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Myths in American War Movies: Part One of Four Articles
August 12, 2008 by manuel!evy!eave a "omment
Myths in American War Movies: Part One
Peaceful e#istence has been a ma$or value of the American Way
of !ife% &he 'ortrayal of (ar an) 'eace in 'o'ular culture is an
issue of great social signi*cance because of the strong roles that
mass me)ia 'lay in the sociali+ation 'rocess% otions of
a''ro'riate -an) ina''ro'riate. 'atriotic behavior -in times of (ar
an) 'eace. are transmitte) not only by the family, 'eer grou',
an) schooling, but also by the mass me)ia -*ction, *lm,television.%
Po' culture an) mass me)ia serve as a ma$or source of
information about a variety of roles, inclu)ing 'olitical roles, that
is, the )uties an) rights of citi+ens for their country% &his
sociological function has been 'articularly im'ortant for chil)ren
an) a)olescents (ho have )ominate) the movie/going 'ublic in
recent )eca)es% &he most freuent moviegoers in the %% are
bet(een 12 an) 20% 3oung vie(ers often gain their *rst insights
into the 4real (orl)5 through e#'osure to the *lm me)ium%
6o(ever, the me)ia7s images are not necessarily accurate or u'/
to/)ate, an) a culture lag may 'revail%
&he notion of culture lag is base) on Ogburn7s theory of social
change, (hich )istinguishes bet(een material an) nonmaterial
culture% Ogburn claime) that because technological innovations
are more ra'i)ly acce'te) than ne( i)eas or values, there is
usually a 'erio) of time )uring (hich the symbolic elements of
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culture lag behin) the material ones% a may 'revail bet(een
society7s material con)itions -the actuality of (ar. an) its cultural
re'resentations, in terms of images, values, an) myths%
&his series of articles e#amine the treatment of (ar an) 'eace in
the American cinema% sing a social/historical 'ers'ective, my
chief goal is to analy+e the construction of (ar an) 'eace images
by 6olly(oo)% &he *lm in)ustry has a )ual as'ect% As a ma$or
economic institution, (ith a strong in)ustrial an) technological
base, it 'ro)uces 'ro)uctsstan)ar)i+e) an) formulaic *lmsfor
the consum'tion of large au)iences% 9ut the *lm in)ustry is also acultural institution, 4a storytelling machine,5 to use avi)
&hurburn7s conce't, (hich ful*lls im'ortant i)eological functions
through its 'ro)uction an) transmission of values an) myths%
nli;e material 'ro)ucts, *lms are symbolic creations, (hich
signify social values an) meanings through their narratives an)
characteri+ation%
&he ty'ical 6olly(oo) fare has al(ays been )esigne) to a''eal to
the largest 'ossible au)iences, an e#amination of 'o'ular *lms
about (ar serves as an in)icator of (hat *lmma;ers -'ro)ucers,
(riters, an) )irectors. thought (oul) be acce'table to the
American 'ublic% &he *lmma;ers7 conce'ts might have been
)istorte), but their gui)ing assum'tions have actually sha'e) the
contents an) forms of the ty'ical 6olly(oo) fare%
French critic An)re 9a+in has observe) that 46olly(oo)7s
su'eriority is only inci)entally technical< it lies much more in (hat
one might call the American cinematic genius, something (hich
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shoul) be analy+e) by a sociological a''roach to its 'ro)uction%
&he American cinema has been able in an e#traor)inarily
com'etent (ay to sho( American society $ust as it (ante) to see
itself%5 For the anthro'ologist mile ur;heim, a society forms
itself by bringing itself to consciousness through collective
re'resentations, (hich it then e#ternali+es an) (orshi's%
Focusing on the inter'lay among military screen images,
)ominant i)eology, an) social structure, this series of essays
e#'lore one ma$or issue: (hat gui)elines, 'rescri'tions an)
'roscri'tions, have American *lms 'rovi)e) concerning (ar an)'eace%
Specifc Questions
&he above basic issue is state) in terms of four s'eci*c uestions%
First, (hat are the main attributes of American screen heroism
econ), (hat gui)elines American *lms 'rescribe) for the
'erformance of military roles &hir), ho( rigi) -or =e#ible. have
these gui)elines been An) fourth, changes in the 'ortrayal of
combat an) sol)iers% &he a)vantage of analy+ing commercially
successful *lms is that they are (i)ely seen by the 'ublic, thus
serving as 'otential agents of sociali+ation%
&hese articles e#amine *lms, (hich (ere acclaime) for their
artistic merits an)>or (inners of critics7 a(ar)s, such as
"asablanca,5 *lms nominate) for or (inning the Oscar A(ar)s,
such as ergeant 3or;5 an) an)s of ?(o @ima,5 an) commercially
'o'ular *lms, (i)ely seen by the 'ublic li;e 9ataan5 or Mister
oberts%5
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French )irector Francois &ruBaut once sai) that, 4(hen a *lm
achieves a certain success, it become a sociological event,5 an)
the uestion of its uality become secon)ary%5 An) the social
historian igfrie) Cracauer observe) that, 4the *lms of a nation
re=ect its mentality in a more )irect (ay than any other artistic
me)ia%5 An) because the *lm in)ustry is 4vitally intereste) in
'ro*t,5 aiming to satisfy mass )esires, 4it is boun) to a)$ust itself
to the change in mental climate%5
My sociological a''roach em'loys both institutional an)
interactional 'ers'ectives in un)erstan)ing *lm 'ro)uction an)consum'tion% Films are mass 'ro)ucts, conceive) an) create) for
the imme)iate vie(ing by large an) )iverse au)iences% 6o(ever,
*lms often en$oy (i)e a''eal not because they are intrinsically
interesting, but because of the historical an) social timing of their
release, (hen they a))ress timely issues in terms of occurrences
outsi)e the in)ustry%
Films are inter(oven in a net(or; of relationshi's (ith other
institutions -family, 'olitics, religion. an) are also sub$ect to
institutional -organi+ational, in)ustrial, an) legal. an) i)eological
constraints that sha'e their thematics an) stylistics% &hese
constraints o'erate both (ithin an) (ithout the *lm in)ustry% For
e#am'le, the ;in)s of *lms 'ro)uce) are )etermine) by mar;et
consi)erations, (hich in turn are )etermine) by )emogra'hics
-the age of freuent *lmgoers.%
?n its general use, the re=ection theory -*lms re=ect society. is
not a)euate% One nee)s to be more s'eci*c, as;ing (hat
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'articular as'ects of the *lm -narrative structure, thematic
conventions, style. re=ect (hat as'ects of the social structure%
Moreover, *lms may e#'ress cultural norms or social tren)s, but
they may also re=ect the 'ersonal i)eology an) 'olitics of their
*lmma;ers% Along (ith other agencies, *lms 'erform a function of
social control: 9y stressing consensus values, they reaDrm the
status uo an) e#ercise stabili+ing eBects on their vie(ers%
&o 'ose the uestion of (hether *lms re=ect or reaDrm or sha'e
society is thus erroneous% either theory o'erates consistently,
an) each may be 'artially correct% ome *lms -or as'ects of a*lm. may re=ect the social structure, others reaDrm it, an) still
others change their vie(ers7 'erce'tion% &his boo; sho(s that
*lms shoul) be analy+e) in their multi'le facets, as narrative,
i)eological, artistic, an) commercial 'ro)ucts, all con)itione) by
their cultural settings%
sing the structuralist a''roach as formulate) by the French
anthro'ologist "lau)e !evi/trauss, movies are analy+e) as
cultural myths, narratives arising from society7s un)erlying issues
an) basic structures% !evi/trauss )escribes myths as
transformations of basic )ilemmas5 or contra)ictions5 that in
reality cannot be resolve)% ome of these contra)ictions have
been ac;no(le)ge) but su''resse) by the *lm in)ustry%
"oncerne) (ith )eco)ing the elementary units in culture, the goal
is to reveal, 4ho( the a''arently arbitrary mythical
re'resentations lin; u' into systems that lin; u' (ith reality,
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natural as (ell as social, in or)er to re=ect, obscure, or contra)ict
it%5
es'ite manifest im'lausibilities an) a''arent contra)ictions,
myths are coherent an) logical structures% !evi trauss7s metho)
see;s the un)erlying logic of myths, ho( 'eo'le create cognitive
or)er that gives meaning to cultural te#ts% 6is analysis is
im'ortant, because it brea;s )o(n the most com'le# myths into
logical categories of )ialectical o''ositions% 9ase) on a formal use
of inversion, every category in the myth has its o''osite%
!evi/trauss7s analysis of myths has been critici+e) for beingahistorical, ignoring the s'eci*c con)itions un)er (hich they arise
or are reactivate)% 9ut myths en)ure because they are at once
historical -s'eci*c. an) universal -atem'oral.% &hey 'rovi)e in
'o'ular *ctional form -stories. both a version of concrete history
an) a vision of e#istence%
As collective re'resentations, the function of myths is to 'reserve
an) legitimi+e the social or)er% !i;e other forms of storytelling,
*lms are )i)actic, euivalent of ol) "hristian morality 'lays% War
movies have been 'articularly 'e)agogical: &hey7ll have )erive)
from strong moral origins, re=ecte) moral con=icts, an) oBere)
moral solutions% &his article analy+es the sha'e of military stories
in both their generali+e) an) 'articulari+e) forms% &he general
sha'es, or archety'es, are the fun)amental (ays through (hich
vie(ers 'erceive the s'eci*cities of an in)ivi)ual (or;%
Archety'es )etermine the limits (ithin (hich 'articular stories
an) characters can be *lle)%
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"onsisting of three basic elements, narrative, values, an) hi))en
meanings, the survival of myths )e'en)s on t(o factors% First, the
ability of image/ma;ers -(riters, *lmma;ers. to regenerate similar
myths in fresh an) to'ical (ay% An) secon), the ability of vie(ers
to forget the (ea;est an) most mutable e#am'les, their
(illingness to sus'en) belief an) 'reten) that they are seeing the
story for the *rst time% &he )urability of s'eci*c5 myths about (ar
an) 'eace suggests their rich variability: &heir ability to 'resent
numerous variations of formulaic conventions% As obert ay has
observe), the in=uence of myths over vie(ers increases (ith thenumber of incarnations they allo( for%
Myths associate) (ith the econ) Worl) War have survive) for a
long time, until the images create) by the Eietnam War% Myths
cannot easily be overthro(n by contra)ictory reality, because
vie(ers )o not 'erceive reality )irectly, but through )ominant
'ara)igms that )etermine their 'erce'tion of s'eci*c events%
&hus, myths canan) )o)istort 'eo'le7s 'erce'tion, by
encouraging them to believe in the vali)ity rather than reality of
the tale%
?t is )ebatable (hether 6olly(oo) coul) create5 ne( national
myths% 6o(ever, because of their 'o(er, *lms )isseminate an)
'o'ulari+e myths more ra'i)ly than other cultural me)ia
-ne(s'a'ers, novels, 'lays.% es'ite the fact that the origins of
cinematic myths are often in literature -boo;s, stories. or theater
-'lays., *lms 'ortray the material of every)ay life more
eBectively than other arts% Films are able to 'rovi)e an illusion, or
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a''ro#imation of realism through the use of the camera in
4recor)ing5 reality%
As myths, (ar movies are e#'erience) in s'eci*c historical
circumstances%5 &his is
a 'oint of convergence bet(een structuralism an) sociology of
*lm% &he 4internal5 a''roach of the structuralist -the inner
attributes an) un)erlying structure of *lm as a te#t. is
su''lemente) (ith the sociologist7s 4e#ternal5 a''roach,
groun)ing these attributes in their s'eci*c cultural an) 'olitical
settings%Focusing on the structure of sign systems, semiology analy+es
verbal as (ell as nonverbal systems of symbols% emiologists 'ay
attention to the 4meanings5 of te#ts an) the 'rocesses through
(hich such meanings are conveye) to vie(ers% &he system of
rules un)erlying symbolic constructions is 4)iDcult to e#'lain
because it is easy to un)erstan),5 accor)ing to French scholar
"hristian Met+% &he semiologist7s )istinction bet(een )enotative
an) connotative meanings is useful, because connotation is
al(ays symbolic, i%e% arbitrary: it establishes a relationshi'
bet(een signi*er an) signi*e) (hich is culturally motivate) an)
historically con)itione)% 4We consi)er the ob$ects solely in relation
to the meaning,5 (rote olan) 9arthes, 4(ithout bringing in the
other )eterminants -'sychological, sociological, 'hysical. of these
ob$ects,5 to uote olan) 9arthes%
nli;e sociologists, semiologists analy+e symbolic messages for
their o(n sa;e, recogni+ing that the symbolic form of the
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message has a 'rivilege) 'osition in the communication
e#change, an) that though only relatively autonomous5 in relation
to the communication 'rocess as a (hole they are )eterminate
moments%5
Myths in American War Movies: Part &(o of Four Articles
August 12, 2008 by manuel!evy!eave a "omment
Hollywood and WWII
6istorians estimate that about one thir) of the *lms 'ro)uce) in
6olly(oo) -00 out of 1G00. bet(een 1HI2 an) 1HI (ere aboutsome as'ect of the War: the battle or the home front% &he
'ro)uction of (ar *lm reache) an all/time high in 1HIJ, (hen 1JJ
(ar *lms, or JJ 'ercent of the total *lm out'ut, (ere release)%
&he econ) Worl) War still occu'ies an im'ortant 'osition in the
country7s collective consciousness: it (as the last American (ar
'erceive) as a 4goo)5 (ar for a noble cause% &he imagery of WW??
stan)s in o''osition to other, less 4'ositive5 (ars, such as
Eietnam an) Corea% &he (ar *lm has been one of the sta'les an)
most 'o'ular genres of the *lm in)ustry, embo)ying some of the
nation7s most en)uring myths%
Focusing on (ar *lms, the article )eals (ith the construction of
American screen heroism, a rather coherent ty'e, characteri+e)
by s'eci*c an) recurrent themes% ?n)ee), the narrative structure
of combat *lms )iscloses basic, un)erlying conventions%
Thematic Analysis o War !ilms
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rationali+ation an) bureaucrati+ation, immel7s Metro'olis, an)
ur;heim7s anomie% ?n (ar *lms, this conce'tual )ichotomy ta;es
the classical form of the combat unit -'latoon. versus the military
organi+ation% &he i)eal combat unit re'resents a 'rimary grou':
intimate, face/to/face, 'ersonal interaction% 9y contrast, the
military institution is base) on net(or;s of secon)ary
relationshi's, signifying the all the ills of bureaucratic
organi+ations: Magnitu)e, s'eci*city, formality, im'ersonality,
an) anonymity%
&he issue of stability versus change5 also features 'rominently in(ar *lms% 6ere the tension is bet(een in)ivi)uals7 hol)ing onto
their civilian life, never (anting to change, an) their acute
a(areness that change is inevitable% ?n many (ar *lms, there is
tension bet(een in)ivi)uals7 *ght to maintain their o(n values
an) the military7s insistence to embrace an) )ominate them%
sing sociologist obert Merton7s ty'ology of mo)es of a)a'tation
to society7s 'rescribe) goals an) its legitimate means to achieve
them, the analysis )istinguishes among in)ivi)uals (ho are
conformists, innovative, ritualistic, retreatist, an) rebellious%
Sacred "s# Proane
mile ur;heim7s )istinction bet(een the sacre) an) the 'rofane5
serves as another useful )ichotomy% very society )istinguishes
bet(een these t(o )omains an) their activities% &he sacre)
re'resent the less rational, more emotional values, (hich assume
religious or ritualistic meanings% 9y contrast, the 'rofane
re'resents secular attitu)es or ob$ects that gain their value from
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their utilitarianism or 'ragmatism% &he narrative analysis of (ar
*lms stresses the values, sentiments, ob$ects, an) 'laces
consi)ere) to be sacre) by the in)ivi)ual an) the military
organi+ation% For e#am'le, u' to the late lHL0s, the military
service an) the American =ag (ere collectively )eeme) sacre)%
9ut )uring the Eietnam War, these ob$ects (ere no longer
'erceive) as such%
Most narratives )istinguish bet(een the 'ublic an) the 'rivate5
)omains, a )istinction (hich may 'arallel, but not al(ays eual,
the sacre) an) the 'rofane% ?t is often manifeste) in the con=ictbet(een 'rofessionalism or careerism -regar)e) as sel*sh
'ursuit. an) sel=ess commitment to the military%
Sel "s# $ollective Orientation
&he American screen hero is a man of action, not of i)eas% 6e is
'ragmatic, commonsensical, an) )o(n/to/earth in his (ay of
thin;ing an) actual behavior% "ommitte) to the solution of social
or 'olitical 'roblems, he is gui)e) by an inner co)e of ethics, his
conscience, (hich often stan)s in o''osition to societal norms%
&he American hero is inner/)irecte), not tra)ition/)irecte) or
other/)irecte), to use avi) iesman7s ty'ology of social
characters% n)o(e) (ith moral strength, the inner/)irecte) hero
en$oys a goo) )eal of free)om from societal constraints% &here is
a strea; of rebelliousness an) non/conformity in his nature, often
(illing to violate norms an) to sacri*ce himself in or)er to attain
collective goals%
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&he inner/)irecte) hero )iBers from the tra)ition/)irecte),
ty'ically a conformist (ho uncritically acce'ts society7s tra)ition,
religious or secular, an) resists any ;in) of change% 9ut he
)iverges even more ra)ically from the other/)irecte), (ho is
concerne) (ith a)$usting an) a)a'ting to the )eman)s an)
e#'ectations of others% nli;e the inner/)irecte), (hose source of
control is internal, that of the other/)irecte) is e#ternal: the
family, 'eer grou', (or; organi+ation an) community% &he
American (ar hero is mission/oriente), mobili+ing all available
resources for ful*lling collective, not 'ersonal, tas;s% ?n theAmerican cinema, heroes have been tough, rational,
commonsensical, an) goal/oriente)< a romantic or se#ual aBair
have never stoo) in their commitment to collective causes or
missions%
?n Flying &igers5 -1HI2., @im Kor)on -@ohn Wayne. is the sua)ron
lea)er of the
American volunteer grou', *ghting for "hina7s free)om against
the @a'anese% A com'etent lea)er, an) tough as nails on his men,
Kor)on is contraste) (ith a ne( recruit, Woo)y @ason, (ho signs
u' because he nee)s the money to 'ay oB a 9reach/of/'romise
suit% @ason ma;es no secret of his eagerness to get the 00
)ollars re(ar) for every @a'anese 'lane ;noc;e) )o(n% Kor)on
)es'ises him for his sel*shness, es'ecially after his failure to be
at the base (hen nee)e)< another =ier ta;es over an) *n)s his
)eath%
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4? (as a ;i),5 @ason laments, 4?t too; somebo)y to )ie to ma;e a
man out of me%5 9ut he begs for another chance an) his heroics
even save Kor)on7s life: bombing a @a'anese su''ly train, his
'lane catches *re but he 'ushes Kor)on out, thus re)eeming
himself, 'aying for his errors (ith his o(n life%
Kor)on7s comman)er nurtures his sol)iers to manhoo) by
teaching them to acce't military )isci'line, but he is also a
sensitive lea)er, a(are of the anguish of sen)ing innocent
sol)iers out to )ie% ?n one scene, he regrets having allo(e) a
young sol)ier to =y on a )ea)ly mission: 4houl) have staye) incollege (here he came from, but he begge) me for a chance an)
? gave it to himN5
?n a ty'ical @ames "agney (ar 'icture, he is cast as a sel*sh
recruit (ho learns the har) (ay the im'ortance of military or)er%
For e#am'le, in 6ere "omes the avy5 -1HJI., "agney 'lays a
hot/tem'ere), un)isci'line) sol)ier, (hose sel*sh in)ivi)ualism
u'sets the avy tra)ition an) alientaes him from his fello(men%
9ut at the en), after a court martial, he re)eems himself (ith a
heroic rescue, an) his re'utation is restore)%
?n "eiling ero5 -1HJ., "agney, a )evil/may/care 'ilot (ho en$oys
his esca'a)es, irres'onsibly causes the )eath of a fello( 'ilot%
Flamboyant an) loose *bere), his ma$or 4hobby5 is (omen% 9ut
)uring the course of the story, he reforms an), regretting his
behavior, he volunteers to test a ne(ly invente) aircraft, an
action that costs him his life%
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&he Fighting LHth5 -1HI0., 'ro)uce) as Warners7 contribution to
the recruitment cam'aign an) "agney7s most 'o'ular (ar movie,
is a *ctionali+e) account of e( 3or;7s fame) 4the Fighting ?rish5
regiment, (hich starte) )uring the "ivil War an) in 1HlG (as
incor'orate) into the Army% Private @erry Plun;ette, a )es'icable
tough ?rishman from 9roo;lyn, sneers at the regiment7s tra)itions
an) $eers at his cha'lain% When his unit is sent to the uro'ean
front, he gets hysterical at the very *rst sight of a )ea) bo)y% 6is
co(ar)ice an) irres'onsibility, revealing to the enemy his unit7s
'osition, bring )eath to many of his fello(men% At the en),ho(ever, he )ies heroically, 'roving himself a (orthy sol)ier% &he
transformation of the "agney character is al(ays from a coc;y
an) obno#ious recruit to a )isci'line) sol)ier% ?n their (ar *lms,
the "agney an) the Wayne screen 'ersona com'lemente) each
other%
$ommitment "s# %eutrality
?n a ty'ical 6um'hrey 9ogart (ar *lm, 9ogart (ears civilian
clothes, usually a trench coat, an) is 'lace) in a foreign country%
At times, he is the only one or one of the fe( Americans on the
scene% Across the Atlantic,5 for e#am'le, ta;es 'lace in Panama,
an) &o 6ave an) 6ave ot,5 on the islan) of Martiniue% &he titles
of his *lms often reveal their locales: Action Across the orth
Atlantic,5 ahara,5 "asablanca,5 Passage to Marseilles%5
9ogart7s heroes usually start as cynical, so'histicate), an)
uninvolve) men (ho are reluctantly )ra(n into the con=icts% &he
transformation is gra)ual, though at the en) 9ogart7s heroes are
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fully committe) to the cause% ?n)ee), at the start of "asablanca5
-1HIJ., 9ogart7s ic; 9lain, the former sol)ier an) no( a cafe
o(ner, )eclares, 4? stic; my nec; out for nobo)y,5 an) 4?7m the
only cause ?7m intereste) in%5 9y the en), ho(ever, he gives u'
the (oman he 'assionately loves, to hel' her husban), an anti/
Fascist lea)er, esca'e to free)om% 9lain7s cynicism )erives from
his )isillusionment (ith the (orl)7s a'athy to the "ivil War in
'ain an) to thio'ia< he himself smuggle) arms to thio'ia an)
fought (ith the !oyalists in 'ain%
American mythology ma;es im'ortant )istinctions bet(eeni)eological an) 'rofessional commitment% &he genuine American
hero is not the 'rofessional sol)ier, but the converte) civilian%
?)eological or moral commitment -base) on the belief in the
cause. is favore) over the strictly com'etent an) relatively
narro( commitment of the craftsman% &he 9ogart version of
commitment has 'revaile) from the late 1HL0s on, because it
suite) better the cynicism that characteri+e) American society
)uring the Eietnam War, the 'olitical assassinations, an) the
Watergate scan)al, all of (hich resulte) in an increasing lac; of
trust of the government an) any form of institutional authority%
&hough most *lms 'reach for greater 'olitical involvement,
commitment is not (ithout costs or a 'rice% 6um'hrey 9ogart in
"asablanca5 loses the only (oman he ever love)%
Most of @ames "agney7s 'rotagonists )ie in action in his (ar *lms,
inclu)ing the e'onymous hero of Mister oberts%5 &he form of
commitment in the American cinema is in)ivi)ualistic% &he heroes
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often o'erate on their o(n against all o))s% ?n classic 6olly(oo)
te#ts, the narratives focus almost e#clusively on an in)ivi)ual
-usually a (hite male., a loner -often outsi)er. in search of
i)entity an) re)em'tion%
As ichar) Maltby has observe), 4social 'roblems (ere s;irte) by
invariably couching them in in)ivi)ual terms%5 ?n this (ay, the
seemingly contra)ictory values of in)ivi)ualism an) commitment
are reconcile)% ?n American *lms, self/ful*llment an) self
actuali+ation are achieve) through commitment to collective
goals an) communal aBairs%Myths in American War Films: Part &hree of Four Articles
August 12, 2008 by manuel!evy!eave a "omment
$harismatic "s# &e'al Authority
Anti/institutional authority has been another )e*ning element of
American (ar heroes% &he authority of screen heroes is
charismatic to use Ma# Weber7s ty'ology of authority mo)els%
"harismatic authority rests on the lea)er7s 'ersonal a''eal an)
his e#ce'tional abilities, 'erceive) by his follo(ers as a gift of
grace% "harismatic heroes 'ossess e#traor)inary virtues, on the
basis of (hich they )eman) an) get 'ersonal )evotion from their
follo(ers% &his ty'e of lea)er )iBers substantially from the legal
rational lea)er, (hose authority is base) on e#'licit la(s an)
regulations, (hich )e*ne an) con*ne his use of 'o(er%
&he uintessential screen heroes of @ohn Wayne, Kary "oo'er,
6enry Fon)a, @immy te(art an) later, "lint ast(oo), ylvester
tallone, an) ))ie Mur'hy have been charismatic because they
http://emanuellevy.com/author/emanuellevy/http://emanuellevy.com/comment/myths-in-american-war-films-part-three-of-four-articles-5/#respondhttp://emanuellevy.com/author/emanuellevy/http://emanuellevy.com/comment/myths-in-american-war-films-part-three-of-four-articles-5/#respond8/9/2019 Myths in American War Movies
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gain an) maintain authority by 'roving their e#traor)inary
'hysical an) emotional strengths% &he heroes 'laye) by
ast(oo), tallone, an) Mur'hy are more cynical an) ambiguous
in their attitu)e to(ar) the la( than their 're)ecessors, in tune
(ith the times in (hich these actor became a star% ?n each case,
ho(ever, their 'ersonal strength an) eDciency are far more
im'ortant than the oDcial 'ositions they occu'y in the hierarchy
of their organi+ations -be it the military or the 'olice force.%
6o(ever, being critical, or at the margins of the social system, by
no means im'lies o'erating outsi)e the legitimate or)er%o 'erformer has become a ma$or star if he s'eciali+e) in 'laying
)eviants or criminals, o'erating outsi)e the frame of the la(%
Actors (ho began their careers in crime gangster *lms, became
stars only5 after they transforme) their screen image into more
legitimate, mainstream heroes% &he best e#am'le for this tren) is
still @ames "agney (ho became a ma$or5 star, not in his crime
gangster *lms -&he Public nemy,5 1HJ1., but rather (hen he
'laye) mainstream *gures, such as 'atriotic sho(man Keorge M%
"ohan -3an;ee oo)le an)y,5 1HI2.%
imilarly, 6um'hrey 9ogart became 'o'ular (ith the 'ublic (hen
he cease) 'laying villains -in most of his 1HJ0s Warner movies.
an) began to be cast in heroic roles, such as &he Maltese Falcon5
-1HI1. an) "asablanca5 -1HIJ.%
(litism "s# )emocracy
?n &he Flying !eathernec;s5 -1H1., Ma$or an Cirby -@ohn
Wayne., comman)er of the Marine *ghting sua)ron in the outh
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Paci*c, is resente) by his men because the (ante) e#ecutive
oDcer "arl KriDn, a more 'o'ular an) amiable man, to get the
comman)% &hey also )isli;e Cirby for his rugge) (ays an) strict
)isci'line% &he *lm, ho(ever, ma;es it clear that it is Cirby, (ho is
more suite) for comman), 'articularly un)er 'ressure% KriDn
)efen)s Cirby7s tactic in front of the men but in 'rivate critici+es
him, 4o man is an islan)%5 When he ta;es over the comman),
ho(ever, he mo)els his lea)ershi' after Cirby% Furthermore, as in
other (ar *lms, the sol)iers learn to res'ect an) even li;e Wayne
for the ;in) of lea)er he is%?n @ohn For)7s &hey Were #'en)able5 -1HI., !ieutenant usty
yan -@ohn Wayne. insists that the P& boats, eui''e) (ith guns
an) tor'e)o tubes, coul) sli' into the @a'anese harbors% 6is
tem'erament stan)s in shar' o''osition to !ieutenant @ohn
9ric;ley, a calm, rational, an) eDcient comman)er% yan gets
increasingly frustrate): the )isbelief in the boats7 'otential an)
the lac; of action bore him to )eath% "hallenge) by 9ric;ley,
4What are you aiming at, buil)ing a re'utation, or 'laying for the
team5 yan re'lies, 4for years, ?7ve been ta;ing your fatherly
a)vice an) it7s never been very goo)% From no( on, ?7m a one/
man ban)%5 6e become even more frustrate) u'on learning that
the boats are assigne) to messenger )uty, claiming he is 4bore)
to )eath running messages%5
!ater on, (hen the boats are assigne) to )estroy a @a'anese
cruiser, he is eager to go out, but instea) is rushe) to the hos'ital
for treatment of an infecte) arm% 6e arrives at the hos'ital
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screaming an) (hen the nurse suggests to calm him )o(n,
'erha's even go )ancing, he yells, 4!isten, sister, ? )on7t )ance
an) ? can7t ta;e the time out no( to learn% All ? (ant is to get out
of here%5 After his boat ha) been sun;e), yan is or)ere) to =y
bac; to Washington to organi+e ne( P& 9oat sua)rons, but he
loathes leaving% 6e tries to get oB the 'lane, oBering his 'lace to
another oDcer% When the latter as;s him to call his (ife, yan
e#'lo)es, 4Phone her% ? got business here an) you got business
bac; in the tates%5 All he (ants is to be at the battle +one% 9ut
once again, it is 9ric;ley (ho brings him into line, 4usty, (ho7reyou (or;ing for 3ourself5
Stratifcation "s# Inte'ration
Of all *lm genres, narratives of (ar *lms )emonstrate) best the
i)eology of American society as a melting 'ot, a 'luralistic society
consisting of various ethnic minorities% &his *lm genre has also
been the most o'timistic concerning issues of ethnic an) racial
integration% se) as a microcosm of the society at large, social
integration is achieve) in the military through commitment to the
value of euality%
9ataan5 -1HIJ., a tale of 1J battere) sol)iers, )e'icts the heroic
eBorts of a rear/guar) 4suici)e5 mission to 'rotect the American
retreat )o(n the 'eninsula to "orregi)or% ?t is a classic e#am'le of
the 'latoon (ith cross/section 'ersonality ty'es an) ethnic
grou's, all ban)e) together to *ght the enemy% &he grou'
inclu)es a conscientious ob$ector, an immature a)olescent, an) a
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blac; stu)ying for the ministry, a lovable 6is'anic, a humorous
an) tal;ative @e(%
&he *lm )escribes the ethnic tra)itions of the )iversi*e) 'latoon