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Author: szeman@asu.edu
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997
For the first half of the U.S. survey I have used two American Experience films: GEORGE WASHINGTON: HE MAN WHO WOULDN'T BE KING, which does a good job of deconstructing the mythic Washington, and SINS OF OUR MOTHERS, a study of women, community, and industrialization in New England.
Scott C. Zeman
Department of History
Arizona State University
Tempe, Arizona 85287-2501
Telephone: (602) 965-5778
E-Mail: szeman@asu.edu
Author: Raymond James Haberski <rh519685@oak.cats.ohiou.edu>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997
I'm an instructor at Ohio University who teaches colonial America and the choice of films (well-made featured films) for this course is surprisingly hard to come by. Perhaps our library has simply failed to keep up on the best that film has to offer, but I don't think so. I have two points, though, one a question and the second a response.
First, what films do any of you use or know about for teaching American history (1600-1828)?
Second, after seeing Oliver Stone at the AHA this year, I thought a good way to begin my class would be to focus on different ways to do history. Since most students, it seems, have created their own historical memory based on what movies they have seen, showing a section of Stone's "JFK" and then critiquing it would be useful. It was a good exercise. I showed the scene in which the characters played by Costner and Sutherland discuss the grand conspiracy behind the assassination. The students brought up the obvious issues of whether or not such a plot was plausible. But then we got into a discussion about the inevitability of history and the relative weight we give to theories of history.
For the most part the students became increasingly critical of Stone's approach as we discussed all the contingencies that had to exist in order for his interpretation to be legitimate. We also discussed how to measure differing interpretations against one another. I told them that one of Stone's most memorable lines from his talk was his insistence that the audience (within and outside that room) at least entertain the idea of his film offering the truth. The students more or less agreed that they found his interpretation, if nothing else, entertaining.
Thanks,
Ray Haberski
Ohio University
Author: Lizfilm@aol.com
Date: Sun, 30 Mar 1997
Although I use the Thompson/Bordwell history of film text, I suggest that my film history students also buy or share Mast/kawin. The latter writers do spend several pages each on canonical films. Whether or not you agree with the canon, their descriptions do give some sense of of why we value each film as art, or how it influenced later films aesthetically. I go nuts teaching the history of film in a whole year, much less a half, like you; choosing which films should represent an era is impossible. I do take votes. My latest gimmick is to have them see three films of a given period or director of their choice on their own in addition to the class screenings, before each test. And they also, of course, have to see a batch of related films for their papers. Since we are having Fassbinder and Mike Leigh and French Film and other retrospectives right now in New York City, I gave them the screening schedules and recommended they see the films in 35 mm. As a means of organizing such disparate material, this term (1941 to present) I defined classical Hollywood cinema in Bordwellian terms and then we discussed with each film we saw, among many other things, the tension between its own aesthetic and the Hollywood approach. Essay question: argue to what extent "Open City" is a classical Hollywood film and to what extent "On the Waterfront" is a neo-realist film. Anyway, lists aren't that bad. When I went to film school the only history text available was Arthur Knight's, which is almost literally a long list. I survived. I figure all we can do is whet their appetites. liz weis, cuny
Author: Robert Cherny <cherny@sfsu.edu>
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997
"TODAY IN HISTORY" DEBUTS ON THE AMERICAN MEMORY PAGE OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WEBSITE
Beginning April 1, the Library of Congress will offer "Today in History" from the American Memory home page of its on-line collections.
"Today in History" is designed to present daily historical facts highlighted by materials from the American Memory collections, available at http://www.loc.gov/.
For example, April 1 provides links to Life History Manuscripts, which includes memories of April Fools' Day before the turn of the century. Mrs. Sally Skippers remembers pranks and punishments in a rural schoolhouse. The teacher described in the interview "Dr. Samuel Lathan" recalls how "April 1 was dreaded by most rural schoolteachers. The pupils would get inside and lock the teacher out." The Life History Manuscripts collection contains 2,900 documents that tell the life stories of Americans from all walks of life and were produced as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration in 1936-40.
The April 1 page will also offer humorous photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company collection of more than 25,000 photographs.
Each day, users can visit the site to learn about the history of the day and to view or hear Library materials relating to that day. Previous offerings will be archived for reference. The site's direct address is http://memory.loc.gov/.
American Memory is an initiative of the National Digital Library Program of the Library of Congress that aims to make millions of the nation's most important American history materials freely available on the Internet. The nearly 400,000 items offered so far include portraits of the presidents and first ladies, documents relating to slavery and the civil rights movement, early short films by Thomas Edison and selected notebooks of Walt Whitman.
Contact: Guy Lamolinara (202) 707-9217
Elizabeth L. Brown, M.L.S.
Reference Librarian, National Digital Library Program
Library of Congress, Washington DC 20540-1320
http://www.loc.gov/
http://memory.loc.gov/
Author: mhuddle <MHUDDLE@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997
Greetings list,
I am currently researching the Civilian Conservation Corps and I am
looking
for representations of the CCC in newsreels, documentaries (I am
acquainted
w/ the PBS series on the Great Depression), and Hollywood films. Has
anyone run across this kindof material during the course of their own
research? The New Deal era is new to me, so any assistance would be
greatly
appreciated. Thanks very much.
All the best,
Mark Huddle
Department of History
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
mhuddle@uga.cc.uga.edu
