SSC Film Studies

Compare how key messages and values are explored in the two American films you have studied in reflecting the period they were made

Both films are made in a time were the united states are in a period of uncertainty, Invasion of the body snatchers was created in a time were Senator McCarthy and Communism was the main talking point in America and IOTB tackles this point in the film. War of the worlds is a post 9/11 film and is strongly focused on an American society that lives in fear of terrorism.

IOTB is in the time were the cold war was happening between the United states and Russia. There was a communist threat towards America and Senator McCarthy was fighting against this. In the film the main character miles is warned about people "Changing". There is no apparent change in them, the way they act, look and behave is all the same, there is just a change that people cannot put there fingers on. This can be linked to how the American people at the time felt communism was going to spread across the states and one by one convert people to being a communist. At the time, The red scare was a major fear for Americans, especially McCarthy who is portrayed as somebody who makes false accusations and at first has the people behind him but as the communists take over then he becomes the minority and seems to make no sense when he speaks, that's what miles is portrayed as in the film. when he finds out about the "Pod people" that are related to communists, are taking over then he has the backing of people, but as the film goes on and more and more people turn into these pod people then his ideas and the way he is portrayed changes, he seems to be the outsider who looks like he is going crazy. The fear of outsiders links in with the film because of the pod people coming in and trying to force new ideologies and a different way off life to the American people. This is what communist are believed to have done and the film is linked in with that. The film has no resolution, the ending of it shows the main characters miles screaming hysterically in the middle of the road as trucks and trucks off pod people pass him, he screams into the camera "They're coming for you". The unwritten rules of film that you should never look into the camera however the use of this is a slight dig towards the current situation that was in america, trying to "warn" the american people that they are in danger. Overall I think they are trying to get a message over to the audience with this film, through the use of paranoia, fear of others, outsiders...

War of the worlds is a perfect example of post 9/11 cinema, The film was made in 2006, five years after a terrorist attack on the world trade centre in new york city. The film is based upon the HG wells novel from the 1800's and is a clear insight on how the American world deal with terrorist attacks. The film has the same themes as invasion of the body snatchers, Fear of outsiders, annihilation, The main character played by tom cruise lives in a world where the threat of terrorist attacks