It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum
Topics => Media Bias/Media War => Topic started by: whimsicalmamapig on October 15, 2013, 03:42:18 PM
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It has dawned on me in the past few years to re-evaluate my opinions of all the movies I have enjoyed in my life.
By this, I mean that I have revisited many of them and have viewed them in the light of what "political" or "social" messages that were being pushed by a very leftist Hollywood. I find this verging on paranoia on my part, but I can't help but consider how young minds were systematically inculcated with values and lifestyles that have had tragic consequences in light of the current state of our culture.
I would be interested in viewing other people's thoughts on this subject. I have even been re-reading college textbooks and finding definite slants in interpretations of history and now if an archeological text refers to global warming and man's impact on the planet, I just quit reading it as I know it is packed with agenda driven ideas that I do not want to take the time to sort out.
should some conservative think tank initiate a study on the propaganda in 1950-1970 tv and movie productions that influenced the "hippie movements that greatly helped create the mess we are in. after all, the beach boys music was all about the self and youth's quest for self-fulfillment. how many songs from this period speak to any thing other than self gratification?
it is almost as if the secret socialist attempt to control our government was working separately but parallel to the growing narcissism of a generation that was given too much of everything, including idle time.
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I don't know about old movies but this book:
Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV (http://www.amazon.com/Primetime-Propaganda-True-Hollywood-Story/dp/006193478X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381870015&sr=8-1&keywords=primetime+propaganda)details how even the old shows you might consider old-fashioned and traditional often had a liberal agenda.
He quotes several tv show creators who openly stated that their goal was to change society through their shows.
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A couple examples of movies that have taken on a whole new meaning for me after re-watching with a conservative eye are "American History X" and "Dances With Wolves".
Both are films I took at face value when I first saw them. Both are absolute Leftist propaganda pieces in retrospect.
Re; AHX, how could ANYONE side with Ed Norton's awful portrayal of a murdering neo-Nazi with a swaztika tattooed on his chest? Cleverly, what Oliver Stone did was attach mainstream conservative opinions about immigration, race, and welfare to Norton's loathsome Derek Vinyard character. That puts me in the position of identifying my own views with this loathsome character. If I was an ideologically unaware person or a young person, I might not make that connection, and might instead believe that those mainstream views are the radical hateful views.
For instance, when Vinyard went off an a diatribe about illegal aliens, it began as an open dinner-table discussion and calm recitation of the mainstream conservative viewpoint, but it then escalated, and ended with Vinyard spewing spittle-flecked racial epithets, and physically abusing his sister and mother.
That kind of propaganda makes up almost the entire film - the mainstream conservative view is articulated, and then the actions and words of the person averring it are heinous.
"Dances With Wolves" is one long homage to the "White man bad/Indian good" stereotype, and the idea that the only way a White man can be good is to the degree that he is like an Indian.
Both movies are beloved by me. I am emotionally moved by both, and think the films and performances are stellar. But yeah. Seeing them now is totally different than when I first saw them.
On the other end of the spectrum is a film like "Rocky". There is no question in retrospect that the Rocky story is Christian allegory.
It is no mistake that the very first thing you see is the face of Jesus Christ on a mural, and the entire story is filled with Rocky living out Christian principles such as Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
He is everlastingly devoted to his wife until her death. He shows kindness to the poor. He advises young people to abandon poor behavior. He is moved by his conscience. He is honest. He is patient and slow to anger. He does not lash out in retribution. He prays before every fight. He never curses. He forgives, and is quick to do so.
It couldn't be more clear to me that Sylvester Stallone was either stealthily working a Christian message into the series, or, he was used by Holy Spirit to bring that character to the screen. Either way, once I saw it, I could never unsee it. The film (and to a somewhat lesser extent, the entire series) took on a whole new meaning for me.
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Dances with Wolves--I suspected it's message was liberal so never saw it.
Much the same with many, many other movies.
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Dances with Wolves--I suspected it's message was liberal so never saw it.
Much the same with many, many other movies.
Even still, it's an absolutely beautiful movie. The musical score alone is worth watching the movie. The score set against the vast plains of South Dakota takes your breath away.
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I'm stuck by the love of America, more than anything, watching anything from before...oh... 1990 maybe, 1980 certainly.
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"Dances With Wolves" is one long homage to the "White man bad/Indian good" stereotype, and the idea that the only way a White man can be good is to the degree that he is like an Indian.
Yeah, I never liked Snoozes With Wolves from the first time I saw it. It also has one of the absolutely worst actresses working today, Mary McConnell (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001521/?ref_=tt_cl_t2). She has all the charisma, pathos and emotion of a dusty potted house plant left in the summer house over the winter, that is to say, dead.
I like the sophisticated and witty dialogue of the older movies, especially the six Thin Man movies.
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The Thin Man!
"Please serve the nuts."
::thumbsup::
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Actors, scripts...it all seemed better in the Golden Age of film...
"Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops." - Mortimer Brewster "Arsenic and Old Lace" 1944.
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Nick and Nora Charles. Can't resist. If one can have a crush on a woman before his time, then for me that woman is Myrna Loy.
Nick and Nora - Alcohol moments (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1tnbPBCtnI#)
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Nick and Nora Charles. Can't resist. If one can have a crush on a woman before his time, then for me that woman is Myrna Loy.
ah, gee,I shouldn't have watched that! now all day I'm going to want to watch The Thin Man
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I, myself, am a sucker for any fred astair or gene Kelly movie but my favorite dance movie is yankee doodle dandy (except for the FDR part). I don't know if I want to re-visit them looking for hidden communist propaganda and mary blair at the Disney studios practically ruined the flavor and style of children's cartoons forever.
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Most Gregory Peck movies are what get me. Right now The Tow Jakes in on.(jack nickolson)
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does anyone have an opinion as to which director from the 30's to today packaged the most communist crap in their movies? either by decade or in total?
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That fat leftist bastard Moore comes to mind...if you call his crap movies...
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I have little good to say about Ted Turner.
But, I do watch TCM for some good old ones
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does anyone have an opinion as to which director from the 30's to today packaged the most communist crap in their movies? either by decade or in total?
Oliver Stone would have to be right up there.
should some conservative think tank initiate a study on the propaganda in 1950-1970 tv and movie productions that influenced the "hippie movements that greatly helped create the mess we are in. after all, the beach boys music was all about the self and youth's quest for self-fulfillment. how many songs from this period speak to any thing other than self gratification?
Two things...
Hard to beat up on the Beach Boys since they were clean and decent in their public persona compared to their contemporaries who were mostly drug addled. Heck, they were Ronald Reagan's choice to perform in DC during the 4th of July festivities every year during his presidency.
And, in my opinion, the hippie movement influenced the movies rather than the other way around. You have to remember that there is almost ZERO originality that comes out of Hwood. They borrow from everywhere but particularly and especially from whatever is hot in pop culture because, to their way of thinking, whatever that is will sell movie tickets regardless of how crappy a product they churn out.
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Never liked Dances with Wolves. It was about 45 minutes too long, thought it was over at one point and it went another half hour! Its a loooooooong movie.......
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LV, here's After The Thin Man free. I found this on a BING search of 'full length movies'. You might find the others.
What's 1 hour, 12 minutes and 13 seconds among friends?
http://viooz.co/movies/19841-after-the-thin-man-1936.html (http://viooz.co/movies/19841-after-the-thin-man-1936.html)
And The Thin Man Goes Home.
http://viooz.co/movies/19838-the-thin-man-goes-home-1945.html (http://viooz.co/movies/19838-the-thin-man-goes-home-1945.html)
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Three old faves:
- Twelve Angry Men (Henry Fonda version)
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- The Wizard of Oz
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Thanks, Z but we have the complete set. I have to admit the first one is my favorite. But ever since I watched that youtube vid you posted I've been longing to do a movie marathon of TTM series.
P? The Wizard of Oz? ::facepalm::
I came to hate it when that movie was on. In the 70's it seemed it was one of those films that was guaranteed to be on once a year as an "event" and boy, did we "have" to watch it on our house. Every year. Once we were on vacation and yep we watched in the hotel that night.
For me, it's one of those movies that once goes a loooong way.
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IDP nice summation on Rocky loved that movie but never thought in depth about it like you. Makes me like it all the more now.
I liked Dances with Wolves but another movie that came out about that time was Last of the Mohicans that I liked much more.
Most Gregory Peck movies are what get me. Right now The Tow Jakes in on.(jack nickolson)
I love WWII movies. Recently I saw 12 O' Clock High and Gregory Peck was great in that movie.
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IDP nice summation on Rocky loved that movie but never thought in depth about it like you. Makes me like it all the more now...
I'd be curious for anyone else to re-watch "Rocky" with a Christian message freshly in mind, and have them share their thoughts. The Christian allegory is so woven into the subtle details of the character that I think most people miss it. Whether it is absorbed unconsciously, I don't know. I just know I never saw it until I "saw" it, and then it was plain as day.
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P? The Wizard of Oz? ::facepalm::
I came to hate it when that movie was on. In the 70's it seemed it was one of those films that was guaranteed to be on once a year as an "event" and boy, did we "have" to watch it on our house. Every year. Once we were on vacation and yep we watched in the hotel that night.
For me, it's one of those movies that once goes a loooong way.
We looked forward to it back then (I'm in my early 50's). Just bought it on DVD ($3.99) & watched it w/ our kids. I love the "man behind the curtain" sequence & have often used it in Apologetics to describe the relationship of science (the man behind the elegant, sophisticated, mysterious curtain of facts, data & so-called "evidence") and theology.
Another [slightly] older movie, "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" (with an OZ throwback scene when the Soggy Bottom Boys ambush the KKK Color Guard - reminiscent of the Scarecrow & crew ambushing the witches guards).