“The American Revolution was a radical revolution, rooted in natural rights and individualism” (Richards). This is not only the life blood of the United States of America, but also the life blood of the conservative narrative. The conservative narrative tells the tale of individual responsibility and action, tales of hope and integrity. More importantly the conservative narrative is based on the very same foundation of the conservative party: “the liberty of the individual and…upon individual responsibility” (O’Rourke). Hollywood is generally characterized as being aligned with and serving the liberal side of politics, and as a side effect, conservative movies are few and far between. But when they emerge from the depths of their production into the light of the American audience they elucidate the staples of Conservatism far better than any Oxford level definition could. Frank Capra’s film Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Robert Zemeckis’s Forrest Gump, and Frank Miller’s 300 provide examples of the key principals needed for one to be classified as a conservative.
The spearhead of the conservative belief is a simple one that if individual responsibility. The liberal political mind heaps as much responsibility as possible onto the Government, in an effort to ease the path for up and coming citizens. This is contradictory to the common sense adage of “there is no concept of gain without cost.” Opponents of conservatism may (under the guise of playing Devil’s advocate) bring up the point that Longfellow Deeds did not work for his wealth, but rather inherited it and Forrest Gump made his money because he was the only shrimp boat left after the storm. What these opponents fail to note is the fact that Longfellow Deeds worked hard and became...
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...p. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. By Eric Roth. Perf. Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field, and Mykelti Williamson. Paramount Pictures, 1994.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft, Lionel Stander. Columbia Pictures Corp. Presents, 1936.
O’Rourke, Peter. "How to Explain Conservatism to Your Squishy Liberal Friends: Individualism 'R' Us." Free Republic. Web. 17 Oct. 2010.
Richards, Jeffrey. "Frank Capra and the Cinema of Populism." Movies and Methods: an Anthology. Ed. Bill Nichols. Berkeley: University of California, 1976. Print.
Wang, Jennifer Hyland. ""A Struggle of Contending Stories": Race, Gender, and Political Memory in Forrest Gump." Cinema Journal 39.3 (2000): 92-113. Print.
Wilkie, Wendell. "Acceptance Ceremony." Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination. Elwood, Indiana. 17 Aug. 1940. Speech.
Introduction The human mind tends to value friendship above many other pursuits in life, to the point that corporations have learned to promote their goods and services under the guise of creating a more fulfilling, friendship filled life. This can be seen throughout daily life on billboards, television ads, and even on the radio. This illusion of friendship is used to communicate that your life will be better with this product. As Twitchell states, “Manufacturing both things and their meanings
Corpse Bride, and Coraline. In these movies, and many of his others, Tim Burton uses a variety of cinematic techniques to portray and express feelings felt by the characters, set the moods, scenes, and the story. Tim Burton uses lighting, sound, and camera angles in order to create a coherent movie with amusing, suspenseful and tragic scenes. Tim Burton uses the cinematic technique of lighting in order to flawlessly portray dark, mysterious and creepy scenes. In his movie, Edward Scissorhands, Burton
Much of the music reflects this, lending to the fact that both Kane and many of the people who knew him believed that what Kane did and how he changed was a good thing. Unfortunately, the peace that Kane experiences with his change, such as the happiness he felt after his wedding is painfully short term. Once he has begun to change those shifts in personality escalate, encouraged further by the people around him, turning into a snowball effect that leads him further and further away from the man
A nation formed from the blood of an entire culture. The Revisionist Western Film, Geronimo: An American Legend, (1993) directed by Walter Hill, sheds light on the events that transpired as the Whites migrated and expanded towards the West. The theme of this movie revolves around the oppression and injustices committed on the “inferior” Apache race by the “superior” Whites, and the conflicts that ensued from it. In the face of oppression and injustice, one will go to great lengths to protect and
provides an insight into the qualities needed to succeed in the star-studded world of the theatre. In particular, the protagonists, Margo Channing and her “carbon copy”, Eve Harrington, are portrayed as flawed characters because of their single-minded pursuit of fame and fortune. Whilst Margo eventually recognizes the absurdity of her dreams in a 1950s socially-conservative chauvinistic world, Eve appears to emerge triumphantly but discredited due to her wily, manipulative streak. Deceptive and manipulative
air on the side of being scandalous. The make- up was light and almost unnoticeable with the very few women that were featured for more than a second. The film’s music consisted of constant energizing mix of blues, hip hop, disco, dance tunes, and indie rock including artists such as the Foo Fighters, Cypress Hill, Sir Mix a Lot, Bo Diddley, and Billy Joel. Rarely in the movie exists a quiet section that does not have background music. The camera angle and filming style is most often straig... .
influence of celebrity and fame, and how easily people can become lured into the cut-throat world of filmmaking in the 1950s. Despite this, the damaging and even fatal consequences of the pursuit of fame and affluence are depicted by the director, unveiling how all is not as it seems behind the flashing cameras and lights of stardom. Presenting
Misery Loves Company Lights! Camera! Action! In the novel, Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates’s suburbia transforms into a stage. The stars of Yates novel, April and Frank Wheeler, scrupulously write their own scripts, imagining grand yet nebulous roles for themselves. An unexpected pregnancy casts them in unsuitable and undesired roles, while those they wrote remain etched in their minds. The Wheelers move to the suburbs, driven by the deluded belief they will maintain their individuality behind
the streets to celebrate, but a wall named prohibition stood in its way. A wall that would be leaped over by the many who believed they earned their right to recline and drink to their hearts content. Although illegal, drinking was commonplace and happiness the name of the game. F. Scott Fitzgerald understood this and crafted a tale that reflects the freedom of choice and flexibility allowed by the United States. The novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and the film Chicago directed
Initially, the Crime is displaced by Jeff, his relationship with Lisa, inte... ... middle of paper ... ...Dostoyevsky represents the ironic empowerment of women through their personal values and integrity in a secularised, patriarchal society. In the light of the above, the genre features the varying perceptions of “Feminisation” due to evolving contexts, thereby trouncing misogynist ideologies and conservative gender codes. In précis, both texts acknowledge the reflections of the core values of the
relevant is 1984 to modern society? Most Americans don't want to live in an Orwellian society under the heavy surveillance of Big Brother, but we do. Like it or not, we live in a society that accepts virtual strip searches at airports; surveillance cameras; "discount" cards that record our buying habits; bar codes; "cookies" and spywear on our computers; on-line access to satellite technology that can image our back yards; and microchip radio frequency identification devices that are already implanted
do you see yourself 10 years from now or the near future " and the first answer that would pop out blasting through my mind communicating with the pen in my hand to write down on the paper staring back at me is " In the future I see myself in stage-lights shinning right back at me. I see myself as a graduate student in nursing and a succesful singer. " Some say " Jenny you're only dreaming, wake up ! and stop wishing." I say " What makes a achiever if she is not a dreamer. " It's too bad for the ones
According to CNN, 12 million illegal immigrants currently reside in the United States, which is approximately equivalent to the populations of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Michigan. Removing all 12 million illegal immigrants, then, would be like removing one of the above states, a pretty incredulous task. In practical terms, it is not possible to send that many immigrants back to their respective countries efficiently and economically. This raises the issue of what to do with the immigrants
When asked to name some typical characteristics of Asian people, what comes to mind? Chopsticks or a strong belief in cultural heritage? How about American families? Based on many different facets, you probably feel as though you know what ideologies your culture believes. If we look at the media through time, it has evolved through a dependency on the growth of technology. As technology advances, old forms fade while content shifts with the culture. The most popular form of entertainment, that provides
interpret or make sense of it. The simile which compares him to a priest shows how seriously he takes his job, and how (by photographing them) he stands up for those who cannot help themselves. His darkroom resembles a church in which his red light is like a coloured lantern (quite common in Catholic and some Anglican churches). The image is also appropriate because, like a priest, he teaches how fragile we are and how short life is. ("All flesh is grass" is a quotation from the Old Testament