The Journey
A newsletter for chapter advisors, chapter officers, and
regional officers.
October 2000
Issue
Honors Study Topic Case Study:
The Milagro Beanfield War
As Phi Theta Kappans return to campus, many chapters are making the implementation of the Honors Study Topic, “In the Midst of Water: Origin and Destiny of Life,” a top priority. Obviously, you will want to study the Honors Study Topic Program Guide to discover the issues and read the introductory essay to get an overview of the topic. The ideas for implementation, study questions, bibliography of books and periodicals, web sites and other resources are also extremely helpful.
One aspect of the Program Guide which chapters always seem to appreciate is the annotated film list. If you are really serious about an in-depth study of films for a film series, a course, or for your chapter’s discussion seminars on the Honors Study Topic, you may want to develop your own study guide on one of the films listed or on another film which your chapter wants to see and discuss.
One of the films which is not included in the Program Guide, but which is very appropriate to the topic is The Milagro Beanfield War. This film meets both of the criteria most chapters are seeking: 1) It is sure to entertain the audience and 2) it will provide several clear-cut issues for lively discussion.
The following study guide is provided by chapter advisors Connie LaMarca-Frankel of Pasco-Hernando Community College in Florida and Richard Rouillard of Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma.
Study Guide to the Film: The Milagro Beanfield War
Cast and Credits
Released in 1988, the film was directed by Robert Redford and stars Daniel
Stern, Christopher Walken and Melanie Griffith.
Overview of the
Film
Some called it troublemaking; others called it good citizenship. Some
called it greed; others called it progress. Whatever the individual citizen’s
opinion, there was sure to be opposition in Milagro, New Mexico.
As you watch the story of this small rural community in the American southwest, you will easily relate the issues which produced the beanfield war to water issues in your own area and throughout the world. The issues are water availability, water quality, and water rights.
Study Questions
1. Milagro is a town with a past and, for a few, it is a town with a future.
What part has water played in the past? What effect will water have on
the future economy of the town?
2. What are water rights? What moral issues concerning water rights does the film evoke?
3. How is Joe’s determination to plant and irrigate the bean field viewed by the people around him? His family? The townspeople? The authorities? The land developers? The state government?
4. Analyze the chain of events that begins with Joe letting the water into the field. How does this one event change the lives of the people in the town?
5. How do water rights/usage issues focus the audience’s attention on ethnic and class issues? Are these issues peculiar to New Mexico?
6. Who or what empowers the various people in the film to seek their goals? What part does water play in the empowerment process?
7. In this film, does water become a symbol? Does it have the power of metaphor?
8. Milagro is the Spanish word for miracle. What spiritual aspects does the film include?
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