I'm putting together a course on multiculturalism for my students in
Japan - it's a subject of some importance in a closed society. I have
a fair number of ideas so far, as detailed below, but I'd like to
develop a historical perspective in Unit One about how things have
changed since the youth revolution in the 1960s for a more open, just
and equal society. Could anyone give a good suggestion for a film
which exemplifies the social shift in the 1960s to the new
multicultural attitudes? I'm afraid films have to be restricted to
recent well-known box-office hits for the most part, not only to
maintain interest but because of availability in Japanese video shops.
Any input would be gratefully received - I'm still at the formulating
the course stage so am very open to suggestions, but some Trekkie
questions first:
- The Star Trek crew is multicultural, bigendered and even
interspecies. Is there a member with a physical disability too - I
haven't really been watching for some years. Is the guy wearing a
funny thing round his eyes supposed to be blind? Was there any
significance in gettng a British actor to be leader of the new
Enterprise crew (all the rest are Americans, aren't they)? What
happens with babies - do any of the Trekkies ever get pregnant and if
so, what do they do about it? And could anyone give me the correct
wording of the mission statement - 'to boldly go where no man/one ? has
been before'. Thanks......
Unit One - Historical change - the 1960s and 1970s.
Any suggestions for films showing the social changes of the early 1960s
and the clash of attitudes between the refusal to accept differences
and the youth movement or rights movement?
The Truman Show/Pleasantville - the way things used to be
The Long Walk Home/Guess Who's Coming to Lunch? - overcoming the race
barrier
The Doors/Woodstock/Velvet Goldmine - opening doors and
experimentalism
Unit Two - The Black experience
Amistad
The Color Purple
Malcolm X
Do the Right Thing
Unit Three - The female experience
Working Woman
Tootsie
Thelma and Louise
The Accused
American Quilt
G.I. Jane
Unit Four - The gay experience
Wilde/Maurice (for how things were in the past)
Philadelphia
Torch Song Trilogy
As Good as it Gets
In and Out
My Best Friend's Wedding
Unit Five - The disadvantaged
Rain Man
Children of a Lesser God
My Left Foot
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Shine
Forrest Gump
Unit Six - Pluralist families
The Wedding Banquet
Kramer versus Kramer/Mrs. Doubtfire - divorce
Secrets and Lies
Anyone know a good film portraying single mothers/A.I.?
Unit Seven - Inclusiveness
Star Trek
Joy Luck Club
The Crying Game
black-white teams in Lethal Weapon etc
and As good as It Gets for an example of the non-PC Nicholson being
tamed by love
any other good ones exemplifying inclusiveness and multicultural
education?
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