TEN FILMS THAT ENGAGE STUDENTS

Transcription

1 The Hurricane TEN FILMS THAT ENGAGE STUDENTS

2 US: 1993, Drama 145 minutes, Rated R, Color Director: Norman Jewison Cast Includes: Denzel Washington...Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter Vicellous Reon Shannon...Lesra Martin Deborah Kara Unger... Lisa Peters Liev Schreibe... Sam Chaiton John Hannah...Terry Swinto Dan Hedaya...Det. Sgt. Della Pesca Debbi Morgan...Mae Thelma Carter Classification: Winter and Realism Notes Rubin Hurricane Carter, writes from his jail cell an autobiography that tells how he had his dream of becoming a top contender for the middle-weight boxing title shattered by his conviction for a triple murder and his frustration at the years of fruitless attempts to clear his name. Finding the book in a book drive s 25 cent bin, an African-American, boy, who is being mentored by three Canadians, reads the book and is convinced of Carter s innocence. He begins a correspondance with the Hurricane, leading to a visit in jail. The boy and his Candian mentors are convinced of Carter s innocence and do whatever they can to work for his exoneration and freedom. The story is about prejudice and racism, the struggle of a man against a justice system that would like to forget its racist past. The film is engaging to many students because it deals with the struggle of an underdog against the establish

3 US: 1993, Drama 145 minutes, Rated R, Color Director: Norman Jewison Cast Includes: Denzel Washington...Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter Vicellous Reon Shannon...Lesra Martin Deborah Kara Unger... Lisa Peters Liev Schreibe... Sam Chaiton John Hannah...Terry Swinto Dan Hedaya...Det. Sgt. Della Pesca Debbi Morgan...Mae Thelma Carter Classification: Winter and Realism Notes ment, a position that many young teens, especially those who live in an inner city or attend an urban high school, find themselves facing. Experiencing prejudice is a common occurance in the lives of many of my students who exist in an environment where survival sometimes depends on their being in the right gang since the gang culture is strictly regulated by the ethnicity of the surounding neighborhood. They find prejudice in the behavior of white cops against black or latino gang members or in the form of black gang members against latino gangs, and vice-versa. They also experience first hand the failures and flaws in the justice system. And many of my students have experinced the county lockup first hand, or from their relatives first hand experience. The reading list of Rubin Carter is an asset for educators to use in extending the engagement of the students past the film and into literature and concepts of literacy.

4 The Teacher Prepares for the Directed Viewing/ Thinking Activity (DV/TA) Film Production Date: Connecting Classify this film. What catagory does it fall into on the chart to the right? Explain your reasoning. Summer MAN (WOMAN) WANTS WOMAN (MAN) ROMANCE AND HERO Fall TRAGEDY PRIDE AND Spring HUBRIS Winter Describe the conflict elements in this film (Somebody wants something and someone or something stands in the way) Does this film fall into the blue circle or outside the blue circle. Place the film on the chart by placing a large X where you think the film belongs. REALISM IRONY AND SATIRE Explain your reasoning. Extending Extended Urge or desire to communicate If outside the circle, what steps will you take to prepare your students for viewing the film? literature X sense? schemata meaning? X cognitive belief system Connecting Connected Involving Involved What universal plot exists in this film that you can tie to your students interests?

5 CLARIFYING BY VISUALIZING Use the Internet to view photos, a film clip or an article on one or all of the following: The assassignation of Malcolm X; The assassination of Marin Luther King; Scenes from the VietNam war; Demonstrations by college students against the war; Riots in the street by AfroAmericans. SUMMARIZING Summarize what you have observed in one or more of the above events. Describe your reaction. Describe how you think black Americans in the 1960 s reacted. Connecting PREDICTING Make a prediction. What role will the above events play in the film, The Hurricane, a story about an AfroAmerican boxer who is imprisoned and later released. Which events above will most likely have the greatest impact on events in the film? Explain your reasoning. EVENT IMPACT

6 Chart with your teacher everything you know andhave learned from the previous exercises. Chart what you want to know about the issues of this period. Complete what I have learned column for after the viewing of the film. Connecting QUESTIONING

7 DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL Below is a double entry journal. In the left column, you will describe scenes from the film that seem intriguing, interesting, or relate to your life in some way. In the right column, you will write your responses to the scenes you have selected. Your responses might indicate what the scene means, what it reminds you of, what you don t understand, how you feel about it, or any other comments that seem appropriate. Involving

8 DOUBLE ENTRY JOURNAL Below is a double entry journal. In the left column, you will describe scenes from the film that seem intriguing, interesting, or relate to your life in some way. In the right column, you will write your responses to the scenes you have selected. Your responses might indicate what the scene means, what it reminds you of, what you don t understand, how you feel about it, or any other comments that seem appropriate. Involving

9 1. As the credits roll, write your first reaction to this film. What did you like most about it? What did you not like? To whom would you recommend it, if anyone? Involving 2. Clearly the story of Hurricane Carter holds many lessons and has a deep impact on us today. In an interview Carter expressed that he was well aware of the broader significance of his arrest. He said he felt at the time, If they get me and John Artis now, they ll get you tomorrow. Explain in your own words what this statement means. Be specific about your own life as you explain this.

10 Here comes the story of the Hurricane The man the authorities came to blame For something that he never done Put in a prison cell but one time He coulda been the Champion of the World... - Hurricane (Bob Dylan) 3. Explain how a song like this could have an impact on Hurricane s life. Discuss whether you think celebrities like Bob Dylan can change the public s opinion. Involving

11 Define Theme and then discuss how each of the following themes could be applied to the film, The Hurricane. ME SCENES ILLUSTRATING THIS CONCEPT Covenant Involving Father Figure Liberation Hope/Hopelessness Justice

12 From the themes illustrated on the preceding page, choose one that interests you the most. Use this section to write your first draft of an essay based upon the theme that you find the most interesting. Discuss why you are writing on this theme. Explain why you think this theme is appropriate for this film, in other words, show evidence why this theme applies to this film. Cite scenes that you think apply to this theme. Extending

13 Film: Visual Questioning The Surface Description The Surface Questions Below the Surface Questions

14 NOTES PREJUDICE

15 4. A year and a half before the time period of this film, Malcolm X had been assassinated in New York City. A year hence, Martin Luther King was to be assassinated in Memphis. The war in Vietnam was becoming a focus of tens of thousands of young people. A radicalization was under way. State forces were mobilized against this growing movement through open police provocations, frame-ups and murders. The National Guard was called out to quell the riots in the cities. It was one of the most volatile periods of US history since the 1930s. This is the social background to the Carter and Artis case that is barely touched on by the film. The audience is left to conclude that it was one bad cop and one angry black man locked in battle. Do you think the film would have been stronger or weaker by focusing on the social unrest during the period? Discuss.

16 5. In a recent interview on National Public Radio, James Hirsch, Carter s official biographer, said, He [Rubin Carter] scared people and advocated any means necessary for black people to defend themselves. This side of Carter is not developed at all in the film. The film presents the conflict between his hostility and his determination as a conflict that Carter waged with himself to gain mastery over his own will. What do you think was the point of the Director deemphasizing this part of Carter s character? Discuss. 6. Apart from the title character s internal battles, the world of The Hurricane is a place where there is little room for moral ambiguity. Everyone is either an angel or a monster. The angels are defined entirely by their love and support for Mr. Carter. The monsters are his enemies in Paterson, N.J. Discuss this comment. Do you agree? Disagree. Cite scenes from the film to prove your point.

17 7. Write your reaction to the following quotations from the film: A. Hate put me in prison... love s gonna bust me out. B. I m innocent... I ve committed no crime. A crime has been committed against me. C. Do you believe that black punk? He believes that he s champion of the world! D. I am not guilty; I will not dress like a criminal. E. Sorry, Rubin, says the cop who stops him. I didn t realize it was you. We re looking for two Negroes in a white car. F. Any two will do? asks Hurricane.

18 Comment on what some critics have stated as flaws in this film: The post-arrest experiences of the young friend, who was arrested with Carter and suffered the same sort of injustice that Carter did, is mentioned only in passing toward the end of the film. Comment: The youthful crime that resulted from protecting a mate from a pedophile seemed just a little too good to be true... Comment: Involving The police detective who persued Carter (played by Dan Hedaya) is just too villainous to be true. Comment: The white guard in the prison is unbelievably kind. Comment: The Canadians are never really explained. Who are these people? What do they do for a living? Isn t it important to know more about them? Comment: The disappearance of Carter s wife and family and friends, with no follow-up of their struggles, stuck out as a loose thread in the film. Comment:

19 What in the World? Analyzing the historical period of the film The Hurricane In the Venn Diagram below, describe the differences between the world of the film and the world of our modern period. What were the differences in how people lived? How they dressed? What differences in the way Afro-Americans were treated? What was the social life like? Begin by listing those objects that are basically the same in the overlapping section of the diagram. The Modern World The World of the Film Notes