Portraits of America: Democracy on Film
Created by Fergenaprido.
Favorited 0 times, disliked 0 times, added to 0 watchlists.
Recently completing one of the longest shoots of his career with The Irishman, most other directors would consider that an accomplishment enough, but in between takes, Martin Scorsese somehow found time to construct a new curriculum as part of his “The Story of Movies” film course, produced with his company Film Foundation. This latest edition is “Portraits of America: Democracy on Film” and is free for students. However, if one would just like to follow along with their own personal screenings, the full list is available.
“We all need to make sense of what we’re seeing. For young people born into this world now, it’s absolutely crucial that they get guided,” Scorsese says (via IndieWire). “They have to learn how to sort the differences between art and pure commerce, between cinema and content, between the secrets of images that are individually crafted and the secrets of images that are mass-produced. We want to teach our students to try and be critical thinkers, and now we have to teach them to be critical viewers as well.”
Beginning with The Immigrant Experience and, of course, Charlie Chaplin’s The Immigrant, we move through The American Laborer, Civil Rights, The American Woman, Politicians and Demagogues, Soldiers and Patriots, The Press, then conclude with The Auteurs, and cheekily end with one of Scorsese’s own features. For students the course includes a number of chapters within each section for deeper study.
Module 1: The Immigrant Experience (Films 1-5)
Module 2: The American Laborer (Films 6-10)
Module 3: Civil Rights (Films 11-14)
Module 4: The American Woman (Films 15-21)*
Module 5: Politicians and Demagogues (Films 22-25)
Module 6: Soldiers and Patriots (Films 26-32)**
Module 7: The Press (Films 33-37)
Module 8: The Auteurs (Films 38-42)
*Films 15-17 are grouped as a single chapter entitled "Through a Woman's Lens".
**Films 27-29 are grouped as a single chapter entitled "Private Snafu's Private War - three Snafu Shorts from WWII". I don't know which 3 shorts are featured, so I added the first three produced.
Full Curriculum here: https://www.storyofmovies.org/login?returnUrl=%2fportraits-of-america-democracy-on-film
Pssst, want to check out the Portraits of America: Democracy on Film list in our new look?
Filter
-
1 new
The Immigrant
1917, in 7 top lists Check -
2 new
The Godfather Part II
1974, in 32 top lists Check -
3 new
America America
1963, in 7 top lists Check -
4 new
El Norte
1983, in 5 top lists Check -
5 new
The Namesake
2006, in 1 top list Check -
6 new
Black Fury
1935, in 0 top lists Check -
7 new
Harlan County U.S.A.
1976, in 11 top lists Check -
8 new
At the River I Stand
1993, in 0 top lists Check -
9 new
Salt of the Earth
1954, in 6 top lists Check -
10 new
Norma Rae
1979, in 4 top lists Check -
11 new
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
1970, in 1 top list Check -
12 new
Intruder in the Dust
1949, in 5 top lists Check -
13 new
The Times of Harvey Milk
1984, in 8 top lists Check -
14 new
Smoke Signals
1998, in 1 top list Check -
15 new
Suspense
1913, in 5 top lists Check -
16 new
Where Are My Children?
1916, in 1 top list Check -
17 new
Dance, Girl, Dance
1940, in 4 top lists Check -
18 new
Imitation of Life
1934, in 5 top lists Check -
19 new
Woman of the Year
1942, in 7 top lists Check -
20 new
Alien
1979, in 30 top lists Check -
21 new
The Age of Innocence
1993, in 6 top lists Check -
22 new
Gabriel Over the White House
1933, in 0 top lists Check -
23 new
A Lion Is in the Streets
1953, in 0 top lists Check -
24 new
Advise & Consent
1962, in 2 top lists Check -
25 new
A Face in the Crowd
1957, in 14 top lists Check -
26 new
Sergeant York
1941, in 7 top lists Check -
27 new
Coming!! Snafu
1943, in 0 top lists Check -
28 new
Gripes
1943, in 0 top lists Check -
29 new
Spies
1943, in 0 top lists Check -
30 new
Three Came Home
1950, in 0 top lists Check -
31 new
Glory
1989, in 5 top lists Check -
32 new
Saving Private Ryan
1998, in 28 top lists Check -
33 new
Meet John Doe
1941, in 3 top lists Check -
34 new
All the President's Men
1976, in 21 top lists Check -
35 new
Good Night, and Good Luck.
2005, in 4 top lists Check -
36 new
An Inconvenient Truth
2006, in 3 top lists Check -
37 new
Ace in the Hole
1951, in 21 top lists Check -
38 new
Modern Times
1936, in 30 top lists Check -
39 new
The Grapes of Wrath
1940, in 24 top lists Check -
40 new
Citizen Kane
1941, in 39 top lists Check -
41 new
An American in Paris
1951, in 18 top lists Check -
42 new
The Aviator
2004, in 8 top lists Check
Last updated on Dec 6, 2019; source