonian 5 member family stocks their garbage in their garage for 3 months and surprise themselves and us, while we learn the truth of our wasteful lifestyle.

Chemercial, a new documentary by Andrew Nisker about chemical cleansers in our homes and how we can free our lives from them

The Last Trapper
a feature movie about the last trapper in the Canadian far North, played by himself. See teaching material on a separate blog (23 Sept.2010)

Coral Reef Adventure
Stunningly beautiful underwater world is in danger. Authors investigate how the man has become a tenant in the world ocean. How does coral bleaching affect our very existence?
As a special feature on the DVD there is an interesting Trivia, comprehension questions that will make your students review what they understood in the movie.
Check the trailer at:
www.coralfilm.com