Every time you buy aviator sunglasses, use a phrase like “That’s so fetch,” or feel a sudden dread before stepping into the ocean, you are not acting on pure instinct; you are repeating a script. Way before smartphones were tracking our data, movie theaters were already noting our behavior, deciding what Americans fear, what they buy, and how they define success. Some people use movies as a way to escape reality, when really we live in the reality movies have created.
Introduction: Screening America
Movies are a huge part of American culture. On a weekend when you’re bored, you may settle on your couch and watch a movie, or you may go to a theater with your partner for a date. These movies may influence you to buy things or maybe try a new baking recipe, but the way movies can influence society goes much deeper than a purchase or a recipe. Over the years, through every scandal, films have been used as propaganda, to spark new laws, and bring subcultures to a mainstream level.
Hollywood Goes to War: Movies as Propaganda
During the Cold War, the Department of Defense (DoD) set up a formal entertainment office, which provided filmmakers with free access to troops, weapons, and military bases to portray the U.S. military as flawless and heroic. The DoD provided for Cold War movies like Jet Pilot (1957), but also supported more modern movies like Top Gun (1986) and Iron Man (2008). While the DoD collaborated on over 400 films, they also had films they turned down, like Dr. Strangelove (1964), due to its satirical portrayal of Cold War fears between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
Another example of Cold War propaganda through movies was Animal Farm (1954). The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) secretly purchased the rights to the movie and made the ending more anti-communist to influence Western European audiences.
In general, when films are used as propaganda, they use many techniques to highlight the point they’re trying to make. When speaking with Ms. Spinelli, she described how the closer a camera is to a person, the more connected you feel to them. She also highlighted how music and lighting play a major role in persuading people. “The music is actually a huge part. So you may not even realize you’d be manipulated to feel a certain way. […] All of a sudden you’re feeling sadness or anger”.
From Theater to Courtroom: Laws and Investigations
Some movies forced laws and investigations to come about. An example of this is the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which stemmed from the movie, JFK (1991). The movie, directed by Oliver Stone, was very conspiracy-driven. This caused a lot of public distrust within the government about the assassination. In response, this act was put in place to force the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to release all government records in relation to the assassination of JFK.
The movie, Zero Dark Thirty (2012), caused an investigation into the filmmakers of the movie. The movie depicts the CIA’s aggressive and even brutal interrogation tactics as the most crucial step in tracking down Osama Bin Laden. The film depiction sparked an investigation by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee to find out how the filmmakers got that information.
Femme Fatale VS Traditional Domestic Roles
During the 1940s and 1950s, many film noir-style movies used the “femme fatale” trope, which is a character who is mysterious, beautiful, and manipulates men to get their way. During this time period, the femme fatale was used to suppress women’s self-determination and enforce traditional domestic roles. Ms. Spinelli described how filmmakers would display the female character as monstrous by making harsh shadows and dark lighting. Another important factor to look at is the Hays Code. It was a strict set of moral guidelines that movies had to follow, which lasted from 1930 to 1968. The Hays Code impacted the femme fatale because, since these women were so “evil”, there had to be a stop to them. Therefore, most movies punished, killed, or imprisoned these characters.
During the 1990s to the present day, there has been a switch with this trope. Femme fatales now are seen as a symbol of empowerment rather than evil. Ms. Spinelli pointed out how the change in this reclamation of this trope stemmed from filmmakers making the woman the main character rather than the villain. The trope is now used to explore societal pressures and misogyny that created the “dangerous” women in the first place. An example of a modern femme fatale is Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011). Rather than using violence and manipulation for greed, she uses them to punish abusive men and protect vulnerable women.
Acceptance on Screen: The Rise of LGBTQ+ Movies
Looking at the Hays Code, once again, older films had to avoid any depiction of ”sexual perversion”, which at the time included homosexuality. Therefore, there were no positive portrayals of homosexuality, which made it be viewed as an “illness” or not morally correct and caused a lot of homophobia. However, once the Hays Code began to fade, many movies began to center around non-conformers. One of the first examples of this was A Very Natural Thing (1974). It highlighted homosexuality as a positive thing by depicting a gay man’s coming-out process with respect. Often, films centered around homosexuality had tragic endings, but A Natural Thing ended happily.
Cultural Fears Brought to Cinema
Movies often reflect actual problems or worries within society. They do this by exaggerating or using metaphors to express these concerns. An example of this is The Matrix (1999). At the time it came out, there was an event referred to as the Y2K Scare or the Y2K Phenomenon. During this scare, people genuinely feared computer networks would collapse at the turn of the millennium. In response, the movie took this fear to an extreme by depicting technology becoming conscious, rebellious, and dominant over humans.
Conclusion: Beyond the Ending Credits
Overall, movies have acted as both a mirror and a catalyst for American Society. They have shaped public opinion, reinforced or broken down values, and driven changes in the legal and behavioral world. Over more than a century of movies, Hollywood has grown from a simple source of escapism into a sociological force that defines national identity.
