The portrayal of the feelings of the general public is constantly used in film to stir the audience. If the filmmaker can rouse their feelings, people will be more engrossed in the movie than they would be otherwise. What is arguably the strongest emotion in many people is the feeling of patriotism. As George Bernard Shaw said, “Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.” Though this feeling is not necessarily based on logic, it is none-the-less one of the most powerful feelings along with hatred and love. Depending on when a movie is made, the amount of patriotism portrayed is directly related to the political and social climate on the time. Specifically, the recent movies Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004) both show the differing amounts of patriotism that were in the American psyche at those two close but far different times in history. Additionally, it can be shown that the movies can even have their own effect on the patriotic feelings of the time. Comparing and contrasting the two movies reveals how the differing times affected the final product of both movies.
Spider-Man (2002) was filmed in 2001 before and after the events of September eleventh, 2001, but wasn’t released until eight months after in May of 2002. Though when the film was originally written and shot the amount of patriotism was evident, after 9/11 the political climate ...
Working sort of opposite to patriotism is emulation. Emulation works by giving the audience a role model that they idolize, someone containing vast quantities of ethos in their eyes. This is the most positive of the three emotions intended to get the audience up. Inciting anger
The overall appeal of the cinema to the masses was particularly evident during the interwar era. Audiences worldwide wanted to watch the variety of films, particularly American produced films, and they always went back. The visibly attractive and glamorous Hollywood movies often depicted the success of the underdog over unjust authority. Values of cash over culture were often a theme in the early American films and societies with restricted social mobility, such as those in Europe, could dream of such a triumph. The working class and unemployed could fantasise about wealth, fame and freedom which America as a country was portrayed as offering.
The focus of this investigation is the ability of leaders to appeal to human emotion through propaganda. Propaganda became especially prevalent in the United States of America during the Second Red Scare between 1947 and 1954. Propaganda assisted in the infiltration of anti-communist ideals. This examination specifically focuses on the extent to which film propaganda during this time period influenced anti-communist hysteria. The movies produced during the Cold War glorified American democracy and an evaluation is completed discussing the impact of this glorification on society. The analysis emphasizes how these beliefs infiltrated all genres of moviemaking, according to researchers of film propaganda and American politics. Several secondary sources are used to look at film propaganda produced during the era of McCarthyism and the anti-communist hysteria existing exclusively in this time period.
We are currently living in the Golden Age of Superheroes. They dominate our cultural life, and have become seemingly permanent fixtures in modern media. Since X-Men burst onto the screen fifteen years ago, we have witnessed the release of over forty superhero movies. By 2020 we will have seen the release of more than twenty-five more. Today, the much anticipated film Superman vs. Batman has come to theaters. Though a plethora of superhero movies have been released, it is to the dissatisfaction of many, having long been exhausted by the stories of the Hulk, Batman, and Spider-man. Although I must agree that it is quite easy to get bored with the constant action, and flashing colors of these films, if one looks deep enough into the story they will discover universal themes and metaphors. Though they may be fighting off alien invasions, these heroes are also battling with their personal challenges, challenges which we can
The Hollywood Blacklisting that followed the Red Scare of the 1950’s forced the media to change in order to survive the scrutinizing committees of the HUAC and various congressional committees that pushed for the social “purging” of America in hopes of searching out the “Reds” which they believed were hiding among them. This change in media came at a time when the public had become extremely receptive to such influences due to the spread of the television and the growth of the middle class who had extra money to spend on luxuries such as going to the movie theatres. The constant barrage of conformity and conservatism as well as xenophobia seen in everyday shows and movies shaped the perception of the average American to believe that liberal or radical ideas were not what normal people supported and believed in.
"History and the Movies: The Patriot and Glory by Mackubin T. Owens." Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. .
Simon Keller argues in his essay "Patriotism as Bad Faith" that patriotism is not a virtue but it is actually a vice. Keller begins by splitting the views on this philosophical debate into three different representations. The first being the "communitarian patriot", where patriotism is not only a valued virtue to someone's self but that it is actually an essential virtue. The second representation is a radical contradiction of the first, known as the "hard universalist. The hard Universalist sees patriotism as a vice instead of being any type of positive virtue. They think that everyone should be valued the same, and that there should be no favoritism. The third representation is the idea of the first two combined, to form what is called the "soft universalist." This view is understood as patriotism is allowed, and is not seen as a vice, but also that one has an obligation to the rest of the world, almost to try and treat them as a loyalty that you would have towards your own country. (p.112).
...ulture. Together the characters of Watchmen reflect an unflattering image of American identity. We sacrifice morals to defend principles rather than saving people. We sacrifice ourselves for commercial gain and for the fame that comes from the worship of strangers. We worship our own achievements, obsess over time and in the end we lose what makes us human as we continue down a path that takes us farther away from each other and deeper into ourselves.
The exploration of what patriotism is and what represents patriotism is an important one more people should embark upon. If Americans are to examine patriotisms true meaning, we will be able to abolish this faux patriotism, which is represented by intimidation, censorship, and majority rules attitudes or actions. This can be replaced by feelings and actions of caring, compassion, acceptance, rationality, and nonviolence, or in other words, patriotism.
One could easily dismiss movies as superficial, unnecessarily violent spectacles, although such a viewpoint is distressingly pessimistic and myopic. In a given year, several films are released which have long-lasting effects on large numbers of individuals. These pictures speak
Another way to define patriotism is to look at the effect the attack on September 11th had on how Americans show their patriotism. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon aff...
With the popularity of film culture experiencing a drastic increase, a large amount of what happens on screen is mirrored in our society. Movies can evoke thoughts and emotions that shape the average man’s ideals, sometimes even stirring up propaganda that pressures governments to create new laws.
Okay, Sam Wilson is one example; but, we also have Miles Morales who is the new African-American Spider-Man; but, not only that, he is in (was) an interracial relationship with Kaite Bishop. That itself shows a little more diversity as well with Miles. The difference we see here is that although he is essentially replacing the past Spider-Man who was Caucasian, it 's not necessarily mentioned or you don 't necessarily think about it too much. What is important about Spider-Man is that each one has distinct personality traits, they do not attempt to make every single one the same. With Sam Wilson, I somehow think they want to make him old Cap, no matter how hard they deny it. Cap has one single personality and to change it would be to change the entire Captain America character. His name is what he does, what he stands for and what he lives for. With Spider-Man, there is more leeway to do what you want with new characters:
Countries vary in multiple ways. Some are big, some have mountains, some have dictators, some are as old as time. One thing that remains constant is the cultural pride and need for national identity in each. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, pride is the “delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship.” Therefore, it can be inferred that cultural pride is the love, appreciation, and elation for where a person comes from and the practices of that culture. For example, Americans take pride in everything that has been invented and accomplished in America. Hispanics take pride in the traditions of their ancestors like “Day of the Dead.” The Scottish take pride in their heritage, and they traditions and didn’t appreciate England taking over their land and forcing them to change their way of living in the 1290’s. National identity is important because it is what makes countries unique from one another. If humans didn’t have their own personalities, every person would be the same, despite their different body shapes and features. Likewise, if countries didn’t have their own identity, what would make them different? The film Braveheart showed the strive Scotland had to form their own national identity. However, films that are fictionalized have many effects. Fictionalized films focusing on national identity can act as a demagoguery and cause political movements. Even though the film Braveheart provides a good example of cultural pride and the strive for national identity, it does not accurately portray the Scottish rebellion of England; moreover, many historical films don’t accurately portray historical events.
The recent terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon have caused confusion on the topic of patriotism. The best way to start understanding patriotism is to simply define it. Patriotism is a person’s level of loyalty toward their country. Displays of true patriotism are prominent in times of despair, such as wars and terrorist attacks. However, many people have discrepancies on what displays of patriotism really are. Some people believe that showing patriotism can be accomplished by waving the flag and singing the national anthem. Others believe that a person must be much more involved in a cause to show patriotism. It is true that waving a flag doesn’t accomplish much. Although this action displays good intentions, it can be done with little effort or thought. Patriotism is much more than waving the flag and singing the national anthem.