Grade 12 Cinema as a Witness to Modern History A Foundation for Implementation G RADE 1 2 C INEMA AS A W ITNESS TO M ODERN H ISTORY A Foundation for Implementation 2015 Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning Cataloguing in Publication Data Grade 12 cinema as a witness to modern history : a foundation for implementation Includes bibliographical references. ISBN: 978-0-7711-6245-9 (pdf) 1. History in motion pictures—Study and teaching (Secondary). 2. History, Modern—20th century—Study and teaching (Secondary). 3. Media literacy—Study and teaching (Secondary). 4. Motion pictures—History and criticism—Study and teaching (Secondary). 5. History in motion pictures—Study and teaching (Secondary)—Manitoba. 6. History in motion pictures—Curricula. I. Manitoba. Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning. 791.4365807 Copyright © 2015, the Government of Manitoba, represented by the Minister of Education and Advanced Learning. Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning School Programs Division Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Every effort has been made to acknowledge original sources and to comply with copyright law. If cases are identified where this has not been done, please notify Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning. Errors or omissions will be corrected in a future edition. Sincere thanks to the authors, artists, and publishers who allowed their original material to be used. All images found in this resource are copyright protected and should not be extracted, accessed, or reproduced for any purpose other than for their intended educational use in this resource. Any websites referenced in this resource are subject to change without notice. Educators are advised to preview and evaluate websites and online resources before recommending them for student use. Print copies of this resource (stock number 80697) can be purchased from the Manitoba Learning Resource Centre (formerly the Manitoba Text Book Bureau). Order online at <www.mtbb.mb.ca>. This resource is available on the Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning website at <www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/socstud>. Websites are subject to change without notice. Disponible en français. Available in alternate formats upon request. C ONTENTS Acknowledgements v Grade 12 Cinema as a Witness to Modern History 1 Course Overview 1 Cinema as a Witness to History and a Product of History 4 Pedagogical Foundations and Approach 7 Guidelines for Film Selection for This Course 16 Critical Media Literacy 26 Glossary of Film Terms 47 Cinema Timeline 55 Getting Started: A Survey of Our Movie-Watching Habits 65 History and Cinema 68 Should Cinema Be Used to Teach History? 72 How Can Cinema Be Used to Teach History? 74 Historical Thinking 87 Suggested Assessment Guidelines for the Course 89 Using Film as an Instructional Tool 97 Course Planning and Design 102 Planning Film Viewing: Optimal Screening Conditions 104 General Note-Taking Grid for Film Viewing 108 Note-Taking Guide for a Historical Documentary Film 110 Course Planning and Design 111 Suggested Guidelines for the Film Screening Journal 113 Suggested Historical Topics 115 Cinema as a Witness to Modern History Filmography—Recommended Study Films 117 Appendices 131 Doctor Strangelove 133 Persepolis 141 Manufactured Landscapes 147 The Necessities of Life 155 Metropolis 161 The Lives of Others 167 The Great Dictator 175 Life is Beautiful (La vita ès bella) 185 Kandahar 193 Bibliography 201 A C KNOWLEDGEMENTS Manitoba Education and Advanced Learning gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following individuals in the development of Grade 12 Cinema as a Witness to Modern History: A Foundation for Implementation. Manitoba Education Carole Bilyk Development Unit and Advanced Project Manager Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment Branch Learning School Programs Division Staff Louise Boissonneault Document Production Services Unit Coordinator Educational Resources Branch Linda Connor Development Unit Project Co-Leader Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment Branch Reneé Gillies Conseiller pédagogique Project Co-Leader Division du Bureau de l’éducation française Division Grant Moore Document Production Services Unit Publications Editor Educational Resources Branch Tim Pohl Document Production Services Unit Desktop Publisher Educational Resources Branch G R A DE 1 2 C INEM A A S A W ITNESS TO M ODERN H ISTORY Course Overview Media literacy “Media literacy is an informed, critical understanding of the mass media. It involves examining the techniques, technologies and institutions involved in media production; being able to critically analyze media messages; and recognizing the role audiences play in making meaning from those messages.” – Rick Shepherd Historical consciousness “Historical consciousness can thus be defined as individual and collective understandings of the past, the cognitive and cultural factors which shape those understandings, as well as the relations of historical understandings to those of the present and the future.” – Peter Seixas Course Goals QQ to develop critical media literacy through an exploration of cinema QQ to enrich students’ knowledge and understanding of world history since the beginning of the 20th century QQ to apply the concepts of historical thinking to the analysis of a variety of film genres in documentary and dramatic cinema Course Description This course will engage students in an exploration of the connections among cinema as an art form, cinema as a product of history, and cinema as an interpreter of history. Students will respond to and discuss the aesthetic and emotional elements of cinema and will apply historical thinking concepts to the analysis of historical themes as represented in various films and other sources. Throughout the course, students will apply critical media literacy skills in order to understand that film does not simply reflect the past, but interprets and retells the past and, at times, reconstructs it. Students will view and respond to a limited number of carefully selected films that deal with key events, ideas, people, and developments that have shaped world history since the beginning of the 20th century (e.g., wars, revolutions, genocides, economic change, the legacy of colonialism and decolonization, gender roles and stereotypes, social values, and scientific and technological Course Overview 1 advances, etc.). Students will learn to critically analyze the role of film in interpreting selected historical topics and will be guided to reflect on the role of cinema in shaping their own historical consciousness. With a suggested study of eight to ten films, the course emphasis will be on quality rather than quantity. The proposed film selection includes representative examples of feature-length fictional films, documentaries, animation, black-and-white films, and independent films, and draws from various defining periods in the history of cinema, as well as from Canadian, international, and Hollywood mass media productions. This course is based on a pedagogical approach that uses film as an instructional tool for both media literacy and the study of history. It includes model learning experiences based on suggested study films, guiding questions for critical film viewing, guidelines for further film selection, and background information on film history and the techniques of cinema. Throughout the course, students will engage in guided viewing, write film critiques that show evidence of historical thinking and critical media literacy, and conduct historical research to evaluate and reflect on representations of history in film. What will students learn to do, to understand, and to apply in this course? Students will QQ view films of various genres and reflect critically on cinematic representations of historical events, figures, ideas, and developments of the 20th century QQ analyze and evaluate the techniques of cinema as an art form QQ consider how documentary and fictional films reflect the values and perspectives of the society in which they originated QQ conduct research into historical sources in order to analyze interpretation, error, bias, or anachronism in the representation of historical subjects in cinema QQ apply the following six historical thinking concepts to analyze representations of history in film: QQ establish historical significance QQ use historical evidence QQ identify continuity and change QQ analyze cause and consequence QQ take historical perspectives QQ understand the ethical dimensions of history QQ deconstruct and respond to selected films, including examples from local and Canadian cinema, international cinema, and American mass media productions 2 Grade 12 Cinema as a Witness to Modern History QQ study the evolution of film techniques and technologies QQ write film critiques that apply principles of critical media literacy and historical thinking QQ compare and evaluate the aesthetic and evocative qualities of various film genres QQ assess the historical context of film production and the emergence of cinema as a business and a force in popular culture QQ enrich their knowledge of significant developments in modern world history QQ reflect critically on the role of cinema as a purveyor of persuasive social messages that deal with a range of controversial or sensitive subjects QQ examine and assess the social role of cinema, the cinematic portrayal of violence, and the adequacy of film in interpreting history Course Overview 3 Cinema as a Witness to History and a Product of History High school students today are often