course materials

1. Please review a film that you have not seen before YOUR PAPER MUST
ADDRESS THE F
Please review a film that you have not seen beforeYOUR PAPER MUST ADDRESS THE
FOLLOWING:First, cite the film you’re analyzing in the MLA (Modern Language Association)
format. You should use “hanging indention” paragraph style and start with the title of the
film underlined and follow it with a period. Then cite the director (abbreviated Dir.),
followed by a period, then the performers (abbreviated Perf. and separated by commas)
followed by a period. Finally, the production company or studio followed by a comma, then
the release date. Close the citation off with a period. You can use the following example
(taken right out of the MLA handbook) as a model:It’s a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra.
Perf. James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Thomas Mitchell. RKO, 1946.Next,
address each of the following questions:1) Describe the setting of the film (including
historical, geographical, and cultural features)?2) How does the film tie in to our overall
study of American history?3)Briefly describe some of the major characters portrayed in the
film.4)What is the dramatic conflict that drives the narrative forward?5) How is that
dramatic conflict finally resolved (or not) at the conclusion of the film?6) Choose one
particular scene from the film and briefly describe it in narrative terms.7) Discuss any
possible bias or “point-of-view” the director is making with the film. For instance, do you
feel this is an accurate and balanced portrayal, or one that is particularly pro or anti-
American in tone?Explain your analysis.Select one cinematic element (music,
cinematography, production design, etc.) and briefly describe how the use of this element
contributed to the overall “style” of the film.In addition to your required film review, you
may do an additional review using the same format for extra credit worth up to 5
points.Options for films are below. If you have another you would like me to consider,
please let me know:Birth of a Nation (1915) D.W. GriffithThe Grapes of Wrath (1940) John
FordFort Apache (1948) John FordHigh Noon (1952) Fred ZinnemannPork Chop Hill
(1959) Lewis MilestoneInherit the Wind (1960) Stanley KramerThe Longest Day (1962)
Ken AnnakinFail-Safe (1964) Sidney LumetAll the President’s Men (1976) Alan
PakulaMidway (1976) Jack SmightMacArthur (1997) Joseph SargentApocalypse Now
(1979) Francis Ford CoppolaFull Metal Jacket (1987) Stanley KubrickThe Autobiography of
Miss Jane Pittman (1991) John KortyMalcolm X (1992) Spike LeeApollo 13 (1995) Ron
HowardGhosts of Mississippi (1996) Rob ReinerThe Tuskegee Airmen (1996) Robert
MarkowitzMiss Evers’ Boys (1997) Joseph SargentRosewood (1997) John SingletonThirteen

2. Days (2000) Roger DonaldsonIron Jawed Angels (2004) Katja von GarnierWarm Springs
(2005) Joseph SargentMilk (2008) Gus Van Sant(2008) Oliver StoneThe Conspirator (2010)
Robert RedfordThe Help (2011) Tate TaylorLincoln (2012) Steven SpielbergZero Dark
Thirty (2012) Kathryn Bigelow42 (2013) Brian HelgelandThe Big Short (2015) Adam
McKayHidden Figures (2016) Theodore MelfiMarshall (2017) Reginald HudlinHarriet
(2019) Kasi LemmonsMidway (2019) Roland EmmerichTill (2022) Chinonye Chukwu