OldBoy

so i was taken aback when this teacher of middle school who's been there for 13 or so years told me she showed this movie to what are they 13-14 years old?

i mean i saw this movie a couple times and remember it being pretty graphic. body parts flying and what not. a kid getting shot. etc...

she said she sent permission slips home, but really? this movie? an educator?
am i crazy or is this like no good?

what do you think?

Dan

No, because it's a shitty movie.

OldBoy

regardless of the quality...it does represent, i guess, the American Revolution?

Dan

Yes. Shittily.

Sorry, I'll let the experts weigh in.

stvn1974

Even though it is a shitty movie I think 13-14 year old kids can handle the violence.

Why So Blu?

I watched Glory when I was in high school.

Deftones

These are 13 to 14 year olds, not 5 year olds. Probably not the most appropriate thing to be showing in school, but certainly not the worst.

JumpCutz

Indeed. Dreadful.

My Other Self

We watched American History X in high school. The Patriot would be fine for teens, I'd think.

inri222

Cardsfan111

I've never actually watched the film. But I'll contribute to the thread by pointing out that 7th graders are usually 12-13 years old. Have no idea if that might change anyone's opinion or not.

inri222

Show them The Road Warrior instead.

Boba Fett

This. We convinced a global studies teacher back in high school to watch it for our government unit as an example of anarchist societies.

GoldenJCJ

No shit, I was sitting in a movie theater watching Pulp Fiction when I was 14.

Why not show something Revolutionary War related that's not shitty like John Adams starring Paul Giamatti?

Groucho

7th graders in 1942 Germany maybe.

JeremyM

It could provoke interesting discussion if they veered into where the filmmakers went wrong, bent history, etc. I think it could be really well done if handled right.

Shannon Nutt

It's Rated R, so you'd think the school would get permission from the parents first.

Then again, when I was in 8th grade, our English teacher showed us EXCALIBUR, so that was kind of great.

Solid Snake

I was 14 in 2000. I know I saw that thing like 2 or 3 times in school.

I think a really good teacher could make a strong lesson out of that, as mentioned before, with seeing how it was done in the film. The whys, the hows, etc and etc. Context is a hell of a thing.

Mabuse

Yes. The only thing that could be positive about screening the Patriot is if you discuss how bogus it is. But I doubt that is what the teacher is doing. Frankly, I would question the abilities of a history teacher who thinks watching The Patriot is educational.

Violence wise I think 7th graders could handle it. But the film is so bad I don't think it's worth anyone's time.

What's disappointing to me is how there are so few good films on the subject of the American Revolution. It's the defining moment of birth for our country yet no one has made a great film on the subject.

My personal favorite Revolutionary War related film is John Ford's Drums Along the Mohawk. But it deals with life on the frontier and the war is a distant, off-screen thing.

Last of the Mohicans (the Michael Mann version) is a worthy modern film. It of course is about the French-Indian War not the Revolution, but the period is close, the costumes, weapons, and tactics are similar to the way the Revolution would be fought, and the values expressed by the characters reflect emerging Independence from the Colonial presence of England (and France). It's a film about a time before the Revolution made by modern people with the hindsight knowledge of the Revolution (and Indian genocide and a lot of other things).

Hokeyboy

Show them 1776 instead, or perhaps the Benjamin Franklin HBO miniseries (although that has a few scenes that may not be appropriate, like the tar and feathering).

Troy Stiffler

There's a lot of really good History Channel material out there. Often more entertaining and much more informative.

The Patriot was really just a soap-opera drama with a revolutionary war backdrop. Not saying I didn't like it. But there's better, more informative stuff out there to show kids.

DeanoBKN

It's a fun popcorn movie but hardly educational enough to show in a classroom. What's next, showing Pearl Harbor to kids learning about WWII?

OldBoy

just saw American Sniper and saw a preview for History channel's new show Sons of Liberty with Ben Franklin, John Adams, John Hancock, etc...
doesn't look to be non-fiction, but maybe those interested in the time and events might want to check it out. Tomorrow 1/25 for a 3-night event i believe. may record it.

EctoCooler

Fuck. No.

rw2516

I was in high school when the original Rollerball came out. Our social studies teacher told us if we went to see it and wrote a report we would get extra credit.
Had a biology professor in college who would rave about Alien. He thought the reproductive and defensive aspects of the alien were the best examples of biology ever put on film.