This is paper is a film review of the documentary, “Egalite for All. Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution”
Here is a link to watch the documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6F5dXqTCfo
More than a simple summary of the documentary your review must cover these points:
– What sort of film is this? Does it portray a certain period of history, a series of events or the life of an
important historical figure?
– Who is the director, where was the film produced, and what is its nationality and date of issue?
– Does that give us any clues as to its possible biases or ideology?
– What are the director’s visible goals? What did he/she try to do with this movie? What might be his/her thesis?
– If there is a thesis, does he/she prove his point to your satisfaction? How well?
– Does the documentary have any noticeable biases? Is it fair and objective to the subject? Does it portray its
subject in a negative or positive light? How can you tell?
– Is the documentary based on a written work of history? Did it have any historical advisors? (Look carefully at
the credits).
– Does the documentary cover its topic well? Does it leave out major aspects, events or personalities that you
think should have been included?
-What did this film teach you? How does it portray the historical period, person or event it deals with? Was it
worth watching? Can it be used as a tool in a course of this sort or is it too complex and difficult for the
average college viewer? Does it assume previous knowledge of the subject or can anyone readily understand
it without having taken a history course?
– How well or badly crafted was this documentary? Does the dialogue flow smoothly or are there too many
silences or far too much dialogue for the adequate presentation of the topic? Too much action perhaps? Too
little? Did it entertain you as well as inform you?
-Would you recommend this documentary? Why? To whom?
