CINEMATIC SELF-CRITICISM AS A METHOD OF JUSTIFICATION OF CONTEMPORARY POLITICS: THE CASE OF BARBIE AND OPPENHEIMER (original) (raw)

Political Messages in Hollywood Blockbusters

An analysis of four representative science fiction films of the past four decades can demonstrate the surprising presence of antiestablishment messages in mainstream cinema. The four films selected, in chronological order, are Robocop (1987), Starship Troopers (1997), Avatar (2009), and In Time (2011). Collectively, they address such issues as media, racism, capitalism, and privatization. This paper examines the ways in which such big budget films can subvert the very system that produced them—as long as they turn a profit. Film theorists have long lamented the birth of the blockbuster and its effect on more artistic fare. They argue that films such as Jaws (1975) and Star Wars (1977) effectively killed creativity in Hollywood, leading inevitably to the era of comic book movies we are in today. It is interesting to note, however, that—at least within the genre of science fiction—there is at least as much, if not more, countercultural subversion in cinema than there was during the heady days of the communist-written Western. The four films selected have been examined before. Previous analysis, however, has focused on the individual films or individual directors. This paper seeks to describe a pattern within the genre of science fiction that transcends the individual filmmakers. Rather than apply auteur theory to examine a particular director's idiosyncrasies, as has been done in the past, it seeks to go beyond toward an analysis of political themes that exist in the filmic zeitgeist.

The Role of Cinema in Reflection of Political Ideologies

International Review of Social Sciences, 2020

Robert Gregg asserts that films provide an insight into the real picture of international relations. (Gregg, 1998.P.10) Films serve as an important tool in manufacturing the consent of the target audience. By remaining loyal to the narrowest lines of foreign policy of a government, film makers urge to define and redefine friends and foes on silver screen. Sticking to above context, film may be taken as an important manuscript of socio-political history of a nation. Every film continues to be political as its basis lies in some ideology. In the words of Merrill, a film is not only an instrument of communication but it also serves as an organ of propaganda to build or rebuild one's image.

Freedom and Vengeance on Film: Precarious Lives and the Politics of Subjectivity

2016

He has published in, among others, the journals Political Th eory , History of the Human Sciences and Perspectives on Politics. 9781784530105_pi-160.indd i 9781784530105_pi-160.indd i 4/12/2016 5:35:57 PM 4/12/2016 5:35:57 PM 'What can cinema off er political theory? And what can political theory contribute to the experience of fi lm? Th rough a series of transformative readings of recent Hollywood fi lms, American political thought, and contemporary cultural theory, Watkins discerns the threads of a new political fi lm genre that organizes itself around the representations of precarious lives. In doing so, Watkins challenges us to rethink not only the terms of what a cultural politics may be, but also its reach, sensibilities, and limits. What one discovers in the pages of Freedom and Vengeance on Film is the centrality of spectatorship for a radical democratic politics that isn't easily persuaded by the fragile myth of American individualism and autonomous choice. More than this, Watkins's book is an exemplary instance of an ethics of paying attention to the world of appearances that imbues and surrounds our contemporary condition. ' Davide Panagia, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles ' Arguing that we are not sovereign, isolated individuals, but dependent, precarious subjects, Robert E. Watkins aims his critical sights on the hollow idea of individualism that hovers near the heart of American liberalism. But this is not yet another abstract critique of liberal political philosophy; instead, in doing cultural politics by reading recent American fi lm, Watkins off ers a deft analysis of the powerful and abiding notions of freedom and vengeance. He thereby reveals to his readers the tangible reality of liberal practices of freedom, showing not just that sovereign individualism is a myth, but how that myth sustains itself and with what eff ects. ' Samuel A. Chambers, Associate Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University 'Th e myth of the self-reliant individual saturates US cinema, and Robert E. Watkins off ers an incisive analysis of its eff ects. He shows how fi lmic visions of individualism ignore social dependence while legitimating domination and vengeance. Yet Watkins also reveals an alternative cinema that rejects the violence of individualism by emphasizing "unchosen" experiences of political vulnerability. Th is astute and timely book should be read by political theorists, fi lm scholars, and anyone interested in investigating the US political imaginary. '

How Can Cinema Justify Wars? A Qualitative Study on War Justification in American Cinema

Cinema is a powerful media that can shape people's minds about different issues. Movies can focus on very detailed or hidden matters in society, and critical issues that profoundly affect the lives of large populations are usually at the center of cinema's attention. Among these issues are wars that can affect tens of millions of people financially, mentally and of course physically. Films can question or justify wars. To answer if they questioned wars or justified them one should choose a specific war, a period and maybe a particular group of films and analyze their content and discourse. However, to do so, it would be helpful and maybe necessary to first better understand how films may question or justify wars. The present research is an effort to analyze a specific number of movies to see in what ways they may have justified the role of the United States in the Second World War. The results include eight issues that the movies raised regarding the legitimacy of the war and America's role in it.

Hollywood and the representation of the Otherness. A historical analysis of the role played by movies in spotting enemies to vilify

Index Comunicación, 2016

Hollywood has played a decisive role in shaping the recent and short history of its founding country, the United States. This paper aims at exploring the representation of peoples outside the Western standard in Hollywood movies to spot recurrences in portraying Others, especially in vilifying terms. The analysis of plots and characters in American movies in different historical stages reveal not only consistent patterns in the depiction of Otherness, but also an even more interesting need to define and reaffirm the Self through the opposition to changing Others that mainly depend on the historical and political period occurring.

Film criticism, ideology and mass culture

The critical concepts that were first articulated in Cahiers du Cinema in the 1950s have continued to dominate film criticism up to the present day. We argue that it's time to substantially revise those concepts.

Rebirth of Cynicism: The Iraq Syndrome in Critical War Films

A significantly revised version of this work entitled "Distancing Maneuvers: Collective Shame in Iraq War films" appeared in American Shame: Stigma and the Body Politic edited by Myra Mendible, IUP 2016. See chapter download available on this site. Memory and media scholars have identified critical war films from the 1970s through 1990s as expressions of The Vietnam Syndrome. Saving Private Ryan and the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers signaled an end of that era, making it possible again to present unselfconscious narratives of American exceptionalism in war. However, recent films have reintroduced the critical war story, appealing to familiar narratives of futility, guilt, and trauma. In this paper, I argue that the cynicism of films such as The Pacific, The Hurt Locker, and Generation Kill mark not simply a return of the Vietnam Syndrome but rather the emergence of The Iraq Syndrome, distinct from its predecessor not only as a political response to the Bush Administration but culturally distinct in war films introducing themes such as addiction to war and cynicism toward war technologies.