Does the film seek primarily to inform, persuade, arouse emotions, entertain, or a combination of these?

FILM CRITIQUE GUIDELINES

In viewing films for extra credit you are to assume the dual role of historian and movie critic.

You will need to be alert both to the historical importance of the film and to the ways in which

the director has chosen to depict the historical period, themes, events, and characters.

Begin your critique with a summary of the film. This summary should be succinct, yet

comprehensive enough that anyone reading the summary will have a clear idea of what the

movie is about. Your summary should include the title of the movie, the director of the movie,

the major stars of the movie, the year the movie was released, and the plot of the movie. Your

written critique should include, but not be limited to, your responses to the following

questions:

l. What historical period, themes, events, and characters are portrayed?

2. On the basis of your reading and study, how historically accurate is the portrayal?

How does it differ from “historical reality”? Give examples.

3. What biases or points of view does the film reflect? Who are the heroes or villains, if

any, and what do they represent? What political, social, or economic views or

values, if any, does the film treat? In what ways are these biases or value judgements

revealed?

4. What cinematic techniques or devices does the director employ to enhance historical

authenticity or to give the viewer a “visual feel” for the period and events depicted? (For

example, the use of black and white, rather than color, to depict somber themes or

emphasize harsh environment; the use of music to establish mood; frequent close ups to

stress individuals; panoramic shots of the landscape to emphasize the terrain; or the use of

romance or humor to humanize an historical character.)

5. Does the film seek primarily to inform, persuade, arouse emotions, entertain, or a

combination of these?

6. Is the film’s focus on the way individuals shape history or on the impersonal forces

(economic, social, environmental) that sweep individuals along with them?

The film critique should be a minimum of two FULL pages in length, typed in 12-point font,

double-spaced, with reasonable margins

—– movie name : Déjà Vu (1958-1961) – link : http://libraryproxy.sdmesa.edu/login?url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=97702&xtid=145807

library login : 0005577577

last name : TRAN