Are These Appropriate Movies for a 13 Year Old to Watch at School?

Some people have a much stronger reaction to visual images and need to protect themselves from strong, violent images. When my daughter was a high school freshman, her history teacher showed documentaries about the genocide in Rowanda and civil war in El Salvador. Afterwards, she cried herself to sleep for a week. At 19, she still has nightmares. Talk to your daughter's teacher (don't let the teacher minimize your concerns!) and ask about specific imagery in Anne Frank Remembered. If actual images of death camps, holocaust victims, and near-dead survivors are shown, you might want to opt out of that one. I think your daughter would be fine with Old Man and the Sea, Liberty, and Tom Sawyer. The Diary of Anne Frank contains disturbing ideas, but not so much actual violence -- it is an older movie, in black and white. Glory is known for its gore and violence; it is rated R for that reason -- I would take a pass on that one. Roots is an older mini (1970's) series, created for television. Although it addresses slavery and all its injustices, the visual images are probably not as strong.

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I'd just like to make a comment about how sad it is that children are watching, rather than reading. When you create the images in your own mind, rather than seeing images Hollywood created, your own mind draws on it's experiences and references, and things are alot less frightening. There is also time to process difficult ideas and concepts.
Would the school allow her to read instead? With all the concerns about screen time's effect on brain development, I am dissapointed to see so many full length features and miniseries listed. Are they doing anything else in history?

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M.,
These movies ALL sound like movies for a history class? I have seen most of them & would say that IF (BIG IF) there was anything at all voilent in them, it's not the type of violence you are talking about. This violence would be considered historically correct. Like the violence that Anne Frank had to deal with was the Nazi's!!! True facts, not gore. Same with "Roots", if there is ANY violence, it's the beating of slaves etc.....True to history....
These movies ARE NOT the type of movies that are made to scare people or anything...just to educate people on the true violence of HISTORY...
But if you are still concerned go rent them. Preview them at home with your daughter, so she is prepared. No harm in watching them more than once...maybe you'll learn something together.....
Good Luck..

Our school often has kids watch a movie like these after they have read the novel as a class.

While I understand the desire for to not want to watch movies with violence, these historical movies do not fall into that type of catagory. The movies are relevant to our history and it's important for students to "see" history so that it can become a part of them. There is violence in several of these movies. For example Roots is a movie about slavery, and they don't hold back. Does she have an aversion to violent movies when it comes to "non-school" movies? If not, then I think it's more that she doesn't want to watch them because she thinks she can do something else with her friends. You should sign the permission slip and try to talk with her about the importance of the story's that are being portrayed in these movies.

How wonderful for your daughter to have a teacher that is trying to make history come alive for the students. Movies are a great way to do this. Sometimes textbooks can gloss over things and the kids get a dry, sanitized, and boring view of important events in our past.

The Old Man and the Sea is perfectly fine. Nothing I can remember that would be scary or disturbing to a young teen.

The Anne Frank movies are obviously about a disturbing subject, but it is sooooo important for kids to know about what happened. Your daughter may really like these since Anne was a young girl at the time of her ordeal. Nothing in these is graphic or bloody.

Glory has some quite violent and bloody battle scenes. The truth is war involves blood and people die. This is something we all must face. Our country's freedom was not won by civil discussions over pint, but through the painful, and often deadly sacrifices of our ancestors. She may not be ready for the blood in this one, but the history lesson is invaluable.

I've never seen Liberty, but usually documentaries are not high on blood. You could ask the teacher about this one.

Roots, again is about a disturbing time in our history, but there really isn't anything graphic or bloody in it. Since it was made for tv before they allowed such things to be shown in prime time, it is pretty tame image-wise.

This version of Tom Sawyer must be pretty tame for a G rating. The book is full of the prevailing racial term of the era (N word), but they must have cut all of that out of the story to get to G. Unfortunate. Again, I think it is important for our kids to learn about these things. It is a great way to open discussions about what we believe and how things can change/improve over time if people are brave enough to stand against the norm.

When my oldest daughter was in 7th grade they watched an R rated (for violence) movie about the Roman Empire. The teacher was more than willing to let my daughter skip it, but felt it was important to show the other side of the Romans. The state approved text books went on and on about all the positive influences Roman society, politics, and government had on history, but completely ignored the cruelty, violence, and excess that accompanied it. Do we really want our kids to idolize a society that showed up in the 1000s to watch their fellow humans be eating alive by lions, or fight each other to the death for entertainment? My daughter chose to watch the movie, but was allowed to walk out whenever she chose. Afterward, she said she never left the room, but did close her eyes a few times. However, the great discussions we had later about what happened in that time in history were amazing. This film really made her think. And afterall, isn't that what education is all about. :o)

I'm going to say that these movies are all perfectly fine for your 13 year old to watch. When I was 13 my class watched Tom Sawyer and Diary of Anne Frank. We read the books first and the movie was the reward for finishing the book. It helped us better piece the story together from the book. We read The Old Man and Sea, there wasn't a movie available yet.

13 is an appropriate age to start getting an "education" about the world we live in, and sometimes the truth is not nice. Its a matter of weather you want her to grow up ignorant and only seeing what she wants to see or educated. Your decision. Unfortunately, many people in our country shelter their children and that is why a lot of our younger generation is not involved in current events or changing the world. It scares me that these young adults will be voting soon. History will repeat itself especially if we allow our children to remain ignorant of it just because they want to watch something "fun". That's life, sometimes the best lessons are the hardest to watch/learn.

I haven't seen any of these except Glory, and it was pretty gory, it bugged me at the age of 15. I don't know why showing these is necessary when they can be TEACHING! A film every now and again is okay by me, but rated R films for 13 year olds? Unrated films??? I don't agree.

She will love TomSawyer. I would recommend Anne Frank and Roots at bare minimum. There may be a few scenes in there that make her uncomfortable, but that is the idea of the movie. They were made to make a point. That is why her teacher wants to show them. Glory is pretty gruesome, may give her bad dreams if she isn't used to that type of movie. Haven't watched the other two.
As a kid, I wasn't allowed to watch graphic, violent movies either, and lived through this list of movies.

Yes to all!

Blessings.......

I understand that you want your child not to be exposed to violence and gory types of movies, but the movies listed are part of a normal junior high school ciriculum. The story of Anne Frank is a classic story about World War II and Nazi Germany. I don't recall how much violence etc is in these movies. You can't tell these stories without acknoledging the horror of this time period. The lessons to be learned are very important. Anne Frank died because people thought Jews where below human and therefore could be experiemented on and exterminated. We must teach our children about this type of history so it is never repeated and 13 is NOT too young. My daughter asked if people still believe like this and the answer is unfortunately yes. I am also not sure that you can teach about the Revolutionary War or any war without acknowledging the violence and ugliness that goes with war. Same thing with slavery, it's ugly, but we must teach our children these portions of our history. How are they to begin to understand why Black Americans often have a deep mistrust of government and/or whites, if they don't understand the history? I think you would be doing a greater disservice to your child by not allowing him/her to participate in these things. I don't know if your child goes to private or public school. Mine go to private schools and in high school they also start talking about subjects like the death penalty, abortion, social justice, etc. It's important for the kids to hear various points of view so they learn to think for themselves. At 13 they are beginning to have more complex thoughts and should be encourage to develop these skills. This doesn't mean you just allow the school to teach them. Encourage them to discuss with you what they are reading/watching on these subjects. At times we often have great dinner discussions about these things. This is when you can add your thoughts/beliefs about the subjects. If it's a dinner discussion then all my kids are often participating in some way. Currently my kids are 9, 13, 16, and 18.

I remember seeing most of those movies when I went to school, I believe they are just fine for her age, of course the Anne Frank movies will be sad but they offer a very unique perspective that encourages empathy for oppressed people. Glory and Roots might be the only two with violence and some carnage but again they are a representation of the hardships of war and social injustice which I believe for any young person it is important to be aware. These movies offer an enhanced version of events however they also encourage thought and emotions about such subjects.

These are great movies and definitely age appropriate. The school district I work for does not allow "R" rated movies even with parent permission. I think movies are a great way to help kids remember and appreciate historical events. Most teachers will allow an alternative assignment if requested.

I remember when I was in school and watching these movies! The district must approve all movies that are shown. These movies are mostly for educational purposes. It is entirely up to the parent whether to have their child opt out of watching the movie. The Dairy of Anne Frank is a wonderful movie! You can also rent them beforehand and view them without your daughter present. I hope this helps!

these moviews represent HISTORY!! They are not fiction. This is the history of the nation and we need not forget where we came from or history will repeat it's self. Watch them with her at home prior to the school viewing and have a conversation with her. Talk about the family values you all have so she feels comfortable with HISTORY!!! We all need to make sure we don't allow history to repeat it's self.

I looked up Glory on Netflix and it has a parent note of "iffy for ages 15+" There was no rating on Roots, but since it deals with slavery I would guess that there are some beatings, however, it was shown on TV in 1977. Good-luck.

(no judgment!)
You said that your daughter does not want to watch any violence/injuries/accidents---ONE Mom mentioned that her daughter was traumatized for years by a film because of her sensitivity, and I assume that your daughter is this way also.
I am in the eye-covering group myself, and visual images stick with me, so I understand.
Glory=NO for sure
A few of the films are probably without real violence (like Anne Frank) but could still be very upsetting to a hyper-sensitive person, who is very empathetic.
Your daughter can just skip the movies if there is any doubt...they ARE educational, but she can get alternate assignments if this is a major thing for her.
You have received a lot of judgment...People should not judge what they do not understand! Your daughter needs to do what is best for her on a personal level

The Old Man and the Sea (1990) not rated I HAVE NOT SEEN IT
The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) not rated THIS IS BASED ON THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK AND WHAT SHE WENT THROUGH WHEN THE JEWS BEING WERE SENT TO CONCENTRATION CAMPS. IF YOUR DAUGHTER IS SENSITIVE SHE WILL CRY. I ALSO THINK THEY SHOW THE JEWS GOING INTO GAS CHAMBERS.
Anne Frank Remembered (1990) Rated PG I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS ONE
Glory (1989) Rated R YOUR DAUGHTER WILL DEFINATELY CRY ON THIS ONE ESPECIALLY IF SHE LIKES DENZEL WASHINGTON BECAUSE HE GETS LASHES WITH A WHIP AND THERE IS A CLOSEUP OF HIM WITH TEARS COMING DOWN HIS FACE. THIS IS A HISTORY FILM ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS BEING IN THE WAR AND I BELIEVE THE "N" WORD IS USED SEVERAL TIMES.
Liberty! The American Revolution Documentary (1997) not rated I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS ONE
the series "Roots" not rated THIS IS A FAMILY BASED MOVIE OF ALEX HALEY AND HE TRACED HIS ROOTS BACK TO AFRICA. YOUR DAUGHTER WILL DEFINATELY CRY ESPECIALLY WHEN KUNTA KINTE IS CAPTURED AND THEY WHIP HIM UNTIL HE BREAKS DOWN WHEN THEY GIVE HIM A NEW NAME TOBY. EVERYTIME THEY ASKED KUNTA KINTE WHAT IS HIS NAME HE WOULD SAY KUNTA KINTE AND THEN HE FINALLY SAYS TOBY. AS TOBY GETS OLDER HE IS ALWAYS TRYING TO RUN AWAY AND ONE TIME HE RUNSA AWAY THEY CUT OFF PART OF HIS FOOT SO HE WOULD NOT RUN AWAY ANYMORE. ONCE AGAIN THE "N" WORD IS USED THROUGH OUT THIS MOVIE. I RECOMMEND EVERYONE WATCH THIS MOVIE AND THEN THEY WILL UNDERSTAND WHY SO MANY AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE SO ANGRY AT THE WHITE FOLKS.
Tom Sawyer (1973) Rated G THIS IS BASED OFF THE BOOK OF TOM SAWYER AND HUCKLEBERRY FINN. ONCE AGAIN THE "N" WORD WILL BE USED IN THIS MOVIE.

I advised you to go to Blockbuster or if you have Netflix to rent these videos to find out for yourself. These movies are violent and they are bloody, but that is our history and your 13 year old is old enough to understand the world she lives in and so do you.

Hi M.-
Hmmm. Well, the old man and the sea is completely appropriate. No bad language, no violence- it's about a man who goes out in a fishing boat, snags a sword fish and holds on for days to bring it it- but by the time he has his catch to land, the sharks and other fish have eaten away all the flesh and he is left with the skeleton of the thing. It's a moral catch, too, and I saw it when I was about 10.
The Diary of Anne Frank- I was shown bits and pieces, it deals with the Holocaust, and since I have not seen the whole thing all I can say is that she should read the book first and maybe together you can see it. Some of these I saw parts of for educational support, but never the whole movie. Glory is actually one of my all time favorite movies, and let me tell you, they hold nothing back. It IS the Civil War in all it's awful glory. I love it, but it is a painful movie to watch, and you should probably see some of the war scenes to make that judgement on whether or not your daughter is ready. I was shown glory as a Sophomore in highschool, so I was 15-16 years old. Still young, but I still love the movie. I have not seen roots or Tom Sawyer- my mum didn't let me read TS until I was in highschool just because she wasn't ready to let me do some of the projects (we had to come up with an incantation to be rid of some physical ailment, and spells and incantations and things of that sort were not acceptable.....but there was nothing wrong with the book itself.) I do want to say that movies are rarely as true to the story as they should be- they give more of the general splendor of the story, the big picture, and miss the small things. I would offer the books first, then the movies- and watch them either before she does and decide, or with her. These films are shown for historical value and are (aside from 2 or 3) very old and made in a time when films were more appropriate for kids but still told the true story.
I hope this helps!
-E.

Some of these movies have violence, but it is not gratuitous violence. The violence is necessary to the understanding of the history being portrayed, and she should certainly be aware of historical violence. It's the violence without any historical or social basis that a child should not watch.

However, I would want to know why the teacher is showing so many movies, instead of assigning reading. Movies are not very good tools for learning. As someone else said, when you read you have time to reflect on, and process the information. The best way to learn history is to read about it, and I would ask the teacher if she can read the books instead. She will learn a lot more by reading these classics than any of her classmates who just watch the movies. (As I recall, the Roots TV series was a real "sanitized" version of the book--they had the slaves living in charming little shacks with white lace curtains, and other utter foolishness...)

Hi- Most of the movies you listed have no real graphic violence in them, they just deal with very adult subjects. My girls are pretty sheltered from pop culture (ie. music, current movies, internet use etc.) but my oldest isn't sheltered from real life stuff in the least (she's 10). I mean I don't dwell on the facts of the world but we discuss mature topics like war, racism and politics openly. I don't think in this modern world just keeping kids away from violence and sex in movies is enough. I think it's important to empower them and educate them to be well informed about current events and history so they can come to their own conclusions about stuff they will eventually see. Violence that will be in movies like Glory and Roots is not the same as violence in the Matrix or Saw. There is a point to allowing some violence in dealing with historical subjects. Assuming the teacher will be discussing and helping the kids to understand the relevance to what they are seeing I don't see anything wrong with a 13 year seeing those films. I agree they should be reading the books too, which in some cases are way more violent than the movies! Finally if you have questions about media you're not familiar with a great website is www.commonsensemedia.org. it is really conservative so I usually take a couple of years off when thinking of my daughter as she is pretty mature and we usually watch together and discuss. Finally at 13, your daughter is just 5 years away from being an adult, I think all the subjects the teacher is covering are very important for all people to study and understand. Good luck!

Okay. So, I understand your daughter not WANTing to watch a movie that might be upsetting to her. However, I think the reason they are part of her US History curriculum is that it is important for her to understand these pieces of our shared history!

These movies are more than appropriate, but that doesn't mean she'll like them. Clearly, though, the point of showing them in school is not to entertain her.

My advice is to sign the permission slips. If she sees things that upset her, talk to her about them as a family.

Hope this helps,
T.

Good grief! Why wouldn't you want your child watching those?
Watching Jason from the movie "Halloween" tear people apart with a chainsaw is one thing, watching a movie about a young woman who lived through the atrocities of World War II is quite another, one is fiction the other is real. It opens a dialogue between you and your child, between teacher and student. The depth of conversation is VERY appropriate, whether the subject is history, literature, religion, bigotry and more. They teach a lesson in living. My opinion is that if you don't take the time to discuss these subjects with your child they will develop their own opinions anyway and may not be ones that you approve of. If you still don't know what to do then "netflix" them and make a decision on your own.

They are all good movies, she will enjoy them and learn from them. At 13, sounds to me that she just doesnt want to watch them maybe because the alternative is to be out of class with some of her friends that don't want to sit through a movie either? Ask her what she would be doing if she chose not to watch the flicks.... therein lies the answer.

Watching gratuitous violence for a thrill is NOT the same as watching a dramatization of real events, which of course will have some violence and upsetting scenes.
Seeing history portrayed in an accurate and thoughtful way on film can be very powerful. I remember watching Ghandi, Roots, Anne Frank, etc. in middle school and I was very moved by all of them.
Your daughter is becoming a young woman. She needs knowledge and education, including learning some unhappy and unpleasant truths.

You can find out more information about each of these movies at IMBd.com (internet movie data base)- the basic plot, viewer & professional reviews, and some have a link to a "parents guide" that discusses specific instances of sex/nudity, language, violence/gore.
Glory is an award winning, very powerful movie- however- it is very realistic in its portrayal of war and the frightening ugly attitudes & actions prevalent at that time in our history- it will make a grown man flinch and cry. It is such a great and telling story, it is hard to say don't let her watch it, but 13 might be too young, especially if she is tenderhearted. If you preview any on the list, this might be the one.
Be prepared to talk to your daughter about what was going on in the world during the setting of each of these movies- what some people thought was okay and how other people reacted against popular notions. History is a great springboard for discussing your family values and helping her develop her own.
Good luck to you- my turn with this is only years away.

Greetings M.: Being the mother of 5, I really appreciate the high standards that your child has set for herself. Everyday that they go to school I feel like I need to put protective armore on the kids so they can fight off the bad that they are exposed to.
I believe that you can rent the movie " The Old Man and the sea". I think it is a wonderful story of change, survivial, and acceptance. I remember when it came out. All of my children have seen it.(The one I saw was an older version of the film. The diary of Anne Frank, since you are talking about the very oldest version will be clean. The story itself is a sad one becasue of what the Nazi's did. But it is a real child's story. My son tells me that Glory, is a fairly accurate portral of the Civial War and the division of our country. If you haven't read Tom Sawyer, or seen the Disney movies Do IT. You, will find that there is a bit of Tom, in all of us or we would like to have his imangination and curious George type of adventures. Roots is a series of one mans genelogy and tracing of his family and what happens to them. You can go on line and try and view these films.
There are heart tender things in each. But lots of good life lessons in each as well. I am told by my son that he had only a little problem with Glory and because he raised the issue his teacher was careful about what parts of the film he showed. He also said that he wanted so badly to protect the children that were abused and treated so bad when he saw Anne Frank's story. That is one I encouraged all of my children to see as I didn't want them to let it happen again.
Good Luck. It sounds as if you have raised a wise child.
Nana Glenda

I haven't seen all of these movies, but can recognize the historical importance of them. I don't see any problem with your son viewing them. I would suggest you rent each movie and view it yourself. Then when your son's class is viewing it and stucying the related material, you'll be able to also discuss it with him at home. This will enhance his learning experience and you may learn something new as well.

You don't say if your daughter will be reading the books that some of these movies are based. She's likely to find Roots the book much more upsetting that the TV series, although the book is extremely well written. The Old Man and the Sea is a new version, but it should be fine. Anne Frank is, of course, excellent, and I don't recall any violence. I've never seen Glory and Liberty. Tom Sawyer should be fine, although surely she's read the book by now? Has your daughter not read any of these books on her own? My parents gave me Anne Frank when I was 10 (1960) for Christmas, and I still reread it occasionally. Tom Sawyer was summer reading for me, as well as Huckleberry Finn. At her age, anything by Mark Twain should be great--I remember we read a book about mining/Virginia City in Nevada when I was in junior high and it was hilarious.

M.,
I have not seen all of them, but I have seen both Anne Frank movies, Glory, and The American Revolution Doc. is on pbs a lot, my husband and I have both watched those. All of them are historical documentaries... and while they do show violence, it wasn't generated for the sake of violence, but rather to show as accurate a view as possible of the atmosphere of that time period. I loved the Anne Frank books and movies when I was a kid... but they do show some of the killings and people lined up, etc, they wouldn't do justice to the period if they didn't. Glory really drives home what slavery was like... and Denzel Washington really does a great job in that role... it will haunt you and stay with you because it is so powerful. The American Revolution isn't gory, but does show the smoke and gunpowder and some combat like the AR would have had... they try to make it realistic. I'd recommend that you rent those and watch them before you tell your daughter no... or even watch them with her before she sees them at school so you can talk about what happens and your own personal beliefs as well... and she might not be so scared if she can watch them at home and pause the movie if she's scared and step out for a while and come back to it. The other movie that's a good historical period movie I loved is "Gone with the Wind"... and you can gloss over a lot of the fighting and other scenes without missing a lot of the story. I think I saw that one in eighth grade and I remember getting the book from the library soon after... yeah, that LONG book!!! :) The other thing is that it helps the kids to learn without experiencing the real thing, you know? Those are kind of sad periods in our history and if we don't teach the next generation the mistakes of our past, we're doomed to repeat them. Good luck with whatever you decide!

As I recall, "Roots" has some scenes that are pretty intense with slaves being beaten and such. I don't know about any of the others.

from my own viewing and memory anne frank is very emotional, glory was graphic and an emotional portrayal of a violent war and roots is violent and emotional.

I would not think an R movie would be allowed in school at all. Some parts of life are not easy to learn about but Anne Frank is part of our history that is important.
F.

M.,

The movies that you listed above are actually excellent historical references and I am sure they will shed some light on how people lived and their experiences in that time period. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of my favorite books and though its been years since I saw the movie, it gives a peek into the life of Jews during the Nazi reign abd how families were forced to live and deal with racism. On that same note, the Roots series provides a visual into the life of slaves and depicts their expereinces at the hands of their slave masters and how Africans dealt with the brutality of slavery, how slavery began and how as a people they acculturated into American culture. Glory, is an excellent movie that highlights the struggle of both white and blacks during the Civil War and depicts how and why these soliders made the sacrifices they made for the liberties we have today. It is apparent that your child's teacher is utilizing the primary medium employed today, television and video, to educate your child on history. While there may be some scenes in all these movies that are hard to watch for various reasons, ie. degrading violence (whipping of slaves), some racists terminology (how blacks and Jews are refenced), and violence (fight scenes), it is done in a way that serves to educate on the event and not the individual act of violence itself.

Hi M.,

I can understand and sympathize where you and your daughter are coming from. Growing up I never liked/watched gory or violent movies, in fact as a kid I remember Michaal Jakcson's Thriller video scaring the heck out of me :) However, I do think it's very important for each generation to know about our history and the history of others. I vividly remember watching these films in Jr High, so I was the same age as your daughter. I think it's important to respect her fears/boundaries, but at the same time she should know these stories. What I would recommend is a) have your daughter talk privately to the teacher and let them know that she would like to participate, but if possible she would like to sit in the back of the class (the images won't be as vivid and that's what I used to do) and can she cover her eyes during particularly violent parts and b) make sure you are there to talk with her and maybe even do something fun with her when she gets home from school. She will need to talk about some of things she saw and maybe help her cope with how it makes her feel. I know for me, even as an adult, I'm fine while watching something like that, but then at night when I'm trying to go to sleep my mind starts thinking back to the images I saw. If you help her talk it out, it won't seem as 'scary' or disturbing.

Bottom line is that these movies have been shown in schools for years. I think it's really important for young people to know about these stories and understand what other people have gone through. I know she's young, but soon enough she will hear and know things much worse than what is in these films. I think if you keep the lines of communication open and talk to her about how she feels and what she thinks about the films - she'll be fine. In my opinion, you would be doing her a bigger misservice by NOT letting her watch these films.

Just my two cents - good luck with your decision!

Hi M.,

I am not sure about all of the movies, but I am certain that The Diary of Anne Frank and Liberty! The American Revolution are appropriate. I have shown those to my children (7 and 10). As for The Old Man and the Sea, I believe that it probably is appropriate. I have read the book and it is very tame. A man goes out to fish, catches the fish of his life, and comes back with just bits and pieces. It is a story of internal and external struggles.

I do not remember seeing the others.

D.

Wow, so suprised that they would allow an R movie to be seen by 13 yr olds...that should not be allowed....period. Have not seen the movie but my guess is that it is violent...lots of gunfire...war movie, I assume.

Roots...although violent is very impactful and powerful. I was about 13 when I first saw it and it really opened my eyes to what slavery was really like. The same for Anne Frank regarding the Holocaust. The other movies seem fine.

What's with the lazy teacher not having her class READ these classic books??
The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemmingway should be read before she sees the movie because it is one of the most important novels ever written. Hemingway was a man of few words so the book is very short - less than 200 pages. It's on every list of books that should be read before college! I read Anne Frank at age 10 and think she can handle it - it is sad - because it is true but the older movies IMPLIED violence more than they ever blatantly shoved it in your face. I would add Schindler's List to her movie list. Ask her teacher if she can watch Amistad instead of Glory since Glory is bloody and there was no R-17 rating in 1987- it could be too much for her.
Tom Sawyer is harmless - it does address race and slavery from a kid's point of view - great for opening up a dialog. Again I say - have her read the book it's a classic!
We should not shield our kids from history - they need to know the truth so they can make good decisions when it's time for them to vote etc.
Most documentaries - except for Michael Moore and the E! channel - are an attempt at the truth of history without sensationalizing it - so the documentary is probably o.k. - Perhaps you can check it out from your library and take a peek first - since you know how much she can stomach.

I'm surprised that they would be showing some of these movies to students this young. I'm thinking especially of Glory, Roots and Old Man and the Sea. The Diary of Ann Frank is very emotional but not as inappropriate as the others.
I think that there are important themes, ideas, situations from all of those movies that could be brought up and discussed in a manner move befitting of young minds. As a side note, I am on 31 year old African American woman and I mentioned this to a few of my friends who are teachers and they were similarly surprised.
You might want to have a discussion with the teacher about the goals of the class and other ways to reach those goals - I'm sure you're not the the only family reservations about this movie list.
And - I'm surprised this many movies are planned for just one school year. ..

Hi M.
the movies are fine its part of there education my two oldest sons watched them after all he is 13 now and plus every movie they watch in class has to get approval from the board principle and other teachers your sons teacher didn't just pick them up they have to go through alot of approvals first
P.S. your son will like the movies Roots is really a good movie
Good Luck
Danielle Mom of 4

I feel like to watch or not watch these movies is a personal choice for your family. I suggest you watch all the movies and if you feel any are too graphic for your family or what you want to expose your daughter to then you decide for your daughter. You know your daughter best. I don't think it's an issue of whether these movies are inappropriate for middle school students.

They are all fabulous movies on the subjects they are covering-your child must be ready to face those subjects(war, the holocaust etc.) I personally would let my teenager watch any of these movies because they are so well done and bring up discussions on the various topics. But realistically these movies have violent scenes (they have to due to their subject matter). So If I were you I would screen them and make that decision for yourself.

Dear M.,
I think all of these movies will be fine for your daughter to watch. I vividly remember in the 70's when the series Roots was on television. We watched it every night it was on as a family.
I personally don't like bloody or gory movies either, but I would say these are tame compared to some I've seen. I only recently saw Saving Private Ryan. It was a yucky Saturday a couple of months ago and the entire series of Band of Brothers was on television. My son and I snuggled up with popcorn and I watched all 10 parts of it with him. It's about true accounts of World War II and yes, there was bombing and shooting, but it was so amazingly done, I was glued. And, there were interviews with veterans who actually fought in the battles they depicted. It's normally not something I would want to watch, but I want to buy it so I can see it again.

You certainly have the right as a parent not to allow your daughter to see the films you mention, but I think it might be a disservice to her from an educational standpoint. The class may be asked to write a report on the films and the subject matter, which she won't be able to do if she doesn't see them. There is so much more to be learned than this or that happened on such and such a date.
I would venture a guess that these films are available at your local library. Try checking them out and watching them yourself so you can discuss them with your daughter as well. I would let her see them.

Best wishes.

I'm not sure about the others, but Glory is not appropriate.

I watched Glory in the th grade and was very tramatized! It is very gory and a lot of death...I think that I would skip that one. Roots might be another one worth wating on...great display of history...but maybe a little to much for a year old...that is just my opionion.