Zócalo's Connecting California
What's Wrong with This Picture?
Kids get plenty of screen time these days, but maybe not the right kind of screen time. When it comes to classic Hollywood movies – films that have helped shape our cultural identity – nobody's watching anymore. Zócalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews says students ought to be watching these films as part of our state's history curriculum.
By Joe Mathews • • 4m ListenAre Californians failing Cinema 101? Zócalo Public Square columnist Joe Mathews says movies Like Chinatown, Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and The Joy Luck Club can teach students more about modern state history than any textbook. But most young people have never heard of these films, much less seen them. Mathews says the state needs to jump in to make sure that the next generation of Californians adults doesn't grow up without exposure to movies that help define our shared cultural identity.