I decided to switch my artifact for the research paper from John Erick Dowdle’s No Escape (2015) to Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979) because I think this film is more suitable for what I want to research, which is how and why the media actively shapes Americans’ perception of historical events. I am also especially interested in the role Orientalism plays in this process. Unlike No Escape, Apocalypse Now has a lot more historical significance because it came out a few years after the Vietnam War (1955-1975) and is considered one of the most famous films about the Vietnam War. In addition to that, there is more room for debate about the significance of the film and its portrayal of Southeastern Asians. While exploring this topic, I intend to consult Edward Said’s Orientalism, debates about “otherness,” scholarly interpretations of Apocalypse Now, historical evidence about Americans’ attitudes toward the Vietnam War, and biographical information about Francis Ford Coppola. …show more content…
Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979)—starring Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen–is an award-winning Vietnam War film that follows Captain Willard’s expedition along the Nung River to reach Colonel Kurtz, whom Captain Willard has been ordered to kill. The majority of the film focuses on the upstream journey, which represents the soldiers’ departure from civilization and descent into madness. Most of the movie was filmed in the Philippines, although some footage was shot in the Dominican Republic and the United States (“Apocalypse Now (1979)”). Apocalypse Now was largely inspired by Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, which explores the scope of man’s evil through the portrayal of Belgian imperialism in the Congo
War Without Mercy “Ultimately, it brought about a revolution in racial consciousness throughout the world that continues to the present day.” (Dower 4). During World War II, besides morbid deaths, racism was one of the ultimate factors which sparked this tragic period of time. With the use of propaganda such as cartoons, films, and several other media induced strategies, the extreme hatred between the Americans and Japanese was increasing.
‘’ In America ’’, ‘’ Into The West ’’ and ‘’ Brooklyn ‘’ are films that experience extreme loss and migration. These films deal with the internal struggle of the characters as they try to comprehend the losses and struggles they have each faced and their attempts to overcome them. ‘’ When you have a holy thing happenin', you don't mess with it, ‘’(David Edelstein) this is what the director Jim Sheridan said after the screening of his semi - autobiographical film In America. Jim Sheridan is a foundational figure of Irish film with My Left Foot, The Field to name but a few of his exceptional films. Sheridan uses race, family, otherness and Americana in general, to dramatise Ireland’s affinity with America.
As stated in The Matrix of Race, “[Stock stories] inform and organize the practices of social institutions and are encoded in law, public policy, public space, history, and culture. Stock stories are shaped by the White racial frame” (Coates et al., 2018, p. 54). In this particular incident, the stock story depicting indigenous Filipino populations as savage, barbaric, and animalistic, through the exhibition of exploited cultural practices is very much a live characterization of a stock story being encoded in culture. This particular stock story, as well as the exhibit itself, is solely grounded within the white racial framework, which is why the experience, designed to be consumed and enjoyed by white people, ultimately led to its permeation into the larger American white consciousness. The Asian American Education Project writes,“The word ‘savage’ has been used throughout American history to justify the mistreatment and subjugation of different people, as well as to disguise racism as American benevolence– as applied to Native Americans, Africans, Pacific Islanders, Asians, and other groups in America''
Pavani Pathirana Critical Media Literacy Paper “The Blind Side” In the film The Blind Side, reinforces racial ideologies and stereotypes by strengthening the idea that people of color are inferior to whites since a theme is whites being nice to one person of color. Along with the use of various criteria media portrays a negative idea on the lives of African Americans. Through his book “I Beat the Odds” Michael Oher clarifies his agency, various embellishments, and omission within this movie.
Michael Coolican Mrs. Delbagno Sociology CC 1 March 2023 Why Inadequate Representation of Asian Americans in Film Must Change Asian Americans have been a part of the United States since the 1800s. Despite this, their representation in film and other forms of media has been, at best, minimal. While Hollywood has produced a handful of films featuring Asian American Actors, the majority of these roles are stereotypical, one-dimensional characters that do not accurately represent the diversity within the Asian American community. This paper will explore various topics, including the history of Asian Americans, current misrepresentations, impact of the Asian American community, and efforts being made to combat misrepresentation. Asian’s first
According to the U.S. Census, 5.6% of the United States’ population is Asian. There are millions of Asian Americans who reside here, they exist. So why does Hollywood and other forms of media pretend like they do not? Unfortunately, when Hollywood does acknowledge their existence, Asian Americans are limited to typecasted roles such as a nerd, a taxi driver, or a kung fu master. Not only are these roles offensive, they also inaccurately represent an entire ethnic group.
Casablanca, a Romantic Propaganda Introduction Casablanca is one the classic Hollywood movie which is one of the most critically acclaimed Hollywood movies of all time and also very famous. Casablanca is a romance story that happens during World War II but the question is does it end there? Is Casablanca just a Romance movie? In this essay, I will be discussing how the movie Casablanca which is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed films of all time is a propaganda movie and what message is sending and the effects that propaganda movies make and why it’s important for governments.
In Marlon Riggs’ 1992 documentary film titled Color Adjustment, Riggs, the Emmy winning producer of Ethnic Notions, continues his studies of prejudice in television. The documentary film looks at the years between 1948 and 1988 to analyze how over a 40 year period, race relations are viewed through the lens of prime time entertainment. The film examined many of television’s stereotypes and mythes and how they changed over the years. The one hour and twenty-two minute documentary is narrated by Ruby Dee, the American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist.
Ronald Takaki is a social historian and is a professor at the University of California, Berkley. He is a professor of ethic studies. In addition to being a professor, he is also a fellow of the Society of American Historians. In his book, Double Victory: A Multicultural of America in World War II, Takaki focuses on the minorities during World War II. Most histories of the Second World War, focus on the politics, battles, or generals and leaders, whereas this book is about the experience of the different minorities in America.
In both World War I and II, propaganda was utilized to give Americans a single opinion on those who were either different or “against” them, a technique that is similar to that of the Golden Age villains. Japanese-Americans, even before Pearl Harbor occurred, were facing increasing racism during the 1930’s and were seen merely as “Japs” who could be anything from Japanese secret spies, to farmers with the goal of pushing white farmers out of business, to filthy adulterers (Blair). These one-dimensional reflections of marginalized groups of people – or villains in Disney’s case – was used to demonize those who were portrayed in the pieces of media, caused the general audience to abhor the subjects of these public attacks. However, even if the films that the Walt Disney Animation Company had been creating reflected these one-dimensional views, Walt Disney himself may have believed otherwise. “During the making of Snow White, [Walt] Disney visited Italy and was entertained by Mussolini himself in his private villa” (Home).
Edward O. Wilson’s “Apocalypse Now” was published in the New Republic in September 2006. Wilson uses this paper to urge the evangelical community that the state of the environment is in their best interest. It begins with an address to an imaginary Southern Baptist pastor as Wilson states similarities between himself and the Pastor. He uses their shared religious upbringing, moral behaviors, and nationality to create common ground between them. At the start of the next paragraph, it’s revealed that he has written the Pastor for help.
Ethnicity and Hollywood Racism is always issues which take a huge part of American history. Until the twenty-first century, although people tried to make the country becomes the freedom and equality nation, these issues are still happening everywhere. According to "In Living Color: Race and American Culture," Stuart Hall argues that racism is still widespread in the society and "it is widely invisible even to those who formulate the world in its terms" (qtd. in Omi 683). Indeed, situations about race quietly exist in the movie industry, which "has led to the perpetuation of racial caricatures" to the majority audiences and even minority audiences (Omi 629).
Jack Massey Makenna Green Comp 1 7/13/2016 “The Whites Of Their Eyes” In The Whites Of Their Eyes Stuart Hall goes on to talk about certain race constructiveness in the media. The article then begins to talk about how the media poses a representation of multiple ideologies, and how these ideologies define race. Stuart Hall uses logos to attract the readers trust in the article, he also uses a little ethos to persuade his audience through character that what he’s writing is in fact an important matter.
Josiah Koser 04/10/2017 Robert Sklar, Movie-Made America, Random House inc., New York City, New York, 1994. The argument made by the author Robert Sklar in his book Movie-Made America has to do with the impact that American movies have had on the country's culture and society as a whole. Sklar says this by stating that, “American movies, through much of their span, have altered or challenged many of the values and doctrines of powerful social and cultural forces in American society, providing alternative ways of understanding the world.”
I chose this film because it showed how hard the union workers and families worked in fighting racial injustices, and because it inspired myself to move forward with strong ideologies and pride. 2. Stereotyping in mass media was an important concern of Chicana/o media activists because it imprinted a demeaning label by only casting Chicana/o actors with "minor roles: villains, sidekicks, temptresses, where their main function is to provide the protagonists, typically a handsome white