The Film Industry In The 1900's

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During the early 1900’s in the U.S., the film industry was at its commencement just as World War 1 was emerging. With the ever growing fear of the U.S. entering the war, the film industry decided to step in and take control of the matter. At the time, films were an easy way to get messages across to a wide range of people and the film industry used this to their advantage to influence their audiences. The film industry was highly successful in influencing the public with their films about espionage, supporting the war, and war bonds. With their influential films America was able to win the war, but more importantly win over the people that helped win the war. At the outset, the film industry targeted America’s main fear of espionage by releasing films that included songs that talked about nationalism. In the song it stated that if they didn’t support the red, white, and blue then they should leave and not bite the hand that feeds them. Americans feared that there were spies among them waiting to help the enemy and see their country diminished. In addition their films would portray how anyone, even the people you would least suspect be a …show more content…

The film industry began to send soldiers with cameras to record bits of the war and have them sent back home. These clips wouldn’t get much censorship because they wanted the public to get the raw image of what war was like. In addition, these films would use many times of propaganda to rally support.They would display the Germans as these horrible people and dressing them up as monkeys that steal our liberty. Lastly, another method they used was that they would show many kids asking their parents if they can go off and join the army. They used this appeal to emotion to strike in the parent’s heart to allow their kid to fight for the greater good. Ultimately their goal was to gain support for the war and they accomplished

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