History Film Review

Throughout the semester, I will be suggesting films relevant to course topics we are studying.
Students will choose at least one film suggested in class to watch independently at home. After
viewing the film, the student will write a film review about the film, discuss the film’s relationship
to the course, and reflect on the view experience.
It is the student’s responsibility to find the film they choose to watch. There are many platforms
available for students to find these films. They can find most of the films on Netflix, Amazon
Prime, YouTube, iTunes, and/or Google Play.
Your film review is not a typical essay, so you have some freedom to organize how you write the
essay. However, your essay must include the following. You do not need to answer them in any
particular order, but they must be included to receive marks.
• The name of the film you watched, when it was released, who directed it, and a brief
summary of what the film is about. This part of your essay should be no more than three
sentences long. The essay is not a summary of the movie. (2 marks)
• Explain the connection between the film you watched and what we are studying in class.
Provide specific examples to show parallels between the film and the class. Try and
utilize some vocabulary we studied in class. (5 marks)
• From whose perspective is the film being told? Could the film have been told from
another perspective? Do you think the film is trying to depict the events in a certain way?
Why or why not? (4 marks)
• Reflect on your viewing experience. What did you like about the movie? What did you
not like about the movie? What stood out to you while you were watching? (5 marks)
• What did you learn from the film? (4 marks)
Essay requirements: Your essay should be around 400-500 words in length. It must be
formatted using MLA. You must demonstrate an understanding of the film and relevant course
topics. You need to demonstrate you have engaged with the film, thought carefully about what
you are writing, and taken the time to write your essay. Consider grammar while writing.
Note on plagiarism: This assignment must be completed individually by you. You will be handing
your essay in through Turnitin. Any information copied from the internet will result in a zero on
the assignment. Additionally, if your essay is suspected of being completed by another
individual, you will receive a zero.
Films: You only need to choose one film to watch, but I encourage you to watch all of them!
Jojo Rabbit (2019) Schindler’s List (1993)
Dunkirk (2017) The Third Man (1949)
The Darkest Hour (2017) Battle of Algiers (1966)
Downfall (2004) The Lives of Others (2006)
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005) Goodbye Lenin (2003)