The United States Constitution in Film
In 2006, the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum conducted a survey to measure Americans’ knowledge of their First Amendment constitutional freedoms (the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly,…
The Constitution at the Movies
The United States Constitution in Film: Part of Our National Culture. Eric T. Kasper and Quentin D. Vieregge. Lanham, MD. Lexington Books, 2018. In his opinion…
Beyond Free Speech and Propaganda: The Political Development of Hollywood, 1907–1927
The Politics of Depoliticization Motion pictures do more than just reflect our political life. If we take seriously the cultural construction of human identity—how social life forges…
Cowboy Politics: Myths and Discourses in Popular Westerns from The Virginian to Unforgiven and Deadwood
As a popular genre, the western makes myths for politics in America and beyond. These symbolic stories of characters and communities help shape and explain our government,…
Review of Cowboy Politics: Myths and Discourses in Popular Westerns form The Virginian to Unforgiven and Deadwood
Cowboy Politics: Myths and Discourses in Popular Westerns form The Virginian to Unforgiven and Deadwood. John S. Nelson. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2018. What do Westerns…
Politics, Hollywood Style
Why and How Political Films Matter[1] Do films serve purposes besides entertainment? Stephenson and Debrix point out that “Film brings us face to face with reality, or…
Review of Politics, Hollywood Style
Politics, Hollywood Style: American Politics in Film from Mr. Smith to Selma. John Heyrman. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2017. John Heyrman’s Politics, Hollywood Style: American Politics…
Civil Servants on the Silver Screen
The Intersection of Film and Government It is hard to know why a particular film and its initial viewing makes such an impression on us and it…
Seeing Through the Screen: Interpreting American Political Film
Understanding Political Films In choosing movies to include in this book, we had to start by asking what makes a film political. This seemingly simple question has…
Wonder Woman: A Movie About Men
Some of my best friends are men, so no offense. But Wonder Woman has me asking, what’s the point? What good are they? In the blockbuster Wonder…
The Shape of Water: Non-Potable
We should be grateful that, through some combination of human nature, civilization, and choice, most people act decently most of the time. But the reports of sexual…
Netflix Defends the West(ern)
Godless is not great, but it’s good. Netflix’s new television series enjoys every cliché of the Western genre: a train robbery, mustachioed marshal, prostitute with a heart…
Don’t Be True to Yourself
Are you being true to yourself? Should you? Better question: What in the world is a true self, anyway? In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius counsels his son: This…
Disney’s Cheap Grace
When I was growing up, there were two films the pater of my familias forbade his brood from seeing until we reached the age of 35: A…
A Musth See
It’s probably a drag being a liberal, always boycotting things. A Progressive friend who was surprised by my politics once asked me how I could like Radiohead…