The United States of America: 
Studies in Conflict and Consensus

Thematic List of Films 
(Click on a title to go to the internet movie database)
R ratings noted as (R).  All other films are either not rated, PG-13, or PG.

Crime/Justice

City of hope  (R) Written and directed by John Sayles. 1991.
An honest politician and the son of a corrupt contractor find their lives intersecting in surprising ways with the powerful and powerless of a decaying East Coast city in this portrait of the corruption, bigotry and violence of urban America.

Compulsion Directed by Richard Fleischer. 1959.
A drama based drawn from the actual Loeb-Leopold Case in the murder of Bobby Franks in Chicago in 1924. Two young men participate in abnormal and shocking crimes for which they are brought to trial and convicted.

Fury Directed by Fritz Lang. 1936.
The story of an honest man, who when wrongly accused of a crime, takes flight and seeks revenge against his accusers.

High noon Directed by Fred Zinnemann. 1952.
A retired marshal's wedding is interrupted when he learns a killer he had sent to jail will return to town on the noon train to seek revenge. The townspeople refuse to help him, so he is forced to take up his badge and guns again, alienating his new bride, a Quaker who is opposed to violence.

Inherit the wind Directed by Stanley Kramer. 1960.
Courtroom drama about the Scopes "Monkey Trial", in which a teacher was arrested and tried for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. (To heighten the tension of the movie's climax, Spencer Tracy's 11-minute summation to the jury was filmed in a single take!)

The Insider (R) Directed Michael Mann. 1999.
Recounts the chain of events that pitted an ordinary man against the tobacco industry, and dragged two people into the fight of their lives.  

Murder in the first (R) Directed by Marc Rocco. 1995.
In this fact-based story, a convict is confined to the dungeons of Alcatraz for three years in isolation after a failed escape. When he at last emerges from the total darkness, he's confused, savage, barely human, and he immediately kills the stoolie who ratted on his escape. It's an open-and-shut case of Murder One. But his resolute attorney puts Alcatraz and its sadistic associate warden on trial in his client's behalf.

The Ox-Bow incident Directed by William Wellman. 1943.
A drifter tries to intervene when the people of Ox-Bow attempt to hang the men they think are killers.

Dead Man Walking (R) Directed by Tim Robbins. 1995.
A man is sentenced to die in the electric chair for a hideous crime that he committed.  What should be the treatment of such a person?  Is there any other way to deal with the crime?  Why did he commit the crime?  Does it make a difference?  All of these ethical questions and more about the death penalty are addressed in this film.

The Environment and Society

Silkwood Directed by Mike Nichols. 1983.
Based on the story of Karen Silkwood who is poisoned by plutonium in the town plant. She speaks out against the plant's safety hazards and loses her job, many of her friends, and her life, in a mysterious accident.

A Civil Action Directed by Steven Zaillian. 1998.
Jan Schlichtmann is a cynical, high-priced personal injury attorney who only takes big money cases he can safely settle out of court.  Though his latest case at first appears straightforward, Schlichtmann soon becomes entangled in an epic legal battle...one where he's willing to put his career, reputation and all that he owns on the line for the rights of his clients.

Outbreak (R) Directed by
An epidemic threatens to destroy a town in the USA.  What should the government do to prevent further infection?  What can the scientific community do to help those infected?  This movie presents many moral, ethical and practical questions.

Erin Brokovich Directed by
A single mother without much education who works for a town doctor finds evidence of great environmental misconduct by a big corporation and tries to help those in the town that have been been affected by their negligence.  Will she succeed in her efforts?

Immigration

Alamo Bay (R) Directed by Louis Malle.  1985.
Based on true conflicts erupting along the Texas Gulf coast between local fisherman and Vietnamese refugees.  Shang is a shrimper and a Veteran of the Vietnam War, who, like many of his friends, feels bitter resentment towards the refugees who have settled in the Gulfs' port towns.  Complex emotional issues arise when locals, who had helped defend the Vietnamese during the War, now compete with the refugees for a livelihood. Both sides are determined in their fight for a share of the "American Dream" in this compelling and controversial film.  

Black legion Directed by Archie L. Mayo. 1936.
A factory worker, disappointed at not being promoted, joins a Ku Klux Klan-like group.

Coal miner's daughter Directed by Michael Apted. 1980.
The life of the "Queen of Country Music" from her backwoods Appalachia home to the Grand Ole Opry and super stardom.

Come see the paradise  (R) Written and directed by Alan Parker.1990.
Set against the background of a controversial period in American history, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, Come See The Paradise is the love story of an Irish-American man and a beautiful Japanese-American woman.

Daughters of the dust Written and directed by Julie Dash. 1991.
A large African-American family prepares to move north at the dawn of the 20th century. (Not rated.)

The grapes of wrath Directed by John Ford. 1941.
The migration of the Joad family to California from their dust-bowl farm in Oklahoma during the Great Depression is depicted in this immortal film of the Steinbeck classic.

Matewan (R) Written and directed by John Sayles. 1987.
The tale of a bitter clash between a union and a coal company in West Virginia in the 1920's.

The Molly Maguires Directed by Martin Ritt. 1970.
Based on a true story of the Irish-American secret society of militant coal miners who battle their exploitation with violence and even murder.

Nothing but a man Directed by Michael Roemer. 1964.
Duff, a railroad section hand is forced to confront prejudice and self-denial when he falls in love with Josie, an educated preacher's daughter.

Of mice and men Directed by Gary Sinise. 1992.
Tells a story of two migrant workers. They dream of better days on a spread of their own until an act of unintentional violence has tragic consequences.

Shane Directed by George Stevens. 1953.
A drifter and retired gunfighter helps a homestead family fight against an aging cattleman and his hired gun.

The Individual and Society

American graffiti Directed by George Lucas. 1973.
A look at one hectic night in the life of a group of high school friends just before they go off to college, jobs, or the army.

Citizen Kane Written and directed by Orson Wells. 1941.
The story of an immensely wealthy newspaper publisher, as he is remembered by his friends and former wife after his death. Loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Frequently called the greatest film of all time.

The fountainhead Directed by King Vidor. 1949.
An idealistic architect clashes with big business over his designs for a housing project.

The Gene Krupa story Directed by Don Weis. 1959.
The story of the jazz age drummer, Gene Krupa, who banged out tunes for the Benny Goodman Quartet and became the first jazz musician to realize matinee idol status paving the way for later idols like Sinatra and Presley. 

The great Gatsby Directed by Jack Clayton. 1974.
Adaptation of the Fitzgerald novel about a dashing enigmatic millionaire obsessed with an elusive, spoiled young woman.

It's a wonderful life Directed by Frank Capra. 1946.
Sentimental classic about a young man who attempts to end his own life, only to be shown the error of his ways by his guardian angel.

Jeremiah Johnson Directed by Sydney Pollack. 1972.
A loner learns the skills of a mountain man in the wilds of Utah.

Shane Directed by George Stevens. 1953.
A drifter and retired gunfighter helps a homestead family fight against an aging cattleman and his hired gun.

Labor/Social Class

Breaking away Directed by Peter Yates. 1979.
Four working-class boys in Indiana challenge the college kids to a bicycle race.

Coal miner's daughter Directed by Michael Apted. 1980.
The life of the "Queen of Country Music" from her backwoods Appalachia home to the Grand Ole Opry and super stardom.

Desk set Directed by Walter Lang. 1957.
A classic Hepburn-Tracy romance, about the head of the research department at a TV network and an absent-minded computer genius.

F.I.S.T. Directed by Norman Jewison. 1978.
Follows the rise and fall of union leader Johnny Kovak from his beginnings as an idealistic blue-collar worker to head of the Federation of Inter-State Truckers.

The grapes of wrath Directed by John Ford. 1941.
The migration of the Joad family to California from their dust-bowl farm in Oklahoma during the Great Depression is depicted in this immortal film of the Steinbeck classic.

Gung ho Directed Ron Howard. 1986.
Michael Keaton persuades a Japanese auto firm to reopen his home town's defunct auto factory, but when the Japanese hire him to enforce their policies among his American co-workers, he goes from hero to zero in seconds flat.

Marty Directed by Delbert Mann. 1955.
Marty, a 34-year-old plain-looking butcher from Brooklyn, fears that he will never find love. At a Saturday night dance he meets a woman with similar fears. Based on the play by Paddy Chayefsky.

Matewan (R) Written and directed by John Sayles. 1987.
The tale of a bitter clash between a union and a coal company in West Virginia in the 1920's.

The Milagro beanfield war (R) Produced and directed by Robert Redford. 1988.
Selected and purchased by the social studies department as part of a special circulating collection for eighth grade students. Based on the novel by John Nichols.

The Molly Maguires Directed by Martin Ritt. 1970.
Based on a true story of the Irish-American secret society of militant coal miners who battle their exploitation with violence and even murder.

Norma Rae Directed by Martin Ritt. 1979.
Sally Field stars as a poor Southern textile worker with a disreputable past, who courageously supports the Northern union organizer in a final successful attempt to unionize the last major non-union textile factory in the South.

Of mice and men Directed by Gary Sinise. 1992.
Tells a story of two migrant workers. They dream of better days on a spread of their own until an act of unintentional violence has tragic consequences.

On the waterfront Directed by Elia Kazan. Music by Leonard Bernstein.  1954.
An ex-fighter is caught up in the waterfront gangs after the death of his brother.

Place in the heart Directed by Robert Benton. 1984.
This story is about the struggle for survival, sanity, and goodness in a small Texas town during the Great Depression.

Reds (R) Directed by Warren Beatty. 1981.
Dramatization of the true story of the love affair of the American communist, journalist, and activist John Reed, and writer and feminist Louise Bryant, and how a war-torn world and the Russian Revolution shook their lives.

The river Directed by Mark Rydell. 1984.
Tom and Mae Garvey are struggling to keep their homestead safe from the local power authority who wants to flood their land. When Mae's former beau, Joe Wade, turns out to be in charge of the plan to acquire the property, tensions run high, climaxing in a devastating confrontation on the flooded river banks.

Roger & me: The story of a rebel (R) Written and directed by Michael Moore. 1989.
Moore plays himself as a hometown hero who tries to get to the man at the top, General Motors Chairman Roger Smith, and persuade him to visit Flint, Michigan and do something about the hard times that have come there.

They shoot horses, don't they? (R) Directed by Sydney Pollack. 1969.
Portrait of a dance marathon in the Depression Era.

Tucker Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. 1988.
An auto maker envisions the car of the future and against mighty odds he manages to build a fleet of them.  But the big three auto manufacturers don't like the man or his dream.

Wall Street (R) Directed by Oliver Stone. 1987.
Bud Fox is an ambitious young Wall Street broker whose quest for new clients leads him to Gordon Gekko, a financial wizard with a genius for making money. Gekko lures Fox into the illegal but lucrative world of corporate espionage and insider trading.

Politics and Government

All the president's men Directed by Alan J. Pakula. 1976.
The film is a landmark achievement in relating just how Woodward and Berstein came upon the greatest newspaper scoop of 70s, the Watergate scandal and the ruination of Nixon’s administration. More than just exposing the scandal it is also a riveting look at a working newspaper, where the reporters and editors are professionals with a mission: get the story -- and get it right.

Gideon's trumpet Directed by Robert Collins. 1980.
Dramatization of the true story of one man's fight for justice & how it changed the course of U.S. legal history, providing all those who cannot afford it with legal representation.

Mr. Smith goes to Washington Directed by Frank Capra. 1939. 
Washington's youngest Senator exposes corruption in high places, almost at the cost of his career.

Nixon (R) Directed by Oliver Stone. 1995.
Nixon takes a riveting look at a complex man whose chance at greatness was ultimately destroyed by his passion for power -- when his involvement in conspiracy jeopardized the nation's security and the presidency of the United States.

The Right Stuff Directed by Philip Kaufman. 1983. 
Based on Thomas Wolfe's book on the history of the U.S. Space program, this film analyzes the emergent space culture of the 1960's from the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager to the Mercury 7 astronauts.

Race/Ethnicity and Society

Alamo Bay (R) Directed by Louis Malle.  1985.
Based on true conflicts erupting along the Texas Gulf coast between local fisherman and Vietnamese refugees.  Shang is a shrimper and a Veteran of the Vietnam War, who, like many of his friends, feels bitter resentment towards the refugees who have settled in the Gulfs' port towns.  Complex emotional issues arise when locals, who had helped defend the Vietnamese during the War, now compete with the refugees for a livelihood. Both sides are determined in their fight for a share of the "American Dream" in this compelling and controversial film.  

Amistad  (R) Directed by Steven Spielberg. 1997. 
Tells the story of the 1839 Amistad Revolt and the ensuing campaign to free Africans jailed for murder and piracy.

Black legion Directed by Archie L. Mayo. 1936.
A factory worker, disappointed at not being promoted, joins a Ku Klux Klan-like group.

Boyz n the hood (R) Directed by John Singleton. 1991.
This about three friends growing up in a South Central LA neighborhood, and of street life where friendship, pain, danger, and love combine to form reality. "The Hood" is a place where drive-by shootings and unemployment are rampant. But it is also a place where harmony co-exists with adversity, especially for the three young men growing up there.

Come see the paradise  (R) Written and directed by Alan Parker.1990.
Set against the background of a controversial period in American history, the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, Come See The Paradise is the love story of an Irish-American man and a beautiful Japanese-American woman.

Daughters of the dust Written and directed by Julie Dash. 1991.
A large African-American family prepares to move north at the dawn of the 20th century. (Not rated.)

Do the right thing (R) Written and directed by Spike Lee. 1989.
This powerful visual feast combines humor and drama with memorable characters while tracing the course of a single day on a block in the Bedford -Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. It's the hottest day of the year, a scorching 24-hour period that will change the lives of its residents forever.

Driving Miss Daisy Directed by Bruce Beresford. 1989.
Story of a friendship between a headstrong refined Southern woman and her patient chauffeur.

Get on the bus (R) Directed by Spike Lee. 1996.
Follows a group of different men traveling from Los Angeles to the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. On the way they will make friends, make enemies, and make history.

Ghosts of Mississippi Produced and directed by Rob Reiner. 1996.
 A dramatization of the long delayed trial for the murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.

Glory (R) Directed by Edward Zwick. 1989.
The story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War. Despised by the South, distrusted by the North, the 45th Regiment of Massachusetts overcame seemingly insurmountable odds in their fight to join the war for freedom.

Guess who's coming to dinner Directed by Stanley Kramer. 1967.
The white (and beautiful) daughter of a powerful publisher and a traditional mother returns home with her fiance, a distinguished black doctor. While her mother can live with the decision, her father struggles to see the sense in such a union. The parents of the groom-to-be are equally incredulous.

The Jackie Robinson Story Directed Alfred Green. 1950.
The story of Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player.  The film, starring Robinson as himself, peers into Robinson's ascent from the negro leagues into the majors.

The long walk home Directed by Richard Pearce. 1990.
Whoopie Goldberg is Odessa Cotter, a quiet dignified woman who works as a housekeeper for Miriam Thompson (Sissy Spacek). When Odessa honors the 1955 Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott by walking an exhausting nine miles to and from work; Miriam offers her a ride. Defying both Miriam's racist husband and the powerful White Citizens' Council, Miriam and Odessa put their lives in danger for civil rights.

Malcolm X parts I & II Directed by Spike Lee. 1992.
Inspiring story of Malcolm X, as he rises up from poverty, encounters the law, achieves spiritual enlightenment, and reaches out to others in the fight for human and civil rights. Based on the book, The biography of Malcolm X. as told to Alex Haley.

My Family (R) Directed by Gregory Nava. 1995.
A three-generation epic tale about a Mexican-American immigrant family. The story traces the family story from Mexico in the 1920's to the streets of LA in the 1950's down to the difficulties of the present time. The story provides a realistic yet hopeful view of the struggle of immigrant families to achieve the "American Dream."

Native son Directed by Jerrold Freedman. 1986.
Set in 1940 Chicago, it tells the explosive story of a young poverty-stricken black man who obtains a job as a chauffeur to a wealthy white family. However, tragedy ensues when he accidentally kills his employer's daughter. Vainly trying to cover his act, the eventual discovery of his crime unleashes a savage manhunt fueled by racial hatred and the fury of white society.
Based on the novel by Richard Wright.

Nothing but a man Directed by Michael Roemer. 1964.
Duff, a railroad section hand is forced to confront prejudice and self-denial when he falls in love with Josie, an educated preacher's daughter.

A raisin in the sun Directed by Daniel Petrie. 1961.
The Younger family, frustrated with living in their crowded Chicago apartment, sees the arrival of a $10,000 insurance check as the answer to their prayers. The matriarch of the family promptly puts a down-payment on a house in an all-white suburban neighborhood. Things get difficult, however, when the wide-eyed eldest son has other ideas about how the money should be used, and representatives from the white neighborhood try to persuade the family not to move in.

Ruby Bridges Directed Euzhan Palcy. 1998.
Film version of a true story about a girl whose strength and dignity during the racially charged 1960s helped change history. Six-year-old Ruby is chosen to be the first African American to integrate her local New Orleans elementary school. For those interested in the aftermath of Brown v Board, this is an ideal movie.

To kill a mockingbird Directed by Robert Mulligan. 1962.
A southern lawyer defends a black man accused of rape during the Depression. His compassionate defense costs him friendships but earns him the respect and admiration of his motherless children.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Directed by Harry Pollard. 1927.
This is the silent film version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 publication. A story of the pre-Civil War South indicting slavery and exposing the attitudes of white nineteenth-century society.

Uncle Tom's cabin Directed by Stan Lathan. 1987.
A story of the pre-Civil War South indicting slavery and exposing the attitudes of white nineteenth-century society.

Revolution/War

The best years of our lives Directed by William Wyler. 1946.
It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived .  But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.
KEY QUESTION:

The General Written and directed by Buster Keaton.1927.
A comedy about a young southerner who repeatedly tried to enlist in the Confederate Army but was refused because he was of more value to the cause as the engineer of his train, The General.
KEY QUESTION:

Gettysburg Directed by Robert F. Maxwell. 1993. 
Depicts the famous Civil War battle, which was the turning point of the war.
KEY QUESTION:

The last of the Mohicans (R) Directed by Michael Mann. 1992.
The love of Hawkeye, rugged frontiersman and adopted son of the Mohicans, and Cora Munro, aristocratic daughter of a British colonel, blazes amidst a brutal conflict between the British, the French and Native American allies in colonial America. Based upon the novel by James Fenimore Cooper and the 1936 screenplay by Philip Dunne.
KEY QUESTION:

The mission Directed by Roland Joffe. 1986.
Epic adventure in the Amazon about a priest and a military man who unite to protect an Indian tribe from the colonial empires.
KEY QUESTION:

Revolution Directed by Hugh Hudson. 1985.
Dramatic depiction of the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of everyday people.
KEY QUESTION:

Vietnam

Born on the fourth of July (R) Directed by Oliver Stone. 1989.
Follows the young Ron Kovic from his days as a zealous teen who eagerly joins up for the Vietnam War, to his return from the war as an embittered veteran, paralyzed from mid-chest down. Chronicles his disillusionment with the country's continued involvement in Vietnam, his physical struggle and his emergence as a brave new voice for thousands of disenchanted vets.
KEY QUESTION: How well does the film portray the Vietnam anti-war movement?

Coming home (R) Directed by Hal Ashby. 1978.
A sad, poignant love story set against the social upheaval of the Vietnam war. Set in 1968, the story concerns a woman who, while her husband is serving in Vietnam, falls in love with a paraplegic while performing volunteer work at a San Diego veterans hospital.
KEY QUESTION: How were Vietnam War veterans treated by the American people and press upon returning home?

The deer hunter (R) Directed by Michael Cimino. 1978.
Tracks a group of steelworker pals from a Pennsylvania blast furnace to the coal hunting grounds of the Alleghenies to the lethal cauldron of Vietnam. It is a drama of friendship and courage and of what happens to these qualities under stress.
KEY QUESTION: Who were the soldiers that fought in Vietnam for the U.S.? What generalizations can be about their social class and race? Why were some people selected to fight and others not?

Good Morning Vietnam (R) Directed by Barry Levinson. 1987.
Maverick military DJ, Adrian Cronauer, reacts to the mania of a war zone with some mania of his own, and ruffles feathers along the way.
KEY QUESTION: Among the Vietnamese, who were the US allies and who were the enemies and why were the battle lines drawn in this way?

The ugly American Directed by George Englund. 1963.
An American ambassador to a Southeast Asian nation tries to keep the Communists in the north from overrunning the south, but from the moment of his arrival, he is met with suspicion and hate.
KEY QUESTION: What was "The Dominoe Theory" and what did it have to do with America's involvement in Vietnam and other foreign conflicts?

Witch-Hunts

Cradle Will Rock Directed by Tim Robbins. 1999.
This film brings Depression era New York City to life by contrasting the high society culture of the 1930s with the desperate life on the streets. The film focuses on one director attempting to produce a musical ("Cradle Will Rock") under the Federal Theater Program, which is facing increasing scrutiny from anti-communist groups within the government.

The crucible Directed by Nicholas Hytner. Screenplay by Arthur Miller. 1996.
With the Salem witch trials as a background, a young woman seeks revenge against her married lover by accusing him and his wife of sorcery.
KEY QUESTION:  What were the Salem Witch Trials and how do historians interpret this fascinating historical tragedy?

The front Directed by Martin Ritt. 1976.
A searing indictment of the McCarthy era blacklisting and Communist witch-hunts of the 1950's. Woody Allen plays a hapless ghostwriter fated to become a symbolic hero. Directed by Martin Ritt (Norma Rae; Hud) who experienced blacklisting firsthand.
KEY QUESTION:  What were the Communist Witch-hunts? Why did they happen?

Women and Society

9 to 5 Directed by Colin Higgins. 1980.
Three female office workers combine forces to take revenge on their deceitful, egotistical, and thoroughly chauvinistic boss.

Gypsy Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. 1962.
A mother wants to see her daughter succeed on Broadway. When that becomes impossible, the mother seeks to turn the elder, less talented, daughter into a star. 

Working girl (R) Directed by Mike Nichols. Music by Carly Simon.  1988.
A bright Wall Street secretary rises to a professional position by posing as her classy but treacherous boss.

Grade8 Home Page

This page was created and is maintained by the middle school social studies department at the American School in Japan. Send any comments or movie ideas to: sbaquero@asij.ac.jp.