Social Implications

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2008

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In The essay, "Social Implications in the Hollywood Genres", Jean-Loup Bourget discusses what is implied about social groups in movies. In the last paragraph of the essay, Bourget asks "Must American society be like this? Must the Hollywood system function like this?" (57). Bourget actually answers these questions within his essay and I agree with his interpretation of the complexity of films, especially in regards to context meaning and the meanings implied by techniques.

Bourget describes several forms of techniques, such as the iconological approach. Bourget states that iconological approach assumes that a film is a sequence of images whose real meaning may well be unconscious on the part of its makers (51). Directors put meanings and facts into films that we are not suppose to initially see. For example the meaning might be to show the values of society. The camera might be focusing on how beautiful a character is, but the issue has nothing to do with beauty.

Directors also might emphasize a scene or a particular person and pay less attention to the important character or scene. The audience however does not understand the director's approach to the scene and will wind up viewing another factor that is less important.

Another factor to consider while watching a movie is the message that the director is trying to present rather than what the audience perceives. This can be done in many ways depending on the genre. For instance, in a film that portrays a utopia the main point is not the issue of how perfect the utopia is but rather the issue the director is trying to get across. Bourget states that the utopia calls the viewer's attention to the fact that his or her own society is far removed from such an ideal condition. The film...