Portraits of America: Democracy on Film

The newest curriculum in The Story of Movies program focuses on American democratic ideals as expressed through film. While issues of immigration, labor rights and the common good, civil liberties, and systems of government are covered, the heart of this curriculum is story.

The scope and sequence of lessons and activities are written for students to investigate and answer these key questions: What does it mean to be an American, and how have movies portrayed America and Americans through the 20th and into the 21st century?

Major support provided by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees

Cover
Foreword
Curriculum Outline
FAQ

At the turn of the 20th century, the invention of the moving picture coincided with soaring immigration to this country. For many immigrants who did not yet speak English, the movies provided a unique way of learning about America. Today, movies about the immigrant experience challenge students to move beyond statistics and push-pull factors to think more deeply about and empathize with those who made the life-changing decision to leave their homeland for a new world.

Essential Questions
• Why do immigrants leave their homelands for life in America?
• How have movie depictions of immigrants changed over time?
• What challenges of assimilation do immigrants face once in America?

Go to Module 1

Filmmakers have long mined America’s labor history for dramatic stories that champion the working man and woman. The movies presented in this module are based on actual events and situations. They engage students in discussions about power/authority and governance, and encourage them to interpret the relevance of these issues to present-day working situations.

Essential Questions
• Why do workers go on strike?
• What role have women played in organizing and settling labor disputes?
• How—and why—have film representations of the working class changed over time?

Go to Module 2

Just as knowledge of immigration helps to inform students about labor issues, so does a knowledge of labor issues help to inform them about civil rights. This module invites students into the lives of people who have struggled for social justice, as expressed through different film genres: fictional drama, documentary, and animation.

Essential Questions
• How do movies contribute to our understanding of racial and cultural identities in America?
• What is the common good, and who determines what that means?
• Why is empathy necessary in a democracy, and how do filmmakers create empathy in the stories they tell?

Go to Module 3

Throughout most of its history, the motion picture industry has been male-dominated. But it was not always this way. In the earliest decades of filmmaking, opportunities for women were plentiful, not only in front of but also behind the camera. In addition to analyzing how Hollywood depicted women on the screen, students learn about the work of three significant female directors, from the silent era through the mid-20th century.

Essential Questions
• What social stereotypes about women did movies reinforce and/or challenge?
• How did movies about women that were directed by women differ from movies about women directed by men?
• How did depictions of women on the screen both mirror and influence social expectations of women throughout the 20th century?

Go to Module 4

Populism and demagoguery are abstract concepts not easily explained or understood. Movies, however, explore the abstract through specific narratives. This module's films challenge students to think critically about the influence of the media on politicians, the backroom power plays involved in a Senate confirmation hearing, and the threat of an autocratic president to America's democracy. 

Essential Questions
• What is the difference between a politician and a demagogue?
• How does political power change an individual?
• How have depictions of the presidency changed over time?

Go to Module 5

The movies in this module are set in eras prior to the invention of the Internet and social media. The ways in which news is communicated to the public may have changed since then, but issues regarding truth and objectivity have not. The films engage students in thinking about change and continuity, and civic ideals and practices.

Essential Questions
• What stereotypes about journalists—good and bad—are expressed through popular movies?
• What do movies tell us about the American public's consumption of news?
• When, if at all, should a journalist take a stand on a social or political issue?

Go to Module 6

War movies help to define us as Americans and challenge our understanding of both patriotism and propaganda. This module's focus is on the two world wars of the 20th century. The chapters are organized chronologically by year of production, aligning film analysis with the history of the motion picture industry's participation in both wars.

Essential Questions
• What role did movies play in advancing America's democratic ideals during wartime?
• In what way can a movie become a weapon of war?
• How can the actions of fictional movie characters help us to understand issues of patriotism and pacifism in today's world?

Go to Module 7

The final module focuses on movies as art and directors as authors. Students study the work of five acclaimed auteur directors: John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, Vincente Minnelli, Spike Lee, and Martin Scorsese. Each chapter discusses the unique visual style of these directors and the themes they address. The chosen films for in-depth study are quintessential American portraits in diverse genres: social drama, suspense, musical, documentary, and biopic. 

Essential Questions
• What is the difference between a director and an auteur director?
• What can we learn about America from the stories auteur directors tell?

Go to Module 8