Media Analysis

The choice of movie is up to you, but your instructor will only approve a particular title for one student. So, get approval early in the course. You should choose a movie that makes some effort to protray the reality of war and/or a particular event, but not a documentary. View the movie and read an important (scholarly) book on the same topic. You are welcome to read more than one book on the topic, and you may find journal articles useful, as well. Your paper should be an analysis of the movie based on the scholarly books and articles that you read. For example, you might watch Patton (1970) and then analyze the movie based on your reading of a scholarly biography of Patton such as Carlo D’este’s Patton: A Genius for War or Matin Blumenson’s Patton: The Man Behind the Legend, 1885-1945. Another option is The Longest Day, an epic Hollywood film about the Normandy landings, which you could analyze based on reading Max Hasting’s Overlord, John Keegan’s Six Armies in Normandy, or any number of other excellent books on the Normandy landings. The options are many. Some movies, though, are based on specific books. You may not compare a movie to a book on which it is specifically based. For example, both The Longest Day (1962) and A Bridge too Far (1977) are based on Cornelius Ryan books of the same title. In general, you should choose a movie about a specific historical event or person. Choosing a movie about a fictional, or mostly fictional event, such as Saving Private Ryan, makes analysis difficult, and these films should be considered for this assignment with extreme caution.In writing your paper, consider the movie. What does it represent well? How accurate a depiction of events does it offer? What liberties do the film makers take in portraying the war? Most film makers use movies to present larger messages or explore particular themes. Male bonding and the pressures of combat, for example, are common themes in war movies as, of course, are calls to patriotism and questions about the sacrifice or futility of war. What themes are explored in the movie you viewed? Always remember that this should be an analytical paper. The first paragraph of your review should contain a brief description of the movie that sets the stage for your analysis by presenting your thesis. Do not summarize the movie in the body of your paper. Analyze it. Possible movies (this is not an exhaustive list, so feel free to suggest others):Above and Beyond (1952)Bataan (1943)Battle of Britain (1969)Battle of the Bulge (1965)Battleground (1949)The Big Red (1980)The Bridge at Remagen’ (1969)A Bridge too Far (1977)Cross of Iron (1977)The Dam Busters (1954)Das Boot (1981)The Desert Fox: The Story of Rommel (1951)Downfall (2004)Dunkirk (1958)The Enemy BelowEnigma (2001)Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)The Great Escape (1963)Guadalcanal DiaryLetters from Iwo Jima (2006)The Longest Day (1962)MacArthurMerrill’s Marauders (1962)Midway (1976)The Night of the Generals (1966)Objective Burma (1945)Patton (1970)Rats of Tobruk (1944)Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)Sahara (1943)Sands of Iwo JimaSink the Bismark! (1960)Stalingrad (1993)Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)Tora, Tora, Tora (1970)Twelve O’Clock High (1949)Wake Island (1942)