History Film Analysis-Assignment #1 Solution

History Film Analysis

For this assignment, pick a film to analyze. The film can be a documentary, feature film, television mini-series, or television show, but I very much prefer you to analyze a feature film. The TSTC Learning Resource Center provides access to a film and cinema database: https://video-alexanderstreet-com.libproxy.tstc.edu/, where you can find numerous films, movies, and documentaries to choose from, all free of charge. You must check with me to get approval for any movie from this service.

Here are some non-feature movie possibilities. The film must fit within the time from of our class (pre-Colonial through Reconstruction).

The Colonial Period

The Last of the Mohicans (1920) (1936) (1977) (1992)

The Scarlet Letter (1926) (1934) (1979) (1995)

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)

Northwest Passage (1940)

The Courageous Mr. Penn (1941)

Knickerbocker Holiday (1944)

Unconquered (1947)

Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952)

The Plymouth Adventure (1952)

Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953)

Mohawk (1956)

Mayflower: The Pilgrims’ Adventure (1979)

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) — YT

The Broken Chain (1994)

Pocahontas: The Legend (1995)

Pocahontas (1995)

The Crucible (1996)

Salem Witch Trials (2003)

The New World (2005)

First Landing (2007)

The Witch (2015)

Overall instructions:

One of the most important differences between a high school history class and a college history class is the concept of “thinking like a historian.” That means that you do not take things at face value, but look for biases and unspoken assumptions. These might be obvious or subtle, but you must uncover hidden agendas to understand any media you consume—be it the internet, movies, TV, video games or news.

While most people watch movies for entertainment, it has become one of the most common methods for Americans to consume “history.”  In this assignment we’re going to move beyond watching a movie for simple entertainment, and analyze what the movie is actually relaying to its viewers.  Many people think that historical movies, or movies that cover a specific event in history, are created to purely reflect the historical event.  As we’ll see in this exercise, however, movies are actually more reflective of the time in which they are created, rather than the time they portray.

In this assignment, start by picking a film from the approved list and watching it carefully.  You will not be able to rely on your memory of the film, so be sure to choose a film that you have easy access to viewing.  It is strongly encouraged that you take notes while you are watching the film so that you can fully answer the questions below.  You will upload your final analysis to the TurnItIn assignment area in Moodle.  Please note: you can use sources other than the movie to complete your analysis, but they should be properly cited along with the correct citation for the film itself.

Format:

Font size: 11 pt. or 12 pt. Font

Font style: pick one easily readable font (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, New Courier), not a handwriting style or ornate font

Margins: top and bottom margins of 1”; right and left margins of 1.25”

Line spacing: 1.5 or 2.0

Utilize the CMS Citation Method

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Your “History Film Analysis” should fully answer the following questions:

Synopsis: Things that influenced the making of the movie. Research the director and find any interviews they’ve participated in about the film.  Remember to cite the information you find.

Who wrote the screenplay? Did they adapt it from a book, a play or did they create it themselves?

Did the director consult historical documents or archives? Did they hire historians to consult for the film? If so, what did the historical research and/or historians do for the film?

Did the era in which the film was produced impact the way it portrayed history?  For example, if it is a movie about war, were they trying to instill or glorify patriotism and duty or were they trying to show the futility and horror of war? Or something else all together?

What was the director’s approach to portraying history? If you can’t find any articles or interviews that describe how they wanted to portray history, try your best to answer the question as a viewer.

Review the director’s past movies. Do they give any indications of a bias in their work—a tendency to portray history in a particular manner?

Historicity: Put the movie under a historian’s microscope. Be specific.  Research commentaries about the film, as well as reviews about its historical nature.  Give particular attention to the views of historians. Remember to cite the information you find.

Provide two examples of history that the film portrayed accurately.

Provide two examples of history that the film portrayed inaccurately.

What might have caused the movie’s historical inaccuracies?

Biases: Bias is a particular perspective or viewpoint.  It is not wrong to have bias; it does not mean that the film is necessarily inaccurate.  What is important is that we realize how biases are represented in the films we consume.  It is also important to realize that just because you agree with the point of a movie, or are a fan of the individual (or actor portraying an individual) represented in the film, that does not mean that the movie does not contain an agenda or bias.

Many major motion pictures create heroes and villains through the plot line.  Do you feel that the movie makers created historical inaccuracies by deeming characters as heroes or villains?  If so, describe how.  Was there an agenda in characterizing a group of people or individuals as heroes or villains?

Is there any spoken or unspoken biases in the film? If so, describe. Think about the directors’ or writers’ background and how that might impact the ways that the historical figures in the movie are created, how their culture is portrayed, and how their stories are written.

Almost every movie attempts to impact peoples understanding of something like the past, the present, or future, about society, politics, war, gender, race, etc. This is generally unspoken and similar to the ‘moral of the story’ or an underlying lesson the audience may learn. Do you see any hidden agendas in the film? If so, describe.

Cinematic Techniques: How the director makes you feel during the film, and how it influences our understanding of the film’s historical accuracy.

Is the film shot in black and white or color?

How does the filmmaker use lighting to convey a mood or to make a symbolic point?

How is one set of images juxtaposed (set next to each other or back-to-back) with another to create an impression?

What kind of camera angles are used and why?

What kind of music is used in the movie’s soundtrack? Was it composed specifically for the film, or are classical or popular pieces used?

Historical Value:  Rate the movie—twice!

First, rate the entertainment value on a scale of 1 to 5 stars (1 being the lowest and 5 the highest), with an explanation of your entertainment rating.

Second, rate the film for its historical value on a scale of 1 to 5 stars (1 being the lowest and 5 the highest).  Realize that many movies are entirely fictional but may carry considerable historical value if they portray a period realistically or tell a larger truth with their story.