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Great historical movies to suppliment SOTW


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My DD8 is a big fan of SOTW. Now is the summer time, I am trying to borrow some historical movies, documentaries to suppliment what she has learned. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

we are currently watching Jodaka Akbar. It is a great movie on the life of the Mogulia King Akbar and Hindu princess Jodaka.

I am looking for some Egyptian, Ancient Greek movies if anyone knows. 

 

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I believe these are appropriate for elementary or upper elementary ages:

Ancient Egypt
- The Egyptian (1954) -- preview (for suitability for your student)
- Cleopatra (1963) -- ancient Egypt + ancient Rome; preview (for suitability for your student)
- Ramses of Egypt (2014) -- animated
- The Ten Commandments (1956) -- ancient Israel + ancient Egypt
- Prince of Egypt (1998) -- animated; Biblical Moses (ancient Israel + ancient Egypt)
- Joseph, King of Dreams (2000) -- animated; Biblical Joseph (ancient Israel + ancient Egypt)
- Princess of the Sun-- animated; French & Egyptian film set in Tutankhamen's time; preview (no personal familiarity)

nonfiction:
- Pyramid (1988) -- animated; PBS, David Macauley
- Kid's Animated History of Ancient Egypt (2015)
- Schlessinger Media: Ancient Civilizations for Kids -- Ancient Egypt

Ancient Greece
- Jason and the Argonauts (1963) -- the ancient Greek myth, plus the BEST Ray Harryhausen animated skeletons EVER (:D
- Clash of the Titans (1981) -- rated PG -- preview (for suitability for your student)
- The Odyssey (1997, TV mini-series) -- preview (for suitability for your student -- there are a few scenes that are PG)
- Helen of Troy (1956) -- preview (no personal familiarity)
- Hercules (1997) -- animated Disney musical
Hercules and Xena: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998) -- rated PG -- preview (for suitability for your student)

nonfiction:
- Schlessinger Media: Ancient Civilizations for Kids -- Ancient Aegean
- Schlessinger Media: Ancient Civilizations for Kids -- Ancient Greece

Also check out the Guest Hollow History Shelf for book and movie ideas for year 0 through the present (so no ancients or BC listings, but for when you are looking for other time periods for books and movies to match up with history).

Edited by Lori D.
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So, it's not a "movie" really, and it's non-fiction, but my kids watch Extra Credits History on Youtube for fun (even my non-homeschoolers), and so do I.   They are super well done.    Here's a playlist in chronological order (and no...can't figure out how to make it smaller or just a link).

 

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Thank you all for input! Lori, you are always so helpful!

I also find this link: top epic historical movies. But some of them might be too sad or bloody for my DD8, such as Schindler’s List, 300.

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls006312217/

I am trying to introduce movies instead of animated ones so that the main characters are more “real” and the settings provides more details. 

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9 hours ago, TrustAndLove said:

But some of them might be too sad or bloody for my DD8, such as Schindler’s List, 300.


Yes, you're right. That's a good list, but pretty much for older students. I was careful to list any PG films as such, and didn't include any PG-13 or R-rated films, since you were looking for an elementary-aged student. : )

 

9 hours ago, TrustAndLove said:

I am trying to introduce movies instead of animated ones so that the main characters are more “real” and the settings provides more details. 


Documentaries are another great way of showing the real settings and items used by people in historical times. For example, the NOVA series on Ancient Worlds is one in which modern-day engineers try to recreate the architecture or items used in ancient cultures in order to better understand both the items and the peoples. I've also found some interesting things on YouTube, or at websites, that show archeological sites and items just by google searching.

A website you might find interesting is Teach With Movies, which has lesson plans and discussion questions to help expand viewing a movie into an educational opportunity. You can click on the subheading of "Age" to find films suited to your student's age. For example, here's what comes up for age 8. Their listings include both "live action" and animated films.

Just our experience, but we found that animated films were a fun way to *end* a study of a historical time period, as we could look for/point out things we recognized from our study. For example in the Disney animated musical film of Hercules, if you look carefully at the backdrops, settings, clothing, and items in Hercules, you'll see that they actually did do a lot of research. For example, some of the backstory of Hercules' exploits is told through images on vases/urns, and it was done in the authentic ancient Greek style of black figures on an orange-ish background; and, that is also an authentic way the ancient Greeks told stories -- images on urns. Also fun in that movie is the very amusing use of Roman numerals for the emergency phone number 9-1-1: "Help! Someone call IXII!" 

Also, some animated films or series are very informative and enjoyable -- the Liberty's Kids series set in Revolutionary War times, for example. Or the Charlie Brown series on US History. Or the Nest Family Entertainment animated biographies of key people in Science and History, or of the Bible.

Just a thought! Hope you both enjoy the cinematic aspect of your history studies! (:D Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited by Lori D.
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