Critical Film Review Assignment

This film review assignment is designed to supplement your knowledge of a particular historical period, person(s), event, or institution through the analysis of a related film, as well as demonstrate your ability to analyze a historical film not only for its merits but also for its potential shortcomings.

Historical films make history more accessible to people. Personally, it is one of my favorite ways to engage with historical topics, either to learn about a topic or era with which I am unfamiliar or to further delve into a topic that interests me. Films provide viewers a unique insight to events that we may never have the opportunity to experience. And although no movie can be entirely accurate, when done well, filmmakers can immerse audiences into a world lost in time, captivating our attention and connecting our understanding to history beyond the classroom.

For your film review, you are responsible for critically viewing the work, evaluating historical accuracy, and writing an overall evaluation following the guidelines provided. You will be expected to choose one film from the choices.

Please note some of the films are rated “R.” You should have parental consent prior to viewing. “R” ratings are primarily for language and/or violence.

Movie Suggestions

An asterisk indicates a personal favorite of mine. While some of these movies are works of fiction, they depict historical events or circumstances that are helpful in engaging with the topics that we have studied.

Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)

• The Russian Revolution from the viewpoint of the Tsar and Tsarina.

Victoria and Albert (2001)

• The love story of Victoria and Albert of England and the raising of their nine children.

The Young Victoria (2009)

• Victoria of England fighting to establish herself while needing to juggle Parliament and a new love.

*The Last Czars (2019)

• Netflix mini-series about the decline of the Romanov dynasty.

*Anastasia (1997)

• The last surviving member of the Romanov family works with two con men to reunite with her grandmother in Paris.

Gandhi (1982)

• The tale of Gandhi’s resistance against the British in India and the push for decolonization.

Four Feathers (2002)

• British soldiers get sent to the Sudan only to have their imperial pride whipped.

Doctor Zhivago (2002 or 1965)

• Based on the Boris Pasternak novel about two peoples journey through the course of the Russian Revolution and Civil War.

*Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

• Detective Sherlock Holmes is on the tail of Professor Moriarty, who is on a mysterious crime spree throughout Europe.

Joyeux Noel (2005)

• The story of the Christmas truce in the winter of 1914 between the British, French, and German armies.

Schindler’s list (1993)

• Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the story of Oskar Schindler’s attempt to save Jews during the holocaust.

Defiance (2008)

• Jewish rebels fight against Nazi occupation in Eastern Europe.

*Saving Private Ryan (1998)

• Steven Spielberg’s tale of a small collection of soldiers who fight to find a paratrooper whose brothers have all died. Very graphic but ultra-realistic showing of Day and the days immediately following the allied invasion of France

*The Monuments Men (2013)

• Art historians seek to preserve the artistic treasures of Europe before they are destroyed in World War II.

Valkyrie (2008)

•  The true story of the attempt to kill Hitler late in World War II.

*Sophie’s Choice (1982)

• Sophie is a survivor of the concentration camps who tries to forget her experiences there.

*Sound of Music (1965)

• A woman leaves her Austrian convent to serve as the governess to the children of a former naval officer. Set at the precipice of WWII.

History 31 Film Analysis Format

Name

Professor

History 31

Date

Title of Film (Year Produced)

Genre

Director

Main Actors

Awards (nominations or wins, not necessary to include all if there are many)

The Truth – Actual Historical Event or Time Period: Research the true history of the historical event, person(s), time period, or institution portrayed in the film. You may use your textbook, primary sources analyzed as class assignments, and/or other outside sources (not Wikipedia). Remember, citation is mandatory. Failure to cite sources properly is considered plagiarism.

The Film:

Plot: Write a synopsis, or summary (2-3 paragraphs), of the film. Make sure that your summary makes sense to a reader who does not know the movie (while I have seen many of the suggested films, I have not seen all of them). In your synopsis, be sure to include the items below.

• Place and time: Where does the action take place? When does the action take place? (present time, 19th century) Is the story chronological (according to the order of time) or flash back? 
• Background: society, country, kind of people (age, culture, social class), historical time, etc.

Comparison & Evaluation:

To what extent is the film historically accurate? Identify specific accuracies and director’s liberties with the film. How has the film furthered your knowledge or interest of the history portrayed?

Provide an evaluation of the film. Give your opinion, but it must be more than “I liked it.” This is important as the reviewer can express the elements of the movie they enjoyed or disliked. However, as in all good journalism, the reviewer should also give impartial details, and allow the reader to make their own mind over an issue the reader liked or disliked. Opinions should be explained to allow the reader to determine whether they would agree with your opinion.

Other Reminders:

Important note of writing: the reader understands you are writing this review; therefore, do NOT use 1st or 2nd person personal pronouns (I, me, us, we, you). This is a formal writing assignment—be sure to check your work for GUMS (grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling) errors.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is never permitted. Do NOT copy another writer’s work. All reviews are to be TYPED, double spaced, and are subject to submission to online plagiarism checkers. Students will receive a grade of 0% on work that is plagiarized and will be referred to administration. This could lead to your withdrawal from the course and potentially prevent you from attaining your Associate’s Degree.

All resources must be cited, MLA format, particularly your discussion of the actual historical events. You MUST use additional resources and not just your own memory