{updated 13/08/01}
As teachers of a variety of texts in an ever changing world, we are aware of the increasing need to incorporate multimedia and video texts in the curriculum. In a society where children often relate more to their television sets than their friends or parents there are many benefits to the study of video texts in the classroom.
The following is a series of texts that I feel would be very useful in the classroom. I must admit that I find it quite frustrating that many great films that are accessible to the students at home and at the cinemas are often seen to be too controversial to study in the classroom. Often I find very little difference between movies rated PG and those rated M+ in terms of the language used and the subject matter covered, yet for some reason we are not able to show M+ movies to junior students (7-9). I feel this issue must be discussed.
Jumanji (rated – PG)
An adventure story of a young boy named Allan Parrish. One evening a friend of his named Sarah Wittle visits him at home and he suggests that they play a board game he found at a construction site near his father’s shoe factory. The game is called Jumanji. It is no ordinary game! As they set up the board and take their first turns, the children start to feel that there is something very strange going on. After Allan’s turn he is sucked into the game (literally!) and Sarah is chased out of the house by gigantic bats! Years later two children who had lost their parents and were now living with their Aunt in the Parrish’s old home find the game and the chaos starts again. We encounter everything through the game – a psychotic hunter, a man eating lion, mosquitoes the size of eagles (and more).
This is a fun story with many special effects. The bizarre events which unfold entertains the audience and urges us on until the game is finished.
{cast includes Robin Williams as Allan Parrish (adult)}
The Truman Show {rated PG}
This is a very relevant video text considering the fact we are living in a world that seems to be obsessed with reality TV shows (e.g. Big Brother, Survivor...).
This is a movie about a man named Truman burbank who was adopted by a corporation when he was born and has lived all his life as the leading character in a TV show. He has no idea everything around him is fake. He lives with a 'wife' named Merril who advertises all the products she uses in the show so people watching will go out and buy them! Things start to go amiss when Truman gets the sense that something is not right. His 'dead' father reappears and he starts to see the walls of building missing and people behaving in a very predictable way. He realises that there is some kind of a plot surrounding him in order to keep him from leaving his lovely, safe little town. Truman starts to do whatever it takes to get away.
This is a fascinating movie as it explores the concepts of reality, perception and the effect of the media on the public.
I would recommend this film be used with years 7-9.
cast includes Jim Carrey and Ed Harris
Emma {rated PG}
This text is suitable for study with years 8 and above. I feel the language used would be a little too difficult for year 7 students to manage. There are many other elements they would also have to identify - issues surrounding the era, costuming, lighting, atmosphere, actor placement - and I think in year 7 the films they study should not be this complicated.
Emma is a story of a young English woman whose Governess has just been married. She feels a little lost and decides to take a young woman named Harriet Smith under her wing. She then proceeds to play matchmaker and tries to set Harriet up with the local vicar, Mr Elton. Emma also has a good friend named Mr Knightly who she has known for a long time and throughout the movie we watch the ups and downs of their relationship. Mr Knightly does not think that Emma should be playing matchmaker and that what she is doing is meddling. In the end we see that Emma is not a very good matchmaker and that she has been too busy doing this to realise that the man she loves was under her nose all along. The movie ends with Emma and Mr Knightly realising their love for each other and Emma vows that she will never play matchmaker again. During the film we see many other characters appear and cause some kind of complication in the lives of the main characters. These include Mr Frank Churchill and Mrs Elton.
It is an enjoyable movie that examines the themes of romantic love, the ironies of life, the journey to maturity, humour, social satire and the consequences of vanity.
{cast includes Gwennyth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam and Ewan McGregor}
Other Films;
Dr Dolittle (not the 2nd one as it is so boring!)
Gone With the Wind (long but worth it, especially to tie in with SOSE)
Little Women (the modern version)
Titanic (again, long but also very good at examining issues such as social division, the true nature of love, roles of women in society...)
Casablanca (an oldie but a goodie - again showing many relevant social and personal issues - war and society, relationships in the face of war, corruption..)
Star Wars : Episode One (great to introduce younger grades to fantasy and science fiction genres, also it is a modern film)
Films that I think are useful to study that have ratings of M+ or above include;
The Matrix
(brilliant special effects and great for a study of cinematic devices to capture the interest of audiences, the fact most kids have probably already seen it also helps, the movie is all about the concept of reality and how the world is never what we think it is)
The Patriot
(starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger)
Nuremberg
(this is an amazing movie. It stars Alec Baldwin as the Chief Prosecutor of the Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials. It is very graphic in parts and shows what really happened to the Jews in the Nazi concentration camps during WW2. It also shows the arrogance of the Nazis in custody, including Goering, who seems in this film to have been a 'wannabe' Hitler), and the fact they 'would rather die than admit they were wrong'. Some of the Nazi's who testified talked about the atrocities as if they were avery day common place things and some of what they said sent chills down my spine. Definitely a worthwhile movie to show to older classes. It is long - 3hrs or so - but would be useful to connect to history as well as English).
Save the Last Dance (M)
Stars Julia Styles as a ballet dancer who loses her mother in a car accident and blames herself. She moves to live with her 'muso' father in the Bronx and goes to a high school made up primarily of Black people. She finds it hard to fit in until one of the black girls takes her under her wing. She also develops a relationship with her friend's brother who is very smart and challenges her in English class. He is also a great dancer. The three of them go to a dance club after school and it is clear that Julia's character has no idea how to put emotion into her dancing and dance freely like her friends can so her best friend's brother gives her lessons. It becomes clear that the blacks don't like the idea of one of their own going off with a white girl and some see all whites as the enemy who should be dealt with violently. The issues of gang warfare and racism are predominant here. It also shows that it is not the color of your skin that matters but who you are inside that counts. Very good movie, about 1 and three quarter hours long and very relevant for today's kids considering the issues they face on a daily basis.
Good Will Hunting
Brilliant movie that will touch event the most cold hearted of viewers. Tells the story of a genius by the name of Will Hunting. He had a horrible childhood and was abused in foster homes. Now as an adult he thinks everyone who is not in his circle of friends is out to hurt him. He never lets anyone get close. To overcome these problems a maths teacher who sees Will's potential enlists the help of a psychologist (played by Robin Williams in his academy award winning performance) to try to sort Will out. Will also gets friendly with a girl named Skylar (Minnie Driver) who tries to understand why Will won't let her close. The relationship winds up failing. The ending will have some in tears and everyone else in a very reflective mood.
