TO DO:
a. Paper format: No cover page, body of text should be ONE page, single spaced,
12 pt font. DO NOT SUBMIT A PAPER THAT IS MORE THAN ONE PAGE LONG.
b. Paper guidelines: These reaction papers should not be merely a synopsis of
the film, but should reflect some thought about the film(s) and how they
might relate to concepts we are covering in class that week. See the film
worksheet as a guide to know what questions you should be asking yourself
as you view each film. Film reaction papers which include especially perceptive
analysis rather than just summarizing the plot will receive up to 5 extra credit
points per paper. Papers that do not meet formatting guidelines or that
contain excessive grammatical/spelling errors will not earn full points.
FILM VIEWING WORKSHEET: INFORMATIONAL
DOCUMENTARY
Read these questions before you watch the film so that you will know what to look for while
you watch. If you make notes while the movie is playing, make sure that your note taking
doesn’t interfere with carefully watching the film. You will use parts of your answers to the
questions below in your film reaction paper (ONE PAGE LONG, SINGLE SPACED). Answers
need to be complete and comprehensive, demonstrating that you paid attention to the film
and thought about what was shown on the screen. All responses should be in complete
sentences using proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
1. State the title of the film and the year it was released. Then briefly describe what the film
is about.
2. Identify the people, places, events, or aspects of people, society or nature that are the
focus of this film. Describe and clarify the significance of each.
3. List four facts described in the film that impressed you and explain how each fact relates
to the film’s premise or theme.
4. Nonfiction can enrich viewers in several important ways. Describe any aspect of the film
that showed you something you hadn’t seen before, caused you to think in a new way, or
helped you understand something more thoroughly than before. In addition, describe how
it changed your thinking.
5. Was there anything that you saw or heard in the film that was unconvincing or which
seemed out of place and why?
6. What particularly appealed to you in the cinematic presentation of the film, such as the
way in which particular scenes, images, or sounds were presented?
7. If the filmmakers were to ask you how the film could be improved, what would you tell
them? Describe the changes you would suggest in detail and the reasons for your
suggestions.
8. If someone asked you whether you would recommend this film, how would you
respond? Fully explain your reasons.
Cahokia: America’s Lost Metropolis
directed by Liz Gray; produced by Liz Gray (London, England: BBC Worldwide, 1998, originally published 1998), 50 mins
Abstract / Summary
Before the arrival of Columbus, in the heart of North America lay a metropolis which rivalled medieval Rome in size and complexity. Research indicates that Cahokia was carefully planned in accordance with Native American beliefs and cosmology. Ancient Voices traces the development, and eventual collapse, of this civilisation using new archaeological research obtained from leading experts in the field.
Field of Interest
World History
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1998 BBC Worldwide
Director
Liz Gray
Content Type
Documentary
Duration
50 mins
Format
Video
Original Publication Date
1998
Original Release Date
1998
Producer
Liz Gray
Publisher
BBC Worldwide
Place Published / Released
London, England
Release Date
1998
Subject
World History; History; Family and Culture; Science and Technology; American Indian communities; American Indians; Ancient civilizations; Archaeological artifacts; Archaeology; Societal structure; Family and Culture; Science and Technology; Familia y Cultura; Família e Cultura; Ciencia y Tecnología; Ciência e Tecnologia; London, England; Cahokia Mounds State Historic Park, IL; World History; American Indians; Palestinians; Israelis; Arabs; Post-Classical Period (500–1450)
Keywords and Translated Subjects
Familia y Cultura; Família e Cultura; Ciencia y Tecnología; Ciência e Tecnologia
directed by Ola Flyum, fl. 2006 and David Hebditch; produced by David Hebditch and Ola Flyum, fl. 2006, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2007), 1 hour 8 mins
Abstract / Summary
The looting of ancient artifacts from the troubled regions of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan is an ongoing scandal. This film reveals the closely knit network of looters, smugglers, dealers, collectors and academics which encourages this illegal trade. The huge scale of the thefts of precious artworks like “magic” bowls from Mesopotamia and the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism, have led to police investigations in Britain, Norway and Afghanistan. Since the film was shown in Europe, one of the world’s largest collectors, was forced to return some of the articles to their countries of originArchaeolgist Dr. Erika Hunter had been studying artifacts from Iraq since the late 1980’s. In the early 1990’s she was offered a huge cache to study. She and Dr. Robert Knox, the Asia Curator at the British Museum, are seen trying to establish the provenance of the items, suspecting they had been stolen from the area near Peshawar. In the Bamiyan Valley, where the famous buddhas were destroyed, we see goatherds digging for antiquities which they can sell for what seems like fortunes to them. As much as academics argue about the provenance of the artifacts, they still want to study and write about them. It is impossible to stop the looting now.
Field of Interest
Science
Accolades / Awards
Middle East Studies Association, 2007
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2007. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
Director
Ola Flyum, fl. 2006; David Hebditch
Content Type
Documentary
Duration
1 hour 8 mins
Warning: Contains explicit content
No
Format
Video
Sub Genre
Documentary
Producer
David Hebditch; Ola Flyum, fl. 2006
Producer – Institution
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Place Published / Released
New York, NY
Release Date
2007
Subject
Science; Science & Engineering; Environmental Science; Archaeology; Ciência Ambiental; Ciencias Ambientales; Anthropology; Religion; Science
Keywords and Translated Subjects
Ciência Ambiental; Ciencias Ambientales; Anthropology; Religion
Africa’s Great Civilizations Episode 4 of 6: Cities
Martin Bates, McGee Media, Inkwell Films, & Kunhardt Films (Producers), & Bates, M. (Director). (2017). Cities. [Video/DVD] Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved from https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/Cities
Abstract
In his six-hour series, Africa’s Great Civilizations, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. takes a new look at the history of Africa, from the birth of humankind to the dawn of the 20th century. This is a breathtaking and personal journey through two hundred thousand years of history, from the origins, on the African continent, of art, writing, and civilization itself, through the millennia in which Africa and Africans shaped not only their own rich civilizations, but also the wider world. Professor Gates travels the length and breadth of Africa to chronicle the continent’s history from a firmly African perspective. His journey takes him from the city of Great Zimbabwe, to the pyramids of Meroe, and the spectacular rock-hewn churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia. The epic story that he tells is full of surprises and unexpected connections, helping us to appreciate the collective and individual genius of Africans who, across thousands of years, built civilizations and empires, fought wars, established great cities, furthered and spread learning, and created some of the most sublime art and architecture in human history.
Release Date
2017
Producer
Martin Bates
Duration
52 minutes
Video Colored
Yes
Publisher Place
Arlington, VA
Field of Interest
Black Studies
Specialized Area of Interest
Religion and Belief Systems, Trade and Commerce, Imperialism and Colonialism
Director
Martin Bates
Language of Edition
English
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
directed by Cédric Robion, fl. 2007 (Paris, Ile-de-France: ZED (Film production), 2014), 53 mins
Abstract / Summary
In the frozen steppes of the Altay, a Franco-Mongolian archeological expedition prepares to excavate the tomb of an Eastern Scythian warrior, 2 300 years old. Their ritual practice of deep burial of the dead, in combination with extreme climatic conditions, may mean that these scientists will discover the last frozen tombs on the planet, and will elucidate the mysteries surrounding this Scythian horseman. Who was he? How did he live? How did he die? This investigation will enable new light to be shed on this forgotten civilization. Alongside the excavations, a family of Kazakh nomads have set up their summer camp, attracted by the unusual activity. Striking similarities appear between the lifestyles and practices of these Kazakhs and the Eastern Scythians, two millennia apart in time. Intertwined with the archeological research is thus a fascinating ethno-archeological study, of one of the last peoples still isolated from modernity, and their possible very ancient ancestors. But for the Kazakhs too, the question arises – how long will they survive in their isolation?
Field of Interest
Anthropology
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2014 by Agat Films & Cie
Director
Cédric Robion, fl. 2007
Content Type
Documentary
Duration
53 mins
Anthropologist / Ethnographer
Cédric Robion, fl. 2007
Warning: Contains explicit content
No
Format
Video
Publisher
ZED (Film production)
Place Published / Released
Paris, Ile-de-France
Release Date
2014
Subject
Anthropology; Social Sciences; Archaeological anthropology; Cultural anthropology; Kazakh; Burial customs; Herders; Asian ethnic groups; Ancient civilizations; Antropologia Arqueológica; Antropología Arqueológica; Antropologia Cultural; Antropología Cultural; Mongolia; Pacific Islanders
Keywords and Translated Subjects
Antropologia Arqueológica; Antropología Arqueológica; Antropologia Cultural; Antropología Cultural
