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This is an archived copy of History Matters, provided by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. To explore this content in a new interface, visit Who Built America?.
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Test your critical skills with these exercises designed to explore how film works as historical evidence.

Ask yourself these important questions:

Is the film "authentic"?

How was the film shot and edited?

Who made the film and why?

Who watched the film?

You can also try an exercise in film narrative and editing created by Professor Mike O'Malley of George Mason University:

Telling Stories on Film: Edwin S. Porter and the Invention of Movie Narrative

 

These exercises are best viewed using Internet Explorer 5.0 or above.