The Evolutionary Role of Media in American War Films

Introduction 

Today’s society of interconnected, on demand, and tailored information by complete utilization of social media and real-time updates and posts – there is one specific market in American culture that undoubtedly holds a very important role in society – it is known as Hollywood. Without question, the large media corporations in America control much of the flow of the “mainstream” information. By controlling the information flow to the citizens; the media holds a certain responsibility outlined in the United States Constitution, under the first amendment – the freedom of the press – to hold politicians accountable and inform the people of the news. Until recently through the widespread usage of social media – citizens were entrusting to the politicians whom they voted, and the newscasters on the evening news to inform the masses when they ought not to be entrusting. 

Now through technology information is readily available and even tailorable to see what topics of interest need notifications, and which ones are not so important. These changes in communication and availability of shareable information in America allows for a massive economic marketplace, and a plethora of information to which everyone wants to report, or repost on first. Since American's capitalistic economic balance is surrounded around government policies, and companies producing consumable goods for the masses, to which they make unregulated profits – creates a society centered in marketing, entertainment, and news. However, even the US military has been a partner with the National Football League (NFL) for more than 40 years – outlining a direct correlation to information sourcing through entertainment – from the US military, through private economic sectors and marketing. Through war cinema in America, the people have the platform to express ideas and incite discussions about contradictions that only war illuminates (Roberts, 2014). Social classes, government policy, and clear separation between policy makers and the American people are made apparent in film’s portrayal of American war history. Hollywood can outline stories, and cinematic portrayals of those stories in a very real, immersive, and enjoyable experience; despite the subject matter content of war. 

Hollywood War Film Facts (Who, What, Why) 

There are usually three main story lines that all war movies follow; these include; combat, survivor, and escape. Along with those three story lines, every war movie has one common thread, they all portray that War is hell. Hollywood films often acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war but down play the actual fighting and everyday battles that go on along with it. The conflict among nations and humankind as a whole is often put on the backburner while the effects on the military men and women's lives back home is brought to the frontlines and exploited. In order to reach a broader audience Hollywood appeals to the heart strings of American's by taking every day tragic circumstances that we go through, and then showing us how military personnel handle such things while being thousands of miles away. Things such as relationships, death of family members, break ups, missing the birth of a child, and even mental and physical illness ( Hampton, 1970) . Obviously that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things that happen back home while a war is going on but you catch my drift. 

These movies are also created as a way to boost the countries moral so to speak. You notice that military movies have a tendency to be released in times of great trial or dispute. They also start to pop up in theatres around the time of elections or holidays such as the 4th of July, Veterans Day, or Memorial Day. Times when the government wants us to start feeling a sense of unity and oneness. By putting these movies out during these times they encourage people to develop a sense of pride for their country and the men and women who have served their country. Even if they have no intimate or close connections to said men and women, they begin to develop a respect and humility towards them after watching Hollywood’s depiction of their stories. They walk away from these films with heavy hearts, or in complete shock trying to wrap their brains around what it must have been like. 

American War Films & Society 

Looking at the aspect of how war movies influence American culture, we look at the idea of violence explicitly employed in movies. As time has elapsed, we see violence appearing more often and more graphically within movies. This can greatly influence people in a couple different ways. People, especially children, often act out what they see. There have been other stories of children acting out violence they had seen movies hence leading to injuries and even death. 

Besides acting out, constantly viewing repeated graphically violent scenes often leads to desensitization. Each year the media industry raises the bar in terms of filth, abuse, and gun violence to shock the viewers more. As violence becomes a common occurrence, children tend to become increasingly aggressive and desensitized to the images they see (Roberts, 2014). 

American War Films & Policy 

During most of America's wars, the film industry indeed made a positive contribution towards the war effort. This was by explaining the causes of the war, revealing the evil nature of the enemy being portrayed, the sacrifice of Americans in wars and the importance of the home front. The film industry then provided an in depth explanation of America's wars for the public to scrutinize and acted as an unofficial government agency. In the years 1917 and 1941, there was seemingly little need for government to intervene in the film industry for its own portrayal of consensus opinion would have ensured whole-hearted support for national policy ( Hampton, 1970) . The Korean War, for instance, was dealt with in much similar terms as the World Wars. If that conflict ideologically lacked clarity in being defined than the late, great, anti-fascist struggle, the House of Representatives Un-American Committee and the vastly reported Hollywood witch-hunts of the period made dissent nearly impossible. 

American War Films & Money 

Trends strongly suggest a formula applied for a Hollywood war film to be successful — its first commandment being to sell it to Americans. Case in point, as of March 17, Lone Survivor had earned $142,196,271 globally. Only $17,600,000 of that had been sourced from theaters outside the United States and Canada. The second indicated rule of making financially successful war films is that the messiest parts ought to explicitly involve blood and guts rather than convey philosophy and politics. American audiences can handle the death and heartbreak caused by war, but those burdens must ultimately be shouldered by the hero of the day. Any suggestion that the audience, in its role as the society that sends the hero off to war, conveys some of the responsibility for the war's existence in the first place risks losing their intrigue for the enterprise on which the entire film is based. Plainly put, Americans want entertainment, not a lecture. 

American War Films & Ideology 

There exist three categories of ideology that can be identified in war films. The first being neutral, includes films whose objective is to serve a purely entertainment goal. This is a form of escapist viewing. A neutral ideology is rare to come by, as there is usually an underlying message in every war film. The second category is implicitness, the most common form of ideology presented in American war films. The two main characters, the antagonist and the villain, often represent contrasting ideological views. This category feeds off the viewer’s deep understanding of cultural ideologies to further reinforce the impact of the message. On the other hand, the explicit category includes films which have been constructed purely to teach or persuade. 

American War Films & Portrayal of Social Problems Prior to Vietnam 

Colonization 

Using popular cinema from the United States and the Crisis of Colonialism, war films examines postwar Western attitudes toward colonialism. Many war films vastly conveyed much about the high politics of decolonization but little was portrayed about what ordinary citizens thought about losing their empires (Roberts, 2014). Popular war films provided the main source of images of the colonies, and the excesses of the war films helped Westerners come to terms with decolonization and even promoted the dismantling of colonialism around the globe. The movies invariably depicted interactions between white colonizers and nonwhite colonial subjects. Although certain conservative war films eagerly supported colonialism, the more numerous liberal colonialist productions undermined the core support for key aspects of colonial rule, while a few more provocative films openly showed favor towards anticolonial movements and urged internal decolonization for people of color in the United States and elsewhere globally. 

Human rights 

Human Rights violation was a common theme addressed by most war films. From soldiers killing innocent women and children to innocent citizens being raped and harassed by the soldiers. War films often acknowledge the resultant horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting or conflict against humankind provide the primary plot or mainly the background for the action scenes of the war films. We're lucky to live in a time when film makers have an ideal platform to share and discuss on issues to do with human rights and human rights violation. 

Racism 

In an era where racial profiling was the order of the day, there was no easy answers to cancerous societal problems like racism, especially as widely depicted in the war films of pre-Vietnam war ( Hampton, 1970) . Differing perspectives and viewpoints made all the difference in how racism was addressed in war films. The movies depicted black soldiers being looked down upon by the “superior” white soldiers. Black and colored soldiers were delegated inferior tasks and could not be allowed to conduct tasks such as being part of the air force. 

Genocide 

When Western filmmakers depict the genocides occurring virtually at the same time, their movies take on very different racially and spatially determined limitations ( Eberwein, 2017). These differences, though there might be other factors at play, are largely activated because the genocides occur seemingly on opposite ends of the imperial spectrum. In the Bosnian case, for instance, the genocide is depicted in films to have happened within the historically imagined imperial ‘Self’ in that it occurs in Europe and both its victims and perpetrators are mainly white. 

National Security/Insecurity 

There was no shortage of terrorist plots, preemption politics, criminal conspiracies, and security issues screened for the American public to view. These war films evoked, and even condoned, some practices deemed reprehensible by the American public at large or outside (non-American) viewers, such as the practice of waterboarding, torture, and even rendition. However, the stories told in these films can also elicit further critiques of the currents policies, whilst also inviting a myriad alternative narratives and accounts of what various war related incidents has wrought for the American society. Through those war movies, we can gain important insights into the changing parameters and the limits of possibility of what constitutes a legitimate political narrative and also into how such stated parameters may be invariably reinforced through narrative and story-telling by the American war films. 

POST VIETNAM 

Racism 

Films are a reflection of their time, and portrayals of the war films are reflective of the attitudes of American culture and society toward racism. Films are particularly important because for many viewers, all they know about civil wars is what they have seen on screen. This is why it is so important to explore the racist portrayals of civil wars that have been presented, where they come from, and how and why they have changed. 

Propaganda 

War films have on numerous occasions been used as 'flag-waving' propaganda to invariantly inspire national pride and morale. They also display the nobility of one's own forces while harshly displaying and subsequently criticizing the protagonism of the enemy, especially during war or in post-war periods. Jingoistic-type war films usually do not clearly represent war realistically in their unwavering support of nationalistic interests, while avoiding the reality of the horrors paused by war. The good guys are usually portrayed as clashing against the bad guys or antagonists. 

National Security/Insecurity 

As the review of relating movies of the "terror years" demonstrates, the American film industry has examined, processed, and translated the meaning of the terrorist attacks in great variety: widely ranging from merely atmospheric references to critical re-enactments, from pro-war propaganda to critical self-inquiry ( Hampton, 1970) . 

Veterans returning home 

Beginning in the mid-1960s the Vietnam War became, for most intrigued filmmakers, fertile ground in which to re-establish the war film genre. While mostly relying on the ideology of the triumphant war hero, an image Hollywood helped to come up with, Vietnam War films presented a new vision of the war veteran; a vision of a seemingly disillusioned, dysfunctional, and even destructive veteran. Contrary to many previous war films that glorified war and portrayed the United States' military as powerful, films dealing with the brutal war in Vietnam often questioned the United States' involvement and role in the war and to a large extent questioned the treatment accorded to returning veterans. 

Three American War Films Evolutionary Portrayals 

AGE OF HEROES 

Time Period-Society 

The movie Age of Heroes 2010 is based on the real-life events of Ian Flming’s 30 Commando during World War II. The heroes are taken from the edge of defeat on the beach of Dunkirk to the mountains of Norway on a dangerous mission. These heroes hope these tactics in fighting the enemy are successful and should change the course of war. In 1940, Major Jones is assigned to assemble an 8-men commando team to Norway with team specialist Roger Rollright to meet the agent Beowulf and destroy the German Freyo Station to steal the German Radio Direction Finding in operation Grandel a state-of-the –art technology. 

Policy 

The movie Age of Heroes 2010 is based on the real-life events of Ian Flming’s 30 Commando during World War II 

Economics 

With the passage of the  Telecommunications Act of 1996 , further plans are in place, leading to mergers. These mergers enable better control of information. Currently,  five corporations control  roughly 90% of the media. Critics state that local news and other content at the community level, media spending and coverage of news, and  diversity  of ownership and views have suffered as a result of these processes of media concentration. 

Ideology 

The movie was cut into a shorter length action flick and taken out of what the audience perceive to be thrilling with more scenes on violent action and less theme content. The storyline is based upon the experiences of Ian Fleming during his time in the commandos during world war II and should not have focused much on the violent scenes. The story also really fails to unravel like it is supposed to when the storyline heads towards the direction of giving up rather than doing the best the heroes could. War films should be as realistic as possible. It is an important point in a war film to pass across information about the historical evolution of the world. The directors seemed to have sugar-coated it too much and simply turned the movie into weird fantasy. The movie portrays the so called heroes as miserable and under privileged instead of real veteran soldiers they should be 

Overall cinematic political portrayal 

With the inclusion of the Danny Dyer character from the stockade and pending court-martial, the training sequence in a bare landscape somewhere in England, the parachute drop into enemy territory, the maniacal SS squad hunting down the heroes through to the main mission and final escape to freedom the movie seems to be inclined to other American war movies on cinemas (All quiet in the western front) which suggests foul play. There are whole sections of this film that seem to be missing in the final cut which make things a little rushed and not to mention confusing. 

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 

Time period-society 

Saving Private Ryan  is a 1998 American  war    film  set during the  Invasion of Normandy  in  World War II . The film was directed by  Steven Spielberg  and written by  Robert Rodat , the film is known for its graphic portrayal of war, and for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which includes a depiction of the  Omaha Beach  assault during the  Normandy landings . It follows  United States Army Rangers    Captain  John H. Miller ( Tom Hanks ) and a squad ( Tom Sizemore ,  Edward Burns ,  Barry Pepper ,  Giovanni Ribisi ,  Vin Diesel ,  Adam Goldberg , and  Jeremy Davies ) as they search for a  paratrooper ,  Private First Class  James Francis Ryan ( Matt Damon ), who is the  last-surviving brother  of four servicemen. 

Policy 

The film received critical acclaim, winning several awards for film, cast, and crew, as well as earning significant returns at the box office. The film grossed US$481.8 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of the year. The film was nominated for 11  Academy Awards . In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the  National Film Registry  by the  Library of Congress , for being regarded culturally, historically, or viewing significance. 

Economics 

Spielberg's direction won his second  Academy Award for Best Director , with four more awards going to the film.  Saving Private Ryan  was released on  home video  in May 1999, earning another $44 million from sales. 

Ideology 

Considering  Saving Private Ryan  from at least two points of view, there is history, specifically the history of the Second World War, and that of film history in war films. 

Much has been made of the Omaha Beach landing sequence. It seems to me a legitimate effort, taken as a thing in itself, to recreate as accurately as possible such an operation. It is both a remarkable technical achievement and a horrifying reminder of the consequences of going to war. 

Overall cinematic political portrayal 

The true character of the war, communicates itself to the troops in the field. The American soldier of the 1940s—generally is a worker, professional or small farmer who had considerable and bitter experience with big business and its political representatives. He had just passed through, after all, the misery of the Great Depression. Is he able or willing to make the same sort of politically conscious effort as the Union soldier 80 years before, engaged in a struggle for republican democracy and against the slavocracy? He does not. 

THE LONE SURVIVOR 

Time Period – Society 

Lone Survivor    is a 2013 American  biographical    war    film  based on the 2007  non-fiction book of the same name by  Marcus Luttrell  with  Patrick Robinson . Set during the  war in Afghanistan , the film ellicits the unsuccessful  United States Navy SEALs    counter-insurgent  mission  Operation Red Wings , during which a four-man SEAL  reconnaissance and surveillance team was tasked to track down and kill  Taliban  leader  Ahmad Shah . Written and directed by  Peter Berg ,  Lone Survivor  stars  Mark Wahlberg ,  Taylor Kitsch ,  Emile Hirsch ,  Ben Foster , and  Eric Bana . 

Policy 

Upon first learning of the book in 2007, Berg arranged several meetings with Luttrell to discuss  adapting  the book to film.  Universal Pictures  secured the film rights in August 2007 after  bidding  against other major studios. In re-enacting the events of Operation Red Wings, Berg drew much of his screenplay from Luttrell's eyewitness accounts in the book, as well as autopsy and incident reports related to the mission. After directing  Battleship  (2012) for Universal, Berg returned to work on  Lone Survivor .  Principal photography  began in October 2012 and concluded in November after 42 days. Filming took place on location in  New Mexico , using  digital cinematography . Luttrell and several other Navy SEAL veterans acted as technical advisors, while multiple branches of the  United States Armed Forces  aided the production 

Economics 

Lone Survivor  opened in  limited release  in the United States on December 25, 2013, before opening across North America on January 10, 2014, to strong financial success and a generally positive critical response ( Shindler, 2014) . Some critics praised Berg's direction, as well as the acting, story, visuals and battle sequences, while others derided the film for focusing on its action scenes than on characterization.  Lone Survivor  grossed over $154 million in box-office revenue worldwide—of which $125 million was from North America. It received two  Academy Award  nominations for  Best Sound Editing  and  Best Sound Mixing . 

Ideology 

In Afghanistan,  Taliban  leader  Ahmad Shah  is responsible for killing over twenty  United States Marines , as well as villagers and refugees who were aiding American forces. In response to these killings, a  United States Navy SEALs  unit is ordered to execute a  counter-insurgent  mission to capture Shah. As part of the mission, a four-man SEAL  reconnaissance  and surveillance team is tasked with locating Shah. Gun violence is extremely emphasized in the scenes of the movie. 

Overall cinematic political portrayal 

The American Army is portrayed to possess overwhelming care for their military troops. The fighters leave, but later return to punish the villagers for protecting Luttrell. American forces, arriving via helicopters, shatter the advancing Taliban and, in the process, kill many of their enemies with weapons. The American forces evacuate Luttrell back to base. 

THREE AMERICAN WAR FILMS 

Impact of Actors 

The actor's perception of their role involves to the role played, either based on a real person or fiction. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is not in character , to act, is to create, a character in performance. 

Impact of Directors/Producers 

Directors of photography are responsible for the film, TV show or commercial’s overall show. These creative professionals work alongside the director and manage the camera crew in order to give the production its unique visual personality. The creative choices of lighting and camera movement is their responsibility. All these have an effect of elevating the audience senses to impact the information intended on them. 

Impact on Theme 

An independent media is an important aspect of any government of democracy. If the government was able to control all the information regarding its own actions, then it could most certainly escape all accountability and practice an unacceptable level of influence over its citizen’s actions. This is why the importance of a free press cannot be under-estimated. In a liberal democracy, the aim of a free press is to keep on monitoring the government and provide people with accurate and true information so that they can act on it accordingly. 

Media’s Role in American Films 

The media acts as an effective check on government power and influence over its citizens. In the last few decades, there has been an unprecedented growth in mass media accompanied by the falling costs of radio, TV, satellite and Internet services. This has helped bring political information to a larger audience. Whereas, the media has also allowed various organizations from all over the political scene to effectively reach their target audiences ( Eberwein, 2017) . 

Portrayal of America as A Whole 

The media  consist of several different channels there is television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet-based  Web sites . The U.S. also has a strong  music industry . Many of the media are controlled by large for-profit corporations who reap revenue from advertising,  subscriptions , and sale of  copyrighted  material ( Shindler, 2014) . American media corporations tend to be the leading global players, generating large amounts of income as well as large opposition in many parts of the world. 

Portrayal of Government Institutions 

There are theories to explain the success of such companies which include reliance on certain policies of the American  federal government  . For instance, media bias in the United States. Actors, producers, directors and screen writers have a significant impact on the theme The Evolutionary Role of media in film. 

Portrayal of Resources and Personnel 

The rise of media corporations, whose owners were fast to express their political opinions, seemed to support the end of the media empires in the past year. Yet, nationalizing major broadcast networks can open up the media to government intervention, which is fatal as well. With these efforts, owners of media empires have adapted by swiftly embracing new technology and expanding to different broadcast media such as satellite TV. Today media empires continue to dominate much of the mainstream broadcast networks in many countries with democracy. 

Trust and Mistrust 

The media is continuously criticized that it increasingly seems to lack the principles of objective and true reporting. Instead, many major organizations seem to be taking one side of the political scene and at best provide biased information or at worse propel propaganda for a particular political party ( Hampton, 1970) . These issues are subjective, hence there can be no universal solution requiring all news organizations to passively report only what they see and not include an analytical perspective. 

Media’s Role in American Films 

The film played an important role in informing the masses about what happens in the world, more so those areas that the viewers have limited knowledge or experience in such as war 

Implicit and Explicit Messages of Three Films 

The film is explicit in expressing scenes of violence when he kills the Mexican bandits. These viewers rely on the media to inform them. However, relying on the media for information does not imply that it dictates the audience thinking. ( Shindler, 2014) states people do not absorb media messages uncritically. The images that play on the screen have an agenda of focusing the audience who are the public’s interest on specific subject matters. The implicit content is the American’s decision to avoid confrontation as seen in this war films. 

THREE AMERICAN WAR FILMS & GAUDIUM ET SPES 

Gaudium Chapter I: 

Gaudium Chapter I, the Vatican Council of 1965 – outlines the responsibility of the Catholic Church to interpret the rapidly changing world – based on the teachings of Jesus, both on an individual and collective societal basis; what the Gospel states is acceptable or unacceptable behavior(s). These chapter relates to the films in that the unacceptable behaviors in society are punishable. 

Gaudium Chapter II: 

This chapter focuses on the extension of the role of the common good. The resulting rights and obligations are consequently the concern of the entire human race. Every group must take into account the needs and legitimate aspirations of every other group, and even those of the human family as a whole with regards to respect for the human person, respect and love for enemies , and consequently essential equality of all. The three films clearly portray the common good that exists and how citizens work for the common good to help and protect those in their society. 

Gaudium Chapter IV: 

This chapter centers on the nature and purpose of the political community. The political community exists for the common good. The common good embraces the sum total of all those conditions of social life which empower individuals, families, and organizations to achieve complete and effective fulfillment. It follows that political authority, either within the political community or through organizations representing the state, must be exercised within the set limits of the moral order and directed towards the common good. The three films have political aspects as they govern the people and control the economy. 

Gaudium Chapter V: 

This chapter talks about fostering of peace and establishment of a community of nations. Peace cannot be achieved on earth unless the people's welfare is safeguarded and people freely and in a spirit of mutual trust share with one another the riches of their minds and their talents. Peace on earth, which flows from love of one's neighbor, symbolizes and has its origin in the peace of Christ who precedes from God the Father. This chapter summarizes that to the extent that people are sinners, the threat of war looms over them and will so continue until the coming of Christ. In relation to the movies, the American wars adversely affected peace as it led to deaths and distorted the daily operations of the country. 

Conclusion 

While the war film is one of the oldest known genres and not unique to any one culture, there has as yet been no in depth and comprehensive world history of the war film. However, an enormous amount of criticism has been produced. One could blatantly say this began with the earliest newspaper reviews on war films. Without too much exaggeration, such a kind of protocriticism can be viewed to have been initiated in the earliest advertisements in contemporary trade newspapers and film catalogues, since these give a deep sense of what was understood to appeal to most American viewers. 

Reference 

Eberwein, R. (2017, August 9). War Film . Retrieved December 5, 2017, from http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199791286/obo-9780199791286-0065.xml 

Hampton, B. B. (1970).  History of the American Film Industry from its Beginnings to 1931 . Dover Publications. 

Rasmussen, K., & Downey, S. D. (1991). Dialectical disorientation in Vietnam War films: Subversion of the mythology of war.  Quarterly Journal of Speech ,  77 (2), 176-195. 

Roberts, J. (2014, October 3). Mirroring terror”: The impact of 9/11 on Hollywood cinema . Retrieved December 5, 2017, from CSJ.UALBERTA: http://imaginations.csj.ualberta.ca/?p=5940 

Shindler, C. (2014).  Hollywood Goes to War: Films and American Society, 1939-1952 . Routledge.