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February, 2009 Dear English Parents: As you may already know, the curriculum of the English 10 classes at Brandon Valley High School includes the memoir Night, written by Elie Wiesel. It is a firsthand account of a Jewish teenager’s experiences in various concentration camps at the end of World War II. Our classroom activities have included study guides and discussions as well as other projects. In addition, we have an extra credit opportunity open to all English 10 students. We are showing Schindler’s List or The Pianist to all English 10 students who have permission from a parent. Schindler’s List is the story of Oskar Schindler, a German, who saved the lives of thousands of Jews over the course of World War II. It is an Oscar winner for Best Picture and Best Director. The movie is quite long (about 3 1/2 hours long) and is rated R for language and nudity. The nudity is largely a depiction of the prisoners in the concentration camps. It is very tasteful and respectful; it is an honest telling of the story of this man and his incredible influence on the Jewish community in WWII Germany. More information on the movie is available at www.filmsite.org/schi.html. The Pianist is a movie by Roman Polanski (a Holocaust survivor himself) about a gifted classical pianist, Wladyslaw, born to a wealthy Jewish family in Poland. Wladyslaw is eventually left to fend for himself and spends several years trying to avoid capture by German occupation troops. The film won best adapted screenplay in 2002. The Pianist was based on the memoir of the same name by the real-life Wladyslaw Szpilman. It is rated R for strong language and violence. More information is available at http://movies.amctv.com/amgmovie?amctvID=71263&pageNav=synopsis. We will be showing The Pianist on Wednesday, February 18, at 3:30 p.m. at the high school in Mrs. Swanson’s room. If students are unable to attend, Schindler’s List will be shown on Friday, February 20, at 6:00 p.m. at the high school in Mrs. Sturgeon’s room. Students will be given extra credit for seeing this movie. To receive the credit, they will need to attend the movie and be present for the whole show. Students who are disruptive will be asked to leave and will not receive any extra credit. In addition, no student will be allowed in the room without a signed parent permission form. That permission form is at the bottom of this letter. If you have any questions about this movie, please feel free to contact Mrs. Sturgeon (diane.sturgeon@k12.sd.us) or Mrs. Swanson (deb.swanson@k12.sd.us). Thank you! My student has permission to watch SCHINDLER’S LIST / THE PIANIST. Student Name ____________________________________________________________ Parent / Guardian
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