A Child Is Dying (review)

It is true that the larger urban areas are more likely to have libraries equipped with film collections, but those of you out in the hinterlands—don't give up. If no local library in your area has a film collection or belongs to a film circuit, write your State Librarian for information. Many state libraries have film collections from which they will lend by mail, perhaps costing the borrower no more than the cost of postage back and forth. *** FILM REVIEWS *** This department of the Newsletter attempts to put into effect one of the suggestions most warmly received at our first meeting in December. We hope to be able to exchange and make available for all interested the comments of historians and teachers of history on films that they have used in their classes. The summaries that film catalogs provide tend often to be incomplete and uncritical, and are never aimed directly at the teacher considering the film for classroom use. The primary ingredients we are interested in are the historical scope of the film, the basic ideas it attempts to convey, and suggestions on how to best utilize the film in the history classroom. The opinions you find here will be those of other historians and teachers rather than the opinions of the producers of the films or of the commercial renting firm. This experiment can only be successful if you will cooperate and share your experiences with us . There is a film review form included with the Newsletter. It may be photocopied or additional copies may be requested from the Committee. We will include as many reviews as possible in each issue. A Child Is Dying (UNESCO, 1967) b&w, about 25 min. This is a rather melodramatic portrayal of the worst aspects of the "culture of poverty" and general economic underdevelopment in Latin America. It attempts to depict by way of flashbacks the "reasons" why the child of a peon is dying from a disease which might have been either averted or cured if better conditions had been available. Because of the relatively limited number of individuals who find themselves in such rude conditions in 1971, many viewers felt that the film lacked credibility. It does tend to oversimplify complex economic and social problems and thereby distorts Latin American realities. The film is useful for provoking discussions of institutions such as the church and the hacienda as well as the role of the U.S. and U.N. below the Rio Grande. (Course, "Latin American History") Theodore Berson, Newark College of Engineering ...