American History in Film - Second Edition
FILM4-5b-Mon2
Laurence Paluzzi
This course will take place in person at 60 Turner Street. The room will be equipped with a HEPA air purifier.
April 21 - May 19
They say history is written by winners. But hasn’t Hollywood written its own version of history, leading many people to believe that the films reflect what really happened? We start with The Alamo (1960), directed by John Wayne, a conservative, at the height of the Cold War. Do his politics affect the way the story is told? Then we watch The Conspirator (2010), directed by Robert Redford, a liberal. The film deals with Mary Surratt, the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in Lincoln’s assassination. Was the military tribunal a fair place to prosecute a civilian? Next we view the seminal Bonnie and Clyde (1967), set during the Depression. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow go on a violent crime spree: stealing cars, robbing banks, murdering lawmen – and seemingly having a great time doing it. Is this believable? In The Long Walk Home (1990), two women, a black maid and her white employer, must deal with the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. Was there a white backlash to this act of civil disobedience? Finally, in JFK (1991), New Orleans DA Jim Garrison investigates the Kennedy assassination. How successful was he in implicating the American military and intelligence agencies? Let’s find out.
Students watch a film at home each week. Classes begin with a brief look at the historical period. Then we discuss whether the film is consistent with historical events. This is the same course taught in Fall 2024.
Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.
The SGL will provide any reading materials.
Students may have to rent the assigned movies. The SGL will provide viewing information. In the past, most films were able to be viewed online for free.
Approximately 2-2.5 hours to watch the movie, another 30-40 minutes to do the assigned reading.
Laurence Paluzzi is a retired attorney and former instructor at the MA Department of Revenue where he taught tax professionals many important subjects, such as Marijuana Tax and Regulation, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and Vaping and Tobacco Control Law. Laurence attended the New England School of Law, and during that time studied at both Oxford University in England, and Heidelberg University in Germany. He retired from the Department of Revenue in 2021. And like many of us, Laurence thinks there’s nothing like finding a good movie to watch.