Film and History

With the increasing ‘Hollywoodisation’ of History, it’s important to differentiate between historical fact and historical-film fiction. In this module, you’ll learn how to use film as an historical source. Differentiating between cinematic representations of the past and historical ‘fact’ takes an advanced level of film literacy, which you will develop by examining a range of films that cover a variety of historical periods and assessing their academic value. You will also explore and analyse the socio-political contexts that influence directors and writers.

What does the module cover?

This course gives you the opportunity to question why certain historical periods are more attractive to filmmakers and their intended audiences. You will examine films from a range of periods, such as the silent era, the Second World War, the Cold War and the Thatcher era, as well as historical documentaries, in order to analyse their strengths and weaknesses and to understand that they are as much the ‘construct’ of the filmmaker as are any other films.  Thus, you’ll learn to analyse from the viewpoint of academic history the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of films depicting the past.

Key Topics

• Reading film
• Film in its historical context
• Documentary film
• Propaganda and film
• Historical analysis of selected films

Prerequisites

None

Number of credits and study time

15 credits, equivalent to 150 hours of study. 

Assessment

Assessment for this module will comprise one or more tasks, which will take the form of an exam and/ or coursework  (essay, report or presentation).