How much has Hollywood been responsible for how and what Americans think about their own country and history ? (“Hollywood” meaning American Media in general.)
Naturally it wasnt only americans who got hit by ideas and images projected by Hollywood. Every country watches blockbusters too. The myths about the US are still prevalent even post Iraq in many countries. Every country likes to value its history in films.
Now we “should” know movies are fiction… see Braveheart for example. Most Scotsmen know its all full of BS… and that William Wallace fought mounted on a horse and with full armor like his english counterparts… no blue painting at all. The scots enjoyed the movie (much due to english getting battered I suppose) BUT KNOW its over fictionalized. I thou was shocked when I compared the film to real history… it was so bad that it bordered the irresponsible. I never figured they would allow themselves to “change” history so coarsely.
Jewish Holocaust is another example... after visiting a concentration camp in Germany and reading up on my history I was amazed to see that the Jews were far from the majority of the victims.... that even thou they died in the millions they were not alone. Soviets, gypsies, gays, eastern europeans and even allied prisoners were tortured and killed in camps in huge numbers. Movie-wise it might seem they of all people took the brunt of Nazi dementia. The Pianist which is supposed to be a great movie had way less audience due to a collective "we had enough about jews in WWII" feeling in my country. (Brazil) I love foreign movies of all sorts and the hollywood no-brainers too... and I skipped The Pianist thou. I know Jews control the movie industry and they certainly seem to come up with a new Jew Holocaust thing every other year.
War Movies in general have suffered this rose tinted view of America too... from "true" stories where British heroics become American ones (U-571 and that old movie in Burma).... to pure fictional accounts (Tears of the Sun with Bruce Willis) that constantly portray America as "good". War movies aside there are of course unflattering portrayals of the US... but not a big number.
Well I dont want to start a Hollywood bash... and even thou I know most americans know that they havent gone to Mars or that the Enterprise isnt a american spaceship... the US flag/Symbols/titles are ever present and the notion that what makes america great is what would make these others great too. Patriotism might be good sometimes... but what about when it comes from something fictitious ? Did the notion of Manifest Destiny rise like this or before ?
When does the media onslaught actually get ingrained and becomes intrinsic part of a person's reasoning ? When does the subconcious become so overbloated it doesnt distinguish from reality ? Has "hollywood" influenced the way americans think ? How romanticized is their view of their country ?
They do control the Movies… and they do bring a movie every once in a while. So if I do get pitted… it should be for other stuff… Mind you I loved Schindlers List… and many other jew flicks. Even some american jews might not have seen from Eastern Europe. (One about a Train I forgot the name right now…)
Well, looks like no one even wants to touch this stinker. Can’t say I blame them.
Rashak Mani, I’ve only seen a few of your posts, but the anti american theme is pretty heavy handed. However, if you want to see someone who is out of touch with reality you don’t need to look at Americans…your own mirror should suffice.
OK here go some cites… can’t really vouch for their bias/authenticity/relevance since they are from sites I havent seen before. (Googled them up.) The first one is related to a british “documentary” thou:
I wouldn’t say that Jews control Hollywood, but many founders of Hollywood were Jewish (Paramount’s Adolf Zucker, Universal boss Carl Laemmle,MGM’s Louis B. Mayer, the Warner Bros. and William Fox and Harry Conn of Columbia, and there are many talented Jewish writers, producers, and directors to this day. But for some reason, if you point this out, you are anti-Semitic! Go figure.
You are right about the over-emphasis of the Jewish holocaust. About twice as many Slavs as Jews were killed, but you don’t hear much about the Slavic holocaust. And for counterpoint to Schindler’s List, someone should make a film called “Kaszter’s List.” Kasztner was a Hungarian Jew who sent thousands of Jews to the camps in order to save his rich friends. A play about this called “Perdition” was suppressed in Britain.
Don’t worry about the ignorant knee-jerk reactions you are getting on this thread. They are ridiculous–just ask them about Goulart and the thousands who were murdered and tortured in the name of American capitalism.
"I wouldn’t say that Jews control Hollywood, but many founders of Hollywood were Jewish (Paramount’s Adolf Zucker, Universal boss Carl Laemmle,MGM’s Louis B. Mayer, the Warner Bros. and William Fox and Harry Conn of Columbia, and there are many talented Jewish writers, producers, and directors to this day. But for some reason, if you point this out, you are anti-Semitic! Go figure."
It’s often used to ascribe some “sinister” agenda, but there’s nothing inherently anti-american or anti-semitic about historical facts. From a review of An Empire Of Their Own: How The Jews Invented Hollywood by Neal Gabler (review by Jack Wikoff):
Who “dominates” Hollywood today is another story. This from a post-9/11 Newsday article about Hollywood studio mentality:
I’d venture the “sinister agenda” is making a profit.
Well, it’s one thing to say that Jews control the media (which is a theory most likely cooked up in the mind who has something against the Jews) and to just point out that a lot of top people in Hollywood are Jewish. It’s not as if the Jews are meeting every week to discuss how they’re going to use the power of Hollywood to further their agenda. It would be just as useful to claim that the Football Fans control the Wal-Marts (if that’s true).
Anyway, I think the reason you see so many holocaust movies is nothing more than their love for the Almighty Dollar. The holocaust is a powerful subject which atracts audiences and wins Oscars.
As for why they fail to mention that there just so happened to be non-Jewish inmates in the Nazi concentration camps, I think it’s about how Hollywood loves stereotypes and formulaic plots.
Well, it’s one thing to say that Jews control the media (which is a theory most likely cooked up in the mind who has something against the Jews) and to just point out that a lot of top people in Hollywood are Jewish. It’s not as if the Jews are meeting every week to discuss how they’re going to use the power of Hollywood to further their agenda. It would be just as useful to claim that the Football Fans control the Wal-Marts (if that’s true).
Anyway, I think the reason you see so many holocaust movies is nothing more than their love for the Almighty Dollar. The holocaust is a powerful subject which atracts audiences and wins Oscars. After all, for every holocaust movie out there, there’s just as many about someone coming of age, or a man who has to go against the system to get justice.
As for why they fail to mention that there just so happened to be non-Jewish inmates in the Nazi concentration camps, I think it’s about how Hollywood loves stereotypes and formulaic plots.
Might I just add that I am a American Educated Brazilian… and I was subjected to the same films. Curious to see how much is instilled in us by this exposing to repeated ideas…
It’s hard to say if the films are the cause or the effect of the majority mindset. I still think it’s more profit oriented than trying to further an agenda. Especially when you’re talking about big budget projects.
For example, you’ll often see a review that says “This is the ‘feel good’ movie of the season.” It’s difficult to imagine investors risking millions of dollars, only to get a review like “Finally, a film that exposes us as the cowardly, stupid, evil hypocrites we very often can be. This is the ‘feel bad’ movie of the century.”
But there are some lower budget or indie films that attempt to do just that. They’re just not as profitable. So is it promoting an “agenda”, or just giving the majority audience what it wants, to maximise profits?
Your second sentence so changes the meaning of the first it’s hard to see what you are really saying. To the first alone, I’d say “a lot - it practically defines it”. But I wouldn’t say the totality of the US media does, no.
Hollywood movies have been used to influence us to adopt certain attitudes toward consumer products, such as diamonds (see PBS doc above) and cigarettes. De Beers and the tobacco companies actually pay for these sorts of product placements, to the extent that the tobacco companies wrote guidlines about how cigarettes were to be portrayed in movies (usually not in a bad way, of course).
CTB beat me to it but maybe if you guys stopped cloning Hitlers, you wouldn’t have those feelings.
Because the context is usually “Jewish agenda”, “Jewish slant”, “Jewish influence” etc as if it is some kind of siniser Zionist conspiracy.
There is also the small matter that no one points out that there are a disproportionate number of Greeks, Poles, Africans, Canadians or whatever in what ever industries those people congregate in (if any).
I should also mention that Jews generally have the Hollocaust beaten into them since birth (not surprisingly, usually from the Jewish POV).
Now getting back to the OP:
Rashak Mani - Most (as in nearly ALL) Americans realize that what we see in the movies is fantasy. What it sounds like is that foreigners see American films and actually believe we view the world and ourselves like that.
Just to set the record straight, I do not swaggar to work in formation with a hand-picked team of co-workers in slow motion while a squadron of F-14s roars overhead. I do not see the world through a digitally color-corrected red, white or blue lens gel. My boss does not call me a “loose cannon” on a daily basis and tell me to turn in my ID badge.
Any OP that begins “Americans this” or “Americans that” is automatically suspect. Maybe YOU should stop characterizing people in terms of nationality, race or religeon.
Yes, we realize that as a nation we kick ass but it’s not because we see it in the movies.
The only Jews I know who are controlling Hollywood are Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg, two of the three founders of Dreamworks SKG. But while Dreamworks is a decent studio, saying they’ve got complete control of Hollywood is a bit of a stretch; I seriously doubt the heads of Columbia/Tristar (aka Sony) are part of a seekret Jewish media conspiracy.
( and for all of the above, for the humor impaired)
Mind you I loved Schindlers List… and many other jew flicks. Even some american jews might not have seen from Eastern Europe. (One about a Train I forgot the name right now…)
and 
for all of the above, for the humor impaired)