Name: ______________________________________________
Film Analyzed: ____________________________________
APUSH Historical Film Analysis
This will be due on Friday, March 25 th and should be typed in the following format. Make sure that you select one of the films given on the list for American History.
Type your name, subject, class period and date in the upper left hand corner of the first page. The body of the review will be typed, double-spaced, using Times New Roman, regular, size 11.
Be sure to include specific movie examples throughout your analysis . You must also include outside research into the time period, and director’s vision of the film that you choose.
Make sure that you include reality vs. artistic license.
Page 1 : Offer your overall impression of the film while mentioning the movie's title, director, and key actors. State the length and rating of the film as well as the time it was released. Using the AP US History themes as identified by the College Board, select the primary theme that is portrayed in your selected film. Discuss how the film relates to this theme using specific evidence from your research. If your film has a secondary theme you may include this as well.
***For APUSH College Board themes see the following page.
Page 2 : Using the AP US History themes as identified by the college board, select the primary theme that is portrayed in your selected movie. Summarize the plot of the film. Be sure to identify the time period/event associated with this film.
Page 3: Who are the main characters? Is this a story about well known individuals or groups?
Which scene and character(s) best depict the perspective of individuals experiencing the history of this time period?
Page 4: Identify two scenes in particular that you feel correctly portrayed the time period.
Describe these scenes. How did these adjustments and music enhance the setting and themes of the film? Where was this film made and did you feel it was appropriate to portray the historical period?
Page 5: Be critical and offer praise where necessary. Evaluate the ending. Make a recommendation for potential viewers. To view or not to view…that is the question. Offer evidence for your opinion. Offer a clincher that tells the reader to attend the film or not. Is this film more educational or entertaining?
****FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY AS YOU ARE WRITING YOUR
PAPER! YOUR GRADE WILL BE DETERMINED AS TO HOW WELL YOU
FOLLOWED DIRECTIONS!!!!!!!!!!

American Identity
Views of the American national character and ideas about American exceptionalism.
Recognizing regional differences within the context of what it means to be an American. (ID)
Ideas, Beliefs, and Culture
Diverse individual and collective expressions through literature, art, philosophy, music, theater, and film throughout U.S. history. Popular culture and the dimensions of cultural conflict within
American society. The variety of religious beliefs and practices in America from prehistory to the twenty-first century; influence of religion on politics, economics, and society.
(CUL)
Peopling
Changes in birth, marriage, and death rates; life expectancy and family patterns; population size and density. The economic, social, and political effects of immigration, internal migration, and migration networks. Diverse movements focusing on a broad range of issues, including antislavery, education, labor, temperance, women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights, war, public health, and government.
(PEO)
Work, Exchange, and Technology
Changes in trade, commerce, and technology across time. The effects of capitalist development, labor and unions, and consumerism. (WXT)
Environment and Geography
Ideas about the consumption and conservation of natural resources. The impact of population growth, industrialization, pollution, and urban and suburban expansion. (ENV)
America and the World
Engagement with the rest of the world from the fifteenth century to the present: colonialism, mercantilism, global hegemony, development of markets, imperialism, and cultural exchange.
(WOR)
Politics and Power
Colonial and revolutionary legacies, American political traditions, growth of democracy, and the development of the modern state. Defining citizenship; struggles for civil rights. (POL)

****If you choose a movie that is R rated, you MUST get your parents’ permission before watching!!
If there is another film that you would like to suggest you MUST get my permission before watching
17th Century
The New World (2005) - John Smith, Native Americans
The Crucible (1996) – Salem witch trials; Puritans
18th Century
Last of the Mohicans (1992) – French & Indian War –
1776 (1972) - musicial, American independence
The Patriot (2000) – Revolutionary War – Grace Coalson
19th Century
The Buccaneer (1958) – War of 1812
Amistad (1997) – 1839 slave ship uprising and trial (some explicit scenes)
12 Years a Slave (2013) – True story of Solomon Northup, based on his narrative – Christopher Strickland
The Alamo (2004) – 1836 battle of Texas Revolution
September Dawn (2007) - 1850s, Mountain Meadows Massacre, Mormons v Arkansas settlers
Geronimo (1993) - Apache resistance, US/Native American relations
Santa Fe Trail (1940) – Civil War "Eve"
Gone With The Wind (1939) – Antebellum and Civil War South – Makayla Conner
Gods & Generals (2003) – rise and fall of Stonewall Jackson
Gettysburg (1993) – decisive battle of the Civil War
Gangs of New York (2002) – Civil War era cities and immigrants
Dances With Wolves (1990) – Civil War era relations with Native Americans
Birth of a Nation (1915) - Civil War era, Ku Klux Klan
Far & Away (1992) – Immigration, 1890's land rush – Holland Wiersma
The Conspirator (2011) - conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln
The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939) - work with the deaf, invention of the telephone
Legend of Hell's Gate (2011) - 1870s Texas
Tombstone (1993) - western frontier towns, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday
Wyatt Earp (1994) - western frontier towns, biography of Wyatt Earp
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) - western frontier, 1880s New Mexico
The Molly Maguires (1970) – 1876 coal miners strike
Little Big Man (1970) - Native Americans, Custer
Little Big Horn (1951) - Native Americans, Custer
Rough Riders (1997) - Teddy Roosevelt, Spanish-American War
20th Century – The Present
Inherit the Wind (1960) – Scopes Monkey Trial
All Quiet on the Western Front (1970) – WWI from the German perspective
Flyboys (2006) - World War I, fighter pilots
The Great Debaters (2007) – Segregation and Education post-Reconstruction
Iron Jawed Angels (2004) - women's suffrage
Eight Men Out (1988) - Black Sox scandal (baseball)
The Newton Boys (1998) - 1920s, train robbery
Matewan (1987) - 1920s, coal miners, unionization
The Untouchables (1987) - 1920s crime, Al Capone – J.T. Philpott

King of the Hill (1993) - Depression Era, boy separated from family
Cinderella Man (2005) - Depression Era boxer
Seabiscuit (2003) - Depression Era horse racing – Alyssa Rauton
Tora, Tora, Tora (1970) – Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor (2001)– World War II – Whitney McClellan
Band of Brothers (2001) – World War II, 101st Airborne
Schindler’s List (1993)– World War II, concentration camps (some explicit scenes) – Logan Moore
Saving Private Ryan (1998) – World War II – Sara Katherine Mitchell
Tuskegee Airman (1995) - World War II, African-American pilots
The Longest Day (1962) - World War II, D-Day
Fatman and Little Boy (1989) - Manhattan Project – Cameron Chalker
Midway (1976) - World Way II, Pacific
Flags of Our Fathers (2006) - World War II, Iwo Jima
Wind Talkers (2002) - World War II, Navajo Code
The Monuments Men (2014)
The Right Stuff (1983) – 1950s Cold War, beginning of space race
October Sky (1999) – Post Sputnik – Samantha Mallard
Dr. Strangelove (1964) – Cold War arms race
Quiz Show (1994) - 1950s, fixing game shows, anti-Semitism
42 (2012) – Jackie Robinson Story – Shelby Seigler
The Long Walk Home (1990) - Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Butler (2013) – Civil Rights Movement and Jim Crow – Kiana McPhereson
The Majestic (2001) – McCarthyism; Hollywood blacklisting
Bridge of Spies (2015) – Cold War ***Will be released on DVD February 2, 2016
Good Night and Good Luck (2005) - CBS reporter Edmund R Murrow exposes Joe McCarthy
Pleasantville (1998) – 1950s suburbia
The Game of Their Lives (2005) - 1950s, soccer
Cadillac Records (2008) - 1950s Chicago, music – Maya Smith
Mississippi Burning (1998) – Civil Rights
Hairspray (2007) – Musical, Civil Rights – Aubrey Mallard
Thirteen Days (2000) – Cuban Missile Crisis
JFK (1991) – JFK assassination
Bobby (2006) - Robert Kennedy assassination
Apollo 13 (1995) - NASA, space program
Eyes on the Prize – Civil Rights movement
The Rosa Parks Story (1997) – Civil Rights Movement
Malcolm X (1992) – Black Nationalist leader – Tri’Anna Cooper
We Were Soldiers (2002) - Vietnam War, first phase
Platoon (1986) – Vietnam War
Good Morning Vietnam (1987) – Vietnam War – Dawson Fields
Made in Dagenham (2010) - female workers walk out in protest of sexual discrimination
All the President’s Men (1976) – Watergate
Nixon (1995) – biography of President Nixon
Frost/Nixon (2008) - post Watergate interviews with President Nixon
Secretariat (2010) - 1970s Triple Crown winner
Milk (2008) - Harvey Milk, gay activism
Charlie Wilson's War (2007) - US involvement in Afghanistan during Soviet occupation
Miracle (2002) – Cold War Tensions in the 1980s
Blackhawk Down (2001) - US military in Somalia – Keon Cobb
American History X (1998) – Contemporary racism
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – The Capture of Osama Bin Laden – Lane Corum
The Hurt Locker (2011) – Understanding of the War on Terror- Mackenzie Long

Correct Format: 10
Identification of Theme: 10
Summary and Time Period: 15
Interpretation of Historical Period: 15
Analytical Evaluation: 20
Grammar/Spelling: 10
Submission to Turnitin.com: 10
Correct MLA Format: 10
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Possible Points – 100/A+
Correct Format:
Identification of Theme:
Summary and Time Period:
Interpretation of Historical Period:
Analytical Evaluation:
Grammar/Spelling:
Submission to Turnitin.com:
Correct MLA Format:
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My Points –
Teacher’s Comments: __________________________________________________________
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