HIST 4364 Film Analysis Below is a list of eligible films/tv episodes that connect to class information. Choose one film or 2 tv episodes from the list to analyze. If you have watched one of these before, you may review it BUT you must re-watch it and analyze according to the questions below. You are watching this as a historian with a keen analytical eye rather than a general audience member. You MUST use class lectures and readings to help frame your answers. You are not required to get a new streaming service subscription so please choose one that is available to you through a streamer you already subscribe to, or you are welcome to watch them with your classmates if you prefer. Obviously, your analysis must be your own original work. In your review of the film/tv episodes you must answer the following questions: • What is the purpose of the film/tv episode(s)? What are they trying to communicate to the audience? • When was the film/tv episode made? How does the context of when it was made influence its portrayal of WWII? • How does the film/documentary address the topic at hand? • Is there a bias? If so, what is it? Why is that bias present? • What is the goal, in terms of history, of the film/tv episode(s)? Does it lean more into telling a factual story or is it more “Hollywood” manufactured? o How does the production blend fiction and history? • How did the film/tv episode complement or contradict what you’ve learned about the topic in this course? • How does it impact your understanding of the historical events depicted in it? Guidelines: • 3 pages, double spaced, 12-point font • 1-inch margins • Citations must be in Chicago Manual of Style (any essays using MLA will lose points) http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html o This means using footnotes. No in text citations. Use the footnote function in Word (Go to References, click on Insert Footnote). o Italicize film and documentary titles. TV episodes go in quotes, the show title is italicized. Example: “The Empty Child,” Doctor Who. • No outside sources are necessary and will lead to a deduction of points if used. Film & documentary options Blue Angel (1930 German film) Casablanca (1942) White Christmas (1954) The Great Escape (1963 version with Steve McQueen) Sound of Music (1965) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) Downfall (2004 German film) Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005 German film) Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Redtails (2012) Stalingrad (2013 Russian film-make sure you have the 2013 one!) The Book Thief (2013) Imitation Game (2014) Dunkirk (2017) Jojo Rabbit (2019) Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) TV series (must watch 2 episodes) Generation War (2013 German miniseries) Doctor Who (if you haven’t watched the show this might be confusing out of context. If you have watched the show and choose these, watch with a historian’s eye) • “The Empty Child” & “The Doctor Dances”: season 1 episodes 9 & 10 • “Victory of the Daleks”: season 5, episode 3 • “Let’s Kill Hitler”: season 6, episode 8 Land Girls (2009-2011 British television series, any episodes) Bomb Girls (2012-2014 Canadian television series, any episodes) World on Fire (2019 British series, any episodes)