Politics and Film

The Political Culture of Television and Movies

By (author) Daniel P. Franklin

Publication date:

18 July 2016

Length of book:

246 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442262324

Politics and Film examines popular movies and television shows as indicators of social and political trends to explore the political culture of the United States. Updated to include the popular and controversial movies and shows American Sniper, House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, and Twelve Years a Slave, the second edition investigates popular conceptions of government, the military, intelligence and terrorism, punishment and policing, and recognizes mistakes or dark times in our shared history.

Foreword to the Second Edition
Introduction
Feature Film: Fifty Shades of Grey

1. Movies, the Media, and American Tales
Feature Film: San Andreas
2. Industry and Bias: The Political Economy of Film
Feature Film: Furious 7
3. Who Makes ‘Em and Who Watches ‘Em
Feature Film: Avatar
4. Film Content: Cause or Effect?
Feature Film: Taxi Driver
5. Film Criticism: What Is a Bad Movie?
Feature Film: Up in the Air
6. Why They Don’t Make Them Like They Used To
Feature Film: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
7. Movies, Censorship, and the Law
Feature Film: Spotlight

Conclusion
Feature Film: The Hateful Eight

Index

In this second edition of a volume first published in 2006, Franklin some examples and sprinkles in discussion…of television as ‘film,’ but he keeps to his central thesis surrounding the interactive relationship between US political culture and the content of US films. Franklin explores cause and effect, looking at how films project the interests and events of the times during which they are made while responding to the economics of what the author projects as the changing audience for films. He argues that filmmaking can be thought of in terms of three eras of ‘monopolies’: the Edison Trust era; the ‘golden era,’ controlled by the studio system; and the modern era, with its disparate markets and responses to them (e.g., the rise of independent productions). In addition to exploring the relationship of political philosophies and movies, Franklin looks at the politics of censorship. Examples appear throughout, and each chapter concludes with a brief case study….

Summing Up: Optional. Graduate students, researchers/faculty; general readers.