A couple of years ago it appeared obvious that our son (Brother) was stumbling through history lessons without any sense of context. My husband wanted to fill in the gaps and came up with the idea of providing history lessons through film. His attempts at reading Homer with Brother hadn’t worked –imagine that!

A timeline was mapped out by my husband with Brother and, to start, we followed this broad, chronological sequence. Years later we’re still adding content and the children shift comfortably across periods –particularly Brother. In other words, we jump around within the timeline now.

Has it been worth it? Yes. Not only has this project enriched the children’s understanding of history, it’s provided a strong foundation for film studies. It’s been fun, and a great alternative to television programming. Also worth mentioning is the value of a film guide for a project like this because it’s handy for a lot of relevant information. We use Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide (current edition). We also consult a world atlas when necessary.

Here’s a list of what we’ve covered:

Prehistoric times
1,000,000 B.C.
Quest for Fire

Ancient Egypt
Ten Commandments

Ancient Greece
Troy
Alexander

Ancient Rome
Ben Hur
Gladiator
Julius Caesar
Spartacus
Jesus of Nazareth
Barabbas
Nero
Cleopatra
Augustus

Medieval period
Excalibur
The Vikings
King Arthur
Name of the Rose
First Knight
Braveheart
The Messenger
Kingdom of Heaven
Robin Hood (Mel Brooks and Kevin Costner versions)

Renaissance
Elizabeth (2 versions)
Shakespeare in Love
Luther
The Agony and the Ecstasy
Man for all Seasons
Three Muskateers (2 versions)
Girl with a Pearl Earring
New World
Man in the Iron Mask

18th century
Barry Lyndon (perhaps the best for period detail)
Madness of King George
Moll Flanders
Marie Antoinette
Rob Roy
Last of the Mohicans
The Patriot
Frankenstein (Boris Karloff and Mel Brooks versions)

19th century
Pride and Prejudice
Blazing Saddles
Darling Clementine
The Alamo (2 versions)
Red River
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Gettysburg
Cold Mountain
Gone with the Wind
The Searchers
Dracula
Topsy Turvy
How the West Was Won
Dances with Wolves
Mrs. Brown
Zulu

20th century
Fiddler on the Roof
Titanic
Gallipoli
Paths of Glory
Grapes of Wrath
Seabiscuit
Bonnie and Clyde
Some Like It Hot
Sound of Music
Guys and Dolls
Inherit the Wind
Mrs. Miniver
Casablanca
Cabaret
Dambusters
Battle of Britain
Flying Leathernecks
They Were Expendable
Bataan
Stalag 17
Dirty Dozen
Hope and Glory
The Longest Day
Saving Private Ryan
The Great Escape
The Great Raid
Best Years of Their Lives
The War (Ken Burns series)
Patton
Platoon
Full Metal Jacket
Apollo 13
Three Kings