Guidelines for Film & Television Reviews in HIST 381

Films of merit, or classic television series, can be reviewed for soft points. The following DVDs are available locally (at NDSU, MSUM, Concordia, Fargo Public Library, or my personal collection). Please use library copies if available. To check out an item from my collection, write a Facebook message to my assistant, who will bring or send it to class. (The request has to be made by message, so that we have a coherent and current record of who has borrowed what. Also, be considerate of others’ needs; keep the returns prompt and direct.)

Film or TV Production	Description	Availability
		NDSU	MSUM	CC	FP	TI
We of the Never Never (1982)	Synopsis to be added					X
Australian Rules (2002)	Synopsis to be added					X
The Tracker (2002)	Synopsis to be added					X
Ten Canoes (2006)	Synopsis to be added					X
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)	Synopsis to be added					X
Strictly Ballroom (1992)	Synopsis to be added					X
Dead Heart (1996)	Serious, distressing film of racial conflict in an outback settlement, of aboriginal versus whitefella law. Bryan Brown is the constable-antagonist at center of the conflict.					X
The Last Wave (1977)	A Seventies take on aboriginal mysteries – a pretty bad film, really. Interesting as a period piece and as a showcase for underdeveloped or underperforming talents. Peter Weir directs – certainly not his best work. Richard Chamberlain is hokey as lead, and co-star David Gulpilil is at an awkward, shouting stage.					X
My Brilliant Career (1979)	Synopsis to be added					X
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)	Synopsis to be added					X
Walkabout (1970)	Synopsis to be added					X
Rabbit Proof Fence (2002)	A compelling film, set in Western Australia, treating the abduction of aboriginal children from their families to be institutionalized or adopted out to white families. Based on the book by Doris Pilkington Garimara.			X		X
Utu (1988)	Situation: the New Zealand Wars, 1870. Director: Geoff Murphy. The theme of the film is utu, or blood revenge. A quirky, bloody, and ambiguous film.					X
Heavenly Creatures (1994)	A beautifully creepy film based on a scandalous murder case in Christchurch. Starring Kate Winslet, before she got spoiled. Director: Peter Jackson.				X	X
The Price of Milk (1999)	Magical realism on a dairy farm. This is one you might want to view with someone else, relax, talk about it, and see what themes you can tease out.					X
Gallipoli (1981)	Director: Peter Weir. With Mel Gibson and Mark Lee. Situation: two Western Australian recruits with ANZAC troops experience the mythic disaster that was the Gallipoli invasion. The theme of ordinary people being ground up by military incompetence may be universal, but this story assumes particular resonance with the rise of Australian republicanism in the late 20^th century.					X
The Piano (1993)	With Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill. Director: Jane Campion. Worth watching purely for its lyric sensuality, this film also works for consideration of historical themes such as gender roles in settler society, perceptions of the colonial environment, and images of Maori.					X
Breaker Morant (1979)	Situation: the Boer War, with Australian troops serving under British command. Bryan Brown as the Breaker, the Australian officer who, as an apparent sacrificial lamb of the British military, became a retrospective hero of Australian republicanism.					X
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)	Director: Peter Weir. With Helen Morse. A beautifully ambiguous, lyric, disturbing film dealing with the disappearance of young Australian girls on a school outing.					X
Whale Rider (2002)	Based on the novel by Witi Ihimaera. An engaging treatment of generation and gender as elements of Maori society, with admixtures of the mystic.					X
Cane Toads: An Unnatural History (1982)	A documentary, or mock-documentary, about a celebrated miscalculation in environmental history. A cult classic.	X		X	X	X
Once Were Warriors (1994)	A film depicting urban Maori in disturbing fashion—first because of its frank treatment of dysfunction and abuse in a family, and second because in incorporates a message of self-help as the only answer to such problems. Based on the novel by Alan Duff.				X	X
The Dish (2001)	This story, woven around Australia’s role in the Apollo 11 mission, provides good material for commentary both on the Australia-US relationship in the Cold-War era and on Australians’ conceptions of themselves during the era. Sam Neill has a lead role.					X
A Town Like Alice (1981)	Based on the novel by Nevil Shute. Starring Helen Morse and Bryan Brown. The film has terrific sweep, from the Second World War into the postwar situation, as an English heroine and a cattle-station ringer confront the social stagnation of an outback town.					X
Angel at My Table (1989)	Based on the autobiography of Janet Frame. Director: Jane Campion. Frame’s fiction may be inscrutable to popular readers, but this production of her autobiography was wildly popular in New Zealand. The film is particularly powerful for its handling of Frame’s mental condition and its unfortunate treatment.					X
Bordertown (1995)	Multi-part (3-CD), high-end, made-for-TV soap dramatizing the experiences of eastern European immigrants in an Australian refugee camp. Cate Blanchett arrives mid-way through the series as a strange and compelling provocateur.					X
Michael King: History Man	Synopsis to be added					X
The World’s Fastest Indian	Synopsis to be added					X
One Night the Moon	Synopsis to be added					X
The New Zealand Wars	Synopsis to be added					X
River Queen	Synopsis to be added					X
Broken Hill (2009)	Not yet released
Summer Coda (2010)	Not yet released
Red Hill (2010)	Ordered DVD
Samson and Delilah	Ordered DVD
Boy	Ordered DVD
Australia	Synopsis to be added					X
Where the Green Ants Dream	No DVD located
The Flying Doctors	Synopsis to be added					X
Outrageous Fortune	A New Zealand criminal family attempts to go straight – a grim comedy. Notice: as the media like to say, “mature” content, meaning sex and profanity and occasional violence.					X
Kath & Kim	Synopsis to be added					X
Neighbours	Synopsis to be added					X
Blue Heelers	Synopsis to be added					X
The Best of Country Calendar	Highlight episodes from New Zealand’s longest-running television show (1966 to present), celebrating all aspects of rural life.					X
Australian Geographic “Best of Australia”	World Heritage Rainforests					X
	Classic Walks					X
	Queensland’s Outback					X
	Kakadu & Arnhem Land					X
	Tasmanian Wilderness					X
	Warlu Way					X
	The Great Ocean Road					X

Always on the lookout for additional films to be added to the collection! If you hear of promising releases, or have additional suggestions, please advise.

Guidelines for Reviews

1. Choose a film of merit, or a representative television production, such as one of those listed in the tables above. If reviewing television shows, treat content equivalent to a feature-length film. (For instance, three half-hour episodes of a TV series.)

2. Do some background research on the film (or TV production), checking online reviews and whatever else is convenient, to prepare you to view the film thoughtfully.

3. Jot a few notes as you view. Brief quotes, striking images, key points.

4. Write the review soon after from your notes and recollections, to a length of 300 words.

5. Summarize the content, but do more than just summarize. You should point out particular features of interest and give an evaluation of the film.

6. Post to the designated forum of the Facebook page.

Rubric for Evaluation of Film Reviews
Summary	A good summary captures background and plot.	15
Critical Evaluation	A critical review points out strengths and weaknesses and, most important, its value to us as students of the history of Australia and New Zealand.	10
Appropriate Length	Target length: 250-300 words	2
Matters of Style	Composition, grammar, and punctuation are important to communication.	3
Points Possible for Review		30

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