Ideology is generally defined as a set of beliefs that are shared by large groups in a particular society and at a given time. It’s the way we perceive and understand our world. Film analysis can help us understand the origins of certain ideologies and how they change or persist over time.
Every movie has a moral or ideological message, whether it is implied or explicit. Each film is slanted by the director, a perspective that favors certain characters and institutions. Films may be marketed as American products. The film-making process can also have a bias that leads many Americans, if they are not all, to react in the same way to the content. Films are market derived art.
Two types of meanings are found in film:
A viewer’s generalization about a topic or text is implicit. This is more similar to our traditional idea of meaning. In order to understand implicit meaning, one must be aware of the cinematic technique, satire and other symbols. “Pretty Women”, released in 1990, was an excellent example of film with many implicit ideologies. The romance between the young prostitutes and the very rich businessman depicts America as a land of dreams, where everything is possible.
The implicit meanings are also evident in the 1960 original of “Psycho”, where techniques such as lighting, setting and composition were used to create meaning, and suggested that humans are strange and dangerous.
Explicites: general remarks included in a film about a subject or subjects. The film has clearly demonstrated what is meant. These movies are usually made to educate or convince their audience. John Wayne’s 1968 film “The Green Berets”, a patriotic movie, is an example. “The Green Berets”, a propaganda piece of the worst kind, is an example. John Wayne’s concern about the anti-war sentiment that was rife in the United States during 1968 led to the creation of the film. The Pentagon backed the film and President Lyndon Johnson gave it his approval. It was intended to counter anti-war sentiments in the country.
The film begins with a skeptical journalist being lectured by a Special Forces soldier. He portrayed the conflict as a simple fight for freedom versus Communist forces. Later, a journalist visited Vietnam to witness the American troops performing humanitarian acts and the enemy committing violent acts (as though the Americans had never committed brutal acts against civilians). The journalist eventually realized his errors in ideology and changed his mind about the conflict. In the movie, Agent Orange and the firebombings in villages of civilians are not mentioned.
The Green Berets simplified a conflict that was extremely complex, and reduced it into a simple dichotomy, where the U.S. is the side of the good. The film’s omissions are the most shocking. The film does not mention the civilian deaths, nor the fact that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a lie. It also fails to mention the brutality of U.S. troops and the lack of concern of many Vietnamese civilians for their own conflict. The Soviets were also over-emphasized. This film would give a viewer who had no prior knowledge of the war a one-sided view. Most films fall into this category, as implicit presentation of ideas or values is more potent. It’s achieved by mass repetition.
The War Department also supported “Casablanca” because it was a pro-war film. The early years of the war were a time when America was not interested in getting involved. Films like Casablanca, which featured Humphrey Bogart making a statement, helped to influence public opinion.
Casablanca is a relatively innocuous war film. The American military is using the popularity of Casablanca and its little-known past to change public opinion. The courtroom trial and law trope in the Hollywood film had an ideological dimension. Many Americans view “ideology”, as a dangerous and foreign term. Ideology on the other hand is more normal, expressing hopes and dreams for a community without necessarily trying t fool people. In fact, it is often the ideology that is least recognized as being such that has the greatest impact.
Stephen Prince explains, “ideological films theory is the study of how films portray and express different ideologies.” For example, experimental films tend to provoke viewers raised on Hollywood classics, and are designed to shock.
Hollywood films have a strong ideological component. The images, narratives and ideas of films all have a certain normativity. They can be internalized by viewers. These messages were accepted as truth by many American audiences, in the 1950s or today. Robert Ray claims, as a result of this, that American film is “one powerful tool for ideology ever constructed.”
No legal film from the 1950s or early 1960s is an exception. In more detail, they present a specific law-related ideologie. This is not a novel representation, since it is based upon an American tradition that has been around for many years, which is the belief that the US is the only nation in the world to adhere to the rule-of-law.
American films are seen by millions of people around the globe. A large part of the global film market is dominated by American films. The best way to get America’s attention and gain its friendship is through films. Films are a great way to tell a story and keep people interested from beginning to end. For me, American movies are the best and easiest to watch. In order to spread its culture, traditions and views around the globe, America promotes the American nation by means of films. The transfer of American culture is more important now that America has become a superpower. America is trying to make American values more meaningful for others through its films and also to use them as a political tool in the world.
Hollywood films are a great way to promote the American nation. The success of American culture can influence the rest of world’s decision on whether they want to embrace or fear the globalization of the planet and Americanization.
Hollywood movies can have a positive and negative impact on people all over the world. America has the greatest influence on the world. This can be in all areas such as economics, entertainment, or politics. Hollywood is considered the leader in fashion, where actors and actresses portray the latest hairstyles, clothes, make-up, etc. Hollywood movies also contain aggressive or rude language from Americans. This causes audiences to mimic and adopt these characters. Hollywood is America’s success story. Hollywood works to influence the ideas and cultures of the whole world.
Global is American. Hollywood is media imperialism in my eyes. Hollywood has influenced world culture and psychology for many years. Hollywood, which is an American institution, has access to the entire world. As a result, the globalization of society is actually a process of Americanization. Audiences can get a sense of involvement by watching movies. They can feel the real world and the possibilities of the film after they have seen it. The intimacy between the movie and audience becomes stronger and clearer. Like mentioned earlier, the movies affect people’s life and their thoughts. Audiences are also moved to imitate the characters.
Only one-third of my respondents said they had adopted the values and ideologies in the film into their daily lives. The audience is the group that has the least influence on ideologies, values and cultures. Hollywood films can change people’s behavior and their thoughts if they are exposed to the values and ideologies of the movies. After watching movies about World War II, other countries appeared to be worse than America, and were killing people brutally.
As seen in movies, the American ideology is centered around freedom. Freedom must be given, and fighting is the only way to achieve it. In addition, the majority of movies portray America as the most benevolent nation with morals and ethics. The only nation to remain neutral during World Wars was America. The wars became brutal and violent as they spread around the world. But in the end, America rose to the top of the list, declaring war and helping the invaded nations. Some people, after watching Hollywood films, believe that freedom can bring peace.
Here are some examples:
Native Americans tend to be more natural than Americans from other ethnicities.
Women are meant to be wives and mothers, both psychologically and biologically. It is therefore abnormal for women to choose to remain childless or not marry.
Whites have a superior biological makeup to all other races.
African Americans don’t make good swimmers or ballet dancers.
We can climb the ladder to success if we are willing to work hard. So, the poor are unable to afford material goods because they work too little.
A family is made up of a mother, father, and at least one child.
Most ideological assumptions are unconscious and therefore not often questioned. In order to better understand and appreciate your own perspective, it is important to explore other viewpoints and perspectives, including those of others.
Hollywood cinema not only entertains, but it also promotes many ideologies. Gerald Mast, a film scholar, claimed that movies are one of the most influential cultural products in American society today. They are familiar stories that give us meaning and order in a chaotic world. They show us what to value and who to give priority to.
Hollywood movies that promote American culture and nationality may influence the rest to choose whether they want to embrace or fear the Americanization. This could lead to the creation of a new global culture and infringe on other nations’ sovereignty. In the coming years, American culture continues to be an important force in world community. Thomas Friedman wrote that the “era today is dominated primarily by American power and culture, as well as the American dollar.”
America’s position as the dominant superpower may influence its relations with the other nation states. Hollywood movies that promote American culture and the nation are an example of cultural empire. Hollywood movie is an example of cultural imperialism by America. American culture leads U.S. exports. America tries selling its culture around the world.
Cultural imperialism is the dominance of one culture over another, a form of soft colonization. John Tomlinson argues that cultural empire is not about cultural expansion, but is rather the spreading of modernity. It is an attempt to eradicate the cultures of minorities or old-fashioned societies. Cultural imperialism causes local cultures to disappear from time-to-time.
