Lesson 5 - War of the Worlds - Post 9/11 Cinema

Like any work of art, films are a product of their environment. They are made by citizens who make up part of a society and their views, ideologies and reactions to social and cultural events often make it in to their films.

Some filmmakers use film to blatantly criticise or challenge views held by other groups in society. For example

Blade Runner 

"Set in Los Angeles 2019, policeman Rick Deckard stalks the technological jungle of the 21st century in the search for humanoids known as 'replicants.' His investigations lead him closer to the truth behind the company that produces the half-man/half-robots and their ultimate purpose, but also force him to reconsider what is "human" and "artificial."

A given sci-fi classic, this movie from '82 has still a load of points to make about both our current and future society in the West. The story reflects an America bought up by global corporations that have turned the country into a mechanical melting pot of consumers without cultural or existential identity. Blade Runnerultimately challenges our view of what it means to be a human being and contextualizes this insight in a political-historical context of thought."


Whilst other filmmakers use film to reinforce and support a certain ideology they themselves believe in. For example

Triumph of the Will

Triumph of the Will was filmed by the German Propaganda Ministry in 1934 and covers the events of the Sixth Nuremburg Party Congress.

The original intention was to document the early days of the NSDAP, so as future generations could look back and see how the Third Reich began. 

In reality, Triump des Willens shows historians how the Nazi state drew in the masses through propaganda and also how Adolf Hitler had a unique and terrifying ability to entice crowds to his beliefs by the very power of his words

Many factors can contribute to meaning is produced in a film, and these same factors contribute to our own personal response to films.

Post 9/11 Cinema

Post 9/11 cinema refers to films that have been influenced (consciously or sub-consciously) by the events of 9/11. It also refers to films that spectators see as allegorical or referencing the events, whether the intention of the filmmaker or not.

Look at the slides below for a detailed analysis of how both The Dark Knight and Children of Men can be considered 'Post 9/11 Films'

Post 9/11 Cinema

(For all clips used in the lesson please visit the SSSFCFilm YouTube channel)