Spellbound

Rating: 80%

(http://brightwalldarkroom.com)

Also Known As:

Unknown

Year:

2002

Country:

Predominant Genre:

Non-fiction

Director:

Best Performances:

None

Premiss:

Spellbound follows eight teenagers on their quest to win a spelling competition.

Theme:

White culture

Similar (in Plot, Theme or Style) to:

Unknown

Review Format:

DVD

Hothouse Frenzy

Spelling bees only work with non-phonetic languages, like English, since there is also no consistency of spelling with such promiscuous tongues very happy to dip into foreign parts.

Surprising how it is often the easiest words tripping up the best spellers; the obscure ones usually presenting no problems whatsoever. Suspense comes from the difficulty of guessing the winner, since it is the stress of the contest that usually fails them rather than a lack of knowledge and practice. Your heart will go out to these kids as they struggle to spell out a word - when getting it wrong by only one letter loses them US$10,000.

The whole enterprise is worthwhile because knowing the meaning, root and word usage aids victory – it is not just another silly memory test. A subtle refection on the American Dream with some inevitably pushy parents.

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Copyright © 2014 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute this posting in any format; provided mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.