angryyoungman

This should prove an interesting question for everyone. I'm looking for interesting movies about a fairly broad time period of American history... anywhere from Columbus and the early explorers to Jamestown, Plymouth and the early colonial period.

I am looking for something worthwhile but also not devoid of all entertainment that I can show to my 8th grade U.S. History students when we have some free time.

How is 1985's Christopher Columbus starring Gabriel Byrne and Max von Sydow?

I can't think of any films about the early colonial period off the top of my head.

Any help is appreciated!

Robert

The Crucible?

Deckard-10

1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Last of the Mohicans, The (1992)
Patriot, The (2000)

I don't know if I'd show these to a class of 8th graders, but they're the only ones I could think of.

Rypro 525

the only slight problem with the crucible is the tad bit of nudity at the begining (you may want to send a parent slip home so you don't get in trouble, great movie btw (and I think its only on vhs).

Drexl

How about the cartoon in Bowling for Columbine?

flixtime

Hmmm........tough question.

Here are some other films which fall into the category you are looking for, but the problem is I don't quite think they would be suitable (for varying reasons (not historically accurate, R-rating, no educational value, etc.)) viewing for your 8th graders. Nonetheless here they are:

The Norseman starring Lee Major - depicting Vikings coming to North America. Considered an awful movie by almost everyone (except me).
Drums Along the Mohawk starring Henry Fonda - I really enjoy this film about early colonial but perhaps (actually more than perhaps) too slanted a potrayal of Native Americans as evil
Black Robe (1991) - this would have been a good choice except for the R-rating, also maybe best to avoid religious themes in school since it's about a Catholic priest in the very early pre-colonial Americas. I'd recommend still if it were 12th graders though.
Plymouth Adventure starring Spencer Tracy
April Morning TV-movie starring Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Urich which deals with the Battles of Lexington and Concord
Northwest Passage - the story of Roger's Rangers - again starring Spencer Tracy and also Robert Young. Another favorite of mine but again too negative a potrayal of Native Americans.

All is not lost, one you might be able to go with is one of Ted Turner's TV-movies (available on VHS) entitled The Broken Chain (1993). I remember enjoying it when it first aired on cable TV. It's set around the time of the American Revolution and details the tough decisions the Native American tribes had to make with regards to which side (British or American) to support - if any. It's a TV-movie so it's safe for 8th graders. Plus it's educational (fact-based too if I recall correctly, I think I saw something similar once on the History channel (forget the Native American Chief's name however)) in showing a little depicted aspect of our history. Pierce Brosnan has a fairly significant role in the film too so perhaps that would make it an easier sell to your class (an "old guy" like Brosnan would still be considered a selling point, right? I hope so because I can't think of anything relevant starring that MTV Punk'd guy Ashton Kutcher (sp?)).

That's all I can think of right now. Good luck!

Mondo Kane

This one immediately came to mind (Great movie) but doesn't it take place in Canada?

movielib

Isn't Canada in "the Americas"?

garmonbozia

Isn't Canada in "the Americas"? [/QUOTE]


the topic asks specifically for examples of early US colonization as it is for a US history class.

groovrbaby

Pocahontas!

Mistoffeleez

There was a documentary on the Conquistadors on PBS not too long ago. The part I saw was well done. Checked around and it seems its only on VHS and its kind of expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...65443?v=glance


There was a teacher's guide made to go with the documentary as well:
http://www.pbs.org/opb/conquistadors/home.htm

shill66

I thought it was interesting that this thread was started on the same day that TCM aired Northwest Passage.

HistoryProf

I caught Northwest Passage a few months ago on TCM....a great Spencer Tracy flick for sure. Also based on real events during the French & Indian War. It is certainly interesting to look at the 1940 take on the 'revenge' attack on the Abenaki Village led by Col. Robert Rogers....might be a nice springboard for discussing views of American Indians today and historically in film.....

Black Robe was filmed in Canada, but the setting is among the Iroquoi/Huron diaspora, which stratched from New England throught the Saint Lawrence valley into Ontario and Quebec....remember, they didn't exactly care about our as yet non-existant boundaries It's an excellent movies, with my only qualm being that they used the wrong Native Languages for the different tribes - but i don't suppose 8th graders will mind that much.

The Mission is another fantastic film that hasn't been mentioned....i'd stay away from the Columbus film - just not well done imho.

The Crucible is a very very well done movie as well...I wouldn't hesitate to show that to 8th graders in spite of the minor very brief nudity in the beginning.....if only we could get it on dvd!!!

One of the best video series out there is Liberty! The American Revolution from PBS....it's a 6 or 8 part series, and the first episode covers the french/Indian war and lead up....i've used that in many classes....every episode is excellent, and many well-known actors make appearances as various real-life folks (my favorite being Phillip Seymour Hoffman as an American soldier at Valley Forge).

movielib

Is that why he asked for stuff about Columbus?

From the thread starter's post:

The Nature Boy

Hmm... probably not EXACTLY what you're looking for, but I think Dances With Wolves and Glory are both great movies to expose young people to, in regard to the pioneering days and pivotal moments of the U.S. infancy.

HistoryProf

I just remembered the perfect choice for you: The Midwife's Tale. It's available from PBS video and is fantastic. The book is also very very good and you might want to get that for your own sake...it was written by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/midwife/

DVD Smurf

The Mission

jekbrown

Dude, Wheres My Car?

j

Ted The Bug

Dances with Wolves

Drexl

I think you're confusing that with Dude, Where's My Horse?, which was mentioned a while back by a DVDTalker as one of the best movies in one of the decades of the 18th century.