I Saw It at the Movies: History and Film on #MicroblogMonday

Meryl Streep and Robert deNiro, Best Picture for 1978
Meryl Streep and Robert deNiro, Best Picture for 1978

I saw The Normal Heart, then Love is Strange — with no premeditation, both in the same week.

Each is a great document of a time in our history.  I began thinking about the power of these films and how valuable they would be as teaching tools.  With that in mind, I hereby initiate the “films to teach American history by” list.  Here are some more of mine; please add your own in the comments.

Kramer v Kramer      Hair     Do the Right Thing     The Deerhunter

Bullworth     Dead Man Walking     Valley of Decision     Gentleman’s Agreement

Good Night and Good Luck     The Green Berets     Get on the Bus     The Pawnbroker

 

 

 

 

I LOOK LIKE A BUSH (THE LEAFY KIND, NOT THE ALMOST-NO-LONGER-PRESIDENT-KIND)

Bushy_tree
See this bush?  That’s pretty much how my hair is starting to look only more unruly.  Why?  In observant Judaism the tradition is that you don’t get your hair cut during the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot (that’s the celebration of receiving the Ten Commandments.)  It has to do with mourning for the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva, who died because they did not honor one another — there’s more to it but it’s way too complicated — basically it’s a mourning period – also a portion of the time that you work your way from the political freedom of gained at Passover when the Jews left Egypt to the gift of discipline and self-control that comes with the giving of the commandments.- There are lots of things you aren’t supposed to do except for one day in the middle — Lag b’Omer – the day the dying of the students ceased.

This is a long way of saying that my hair is too long.  Way too long.  And it’s not even my fault!  I had made an appointment for a hair cut right before this period was to begin.  Then, of course, a huge crisis arose (don’t ask) which meant I couldn’t go.  So now I’m stuck. With all this hair.   I feel like Medusa.