Module 4 of Democracy on Film covers The American Woman, both through her eyes and through the eyes of others. Module 4: The American Woman Introductory Lesson: Ways of Seeing WomenChapter 1: Suspense. 1913. — Check out YouTube, as it’s out of print. Where Are My Children on Treasures III: social issues in American film, 1900-1934. […]
Continue readingDemocracy on Film: Civil Rights
Welcome to Module 3 of Democracy on Film, which covers Civil Rights! This small selection does attempt to expand the concept of civil rights outside the African American Civil Rights Movement with the inclusion of Harvey Milk and Smoke Signals, but the struggle for rights and equality in our diverse country is so multifaceted that […]
Continue readingMovies At Random: New Jack City
Today’s random DVD is Mario Van Peebles’ New Jack City (HU DVD 1097). A 1991 action gangster film, Wikipedia makes it sound like there’s some disagreement about just how anti-gangster this film is, and Time Out London called it “a superior example of what used to be called blaxploitation.” The IMDB trivia page on this […]
Continue readingFive Films Featuring…Shaving Cream
Ok, so if you know me at all, you already know what the punchline is going to be. But shaving serves all kinds of purposes in movies. There’s something about the obscuring/revealing in shaving that directors really love. And it’s omnipresent…like, this doesn’t even count all the bathroom cabinets that open to reveal shaving cream, […]
Continue readingDemocracy on Film: The American Laborer
Module 2 of Democracy on Film is called The American Laborer. American identity is highly bound up with the idea of labor, and this selection of films is a great introduction. Module 2: The American Laborer Introductory Lesson: The Common Good Chapter 1: “Black Fury” (1935, d. Michael Curtiz) — Not in the collection…YET!!Chapter 2: […]
Continue readingMovies At Random: Masked Rider The First
Masked Rider The First (HU DVD 11528) has got to be one of the more intriguing things I’ve pulled off the shelf in a while. Like a lot of live action movies based on anime, the plot sounds completely bizarre when you read it. According to Wikipedia, the movie is based on a popular manga that […]
Continue readingFive Films Featuring…Characters Hanging Upside Down
This week, we’re taking a look at five different scenes in which characters hang upside down. I’m sure there’s some bigger philosophical point to be made about inversion as in Alice in Wonderland, about the ways in which hanging upside down represents helplessness–to the ideal of beauty? to a torturer? to love?–for the characters, or […]
Continue readingDemocracy on Film: The Immigrant Experience
Appropriate for a country of immigrants, Module 1 of Democracy on Film focuses on the immigrant experience. Immigrant stories are incredibly diverse, just as immigrant experiences are diverse. We also should make sure, as always, to take a close look at who is telling the immigrant’s story. Module 1: The Immigrant Experience Introductory Lesson: From […]
Continue readingPortraits of America: Democracy on Film
Martin Scorsese, as part of his efforts to bring visual literacy education to middle and high school students, recently put out the list of movies included in “Portraits of America: Democracy on Film.”As described in the announcement: Offered free of charge to elementary and high schools, “Democracy on Film” is made up of eight modules […]
Continue readingMovies At Random: The Iceman Interviews
Pulling this random DVD off the shelf turned into a Wikipedia rabbit hole for me. Today’s highlight is The Iceman Interviews (HU DVD 11721). If you don’t know who Richard Kuklinski is, you can read up on him on Wikipedia. Here’s HBO’s summary: An abused young man. A hair-trigger temper. A trail of dead bodies. […] Renowned […]
Continue reading