CLIP FILM KING RICHARD PRODUCTION: USA 2021, Warner Bros. Pictures DIRECTOR: Reinaldo Marcus Greene CAST: Will Smith (Richard Williams), Aunjanue Ellis (Oracene Brandy Williams), Saniyya Sidney (Venus Williams), Demi Singleton (Serena Williams), Tony Goldwyn (Paul Cohen) SYNOPSIS Richard Williams lives in California with his wife Brandy, his three stepdaughters Tunde, Isha, and Lyndrea, and his two daughters, Venus and Serena. Richard has aspired to turn Venus and Serena into professional tennis players since before they were born. Richard and Brandy coach Venus and Serena every day, while searching for a professional coach for the girls, unsuccessfully. One day, Richard takes the girls to see coach Paul Cohen, who is practising with John McEnroe and Pete Sampras. He agrees to watch the girls play and is impressed by them; he selects Venus, while Serena continues to practice with Brandy. Richard records all of Venus s sessions for Serena, so she can learn. Richard has several disagreements with Paul: he favours an open hitting style, while Paul coaches Venus to play with a closed stance to get more power in her shots. Paul encourages Venus to participate in Junior s tournaments; Richard, fearing that his daughter will be taken advantage of, pulls her out of the Junior circuit. Paul warns him that his decision will destroy the girls chances to turn pro, but Richard stands firm, firing Paul as coach. Richard calls Jennifer Capriati s coach, Rick Macci, to come and see the Williams girl play. Impressed, Macci takes the girls on, and the family moves house to Florida to train at his facility. Venus tells Rick that she wants to turn pro. Richard refuses, worrying that she will have a similar fate to Jennifer Capriati, who is suffering from burnout, so Venus, Brandy, and Rick get angry with him. After an argument with Brandy, he reconciles with Venus, agreeing to let her play in the upcoming Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California. Venus wins her first professional match against Shaun Stafford. She comes in as an underdog in her next match against top seeded Arantxa S nchez Vicario. Venus takes the first set and leads in the second before Vicario takes an extended bathroom break, an apparent act to ice Venus. S nchez Vicario wins the second set and the match. At the end of the match, a large crowd of supporters is waiting to cheer Venus, and several major shoe companies are anxious to meet with her. An epilogue reveals that nine months later, at the age of 15, Venus would sign a contract with Reebok for 12 million dollars. She would go on to become the first African American woman to be ranked number one in the world during the Open Era. Serena would become a 23-time Grand Slam champion and considered by many to be the greatest female player in tennis history. BEFORE WATCHING O 1 R D W S Read the synopsis and write the words which correspond to the de nitions. 1. A building or place which is equipped for a particular purpose. 2. A set of major tennis tournaments. 3. A person doing something as a job rather than as a hobby. 4. Placed in a certain position in a graded system. 5. The way in which someone stands, especially when doing sports. 6. To shout for praise or encouragement. 7. A player or team which is given the highest ranking. 8. A competitor who is thought to have little chance of winning. 38 TO PLAY ............................................................. ............................................................. ............................................................. ............................................................. ............................................................. ............................................................. ............................................................. .............................................................