The oral history format has become a popular one in cinema in recent decades. This format is popular because it gives voice to pop-culture experience and allows the viewer to become a listener to the characters’ lives.
Choose one of the following movies. Watch the film while concentrating on the story telling aspects of the film and how that helps you, the viewer, to feel like you are being drawn into the cultural fabric of the story and its characters.
8 Mile
Back to the Future
Blair Witch Project
Brokeback Mountain
Clueless
Cool Runnings
Do the Right Thing
Election
Ghostbusters
Goodfellas
Heathers
Hoop Dreams
Independence Day
Jurassic Park
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Right Stuff
Speed
She’s All That
The Terminator
Terminator II
True Romance
Varsity Blues
Wedding Crashers
TO DO:
After viewing the film, explain how the narration of the film helped you to better understand and feel the experiences of the characters. Consider how well the film’s storyline would be impacted if the narrative had NOT been offered as a story being told to you. Would the film still be successful?