History on film/film and history / Robert A. Rosenstone.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rosenstone, Robert A.

Contributor:

J. Fithian Tatem Memorial Fund.

Series:

History: concepts, theories and practice

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures and history.

Historical films--History and criticism.

Historical films.

Physical Description:

xii, 182 pages ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Harlow, England ; New York : Longman/Pearson, 2006.

Summary:

History films have often been criticized by academics and journalists as inaccurate depictions of the past. Yet there is no escaping the fact that blockbuster history films, documentaries and docudramas are increasingly influential in shaping our understanding of historical people and events. The very controversies that erupt over so many historical films are testament to the central role that films play in making history accessible.

Robert A. Rosenstone argues that to leave history films out of the discussion of the meaning of the past is to ignore a major factor in our understanding of past events. He champions the dramatic feature as a legitimate way of doing history, even though it is largely fictional. He examines what history films convey about the past and how they convey it, demonstrating the need to learn how to read and understand this new visual world. Integrating detailed analysis of individual history films, including Glory, Reds, October and Schindler's List, Rosenstone examines: different types of films - American, European, Mexican and Soviet - made in different political systems and climates; the dramatic feature, the biofilm, the documentary and the innovative or opposition drama; the filmmaker as historian, focusing on Oliver Stone as a brilliant historian of the Vietnam era; how a group of works devoted to a single topic, such as the Holocaust, can engage the larger discourse.

Contents:

Chapter 1 History on film 1

Chapter 2 To see the past 11

Chapter 3 Mainstream drama 32

Chapter 4 Innovative drama 50

Chapter 5 Documentary 70

Chapter 6 Telling lives 89

Chapter 7 Film maker/historian 111

Chapter 8 Engaging the discourse 134

Chapter 9 Film on history 154.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [172]-178) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the J. Fithian Tatem Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

5825058443

0582505844

OCLC:

61178225

Publisher Number:

9785825058443

9780582505841