Film as Soft Power - Assignment Example

Film as Soft Power Since the first publication of the Horatio Alger novels, one theme has consistently permeated American popular culture, and film in particular. Achieving the ‘American dream’ has been a perpetual focus of cinema from the depression through the modern era. It is not surprising that such films garner both commercial and occasionally critical success. Such stories in which characters begin down on their luck only to ultimately achieve their goals is an appealing paradigm. The American dream is something that all people, foreign and domestic, have always worked to attain, and the cinema has only perpetuated this desire. As a very popular form of entertainment, film is often the chosen form of distraction in many parts of the world and films coming out of Hollywood, California are most widely recognized as being the prime example of what film should be. Written and produced in America and often created in a way that reinforces the accepted social controls present in American culture, Hollywood films are strongly infused with messages that reinforce the standard concepts of the American Dream and the accepted social behaviors that are considered essential in order to attain it. As a result of their hidden messages, or semiotics, as well as their blatant depictions, American films have had the greatest success as a form of soft power, consistently teaching audiences to value the American Dream and reinforcing accepted social behavior that contributes to the order and control of society. Whether we care to admit it or not, there is a great deal of truth behind the statement that we are what the media tells us we are. “Much of what we share, and what we know, and even what we treasure, is carried to us each second in a plasma of electrons, pixels and ink, underwritten by multinational advertising agencies dedicated to attracting our attention for entirely nonaltruistic reasons” (Twitchell 468). This is achieved to great extent through the process of semiotics. Semiotics is the process through which signs are analyzed to determine what hidden meanings or understandings are sent as a result of specific symbol combinations on a variety of levels. “Semiology therefore aims to take in any system of signs, whatever their substance and limits; images, gestures, musical sounds, objects, and the complex associations of all these, which form the content of ritual, convention or public entertainment: these constitute, if not languages, at least systems of signification” (Barthes, 1964). The term essentially refers to any combination of contextual clues, such as language, image, color, shape, expression or placement, that are used in a specific way or combination in order to convey a specific meaning intended for a particular cultural group. In doing so, semiotics also gains the ability to strongly influence other markets, such as the foreign markets in which films making heavy use of semiotics are played. Another tool used by films to focus social attention is the manipulation of binary oppositions. It is through the philosopher Ferdinand de Saussure that we have the term ‘binary oppositions,’ which became a major component of the Structuralist movement. According to Saussure, we define each unit or idea not necessarily by what it is, but instead in terms of what it is not. “Essentially, the concept of the binary opposition is engendered by the Western propensity to organize everything into a hierarchical structure; terms and concepts are related to positives or negatives, with no apparent latitude for deviation” (Fogarty, 2005). In addition to allowing no middle ground between terms, binary oppositions tend to elevate one term over the other, such that one becomes the desirable while the other becomes the opposite and undesirable. However, it is largely through these binary oppositions that the viewer/reader is ‘positioned’ in the text to take a specific perspective and that serves to reinforce or break down existing stereotypes. Although sometimes these binary opposites are presented plainly, such as in the simple slogan ‘rich or poor’, they can also be presented in very subtle ways within our entertainment programming. “What will not be so immediately obvious at this stage is what this understanding means at a deeper level, for not just meaning but feeling – emotion – that becomes involved in the generation of meaning. In the case of poverty and wealth, you will recognize that we tend to judge a poor person negatively simply because they are not wealthy; we might well feel sympathy for that person, but in very real ways, we will hold to our deeply conditioned negative response to the idea of poverty and transfer this negativity to the poor person” (Campsell, 2006). There are several examples of binary oppositions within our contemporary text. In fact, in most cases, one would be hard-pressed to avoid them. These include the ideas of white/black, man/woman, rich/poor, old/young, life/death and inside/outside. Each opposition automatically excludes any elements of its opposite, immediately setting up antagonism because black excludes white, man excludes woman and rich excludes poor. Because they are understood to be opposites, the translation then becomes black equals darkness, danger, evil while white indicates purity, goodness and light. “Another example of a contested binary opposition is rational vs. emotional, in which the rational term is usually privileged and associated with men, while emotional is inferior and associated with women” (Campsell, 2006). Not limited to words alone, these oppositions are so culturally ingrained that they can be presented in terms of imagery, color associations, forms and shapes or simply through the particular flow of a font type used in an advertisement. If a characteristic of one of these categories applies, that element cannot ever enter into the realm of the other. Part of the reason for this is because the only way in which the system can remain in place is if these strict separations remain in place. In terms of the male/female binary opposition, the moment we come across a masculine woman who is successful and happy, the entire idealogy is blown. “We may not all agree on what constitutes a violation of gender roles but most people have a concept of gender roles and their violation. We don’t all agree on what unjustified killing is, but all cultures oppose killings they consider unjustified” (Sanes, 2000). By exploring and challenging the definitions involved or attempting to disguise and reinforce these definitions, films can have a profound effect upon how we view the world around us. One example of how semiotics can be used to convey a specific message to the ‘home’ audience as well as foreign markets can be seen in the Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burton is a good example of an influential filmmaker as his films have experienced success on both sides of the Atlantic and his stories are geared to appeal to both adult and child audiences, thus sharing his message with a very wide proportion of the available population. Within this particular film, Burton illustrates some of the more important elements of life as an American citizen. He focuses upon the tendency for members of society to categorize others according their status within society, a practice that is as old as mankind itself. The study of class and how this is achieved had been viewed as the means in comprehending the structure of social society. In today’s industrial society, the system of social structure is adaptable, but only within specific parameters. People can more easily ascend the social ladder than in the past, but they are still constrained within specific behavioral expectations. Modern theorists have attempted to explain what constitutes a particular social class and whether it is the type of neighborhood one lives in, their career, ethnicity or income that defines to which class they belong. Although there is no specific definition of class as in say, India where there is a caste system, social differentiation does indeed exist. Tim Burton’s 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands” depicts some of these differences in its portrayal of a small suburban society and the introduction of a man who just doesn’t fit in. Edward Scissorhands is the lonely unfinished creation of the mad scientist who lives up the hill from a relatively ‘normal’ suburban neighborhood. Burton emphasizes the importance and commonality of the American Dream within this neighborhood as all the men leave at the same time in the morning on their way to work and all the women begin to go about their daily activities. The neighborhood is depicted in soft shades of pastel, indicating the innocent and trouble-free life these people seem to live as well as introduces a level of uniformity that seems to suggest that all of America lives in this type of dream-like bliss. The women’s activities are revealed as Peg Boggs makes her rounds as an Avon lady desperate to make a sale. The women are at home doing basic tasks although none of them seem interested in purchasing make-up. Not having any luck, she eventually makes her way up to the mansion where Edward has been living alone following the death of the mad scientist. Burton is careful to illustrate that this ‘perfect’ society is not fully automated as each of these women, who generally appear to be ‘normal’ on the outside, have their individual quirks and eccentricities that somehow fall outside of the realm of the acceptable. One is overly religious; another is overly sexual, etc. The ideal neighborhood is again emphasized as all the men begin coming home at the same time and the women rush back to their homes in order to get dinner on the table. As the film continues, it is seen that the family still sits down together at the dinner table and weekends are spent with activities such as neighborhood barbeques and so on. Although the men are also seen to participate in very similar lives to each other, they are also demonstrated to have their own individual quirks. Thus, the individuality of American life is preserved at the same time that the uniformity of the American Dream is reinforced. This is made clear as each quirky individual makes the effort to conform to an undefined ‘norm’ as a means of being acceptable. Unfortunately for Edward, he is incapable of conforming to the same form of life as the others because of a fundamental physical difference – the mad scientist who had created him had not yet completed Edward’s hands. Instead of hands, Edward was left with giant, razor-sharp scissors in their place, which were often dangerous both to outsiders as well as to the gentle soul of Edward himself. Although different, Edward is obviously very innocent, sweet and gentle as is shown in the detailed and creative topiaries he creates for the various people in the neighborhood and the hairstyles he creates for the various neighbors. Because his artistic talent is highly prized, the people of the neighborhood attempt to overlook Edward’s differences. Essentially, they conclude that his physical difference can be overlooked because it is both not something he can do anything about and it is the means by which he creates his art. However, the difference in the way he thinks, as is seen in these creations, illustrates that he can never fit in to their way of thinking either. While they are willing to accept him based upon his talent and his willingness to try to conform, they are, in the end, unable to because of his differences. He is persecuted by at least one member of the community as a result of his physical and mental differences, a jealous boyfriend of Kim’s, and is treated with great suspicion by others even when he is behaving ‘normally’. When he accidentally cuts first Kim and then Kevin, he is chased out of town by a mob intent on tearing him apart rather than attempting to discover the true motivations behind his actions. Through its depiction of the gentle but different Edward as compared to the sometimes malicious but outwardly similar suburban dwellers, this film demonstrates the sociological danger of being different and the pressure to conform to the American ideals. When Edward finds himself in a completely different world from the world of the mansion he had known, he attempts to conform to the expectations of the society, but despite his best efforts, his differences are alarming to the community which operates largely on the concept of binary oppositions. At the same time, the superficiality of the community as compared to their reality confuses Edward even as it reinforces social beliefs and values that illustrate the American Dream. Through this type of depiction, sent over and over again in a variety of forms through the medium of the cinema, film because the most influential form of soft power available in today’s world. Works Cited Barthes, Roland. Elements of Semiology. New York: Hill and Wang, 1964. Campsell, Steve. “Binary Opposition.” English Biz. (2006). June 25, 2009 from Edward Scissorhands. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne West, Kathy Baker & Vincent Price. 20th Century Fox, 1990. Fogarty, Sorcha. “Binary Oppositions.” Literary Encyclopedia. France: University College Cork, (February 15, 2005). Sanes, Ken. “Elements of the Orders of Values.” Image and Action. Transparency, 2000. Twitchell, James. The Triumph of Advertising in American Culture. Columbia University Press, 1996. Read More