Reviews of Educational Films

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-89
Author(s):  
Robin Brenneman
Keyword(s):  
Educational Films

Eulalia Guzmán and Walt Disney’s Educational Films

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-77
Author(s):  
María Rosa Gudiño Cejudo
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Walt Disney ◽  
Short Films ◽  
Jaime Torres Bodet ◽  
Educational Films ◽  
Latin American Countries

Literacy for the Americas was an audiovisual educational program implemented in Mexico and other Latin American countries in the early 1940s by the Office of Inter-American Affairs (OIAA). Walt Disney Studios made four short films that were designed to teach illiterate residents of Latin Americahow to read and write. In Mexico, this project was initially backed by the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) under Jaime Torres Bodet, who appointed Eulalia Guzmán to be the SEP’s representative and thus to support the program. Walt Disney asked her to work out a pedagogical proposal for the educational films. This article analyzes the proposal, the development and production of these shorts, and their reception in Mexico. It foregrounds Guzmán’s criticisms of these educational materials, which led the OIAA representatives to withdraw them from circulation.

Occupation, Diplomacy, and the Moving Image

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sueyoung Park-Primiano
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Korean War ◽  
Military Government ◽  
American Military ◽  
Cultural Imaginary ◽  
The Korean War ◽  
Educational Films ◽  
Straightforward Interpretation ◽  
The U.S

This chapter, by S. Park-Primiano, examines the use of noncommercial films by the U.S. military to facilitate its diverse roles during its occupation of South Korea in the aftermath of World War II. Used by the American Military Government in Korea, educational films aided the U.S. military's efforts to Americanize the Korean population and combat Communism. Films were also used to inform and rally support for its policy in Korea from American military and civilian personnel at home as well as abroad. For this purpose, the U.S. military sought cooperation from and enlisted the assistance of Korean filmmakers in the production of films about Korean culture and history that challenge any straightforward interpretation of Americanization or a unidirectional influence. Moreover, such conflicting efforts had a long-lasting effect in South Korea. It was a practice that was continued by the succeeding information apparatus of the U.S. State Department and the United Nations during the Korean War and beyond to further expose the need for a closer examination of U.S. control of the Korean cultural imaginary.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document