Teachers might find it appropriate to require students to write a review on a movie that deals with a historical topic. Below are suggestions for the requirements for such an assignment. The analytical review can vary in length.
The purpose of this assignment is to help students understand the role of history in films and to determine whether or not a topic and period is accurately represented. Furthermore, movies afford students an opportunity to visualize particular eras and people.
In the course of your review, make sure that you include the following information:
- Movie title; year movie made; main characters
- Historical period covered (Revolutionary War; 19th century)
- A brief description of the historical period such as basic facts or realities of the time (you can use your textbook as well as other books to answer this)
- Analysis:
- What historical perceptions are being presented? Are they accurate? Are the facts accurate?
- If you did not have any background on the topic, would you have been left with a false impression about the time period?
- Does the film provide you with a better historical understanding of the topic?
- Did seeing the particular era represented help you to comprehend the significance and realities of the period?
- How did the movie contribute to your understanding of the events depicted? If it is fiction, how did it add to your understanding of the time period?
- How could the movie have been improved?
- How do you rate the film? On a scale of one to four flags (four being the highest), what do you give to this film? Would you recommend it to others?
Your review should include a cover page with the name of the movie you reviewed, your name, and class. Also include a bibliography of sources consulted for background information about the time period. Follow the format below for citing books:
Berkin, Carol, Christopher L. Miller, Robert W. Cherny, and James L. Gormly. Making America: A History of the United States. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1995.
