The 1960's Movements in Film

[Lindsey Dowling]

A decade in United States history that I find particularly interesting is the 1960’s. The 1960’s changed the face of America in every aspect, social, political, civil, military, etc. The 1960’s were a departure from the more conservative, social conformists 1950’s. The counterculture led to a change in many United States policies, it was the youth of America responding to what they saw as stifling, outdated leaders. In 1960 John F. Kennedy was elected president. We narrowly escaped a nuclear disaster following the Bay of Pigs and a nuclear stand off with Russia and Cuba. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I have a dream,” speech in 1963. JFK was assassinated in Dallas in November of the same year. 1966 saw the revitalization of the draft for Vietnam. Young men were drafted and shipped out by the thousands. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. The violent, Detroit riots took place in 1967. Both Robert Kennedy and MLK, Jr. were assassinated in 1968. The first man landed on the moon in the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Charles Manson and his followers committed their notorious murders in 1969. These examples are just pieces, short stories surrounding the movements that define the 1960’s.

For music, the British Invasion began the decade. The Beatles emigrated from Liverpool, England and music was never the same. In January of 1969 the Beatles performed an illegal rooftop concert in New York. Their musical styling’s have survived decades and generations. The first movie I chose to represent the 1960s is, “Across the Universe.” The movie follows a cast of characters from the 1965 to 1969. It is a musical depiction of the time period using 33 original scores written by the Beatles. The first clip I have chosen to show from this film is the song “Let it be.” The clip opens with two Military officers bringing a mother a telegram and her son’s dog tags. It continues into the Detroit Riots with a young man hiding scared next to a car. Both plots continue into funeral scenes. This clip pulls at the heartstrings it is an important emotional representation of the times. A second clip I pulled from this movie is to the song, “Strawberry Fields Forever.” This clip shows how intense this decade was at home and abroad. It shows pictures of bombings. It paints a correlation to how the war was affecting so much of the home front. It is a very graphic portrayal so I would only show it to a more advanced group of students.




Another movie that can be analyzed in much the same way is the move, “I’m not there.” This is a lose interpretation of Bob Dylan’s personal story. Bob Dylan was an icon in the counterculture movement. His lyrics inspired the youth of America. The clip used in this movie is of “Bob Dylan” who is portrayed by Cate Blanchett, discussing the reason behind why he jumped into the folk music and the challenges he has faced as a result; John Lennon is also in the car as Bob Dylan is being interviewed.


This clip as well as the clips from Across the Universe use music and musicians to paint us a picture of the challenging time period. When the movies are viewed at full length there are inconsistencies, plot lines that do not connect, they are almost confusing. However, when you pick apart the movies a commonality of music and movements is highlighted. I can take the parts of the movie that I think my students should see or the parts from a movie that I can use in a larger unit plan and build upon those. I think that coloring my lessons with music will help keep my students interested in the lessons. I hope they can also use the music as mnemonic devices to remember the important issues I am pointing out to them. In these movies the main concepts could get lost in the sex, drugs and rock and roll of it all however, there are deeper concerns rooted at the base of these movies that when cultivated can show our students a new 1960’s that they have yet to experience.

[Alice Harmon]

I really enjoyed reading through your work. Your opening paragraph really hooked me into your point and how truley facinating the 1960s were. I like that you used music videos as your first two videos, and your explination of their plot line and effects proved to be very useful. I had never seen the "Let it Be" video, it was very moving. I like that you picked music as your video source, a more original idea, but just as strong as Hollywood films if not more in some cases. Including music in your lesson plans is a great idea, it not only lightens the mood but students often see this as rewarding (lets be honest- who doesn't like the Beatles). You did a great job, I really liked reading through your interpretation.

[Jonathan S. List]

This post is really cool man... It's got like a vibe to it, ya know? :-)

I really like how you select the clips that bring to light the feelings and interactions from the time periods. People are rebelling against things and sometimes fall prey to being rebellious and forgetting why they are rebellious. The clip from "I'm not There" really brings out that kind of attitude that existed.