A ED 301: Youth Leadership Development

Many movies have been made which portray various leadership characteristics, styles, approaches, and beliefs. A film from the attached list should be chosen and reviewed based upon how it deals with leadership and/or leadership issues. The review should be typed (double spaced) and NOT exceed two (2) pages.

The report should be organized to include the following information:

1. Movie Title
2. Cast of Main Characters
   1. Include a brief description of their leadership roles.
3. Brief Overview of the Movie Plot
4. Movie Leadership Statement
   1. This should be an in depth report on the leadership style, characteristics, etc. of one of the characters in the movie. This does not have to be the main character.
5. Personal Opinion
   1. This should include a personal note on the value of the film and what was most effective in a leadership context.

Review a film about a leader, or a film in which leadership is a primary focus. Report on the leadership style of one of the characters in the film (also use of power, team building, etc.). Determine how the character exercises influence. Cite critical points in the film. The report should not exceed two pages. A short summary of the film may be helpful, but your paper should be an analysis of the characters or film. FILMS OTHER THAN THOSE LISTED MUST BE APPROVED BY THE INSTRUCTOR.

Alien - (1979) - A huge intergalactic freighter's crew is assaulted by an unstoppable alien life form. A heavily symbolic and grueling exercise in closed-maze horror. Tom Skerritt and Sigourney Weaver star in this science fiction thriller which won an Academy Award for best visual effects.

Aliens - (1990) - This science fiction thriller takes off where the film "Alien" leaves off, as Ripley the lone survivor of the first mission (film), journeys back to investigate the loss of contact with a colony. Several leadership concepts as well as uses and sources of power are clearly evident in this film.

Breaker Morant - (1979) - Based on a true story, the film takes place when England was waging the Boer War in Africa. England court-marshaled three Australian volunteer soldiers for murdering Boer prisoners, denying the Aussies were acting under British orders.

Bridge Over the River Kwai - (1957) - In a steamy jungle POW camp, British prisoner Alec Guinness refuses to build a bridge for the enemy unless his officers supervise the work. The camp commander shrewdly relents; Guinness gets his way, but the enemy gets the bridge.

Brubaker - (1980) - A drama about a reform warden who risks his life to replace brutality and corruption with humanity and integrity in a state prison. Robert Redford, Jane Alexander, Morgan Freeman, and David Keith star in this motion picture based on a true story.

The Candidate - (1972) - Robert Redford performs as an idealistic layer whose ideals are steadily eroded when he runs for the U.S. Senate. Jeremy Lamer, a speech writer for Senator Eugene McCarthy during his presidential campaign, wrote the powerful Academy Award-winning screenplay.

Billy Budd - (1962) - In 1797 the sadist master at arms of a British warship terrorizes the crew and is killed by young Billy Budd, who must hang for his unpremeditated crime. Handsomely photographed but obtusely scripted and variously acted attempts at the impossible, an allegory of good and evil more suited for the opera or the printed page: a defiantly uncommercial enterprise.

Citizen Kane - (1941) - Considered by many to be a perfect film, if not the best American film of all time, Citizen Kane is truly a cinematic masterpiece. The emotion-paced story of Charles Fost Kane, (based on the life of William Randolph Hearst), is told with ever shifting perspective. Directing his own vital performance as well as the members of the famous Mercury Players, Welles created an enduring classic for future generations.

The Caine Mutiny - (1954) - An all-star cast enacts the electric drams of rebellion against unreasonable authority on the combat vessel "Caine" in the Pacific during World War II. Humphrey Bogart stars as the paranoid captain in this brilliant film based on Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize winning novel and the critically acclaimed play. * * * *

Das Boot (The Boat) - (1982) - A World War II drama, without the Hollywood trappings, about a German submarine crew. It reveals various faces of leadership and crew response in the midst of incredible tension and a literal fight for survival.

Dead Poets Society - (1989) - Robin Williams stars a new teacher in a conservative boarding school. Inspiration teaching techniques as well as controversial role models set the stage for a tragic ending. * * *

Excalibur - (1981) - King Arthur, Guenevere, Sir Lancelot, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table are back to chill and thrill. This contemporary version combines breathtaking scenery, poignant dialog, erotic plot twists, and a generally violent mood to tell the classic tale. * * * *

Gallipoli - (1981) - The story of the ill-fated assault by Australian troops on the Turkish held heights. "Gallipoli" is a place now mentioned in history books for the disaster that made Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill resign in disgrace.

Gandhi - (1982) - Richard Attenborough's production and Ben Kingsley's award-winning performance highlight this dramatic account of the spiritual leader who inspired nonviolent resistance to British rule in India. The film follows Gandhi's life from his fight against racial inequalities in South Africa to his unsuccessful attempts to unite Hindu and Muslim factions into an independent India. * * * *

A Man for All Seasons - (1966) - A biographical drama concerning sixteenth century Chancellor of England, Sir Thomas More, and his personal conflict with King Henry VIII. More chose to die rather than compromise his religious beliefs. This is an exquisitely rich portrayal that received several academy awards.

Red River - (1948) - John Wayne fights with all his strength to carve a ranch out of a worthless land. At the same time he brings up an orphan whom he adopts. Years later, with the ranch seemingly tamed, Wayne is forced to drive his cattle an impossible distance. Hawks cinematically achieves a rhythm, scope and grandeur that may Westerns aim at, but few realize. * * * *

The Missiles of October - (1975) - A dramatic reenactment of the Cuban missile crisis of October 16, 1962. It follows the tensions and decisions faced by President Kennedy during the twelve-day period when the United States and the Soviet Union confronted each other with nuclear destruction. * * *

Patton - (1970) - A panoramic portrait of General Patton, the brilliant, unstable, and anachronistic World War II tactician. * * * *

Places in the Heart - (1984) - the theme of emergent leadership characterizes this movie about a Texas widow and her extended family. Under her growing strength they work together to raise a successful cotton crop to save her farm during the depression.

Working Girl - (1988) - Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford star in this film about a lower-class secretary who substitutes for her advertising executive boss in securing a major account. She falls in love with her boss's boyfriend and almost makes it to the top before she her caper is-discovered. Good material on how to treat those below you.

Star Trek: I, II, III, IV, V, etc. - (1979, etc.) - William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and others are back to save whales, planets, etc. Captain Kirk portrays one of the most popular leadership examples of our era, quick thinking, quarterback type.

The Paper Chase - (1974) - Timothy Bottoms and John Houseman star in this film about the trials of a first-year law student at Harvard. Professor Kingsfield is the demanding teacher who inspires and frustrates students. Kingsfield is at one time the most hated, most admired, and respected teacher on campus. * * * *

Norma Rae - (1979) - Portrays the life of a textile worker whose life is changed by the arrival of a union organizer. Norma eventually joins his cause and begins to exert strong leadership in her plant.

Stand and Deliver - (1988) A math teacher in the slums of Los Angles transforms a group of hoodlums into a topnotch calculus class. Innovative teaching methods, motivational strategies, and solid teaching highlight this film. * * * *

Twelve O-Clock High - (1949) - A psychological drama that deals with the problems of an Air Force commander who must rebuild a bomber group whose shattered morale threatens the effectiveness of daylight bombing raids.

Watership Down - (1980) - This animated version of Richard Adam's popular novel documents the evolution of leadership through the eyes of Hazel, a young, buoyant rabbit who grows to become Hazel-rah, the mythical chief rabbit about whom stories are still told to rabbit kittens. * * * * *

The American President - (1995) - A widowed President faces difficult decisions in the face of an election year compounded by the media's expose of his personal life. * * *

Independence Day - (1996) - An alien invasion brings out the leadership qualities of a diverse group of people.*

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