A film that is consistent with information in the reading materials regarding the history of a period is beneficial, and the reason is that it increases correct recollection by fifty percent. When students watch such a film, they are able to identify with the past. At the same time, they are able to approach the film history uncritically. A film’s visual imagery and powerful audio can engage the student in ways that textbooks and other readings cannot. Films are able to engage an individual by their application of cutting edge techniques. They also involve their contemporary point of view on the past. The student thus passively accepts the stories as historical reality. It is notable that both “My Man Godfrey” and “So Proudly We Hail” capture the tensions and concerns of the period in which they were released.
In “So Proudly We Hail,” modern audiences might have issues with how the women in the textbook readings and film contributed to the war and yet were not mentioned in the history of the Pearl Harbor war. The nurses and pilots in both the film and textbook readings were women who contributed immensely by taking care of the wounded soldiers and even dying for the course. An example is Lt. D’Arcy who, after the Japanese soldiers trace them, puts a grenade in her pocket with the pin pulled out. It then explodes and kills a number of them including herself (So Proudly We Hail). In “My Man Godfrey,” modern audiences may ask why Godfrey would lead such a lowly life just because he underwent a difficult love life with his Indian wife. He opts to take his life but his plan takes a different turn when he comes across dumpsite men who encourage his heart, and he begins to live with them.
In the film “My Man Godfrey”, Irene is a character who is obligated to Godfrey after he is humiliated in the scavenger hunt event (My Man Godfrey). Remorseful for how he is treated, she offers him a job as a butler in their home. On the other hand, Godfrey is obligated to the family because apart from them letting him have the job, they have been good to him until his time to leave has come. An example is when Alexander announces that their family company, Bullock Enterprises has run bankrupt (My Man Godfrey). Godfrey in turn offers to assuage him from his financial misery by offering his assistance.
Elements of “So Proudly We Hail” that let us know that the film was made during the war tomatoes and milk (So Proudly We Hail) are some food commodities that are missed by some wounded soldiers. Bread and peanut butter are wedding gifts presented to Lt. Davidson and Lt. Summers after they marry. These food commodities were highly valued during the era of the
WWII. The difference in the characters of Goddard a glamour girl who likes to flirt and Lake an introvert, also depict the wide range of individuals who were brought in to serve during that time. Americans at the time were willing to support each other to bring the war to an end. This is depicted by how the nurses and other individuals participated not only in taking care of the wounded soldiers but also by also engaging. An example is the evacuation scene. The issues or social commentaries of the films do resonate today.
Works Cited
My Man Godfrey. Dir. Gregory La Cava. Perf. Alice Brady, Eugene Pallette, Gail Patrick, Mischa Auer, Jill Dickson, Alan Mowbray. Universal Pictures, 1936. DVD.
So Proudly We Hail. Dir. Mark Sandrich. Perf. Claudette Colbert. Paulette Goddard, Veronica Lake, George Reeves, Barbara Britton, Walter Abel, Sonny Tufts, Mary Servoss, Ted Hecht, John Litel, Dr. Hugh Ho Chang, Mary Treen. Paramount Pictures Inc, 1943. DVD.
