The Last King of Scotland

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

• I have no idea
• ruthless
• seventies
• creep them out

• has nothing to do with
• by the way
• gathered
• into

• Ugandan

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Forest Whitaker has everyone talking about his incredible performance in The Last King of Scotland. He gained weight and perfected an accent to play the role of Idi Amin, who was the charismatic and cruel President of Uganda from 1971-1979.

Whitaker won both the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Actor for this role. He has been praised for previous roles in other films like Ghost Dog and The Crying Game.

Listen to Kevin and Mason talk about Forest Whitaker and The Last King of Scotland.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Kevin

Mason

Kevin:  Hey, so, last weekend I saw The Last King Of Scotland, which has nothing to do with Scotland, by the way.

Mason:  It has noth… I didn’t know that, thank you. I knew Forest Whitaker was in it.

Kevin:  He’s amazing.

Mason:  Um, he’s done so much stuff.

Kevin:  Yeah.

Mason:  Uh, the last thing I really remember seeing of his was Ghost Dog.

Kevin:  Oh, I hadn’t seen that.

Mason:  It’s a weird little film. But, it’s like, his movie, which I gathered The Last King of Scotland is.

Kevin:  Well, if, if, I mean, if, if you like his films, I think you’d really like it.

Mason:  Uh huh.

Kevin:  And, and I, before I saw it, I had heard a report on National Public Radio about how he was so into his character. I mean, he was, he was Idi Amin...

Mason:  Yeah?

Kevin:  You know, the Ugandan dictator? That when people s…

Mason:  Is that… OK. No, I have no idea.

Kevin:  Yeah, he was a ruthless Ugandan dictator…

Mason:  Hm.

Kevin:  Um, in the seventies. And he was… looked so much like him that people on the street would see him and it would creep them out because they thought he had come back from dead.

Mason:  Oh, wow. So why is it called The Last King of Scotland?

Kevin:  Because, his assistant, the, the medical doctor who becomes his, sort of, confidant is Scottish.

Mason:  OK.

Kevin:  So that’s… that’s what I understand, that’s why it’s called that.

Mason:  That still makes no sense.

Kevin:  Well…

Mason:  But it’s a good movie.

Kevin:  It’s a wonderful movie.

Mason:  OK.

Kevin:  Depressing, but worth a view.

Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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