Overall instructions:
One of the most important differences between a high school history class and a college history
class is the concept of “thinking like a historian.” That means that you do not take things at face
value, but look for biases and unspoken assumptions. These might be obvious or subtle, but
you must uncover hidden agendas to understand any media you consume—be it the internet,
movies, TV, video games or news.
While most people watch movies for entertainment, it has become one of the most common
methods for Americans to consume “history.” In this assignment we’re going to move beyond
watching a movie for simple entertainment, and analyze what the movie is actually relaying to its
viewers. Many people think that historical movies, or movies that cover a specific event in
history, are created to purely reflect the historical event. As we’ll see in this exercise, however,
movies are actually more reflective of the time in which they are created, rather than the time
they portray.
In this assignment, start by picking a film from the approved list and watching it carefully. You
will not be able to rely on your memory of the film, so be sure to choose a film that you have
easy access to viewing. It is strongly encouraged that you take notes while you are watching
the film so that you can fully answer the questions below. You will upload your final analysis to
the TurnItIn assignment area in Moodle. Please note: you can use sources other than the
movie to complete your analysis, but they should be properly cited along with the correct citation
for the film itself.
Format:
● Font size: 11 pt. or 12 pt. Font
● Font style: pick one easily readable font (Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, New
Courier), not a handwriting style or ornate font
● Margins: top and bottom margins of 1”; right and left margins of 1.25”
● Line spacing: 1.5 or 2.0
● Utilize the CMS Citation Method
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Your “History Film Analysis” should fully answer the following questions:
Synopsis: Things that influenced the making of the movie.
● Who wrote the screenplay? Did they adapt it from a book, a play or did they create it
themselves?
● What roles did historians play in making the movie?
● Did the era in which the film was made impact the way it portrayed history? For example,
if it is a movie about war, were they trying to instill or glorify patriotism and duty or were
they trying to show the futility and horror of war? Or something else all together?
● What was the director’s approach to portraying history?
