Journal Article Summary

Journeys in Film has the potential for revolutionizing the way middle school children see the world. By introducing them to different cultures, religions and civilizations through easily accessible media, this project will make it natural for these students to be more accepting of differences throughout their lives. It promises to have a positive effect on students who are likely to confront an increasingly diverse America and an increasingly global world economy. Attitudes toward tolerance once formed at an early age tend to remain fixed. College, even for those who attend it, is often too late to influence deeply seeded attitudes. This program is not propagandistic. It has no specific political agenda in mind. Its goal is simply to open minds at an early age so that students can decide important life issues for themselves based on a fuller perspective and more global information. This is one of the most important educational initiatives I have ever encountered.

Ratings and why most foreign films are NR

Ratings: for those of you who have been reading our blogs you may or may not have picked up on the common theme throughout some of the summaries. This would be that most of the foreign films we have viewed were not rated. First, I will give you a little insight on when, who, and why American films are rated then I will begin to explain the foreign rating policy. It began around 1968 under the direction of the Motion Picture Association of America. A board of parents is part of this committee and they must have parental experience to be a part of this committee. Movies are not required to be rated; however, if the rating is higher the response to the movie will be lower. The ratings are only to help parents decide the appropriate movies for their child to view.

Here are some different kinds of rating systems that have been set up from other countries.

France has a rating system that goes through the minister, prior to playing a film in the theater a license must be obtained through the Ministry of Culture. The different ratings are U which is all audiences, 12, 16, 18 and E for exempt.

India has a policy where central board of film certification must review film before public exhibition. The different ratings are U for everyone, A for over 18 years of age, U/A for children under 12 should be cautioned by parents before watching and S for restricted except for people such as doctors.

Italy rates their movies as well as television. T for all ages, VM14 no one under 14 and VM18 no one under 18.

Spain has ratings; however, because of attitudes toward censorship and they prefer personal preferences, identification is not checked when entering a cinema.

So as I was going through and finding out all of this information about the different rating systems of foreign films, I stumbled upon the United States and a few of their other kinds of ratings.

Not Rated or NR- This is not an official rating. This rating is used for independent films as well as foreign films that are in limited release. Is given label to movies in which have not been submitted to the MPAA for classification.

This is why most of the foreign films that are placed under categories of children's films on Netflix or other sources and still have not been rated, it is simply because they have not surpassed the MPAA for its correct rating. So before showing your child a NR movie you may want to view it first even if the cover looks like a children's film suitable for your child to view, it might not be.

My Father’s Glory (La Gloire de Mon Pere)

Based on the best-selling memoirs of French novelist and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, this humorous and captivating recollection of a young boy's life in turn-of-the-century southern France focuses on his memorable summer holidays. Mystified by nature, Marcel turns to his father for an education on the ways of the wild. But his father comes up short in Marcel's eyes when Uncle Jules, an experienced woodsman, proves to be far more knowledgeable.

I thought that this movie was a great film for kids of about 6 and up years of age. It is a great film for fathers and sons to watch together because it shows the love the father and the son have for each other. It is not like your typical children’s movie. It has some nudity. It shows the children completely naked taking a shower which could be a bit uncomfortable for the American audience who is not used to watching nudity in other typical children’s film. The French language might be a difficult barrier to surpass, but the film comes with English subtitles, and it is not hard to follow even if you do not read the subtitles. This film has many beautiful scenery shots and it shows you a little bit of the French culture back in the beginning of the 20^th century. I believe this movie will teach your children to enjoy the simpler things that life has to offer and it will teach them to appreciate family and the wonderful times you could have with each other. It is a very bright and colorful film that will capture your hearts and it will take you for a ride through the beautiful scenery and simple-lived family.

Kinderculture: Are Disney Movies Good for Kids?

Kinderculture is a book that addresses the many aspects of culture that children are affected by and ultimately end up contributing to in many ways. Chapter 6 discusses the affect of movies, specifically Disney movies on children. The author highlights the fact that Disney had a sort of monopoly on children's movies. They create films and educational videos that attract child and adult audiences alike. Those films generate great amounts of income through products found in stores. Disney is incappable of realeasing just a movie, stuffed animals, soundtracks, action figures, and clothing always follow. The demand for these items are brought on by the children's desires. Even the theme parks will introduce the new characters and rides to satisfy the wide spread population of the newest movies. This population does not just include American youth. Disney relases their movies and products in numerous languages and countries. Besides the impact that the materials have on the youth of the world, the messages within the movies also play a big role. Most of the characters in Disney movies are living in single parent families. Most of these characters are without mothers and are mainly raised by fathers. Characters generally must overcome a giant obstacle giving the story a "rages to ritches" theme in most cases. There are also political messages surrounding the movies that children might not pick up on, but parents can be quick to recognize. With all these messages flooding the imaginations of children, what are children picking up on? What are they learning to value and understand based on these movies? The questions are not completely answered in this book, but ideas are addressed. The ideas put forth by the author include ideas that children may learn false expectations for love and friendship. They might not be able to escape this imaginative world and are forced to grow up not understanding reality. This is in extreme cases, and the author mainly believes that the learning opportunities, and the opportunity for children to stretch their imaginative boundries outweigh the harm the movies might cause. As always parents should monitor their child's viewing and consumer intake in order to protect them.

Kinderculture

By Shirley R. Steinberg, Joe L. Kincheloe

can be found and previewed on Amazon.com

A moms view on forein films

Mothers who think....Foreign films for children
Research By: Ashley Shevel

"Dispelling the notion that foreign films are strange, arty and incomprehensible is the best reason to introduce them to your children."


This is the purpose of this link. This father reviewed and summed up many foreign films in hope of getting more parents to introduce them to their children. She makes some good points both the pros and cons. Even though this information is from 1998 the idea of children and foreign films is about the same. The author Charles Taylor shares his views of foreign film for children.


Foreign films ... for kids?

Dispelling the notion that foreign films are strange, arty and incomprehensible is the best reason to introduce them to your children.

One of her main points is that introducing kids to foreign films does come with some conflicts. In most cases, you not only need kids old enough to read subtitles, but kids convinced that reading subtitles is worth the trouble. We can all agree that part of the film watching experience that has been created by us westerners is the face that we plop on the couch and don't want to think or interact with our TV. In reality there is much interaction needed when watching a film. I personally agree with this article that it is important to introduce children to foreign films because at a young age they can learn to be an active audience while viewing films. Taylor has included some films on his list that are in English in hopes of attracting the younger children who would struggle keeping up with the subtitles. Keep in mind this information is from 1998 so non of the newer films will be on his list, however he has included some classics and as we know those classics are never outdated. for example "The Red Balloon" he says is often time American children's first foreign film. Check the list out for your self and read his views on them and see if you agree.

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1998/11/02feature.html

Vitus
The film I viewed was titled Vitus. The setting of the film is Germany. This is the original language of the film. It is a story of ordinary parents Helen and Leo Von Holzen who have an extraordinary son name Vitus. The film begins with an a scene establishing the intimacy of the relationship between Vitus and his grandfather. His grandfather discusses his top ten dreams with number one, the dream of becoming a pilot. Then shortly the next scene begins and we are at the home of Vitus watching his fourth birthday party. It is the viewers first introduction into what a wunderkind Vitus is. At the party everyone is singing happy birthday to Vitus. After making a wish, he precedes to open his presents. He receives a keyboard. As soon as he opens it he immediately he plays happy birthday on it establishing his keen skill on playing music from what he hears. Other common visual tropes used to establish his superior intelligence in this film are his reading and understanding of words by his reviewing of the dictionary, his skipping of several grades, later followed by his acceptance into an adult conservatory. Yeah. I'm sure you've seen it the whole Dougie Howser/Neil Patrick Harris thing.This films moves very slowly in the beginning. The film uses some other commonly employed Hollywood tactics to show how superior intellect ostracizes. There are the moments in the film where Vitus is in isolation from other children, awkward in social situations, his blazon disrespect for those in superior positions whom he has more intelligence, and only has the companionship of adults-mostly his mother, father, and grandfather. , As a parent, this film raises many questions: One, What does one do to foster the talents of his or her children? If you guessed quit your job to make sure your child is a master pianist,You're America's next top millionaire. So far I think that you can say this movie for me works as well as any sleeping pill could in getting me to sleep. Stay tuned later in the week for more on Vitus. Will I A: Go on Continuing to loathe this that I chose to view ? B. Will Vitus do something really extraordinary that will have me glued to this seat? or C Will the Pussy Cat Dolls be finally known as Spice Girls 2? Sike, just kidding. I'm not going to leave you in suspense. This film does take a turn for the better. As Vitus gets older particularly the age of twelve his heart and love prove to be the most extraordinary qualities about him. The love, heart, and mind that Vitus has extends to all those around him and enriches their lives for the better. In this film Vitus not only helps his grandfather live out his boyhood dream of becoming a pilot, helps to take his father from unemployment to CEO, and shows a beautiful young girl that true love had no numerical boundary.