Exam Question - Values in American Films

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

GENRE

The two American films that we studied both follow some of the generic codes and conventions of their genre, Science Fiction. Both War of the Worlds and Invasion of the Body Snatchers have Aliens in, this is common among the Sci-fi genre. But in the films, these Aliens have a possible allegorical meaning. For example, the 'Pod People' in IOTBS could possible be allegorical for McCarthyism, this includes McCarthy and his massive following. The Pod People start off with few numbers, but rapidly expand like McCarthy's following. Furthermore, when transformed into a 'Pod Person' you have no emotion and basically become a sheep, like everyone else you just follow - You can't assimilate your own opinion, just like McCarthy's brain-dead bandwagon. Similarly to this, the film War of the Worlds was developed and set in a post 9/11 society. After the terrorist attacks, high levels of fear and paranoia still stuck around for many years. As Muslims were associated with 9/11, they were generally disliked and untrusted by many. In the film, we see that it is set in a post 9/11 society a well, where Ray and his family have probably witnessed the 9/11 attacks for themselves, with them living in New York. More evidence to support this is the fact that when driving away from the destruction that Aliens are causing, Racheal screams (Like she always does) "Is that the terrorists!?". All of this evidence shows that in the film WOTW the Alien Invaders are actually allegorical for terrorists due to the major amount of paranoia that spread across the world.

NARRATIVE

I think that the Narratives in WOTW and IOTBS both have heavy American influences. They respect the American values, for example in IOTBS, Miles our protagonist isn't going to take to easy way out and give up his good ole' American Freedoms and in WOTW, Robby wants to fight the threats with the biggest power in the world the American military. However, in IOTBS there is no clear resolution to the narrative, it ends without answering a lot of the audiences questions. We just see Miles panting, the American government is being notified about the invasion but it could be too late, we'll never know. On the other hand, in WOTW we see Ray reunite with his lost son Robby and the threat to America has been exterminated. This is conventional to the American way that 'they can overcome any threats'.

Each of the 'baddies' in the Narratives represent a threat that existed around that time; terrorism was a big threat during the WOTW period, so the director made the Aliens allegorical for terrorists and reenforced his point with the use of visual signifiers like grey dust to show links between the two. In IOTBS, the Red scare was spreading the Commies were thought to be a major threat to America. An amazingly intelligent man (McCarthy) sought to destroy this threat from the great America with the use of interrogation, public ridicule and wild accusations with a lack of evidence. This was all occurring around the time IOTBS was set and created, so the 'Pod people' became allegorical for the widespread McCarthyism in America, this is reenforced by the paranoia of becoming 'Them' and their lack of morals and emotion. 

REPRESENTATIONS

Like in the majority of films, Men are seen in films as these Active saviours and Women seen as Passive, damsel in distress characters. Laura Molvey's male gaze shows us how films use Women in film as characters just to be saved by men.