film

Will Solidarity Among Hollywood's Unions Make this Strike Different?

by Miranda Banks and Kate Fortmueller

A historic pattern of rivalry among Hollywood's big unions representing writers, actors and set workers has limited their ability to win against the industry. Support for striking writers suggests the big unions are getting on the same page. 

Professor Helps Rescue "Lost" Asian American Silent Film

Denise Khor's research on film culture seemed to show that the prints of the 1914 film "The Oath of the Sword" had been lost. But one museum had a decaying copy in a vault, and a restored version has premiered as the oldest known Asian American film. 

Watch Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon" with Attention to the Resilience of Native Women

The new film examines the greed, racism and murder that followed the discovery of oil on Osage land, but puts the experience of Osage women at the center of its narrative. 

The Writers' Strike Opens Old Wounds

by Kate Fortmueller

The plot of each sequel of negotiations between the producers and writers has followed a formula of compromise for mutual self-preservation. Technological advances have convinced studio heads that they no longer need the labor of writers enough to keep compromising. 

Forget "Finding Forrester"—Our Best Teaching Can Be Ordinary

by Elizabeth Stice

Hollywood loves to tell the stories of singularly brilliant students pushed to greatness by similarly singular mentors with unconventional methods and unaccommodating personalities. This ideal won't help anyone teach the real students in their classrooms. 

Onoto Watanna, the First Asian American Screenwriter

by Ben Railton

Under the pen name of Onoto Watanna, a woman named Winnifred Eaton of British and Chinese descent became a literary prodigy, penning romance novels, ethnic cookbooks, and screenplays—and a searing critique of the treatment of writers in Hollywood that rings true today. 

An Amateur Historian Helped Find Richard III's Remains Under a Parking Garage. Her Story Hits the Screen

The Plantagenet King Richard III was portrayed as a villain by the Tudor dynasty that supplanted him in 1485 (including by Shakespeare). Philippa Langley came to question his bad reputation, and began investigations that led to the discovery of his remains

We Miss Dr. Strangelove now that We've Learned to Stop Worrying and Forget the Bomb

by Andrew Bacevich

Kubrick's classic film forced viewers to confront the possibility that the controls of the world's nuclear weapons were held by fools, fanatics, and outright lunatics. Today, it's too easy to ignore it altogether. 

What Anna May Wong's History Tells us About Oscar's Asian and Asian American Moment

by Katie Gee Salisbury

The first Asian-American film star got her break when a film company cast ethnic actors in a 1922 film made to test out the new Technicolor technology. But Hollywood's racial politics and commercial imperatives kept other Asian actors from stardom. 

"Mr. Jones" Shows Fake News Has Always Been a Weapon Against Ukraine

by Walter G. Moss

The new Amazon feature "Mr. Jones" details the famine imposed on Ukraine by Stalin's policies in the 1930s, and the battle among journalists to control the story. It's a timely reminder of the connection of information and power. 

30 Years Later, "Falling Down" Still Shows the Shallowness of Suburbanites' Views of the City

by Carl Abbott

Set in a moment of economic upheaval, racial conflict, and media-driven fear of crime, Joel Schumacher's film reflected the degree of separation between America's suburbs and cities. Today, it's necessary to recognize that its portrayal of hostility and alienation isn't inevitable. 

"Argentina, 1985" is a Warning for 2023

The film's most important contribution is to remind that the rule of law must be maintained.

20 Biopics Worth Watching

It's rare for a biopic to attempt artistic innovation. A critic offers a list of those that succeed. 

From "Birth of a Nation" to "Till": The Politics of White House Screenings

The Bidens hosted a group of about 100 historians, civil rights leaders, and members of Congress to screen the biographical film adaptation of the story of Emmett Till and his mother's quest for justice. 

The Real Story of "Casablanca" Was the Refugees

At its 80th anniversary, it's appropriate to honor the classic film by focusing on the waves of Europeans fleeing Nazi persecution and working to fight back. 

Teach the History Behind "Emancipation" with the Primary Sources

by Alan J. Singer

Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith's "Emancipation" has rediscovered the life of an enslaved man variously called Peter or Gordon, who had been made famous through an 1863 photograph. Here's how history teachers can use the primary records of his life to accompany the film. 

Croatian Filmmaker Seeks to Polish Image of Late Leader by Casting... Kevin Spacey?

Franjo Tudjman, whose post-Yugoslavia brand of ethnonationalism has been harshly criticized, remains a favorite of the Croatian right. It's unclear how casting Kevin Spacey to play him will help polish his image, however. 

How "Till" Stands out Among Civil Rights Films

"Till" shows that it is no longer possible for a movie about the civil rights era to put historical Black characters in the shadow of white protagonists. 

Koritha Mitchell Discusses Representation of Racist Violence and "Till"

Prof. Mitchell and host Karen Hunter discuss who the audience is for "Till" and whether movies about lynching are needed today. 

A Columbia Prof. Fact-Checked the New Vietnam-Era Film "The Greatest Beer Run Ever"

Although it tells the story of American protagonists, Prof. Lien-Hang Nguyen worked with the producers to ensure accuracy and avoid stereotyping in the depiction of Vietnamese characters in the film; she susggests that there are many more Vietnamese stories to tell.