When one thinks of the word propaganda, the image of an American flag raised above soldiers dressed in camouflage comes to mind. Or one can think of who is evil and who is pure of heart in action films. Case in point: did the days of Sean Connery as James Bond ever have him fighting France instead of the Soviets? Though film is often cited for entertainment value, it is also a medium in which various viewpoints are raised and which promotes the debate of policies themselves. For example, Stephen Gaghan's report on the oil industry in Syriana allows the audience to question whether one actually likes the status quo. It's worth asking: who really controls what type of propaganda is portrayed in a film?
Historically, film propaganda is most prominent when a country is at war. During World War II (an epoch dubbed the "golden age of propaganda") both sides used propaganda to rally forces at home. In America, film was used in the 1940s to explain the meaning of the war to citizens and soldiers alike. For example, Frank Capra's famous seven-part film series called Why We Fight supported the war effort. War films were supposed to induce the audience to become patriotic and despise the enemy.
Typically, totalitarian states use more film propaganda than democratic states simply because they have more power over their production companies. The 1935 movie Triumph of the Will was commissioned by Hitler to record the 1934 Nazi party rally in Nuremberg. Scipio Africanus, which was produced in Italy, invoked the nostalgia of glorious Rome to promote the powerful ambitions of Mussolini.
Today, national propaganda is not as ubiquitous as during World War II. The war in Iraq has been losing popular support almost since its inception, and films in America reflect the country's mood of dissatisfaction. Take the new film Stop-Loss, which depicts the turmoil of a returning Iraq War vet. Instead of promoting a cause or supporting our country, as was done in the 1940s, modern films create a feeling of despair and criticism of the war and our nation. Documentaries have also gained national recognition; these films seek to highlight viewpoints contrary to the establishment's disseminated views.
Hollywood no longer kowtows to the administration as it did during World War II when Truman actually met with some of the big names like Walt Disney and Darryl Zanuck. Today films themselves demonstrate political views without official governmental sanctioning. This can be seen with the divisive 2006 movie World Trade Center, for which director Oliver Stone made a conscious effort not be political.
It is clear, however, that American filmmakers are hardly restricted by the government, should they choose to tackle a controversial issue. Say what you want about this country's policies in the Middle East, it is important to remember the amount of freedom the film industry has. In Lebanon, on the other hand, the film Civilized was originally 90 minutes long; in the end, 47 minutes were censored by the state. Randa Chahal-Sabbagh actually refused to show her movie to the country because of her outrage over the censorship.
Film today is heavily influenced by the people producing the films. Whether they swing right or left is the decision of the director, not the audience or the president. The propaganda implicit in today's films is less overt than before, ultimately forcing viewers to decipher the film's judgements on their own.
