Discussion Questions
Aired November 11, 2003
The debates over three recent television docudramas illustrate that the line between fact and fiction often depends on the interpretation.
1. What is a docudrama? How is it different from a documentary? What three recent docudramas were mentioned in the story?
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2. According to the story, what problems can arise when producers mix factual and fictionalized scenes? What criticism did CBS's "The Reagans" receive? How does Joyce Appleby explain the sensitivity over Reagan?
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3. What does it mean to say, "In representing the past, you're also interpreting the past"? How might this statement apply to the recent television docudramas mentioned in the story? How can the perspective of a docudrama affect how the story is told or received?
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4. What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of presenting historical topics as docudramas? Why might a producer or a director choose to tell a story through a docudrama rather than a documentary? Do you think the media or the viewing audiences should assume responsibility for how history is presented or received? Why or why not?
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Related Sites
CNN.com: 'Saving Jessica Lynch' has Iraqi hero (http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/07/tv.jessicalynch.ap/)
CNN.com: Conservatives Protecting One of Their Own (http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/07/ip.pol.opinion.reagan/index.html)
Docudramas http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/D/htmlD/docudrama/docudrama.htm
Teaching with Movies http://www.teachwithmovies.org/heritage-list.htm
Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Judging Information Rubric (http://go.hrw.com/resources/go_ss/teacher99/rubrics/RUBRIC16.pdf)
Keywords
docudrama, Ronald Reagan, Jessica Lynch, fictionalize, compelling, slant, miniseries, Alzheimer's, Elizabeth Smart
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