What many of us know about cultures other than our own we either know through the movies, or our knowledge has been influenced by movies. They are part of our lives.

Director Steven Spielberg called the motion picture “the most powerful weapon in the world.”

Even films that do not set out to leave a message still do so in a dozen subtle ways. The condition of the streets and buildings, the cars and clothes, the food, what the actresses wear and their attitudes, the role of the police and politicians all convey the message to an audience that this is the way things are in other places. If life is much different where you live, that should tell you something, and maybe you will want changes where you live.

President Sukarno of Indonesia, a socialist and revolutionary, said that Hollywood, in effect, preached revolution because it showed a society in which ordinary people had houses with several rooms, and possessed automobiles.

And as the movies have accomplished all this, they have sweetly encouraged us to sit back and let the skillful people who make them for us, usually working far from our homes, entertain us so that we forget how to entertain ourselves.

A few matters about motion picture history stand out:

First, as with most mediated communication, no one person invented the motion picture. It evolved in a series of small steps. Thomas Edison is often credited as its inventor, but he had less to do with its invention than others.

Second, no indication has been found that anyone involved in its early growth showed any concept of how important it would become — a means of story telling that would entertain, enthrall, and influence billions of people around the world.

Third, the public played an important part in what the movies, both an art and an industry, became. By ticket purchases, the public influenced the course of its growth.

Fourth, like all mediated communication, motion pictures have substituted for direct contact with other people. The time that is spent watching a film is time away from other pursuits, including direct activities with family and friends. Watching a film with someone provides some — but only some — degree of contact.

Fifth, as the years have gone by, more and more people are making movies at every level. Production and distribution are decentralized as never before. The motion picture today contributes to an egalitarian world trend not only by its content, but also by the fact that the making of movies exists in many hands.

Sixth, motion pictures have sometimes been a force for knocking down barriers among races, religions, and nationalities. They can help to turn our focus from local and parochial matters to broader perspectives. However, in a few hands, they have done just the opposite; they have been used as propaganda to foster hostility.

Seventh, no cultural force of such power settles in without opposition. Almost from its onset the motion picture had its enemies. Middle class reformers who attacked working class drinking went after the nickelodeon. Representatives of the clergy managed to close some movie theaters. A variety of city, state, and national censorship boards took root.

Today’s rating system is Hollywood’s self-regulation in a constant hope of keeping outside censors away. In addition, many nations have their own board of censors.

It is common knowledge and accepted practice that films are kept from audiences for political reasons. Motion pictures are never considered purely on their merits. Their impact on society is far too great.

Taken from:

Alphabet to Internet:
Mediated Communication in Our Lives

by Irving Fang
Rada Press, 2008

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http:www.radapress.com