Politics and Film

Download or read book Politics and Film written by Daniel P. Franklin and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2006-02-02 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Politics and Film explores the meaning of film within a societal context. In examining the political role of films we become real time cultural anthropologists, sifting through the artifacts of modern society to determine what our culture really is all about. Common sense tells us that if filmmakers want to make a profit, they have to be responsive to the market. This doesn't mean that they have to produce a product that simply delights the eyes. Films must also please the mind, and not just in terms of satisfying our desire to be entertained (although that alone is sometimes enough) but also deepen our understanding of people, ideas, and problems that we may confront in everyday life. In this respect, even commercial films are political. And, if 'we are what we eat,' we may also say, 'we are what we pay to see.' This book contends that to a large extent American film reflects political culture in American society.