Typically the nationality of bad guys in film and television storylines is Russian, and more recently North Korean (or an un-named Asian nation such as in Tomorrow When the War Began). Is this selection merely a historical choice due to past conflict?
How does this play in to real world perceptions of these nations today?
Very interesting topic that I think could turn into an excellent article. It could chronologically follow the trends of how the antagonist other is represented in media throughout history and examine how they reflect the contemporary zeitgeist; Russia during the Cold War, terrorism post-9/11, North Korea more recently, etc. Going for a broader and more nuanced perspective, you could also compare this to non-Western examples. One film that comes to mind is Ip-Man 2, which has a pretty blatantly antagonistic depiction of British imperialism, reflecting Hong Kong's complicated (post-)colonial history and present. I'm sure there are other great examples as well if you dig into it. – blautoothdmand7 years ago
I am accepting this in the spirit of it rather than the letter and assuming the discussion is in relation to Western representations of villains.
I think there is a strong connection to the perception of the villains in film/TV and those in the culture that produced them, which is normal. What would be interesting to look at is when particular nations are represented as villains at different times and what incited change. – SaraiMW7 years ago
There's definitely a culture of finding and portraying the villains where you want them to be- similarly to how gender-diverse people are often the villains in TV and movies, in an effort to subtly portray them as deviants and demonise them (literally, in the case of characters like Him from PPG)- for decades people have portrayed Nazis, Russians, and more recently people in the Middle East as a sort of uniform evil without much need (or desire) to dig deeper into it. If you refer to the beginning of Black Panther you also see an example of a slightly vague fictional Boko Haram or similar African Muslim extremist group taken down by T'Challa in a style reminiscent of shooter game missions with the objective of 'take down these villains, save the hostages, shoot first ask questions later'. In the rise of neo-nazism there is sometimes objection to these uniform representations of their predecessors as evil- and certainly there are muslims I know who were bothered by the way black muslims were represented as faceless villains. I feel this topic is most interesting in regards to how and why people fight against stereotypes and perceptions, rather than simply cultural shifts. – GRandall7 years ago
John Wayne was seen as the epitome of the American Hero during the age of the Western film. He was beloved by many, even with his strong conservative politics and often brash language. However, in the 60s, America's view shifted. They no longer looked to Westerns for inspiration and John Wayne, while still beloved, faded to the background (as symbolically seen in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". I would like to see an analysis of John Wayne's connection to American culture further, and his impact on American culture long after America turned away from him.
Something interesting one could pursue while contemplating this topic is James Baldwin's discussion of John Wayne in his unfinished book- now a film- "I am Not Your Negro." In it he discusses heroes, in particular figures like John Wayne; a perspective like this I think could be an interesting frame of reference for a topic like this. In particular, I find this quote of Baldwin's to be very powerful: “A Black man who sees the world in the way John Wayne sees it would not be an eccentric patriot, but a raving maniac…The truth is that this country does not know what to do with its Black population.” – ees7 years ago
This is an interesting topic, especially because westerns seem to be having a comeback after a long dry spell. Between the Magnificent 7 reboot, Hostless, Godless, and Westworld, westerns are back in fashion. Are these new westerns evidence that audiences wish to rekindle themes of John Wayne movies? – Ben Lashar7 years ago
An analysis of the appeal behind modern movies that attempt to re-create the aesthetics and storytelling elements of grindhouse and b-movies from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. This analysis could explore themes of nostalgia, kitsch, and DIY film-making. Some examples could include "Black Dynamite," Kung Fury," "Italian Spiderman," "Hobo with a Shotgun," and "Planet Terror/Death Proof."
Let's not forget the Turkish 'Star Wars' - a classic! – Amyus7 years ago
This would not only be a great synthesis of the history of b-movies and how past b-movie themes are being seen in today's movies. I also think that this is a fascinating topic to explore. – FrankWebb7 years ago
I think that a lot of Tarantino's work could actually be considered B-grade yet to the highest of calibre. Whilst his work is very much commercial and critically renowned, his writing, cinematography and overall direction is influenced by past B-grade films and influences many B-grade films to this day (like Kung Fury). – aarondiplacido7 years ago
The star system was the method of creating, promoting and exploiting stars in Hollywood films. Movie studios would select promising young actors and glamorize and create personas for them. They would go so far as to give them stage names and Cary Grant's real name was Archie Leach. Now, the phenomenon of the movie star is still used to lure audiences to the cinema. It leads to multi-million dollar paychecks, TMZ, and outrageous staking behavior from crazed fans. Is it time for this to end? Should there be caps on actor paychecks? Should we end tabloid news circuits? Should we stop televising award shows? Would it benefit society? Would it bankrupt Hollywood?
Yes. It's about time that this crazy star system should end and more reasonable salaries or fees introduced. When it gets to the point whereby an actor can command a multi-million dollar contract and yet a struggling British nurse cannot even receive a decent pay rise, despite working a 60 hour week, then something has gone seriously wrong with the world (excuse the politics). So, yes to capping actors earnings, yes to ending the tabloid news circus. Awards ceremonies are shams and as to wether it would bankrupt Hollywood - who really cares? – Amyus7 years ago
I have all sorts of questions about fairness and legality:
Who would have the authority to put caps on actor paychecks? Who would have the authority to end tabloid news circuits?
Can we reasonably cap the paychecks in one industry but not in others? What about company CEOs? Or big sports players? What makes the entertainment industry so in need of (selective) regulation? – JamesBKelley7 years ago
In a capitalist system, money is often diverted towards that which society perceives as requiring greatest demand. If a doctor makes one person healthier in a day, but a movie star makes 10,000 people happier in an hour, how else should one expect the remuneration to be allocated? – Psiwrite7 years ago
Analyse how the use of silence in "A Quiet Place" makes the sparse *spoken dialogue more meaningful. In addition, how the use of silence heightens the tension during "monster" scenes in a new way than other similar movies in the thriller genre. Another question to ask would be the following: does the use of silence make the visuals in the movie even more powerful because *spoken dialogue is not a distraction? Or would more dialogue be helpful in the movie? *One part I overlooked and which was pointed out to me is that ASL importantly figures into the plot as dialogue. This is another aspect of analysis.
there are a lot of issues and themes to tackle in this film, and I think this is a great place to start. it should be noted, however, that despite the sparse dialogue the film still relies heavily on music to create a feeling of suspense and to intensify scare scenes with the monsters- this is by no means a silent film. such, I think specifically when investigating their use of so-called "silence," it is important to consider their inclusion/use of Deaf people and culture; the presence of a cochlear implant, for example, has a lot of political implications. while their lack of dialogue is interesting, even more so with its being replaced with sign language, i think it is important to note that their continued reliance on music disrupts their otherwise "Deaf-inclusive" endeavor. – ees7 years ago
additionally, something else that could be investigated is the question of why ASL/sign language is not considered "dialogue" itself. what sort of normalizations are occurring when one draws a distinction between spoken language as "dialogue" and signed languages of not meeting the standards to be considered "dialogue"? – ees7 years ago
As 'ees' has already noted, regarding the topic of ASL, it might be valuable to address the visual nature of sign language in relation to the emotional impact and uniqueness of the film. When signing, facial expressions and movements convey tone, context, and variance of the sign/word so much of the communication is still based on visual cues, which may be a way to address the use of ASL within the plot. – Jennifer7 years ago
I think the music is working hard in the places where dialogue and ASL are not used, and it would be interesting to analyse how silence is used in other horror films - with silence coming just before something happens (e.g. monster jumps out). – Emily Cecchetto7 years ago
I think it would be really interesting to compare the following: how female protagonists who are going through some sort of dating/relationship crisis when they are older are treated in comparison to movies about males going through the same thing. For instance, how This is 40 or The Other Woman compares to films like That Awkward Moment. The representation of how the female is 'supposed' to handle it according to the plot line vs. how a male in the same position is 'supposed' to handle it would be a key emphasis here.
interesting topic! you can see this situation addressed directly in 30 Rock, where the main characters Liz Lemon and Jack Donaghy discuss the different dating cultures of men and women as they age in the episode "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter." – ees7 years ago
Very interesting topic, love the idea! You could also discuss Reese Witherspoon's film from last year, Home Again. – Zoe Azile7 years ago
Directors like David Lynch mislead audiences with dialogue. Going as far to create distorted backwards voices in Twin Peaks. Alfred Hitchcock once said a film only works if you can understand the story with no sound/dialogue. Explain the effect of dialogue and how it can be used to change the audience's perspective to intensify the visual elements of the storytelling process.
I think this is an incredibly interesting topic and wonder if it applies to non-English dialogue film? – Jmphi7 years ago
Reference the "Unreliable Narrator". How does the audience figure out what is real when they have reason to believe the voice that they hearing/the character whose viewpoint we are following might not be telling the truth? – Kidcanuck7 years ago
This could definitely be an interesting story if researched well. This could also tie into the themes of "actions speaking louder than words" and showing how a character can say one thing, and then turn around and do something else. The question is, when a character is deceiving other characters, can film give that character the ability to deceive the audience, too? – Sharkbait1017 years ago
Those who have harassed and sexually assaulted others are finally coming to light. The skeletons are being flung out of many guilty people's closets and those who have suffered are speaking out. While it is not cleaning out everything, there is progress.
We have become familiar with publically "outing" abusers in the movie business. However, what do viewers, outside of the film industry, do to show their support for those who have suffered while protesting the offenders? Are we able to avoid a film because a director, producer or actor has harassed someone? Do we ignore the rest of the hard-working men and women attached to the set?
Are we able to appreciate the art of someone who is an offender?
This is a great topic and one that could be expanded upon in philosophy and literature. So many authors in the established canon often had offensive views, owned slaves and perceived the Enlightenment as a sole privilege for Europeans. So what does one do with offenders, past and present? Do we throw the baby out with the bathwater? – Munjeera7 years ago
This is SO important. Though you've placed this under Film, as a literature nerd I'd suggest to anyone who chooses to write on this to look at Roland Barthes' "The Death of the Author." Not the most exciting read but it basically asks this exact question. But someone, please write on this! – Heather Lambert7 years ago
Unfortunately, this has always been a topical post. Fortunately, the issue has started to be addressed. However, what I find interesting is when someone moves past the "alleged" and into being convicted. For example, Mike Tyson. He was convicted of rape over twenty years ago yet he has been something of a minor pop-culture star for years, even starring in the successful Hangover series, ironically as apparently the cast and crew protesting Mel Gibson in the second film, they seemed to have no such reservations about a convicted rapist. Did the stigma ware off Tyson? Was it too fresh on Gibson? The latter conclusion would be supported by Gibson's resurgence in the last couple of years, notably in Daddy's Home 2- where many critics enthusiastically proclaimed "Gibson is family friendly again." – jackarthurgayer7 years ago
