The Cinematic Political Discourse and Its Effect on Society

¶ … Cinema and American Politics

I will address the relationship between film and politics in the U.S.

Contextual Paragraphs:

The modern politics of the U.S. has often been reflected in the mainstream Hollywood films of the era yet simultaneously criticized and satirized by auteur and/or independent filmmakers, such as Kubrick with his 1964 Dr. Strangelove or Oliver Stone's JFK. While political science is a field in which the dynamics of political discourse may be examined more directly, an analysis of the cinematic representation of American politics as depicted in film can provide an alternative assessment of the life of U.S. political forces, how they are perceived to operate in popular film, and how popular political beliefs are shaped and communicated to citizens as a result.

For instance, Spielberg's Lincoln and his recent Bridge of Spies are two films that celebrate some aspect of the American political ideal (such as freedom, unity, integrity, and democracy). Yet other filmmakers use film to reflect some aspect of the political scene that is troubling (Stone's upcoming Snowden picture, for instance, which focuses on the overreach of government agencies or the upcoming documentary Weiner, which focuses on the maligned candidacy of Timothy Weiner). This paper proposes to assess the manner in which Hollywood/independent films support and/or undermine the American political scene, depending on their depictions and their popular reception.

In-Progress Thesis Statement:

The thesis of this paper is that film is an important medium for advancing beliefs, whether they be about religion, history, the economy or politics.

Proposed Outline:

Films are responsible for teaching generations about what happened in WW2 or what life was like in the risk management department of Lehman Brothers prior to the firm's collapse. Thus identifying the role that cinema plays in influencing ideas about American politics can benefit the field of political science by showing how thoughts, beliefs, ideals and criticisms are manifested, communicated, reinforced and rejected over time.

Body Paragraph 1 -- Zero Dark Thirty showed moviegoers the behind-the-scenes processes that went into tracking down U.S. public enemy no. 1 Osama Bin Laden (and raised controversial questions about the efficacy of torture). And recently 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi painted the American mercenary forces in the Middle East in a positive light, though critics of these same forces have pointed to videos released via WikiLeaks as evidence of mercenary mayhem.

Body Paragraph 2 -- Some of these films have been received more strongly than others; some have been roundly condemned by the political establishment; some have been largely ignored by the mainstream press and by moviegoers as well; and some have been so controversial and caused so much uproar that American policy has changed as a result (Stone's JFK for instance essentially brought the significance of the Kennedy assassination before an entirely new generation that had grown up without actually ever having witnessed Kennedy or known what the man represented).

Body Paragraph 3 -- JFK, in fact, re-opened the files on Kennedy and was simultaneously upheld as a landmark work and criticized for spreading paranoia and conspiracy theory. As a result of the film's popularity, however, Congress passed the JFK Records Act, and established the Assassination Archives and Research Center. Thus, this film showed just how influential the medium can be on the political body.

Conclusion -- The field of political science can be better understood by viewing it through the alternative window of popular (and not so popular) films that touch on the American body politic. As film is a reflection of who we are what we think, it is a fitting medium to be studied in order to better comprehend the dynamic of modern U.S. politics and the way in which the two are intertwined, both for propagating political ideologies and for pressuring political forces to give in to public demands.

Annotated Bibliography

Benoit, William; Nill, Dawn. "Oliver Stone's Defense of JFK." Communication

Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 2 (1998): 127-143.

This article discusses how Stone defended his film against backlash and how the film guided public opinion which led to Congress passing the JFK Records Act. The article is helpful to this paper because it shows how one filmmaker has had to defend his critique of the political establishment from accusations of exaggeration and inaccuracy.

Elliott, William; Schenck-Hamlin, William. "Film, Politics and the Press: The Influence

of 'All the President's Men'." Journalism Quarterly, vol. 56, no. 3 (Fall 1979): 546-555.

This article examines the impact that film and media have on the political process. It is helpful to this paper because it quotes Boston's Mayor Kevin White as saying (with reference to President's Men), "That film is going to have an effect on the election." This article evaluates the relationship between film and society and media and politics up to the end of the 1970s.

Funderburk, Charles. "Politics and the Movie." Teaching Political Science, vol. 6, no. 1

(1978): 111-116.

This article shows how teachers can use films in their political science classes in order to create enthusiasm for the subject and inspire participation in the class. This article supports the findings of the other articles in that it highlights a distinct and important relationship between cinema and politics and shows that there is an important discourse taking place between the two that students of political science can be part of. It is helpful to this paper because it suggests that film plays an important role in the development of political science thought.