The History Teacher’s Movie Guide

Finding, funding, and using the right films and video equipment can be challenging for history teachers.

Did you know that…

• The movie Prince of Egypt was banned in Egypt?
• In the movie Troy, ancient Trojans are shown using llamas that could only be found in the New World at that time?
• Oliver Stone’s movie JFK was so controversial that he wrote a whole book defending it?
• The movie 300 is based on a comic book and not meant to show historical reality at all?
• No one in the West has ever made a major motion picture featuring the life of Vladimir Lenin?
• Showing movies in the dark can damage your eyesight?
• Showing the wrong movie could get you fired or slapped with a heavy fine?
• There are ways to obtain free educational films?
• There are some great books and websites that allow you to learn about the objectionable content and historical accuracy of a film before you show it to your students?

This book helps you get good films that are free from bias, anachronisms, or objectionable content.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Chapter One: The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Films in Your Classroom
Chapter Two: Should I Use a Drama or a Documentary?
Chapter Three: Finding the Right Films
Chapter Four: Funding Your Film Library
Chapter Five: Copyright Issues
Chapter Six: Choosing the Right Format of Films & Equipment
Chapter Seven: Anachronisms in Film
Chapter Eight: Bias in Film
Chapter Nine: Films with Violence and Bad Language
Chapter Ten: Film-related Assignments
Chapter Eleven: The Best and Worst Dramatic Films for History Classes
Chapter Twelve: Recent Reviews
Chapter Thirteen: Films That I Think Should be Made
Chapter Fourteen: Recommended Reading
Chapter Fifteen: Dramatic Films Listed by Historical Era