At the risk of starting one of those annoying endless strings of film-title
messages, I'd like to ask for help in thinking of a certain kind of film that
I might use in my "Film for Education Majors" course at Brooklyn College.
      "The Four Hundred Blows" was a landmark film not only because
the freshness of its style and personal nature, but because it presented a
compelling, realistic look at the real-life problems and experiences of a
young person.  There was humor, but also emotional brutality, and a sense of
longing for something better.  But it's a little remote, in time and culture,
from my students at Brooklyn in the '90s.  I'm trying to think of American
(or maybe British or Irish, though that's another whole kettle of fish) films
that show kids or young people confronting serious real-life problems, not
"movie-genre" problems like in "True Grit" or "Home Alone."  I'm thinking of
films maybe like "Out of the Blue," or perhaps "Sounder," but I can't think of
too many.  I'm interested in films where the child is a central character, and
the film conveys the child's point of view, not just films where children
are supporting characters and suffer.
      There are some films I haven't seen or haven't seen in a long while that
maybe fit the bill, such as "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Quiet One," and "The
Learning Tree."  "My Girl" was an interesting recent film about a young girl
dealing with issues of self-esteem, parental love-life, and death.
      I'll be happy to collect responses and repost, if you want to respond
directly to my e-mail address -- [log in to unmask] -- [log in to unmask] -
- but of course many on this list like to go public.
                                             Thanks in advance,
                                                               Robert
 
Robert Withers
Film Department              That was zen, this is tao . . .
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York 11210     Bitnet:   [log in to unmask]
(718) 951-5664               Internet: [log in to unmask]