Connecting to the Future
Someone get the popcorn...
The excitement use to be palpable in the room when the class realized we were going to watch a movie instead of needing to sit there taking notes. A movie would seem like several periods, sometimes, of material that was not going to be tested so who needed to pay attention. If it was a “good movie” most of the time you would peak the interests of some of the students and they would see the message in the film. Though most of the time as a student I enjoyed watching a film as a break from some mundane lectures, I can now reflect back on what my teachers were trying to accomplish. I can now see that most of the movies that I was shown in high school were more than just something to fill time or give the sub something to do.
A film that has been done well can transport a view back in to history and allow you to relate to and grow attached to the characters; this is no different if you are watching it in the theater or sitting in class. This allows the viewer or student to feel empathy for the characters and their situations. Students then can relate to these people and events on a more personal level that no text book will ever create. I have never come across a text book that even comes close to evoking the experience I had the first time I watched the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. I have read about the D-Day invasion in a thousand different books but few can compare to the impact of the film. Films allow you the take in the sights and the sounds that reading cannot accomplish.
Why the use of film is an important tool in teaching I think it is important to remember that Hollywood has created these movies to make money. For the basis of plot and budget writers and directors take liberty with history to make a better film. I think that it is important for teachers to discuss this with students before they see a film. There are few movies that were made where getting all of the history correct was more important than creating a blockbuster or staying on budget. This is something to think of when selecting a film to show in class or when looking at it in a historical content.
Being an open history geek I have seen a lot of films about various topics in history so I thought that I would include a list of my top ten favorite and least favorite… (enjoy!)
Favorite
1. Saving Private Ryan
2. Schindler’s List
3. Amistad
4. Apollo 13
5. Cinderella Man
6. Remember the Titans
7. Midway
8. Band of Brothers
9. To Kill a Mocking Bird
10. The Untouchables
Least Favorite
1. Pearl Harbor
2. Pocahontas
3. Titanic
4. Troy
5. The Patriot
6. 1776
7. A Knight’s Tale
8. JFK
9. Shakespeare in Love
10. 300
A film that has been done well can transport a view back in to history and allow you to relate to and grow attached to the characters; this is no different if you are watching it in the theater or sitting in class. This allows the viewer or student to feel empathy for the characters and their situations. Students then can relate to these people and events on a more personal level that no text book will ever create. I have never come across a text book that even comes close to evoking the experience I had the first time I watched the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. I have read about the D-Day invasion in a thousand different books but few can compare to the impact of the film. Films allow you the take in the sights and the sounds that reading cannot accomplish.
Why the use of film is an important tool in teaching I think it is important to remember that Hollywood has created these movies to make money. For the basis of plot and budget writers and directors take liberty with history to make a better film. I think that it is important for teachers to discuss this with students before they see a film. There are few movies that were made where getting all of the history correct was more important than creating a blockbuster or staying on budget. This is something to think of when selecting a film to show in class or when looking at it in a historical content.
Being an open history geek I have seen a lot of films about various topics in history so I thought that I would include a list of my top ten favorite and least favorite… (enjoy!)
Favorite
1. Saving Private Ryan
2. Schindler’s List
3. Amistad
4. Apollo 13
5. Cinderella Man
6. Remember the Titans
7. Midway
8. Band of Brothers
9. To Kill a Mocking Bird
10. The Untouchables
Least Favorite
1. Pearl Harbor
2. Pocahontas
3. Titanic
4. Troy
5. The Patriot
6. 1776
7. A Knight’s Tale
8. JFK
9. Shakespeare in Love
10. 300
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