When we talk about movies there is certainly much more to the regular details we all know about. Yes, we are talking about things besides the glamor, the bling, and the magnificence. We are talking about the true power of movies that lies in inspiring viewers and making them either hate or absolutely fall in love with an idea.
Movies have been known to alter perceptions and this dates back to as long as the movie history goes back. We know of movies produced exclusively to propagate Anti-Nazi and Anti-Communism sentiments during World War I. The United States of America actually took lead in this matter and with the help of church produced a long list of films not only to demote Communist ideas but also to motivate people in the name of country and religion to fight against the growing menace that was communist countries.
The United States was not the only country using movies for propaganda and mass manipulation. Germany was also in the game by World War II. This time under Hitler’s big man Joseph Goebbels’ supervision the movies were produced to propagate Nazi agenda to the masses. This lead to the world to an era of war in movies even long after the war was over.
Later in the history, another era of manipulation through movies came during the cold war where movies such as Dr. Strange became famous and people in the United States absolutely believed that communists are bad without even knowing the first thing about communism. On the other hand, movies don’t always manipulate on the mass scale nor are always made for manipulation.
Individual level inspiration is another power that movies behold. Through movies such as; Good Will Hunting, The Patriot, Into the Wild and many more writers and filmmakers try to present a new perspective on life to the viewers. They try to make the masses see that there is more to life than materialistic goals and the daily routine. One of such movie that almost has a cult-like fan following is Brad Pitt and Edward Norton powered classic Fight Club.
Movies like all other means of communication have the power to alter lives and have actively been used by individuals and governments to cultivate this power. In the wrong hands they create devastating effects and in the right hands, they can turn lives for better.
