Americana: Red Dawn and the Reagan Era
May 16, 2015
Americana: Red Dawn and the Reagan Era
OVERVIEW OF THE FILM
Quick Overview
• It is sometime in the “near future”• The Soviets invade the US
• But in the small town of Calumet, Colorado• Patrick Swayze, QB for the high school team
“Wolverines”, and his brother Charlie Sheen decide to fight back…
The Wolverines
Patrick Swayze
Charlie Sheen
Red Dawn: The Backstory
1. Global Food ShortageWarsaw Pact Nations suffer Famine, but US remains the Breadbasket of the World
2. Collapse of NATOGreen Party takes over West German, causes the dissolution of NATO
3. Latin America Aligns with Soviet UnionSoviets exploit Mexico torn by Civil War and ally with Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador
Famine in USSR leads to Invasion of the US to seize US Farmland
With NATO dissolved, Europe (UK excepted) turns it’s back against the US
THE SOVIET MAY BRING THEIR RE-EDUCATION CAMPS INTO THE US…
BUT WE HAVE “600 MILLION SCREAMING CHINAMEN ON OUR SIDE”…
…AND THE WOLVERINES TO AVENGE AMERICA
Martyrs for Freedom: The End of the Wolverines (and the film)
• Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen et al die, except for two Wolverines who fled the town
• War last several more years before ending with US triumphant
• Patriot Rock Memorial for the Wolverines (see right)
RED DAWN: FILM AS A NATION’S RHETORIC
Red Dawn in Political Context
• Ronald Reagan & Cold WarReleased two years after Ronald Regan’s “Evil Empire” speech
• Instability in Latin AmericaCivil War in El Salvador and Contras in Nicaragua, both countries allied with Soviets in film
• Official Government Consultation?Filmmakers supposedly consulted with Reagan’s Secretary of State to help create scenario for Soviet Invasion
1985: Red Dawn, Rocky, Rambo
• “Red Dawn” joined a few others movies in 1985 that celebrated the idea of the American Underdog fighting the Communist Juggernaut
Rocky IV (1985). Rocky Balboa versus USSR’s Ivan Drago
Rambo: First Blood II (1985)
• Rambo sent to find POWs in Vietnam
• Captured and Tortured by Soviet Officer, Lt. Col. Podovsky
• “Captured the attention of President Ronald Reagan and he lauded Stallone for portraying Rambo as a symbol of the U.S. Army.”
Red Dawn: Themes and Motifs1. Individuals Against the Machine
The Wolverines against the Soviet-Cuban troops in Colorado
2. America as UnderdogsFighting against the larger, more technologically advanced Communist Machine– The Wolverines were against the USSR Military & Allies– Ivan Drago was a taller, Olympic trained athlete– Rambo faced the Soviet-backed Vietnamese Military
3. America’s Struggle for FreedomWolverines similar to Washington’s struggle against the British or the G.I. against Nazi Germans