SOCIAL+Commentary

**__Social Commentary__** During this period, films focusing on real issues, historical events, and controversial matters were winning audiences and critics over. Despite the action-packed blockbusters such as //Jurassic Park// and //Back to the Future//, films that dealt with the nitty-gritty reality of our world also held audiences captive as they watched actors portray tough, heroic, and scarred characters. These movies were not always the "feel good" storylines. They instead sought to tell //stories// without the glitz and glamour of the movie industry. These movies often had big name directors and actors, yet they did not bill them as the main attraction. The stories that they told were seen as more important. This fresh take on such films proved to be popular. These movies were often nominated the most and were the biggest champions in such awards as the Oscars.

//What's Eating GIlbert Grape ('93)// //Forrest Gump ('94)// //Rain Man ('88)// //Edward Scissorhands ('90)// //Driving Miss Daisy ('89)// //Schindler's List ('93)// //Do The Right Thing ('89)// //Philadelphia ('93)// //The Color Purple ('85)// //Dances With Wolves ('90)// //Dangerous Minds ('95)// //Malcolm X ('92)// //Braveheart ('95)// //Apollo 13 ('95)// //The Shawshank Redemption ('94)// //A Room With A View ('86)// //Platoon ('86)// JFK ('91) Steel Magnolias ('89)
 * Notable Films of the Decade**



**"Whoever Saves One Life Save the World Entire"**

Steven Spielberg directed //Schindler's List, which was// a serious venture into the reality of The Holocaust. The grim nature of the film became a new genre in the industry. Spielberg, who is Jewish, "indemnified the appeal of his project in a thoroughly legitimate way; and its success brought him the cultural prestige that had eluded him for decades" (Cook). In fact, Spielberg refused to take a salary or any money from this movie because he felt it would be "blood money." He did not wish to profit off of making a movie that was so close to him personally. He also refuses to sign any memorabilia from //Schindler's List//.

Schindler's List is filmed entirely in black and white. Spielberg's reason for this is because he wanted to reflect the harshness and hopelessness of The Holocaust. He does use one color, red, symbolically. A young girl in the movie is wearing a red coat as she tries to hide from the Nazis as seen in the following clip: []

Spielberg discusses his reasons for showing the color of red in this interview: []

The film is based on a true story about a German man, Oskar Schindler, who is a member of the Nazi party during World War II. After witnessing the horror brought on by the Nazis during a raid on a Jewish ghetto, he resigns to then help the Jews escape to freedom. By the end, he saves over thousands of lives. The final scenes are very poignant, as is his gut-wrenching realization of "I could have saved more." Here is the clip below:

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Robert Zemeckis directed //Forrest// //Gump//, which carries us through historic moments in time (60's and 70's) through the viewpoint of Forrest, a mentally challenged man. Based on the novel of the same name by Winston Groom, this movie won six Oscars, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Supporting Actor (Gary Sinise). This movie used CGI for several effects, such as the floating feather, Lt. Dan's amputated legs, showing him in actual footage such as meeting JFK, Lyndon B. Johnson, and John Lennon, and the ping pong ball that Forrest plays with during his matches (no, Tom Hanks didn't just have amazing skills with the ping pong paddle like we all wanted to believe). Despite being filmed in South Carolina, the Vietnam War scenes are said to be one of the most accurate portrayals of the war in film. You can see this for yourself: []

Forrest Gump alludes to many historical moments/popular culture, including: Vietnam War Desegregation of the University of Alabama (George Wallace) Watergate Apple Computers March on Washington Anti-Vietnam protests <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">Hippie culture <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">Black Panthers <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">Communist China

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">This movie is often used in history classes to teach the 1960's-70's because of the vast amounts of historical events used. The film would also be beneficial to teach alongside a novel or unit dealing with such events in an English classroom... <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">And that's all I've got to say about that.

During this decade, America had just been rocked by the AIDS scare. Awareness had been put into place, yet the virus was still a taboo topic because of those who it most greatly affected: homosexual males. //Philadelphia//, directed by Jonathan Demme, is about a gay man named Andrew Beckett (played by Tom Hanks) who has been infected with AIDS. He is a successful lawyer who has just been assigned a big case for his firm. As his illness worsens, it affects his ability to perform at work. He is then fired due to what his firm sees as his inability to handle his job correctly. This, of course, is not the real reason. Beckett sees this as discrimination against him because he has AIDS and is gay (he was never open about either of these at work). Denzel Washington plays Joe Miller, an attorney who is homophobic. Beckett asks Miller to represent him in his law suit against the firm. Miller turns him down at first. This particular scene is one in which critics say gave Hanks the Oscar win. The final camera shot of Hanks' face after being turned down, his looking in both directions, yet still not having any hope is powerful. This can be seen in the clip here: [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Joe Miller's character changes throughout the movie. He begins to see his prejudice against Beckett and aims to correct it as he watches Beckett struggle to live, yet fight with all that he has. In this famous scene, Beckett has Miller listen to an opera entitled "La Momma Morta." Opera is used thorughout the movie as a cue for Beckett. The music calms him and becomes a part of him. In other words, it sometimes contrasts what he is dealing with, or it parallels his emotions and situations, as is seen in "La Momma Morta": []
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 115%;">“You know it's funny what a young man recollects? 'Cause I don't remember bein' born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.” -Forrest Gump **

Tom Hanks won the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in //Philadelphia//. Bruce Springsteen won for Best Song with "The Streets of Philadelphia." Demme wanted to target the audience that wouldn't ordinarily flock to movies about gay men battling AIDS, therefore he picked Springsteen's song as a featured element. The song and the movie left a lasting impression on people's opinions of AIDS because it changed the way in which people saw the victims of the disease. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**﻿Possible Discussion-Based Lesson on Heroes** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This lesson would be ideal as an introduction to a unit on the Epic, Tragic, and Anti Heroes found in literature. The idea of this lesson is for students to think outside of the box as to the definition of "hero." Have them get past the stage of thinking the "superhero" definition and think in more realistic terms. **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Discussion Questions: ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What makes a hero? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then show the following clips: <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 115%;">[] How are each of those heroes different? the same? (You may have to give some background info on each one) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Why could a hero be seen negatively? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How is a hero who only saves others from death different from a hero who had to kill others to save lives? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Are they then given equal treatment/adulation? <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How is a hero's duty to save seen as different from a hero who was a regular citizen? Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, 1st living Medal of Honor recipient [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miracle on the Hudson- Pilot Sullenberger []
 * //Schindler's List// ("I could have saved more")**
 * //Forrest Gump// (saving Bubba and Lt. Dan)**
 * //A Few Good Men// ("You Can't Handle the Truth")**
 * Then ask:**
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You can also tie in real-life examples of heroes, including: **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Movies by Theme **Social Commentary:** //What's Eating GIl<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">﻿ bert Grape, Forrest Gump, Rain Man//
 * The Outcast Archetype:** //Forrest Gump, Edward Scissorhands//
 * Racial Issues:** //Driving Miss Daisy, Schindler's List, Do The Right Thing, Philadelphia, The Color Purple, Dances With Wolves, Dangerous Minds//
 * War and Politics:** //Schindler's List, Forrest Gump//

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">**Literature to tie in:** **Social Commentary:** //The Giver, The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, Twelve Angry Men,// //Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby// **Disabilities-** //Flowers for Algernon// **The Outcast Archetype:** //The Stranger, Native Son// **Racial Issues-** //To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, A Raisin in the Sun, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Fences// **War and Politics:** //Maus, Night, Chains, Persepolis, Keeping Corner//