US History Films--Line 'em up on Netflix and have fun! - 6 views
started by Kay Bradley on 14 Feb 11
started by Kay Bradley on 14 Feb 11
started by Kay Bradley on 14 Feb 11
started by Kay Bradley on 14 Feb 11
The First List is from John Nesbit, of Phoenix, AZ. http://www.epinions.com/content_1965662340
1. The Crucible (1996) This underrated film based on Arthur Miller's play explores the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1632. Miller actually did quite a bit of research for his play, using trial records as he created the dialogue. Although we'll never know definitively what caused the mass hysteria at Salem, Miller's psychological and sociological study gives as much insight as the historical records. With Miller himself acting as a consultant during the filming, the play remains very true to the spirit that he intended when he penned it in the 1950's as a thinly disguised criticism of McCarthyism. With an excellent cast and location filming on the Massachusetts coast, The Crucible captures the Puritan colonial period better than any other film to date.
2. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) Daniel Day Lewis must be type cast as the American colonial guy (he also stars in The Crucible). But here he heroically represents the idealized American frontiersman in Michael Mann's excellent adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's immortal novel, set during the French and Indian War in upstate New York. Michael Mann's lyrical adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper's novel actually presents a good picture of what the French and Indian War was like, and foreshadows the coming American Revolution. Mann's cinematic landscapes are always pretty to look at, and the battle scenes here are choreographed brutally and as realistically as the romanticized Cooper work can allow.
3. Gone with the Wind (1939) To portray the thinking of the South during the Civil War period, this Clark Gable/Vivian Leigh classic has to be on anyone's historical film list. Give the film credit for holding up over the years-it still packs people into theaters whenever it gets re-released to the big screen (especially in the South). Sure it's smaltzy in parts by today's standards, but Gone with the Wind remains a lot of fun. For historical purposes, the first half of the film stands up much better than the second half, which mostly emphasizes the love story. To give some balance to the Union forces, you could justify showing Glory as well.
4. Little Big Man (1970) Arthur Penn creates a humorous account of the Indian Wars on the Great Plains of 19th century America, but with a serious undertone. Dustin Hofmann's character serves as a narrator who knows the ways of both the Indians and settlers, but the brutal re-creation of the Sand Creek massacre and a later bloody slaughter of women and children confirms who the true human beings are.
Who can forget Old Lodge Skin's observation? ". . . But the white man, they believe EVERYTHING is dead. Stone, earth, animals. And people! Even their own people! If things keep trying to live, white man will rub them out. That is the difference." A surprising choice perhaps, but I really do enjoy Arthur Penn's humorous treatment of the old West here. It's one of the first sensitive treatments of Native Americans that I can recall, at least in a major release. Chief Dan George is priceless as a wise and very human elder. Despite the liberties that the film takes with history, this film did open my eyes more to the injustices suffered by the native people, and inspired me to read more background about that historical period, which led me to live on the Navajo reservation for over 20 years.
5. Grapes of Wrath (1940) John Ford's classic rendition of Steinbeck's novel captures the spirit of the Great Depression and the plight of poor folks of that time better than any film I can think of. The film portrays the courageous Joad family in pursuit of the American dream in the face of adversity-two especially memorable moments occur with Tom's farewell and Ma Joad's "we are the people" speech. Some of the camera shots even look like the published photos coming out of the Dust Bowl from the 1930's.
6. Patton (1970) George C. Scott becomes George S. Patton in this epic war film. You can learn a lot of WWII history through the film (at least the U.S. involvement on the European front), but even better - you can gain insights into the complex and controversial poet warrior himself. For people who wonder whether the film is for hawks or doves, the answer is "yes." Above all, Patton remains a character study.
7. The Right Stuff (1983) There are a number of films that you can use to show the Cold War and demonstrate the paranoia of the 1950's, but why not focus on one of the seminal events of the period-the launch of sputnik, which triggered the Space Race. This film is great for watching whenever you need a lift about what is right and good about the American spirit. It's an incredibly well written and edited film about a turning point in our history when we began to earnestly reach for the stars.
8. Woodstock (1970) The 1960's are a turbulent turning point in American history that must be represented by film. Even though works like Easy Rider and The Graduate capture the spirit of the period, Woodstock has to rank as a singular film to represent the era. This documentary is a well-done film that captures the overall flavor of the 1969 festival, complete with local townspeople reactions and skinny-dipping. There are a number remarkable concert performances preserved forever in our memories-Richie Havens, Joan Baez in the night rain, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone. Just the footage of Hendrix would be worth the price of the video!
Woodstock truly IS a piece of history that defines a moment. Sure, there were a half a million people who attended the rain soaked, muddy event for three days of Peace and Music in upstate New York, but Woodstock enabled the event to live on afterwards and grow into legendary status. What could have been a small footnote in history has been expanded to mark the event with more significance than it may have originally had, and this is largely due to this documentary.
9. Apocalypse Now! (1979) Francis Ford Coppola has constructed the definitive Vietnam movie even though Apocalypse Now isn't just about the war. Coppola's film explores the dark regions of the heart and soul in a well-conceived metaphorical rendition of Conrad's novel that we see through Captain Willard's eyes as he pursues Kurtz and to "terminate" his command "with extreme prejudice!"
There are so many memorable scenes here - skiing on the river, surfing in the midst of chaotic shelling, the massacre in the boat, the bridge scene at night, the Wagnerian operatic huey attack on the village, and others. Who will ever forget Robert Duvall's statement, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning . . . Smelled like. . . victory." While other films about the Vietnam War will become film footnotes in history, Apocalypse Now is destined to be viewed and re-examined for many decades to come. Vietnam may provide the subject matter, but this landmark film reaches far beyond its Southeast Asian boundaries into the universal.
Note: For a more straight-forward accounting for the Vietnam War you may prefer Oliver Stone's autobiographical Platoon, but Stone cannot resist preaching to us in any of his films.
10. All the President's Men (1976) Why cover Watergate when there are so many other choices available? For one thing, Watergate must be regarded as an important turning point in American history-never again will Americans naively regard their political leaders as highly. So, the scandal in a sense destroyed much of our innocence, and pointed out the value of freedom of the press. Another reason is that Pakula's film is an intelligent and finely crafted work. Students will need to take notes to keep up with all the Watergate figures-but so did those of us who attempted to follow the situation as it was happening. Never before did we become as familiar with the White House staff.
The second list is much longer, and you can find an even more extensive list online. Click on the film titles if you are viewing this online, and it will take you to a brief description of the film. This list comes from a group web site called "Teach With Movies." Line 'em up on Netflix and have fun! Source: http://www.teachwithmovies.org/us-history-culture-subject-list.htm
1. Roots Vol. I U.S./1629 - 1750 & Diversity; World/Africa [12+]
2. The Scarlet Letter U.S./1629 - 1750 & Massachusetts; Religions/Christianity; Literature/U.S.
3. Fort Apache U.S./The Frontier and the West & Arizona [8+] (Some Spanish spoken by the Native Americans)
4. High Noon (U.S./The Frontier & the West, 1865 - 1913 and 1945 - 1991 (the Red Scare); Cinema; Literature/Myths of the Western genre; Literary devices: symbol; motif; foil; and expository phase; SEL: Marriage; Leadership; Courage; Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Responsibility; Citizenship) [11+]
5. The Ox-Bow Incident U.S./The Frontier and the West; 1865 - 1913; The Law; & Nevada
6. Amistad U.S./1812 - 1860 & Diversity [14+]
7. All The King's Men U.S./1913 - 1941, Politics & Louisiana; Literature/U.S. [13+]
8. The Color Purple Literature/U.S. & Literary Devices: motif, theme, symbol, characterization; U.S./1865 - 1913, 1913 - 1929; & Diversity/African-American [15+]
9. Inherit the Wind Cinema; U.S./1913 - 1929, 1945 - 1991 & Tennessee [12+]
10. Singing in the Rain (Dr. B's rec, features the story of the creation of the first "talkie," The Jazz Singer).
11. Matewan U.S./1913 - 1929, Diversity & West Virginia; Religions/Christianity [12+]
12. Warm Springs U.S./1913 - 1929 & Georgia; Biography [12+]
13. The Grapes of Wrath U.S./1929 - 1941; Oklahoma & California; Literature/U.S.; [12+]
14. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman U.S./1865 - 1991 & Diversity [10+]
15. Judgment at Nuremberg U.S./1941 - 1945, The Law; World/WW II [10+]
16. The Longest Day U.S./1941 - 1945; World/WW II [10+]
17. Saving Private Ryan Dr. B's recommendation for a movie about D-Day (I have not seen The Longest Day)
18. 12 Angry Men U.S./1945 - 1991 & The Law (due process; jury selection) [11+]
19. All the President's Men U.S./1945 - 1991 & Politics [12+]
20. Baseball: Inning 9. Home: 1970 - 1994 (select from the series) Sports; U.S. History & Culture
21. Breaking Away Sports/Bicycle Racing; U.S./1945 - 1991 & Indiana; [12+]
22. Ghosts of Mississippi U.S./1945 - Present, Diversity, the Law & Mississippi [12+]
23. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner U.S./ 1945 - 1991 & Diversity [10+]
24. High Noon (U.S./The Frontier & the West, 1865 - 1913 and 1945 - 1991 (the Red Scare); Cinema; Literature/Myths of the Western genre; Literary devices: symbol; motif; foil; and expository phase)