Film Resources
April 22, 2010
Throughout the course of our study we found some really helpful video resources that served to give our students some documentary footage of the time period we were seeking to understand. I cannot overstate the importance of students being able to see actual photographs and watch actual footage of the event, situations, and people that they read about. Reading about the sit in’s is one thing, watching the ferocity with which the students were ripped from their seats by the angry mob is another thing. Here is a brief list of some of the films we used in our unit.
Eyes on the Prize is a PBS documentary series that covers the Civil Rights Movement 1954-1985 in typical comprehensive PBS fashion. It is extremely informative, contains footage relatively difficult to see anywhere else, and is segmented into 14 chapters. One nice thing is it takes the viewer up to the mid 80′s. We only watched excerpts of it….also the website is filled with primary documents, clips, and episode guides.
The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till is a documentary about the life and death of Emmett Till. Studying Emmett Till was incredibly effective in teaching about the Civil Rights movement for our students as it related an individual who was a child himself, much like Leon’s Story. This film contains some graphic images, which we learned the hard way, can be too gruesome for young viewers. It is a sad story, but an important catalyst of the movement.
Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later is another documentary that takes a look at the environment of Little Rock Central High in present day, comparing the race relations now to the 1950′s. It is scary how divided this school is. While white and black students now go to the same school, all the AP classes are white while the remedial classes are primarily black. There are balck and white neighborhoods, that seem to also be separated by socio-economic lines as well. The principal has a lame attempt at trying to “mix it up” and have kids of different backgrounds sit together at lunch…..she gets laughed at by the students. An interesting film that leads the viewer to ask….How much really has changed?
Honestly, we never got to this one. It was reccomended by a friend and is a drama, which might be a nice departure form the documentaries. A young girl marches to Montgomery with Dr. King?
