{"id":181746,"date":"2019-01-08T07:01:54","date_gmt":"2019-01-08T07:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=181746"},"modified":"2019-01-11T06:29:37","modified_gmt":"2019-01-11T06:29:37","slug":"how-war-propaganda-in-the-film-industry-really-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=181746","title":{"rendered":"How War Propaganda in the Film Industry Really Works"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom Secker — Mint Press News Jan 3, 2019<\/h1>\n
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A screenshot from the blockbuster film Saving Private Ryan. Click to enlarge<\/p><\/div>\n

As the co-authors of National Security Cinema, we have become known \u2014 rather inaccurately \u2014 for encouraging two major ideas: 1.\u00a0That the government is really important in making movies more militaristic. 2.\u00a0That Hollywood doesn\u2019t produce dissenting films. While the first of these is somewhat true it is a simplification, the second is a falsehood.<\/span><\/p>\n

The government\u00a0is\u00a0involved in as wide a range of entertainment projects as you can imagine, from video games to chat shows to blockbusters to docudramas. While many of these were militaristic from conception, before the government got involved, there is no doubt the Department of Defense (a.k.a. the Pentagon) has encouraged the militarization of popular culture and is pro-actively seeking further influence in Hollywood.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, we want to emphasize that government support is by no means a prerequisite for Hollywood making militaristic movies. The sub-genre we have proposed \u2014 \u201cnational security cinema\u201d \u2014 does not necessarily require the involvement of the actual national security apparatus in the production process.<\/span><\/p>\n

National Security Cinema \u2014 Beyond the Government<\/h2>\n

Some of the examples are truly striking. Consider\u00a0Rambo III\u00a0(1988), set in the Soviet war in Afghanistan. The film demonized the Soviets and depicted our allies of the time, the Islamic Mujahideen, as heroic \u2014 albeit wild and stupid (in keeping with long-standing Hollywood stereotypes about Arabs).<\/span><\/p>\n

This portrait is consistent with other films set in that war both before and since, such as the James Bond movie\u00a0The Living Daylights\u00a0(1987) and\u00a0Charlie Wilson\u2019s War\u00a0(2007). While\u00a0Rambo III\u00a0did technically receive some support from the State Department, this did not affect the script, and the film very much reflected US government policy on steroids.<\/span><\/p>\n