Throughout history, films and movies have been utilized as an outlet, voice and influencer for political ideas and events. Without this type of art as an option, it is possible to imagine the other outlets people would try to find to speak their opinions. Films have spread awareness about historical events that many people would not know of if not captivated in interesting and entertaining movies. Although, not all of these movies are easy to watch, they can motivate an audience to want to make a change in our world. However, in the world of political science, films are not seen as the most reputable sources of information, and are viewed as “independent variables”. In other words, political movies influence how the general public develops their political opinions. But, this is sometimes a risk for filmmakers, as they must challenge the audience to think differently about the issue at hand, without turning them away. In the end, the goal is to attract and entertain the most amount of people possible. Throughout the years, the strategies used to accomplish this have drastically changed, challenging audiences to change how they see the world, and filmmakers to produce factual and entertaining films that still portray interesting stories in American politics.
In the very early years of political filmmaking, most films were silent, but still had a different kind of voice. Movies were new to the world, and people were highly interested and mesmerized by this new art form. Just as Projecting Politics states, “the power of these silent films is hard for us to imagine now”, but people were extremely drawn in by a new captivating mixture of music, visuals, and storytelling. Another beneficial aspect of these silent films was that there was no need to worry about translating when showing the movies around the world. Although many were short in duration, they still accomplished telling engrossing stories. Films during this time were highly influenced by the negative views of greedy bankers and wealthy companies. In addition, during the 1920s, there was a growing concern with the influx of immigrants coming to America, along with the spread of Communism. Filmmakers wanted to appeal to the public and made many movies regarding these topics, despite many of them being immigrants themselves. They began wanting to prove themselves more American by creating these, and showing in fact that they were a part of the “American dream”. Many Americans were also unaware of the brutalities of war. For example, in The Big Parade, created by King Vidor, he highlights the story of 3 young men who find themselves enlisting in the army, only to find that their “romantic illusions” were far from true. Yet the response to the movie was very positive, as people were focused on the American strategy of “isolationism”, or staying away from international involvement, during the war. Overall, films of this era were ‘safe’ and highlighted the issues of the time, rather than push the boundaries. However, this was soon to change, unbeknownst to the American people.
What came next in both American history and American filmmaking was one of the most memorable eras to date. The late 1920s brought about the crash of the stock market and the beginning of the Great Depression amongst the American people. Citizens were struggling to keep a living; attending the theatre seemed like it would be the last thing on their minds. Yet, during the early 1930s movie production was at an all-time high. Sound was introduced, drawing more people in, and audiences were seeking an escape from the harsh realities of the time. Political movies of the era began extremely pessimistic, questioning the future of the country and if they would ever recover from this Depression. Although, as President Roosevelt pushed for his New Deal, political audiences as well as film audiences supported his plan. Despite this support and emergence of a more liberal group within filmmaking, the majority of films remained under conservative powers. Many filmmakers were influenced by the monetary support of conservative bankers and investors, because without their support, they would have no funding. Still, the industry was rapidly growing by the middle of the 30s, producing hundreds of movies a year as audiences demanded more.
The next era, the 1940s, was a more unstable time throughout the whole world. In 1939 when the United States joined World War II, the filmmaking world had the task of reflecting what was occurring. Many movies supported and pushed the country towards joining the war; very few films challenged the concerning issues that were arising. In the final years of the 30s, most movies were focused on American politics or included political aspects. However as troubles arouse in other countries, box offices were infiltrated with foreign films. The reaction was mixed, as some people were interested in the struggles of other people, while others were concerned with the growing threat of communism. Filmmakers had to decide what side they would support and whether they would push international involvement, or stick to the isolationism tactics the US had used in the past. Despite this, when the US did decide to join the war, all filmmakers came together and supported the cause, rallying for the country. Thousands of movies were produced, focused around themes of “heroism, patriotism, and antifascism”, aided by the improvements with sound and the overall production process. Moviegoing was at an all-time high through the early years after the war ended. Audiences were motivated by support for their country and compelling entertainment. After all, the US had just won one of the largest wars in history and was now one of the most, if not the most, powerful forces on the planet. However, this celebration did not last very long. The harsh realities of postwar America greatly affected audiences throughout the country, drastically decreasing attendance at movie theaters soon after. Americans were still weary of another Depression, and veterans had to adjust to their lives after witnessing war. In addition, blacks throughout the South were demanding more rights, as well as women after they were forced out of the jobs they took over while men were at war. All of these aspects began to influence filmmakers to make the shift from optimistic political films to more pessimistic movies.
The 1950s began as a very “apolitical” time in history, which was especially seen when President Eisenhower, a veteran himself, was elected into office. There was widespread belief that as the country in power, industrialization and conformity were no longer bad. Although, two main contradicting feelings were held by Americans— there was still an optimism for a better future that was reintroduced with Eisenhower, but the looming Cold War and technological advances of other countries frightened Americans. Russia launched the “Sputnik” satellite into space, and the Soviet Union began to invade surrounding countries, eventually prompting Fidel Castro, the dictator of Cuba, to become allies with them. At the same time, politics were also changing within the US, as more social movements surfaced and more political groups were formed. Political movies were not popular, but were still being produced. Theatre owners’ new ability to deny films from being shown, that they did not support or like, was also a factor in this. Filmmakers did not want to take risks or produce anything controversial in fear of not profiting or defame themselves. Additionally, the creation of the television also decreased the amount of people who attended movies. Filmmaking shifted towards drawing audiences back in with more entertaining storylines, which they could not achieve with political topics. They also had to appeal to the growing liberal investors, which without them they would not be able to produce at all. Sci-fi movies grew in popularity in the theaters along with the urge to create more technological advances and once again be the first nation. These movies had subtle political references, but were mostly focused on breaking the box-office or alluding to a happy ending, created by the “government, science, or the military [in order to] reassure [Americans] that [they] are in good hands”. The political movies that were made however, began to address issues with prejudices within the country and shifted the view of Communism to a more realistic standpoint. Rather than sugarcoat the events of the present, films focused more on forewarning the need for conformity amongst Americans.
The growth of conformity was spreading throughout the US during the beginning of the 1960s. During his only 3 years in office before his assassination, President Kennedy made forward steps towards pushing the US back on top. He did so by implementing the space program and increasing military spending. Yet, he did have some failures, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, increased involvement throughout Vietnam, and his lack of attention for issues with civil rights. During the years Johnson took over the Presidency, the civil rights movement and the radical left grew. However, as these drastic political changes were occurring, there were little to no changes in the film world. The early 60s was a slow era for filmmaking, decreasing attendance to the lowest it had ever been. Filmmakers grew even more cautious of their profits and produced fewer and fewer movies. Television continued to grow, which eventually proved to be beneficial. T.V began to take over the “middle road”, allowing filmmakers to focus their movies on a specific audience, minimizing the need to appeal to everyone. Yet, studios still depended on funding, making them cautious of what movies they invested in, for fear of losing their television audience. The emergence of a younger audience was also factored into which stories were chosen for movies. Filmmakers were slow to produce on the issues of the era, ironic for how much change was occurring during the 60s. The social movements began their demise around the time President Nixon was elected, due to multiple events, such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.
The 1970s began with many antiwar feelings amongst Americans. President Nixon decided to invade Cambodia in 1970. Americans were upset, and pushed for anti-war actions, creating some of the biggest demonstrations in history. However, this was shortly followed by the Watergate scandal, and President Nixon resigned from office. President Ford took his place, leaving Americans disinterested in politics and more focused on themselves. Soon after, President Carter was elected to office, later followed by President Reagan. The 70s brought about many changes, of which the American people had a hard time following so quickly. The film industry also reflected the slow reaction to change. In the beginning of the decade, independent filmmakers were growing in power, hurting the bigger film companies. Most movies produced during this time did not involve politics. Those that did were not profiting, if not losing money. The majority of audiences at the time were under the age of 30, demanding a somewhat different style of film than in the past. This inspired new movies that were focused more on “individual heroes”, and horror movies were gaining popularity. Filmmakers avoided producing political movies as they were not as appealing to these younger audiences, and they wanted to be successful. In return, the number of moviegoers slightly increased throughout the decade. One political movie of the time, The Candidate, a movie focused on the character Bill McKay’s candidacy for California senator. Although expected to lose from the beginning, the young McKay ends up winning the election. It shows how much the candidate can actually become immersed, but also lost, throughout the campaign process. The movie was not hugely successful, but it brought some comedy into some of the realities of politics and the electoral system. People had been following these stories in the news, so it became filmmakers’ job to make these stories new and exciting. They had to put more interesting twists on situations that the public already knew about, in order to keep drawing them in. Often, political stories were made into thriller-like movies, which made the plot line more fascinating. One of the most difficult stories to do this with was the Vietnam War. Not until the years after the war ended in 1975, did filmmakers start considering producing movies about this difficult time. In addition, many people had already seen footage on television. The war was a confusing issue to many people and had received a lot of questioning, giving filmmakers a difficult task. Most films supported the idea of anti-war, although made during a peaceful time. The questions of audiences were reflected in these movies, although many went unanswered.
The 1980s were a time where under Republican Presidency, Americans and audiences fell under more conservative beliefs. President Reagan was different because he had been seen in movies and television by audiences throughout America. Reagan saw the US “through a camera lens”, making people like him even more, and gave them more faith. This likability greatly helped Reagan achieve what he did during his presidency, and helped him gain support despite changing the tactics the US had used in the past. He made the shift towards interventionism, and did many things to increase military funding and spending. His successor, President Bush was not as successful because he did not appeal to the American people, more specifically American audiences, as well, and was eventually voted out of office for President Clinton. Movies during the time of Reagan reflected the more conservative beliefs, and focused on ideas of patriotism. However, these political films still remained in the minority. Most films still had a focus on working people and the politics that were in the news everyday. American’s disregard of other countries at the beginning of the decade, especially our neighbors to the South, was portrayed through the film world. It was not until the mid-1980s that some very small-budget Latin films were made. As Reagan’s international policies changed, so did the film world’s. For example, in the film Missing, an American journalist, Charlie, goes missing in Chile. Charlie believed that because he was American, he would be safe during the military coup d’état that occurred in 1973. The film was popular as it was action-filled as well as utilized famous Latin actors. It commented on Americans were involved and protection of the US was the first priority, proving a point to audiences everywhere. Films during this decade were diverse, tough, and changed the perspectives of the American people. As the shift towards Clinton’s presidency was in sight, films also started to shift more to the left.
In 1992, President Bush was defeated by President Clinton in the elections, who was seen as a new star for filmmakers, and several films were made featuring him during the decade. Special effects made an appearance at the beginning of the 90s, which changed what kind of films audiences were drawn to. Films were not directly political, but dealt with some political ideas subtly. Political movies during the time were not extremely memorable, and were more cynical of the whole governmental system. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Americans were relieved of the constant worry of the Cold War that remained in the back of their minds. Instead, now there was a shift towards the threat of terrorism. Filmmakers focused on these feelings and produced films about the different threats on American security. Americans also had a greater interest in the president’s lives, making presidential politics the topic of several films. However, as the public’s disinterest of politics showed in the amount of political films that were produced with real meaning the provoked the public to reflect on the issues of the time.
In the years following the terrorist attacks on 9/11 during the 21st century, filmmakers had to decide how they would capture these events in movies. They received backlash because people believed that pro-war movies inspired radicals to follow through with these actions. The movies that were made about 9/11 were seen as “too soon” after the events, although made 5 years after. This was the beginning of the war in the Middle East that began under President Bush, and has lasted for many years after. Along with the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq is the longest war the US has been involved in. American people have had mixed feelings about these wars, some believing that it was justified because of 9/11, but some were still negative. Films began to focus on the idea of “just war”, and reestablish the validity and reasons behind war. The goal of filmmakers was to not only help the reputations of troops but to also that wars have a purpose, and a good one. However, the events that followed made the American people question who was the enemy and why we had not officially declared war with either country. Scandals emerged and support for the war fell even more. Filmmakers began to make movies about war versus picking one side and trying to prove a point. Civilian lives were at risk in war zones, and the public did not like this reality of war. Films made the audiences question whether having the US’ interest and protection as the number one priority was good, or if it was a dangerous mindset to have.
Throughout history, films have been utilized to influence the ways audiences view and feel about politics. At the same time, audiences have changed the ways that filmmakers go about producing and decide what to produce, so that they can still attract the most amount of people possible. Without this two-way relationship, American politics would be drastically different. The communication between the government and the people is easier to understand and reach through the film world. Not only have films proven to be a lasting form of entertainment, but they also provide important information and stories that change how the public votes, acts, and feels. For many years to come, both sides will rely on filmmakers to portray the truth, and hopefully motivate the US people to fight for what they believe. Bibliography
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