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Thursday, May 4, 2017

Politics in Cinema

May the fourth be with you and May you enjoy this post and share it throughout the galaxy!

To say that cinema has become a favorite past time of people is to greatly under appreciate its impact on our society and our lives.

I always find it interesting how the political process is represented in movies and on television, specifically, the dramatization that is added to the process in many cases. While the dramatization has a purpose, since you are paying for a show, it can also misrepresent the tiring process behind governing and legislating policy.

While Science Fiction can utilize this dramatization, other cinema styles can tell great truth through the acts it creates or imitates on the big screen.

Today, many people will be enjoying Free Comic Book Day throughout the country and will most likely be watching or thinking about Star Wars and while real life politics do not usually revolve around intergalactic senates averting universal war, the themes and metaphors present in these movies directly touch upon those in real life.

Politics in cinema has arguably become more important today, as we face a world where people are afraid and leaders are encapsulating this fear to literally divide and conquer. To be able to enjoy cinema that dispels this fear or explains complex situations in more humble and direct ways only serves a positive encounter for the general population.

I would even go as far as to say that the dramatization, while exaggerated in many cases, can bring some life to topics that may usually be viewed as boring or less than appetizing by the average citizen.

So, in honour of politics in cinema, I thought I would create this post and also include some memorable movie scenes that I know both empowered me, as they covered important real life scenarios.

Political Science Fiction

 

      
Intergalactic Diplomacy in Star Wars




Police State of the Future- Hunger Games


God among men or Dictator among his people?

Political Fiction


Red Dawn- Depiction of an occupation and its day to day roll out


Our favorite revolutionary- V for Vendetta
 

Cinema Based on Political History


The Rise and Fall of Canada's Arrow




All the President's Men- One of the best journalism movies- Watergate


Lincoln 


The fight for gay rights in America


To end this post off, I want to leave you with this quote, which I felt properly sums up the connection between daily life and the political realm.




Life is politics, basically, but you don’t just go to a gallery and put the words ‘art’ and ‘politics’ on the wall.“

-Luc Tuymans
 


The Political Road Map



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