The Cinematic Political Discourse and Its Effect on Society Essay

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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.

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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….....

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"The Cinematic Political Discourse And Its Effect On Society" (2016, February 27) Retrieved May 28, 2025, from
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