HISTORY OF EVERYDAY LIFE ( )

Course# GEDS 003-01

PROF. C. A. YU

Film is a modern storyteller. Its purpose is to entertain, engage, educate and involve the
viewer beyond the visual medium. In the past historians were preoccupied with the value
of film as a legitimate historical source (i.e., documentaries and newsreels), as well as to
decipher the extent to which a film reflected historical conditions and societies (i.e.,
feature films).
This course in particular utilizes a film as a text for a specific purpose: a film as a way
to stimulate a historical imagination and to provoke your critical thinking when you
engage the meta-narratives presented in the courses main text. Keep the stated purpose
in mind, as a course assignment, a film review should reflect and be seen in the light of
specific issues and concerns being discussed in the course.
Your film review should range from 650-750 words in Times New Roman fonts 12,
double-spaced. Put your name, student # on the top right corner of your first page. In
writing your review, follow the guidelines below.

A FILM REVIEW FOR COURSE: GUIDELINES

A film review is not about summarizing what you have viewed. The purpose of a film
review is to demonstrate critical thinking about the films you watch. You will be writing
an analysis of the film, discussing its strengths and weaknesses. A good film review
identifies the intended audience, address how well the filmmaker recreates the historical
era in which the movie is set; it is helpful also if the review can give the reader a little
background information about the time period itself.
INTRODUCTION:
1. Background information:
Title, the director, three main actors, and the year of release.
2. Thesis: State your scope, purpose, direction for your review.
What is your overall argument regarding this film and its historical benefit?
DESCRIPTION OF PLOT:
3. Begin your review with a statement about the time period and location in which
the movie was set.
What time period does the film take place in?
What is the time span?

4. Follow that opening sentence with one or two other pieces of information about
the historical setting, and then transition into talking about the movie.
What known historical events were portrayed, if any (year, place, people
involved)?
When and where was the movie set?
Describe the setting (landscape, scenery, houses, etc.)
Any technological innovations (weapons, modes of transportation, tools,
etc.)
5. Discuss the plot and characters in the film in terms of not only how effective they
are but also how well they reflect the time period.
THEME:
6. Present the main points that the director makes in the film:
What is the film speaking about the subject?
Do you think the films portrayal/interpretation is sound?
Does the film offer anything innovative, such as challenging perspectives
or new insights?
7. Examine the implicit arguments in the film, using examples to support your
arguments:
Are there factual or historical errors in the film?
Does the film omit or ignore important topics?
Does the film seem biased, and if yes, in what ways?
8. Place the film in some sort of historical context.
Does the film offer new evidence, examine a topic from a new direction,
or provide a new interpretation of the topic?
Are the assumptions in the film about the history reasonable?
How does the film compare with the knowledge that you have on the topic?
CONCLUSTION:
9. Evaluate the quality of the filmmaking, the performance of the actors, and/or the
usefulness of the film as an educational medium.
Are the characters believable?
Does the dialogue seem appropriate for the time and setting of the film?
Restate your thesis.
Would you recommend the film? (Your recommendation needs to be
based on the strengths and weaknesses discussed.)
Leave your reader with something to think about. (Did the film make the
viewer more aware of history or just confuse the issue?)