13 replies to this topic

[Jenjane]

Hi
I am trying to collate a list of films and suitable books for the topics that we teach at GCSE I can reccommend to my students. We are going to do this as a sort of half termly homework/project as well as weekly tasks (most weekly homeworks are currently exam qs and they don't realistically take that long), We currently do something similar with reading a piece of Historical fiction for KS3 and I thought it would be useful to continue this into GCSE. We've also had the idea that we can use them to relate to the skill of the paper being studied in class eg for the film they might watch when doing the source paper we will get them to answet reliability and utility questions, and when it's a factual reacall paper: what's left out / how accurate / what are the causes of etc.

Our topics are: USA 1919-41, USA The Divided Union? 1945-70, Crime punishment and Policing (we focus on Victorian policing) for the CA and the Cold War.

I have read the thread from this forum on 1920s/30s films and have lots of fab examples, but are there any other classics that people would suggest for the other time periods?
Thanks
Jane

[Mark H.]

For the Cold War I would recommend '13 Days' about the Cuban Missile Crisis (50th anniversary this October). It's a long film but in my view one of the best (and generally most accurate) 'historicals' ever made. Contrary to popular belief Kevin Costner does not play JFK! He portrays his aide, Kenny O'Donnell. JFK is played, very well, by the Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood, and the rest of the cast, especially the actors who appear as Bobby Kennedy and Robert McNamara, are excellent.

Edited by Mark H., 15 June 2012 - 06:02 PM.

[caldwell]

13 days is good. Also K19 is good as it reflects the tensions of the cold war for the Russians as well, and is also based on a true story.

(My kids really enjoy Forrest Gump as a 'holiday treat movie' it does put a lot of events into an accessible format!)

Born on the 4th of July and the deer hunter are also films I mention that the kids could watch outside of school.

We also showed 'The Help' to our third years for civil rights , I don't know where it would fit in a GCSE course. But it went down EXTREMELY well with mixed groups.(both sex and interest and ability) some speech is hard to discern, but .......
In fact the children asked some teachers could they see it having heard from their peers in other classes what it was.

[Jenjane]

Hi
thanks, we are currently showing the Help to the year 10s and they are loving it (and a few have gone and read the book), we were struggling to think of a film that might show the womens' movement? (something we struggle with a bit as it is literaly the last topic for this unit so perhaps would benefit from a film).
13 days and K19 sound good too, especially if it has the Soviet perspective. I also read Paul Dowswell's Sektion 20 (aimed at teens) about an escape from East to West (also with an Eastern perspective), but was wondering if there was anything a bit more 'grown up' for the more able. I think The Spy that came in from the Cold might be good, but again it concentrates on Berlin, some other topics might be nice.
Jane

[Mark H.]

The main criticism of '13 Days' is that it only covers the American angle. Get hold of Andrew Chater's BBC Education series 'The Cold War' which tries to redress the balnce and has episodes on the Cuban Crisis from the viewpoint of Soviet citizens, Gary Powers and the U2, Hungary 1956 and the end of the Cold War seen through the eyes of a Soviet submarine crew.

Edited by Mark H., 17 June 2012 - 06:40 PM.

[Allen]

Eyes on the Prize is a brilliant documentary about Civil Rights:

http://www.amazon.co...C/dp/B0031WNYHK

There's also some good scenes from The Rosa Parkes Story that I use (including one of a white man letting his dog drink from the 'coloured' water fountains)

http://www.amazon.co...28&sr=1-1-spell

The courtroom scene from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is good to show how it was impossible for African Americans to get a fair trial.

For Prohibition there's 'The Untouchables' with Kevin Costner

And this documentary on the US is really basic but the kids like it:

http://www.amazon.co...41059850&sr=1-4

[RachL]

I have shown an episode from Quantum Leap - S1 "The Colour of Truth" - as an intro to Civil RIghts. The idea of a white man from the 1980s/90s becoming a Black man in the Deep South in the 1950s and dealing with the colour bar (of which he is unaware in the beginning) was something that entranced some of our students. Its only 50 mins long too There are a few episodes dealing with this issue - "So Help Me God" in s2, "Black and White on Fire" S3, which in set in the period of the Watts Riots and Justice in S4.

There are others which deal with the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and even one set in the Civil War. There is a 2 parter where Sam 'leaps' into Lee Harvey Oswald (but I find that one a bit creepy!!)

If you are not familiar with QL it sounds a bit weird, but it seemed to work for my students I think the idea of Sam being 'a fish out of water' and nearly everything having to be explained/put into context helped

[Mark H.]

As I'm the king of useless trivia I ought to point out that in the Lee Harvey Oswald episode, Sam (in Oswald's body) briefly meets an actor playing 'Sergeant Belisario'. This character represents 'Quantum Leap' creator Donald Belisario who supposedly encountered the real Oswald in the circumstances depicted.

Edited by Mark H., 01 July 2012 - 07:06 AM.

[RachL]

Yay!! Another QL'er!!

[SheffHist]

http://davemartin46....gory/post-1945/

This might help. You seem to have already tried Sektion 20, but it does have other suggestions for different periods too....

[Jenjane]

Thanks, I think that QL will really appeal to our students, they love things like Roots and North and South forthe American Civil War.
Jane

[Lou Phillips]

^{I remember that Quantum Leap story! Although being a bit of a conspiracy theorist about the JFK assassination I rememember being disappointed that it seemed to point squarely at Oswald. I was also disappointed SPOILER ALERT that he jumped out of Oswald at the end and became the bodyguard who saved Jackie instead. Is that right? Used to love Quantum Leap. Only see the end of it occassionally now as its on ITV4 before the Tour de France highlights I think!!}

[Mark H.]

One of the books I plan to read over the summer is the Stephen King novel '11.22.63' about the man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination-very 'Quantum Leap'! Incidentally I have been to the excellent museum in the old Texas School Book Depository in Dallas and crouched in the recreated Oswald sniper position on the 6th floor. I am not the world's greatest shot by any means but I could have hit JFK from there, considering the distance and speed the presidential car was moving. Oswald of course was a trained US Marine marksman.

Edited by Mark H., 10 July 2012 - 07:18 PM.

[Geoff Thomas]

Probably not do good for school use (?), but if you do show this episode of QL, why not give them the Red Dwarf version afterwards.