Tag: democracy on film

Democracy on Film: The American Woman

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 reading “Democracy on Film: The American Woman”

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 Women
Chapter 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. Program 2, New women. 1916. d. Lois Weber. — DVD 5439
  • Dance, Girl, Dance. 1940. — DVD 5487

Chapter 2
Imitation of Life. 1934. — DVD 1061

Chapter 3
Woman of the Year. 1942. — DVD 8511

Chapter 4
Alien. 1979. — Streaming video

Chapter 5
The Age of Innocence. 1993. — DVD 1371

We also recommend Waiting to Exhale (DVD 2276), His Girl Friday (DVD 1341), Thelma and Louise (DVD 1169), Tiny Furniture (DVD 9713), and Hidden Figures (DVD 13951). I was curious, so I googled “Films with no women,” and–I admit this should have been obvious–they’re mostly big prison, ship, and army films. I wasn’t able to find any without men, though.

There are so many interesting American female characters that it’s hard to isolate just a few. Let us know if you have a particularly interesting example!

You can now find the full list of Democracy on Film in our LibGuide. Check back for additional recommendations.

Democracy 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 reading “Democracy 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 no cinematic introduction could do it justice.

Module 3: Civil Rights

Introductory Lesson: The Camera as Witness

Chapter 1: King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis. 1970. Streaming video
http://proxyau.wrlc.org/login?url=http://american.kanopystreaming.com/node/114212
Chapter 2: Intruder in the Dust. 1949. DVD 8854
Chapter 3: The Times of Harvey Milk. 1984.  DVD 1267
Chapter 4: Smoke Signals. 1998. DVD 1657

We also suggest Eyes on the Prize (DVD 2301 – 2307), a 14 part documentary series about the African American civil rights movement. Spike Lee’s Malcolm X (DVD 165) is worth seeing, as is Selma (DVD 12221). We do have a campus use only copy of American Revolutionary : The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, but I wasn’t able to find very many great movies about Asian American or Hawaiian American civil rights issues. Any suggestions out there?

You can now find the full list of Democracy on Film in our LibGuide. Check back for additional recommendations.

Democracy 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 reading “Democracy 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: “Harlan County U.S.A.” (1976, d. Barbara Kopple) — DVD 2032
Chapter 3: “At the River I Stand” (1993, d. David Appleby, Allison Graham and Steven Ross) —  Streaming Video
Chapter 4: “Salt of the Earth” (1954, d. Herbert J. Biberman) — HU DVD 5560
Chapter 5: “Norma Rae” (1979, d. Martin Ritt) — HU DVD 440

I’m kind of surprised that On The Waterfront (HU DVD 7750) didn’t make this list. But, for further study, we recommend Matewan (DVD 1651), a film about the Battle of Matewan. We also recommend Native Land (DVD 10448), a 1942 documentary film about labor organizing featuring Paul Robeson. Unfortunately, it looks like we don’t have a filmed version of the Lynn Nottage play Sweat (PS3564.O795 S94 2017) which won the Pulitzer for Drama. But we do have, for a portrait of the alienation of the American laboror in today’s workforce, the truly classic Office Space (DVD 2344).

You can now find the full list of Democracy on Film in our LibGuide. Check back for additional recommendations.

Democracy 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 reading “Democracy 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 Penny Claptrap to Movie Palaces—the First Three Decades

Chapter 1: “The Immigrant” (1917, d. Charlie Chaplin) — HU DVD 8502
Chapter 2: “The Godfather, Part II” (1974, d. Francis Ford Coppola) — HU DVD 2542
Chapter 3: “America, America” (1963, d. Elia Kazan) — HU DVD 7756
Chapter 4: “El Norte” (1983, d. Gregory Nava) — HU DVD 10144
Chapter 5: “The Namesake” (2006, d. Mira Nair) — HU DVD 3499

For additional films outside the American context, check out this list from BFI: 10 great films about immigration and migrant experience
Martin Scorsese’s own Gangs of New York (HU DVD 590) is definitely a film I’d add to this list. Dancer in the Dark (HU DVD 285) is an incredible movie that highlights the exploitation of immigrants. For an offbeat pick, I’m actually going to pick DVD 14853, The Last Command, which is the story of an exile working as a film extra. It highlights his relationship to his country using film/storytelling in a really interesting way.

Portraits 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 reading “Portraits 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 addressing different aspects of the democratic experience, including immigration, labor, civil rights and the press. Within each module, scholars, educators and filmmakers examine movies that reflect American democratic ideals.

For any educators out there, each module of the film list looks like it includes additional curriculum materials. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting each module, and offering some supplementary resources from our collection.

We’re big fans of starting media literacy young, and this is a great program for kids. It’s also a wonderful resource for adults seeking guided/thematic viewing. We look forward to exploring these titles with you!