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“It Is As It Was”: Feature Film in the History Classroom

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“It Is As It Was”: Feature Film in the History Classroom “It Is as It Was”: Feature Film in the History Classroom ALAN S. MARCUS t is as it was,” declared Pope If films are not perfect representations of the Normandy invasion or Steven Spiel- “I John Paul II after previewing of the past, then how can and should we berg’s Saving Private Ryan? . We The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s interpret their images and messages? should acknowledge film and television as the great history educators of our time. controversial film about the last hours of How might teachers talk about or show (Weinstein 2001, 27) Christ that was released on February 25, historically based films during lessons 2004. At least that is what was reported in a way that promotes students’ histor- Interpreting Hollywood’s version of by Steve McEveety, Gibson’s producer. ical understanding? In this article, I history in the classroom is more impor- Several days later, a Vatican spokesper- write about more than simply using film tant than ever. Outside the classroom, son denied the authenticity of the Pope’s as a pedagogical tool, which we accept students are consuming large volumes statement, fueling the controversy as a given, and focus on exploring more of feature films, many of which contain already gripping the film. Maybe only deeply what it means to interpret historical themes or are based in history. the Pope’s boss knows what the Pontiff inevitably inaccurate film portrayals in In addition, films have great potential to really thought, but his specific views are a way that promotes, rather than dimin- motivate and engage students with his- not what caught my attention; it was the ishes, historical understanding. torical content and present alternative notion behind the unsubstantiated In the following sections, I examine perspectives. However, at the same remark. Can any film, or any historical previous conceptions of the relevance of time, students may need additional scaf- representation, be “as it was”? The Hollywood film in high school, consid- folding to be able to view and examine answer for most historians is no, and er what recent researchers tell us about films as historical documents. Gibson has come under attack for say- Hollywood film and students’ historical Researchers indicate that students ing the film is “just the way it hap- understanding, and offer specific sug- have access to and view significant pened” (Lampman 2004), and for deny- gestions for how to use films to promote quantities of mass media, averaging ing the creative leaps necessary to tell students’ historical understanding. I use over three hours a day of television and any historical narrative in which docu- the topic of World War II as a context. videos (Kaiser Family Foundation mentation is sketchy, as detailed in the 1999). Students spend more time watch- Los Angeles Times (Shapiro 2004). Hol- ing television than doing anything The Relevance of Hollywood Film lywood films based in history are except sleeping (Avery et al., quoted in in High School inevitably a blend of historical record, Horgen, Choate, and Brownell 2001), fiction, and a filmmaker’s perspective. and teenagers, who are only 16 percent Today’s classroom is less than ever insu- of the total population, are 26 percent of ALAN S. MARCUS is an assistant professor lated from the cultural environment, and the movie viewers in the theater (Rauzi we cannot ignore the pervasiveness of of curriculum and instruction at the Neag 1998, quoted in Strasburger 2001). School of Education at the University of electronic mass media. Think about which Connecticut in Storrs. has made a greater impression on the mass Many of the films students encounter consciousness, myriad scholarly studies contain historical themes or are based in THE SOCIAL STUDIES MARCH/APRIL 2005 61 history, and those films become a com- example, students may have a difficult creative ideas for incorporating films mon source of historical knowledge time separating reality from storyline in into classroom practice (Briley 2002; (Davis 2000). In one recent study (Mar- a film like Forrest Gump, which merges Feinberg and Totten 1995; Goldstein cus 2003), I found that a majority of documentary footage with fictional cre- 1995; Johnson and Vargas 1994; Mason high school students had seen histori- ations, or in a film like JFK, which is 2000; Weinstein 2001). An article in cally based films, among them Forrest based on real-life events but told The Social Studies explored how the Gump (86 percent of the students in the through the director’s point of view. film JFK affected the learning and criti- study), Apollo 13 (80 percent), Saving The Passion and Fahrenheit 9/11, cal thinking of college students (Sturma Private Ryan (75 percent), Pearl Har- Michael Moore’s latest documentary, and MacCallum 2000). There is also an bor (61 percent), and Glory (55 per- offer more recent examples of the impor- established set of writings in which the cent). In addition, since 1986, thirteen tance of historical film literacy. Even if authors discuss films as historical repre- of the eighteen Academy Award win- those films are not viewed in class, teach- sentations (Rollins 2004; Toplin 1996; ners for best film either depict a specif- ers can enhance the way students exam- Rosenstone 1995; Davis 2000; Carnes ic historical event or are strongly based ine film as evidence of history by seizing 1996; Justice 2003). Yet, relatively little in history. Those winners include on issues such as the following: has been written about film as a means Dances with Wolves (1990 best picture The films’ creation (The Passion was of promoting historical understanding, winner), Schindler’s List (1993), Forrest personally funded by Gibson) and there is insufficient empirical Gump (1994), Titanic (1997), and Glad- The films’ distribution (no major film knowledge about the connections iator (2000). distributor would distribute The Passion between teachers’ use of film in high Hollywood films may tender opportu- and Disney refused to release Fahren- school classrooms and students’ histori- nities to develop students’ historical heit 9/11 because the company opposed cal understanding. understanding, including, but not limited the content of the film) Weinburg (2001) suggests that fea- to, interpretation of evidence, increased The films’ content (many Jewish ture films play a role in how students historical empathy, exploration of histor- leaders are concerned about The Pas- learn and think about historical events, ical perspective, and connecting the past sion’s fueling anti-Semitism, and contributing to what he calls collective to the present and to one’s own life. Fahrenheit 9/11 is extremely critical of memory. For example, student partici- Films can serve as evidence of the past, President Bush and the war in Iraq) pants in his research (analyses of over what Seixas (1996) calls traces and The film director’s mission (Gibson 150 formal interviews with students, accounts, and become documents that was quoted as saying, “I hope the film parents, and teachers; 130 hours of students analyze and interpret. By apply- has the power to evangelize” [Goodstan classroom observation; and 2,000 pages ing films as a tool of historical inquiry, 2004], whereas Moore’s political views of written documents) often referenced teachers provide students with engaging in his film are overt) the film Forrest Gump when discussing primary and secondary sources that con- How the film is received by the pub- the Vietnam War. He found that for nect to their lives and offer unique per- lic (The Passion and Fahrenheit 9/11 many high school students and their spectives and interpretations of historical were enormous financial successes, parents, the film was a common point of events and themes. The power of films’ seen by millions) reference in discussions about the Viet- visual medium coupled with their narra- An exploration or critique of the nam War. Wineburg advocates that tive core open the door for students, with films’ narrative and portrayal of historic rather than ignoring films as a source of guidance, to cultivate a mature sense of events history, “we might try instead to under- historical empathy. Finally, watching stand how these forces shape historical films and examining the circumstances Although public school teachers may consciousness, and how they might be around their creation, public reception, encounter legal, administrative, or used, rather than spurned or, worse, and historical context may promote stu- parental obstacles to showing these films simply ignored, to advance students’ dents’ historical thinking and awareness in class, ignoring the films’ existence as historical understanding” (Weinburg of historical perspective. cultural events and lightning rods for 2001, 250). Using film in the classroom allows controversy would be akin to disregard- In a recent study (Marcus 2003), I teachers to build on students’ out-of- ing the presidential election that concur- examined students’ beliefs concerning school experiences with film. However, rently dominated the airwaves and print historical sources of information and the the power of film to develop historical media over the past year. way that students use various in-class understanding is lost unless teachers historical sources to construct and inter- Hollywood Film and Students’ cultivate students’ ability to interpret pret history. Data collection was con- Historical Understanding film, which we might call their histori- ducted in four United States history cal film literacy. Without historical film The suggestion of using Hollywood classrooms at the same high school, two literacy skills, students may accept films film to teach history is not new. Numer- classrooms of one teacher and two class- at face value, believing that the images ous articles in social studies and history rooms of a second teacher. The research and dialogue are historical fact. For journals contain critiques of films and in the four classrooms took place during 62 MARCH/APRIL 2005 THE SOCIAL STUDIES study of a unit on World War II (WWII).
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