Movie Project 2019

Movie Project 2019

General information – 5 pts.

Title of the Movie: Call the Midwife

Topic of the Movie: It is set in the 1950s in the very poor part of London. The women are too poor to afford a hospital, so they have midwives to help them deliver their children.

Director: The director changes almost every episode. Syd Macartney directed 11 episodes.

Production company: BBC

Date released: January 15, 2012

Length (1 ½ hr. minimum): 3 episodes= 2.5 hours

Setting(s): East End London

Main Characters (Name and describe 3-5):

Nurse Jenny Lee: She is a new nurse that comes to live with the nuns and work with them. She is from a more wealthy family than the ones she has to interact with now. She is adjusting to her new life and meeting new people.

Chummy: She is another new nurse. She is very tall and none of the dresses fit her. She has to face many challenges. Chummy is taught to ride a bike by the other nurses so she can get to her appointment. She starts to fall in love with a police officer that helps her up after she falls off her bike.

Fred: Fred is the caretaker of the land and house that the nurses and nuns live in. He acts like he doesn’t care about anything or anyone when the series starts. As time goes on, you see that he cares about the nuns and his job. He works hard and does his best. He even raises a pig and helps her give birth.

 

Movie Summary – 5 pts

Describe the Basic Plot of the movie (in approximately 150 words).

 

Call the Midwife is about the life of the midwives that assist in childbirth. They go into homes of very poor women who live on the poor side of London, East End. The midwives assist the mothers in preparing for the birth of the children. They send care packages and work with them throughout the whole process. The midwives are a blessing in the lives of the women that can’t afford to go to a real hospital and receive treatment there. They are there at any time of the day to help them when it is time to deliver their babies. The nuns and nurses also run a clinic for the mothers. During their time off, the nurses go to parties, go dancing, and visit with the people in the East End. The nurses meet new people that they create friendships and connections with. Sometimes they become more than friends. While their relationships are important, their jobs and duty to the mothers will always be more important to these hard working nurses.

 

Application Questions – Each should be about 50 words in length.  5 points each

 

What do you think was the most important scene in the movie?  Describe when it takes place in the movie, and explain why it is so important.

The most important scene in the movie was one of the first. It showed the Jenny arriving to the house of the nuns for the first time. She had just walked through a very poor part of town to get there. She witnessed pregnant women fighting, people living in tents, and children begging. This was a shocking thing for her to see. Because she had never seen poverty to this extent before, she didn’t really know how to handle herself.

 

Choose two additional scenes to describe and explain – what do each of those scenes teach about this time period in history?

 

The women go to a dance one night. The men that were accompanying them came to the door with flowers to pick them up. They had spent a few hours getting ready and putting on dresses. Both parties tried to dress up and be polite. They put in a lot of effort to date and make a good impression on people.

 

In another scene, there was an expecting mom complaining of pain. She came into the clinic but got too scared of the conditions and left. She was never seen by the doctor. Later that week she would die. She had a seizure. She had a condition that made pregnancy impossible. In our modern times, we would have found this out before she even got pregnant.

 

Choose one of the characters, describe their role and interactions with others more thoroughly, and compare them to someone you personally know.

 

Chummy was my favorite character. She was very underestimated in the beginning. No one thought she could be a good midwife, but she surprised everyone. She successfully delivered a breech baby. This gained her more respect from the other nurses. She reminds me of some of my teammates. Sometimes I underestimate their abilities or they do something really good. They work hard and deserve more respect.

 

What are three life lessons that can be learned from this book – how does each apply to your life?

 

Determination is a life lesson that can be learned from this show. The women are willing to do whatever it takes to deliver the babies. If one strategy does not work, they try something new. This is something I can apply to my life in school and in sports. It is important for me not to give up.

 

Another lesson is openness. The new nurses saw things they had never seen before and they didn’t know how to react. They were very sheltered before becoming midwives. I should make sure to be open and nonjudgmental of the people and new experiences in my life.

 

Hard work is a lesson that all of nurses show us. They are always there to help the mothers at anytime of the day. They are overworked, but they do their best and always stay positive. I should remember that sometimes things are going to be hard, but I should not give up or become pessimistic.   

 

How historically accurate was this film?  Find one review online, and summarize the analysis of the reviewer of the historical value of the movie. Explain why you agree or disagree with the review as well. Include the URL as well.

This series is very accurate. The review says that the setting and medical history are very well done. The show is based on books written by the nurse who is the main character of the story. The writers of the show follow her books closely in the first few seasons. The review says that it does a great job of making it interesting and historically accurate. I agree with this review. I found this show very interesting. I don’t know much about this time period and what it was like in London, but the show seems accurate.

https://www.healthcaredailyonline.com/call-the-midwife-accuracy-details-and-where-is-it-headed/

 

If you were to give this movie an alternate title, what would it be?  Explain why.

 

I would give this show a new title of Delivering Miracles. The midwives have to work in very poor conditions and often times the moms have complications. This would make the work even harder to do. It is a miracle that they were even able to successfully deliver the babies as often as they did. Not that many babies died even though none of these moms ever went to a hospital throughout their entire pregnancy.

 

How effective was this movie at reaching someone your age?  Why? Would you recommend the movie to anyone else? Explain your answer.

 

I don’t think this show is aimed at kids my age. I personally found it interesting, but I know some people wouldn’t. The topic of midwives and delivering babies might not be interesting to kids my age especially the boys. I would recommend it. I was surprised about how much I actually did like it. I found it interesting. This show would be good for anyone who wants to know what life was like for people in London in the recent history.

 

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