Table of Contents

To Our Readers:

Film occupies an important space in popular culture and in our classrooms. Along with our regular columns, this issue of the Newsletter brings together a series of feature articles and reviews that address film depictions of children past and present from the vantage point of different cultures, different types of films, and, not least, different kinds of children.

Steven Mintz offers an overview of the topic that describes how the images of children seen in American films have changed over the decades. Also addressing the U.S. context, Julie Smith looks at "children on the margins," challenging us to think more carefully about how orphans have been depicted in such classics as Wizard of Oz and Blossom in the Dust.

Three additional essays discuss films about children and youth in recent history. Beth Sneyd's analysis of the Japanese animated films of the 1980s and 1990s from Studio Ghibli demonstrates how films from a specific cultural context reflect universal themes. Jennifer de Forest asks us to consider the themes of parenting and community in her examination of the deaf community depicted in Sound and Fury. Allison Wright Munro's article on Thirteen reminds us that films about juvenile delinquency continue to intrigue us -- and that the images of children we see in films will continue to be unnerving, but also essential to our understanding children's lives.

Reviews of individual films from Israel, Great Britain, Italy, Argentina, and Japan point to a common theme:  the experiences of children in times of war. Jennifer de Forest examines the interactions of Jewish and Arab children in Jerusalem in Promises, Promises.  In her review of Hope and Glory Moira Hinderer considers the impact of war on children and discusses her use of this film in the classroom. Kenneth Pearl examines the effect of war on children in the classic film, The Bicycle Thief, while Greg Johnson shows us how life changed for children in postwar Japan in his study of Good Morning. Colleen A. Vasconcellos turns her eye to Machuca, a film from Chile depicting the effects of the 1973 revolution on two boys from different class backgrounds.

Finally, Cathlena Martin has provided a thorough introduction to her course on film and children's experiences, giving us an opportunity to see how this diverse material might be used effectively for students.

These articles and reviews represent only a brief introduction to the subject of children and film. Nonetheless, we hope that, taken together, they will pique the interest to scholars in children's studies, encourage students to undertake further research, and provide inspiration for the use of film in the classroom. Of course, you will also find in the Newsletter the regular columns with news about members, events, and publications. And, a membership form to join us in the Society for the History of Children and Youth.

Happy viewing -- and teaching!