When reality hides

When Real ty H desWORDS by Aurora BosottiILLUSTRATION by Divya Scialo

Propaganda in cinema is the proper way to promote fear,war and climate change.

In times of need, mankind’s created the strangest ideas to stay up to date with the world. Phones, laptops, K eeping Up With the Kardashians, and films have become part of daily life to stay connected and entertained. But much like computers have turned into mass controlling weapons for hacking, online crimes, etc. cinema has been of great importance to seekers or maintainers of power. They have often controlled cinematography to propagate their messages through subtle, and not so subtle innuendo and political messages masked as witty quotes. The recipe for a successful propaganda -esque film is easy; keep the plot simple. No complicated ideas to send a message, but a believable hero fighting against the bad guy. Over time watchers have become attuned to the techniques of film propaganda, possibly thanks to the worldwide exchange of ideas made possible by the internet. It’s easy to find a bunch of people complaining about the messages pushed upon them on Twitter. When A merican Sniper (2014) came out, protesting voices rose up against the forthright “We did what we had to in Iraq, get over it” message promoted within. Celebrating America’s greatest sniper, the film transformed bloodshed into a black and white tale ignoring historical context. Just another American film then. But Hollywood films have a long history of holding hidden messages. The power of cinema was used as a weapon

on several occasions as politicians tried to stabilise their positions or promote their ideals. The most blatant and amusing time of US propagandist cinematography was the Cold War era. Threats of communism loomed over actors and directors – hello Charlie Chaplin! – and so the film industry unleashed its creativity to best pass on the message that commies were bad. The scaring purpose of these films were at times clearly stated in their titles, for example T he Red Scare (1949), shot in a documentary style to add an element of realism, and T he Commies Are Coming, The Commies Are Coming (1957). When reality wasn’t appreciated, scriptwriters would stroll down the sci -fi path instead. Don Seigel did a wonderful job turning communists into aliens in T he Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). The film’s pod extra terrestrials looked more similar to the edamame beans from my local Japa-nese restaurant than the Russian Council of Ministers. This film also teaches a les-son that no character in sci-fi or horror films has yet learnt; if an alien begins to open up then it’s probably going to kill you and you really should run! For years we’ve seen characters fatally die this way and these actors still don’t get it. One day. With time, the propaganda notes snuck in by filmmakers became subtler. The Rocky film series are a good example. American producers enjoyed the thrill of the fight to maintain the anti -communist message of their films when the Cold War was drawing to a close. The first vessel of

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propaganda is young Rocky Balboa, the epitome of the American dream he comes from a poor background but prevails over all the obstacles life loves throwing at him. In 1985, the relatable hero came back in R ocky IV with a massive, scary opponent who could easily bench press a Tube carriage. The frightening boxer goes by the name of Ivan Drago. He’s big, strong, and guess what? Russian. Drago not only dares to challenge the strength of Rocky, but he also kills his best friend. Oh, the gloves are coming off now. Rocky takes a pounding in the first rounds in the ring, but this means nothing as Dra-go is cheating with his steroids use. Rocky stays true to his American heritage by lift-ing rocks and cutting wood and somehow wins the tough battle although it seems pretty impossible. But he’s Rocky; he’s determined, brave, and can do absolutely anything thank you very much. World War II and the Vietnam War represented more occasions where film directors were allowed to get creative to solidify the public’s opinions. Casablanca (1942) hides behind its romantic drama façade a strong message of support to the Anglo- American powers as characters Rick and Ilsa struggle to reconcile their love with their need to do the right thing. I understand sacrificing for the war effort but if you have Humphrey Bogart, dear In-grid, you don’t go off with Paul Henreid. Everybody knows that! Vietnam! Vietnam! (1971) was a United States Information Agency film

to promote the actions of the US army in Vietnam. If the public hadn’t had a change of heart during post- production, it would’ve succeeded thanks to Charlton Heston as narrator and Ronald Reagan. The Interview (2014) is the latest in the list of propagandistic, political satire, with North Korea in place of the USSR. The film provoked a diplomatic incident that risked ruining Christmas with nuclear war. Moving on from the US and their seeming love for propaganda, plenty of countries demonstrate clever influencing tactics through film. Russia wielded the power of cinema during times of unrest to establish mass stable support. In 1925, Battleship Potemkin was created by the Soviet government to silence protesting voices of the monarchist revolutionaries. It’s a dramatised account of the rebellion against Tsarist officers which was sparked by the 1905 revolution resulting in brutal police massacre. Sergei Eisenstein (the director) nods to necessity of revolution to achieve a better future for Russia. Its scenes are painful and boring, however the realism and powerful message makes B attleship Potemkin one of the greatest propaganda films ever made. Propaganda doesn’t stop at war, and films have evolved from their role within the war effort to present other tragic issues. First up for analysis is R eefer Madness (1936) which sent a message to parents about the dangers drugs can have on high schoolers. Consequences of drug use in the film varied from homicide and

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hit and runs, to suicide and madness. Drug of choice; marijuana. Call me skeptical, but I can’t help but feel this storyline is slightly farfetched. I don’t see numerous chronic pain sufferers running rampant. However, Reefer Madness may have had the desired effect, it’s rumoured that the theatricality of it helped pass the 1937 Marijhuana Tax Act, criminalising the drug. On to disaster movies, T he Day After Tomorrow (2004) preceded by two years the less vivid A n Inconvenient Truth (2006). Striking images depicting a sub arctic New York City had greater impact on climate change supporters than the more detailed scientific reports in An Inconvenient Truth. Perhaps the flamboyant graphics and Jake Gyllenhaal could entice us to hop on the energy efficient, vegan lifestyle train. The power of film is mighty in-deed. In the past, watchers would believe these fictitious/semi- fictitious truths until they’re proven false. Nowadays the sly ef-fort of filmmakers is subjected to thorough study as people debunk fishy facts to post on reddit. The internet is full of conspiracy theories from films to real life, such as the ghost in 3 Men and a Baby (1987) and the death of Paul McCartney. Even if these are never proven true, people have the chance to explore whether they’re false or not. If all art is propaganda, like Upton Sinclair used to say, we might as well enjoy what’s thrown at us, because there’s no escaping it. Just remember to keep your brains on!

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“ The recipe for a successful propaganda -esque film is easy; keep the plot simple ”