Are films in fact influential?
This is a fairly objective academic exercise, but not so objective that it allows us to dismiss the significance of film in our political evolution. If we refuse to accept the politically relevant content of films and perceive the action of watching films as pure and simple entertainment, meaning that somehow we exist outside the process, then the films themselves lose much of their meaning and significance. We should not avoid the fact that our interaction with films makes them a part of us and so they must have social, cultural, and political consequences.
The point of this is not to promote the idea that some particular film or set of films is definitive in creating political ideologues, but rather that it can be a contributor to any evolving political being. Viewers connect with films often times in very meaningful ways. Therefore, young children who think, for instance, that Happy Feet is the "best movie ever," grow up with some special stake in the message. It is part of their personal culture, and as we discussed earlier, the personal is political. It is not to recommend that there is a one to one correlation between what the film says and what then the viewer believes. This is not an absolute science. But it is an undeniable fact that movies are a prevailing presence in our lives. And just as parents and friends are instrumental in shaping us, our choices of media too can powerfully spark, reinforce, or perhaps change our interests in the world.
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