Posted on 09/23/2004 2:14:20 PM PDT by Monterrosa-24
Many of us have complained about potty humor and other earthy humor becoming very common in films and shows made for children. To counter this, one can select to use the DVD or VHS player more than television and put better quality material in front of our children.
I feel it is something of a sin for a sixth-grader to see a movie like GREAT EXPECTATIONS before reading the book so the following list is intended only to offer some suggestions for when electronic entertainment can follow or supplement reading. Many of these films provide good starters for discussions on topics of historical and social importance.
Many Freeper parents have their own list of such films and this list will perhaps provide teacher mamas and daddys with a few more ideas.
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, 1982 noblesse oblige, adventure, romance and history. THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, 1975 Give this '75 version a chance.
BEN HUR, 1959 BARABBAS, 1962 THE ROBE, 1953 Such biblical epics can also supplement the teaching of Roman history.
300 SPARTANS, 1962 Great for boys, especially 2nd graders through fifth graders.
ATTACK, 1955 The fruits of cowardice are explored. THE LAST COMMAND, 1956 Great depiction of Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett THE LONGEST DAY, 1962 IS PARIS BURNING?, 1966 LAST OF THE MOHICANS, 1992 too violent for younger children. ZULU, 1964 TORA, TORA, TORA, 1970 THE BLUE MAX, 1966 Boys are bound to love this adventure in biplanes and triplanes.
BOYS TOWN, 1938 Mickey Rooney at his youngest and finest. THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1939 Many of today's children have not seen this classic. Girls love it the most.
CROMWELL, 1972 Protestant vs. Protestant and Royalist vs. Parliamentarian themes provide for much discussion. NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA, 1971 The Russian Revolution from the perspective of the royal family.
HAWAII, 1966 A overly severe missionary manages to produce some good works in the rapidly changing islands.
THE SEARCHERS, 1956 TRUE GRIT, 1969 Girls will love the young, determined, and headstrong heroine playing opposite John Wayne.
GONE WITH THE WIND, 1939 Old times there are not forgotten.
TARZAN AND HIS MATE, 1934 Romance between a man and a woman "and that's the way it should be." High adventure and still a popular film.
THE SEVEN SAMURAI, 1954 In Japanese so the children still have to read the subtitles.
UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE, 1967 This film illustrates the difficulties in approaching people of different cultural expectations.
THE NUTCRACKER, 1993 There are many versions but try this Russian State Theatre Academy performance available through Kultur.
THE KID 1921. An Elian Gonzalez threatened by earlier Janet Renos. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, 1926
I loved the Anne of Green Gables movies growing up and would love to show them to my three year old daughter but I can't seem to pull her away from the Lord of The Rings movies for anything......I think it has something to do with her crush on Frodo and all!
Second Hand Lions is Great (for boys, girls and their parents!)
We just got done watching Disney's "Princess of Thieves". Story of Robin Hood's daughter (with Robin Hood, Prince Philip, Sherif of Nottingham, etc.). Boys and girls (7 to 10) liked it - but they said it was too boring (although we had to pause it everytime one of them left the room!). I thought it was great - very mature filming, with non-bloody fight scenes. No swearing or sexy scenes. Good message of honor and duty.
Isn't it just wonderfully positive about American scientists & engineers?
"How 'bout that LEM, huh?"
Studio: Family Home Entertainment Theatrical Release Date: December 6, 1969 Video Release Date: September 12, 2000 Run Time: 24 minutes Buy here.
"A movie glorifying one of history's great murderers and heretics is a good film for American girls and boys???? "
Ha! Reminds me of my Irish who had to use Cromwell tanks in WWII just as Southerners hated the name for the M-4----Sherman tanks. Still have to admit that Cromwell was no more a murderer than my Irish and both played by the same rules when they overcame a town's defenses. Cromwell treated loyalist towns differentlyl in England but in Ireland they repaid masacres in kind. Maybe we should take a page out of his book for a couple of Iraqi towns I can think of.
Like ChurchhillI, I consider Cromwell a great hero.
"We also like Signs. It's one of my girls favorite movies, and I like it's message about faith. "
I have yet to see this Mel Gibson movie but I'll try to rent next time I go to Overduepenalty Video.
I was shocked that some young boys consider themselves too sophisticated for THE WIZARD OF OZ but it comes from watching too many TV programs with too much constant action. I like my children to go screenless for a few weeks at a time ... no TV, no DVDs, and no computer games.
"OTH I think something should be done for uncultured yobs like me who never read Galsworthy's Forsythe Saga, Trollope's Palliser novels, Jane Eyre, or Pride and Prejudice before seeing them properly interpreted on the screen."
I'll have to admit I catch the Hollywood version too instead of dealing with those longhair pages but with my children it is often "do as I say instead of do as I do".
"Now discounted to 299 Spartans."
I was wondering about your sense of humor until I read your about page and now I know.
You're the kind of guy that helped write those Rocky and Bulwinkle episodes.
Long read, but a really great review of "The Searchers".
http://www.filmsite.org/sear.html
"To say nothing of Ursula Andress Andressing in a towel."
When my boys first saw that scene in THE BLUE MAX they were too young to appreciate such towel fashion. It was just one of those slow talky parts of the movie. But when I saw the movie n the Belle Meade Theatre as a grammar school boy I thought she was breathtaking.
Thanks for your effort.
Ella Enchanted (the only new one)
The Sound of Music
The Englishman Who went up a Hill and Came Down A Mountain (This one surprised me!)
My almost 8-year old boy LOVES:
Shrek 1 & 2
It's a MAd,Mad,Mad,Mad World
A Shot in the Dark
Rooster Cogburn
My kids have some pretty eclectic tastes!
Were you raised in Nashville?
A Christmas Carol (the 1951 version with Alastair Sim) ......
I agree with you that it is a better version than even the later George C. Scott version. The '51 with Sims is the way to go.
Were you raised in Nashville?
Yes, and at that movie at the Belle Meade it was the first time I had ever had to pay $2 to see a film. My friend's parents had not given him enough money so I spoted him some to get in.
I grew up between Hillsboro Road and Belle Meade on Woodmont (formerly Concrete Blvd.)
MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1974)
MIRACLE (about our Olympic hockey team)
MOSBY'S MARAUDERS (Disney)
More good suggestions. I'll be watching for "300 Spartans" at Wal-mart.
My 3 older kids (8-13) recently watched the original "Star Wars." Now they're reading Star Wars books (sigh ...). I was dubious about their watching the LOTR movies, but my husband rented them. I think the kids self-censor the action ... if they get uncomfortable, they leave the room or start talking. (I just didn't like the movies that much, fwiw.)
My daughter has a crush on Legolas.
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