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In Reply to: 5 Films for High School Students posted by Jabberwock on March 25, 2004 at 08:18:27:
Jab,There are many ways to go here, but some basic questions I have are..do you want all foreign films(Inernational would include U.S. films, right?).
Second, is this a study of film as art, film as history, landmark films, or a "compare and contrast" the films of various nations, etc.
The newly released dvd of Schindler's List would be educational for high schoolers, and I don't think many would argue that in its genre, it qualifies as the best that film can offer. In the same "socially edcational" vein, the film Philadelphia might be usefully enlightening.
After WWII, the French named the then in vogue style of American films Film Noir...this is an important and very influential period of films (roughly 1940-1960): some great examples are Double Indemnity, Out of the Past (my fave),
In a Lonely Place, The Big Sleep, The Big Heat, and the low-budget classic Detour.Although it's not my favorite genre, something from Akira Kurosawa could/should be included, i.e. Severn Samurai, or perhaps Ran.
FWIW, I echo the other films chosen in this thread, especially Cit. Kane (for "inovations" i.e. low angle shots, overlapping dialogue, etc). Also, The Bicycle Thief and Cinema Paradiso.
I fear that Grand Illusion may be beyond the average high school student's (even those that are budding cinema junkies) attention span.
FWIW, I hate to leave Casablanca off ANY film list, but perhaps it doesn't work here (?).
Just my 2 cents,
Regards,
Gary
Follow Ups:
Last summer I met a high school French and Latin teacher who showed Grand Illusion to his class of juniors and seniors and he said sthe kids loved it.
unlike most drivel that are called masterpieces this film holds up today is poignant, heartfelt, touching, intelligent and relevant.It's actually about something remotely important than just a Director's vanity piece.
It makes me want to see more from Renoir but I never get the time.
...make time to see Rules of the Game, which I consider Renoir's best, and my favorite film of all time.ROTG rocked my world as a teen - but, of course, I wasn't exactly what you'd call *normal*.
Will try and see it - Renoir seems to know a lick or two about directing. I would like to see a DVD remaster of The Grand Illusion because the tape I bought cheap for $4.00Cdn is pretty poor. The subtitles kept me from looking at the poor image as much as possible.It would certainly be a good movie for a history class because of the internal class structure and the differences between officers and non-officers. I would have liked a bit of commentary on the latter as well. But then in a way not commenting on lower ranks seems to make more commentary - as if to say they were deemed as nothings so the film deems them as nothings. SO in a way not commenting on them was more of a commentary - oh oh I'm decontructing :-)
Rules of the game - I'll keep an eye out.
Yep... he wasn't too bad.
> > do you want all foreign films(Inernational would include U.S. films, right? < <Yes, films from all nations.
> > Second, is this a study of film as art, film as history, landmark films, or a "compare and contrast" the films of various nations, etc. < <
My friend is thinking landmark at this point. Film as a cultural high point.
> > I fear that Grand Illusion may be beyond the average high school student's (even those that are budding cinema junkies) attention span. < <
THis is always a problem with high school students (and too many adults): Will it hold their attention? I think Bicycle Thief and Cinema Paradiso will. Not sure about Citizen Kane, Casablanca, or (I hate to leave it off the list) Grand Illusion.
I'm not a big fan of this as a future teacher myself. Here's why:Firstly, the teacher is choosing films he or she thinks is best as ART films. This means the teacher is deciding what is art and what is not. Basically, the theme is too broad and you are right a lot of it will bore mst audiences...some will simply regurgitate what the teacher wants to hear...more-so if the teacher is well outside the current culture these kids are in.
What I prefer if you were to do a film studies class is choose a subject matter. The above suggestion of Schindler's List is a good one...many including me think it's the best film on the subject...not all will agree.
Schindler's List would make sense in a history course...but in a film class I would have 5 holocaust films - preferably 10 - "The Pianist", Lantzman's "Shoah", The German film "The Nasty Girl", "Life is Beautiful" and then choose some very hollywood productions like "Jacob the Liar" and some documentaries like "Ann Frank Remembered." This would allow students to decide which they think is best and why and perhaps lead them to why Jacob the Liar failed or why Shoah has so many problems from a historical standpoint. Ideally they would read Christopher R. Browning's "Ordinary Men: Rserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland" and Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's "Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust." This would serve to tell you why say a Schindler's List is historically even-handed and covers big picture content while the Pianist and Ann Frank movies are small picture content and why Shoah is not even handed and why Jacob the Liar is just plain lousy.
Preferably a few books on the subject possibly a comparison of Keneally's Schindler's List with movie...why were changes made? Why did the movie eclipse the quality of the book? If you even felt that it does.
It makes more sense to have a theme approach rather than some hodge podge of films a bunch of art house folks like - small bunch so why let the minority rule?
For instance a film like Easy Rider would and does work well in a course on Vietnam Era history or a satire like Dr. Strangelove. The former would probably look to0 "out of date." For instance most people would not know that One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is all about Vietnam the book and film is an anti- Vietnam war and anti-establishment statement. Most people probably thought it was about mental institutions. WRONG!
What I'm saying is that older films won't bore or at least not as much if the films are framed in a certain way that students have something to look for - or have a reason to watch.
Dawn of the Dead is an anti-consumerism statement - among several other statements. It's a cult classic and should just be considered a classic but horror gets no repsect. Why not compare new to old? Night of the living dead was also an anti-war film - also the first American film that had a Black protagonist. many critics have it as one of the greats.
There is so much that can be done with a course on film but unfortunately they turn into picking 5 art house films usualy having 80% of them bore the hell out of the class with zippo point. If a film doesn't relate to the audience it's not a great film. MOST of the "so-called" classics have zero impact on me...Casablanca no offense is a big snoozer with some of the stupidest dialogue and stilted performances I have ever seen. Yes there are some memorable lines...to bad I remember the lines more than the story.
***THis is always a problem with high school students (and too many adults): Will it hold their attention? I think Bicycle Thief and Cinema Paradiso will. Not sure about Citizen Kane, Casablanca, or (I hate to leave it off the list) Grand Illusion....or... algebra... for that matter?
OK, so no Grand Illusion. But if you would allow me to stay with France, and the anti-war theme - a good theme, for sure - let me introduce another film that fits, but is much shorter and easier to digest - the Forbidden Games. It is also great fun, but with bitter taste.
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