Films always reflect the times and places in which they are made.' How far is this true of the American films you have studied for this topic?

The American films War Of The Worlds (WOTW) and Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (IOTBS) both represent the social issues that were happening of the time of the films production. Values within the wider society can be reflected on the screen. WOTW can be closely related to the 9/11 attack in 2001. The scene in which the first tripod emerges from the ground can be compared to when the first tower collapses. Spielberg uses think smoke, sirens and ash to really portray the chaos and panic, even the settings is very similar - a very basic city street with parked cars. The most prominent similarity is the way the scene in shot and how 9/11 has been caught on camera, the viewpoint we get of the tripod is very low angle so that the audience is in a place of danger. There is also a significant shot which shows a camcorder dropped on the floor, camcorders are the main source of most of the footage of 9/11 we have, so Spielberg has used that shot to represent the realism and the fear mimicked in this scene.

The fear of others is a theme in this film and can also be related to the fear felt in real life. There are similarities between the aliens in WOTW and the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center. Both want destruction, both look different to Americans, both use transport as weapons and both are outsiders. They both have only one objective: to exterminate and are both attacking from within the US. The aliens represent the terrorists in this film, this has been done to play on peoples fears. Spielberg uses iconography of 9/11 to make links to what we see in real life and what we see in the film, the links made cause paranoia and generate fear. The iconography includes a burned plane - now a weapon after the 9/11 attacks, smoke clouds which people run away from, also the news reporter character represents the media and their role in 9/11, passing on the information to the rest of the world.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers can be representative of the Cold War and 'McCarthyism'. Paranoia is a theme throughout the film and there is a lack of trust between characters because of the fear of 'pod people' and how characters feel that their loved ones are acting strange but can not quite tell what it is, I believe this is to echo followers of McCarthy and how they want everyone to have the same ideologies and follow senator McCarthy as they are. McCarthy's followers spread until they were the majority, meaning that those who do not believe in his views seemed odd for believing in a different way of life, despite how the McCarthy way is correct and immoral. This is very similar to how the pod people spread incredibly quickly until they were the majority, and Miles and Becky were seen as strange for not wanting to be pod people and are seen as a threat to social harmony.