Pratique du Shadowing: The Conqueror (1956) - The Objectively Worst Film Ever Made - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo
Choisissez un mode d'entraînement
Chaque mode ouvre une salle d'entraînement en plein écran.
155 phrases
Si les phrases sont trop courtes ou trop longues, cliquez sur Edit pour les ajuster.
1
When people talk about the worst movies ever made, there are a number of titles commonly thrown around.
2
Plan 9 from Outer Space, The Room, Star Wars The Last Jedi, and Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker,
3
and Star Wars The Phantom Menace, and damn, were any of these movies ever good?
4
I hate them!
5
But as bad as these movies are, there is one that is objectively worse.
6
A movie whose very production could almost be said to be cursed.
7
After all, its creation resulted in dozens of deaths and drove its creator to madness like some kind of Lovecraftian grimoire.
8
The Conqueror is a 1956 epic historical film about the life of Genghis Khan.
9
It stars John Wayne in the title role of Temujin.
10
Yeah, that's right, John Wayne the cowboy as a Mongolian warlord.
11
But horrible miscasting is only the tip of this iceberg.
12
Beyond the bland dialogue and cardboard performances of the cast, the movie also had one of the most unfortunate productions of any movie ever made,
13
and the effect it had on its mysterious producer is a story worth telling, unlike this film.
14
So let's take a look back at what I consider to be the objectively worst film ever made.
15
This is The Kong World.
16
The movie opens with the Merkit chief Targatai crossing the lands of the Mongols to bring home his new wife.
17
The Mongol chief Temujin confronts him and is instantly attracted to the wife, a Tartar woman named Bortai.
18
Temujin decides to steal her for himself
19
and organizes a raid against the Merkits despite his men's warning that the Merkits will seek revenge.
20
Temujin and his men ambush the caravan, driving Targatai away and taking Bortai for his own.
21
His mother Hunlun despises Bortai, as her father killed Temujin's father many years ago.
22
She warns Temujin to get rid of her, lest she bring woe to their people, but he refuses, as he wants to keep her for his wife.
23
However, Bortai refuses Temujin, seeing him as a beast beneath a woman like her.
24
She approaches Temujin's blood brother and right hand man Jamukha, offering herself to him if he will free her.
25
He refuses to betray Temujin, but at that moment, the Marekits attack the camp.
26
In the confusion, Temujin sees Jamukha leaving Bortai's tent, sowing seeds of distrust in his mind.
27
Temujin manages to escape the fighting along with Bortai.
28
Hiding together from the Merkits, they make love.
29
When they return to the camp the next day, his mother chastises him for letting a woman bring danger to the camp.
30
Temujin again refuses to listen, and instead decides to seek help from his old ally, Wang Kahn.
31
His plan is to lie to Wang Kahn and convince him that the Tartars and Merkits are conspiring against him.
32
He and Bortai arrive at Wangkan's city, who welcomes him with a feast and a display of dancing women.
33
After the celebration, Temujin lies to him about the Tartar threat.
34
Wangkan consults with his shaman, who declares that the spirits say Temujin is truthful.
35
Wangkan agrees to unite against the Tartars.
36
However, as Temujin is leaving, the shaman reveals that he lied because he wants Temujin to take over Wangkan's kingdom after his death.
37
On their return to their camp, Temujin is ambushed by the Tartars.
38
Bortai manages to escape back to her people, leaving Temujin wounded in a cave.
39
Jamukha finds him and pretends to defect
40
so the Tartars will trust him enough in order for him to steal horses for their escape.
41
However, they follow him back to Temujin's location and end up capturing him.
42
Temujin sees Jamika escape, making him believe that he betrayed him.
43
The Tartars bring Temujin back to their camp, torturing him and planning on executing him the next day.
44
However, Bortai, now realizing her love for him, helps him escape.
45
Returning back to his camp, Temujin accuses Jamika of betrayal.
46
In order to prove himself, he is sent along with Temujin's actual brother Kassar to Wang Kahn's city in order to organize the attack on the Tartars.
47
Arriving in the city, the shaman warns Wang Kahn that Temujin plans on betraying him.
48
He orders that Jamika and Kassar be held captive while he goes to investigate the Mongols' plan.
49
Jamika manages to escape their captivity, but Kassar is killed in the escape.
50
Jamika rides for the camp, but is captured by the Tartars.
51
Temujin is at the meeting spot, awaiting Wang Khan's forces.
52
The shaman arrives and tells him that Wang Khan has betrayed their agreement.
53
He offers to unlock the city gates and allow Temujin to conquer the city.
54
Temujin agrees, but is distrustful of the shaman.
55
The shaman allows the Mongol forces through the gate, who take the city under their control.
56
With his dying breath, Wang Khan reveals the shaman's deception.
57
Temujin cuts him down and claims Wang Khan's forces as his own.
58
Together, they march on a Tartar camp.
59
Temujin finally gets his revenge by killing the Tartar chief, and he and Bortai are reunited.
60
She reassures Temujin that Jamukha never betrayed him and only feels love for his blood brother.
61
However, Jamukha says that the seeds of distrust can never be undone.
62
and asks that Temujin kill him and let him die with honor.
63
Temujin reluctantly agrees.
64
As the movie ends, Jamika narrates that with all his enemies defeated,
65
Temujin assumed the title of Chinggis Khan and conquered the land with Bortai by his side.
66
There's so much wrong with this film, I don't even know where to begin.
67
The elephant in the room is of course the casting.
68
While I'll give the film leeway as casting white actors in non-white roles wasn't as controversial then as it is today, even with that in mind,
69
Wayne is horribly out of place as the great Mongol chief.
70
Now, John Wayne is a good, if not slightly limited actor.
71
He shines in a certain role.
72
The gruff cowboy, the stern gunslinger.
73
And while the role of the brutish conqueror might seem like something that suits him, he sounds ridiculous delivering lines like this.
74
I'm not saying the blame is entirely on him, as the entire cast gives a cardboard performance.
75
Much of it has to do with the dialogue.
76
These lines are trying to sound vaguely 13th century, but when combined with the cowboy accent, it just comes off as awkward.
77
The only actor who comes close to a good performance is Agnes Moorhead, who plays Temujin's mother Hun Lun.
78
She's not on camera for long, but she was clearly having fun with the role.
79
She is the daughter of Kumlik.
80
Kumlik's daughter?
81
Spawn of evil!
82
Let your slaves have their sport with her.
83
I will not have her within our tents.
84
I say who stays in our tents.
85
This woman is for my pleasure.
86
You will take pleasure with the offspring of your father's slayer?
87
She will bring woe to you, my son, and to your people.
88
The story is also atrocious for many reasons.
89
For starters, it isn't even close to historically accurate.
90
The real story of Temujin's life, or at least the one we know from the secret history of the Mongols, is so interesting it could be a movie on its own.
91
And it's clear the writers at least had some idea of history, as they get the names mostly right.
92
But they changed so many details for no reason.
93
In real life, Jamika was blood brother to Temujin, but he wasn't the dotering man-servant he's portrayed as in the movie.
94
In actuality, he was Temujin's superior by birth, and in time, they developed a rivalry that ended in war.
95
It's honestly an epic story about brothers turning into enemies, and it would make for a damn good film.
96
But instead, Jamika is devoted to serving Temujin for seemingly no reason.
97
I mean he says there's something about Temujin that makes men want to follow him or something, but we never actually see it.
98
In fact it's just the opposite in this movie.
99
The movie portrays Temujin as a complete jackass.
100
He endangers his tribe by recklessly attacking the Merkits in order to steal some woman for himself,
101
and then has the gall to accuse his men of failure in stopping the counter attack.
102
He complains that he is beset by traitors
103
when he himself lied to his benefactor Wang Kahn and tried to trick him into going to war for his own benefit.
104
This is all in complete disregard to the real Temujin, who dedicated himself to protecting his people.
105
Why the hell would anyone want to follow this tool?
106
I'd almost say the movie is trying to criticize Temujin and show that he was a terrible person, if it wasn't for the fact that they show Bortai falling in love with him.
107
From her reaction, we get the sense that there's something to love and admire in Temujin.
108
But her sudden feelings for Temujin come out of nowhere, and are a complete contradiction to how he has treated her throughout the entire film.
109
What exactly is she supposed to love about this guy?
110
The way he hits her?
111
I mean I know as the 50's and women were expected to just swoon when a big tough guy grabs them, but even as the so called conqueror, Temujin is lacking.
112
The first time they make love, it's after Temujin runs away from the enemy, something she mocked her first husband for.
113
He's constantly falling into traps and is completely out of touch with the situation around him.
114
It makes her sudden love for him contradict her character and make no sense.
115
And speaking of making no sense, what the hell is up with that ending?
116
Jamika has been a loyal servant of Temujin the entire movie, and even though Bortai confirms that he's never even thought about betraying Temujin,
117
for some reason he has to die?
118
His reasoning that doubt would creep into Temujin's thoughts makes no sense, as there's no one left for him to betray Temujin to, even if he wanted to.
119
I think the writers were hoping his death would give the ending a sense of sadness, Temujin's victory came at the cost of a friend,
120
but the problem is we aren't invested into this conflict because the character is flat and boring.
121
Instead the scene just serves to confuse the audience and slow the climax down for no reason.
122
Now all of that would be enough to call any movie terrible, but the problems this film has go beyond just what's on the screen.
123
The film also had one of the most unfortunate productions of any movie ever made, and the decision to film there would result in an untold number of deaths.
124
The film was primarily shot near St. George, Utah, which is downwind of the United States nuclear test site in Nevada.
125
In fact only 3 years earlier, 11 nuclear weapons had been tested in the area,
126
which allowed radioactive fallout to be dispersed and carried downwind to the filming site.
127
Of the 220 members of the crew, 91 developed cancer and at least 46 died from it.
128
This included Wayne himself, who developed lung and stomach cancer, eventually dying from the latter.
129
Pedro Armand Rees would end up committing suicide after a terminal diagnosis of cancer in 1963,
130
and Agnes Moorhead, Susan Hayward, and director Dick Powell would all die from cancer as well.
131
Even Wayne's sons, Michael and Patrick, who only visited the set,
132
developed cancer, and a true number of cases is suspected to be even higher than what was reported.
133
The decision to film in St. George was made by the film's producer, the legendary business magnate Howard Hughes.
134
Hughes is an interesting figure, having been both a record setting pilot and one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.
135
He wielded great political and business power and came to be an influential member of Hollywood.
136
He financed many films including the original 1931's Scarface, and later came to control RKO Studios,
137
which gave us King Kong and Citizen Kane.
138
Recluse was known to be an eccentric even in his early days, and suffered from OCD.
139
However, later in his life, his eccentricity turned into madness.
140
He became a recluse, not taking care of himself and rarely being seen in public.
141
While the cause of his decline is impossible to pinpoint, many think that the guilt he felt over the Conqueror was part of it.
142
He spent $12 million buying every copy of the film he could so no one could ever see it, and watched it on repeat over and over again in his personal theater.
143
He often sat in his chair naked, watching the film for weeks on end, not bathing or cutting his hair or nails.
144
When he finally died in 1976, he was so unrecognizable, the FBI had to use fingerprints to confirm it was him.
145
To be fair to Hughes, he didn't know the area was dangerous.
146
When he went to the Atomic Energy Commission, they told him it was perfectly safe, which is also what they told the residents of St. George.
147
However, higher rates of cancer in the area were reported all the way until the 1980s,
148
and Congress would later set up a fund to compensate the victims of the nuclear fallout.
149
When the film debuted, it was a box office bomb, no pun intended.
150
It was met with negative reception, mostly around the casting and a nonsensical story.
151
Wayne would later receive the Golden Turkey Award for his performance, and the film would be included in the 50 worst films of all time.
152
Unlike some of the other films on that list, like Plan 9, there's nothing even funny bad here.
153
Nothing that would bring the film into the so bad it's good category.
154
It's a tragic story, for the characters in the film, for the people who made it, and of course for the people who had to watch it.
155
But the next time you see a crappy movie and think to yourself this is the worst thing ever, just remember, it can get so much worse.
Télécharger l'application
Tout pour parler couramment
Prononciation IAChaque phrase notée
Phonétique (IPA)Maîtrisez chaque son
VocabulaireEnrichissez votre lexique
Jeu de vocabulaireApprenez en jouant
FOR YOU
Vidéo recommandée
C15
67 phrases
The Real Story of the Mongolian Singing Dunes
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
992 phrases
The worst movie I've ever seen **50 SHADES OF GREY**
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
207 phrases
Top 10 Most Epic Movie Scenes of All Time
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
331 phrases
The Deadliest Wars in History
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
147 phrases
Mortal Kombat II Pitch Meeting
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
46 phrases
A Princess Marries a Man Who Refuses to Give Her Any Attention. #foryou #movie #part6
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
231 phrases
The Only Nazi Hitler Feared
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
240 phrases
Mechagodzilla vs Ghidorah | Battle FACE OFF | In-Depth Combat Analysis!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
56 phrases
Kill Bill Volume 1| 2003 | O-Ren Ishii and Tanaka
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
79 phrases
Why These Nuns Cut off Their Noses and Lips
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B24
256 phrases
She Gave Birth to a Dragon | The Mothers Monster | Full Fantasy Movie 4K
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2323 phrases
Best Funny Comedic Danny McBride Movie Scenes
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulaire et conseils d’expression pour cette leçon
Cette leçon d’expression orale de niveau B2 s’appuie sur la vidéo « The Conqueror (1956) - The Objectively Worst Film Ever Made ». Les mots qui reviennent le plus souvent : Temujin, film, movie, Bortai, Tartar. Cette vidéo contient 155 phrases et 2363 mots à répéter en shadowing. La partie parlée dure 15:42. Le locuteur parle à un rythme naturel d’environ 150 mots par minute, proche d’une conversation courante. Seuls 78 % des mots font partie des 3 000 mots les plus courants en anglais, le vocabulaire est donc exigeant.
Vocabulaire clé de cette vidéo
Les 15 mots les plus avancés de la vidéo, avec leur prononciation et leur sens :
| Mot | Prononciation | Sens |
|---|---|---|
| betray verbe | /bɪˈtɹeɪ/ | trahir, livrer |
| shaman nom | /ˈʃɑːmən/ | chamane, chaman |
| conqueror nom | /ˈkɑŋˌkɚ.ɚ/ | conquérant, conquérante |
| cowboy nom | /ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/ | cowboy, cow-boy |
| tent nom | /tɛnt/ | tente, guitoune |
| distrust nom | /dɪsˈtɹʌst/ | défiance, méfiance |
| objectively adverbe | /əbˈd͡ʒɛktɪvli/ | objectivement |
| ambush nom | /ˈæm.bʊʃ/ | embuscade |
| cardboard nom | /ˈkɑɹdˌbɔɹd/ | carton |
| fallout nom | /ˈfɔlˌaʊt/ | retombées |
| accuse verbe | /əˈkjuz/ | accuser |
| conquer verbe | /ˈkɑŋkɚ/ | conquérir |
| madness nom | /ˈmæd.nəs/ | folie |
| warn verbe | /woɹn/ | avertir, alerter |
| servant nom | /ˈsɝvənt/ | domestique, servante |
Les verbes à particule que vous entendrez
| Mot | Prononciation | Sens |
|---|---|---|
| end up verbe | se terminer, se finir | |
| come off verbe | se détacher, se décoller | |
| set up verbe | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | mettre en place, installer |
| take over verbe | reprendre |
La grammaire de cette vidéo
Les structures que le locuteur utilise le plus, avec les mots exacts de la vidéo :
| Structure | Dans la vidéo |
|---|---|
| Voix passive be + participe passé — l’accent est mis sur ce qui arrive, pas sur qui le fait | be said · is ambushed · is sent |
| Present perfect have/has + participe passé — une action passée qui compte encore maintenant | has betrayed · has treated · has been |
| Propositions relatives who / which + proposition — une précision sur une personne ou une chose | Utah, which is · safe, which is · people who made |
Prononciation à surveiller
Le locuteur utilise 10 contractions et formes réduites, comme wasn't, aren't, didn't. Prononcez-les sous leur forme courte, telles que vous les entendez.
- Les sons « sh » et « zh »: shaman /ˈʃɑːmən/, ambush /ˈæm.bʊʃ/, atrocious /əˈtɹoʊ.ʃəs/, brutish /ˈbɹuːt.ɪʃ/, contradiction /ˌkɑːntɹəˈdɪkʃən/
- Mots longs — placez bien l’accent: objectively /əbˈd͡ʒɛktɪvli/, unfortunate /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/, actuality /ˌækt͡ʃuˈælɪti/, benefactor /ˈbɛnəˌfæktɚ/, contradiction /ˌkɑːntɹəˈdɪkʃən/
Les sons difficiles pour les francophones :
- /h/ — il se souffle, il n’est pas muet: horribly /ˈhɔɹəbli/, historically /hɪˈstɔɹɪkli/
- /tʃ/ et /dʒ/ — à ne pas adoucir en « ch » et « j »: objectively /əbˈd͡ʒɛktɪvli/, unfortunate /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/, actuality /ˌækt͡ʃuˈælɪti/, chastise /ˈt͡ʃæstaɪz/, endanger /ɛnˈdeɪnd͡ʒɚ/
- /r/ anglais — langue recourbée, sans frotter la gorge: betray /bɪˈtɹeɪ/, distrust /dɪsˈtɹʌst/, cardboard /ˈkɑɹdˌbɔɹd/, warn /woɹn/, atrocious /əˈtɹoʊ.ʃəs/
Comment s’entraîner avec cette vidéo
- Écoutez la vidéo en entier une fois sans parler et notez les mots que vous ne connaissez pas.
- Commencez à la vitesse 0,75×, répétez phrase par phrase, puis revenez à la vitesse normale quand cela devient facile.
- Enregistrez-vous et comparez avec l’original, en faisant attention à des mots comme betray, shaman, conqueror.
Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?
Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.