My proposal.

Evaluate the historical accuracy of American films in regard to the Cuban Missile Crisis

Description of preliminary research 

After seeing various documentaries on the SBS and the ABC, I was interested in the presidency, life and death of John F. Kennedy. [1][2][3] I then looked at and studied various articles and sources in an attempt to find a definitive enquiry area. [4][5][6] Unfortunately, that didn't give me much to work with, or rather too much to work with, and I had to continue researching. Luckily for myself, my mentor suggested[7] I view two films, Thirteen days [8]and The Missiles of October[9], both notably American, which I watched and studied. I realised that I should not focus on JFK as a personality but on the Cuban Missile crisis as an event. The concept of “How close we came” [10] to nuclear war appealed to me and I saw it as extremely important part of modern history. I watched parts of both again and noted some differences. One major difference I noted was the existence of a trade-off or deal between the US and the USSR and how each film displayed how it happened or whether a deal took place at all.[11] [12]I also noticed differences in the view of each movie, though both were mainly from an American perspective, the earlier Missiles of October [13]gives more Russian perspective as its counterpart offers nothing from the Russian perspective. I noted each had scenes which the other did not. I found out that Thirteen days is based on the book ‘The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis’ [14]and that ‘The missiles of October’ is based on ‘Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis’.[15]

Enquiry questions

 My main question, evaluate the historical accuracy of American films in regard to the Cuban Missile Crisis, highlights three main parts. Part one being the historical accuracy, Part two being the American Perspective, and part three being the nature of film and its place in history. I constructed these questions as they seemed fitting to my research into the films as well as relevant to the historiography issues of today.

Subsidiary Questions
P3. To what extent are films perceived as actual history in today’s society? 
P3-P1. Should films based on events be historically accurate? Should they incorporate fictional or exaggerated scenes in order to entertain?

P3.  Are the films directors and writers historians? Should they aspire to pure objectivity? 

P1. Analyse the accuracy of the films ‘Thirteen days’ and ‘The Missiles of October’.

P1. How well do the films match their written sources?
P2-P1. Assess whether the films are biased or affected by perspective to the point where they become misleading or un-factual. Is this the misuse or abuse of history? Are there notable agendas?

P2. Is there a notable difference in the perspectives of each film? What does this tell us?

Research intentions in relation to areas/texts to examine

As stated in the preliminary research section, I discovered that both films where based on books, books that I have yet to read. ‘The Kennedy Tapes’ [16]and ‘Thirteen Days’[17] are two books that I will need to read in order to answer and better understand my P1-P2 subsidiary questions as they are in direct relation to the films which are my primary focus in this inquiry. I need to review both films and reanalysis them, while considering my questions as I watch.

Research intentions in relation to methodology

My enquiry deals with historical debates, contrasting approaches to an event and most importantly history in media or, more specifically, film. It also raises questions to the use and misuse of history. 

This enquiry could also serve to credit the directors and writers of films as historians, which addresses the question “Who are the historians?” in a new light. It questions the motives and purposes of history, whether it be to entertain, be learnt from or simply be objectively in existence, as well as other questions.

Cross referencing sources to assess accuracy is a method Important in this inquiry.

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[1] ‘JFK: 3 Shots That Changed America’, Nicole Rittenmeyer, Seth Skundrick, New Animal Productions, History, A & E Video, October 11, 2009.

[2] ‘JFK's Women: The Scandals’, Harvey Lilley, Quickfire Media, Five, 12 December 2006.

[3]

‘The Lost JFK Tapes: The Assassination’, Tom Jennings, Tom Jennings Productions, National Geographic Channel, 23November 2009

[4] Nathan Thrall, Jesse James Wilkins, May 22, 2008, ‘Kennedy Talked, Khrushchev Triumphed’, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/22/opinion/22thrall.html

[5] Thomas C. Reeves, ‘A QUESTION OF CHARACTER’,1991, Review by Nicholas Von Hoffman, http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,314626,00.html

[6] Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali, ‘How Close We Came’, W.W. Norton, 1997.

[7] Leon “Always” Wright, discussion.

[8]‘Thirteen days’, Roger Donaldson, David Self, Beacon pictures, New line cinema, 25 Dec 2000.

[9]‘ The Missiles of October’, Anthony Page, Stanley R. Greenberg,  American broadcasting company, 18 Dec 2000

[10]  ‘How close we came’, op. cit

[11] ‘Thirteen days’ op.cit

[12] ‘The Missiles of October’ op.cit

[13] ibid

[14] Ernest R. May, Philip Zelikow, ‘The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis', Norton.

[15] Robert F. Kennedy, ’Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis’, Norton, 1969.

[16] Ernest R. May, Philip Zelikow, ‘The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis', Norton.

[17] Robert F. Kennedy, ’Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis’, Norton, 1969.

I fixed up some of the horrible punctuation, sorry that it was originally unedited.  I'm aware that I cited some of the sources incorrectly.